By Julie FrenchThe Daily Northwestern
“It’s always curious to me when Jewish people drive German cars,” quipped Jewish comedian Sarah Silverman during a performance at Pick-Staiger Concert Hall on Sunday night.
“It’s not a secret that the people that make German cars … are the people that helped Hitler,” she said.
She wondered aloud whether those car manufacturers regretted their actions in retrospect.
“They helped facilitate a genocide that killed off their best customers,” she said. “It’s bad business.”
Silverman, known for her shocking humor, spoke to a sold-out crowd of about 1,000. The show was co-sponsored by Fiedler Hillel Center and A&O Productions.
“I thought she would be more offensive,” said Mary Jo Barrett, Weinberg ’76. “I think she’s all of our unconsciousness. I always wondered why Jews drove German cars.”
Silverman joked about birth control, her relationship with ABC talk show host Jimmy Kimmel and her grandmother’s death, but the jokes about race and her Jewish heritage drew the most laughs.
“I think that’s the whole appeal of her,” said Weinberg and Music freshman Julia Birnbaum. “She seems like a normal Jewish girl, then she shocks you with her dirty mouth.”
During the show, Silverman addressed her reputation as a racist in the national news.
“As a member of the Jewish community, I was really concerned that we were losing control of the media,” she said.
Silverman also sang three songs with the aid of her guitar, one she called a love song about racism.
“I love you more than bears love honey,” she sang. “I love you more than Jews love money. I love you more than Asians are good at math.”
“I wasn’t offended, but I thought it was inaccurate, because I’m Asian, and I suck at math,” said Weinberg senior YiRan Liu.
Silverman offered an explanation of sorts for her jokes, wrapped up in yet another joke.
“They’re just jokes, but at the same time I can’t defend them because jokes are subjective,” she said. “If you don’t like them, they probably are offensive.”
Comedian Doug Benson opened Sunday’s show with a 20-minute routine. Silverman performed for about an hour.
Silverman was originally scheduled to perform on Feb. 15, but the show was postponed when her flight was cancelled due to weather.
Some tickets were sold at the door, but most audience members redeemed their Feb. 15 tickets for Sunday’s show.
“Her television show is doing really well,” said A&O Chairwoman and Weinberg senior Rachel Cort. “We try to time it right so that when someone is coming to NU, they’re doing something really interesting.”
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