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Israeli comedian announces he will keep Sabbath for the first time

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‘I may not be religious, but I am a very proud Jew, and we all … need to remember, October 7th.’

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

Israeli comedian Guy Hochman announced on social media Saturday night that he would observe Shabbat for the first time ever, and invited his hundreds of thousands of social media followers to do the same.

Hochman said he is choosing to observe Parshat Zachor, the Shabbat immediately preceding Purim, in honor of the commandment to erase the memory of Amalek, the nation identified in the Bible as the arch-nemesis of the Jewish people.

Shortly after the October 7th atrocities, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke of the need to eliminate Hamas and invoked the commandment to erase the memory of Amalek.

Netanyahu said, “Remember what Amalek did to you’ (Deuteronomy 25:17). We remember and we fight.”

Born in Ramat Gan, Hochman, the star of the YouTube “Nice Guy” channel wrote on Instagram: “I may not be religious, but I am a very proud Jew, and we all remember, and need to remember, October 7th.”

He added, “Next Shabbat, Shabbat Zachor, the Shabbat of ‘ Remember what Amalek did to you’, directly before Purim – I will keep Shabbat for the first time in my life.”

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“I am not keeping Shabbat for the Redemption, but for the unity of Israel, and for our heroic soldiers at the front,” Hochman explained.

“The heart of most of Israel is in the right place today. We are ready in our hearts. I say that we should keep one Shabbat, stop the divisive discourse, and bring the spirit of a shared destiny from the front to our homes,” he concluded.

Hochman has many entertainment credits, his most recent including the YouTube “Nice Guy” channel, and “Looking for Direction” which he created for Keshet broadcasting.

Hochman was the first Israeli comedian to perform in Dubai shortly after the signing of the Abraham Accords.

However, he was arrested in Dubai for taking pictures with professional equipment in public, which is forbidden in the United Arab Emirates.

Hochman served in 932nd Battalion in the Nahal Brigade, and during the war, he made many visits to IDF units to entertain soldiers and raise morale, for which he was awarded a Badge of Heroes from the Zionist Council in Israel.