Yohay Sponder

Yohay Sponder (Hebrew: יוחאי ספונדר, born 14 October 1982 in Givat Yoav) is an Israeli stand-up comedian and actor. His father was the son of Polish Holocaust survivors and his mother's family is Moroccan. Sponder grew up in the Golan Heights and served in the Israel Defense Forces in the Armored Corps. After a cousin was killed in combat in the October 7 attacks, he came to regard comedy as his reserve duty service. He is noted for wearing a prominent Star of David necklace onstage and is represented by the United Talent Agency.

After his discharge from the military, Sponder began performing stand-up throughout Israel, starting at the Camel Comedy Club and Comedy Bar in Tel Aviv. In 2009 he made his first TV appearance on "Beep Comedy House," broadcast on Beep Channel and Channel 2, and hosted a stand-up segment on the Army Radio (Galei Tzahal) program "Night Birds of Prophecy." His other TV credits include the American program "West Coast Comedy" on Hulu in 2013, the Israeli sitcom "Kupa Rashit" (Checkout) in 2018, and Kan 11's "Viral Relationships" with Shahar Hason in 2020.

In 2012, Sponder began performing in English in collaboration with Hason, eventually launching their weekly "Funny Monday" show in Tel Aviv, one of the earliest and biggest contributions to English-language comedy in Israel. In 2024 he launched his international "Self-Loving Jew" tour with performances in North America and Europe and performed with Jay Leno in a Los Angeles fundraiser. His performances have been the target of anti-Israel and antisemitic harassment; a January 2025 show at Amsterdam's Boom Chicago club was canceled after a protester disrupted the venue, and after thirty rejections from other venues the performance eventually took place on 23 February 2025.