Sasha Baron Cohen in Jerusalem

Great story in The Forward about Sasha Baron Cohen’s new project. Dressed in leather and studs, his arms and chest shaven, Cohen spoke in a heavy German accent, with “ultra-gay” movements and mannerisms as he interviewed a Jew and a Palestinian:

“Vait, vait. Vat’s zee connection between a political movement and food. Vy hummus?”

We exchanged astonished glances. “Hamas,” we explained, “is a Palestinian Islamist political movement. Hummus is a food.”

“Ya, but vy hummus? Yesterday I had to throw away my pita bread because it vas dripping hummus. Unt it’s too high in carbohydrates.”

The Hamas-hummus confusion went on for several minutes. Then, the interviewer declared: “Your conflict is not so bad. Jennifer-Angelina is worse.”