Modi Rosenfeld

Modi Rosenfeld
Birth nameMordechi Rosenfeld
Native nameמודי רוזנפלד
BornTel Aviv, Israel
Medium
  • Stand-up
  • television
  • film
  • books
Years active1999–present
Genres
Subject(s)
Spouse
Leo Veiga
​
(m. 2020)​

Modi Rosenfeld (Hebrew: מודי רוזנפלד; born Mordechi Rosenfeld), known professionally as Modi[1] (stylized as MODI) is an Israeli-American stand-up comedian and actor.[2] He is known for his Jewish humor and has become a mainstay among Orthodox audiences.[3]

Early years

Rosenfeld was born in Tel Aviv and moved to Woodmere, New York, with his family when he was seven years old.[1][4] His parents spoke only Hebrew at home and the family spent their summers in Israel.[5] He graduated from George W. Hewlett High School in 1988 and Boston University in 1992, majoring in psychology and minoring in voice.[4]

Rosenfeld studied cantorial music at Yeshiva University's Belz School of Music.[1] He was a Wall Street international banker for Merrill Lynch before entering comedy.[1][6]

Career

Modi is an established headliner at comedy clubs across the United States and is a regular fixture on the comedy scene in both New York and Los Angeles.[7] His home club is the Comedy Cellar. Modi has performed for Orthodox, Reform and other non-Orthodox audiences internationally.[8][5] He performed at the launch party of the late Israeli astronaut Ilan Ramon in Houston before takeoff.[1]

Rosenfeld is known for having a particularly large following among Orthodox audiences, performing at yeshivas, National Council of Young Israel affiliates, Hatzalah, Chabad telethons and Eshel.[9][10] He has also performed for special Shabbat dinners for the Council of Fashion Designers of America.[11]

Rosenfeld has contributed to US Weekly as a member of the fashion police.[12][13] He was a semi-finalist on the fourth season of Last Comic Standing.[14]

Rosenfeld cites Don Rickles, Jackie Mason, George Carlin, and Louis CK as his comedic inspirations.[7]

The City of New York proclaimedJune 26, 2018 "Mordechi 'Modi' Rosenfeld Day".[15]

Rosenfeld is the co-founder and producer of the Chosen Comedy Festival, along with comedians Elon Gold and Dani Zoldan.[16] The festival premiered in Coney Island in summer 2022.[17]

In 2023, he was featured in the "36 to Watch" list by New York Jewish Week, which honors Jewish personalities for their contributions to the city's Jewish community.[17] In 2024, he was inducted into Anu – Museum of the Jewish People's Hall of Fame for Jewish Humor.[18]

He is the host of his own podcast called And Here's Modi.[19] He has also been a guest on the podcasts Unorthodox, WTF with Marc Maron and Headliners with Nihal Arthanayake for the BBC.[20][21][22]

Personal life

Modi is Jewish and is a member of a Modern Orthodox congregation in Manhattan.[16]

He is gay and legally married his partner, Leo Veiga in 2020.[9] Veiga was raised Catholic and is also Modi's manager.[16][9]

Filmography

Year Film/Show Role Notes
1997 Friday Night Modi TV series; episode: "Sunset Beach - Behind the Scenes"
2002 The Sopranos Etan TV series; episode: "Mergers and Acquisitions"
2003 Connecting Dots Tom
2004 Waiting for Woody Allen Mendel Short film
Der Kosh Rabbi
Our Italian Husband Pasquale
2006 Ira & Abby Marvin the Limo Driver
Agent Emes 5: Agent Emes and the Happy Chanukah Rocky Rabinowitz Video
2007 Stand Up Avi
A Perfect Holiday Father in Line
2008 One, Two, Many Jermaine
2009 CSI: NY David Klein TV series; episode: "Yahrzeit"
2010 Horrorween Shlomo
2014–2015 Deadbeat Menachem Mendel 5 episodes
2017 Madam Secretary Oded Dahan TV series; episode: "The Essentials"
2019 Crashing Himself TV series; episode: "The Temple Gig"

Video games

Year Game Role Notes
2008 Grand Theft Auto IV Issac Roth
2009 Grand Theft Auto: The Lost and Damned Archive footage
Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "Comedy is Calling". Jewlarious.com. Archived from the original on February 4, 2008.
  2. ^ Modi Rosenfeld at IMDb
  3. ^ Hajdenberg, Jackie (26 March 2024). Modi, a comedian popular with Orthodox crowds, has a new special. He wants non-Jews to watch, too. Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Retrieved on 29 March 2025
  4. ^ a b Malul, Dor (7 July 2024). Modi Rosenfeld, Jewish comedian who took US by storm, headed to Israel Israel Hayom. Retrieved on 29 March 2025
  5. ^ a b Aschenbrand, Periel (11 February 2017). The Chosen Ones: An Interview With MODI Tablet. Retrieved on 29 March 2025
  6. ^ Backstage Show me the Funny: Making Money in Stand-up Comedy Archived 2005-11-07 at the Wayback Machine, May 21, 1999
  7. ^ a b Baltimore Jewish Times Something to Laugh About, March 27, 2014
  8. ^ Laugh Factory.com
  9. ^ a b c Hajdenberg, Jackie (24 January 2024). Jewish comedian Modi Rosenfeld, a mainstay for Orthodox audiences, is gay. So what? Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Retrieved on 29 March 2025
  10. ^ Gergely, Julia (31 May 2024). Jewish Pride Month events in New York City 2024, from galas to Shabbat services New York Jewish Week. Retrieved on 29 March 2025
  11. ^ Hajdenberg, Jackie (7 February 2025). Swanky, secular Shabbat parties keep popping up in NYC New York Jewish Week. Retrieved on 29 March 2025
  12. ^ US Weekly Fashion police Archived 2005-11-07 at the Wayback Machine, 2001
  13. ^ US Weekly Fashion police Archived 2005-11-07 at the Wayback Machine, 2003
  14. ^ Hollywood Reporter Lynch part of the family for CBS Pilot, September 26, 2006
  15. ^ "Jewish Heritage Reception 2018". NYC Mayor's Office of Special Projects and Community Events. Retrieved 2022-07-13.
  16. ^ a b c Saval, Malina (2023-01-13). "Modi Rosenfeld, Gay Jewish Comedian, Talks 'Moshiach' Energy, Celebrating Shabbat and Comparisons to Robin Williams and Richard Pryor". Variety. Retrieved 2023-01-13.
  17. ^ a b (16 May 2023). Modi Rosenfeld, 53, comedian and actor New York Jewish Week. Retrieved on 29 March 2025
  18. ^ Barr, Neria (9 September 2024). American comedian Modi to be inducted in ANU’s Jewish humor hall of fame The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved on 29 March 2025
  19. ^ "And Here's Modi". Buzzsprout. Retrieved 2022-07-13.
  20. ^ (8 June 2023). Stepping Out Talet Mag. Retrieved on 8 April 2025
  21. ^ Episode 1629 - Modi Rosenfeld WTF with Marc Maron. Retrieved on 27 March 2025
  22. ^ [
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