“These people started with him on his comedic journey at the beginning,” said Rabbi Gavriel Bellino, Mr. Rosenfeld’s rabbi and close friend. “He can say almost anything at this point because the connection is so deep.”
The couple says their original observant fans have remained loyal to them. They often refer to the couple as “Modi and her gay husband.”
“Like I’m not gay, but my husband is,” Mr. Rosenfeld said.
“I always prayed for this”
On October 7, 2023, Mr. Rosenfeld and Mr. Veiga were in Tel Aviv to complete a tour around the Jewish holiday of Sukkot. After the Hamas attack on Israel, they took the last flight to France. Three days later, during a show in Paris, he began a new tradition of ending his sets by singing “Hatikvah.” He left the stage to a standing ovation.
Anti-Israel protests outside the theater prompted French police to ask Mr. Rosenfeld to cancel his latest reservation at the theater. He obliged.
As his fans’ anxiety grew, so did Mr. Rosenfeld’s fan base. He sold thousands of tickets in London, New York, Sydney and Melbourne. He performed in Vienna, Berlin, Munich and Warsaw, as part of what Mr. Rosenfeld called a “reparations tour.” Those shows also became popular, once Mr. Veiga was able to assure the public that he would hire private security for the venue, he said.
He released his first comedy special in April 2024, with the title “Know Your Audience”.
This newfound fame surprises even Mr. Rosenfeld, who attributes much of his success to his husband, whom he met on the New York subway in 2015, as he tells the audience.
