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Modi Rosenfeld
Israeli-American comedian From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Modi Rosenfeld (Hebrew: מודי רוזנפלד; born April 29, 1970, as Mordechi Rosenfeld), known professionally as Modi[1] (stylized as MODI) is an Israeli-American stand-up comedian and actor.[2] He is known for his Jewish humor and has become a mainstay among Orthodox audiences.[3]
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Early years
Rosenfeld was born in Tel Aviv and moved to Woodmere, New York, with his family when he was seven years old.[1][4]His parents only spoke Hebrew at home and the family spent their summers in Israel.[5] He graduated from George W. Hewlett High School in 1988 and Boston University in 1992, majoring in psychology and minoring in voice.[4]
Rosenfeld studied cantorial music at Yeshiva University's Belz School of Music and continues to sing as a hobby at the synagogue where he prays.[1][6] He was a Wall Street international banker for Merrill Lynch before entering comedy.[1][7]
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Career
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Modi is an established headliner at comedy clubs across the United States and is a regular fixture on the comedy scene in both New York and Los Angeles.[8] His home club is the Comedy Cellar. Modi's background and ability to adapt to a variety of audiences has allowed him to create a niche within the Jewish community, performing for Orthodox, Reform and other non-Orthodox audiences around the world.[9][5] He performed at the launch party of the late Israeli astronaut Ilan Ramon in Houston before takeoff.[1]
Rosenfeld is known for having a particularly large following among Orthodox audiences, performing at yeshivas, National Council of Young Israel affiliates, Hatzalah, Chabad telethons and Eshel.[10][11] He has also performed for special Shabbat dinners for the Council of Fashion Designers of America.[12]
Rosenfeld has contributed to US Weekly as a member of the fashion police[13][14] and was also semi-finalist on the fourth season of Last Comic Standing.[15]
According to Rosenfeld, his comedic inspirations are Don Rickles, Jackie Mason, George Carlin, and Louis CK.[8] He attributes his comedic timing to Alan King.[6]
He was honored by the City of New York through a proclamation declaring June 26, 2018 "Mordechi 'Modi' Rosenfeld Day."[16]
Rosenfeld is the co-founder and producer of the Chosen Comedy Festival, along with comedians Elon Gold and Dani Zoldan.[6][17] The festival premiered in Coney Island in summer 2022.[18]
In 2023, he was featured in the "36 to Watch" list by New York Jewish Week, which honors Jewish personalities for their contributions to the city's Jewish community.[18] In 2024, he was inducted into Anu – Museum of the Jewish People's Hall of Fame for Jewish Humor.[19]
He is the host of his own podcast called And Here's Modi.[20] He has also been a guest on a number of podcasts such as Unorthodox, WTF with Marc Maron and Headliners with Nihal Arthanayake for the BBC.[21][22][23]
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Personal life
Modi is Jewish and is a member of the Sixth Street Community Synagogue, Modern Orthodox congregation in Manhattan, where comedian Sandra Bernhard is also a member.[6][17]
He is gay and legally married his partner, Leo Veiga in 2020.[10] Veiga was raised Catholic and is also Modi's manager.[17][10]
Filmography
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See also
References
External links
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