Michael Che's 'dangerous' jab on 'Weekend Update' is 'a modern twist on a classic anti-Semitic trope that has inspired the mass murder of countless Jews throughout the centuries,' the American Jewish Committee said
That didn't take long.
After drawing ire late last month for telling a joke denounced as "transphobic" and launching the left into a feeding frenzy upon itself, "Saturday Night Live" cast member Michael is in hot water again. And this time it's for a joke many are calling "anti-Semitic."
What did he say?
During the latest installment of the show's "Weekend Update" sketch, Che noted that "Israel is reporting that they've vaccinated half of their population, and I'm gonna guess it's the Jewish half."
As with his controversial "Don't ask, don't tuck" quip last month, the studio audience responded with laughter that was a just tad on the nervous side:
How did folks respond?
The American Jewish Committee launched a petition Sunday demanding that "SNL" apologize, the Times of Israel said.
"Saturday Night Live's 'joke' isn't just untrue — it's dangerous, a modern twist on a classic anti-Semitic trope that has inspired the mass murder of countless Jews throughout the centuries," the petition said, the paper reported. The joke also referred to the charge that Jews are responsible for plagues, according to the petition, which was to be delivered to NBC, the paper added.
"Spreading antisemitic lies & misinformation is already a problem," Israel's Consul General in New York Israel Nitzan tweeted at "SNL," the Times of Israel said. "Fanning the flames just to get a laugh is not only wrong, it's irresponsible. Israel has made the vaccine available for its entire population equitably, regardless of gender, race or religion."
More from the paper:
As of Sunday, over 4.3 million Israelis have received their first vaccine dose, and almost 3 million have received the second, out of a population of 9 million.
Israel has offered vaccinations to all of its citizens, Jews and Arabs alike, in addition to Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem. But critics have faulted the Jewish state for not vaccinating the roughly five million Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. [...]
Critics of Israel's vaccination policy point to the Fourth Geneva Convention, which states that an occupying power is required to provide vaccines to the inhabitants of the territories under its control.
Israel rejects the claim that it occupies the West Bank, saying the territories it has ruled since 1967 are "disputed," rather than occupied. It also notes that it has pulled out of Gaza, though it maintains a blockade over the territory. As such, Jerusalem has never accepted the applicability of that international law statute to the territories.
Israel also maintains it is not responsible for inoculating the Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza. The government points to the 1995 Oslo Accords, which stipulate that the Palestinian Authority is responsible for Palestinians living in the West Bank and Gaza, while both sides are to work together to combat epidemics.
The Times of Israel added that Israel in recent days has transferred several thousand doses to Ramallah for the Palestinian Authority to vaccinate medical staff — and that on Friday the Palestinian Authority said Israel agreed to vaccinate 100,000 Palestinians employed in Israel.
Israel temporarily delayed the transfer of Russian-donated vaccines to Gaza, which is under an Israeli blockade to prevent weapons from reaching terrorist group Hamas, the paper also reported.
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