Hanania Discusses Snub By Jackie Mason

By: Dave Astor Ray Hanania, dropped this week as Jackie Mason's opening act at Chicago's Zanies club, is angry at the comedian. But there has been a silver lining to the situation.

The Palestinian-American columnist/comedian said he has received at least 50 invitations from around the country to perform his stand-up act and has also received thousands of e-mails -- with about 90% supporting Hanania and criticizing the actions of Mason, the famous Jewish comedian.

Mason's snub also gave Hanania the topic for today's installment of the weekly Mideast-themed column he writes for the Daily Herald of Arlington Heights, Ill., and self-syndication.

"This is exactly the kind of problem we see in the Mideast," Hanania told E&P Online. He explained that Mason took a situation that could have been handled humorously -- and been an opportunity for Jewish-Palestinian cooperation -- and made it serious and divisive.

In his column, Hanania wrote: "We need to break the deadlock of hatred that has Palestinians and Israelis in a death grip. It is hard to reason with a person's anger. But sometimes, laughter can break through. ... Just as it is difficult to bring Arabs and Jews together across a military battlefield, the same hatred and attraction to confrontation that consumes both sides seems to keep them apart everywhere, including a stand-up comedy stage."

Hanania, a U.S. Air Force veteran married to a Jewish woman, said Zanies booked him about six weeks before booking Mason. When that happened, Hanania was moved to the opening-act slot during the three days Mason would appear. Hanania said Mason initially expressed no problem appearing with him.

Then Mason and/or Mason's manager reneged. "He's the bigshot, and they thought they could just blow me off," Hanania said, adding that they changed their reason for doing so three times. First, they said Mason didn't want to appear with Hanania because of his Palestinian ancestry. Then they said Hanania was too "inexperienced" as a comedian. Finally, they said they didn't like the way Hanania had criticized some Israeli government actions in his column.

"He owes me an apology," Hanania said, adding jokingly: "I should send Jackie Mason a bill for all the publicity I gave him!"

Hanania, who gave more than 75 media interviews this week (and turned down about 300 others for lack of time) may still perform at Zanies this weekend without Mason.

Mason, his manager, and a Zanies executive did not respond to E&P Online requests for comment.