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I’m a Jewish mum, ask me whatever you want

I’m a stand-up and in my latest show I invite questions about anything at all from mixed audiences around the UK

January 15, 2025 15:14
Copy Of Rachel Creeger
Mum's the word: Rachel Creeger
2 min read

I dreamed up my show Ultimate Jewish Mother during lockdown. In a conversation about terrible advice people were getting from social media during the pandemic, I made a throwaway remark that everybody should just ask the nearest Jewish mother, as we hold the answers to everything. As I was stuck at home and constantly looking for distractions to minimise the risk of baking banana bread, I thought it might be fun to put this premise to the test.

I invited people to a couple of interactive shows on Facebook Live where they could ask me anything about anything at all. The audience was a mixture of Jewish and non-Jewish friends, and their queries tested my wits and the knowledge accumulated by my maternal line.

Once the world re-opened, I took the show on the road to see how it fared around the UK, in person. It remains an interactive live show, where audience members are given a card and pen before they come in, allowing them to write a question of their choice. Once they enter the performance space, they place their cards into a big chicken soup pot, and I answer them all through the show, with jokes, songs and stories. This is a risky business, as I have no idea what will come up until my hand dips into the pot. It’s like the world’s weirdest raffle where the prize is my wisdom. I strive to create a friendly environment, where the audience feels safe to ask and I feel confident to draw on my stand-up skills to answer anything, with humour and respect.

Friends, family and colleagues expressed concern about this format. What if people bombarded me with questions about Israel and politics? What if they were hostile about Judaism and Jewish culture? Interestingly, no one asked: “What happens if you can’t answer a question?” Presumably because this isn’t possible for Jewish mothers. I’ve since performed the show all over the UK. My audiences have been predominantly non-Jewish, and I’ve accumulated more than 1,500 questions, of which only two were about Israel. (One was about sightseeing, the other was about where to meet hot Israeli men.)