Jerry Seinfeld arrives for whirlwind tour

Jerry Seinfeld has buzzed into Israel for four days to pitch his ubiquitous Bee Movie cartoon feature (which has little verisimilitude, as it does not show the drones as sex slaves to the Queen breeder.)

So, thirty-six years after his sole visit to Israel, Jerry Seinfeld is back. Welcome. But it seems like Seinfeld never really went away. Reruns of his sitcom air twice a day on cable, plus there's a marathon of past episodes every weekend. You'd assume that the leaders Olmert and Peres had seen quite enough of the guy, but they are keen to schmooze with the stand-up New Yorker, even minus Kramer, Elaine, George and Newman. Seinfeld is planning a sightseeing junket - including a visit to Kibbutz Sa'ar, north of Nahariya, to call on the family that put him up when he was a young man.
A poll in the Jerusalem Post today disclosed that only one fifth of Israelis now consider themselves secular, down from 41 per cent three decades ago. So does this mean that Jerome's appeal might be declining too? Since 39 per cent of under-40s now describe themselves as religious, the cynical comic may find himself greeted by blank stares of non-recognition. But if he restyles himself like the photo above, it may broaden his schtick and add to his popularity inside the Jewish state. Bee Movie, Shmee Movie. Get ready for Frum Jerry. There is even an Orthodox stand-up venue in Jerusalem called "Off the Wall", which would really buzz if he grabbed the mike in this garb. Even if he talks about nothing.