Inspiring Jew from Today: Sacha Baron Cohen
- Jan 25
- 1 min read
The actor Sacha Baron Cohen built his career by creating characters that exposed prejudice by letting people reveal themselves. He did this without speeches, explanations, or reassurance.
In the movie Borat, antisemitism was not debated or corrected. It was allowed to surface. The joke was not Borat’s ignorance, but how easily others accepted, repeated, or escalated it. It was funny, and because it was funny, people didn’t notice what was being exposed until it was already there.
Through his other characters like Ali G and Brüno, he used the same method. Humour lowered the guard. The mirror did the rest.
Those characters belong to an earlier period of his work. What makes him relevant now is that he has not retreated into silence.
At a moment when many public figures have chosen quiet neutrality, Sacha Baron Cohen has spoken plainly against antisemitism and in support of Israel, even prior to October 7, without any fuss.
He made people laugh first.Then, when it mattered, he showed up.