Joking aside

Roseanne Barr to speak at Knesset in January

American comedian says she has ‘important work to do as a voice against the insidious and anti-Semitic BDS movement’

Sam Sokol is a former political correspondent at The Times of Israel. He was previously a reporter for the Jerusalem Post, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Haaretz. He is the author of "Putin’s Hybrid War and the Jews"

Rabbi Shmuley Boteach and Roseanne Barr, at a live podcast, at Stand Up NY, on July 26, 2018 in New York City. (James Devaney/Getty Images)
Rabbi Shmuley Boteach and Roseanne Barr, at a live podcast, at Stand Up NY, on July 26, 2018 in New York City. (James Devaney/Getty Images)

JTA — Roseanne Barr will speak at the Knesset in January, saying she has “important work to do as a voice against the insidious and anti-Semitic BDS movement.”

The American comedian’s address will come during a tour organized by celebrity Rabbi Shmuley Boteach’s World Values Network, the organization announced Monday.

In a news release, Barr said that she was looking forward to the trip as “a lover of Israel,” and said the country is an “oasis of openness, freedom, democracy and tolerance amidst a desert of brutality from an age gone by.”

Earlier this year, Barr’s rebooted sitcom “Roseanne” was canceled after she retweeted a statement that accused former Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett of having evil intent toward Jews and Israelis. Barr had previously come under fire for a racist tweet that mocked Jarrett, who is African-American, saying that “muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes had a baby=vj.”

She later released a video in which she ranted about the tweet, yelling “I thought the b*tch was white!”

Most Popular
read more:
If you’d like to comment, join
The Times of Israel Community.
Join The Times of Israel Community
Commenting is available for paying members of The Times of Israel Community only. Please join our Community to comment and enjoy other Community benefits.
Please use the following structure: example@domain.com
Confirm Mail
Thank you! Now check your email
You are now a member of The Times of Israel Community! We sent you an email with a login link to . Once you're set up, you can start enjoying Community benefits and commenting.