Bringing Alex Edelman to Campus – A Dream Come True
Amalia Stulbach and Noam Karger are fourth-year students at Washington University in St. Louis. Together, with the partnership of their university, WashU Hillel, Schusterman Family Philanthropies, and Hillel International, they hosted comedian Alex Edelman for a night of laughter, Jewish joy, and belonging. This show was part of a multi-campus comedy tour that crisscrossed the country, with nearly two thousand students in attendance across four campuses – WashU, Northwestern University, USC, and Cornell University.
In the summer of 2025, we met for dinner and walked away with our stomachs full of falafel and our minds buzzing with a big idea. Over the following months, that idea became our dream, and in March 2026, that dream finally came true.
For each of us, this dream began when we had the chance to see Alex Edelman perform — Amalia at his solo show “Just For Us” on Broadway in 2023, and Noam at a conference in Denver. Alex’s comedy, which weaves his Jewish identity into his storytelling, stood out to us as uniquely relatable, sharp, and deeply thoughtful. He has a rare ability to deliver witty, high-level jokes while tapping into more complex questions about Jewish identity in 21st-century America.
Sitting there in the falafel restaurant, we knew we wanted to bring him to WashU for a campus show.
But before moving forward and presenting the idea to our student government for funding, we took a step back to define what we wanted this event to accomplish.
First, we wanted to bring together a truly diverse audience. We hoped to gather Jewish students across religious and cultural backgrounds, while also welcoming non-Jewish peers from the broader university community. We believed Alex’s comedy could resonate across all of these groups. His humor, rooted in everyday experiences and identity, feels especially relatable to college students navigating similar questions of belonging. Humor, after all, is something universal, something we all share.
Second, accessibility mattered. We were committed to making the event completely free in order to remove any financial barrier to attending.
And finally, we wanted Alex to shine. For Jewish students, we knew it would be powerful to see someone perform who felt familiar — a regular Jewish guy, someone who went to the same high school as Noam — and had achieved success at the highest level. Alex’s Broadway run, comedy special, acting and producing work, and late-night appearances are all remarkable. But what stood out most to us was who he is: warm, humble, and deeply thoughtful. A true mensch. We hoped our non-Jewish peers would walk away with that same appreciation, creating a shared moment of connection and kiddush Hashem, sanctification of God’s name.
After a successful pitch, the WashU student government was in to help us bring Alex to campus. And then WashU Hillel stepped up to take us the rest of the way there. They quickly partnered with us, committed to making the event happen. Soon after, we learned that Hillel International and the Schusterman Family Philanthropies would cover the remaining costs, as part of Alex’s larger campus tour to Cornell, Northwestern, and USC. Suddenly, our dream started moving toward reality.
As we continued planning for the show, WashU Hillel and Hillel International became true partners. They empowered us to lead while offering constant support behind the scenes. We met with teams across marketing, communications, and event planning — all eager to help. Every check-in started the same way: “How can we support you?” The message was clear: this was our event, and they were there to help us succeed. We are incredibly grateful for that partnership. The event would not have been possible, or nearly as successful, without it.
When the day finally arrived at the end of March, nerves and all, we were able to step back and watch everything come together.
The evening started with a private meet-and-greet with Alex before the show. The meet and greet was a highlight for everyone — Alex was playful, genuine, and completely himself. He answered every question and gave aspiring student comedians a closer look at how he engages with a crowd.
Next came showtime.
We walked Alex from the green room, snapped a quick selfie, and introduced him to a crowd of 525 students, faculty, and community members in Graham Chapel. It was a surreal moment. Alex joked that it was his first time performing in a chapel. In fact, this stage at WashU has hosted icons, from “Saturday Night Live” cast members to Jane Goodall to Eleanor Roosevelt.
As he began the show, we sat in disbelief for the first few minutes. Then we took in every moment.
We got to experience an hour of laughter, followed by a standing ovation. We saw a room full of people sharing something meaningful together. And we’ve heard our friends and classmates sharing the joy they felt together in the weeks since the show. It was incredibly fulfilling to unite so many people at WashU around shared laughter, especially around a Jewish comedian as special as Alex Edelman.
It was everything we had imagined back at that falafel dinner eight months earlier.
Alex — same time next year?