David Baddiel

David Baddiel is a comedian and writer whose latest book is Jews Don't Count

Latest from David Baddiel

Nothing of substance is now achieved by battling on Twitter

The shouting and fighting seems like a closed system with only very occasional relevance to the non-digital world

3 min read

Elon Musk (Photo by PATRICK PLEUL/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

My family story is strange but it does seem to resonate with Jews

3 min read

A pro-Palestinian protester uses a bullhorn during a demonstration in front of Sproul Hall on the UC Berkeley campus on April 22, 2024 in Berkeley, California (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Nazi comparisons are wrong, whoever is making them

3 min read

LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 9: Singer and activist, Charlotte Church, raises her fist in the air after speaking during a rally in support of Gaza on March 9, 2024 in London, England. With the war on Gaza entering its sixth month and Ramadan due to begin on Sunday, pro-Palestinian groups around the world are calling for an immediate ceasefire. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images)

Sorry, Charlotte Church. I’m a fan. But thing is, I’m also Jewish

3 min read

Curb’s focus on the trivial and shallow is about life itself

Jewish comedy may be our greatest gift to the world and Curb Your Enthusiasm, now back for its final season, is one of the greatest examples of it. Shvitzing the small stuff is so Jewish

3 min read

February 6, 2024 13:39

Frankly, it really is a miracle that we have survived for so long

This is a difficult and dangerous time for Jews but we are very good at something and that is survival

3 min read

December 21, 2023 14:51

Aerial view of the famous cable-stayed bridge of Sao Paulo city.

I’d love to write about something other than Israel… but I can’t

It’s hard to keep insisting on a clear line between Israelis and Jews when Hamas don’t recognise the nuance

3 min read

November 2, 2023 11:39

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - OCTOBER 09: Palestine supporters rally outside the Sydney Opera House on October 09, 2023 in Sydney, Australia. The Palestinian militant group Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel from Gaza by land, sea, and air, over the weekend, killing over 600 people and wounding more than 2000, agency reports said. Reports also said Israeli soldiers and civilians have been kidnapped by Hamas and taken into Gaza. The attack prompted a declaration of war by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and ongoing retaliatory strikes by Israel on Gaza killing hundreds in the aftermath. (Photo by Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images)

Checkmate! Why I conceded to JC editor in our Israel debate

The only sensible response to someone coming up with an idea that challenges a settled, considered position you hold is to rethink it, not to get angry or try and change the subject

3 min read

September 14, 2023 14:38

Checkmate! Why I conceded to JC editor in our Israel debate

Oppenheimer liked to pretend he wasn’t Jewish — like the film

Yet again, a major movie has cast a non-Jew to play a famous Jew. This may be part of a deeper erasure of Jews — and antisemitism — going on under the surface of storytelling

3 min read

July 27, 2023 09:30

Cillian Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer in OPPENHEIMER,

Thanks for trying to save me from atheism — but I’m fine with it

I gave up on religious belief long ago and I'm not changing now

3 min read

June 8, 2023 10:55

Close up image depicting the Jewish religious symbol of the star of David inside a synagogue. The star is in silhouette, while in the background stained glass windows are blurred out of focus. Horizontal colour image with copy space.

Thank God I’m an atheist… and so is my rabbi

In Judaism, you can be Orthodox without necessarily believing in a supernatural being

3 min read

April 20, 2023 09:18

LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 12: Mel Brooks attends the 70th EE British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA) at Royal Albert Hall on February 12, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by John Phillips/Getty Images)

Either cancel antisemitic Dahl completely or leave his books alone

The language in his novels pales in comparison to the author's hatred of Jews

3 min read

February 24, 2023 10:21

British children's author, short-story writer, playwright and versifier Roald Dahl (1916 - 1995), 11th December 1971. (Photo by Ronald Dumont/Daily Express/Getty Images)

For 2,000 years, the Jewishness of Jesus hasn’t counted

The de-Jewification is part of a long tradition, from early paintings covering his circumcision to modern progressive portrayals of him as Middle Eastern from anywhere but Israel

3 min read

January 12, 2023 09:06

For 2,000 years, the Jewishness of Jesus hasn’t counted

The target audience for Jews Don’t Count is anyone but Jews

That’s one reason why my Channel 4 film was packed with famous names — if you’re trying to persuade people to start to care about something, it helps to have Ross from Friends

3 min read

November 21, 2022 22:14