Gold Brings Jewish Humor, Family Stories to Atlanta

Elon Gold has made a career out of finding the funny in everyday life from marriage and family to Jewish traditions, celebrity encounters, and the peculiar rules people create for themselves.

The comedian, actor, and writer brings that perspective to Atlanta on Dec. 7, when he will perform at the Buckhead Theatre. For Gold, 56, the show represents another stop in a career built steadily over decades, with stand-up specials, television, film (more to come soon) and a growing social-media following, introducing his comedy to new audiences. If you think Jim Carrey can contort his face to get a laugh, Gold’s ability to do impressions rivals Rich Little.

Gold, who hails from The Bronx, finds Atlanta familiar. His wife has a best friend locally, giving them a personal connection. It was Gold’s wife who discovered one of his funniest celebrity encounters. While visiting Chappaqua, N.Y., she spotted former President Bill Clinton in a coffee shop. She texted Gold to come inside. He assumed she was joking. Sitting in the car, he realized she was serious. The encounter went viral as Gold did imitations for Clinton.

Social media is an important part of Gold’s career with short bits bringing audiences who may never have seen him live. One of his most memorable imagined a simple question: “If Jews had Christmas trees, what would the rules be? His imagination took off. How exactly should it be approached? What would the regulations look like? Blessings over it … Gold at his best: taking something ordinary, applying an elaborate set of rules and Jewish logic. The result struck a chord with viewers, who found the absurdity hysterical.

Gold isn’t in the tradition of Don Rickles, whose humor takes aim the audience. His comedy is more “Jackie Mason-ish,” observational, drawing from his own experiences and the peculiarities of family, marriage, and Jewish life. He also writes much of his own material. Gold is particularly well known for impressions, with his President Trump imitation becoming a signature part of his act. His “Baruch HaTrump” combines the rhythms of Trump’s speech with Jewish references.

Behind all this is a surprisingly ordinary guy who lives an observant Jewish life, attends services, keeps kosher, observes Shabbat, and lays tefillin. Another passion of his is pickleball. One of his playing buddies is Jamie Foxx, who Gold has long admired. When Foxx was seriously ill, before they met, Gold included him on his personal “Refuah Shlema” healing list.

“You can say he’s one of my idols. When I met him, I was so excited that he was well, and that we were able to play pickleball together. He thanked me for the prayers,” Gold said.

Gold is hardly looking back on his career, entering another productive chapter, with more movies, comedy specials, and television projects complementing his work on the road. He belongs to a growing generation of Jewish comedians, alongside performers such as Modi and Yohay (both having appeared in Atlanta) who find audiences hungry for contemporary unapologetically Jewish humor while remaining broadly relatable.

Get tickets to see Gold Dec. 7. You’ll laugh “your kishkies off.”

For more information, please visit: https://www.elongold.com/tour