Amir Moyal: Humor Is How We Survive

A Food That Takes You Back to Childhood

“‘Penguin Ice Cream’ in Kfar Saba. That’s the place we used to go to as kids when we celebrated something. It has a taste you don’t find in other ice creams. When I eat it, it takes me right back to childhood.”

Three Items You’d Take to a Desert Island

“I got stuck on this question during my wife’s pre-wedding Shabbat (laughs). She and her friends were playing a game, and one of the questions was: what would your future husband take to a desert island? She answered ‘me,’ and then they checked what I had written in advance — and my answer was ‘a guitar.’ The wedding was the next day, so she didn’t have much time to reconsider.

“My first answer is a guitar, second, a notebook and pen, and the third, maybe a knife, for survival.”

Your Guilty Pleasure

“Chocolate croissants.”

What Recharges You After a Tough Day?

“On a physical level, a nap. On a more spiritual level, creating. Making something, whether it’s a post or anything else I can share with the world.”

What People Don’t Know About You

“I’m very simple when it comes to food. If it’s too fancy, I usually won’t eat it, and at a restaurant I might even order a kids’ meal.

“And the same goes for humor — I’m not picky or limited to some ‘highbrow’ genre. I can laugh until I cry over very simple things. Recently, my son did something and fell in a funny way. I laughed for three straight minutes, to the point of tears. As long as it has the DNA of humor, it will make me laugh.”

What Scares You the Most

“That the wellspring will dry up. Sometimes I get into a loop when I haven’t written anything for a few days, or what I wrote wasn’t very good. I used to panic and think it meant the end of my creativity. Over time, I’ve learned that it comes in waves. Sometimes something blocks the creativity, such as stress or workload, and when it lifts, the inspiration flows again. It’s especially noticeable on Shabbat: when there are no emails or phones, many ideas suddenly surface. The challenge is remembering them until Saturday night.

“Another thing: it breaks my heart to see a lack of self-awareness in others, and I’m afraid it might happen to me. And like any parent, I’m afraid for my children. One time my wife went somewhere with the kids, and at first I thought, ‘Wow, I have a quiet evening to myself.’ But walking through the empty rooms at night, when the house is silent and no one is in their beds — it’s not pleasant at all.”

When Was the Last Time You Cried?

“On Memorial Day, when I listened to a podcast where bereaved parents spoke about their son who fell in battle. My own son is about to enlist, and I realized that this is the stage when you lose control over protecting your child. He’s out of the house, going to dangerous places, and he even wants to. There’s nothing you can do except pray.

“In that context, one of the questions researchers ask is why we use humor, and what motivates it. There’s an interesting explanation: humor is a survival tool that activates when things are hard and our reality is shaken. It helps us keep going instead of collapsing under sadness.

“During the recent war, we visited wounded soldiers and met people with incredible humor. We saw a soldier who had lost a leg say, ‘My foot will no longer step in Gaza,’ or ‘I’ll explain on one leg what I do.’”

Something You’d Like to Improve About Yourself

“I wish I were less quick to anger — that’s a trait I unfortunately have. Sometimes you feel that your anger at your children, even if justified, gets mixed with anger from other things such as work stress or someone speaking to you harshly. It’s hard to separate, and it’s not fair to them.”

A Sincere Moment in Your Conversation with God

“Honestly, before almost every performance I speak to God. I pray twice — once on the way to the show, and again when I see the audience. It’s especially true when I notice people who aren’t my usual crowd, and it shakes my confidence. In that moment, I ask for a good performance, that the audience will connect with me, and that they’ll become ambassadors for my show. I also pray to present the material well — not just recite it, and that it will feel fresh to me each time.”

A Childhood Dream You Fulfilled

“My childhood dreams were very childish — being a painter, flying, things like that. Not very realistic. Most of my real dreams came later. I don’t know if I thought as a child that I’d write a book, but as an adult it became a dream that took a long time to come true. I might have stayed stuck there if not for someone who worked at a publishing house and heard about my dream — she was like a ‘midwife’ for the book.”

A Trait You Appreciate in Others

“I appreciate people with self-awareness, and I like people who don’t take themselves too seriously, who can laugh at themselves and stay flexible. I’m always happy to surround myself with those kinds of people.”

Someone You’d Like to Have a Conversation With

“With Uri Orbach, of blessed memory. I was very influenced by him — I read his work and watched his videos, but I never actually spoke to him. We were supposed to meet as part of a project that paired experienced figures with younger ones. I was really excited, but he became ill and it never happened.

“My first book, A Story About a Green Apple, was dedicated to his memory. His wife and children came to the launch, and we’ve stayed in touch ever since, visiting them during Sukkot almost every year. For years I didn’t know if he even knew who I was, but his wife told me he did and had read my work. That meant a lot to me.”

How Would You Like to Be Remembered?

“I’d like my work — my books and videos, to continue living for at least a few decades after me. To be a good father, and someone worth quoting.

“And maybe it sounds cliché, but I’d like to be remembered as a good person. I try to keep improving, always moving forward, even in small steps. Not to become stagnant. Even water, which gives life, becomes stagnant and harmful if it stops moving.”

The Work You’re Most Proud Of

“A Story About a Green Apple — the children’s book I wrote, with a message I truly stand behind. Even though it’s already eight or nine years old, it still sells, and every time I hear about it, it moves me.”