Rabbis not giggling after comedy sketch in synagogue

A promotion for a satirical sketch-comedy program, showing the cast standing around an open Torah scroll in a synagogue, drew the ire of the country’s top rabbinical authorities Sunday. They called the use of the sacred objects “shocking and disgusting.”

The skit appeared as part of a promo for the TV show Eretz Nehederet, which is celebrating its 13th year on the air — or what it called its “bar mitzvah.”

“The Chief Rabbinate, chief rabbis, and the minister of Religious Services strongly condemn the use of Torah scrolls and religious books for entertainment purposes,” read a joint statement by Ashkenazi and Sephardi chief rabbis David Lau and Yitzhak Yosef.

“Synagogues are houses of prayer, and the Torah is of the highest holiness in the Jewish world,” continued the statement, which was also signed by Religious Services Minister David Azoulay.

“Jews throughout the ages have sacrificed their lives for the Torah, and the use of it for satirical purposes is shocking and disgusting,” said the statement.

Some figures in the ultra-Orthodox community also objected to the promo.

Haredi lifestyle writer Shalhevet Hasdiel tweeted that shooting a satirical program on a synagogue was a “bad joke.”

This isn’t the first time Eretz Nehederet has sparked controversy by filming in a synagogue.

In 2008, a skit depicted an Israeli family celebrating a bar mitzvah in a synagogue — a move that sparked a similar outcry.

The topical sketch-comedy show is known for skewering Israeli politicians and other figures, as well as making fun of other sacred cows.

“The promo was filmed as part our 13-year anniversary, Eretz Nehederet’s bar mitzvah,” a producer from the show told the Haaretz daily. “So, naturally, we decided to film the promo where most Israelis celebrate the Jewish coming-of-age. Anyone looking for a different interpretation is doing so at his own discretion.”