Photo of Ray Hanania

Ray Hanania

Status and Mood

General Info

  • Genre:

    Stand-Up / Political Humor / Christian

  • TV Shows

    Israeli-Palestinian comedians "fight"


    Israeli-Palestinian Comedians "fight" Appeared news and feature interviews shows such as the Today Show, Good Morning America, ABC Nightly News, Donahue, Hannity & Colmes, CBS Morning News, FOX TV News, CNN with Aaron Brown, CNN Reports, MSNBC, WGN TV, more than 550 million television and broadcast radio impressions and more than 375 broadcast TV and radio reports since April 2002.

  • Films

    Actually, my morning radio show podcasts. Find and click a segment to listen to online.

  • Albums

    .. Jerry Seinfeld (my favorite Arab comedian), Jackie Mason (my favorite schmuck), Zanies Comedy Club (where I learned comedy is politics and politics is comedy), Riddles Comedy Club (which gave me my first real break before they converted). Louis Black and David Brenner. Ahmed Ahmed. Aaron Freeman. Charley Warady. Yisrael "Zionist Entity" Campbell. Shachar Chason. MC Deuce.

  • Website

    TheMediaOasis.com; IPComedyTour.com; myspace.com/ipcomedytour; RadioChicagoland.com

  • Bio

    RAY HANANIA

    Palestinian standup comedian, veteran journalist; authored the first-ever Arab American Humor Book "I’m Glad I Look Like a Terrorist: Growing Up Arab in America," & 8 other books. themediaoasis.com

    I began standup after Sept. 11 starting at Zanies Comedy Club after only 3 Open Mikes at Riddles Comedy Club. Zanies gave me a 9 show run. The club owner thought it would be cute to partner me up with Jewish comedian Jackie Mason. Why not? (Even though he’s lame; made a lousy Ardvark.) I asked if they told Mason I was "Palestinian" ... not just "Arab." They said get past all that crap. This is comedy. Theater. Entertainment. It’s all a paper moon (as my best friend Harry Golden Jr. would often tell me at Chicago City Hall.) Opening night, Mason and his wife/manager went ballistic when he found out I was a Palestinian and ordered me booted off MY SHOW.

    Since then I have worked with other Jewish & Israeli comedians to promote Middle East peace. My entire comedy act is based on my life growing up Arab in America on Chicago’s Southeast Side, Arab cultural funnies and my unusual marriage to my wife Alison, who is Jewish.

  • Members

    RSS Feed, Arab American Writers Group www.ArabWritersGroup.com RSS Feed

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  • Influences

    Jerry Seinfeld (my favorite Arab comedian), Jackie Mason (my favorite schmuck), Zanies Comedy Club (where I learned comedy is politics and politics is comedy), Riddles Comedy Club (which gave me my first real break before they converted). Louis Black and David Brenner. Ahmed Ahmed. Aaron Freeman. Charley Warady. Yisrael "Zionist Entity" Campbell. Shachar Chason. MC Deuce.

Latest Blog Entries

Video Player

Blurbs

About me:


Israeli-Palestinian Comedy Tour

BOOK the Israeli-Palestinian Comedy Tour?

RAY HANANIA

Palestinian standup comedian and veteran journalist; authored the first ever Arab American Humor Book "Ya Habibi: Growing Up Arab in America," and 8 other books. hanania.com

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Order your copy of the DVD by Clicking here!

I began standup after Sept. 11 starting at Zanies Comedy Club after only 3 Open Mikes at Riddles Comedy Club. Zanies gave me a 9 show run. The club owner thought it would be cute to partner me up with Jewish comedian Jackie Mason. Why not? (Even though he’s lame; made a lousy Ardvark.) I asked if they told Mason I was "Palestinian" ... not just "Arab." They said get past all that crap. This is comedy. Theater. Entertainment. It’s all a paper moon (as my best friend Harry Golden Jr. would often tell me at Chicago City Hall.) Opening night, Mason and his wife/manager went ballistic when he found out I was a Palestinian and ordered me booted off MY SHOW.

Since then I have worked with other Jewish & Israeli comedians to promote Middle East peace. My entire comedy act is based on my life growing up Arab in America on Chicago’s Southeast Side, Arab cultural funnies and my unusual marriage to my wife Alison, who is Jewish.

A veteran Chicago political reporter, and syndicated columnist, I've been performing standup comedy since Sept. 11, 2001 to promote the idea of bringing Palestinians and Israelis together. I continue to write for many newspapers including the Southwest News-Herald, the Arlington Heights Daily Herald, YnetNews.com, and more. I also am building a new career in filmmaking and short documentaries. My web page is www.TheMediaOasis.com.

I perform with the Israeli-Palestinian Comedy Tour with Aaron Freeman, Charley Warady, Yisrael Campbell, Shachar Chason, MC Deuce and others who believe in genuine peace between Israelis and Palestinians. www.IPComedyTour.com The Official Israeli-Palestinian Comedy Tour MySpace page is www.MySpace.com/IPComedyTour

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Who I'd like to meet:

I'd like to connect with other Jews, Arabs, Palestinians, Israelis, Americans, Christians and Muslims who would like to push hard to restore peace negotiations between Palestinians and Israelis. We need to set aside our differences, remember that we are all human, and push to bring sanity back to the relationship between Palestinians and Israelis. I am also interested in performing for groups interested in promoting peace.

Details

  • Status: Married
  • Here for: Networking
  • Hometown: Chicago
  • Orientation: Straight
  • Ethnicity: Middle Eastern
  • Religion: Christian - other
  • Zodiac Sign: Aries
  • Children: Proud parent
  • Smoke / Drink: No / No
  • Education: College graduate
  • Occupation: Journalist/Columnist, Standup comedian, radio host

Interests

Schools

  • University Of Illinois At Chicago

    • Chicago,IL
    • Graduated: N/A
    • Student status: Alumni
    • Major: Political Science
    • Minor: Communications
    • Clubs: Student Senator 1975-77 President, Arab Student Organization 1977 Writer, The Daily Illini attended school after serving two years during the Vietnam War in the US Air Force
    1975 to 1978

  • Northern Illinois University

    • Dekalb,IL
    • Graduated: N/A
    • Major: Pre-med
    • Minor: communications
    • Greek: Theta Chi
    1971 to 1975

  • Reavis High School

    • Burbank, IL
    • Graduated: 1971
    • Student status: Alumni
    • Degree: High School Diploma
    • Clubs: Previously attended Bowen High school in Chicago, and Bogan High school in Chicago, and Little Flower High school in Chicago. Love to go back and talk to the students and see my teachers and the many people who dedicate their lives to helping young people
    • Greek: Theta Chi
    1969 to 1971

  • Little Flower High School

    • Chicago,IL
    • Graduated: 1971
    • Student status: Alumni
    1968 to 1968

  • Bogan High School

    • Chicago,Illinois
    • Graduated: 1971
    • Student status: Alumni
    • Clubs: After leaving Bowen High school, we moved in to the Bogan High school district and after a few months, the principle there, Mr. Avers, hunted me down and expelled me ... I was "too dark" and he said I should go to Calumet High school. The 1960s were like that. Lot's of racial tension. But I sure made a lot of friends at Bogan.
    1968 to 1968

  • Bowen High School

    • Chicago,Illinois
    • Graduated: 1971
    • Student status: Alumni
    • Degree: High School Diploma
    • Clubs: I attended Bowen High school after graduating from Warren Elementary school and spent two years helping the leader of the Spanish King make it through math and science class. (He'd wear a bandana under his chemistry cap and white apron. Was blackballed from the Jewish fraternity Achates (wasn't Jewish and was Palestinian) so that was an issue. Fell in love with Hollis Levin, but never dated until serving two years later in the military. Had fun. Miss my friends Sherry Weingar
    1967 to 1968

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