Jacksonville Jewish Debuts First Community Event

By: Lieba Abecassis

After two years of our grassroots initiative to grow our amazing community in Jacksonville, we gathered to host our very first community event, a Comedy Night with the famous and hilarious Jewish comedian Eli Lebowicz. 

David Jasion, MC, Mentalist, and OG Jacksonville Jewish Founder

The event was spearheaded by David and Cheyn Jaison, along with our programming committee members, Aryeh Goldschein and Yaakov Hagler. David is not only an integral part of our initiative to grow and promote our community, but he also happens to be an extremely gifted mentalist, who travels the states to entertain thousands. 

When Eli reached out to David about him coming to Jax for an event at a nearby Chabad, they knew it would be awesome to have him on stage performing for the Jewish community in Mandarin as well. They couldn't have been more right! More than 75 community members signed up and we couldn't stop laughing the entire evening.

The night kicked off with burgers and drinks prepared by Aryeh Goldschein and crew under the Hashgacha of Gesher K. We took group photos, socialized, and took advantage of a much needed adult evening out. 

Jacksonville Jewish Drink Tokens

David opened the night by introducing our initiative to the crowd and what we’ve been up to for the last two years. It really has been amazing to watch our community explode and to be a part of this great group of people. He invited everyone in the audience to get involved in our efforts to grow and enhance this hidden gem that is our wonderful community by scanning the barcode linked to our website. 

David then introduced a few local community members to open the event. First up was Shlomo Feldman, who moved to Jacksonville a year ago. He had us all laughing with his bit about Trader Joe's, which may or may not have led to some of us craving a TJ snack at 10pm. But no worries, because Trader Joe's is only a five minute drive away - a huge perk of living in Mandarin. 

Shlomo Feldman, Accountant / Aspiring Jokester

Next up was another local, Dr. Josh Blimbaum. He had us cracking up with his segment on being raised with extreme doses of Jewish guilt, family backlash of his choice to go the dentistry route in med school (like seriously, are dentists even doctors?!) and his coming to terms with his coming of age body type. And while his bones may be a bit more on the brittle side, his jokes stood the test of our crowd and we were left rolling. 

Dr. Josh Blimbaum, Dentist / Comedian

The last opener before the main event was Dr. Ely Kresch. Oftentimes, comedians share about their lives in hyperbolic fashion. But as a urology resident in one of the many medical establishments of downtown Jacksonville, Ely’s comedic material was full of insane tales that tend to follow a day in the life of a doctor in Urology. While we were doubled over laughing, the men in the audience may have possibly held a silent prayer to never need his services for the foreseeable future, lest they end up becoming part of Dr. Ely’s comedy fodder. 

Dr. Ely Kresch, Urologist / Comedian

Finally, David invited Eli Lebowicz to the stage. Eli had the room in constant fits of laughter as he joked about life as an Orthodox Jew navigating life in a secular world, the tough constitution of a Jew facing antisemitism in a post October 7th climate, Israeli culture - the parts we love and the parts we’d do without, and his hilarious take on married life.

Eli Lebowicz, Comedian - Kosher Comedy

Eli’s talent was showcased not just by the anecdotes he brought along with him, but also by his ability to improvise, adding his own bits and takes from the headlining comedians that entertained us before him. We really enjoyed every minute of the evening, and beyond grateful to everyone who joined us in making our first event the fun evening that it was! 

A huge shout out to the Occasionally Yours venue, and to everyone who pitched in to make last night a success!  

Co-Sponsors: 

Steve & Hadassa Pollack

Stuart & Breindy Lazor

Joey & Rachel Shyken

Benjay & Marissa Kempner

Laura Bortnick 

Seth Shapiro

Coordinating / Setup:

David & Cheyn Jaison

Aryeh & Eli Jaison

Aryeh & Jade Goldschein

Yaakov Hagler

Gila & Menahem Rapoport 

Lieba Abecassis

Seth Shapiro

Ed Feldman

Event Organizers L to R - Yaakov Hagler, David Jaison, Aryeh Goldschein

If you would like to join us in the work that we do, be it hosting prospective families, joining one of our committees, or donating, please feel free to fill out this form. Our efforts are by fellow community members for the greater Orthodox community, and we would love your support to keep Jacksonville growing and thriving.