WHEN A GROUP of men committed to Judaism, philanthropy, and camaraderie come together for their annual Late Night event, who do they choose to be their Master of Ceremonies? Why another mensch, of course! For the eighth year in a row, comedian (and philanthropist himself) Elon Gold will be hosting Solomon Society’s 10th annual Late Night event, and he couldn’t be more excited.
“Every year I look forward to Late Night,” Elon explains with genuine enthusiasm. “I enjoy all my gigs, some more than others, but there is something really special about Late Night—I don’t dread it! Seriously, the steak is delicious, the headline entertainment is always first rate, and the connection between the men is fantastic. One year it was on my birthday, and I couldn’t think of a better way to spend the evening than in Anaheim with this group of guys. My wife could think of better ways,” Elon jokes, “but I was thrilled!”
You might have caught Elon on The Late, Late Show with James Corden at the end of July demonstrating his very funny Jewish stand-up style. Known for both his secular and Jewish musings, he’s particularly proud of the fact that his comedy gives him a way to connect with the Jewish community he is so much a part of. Elon keeps kosher and observes Shabbat, and he sends his four children (ages 9–17) to Jewish day school. He particularly enjoys doing shows for Jewish organizations: “I have these observations on my Jewish life that I want to share with people, so I love doing events like Late Night. I get a great sense of satisfaction entertaining groups that are important to me, groups like Solomon Society and Stand With Us.” In August, Elon went to Australia and did a show in support of Magen David Adom (the Jewish Red Cross) in honor of Israel’s 70th anniversary.
Elon’s engaging comedy and equally talented acting chops have been entertaining audiences in many arenas for many years: he has starred in FOX’s Stacked and NBC’s In-Laws, has made ten appearances on The Tonight Show, and had a recurring role on the hit show, Bones. Elon was a writer/performer on ABC’s The Dana Carvey Show and has guest starred on Frasier, The Mentalist, Chappelle’s Show, and will soon be seen in several episodes of Judd Apatow’s HBO show Crashing. He has a one-hour stand up special on Netflix, and his very funny routine about why Jews shouldn’t have Christmas trees went viral and was shared by millions around the globe.
Elon first learned about Solomon Society from his college friend, Ellia Kassoff. “Ellia raved about this great group of guys, and when I finally met them, I fell in love with the men and their philanthropic mission. I care about every gig that I do, and I always want to give a great show—but as I said, this is extra special. At Late Night, I am connecting with those 300 men on a Jewish level. We’re not just men, we’re Jewish men. And that’s a special, unique experience.”
Join Elon Gold and the rest of Solomon Society for food, fun, and friendship on Wednesday, October 10, 2018. For more information about Late Night and to register, please go to www.JewishOC.org/LateNight or contact Doris Jacobson, Director of Community Philanthropy, Doris@JFFS.org.
Erika Silver Hillinger is a contributing writer to Jlife magazine.