NEW YORK — Alex Edelman is somewhat nervous walking the streets: he knows what could happen to him if he crosses paths with a group of men that meets in the shadows.

In 2017, he infiltrated of a meeting of white supremacists in Astoria. And, by the way, Edelman is Jewish.

What You Need To Know

  • Alex Edelman's one-man show "Just For Us" centers on a meeting of neo-Nazis in Queens that Edelman attended

  • "Just for Us" is playing off-Broadway at the Cherry Lane Theatre in Greenwich Village

  • The NYPD reports that antisemitic hate crimes are up in NYC this year
  • Antisemitic crimes are also on the rise across the country

“They didn’t look the way I thought they would,” Edelman said about the experience.

While using a fake identity online in chat groups on social media, he found himself in a sort of rabbit hole with people spewing hate. It sparked his curiosity: Who are these angry people, and why do they hate Jews?

So he worked up the nerve to go to a meeting to see them face to face.

"There was a moment where I was scared,” Edelman said.

A part of him is still scared. He was afraid to take us to the exact block where it happened, fearing someone may recognize him from that dangerous meeting.

But there’s one place where he feels comfortable talking about that experience: the stage. Edeman is a comedian.

"Every day I think about my own Jewish identity and whether or not I am too Jewish or not Jewish enough. Sometimes I meet Christians and they are like, ‘I used to be a Christian, but I’m not anymore.’ I won’t say anything, but it blows my mind because, you know, that’s not how it works in Judaism. Judaism is the Hotel California of religions. It is a mailing list you can never unsubscribe from,” Edelman joked.

The New York University grad who grew up in Boston is headlining at the Cherry Lane Theatre in Greenwich Village. “Just for Us” is, in part, based on that fateful encounter with white nationalists in Queens.

"The show is thinking about, like, am I part of this group? Are they part of our group? And so it's, it's very nebulous, and I'm doing a terrible job explaining," he joked, explaining the motivation for the show.

This comedy routine comes during an unsettling time: antisemitic attacks in the city and across the nation are on the rise. White nationalist groups like the Proud Boys are no longer underground; they are openly recruiting people to join their cause. Edelman is well aware.

“Jews are always under attack. We're always on the menu,” Edelman said. "Sometimes people forget...there are people out there who don't like Jews."

"I've lived in Israel and we've had family members and friends who have been touched in unpleasant ways by antisemitic violence," Edelman continued. "It's ever present.”

Edelman’s one-man show is his way of confronting a difficult issue and sparking dialogue.

“It's about my personal experience and also comedy,” Edelman said. "I think the best comedy only jokes about stuff that's important and it's important."

It’s also serious. Now that Edelman is publicly talking about his infamous meeting with white nationalists, we asked if he’s concerned one might show up at the theater.

“Like, how many of these guys are going to stand up in a room full of like Jews and urbane New Yorkers and be like, ‘Excuse me, I was at that meeting and we're not actually Nazis. We're just, we're just white,’” Edelman said.

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