As the polls tighten and the election draws to a close, one ray of light shone bright this Tuesday night for Jewish liberals: Jon Stewart came back for one last opportunity to take a stab at Donald Trump, the Republican nominee for president.
At a Stand Up For Heroes benefit in New York City this Tuesday, the beloved former host of “The Daily Show” took the stage to tell an expletive-laden tale of the Republican nominee, Twitter feuds and Jewish dog-whistles.
“Let me tell you the story about, about something I’ve entitled, ‘The day I woke up to find out someone was tweeting weird shit about me,'” Stewart told the cheering crowd.
He went on to retell the story of a Trump Twitter tirade that took place in April 2013, in which Trump denigrated the Jewish comedian and brought up his birth-name, Jonathan Lebowitz, in a way that some thought sounded, well, a little anti-Semitic.
Stewart heard the alleged dog-whistle loud and clear.
“So I start to think to myself, ‘oh, I think this guy is trying to let people know I’m a Jew,'” the comedian chuckled as he continued his story. “And I think to myself, ‘doesn’t my face do that?’ Honestly, like, where have you seen this face other than a poster for ‘Yentl’?”
(And honestly, who wouldn’t want to see Stewart in a remake of the Barbra Streisand film?)
“In what world are people like, ‘Stewart, that’s a Scottish name, but there’s something about that name that looks a little schmear-y,'” Stewart asked the crowd incredulously, coining my new favorite adjective.
Stewart then tells the crowd about the not-so-safe-for-work nickname he made up for the former “Apprentice” star:
A hashtag of Trump’s new nickname promptly went viral. Trump then called the name not funny, and alleged that Stewart stole the nickname “from a moron on Twitter.” Stewart replied with a quip, tweeting, “We seem to have hit a F**kface Von Nervestick.”
That tweet was followed by four days of radio silence from the business tycoon.
Finally, Trump ended their feud at 1:30 a.m. on a Saturday, grabbing Stewart’s attention with an expletive that has tarnished Trump’s own reputation this election cycle. At Tuesday’s benefit, Stewart doubled over laughing as he read the last tweet:
“Vote wisely this November 8th,” Stewart concluded his tale.
Watch the full video bellow:
Help ensure Jewish news remains accessible to all. Your donation to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency powers the trusted journalism that has connected Jewish communities worldwide for more than 100 years. With your help, JTA can continue to deliver vital news and insights. Donate today.
