Jewish comedian wins Emmy for HBO special about New York sit-down with neo-Nazis

Alex Edelman performs at Memorial Hall at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, Jan. 29, 2024. Photo courtesy of  Hameltion via Wikimedia Commons.

JNS

Emotion overwhelmed comedian Alex Edelman while accepting an Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special for his “Just for Us” HBO comedy special as part of the awards show on Sunday night, Sept. 15.

Standing on the stage with the winged statue in hand, the 35-year-old began his acceptance speech with “Oh God, I’m going to cry in front of Carol Burnett, fantastic.”

Edelman credited his “great collaborator,” Adam Brace, who died on April 29, 2023, just before the show debuted on Broadway. He then thanked “this huge group who rushed in to fill that void,” giving a shout-out to fellow nominee Mike Birbiglia, who produced the special.

“Just for Us” recounts the story of Edelman going undercover to attend a neo-Nazi meeting in Queens, N.Y. It explores anti-Semitism, his Jewish identity and an eclectic group of neo-Nazis.

“This is really, really beautiful,” Edelman said. “And I really miss Adam, but this is the end of a seven-year journey with the show. I got to make something really funny with my friend, so thank you so much for this; I really appreciate it.”

Edelman, whose full name is David Yosef Shimon Ben Elazar Reuven Alexander Halevi Edelman, spoke with The Hollywood Reporter about the themes he sought to explore in the special.

“The show is kind of about what happens when we sit down with people who are fundamentally opposed to us, and what we learn about ourselves,” he said. “I think, given what’s going on in the country right now, given what’s going on in the world, I like the idea that people who are fundamentally opposed to one another, maybe even hate one another, can have productive conversations.”

Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO and national director of the Anti-Defamation League, and Deborah Lipstadt, U.S. special envoy to monitor and combat anti-Semitism, at the Anti-Defamation League’s “Never Is Now” conference, held in New York on March 6-7, 2024. Photo courtesy of ADL.