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Orthodox Jew From Teaneck Has Gotham Comedy Club LOLing

TEANECK, N.J. — "It's true," says Ari Ginsberg of Teaneck as he walks on stage at the Gotham Comedy Club. "I'm an accountant. And I do comedy.

Teaneck's Ari Ginsberg will be performing at Carolines on Broadway Monday evening.

Teaneck's Ari Ginsberg will be performing at Carolines on Broadway Monday evening.

Photo Credit: Ari Ginsberg

Ari Ginsberg performs at Gotham Comedy Club.

Photo Credit: Ari Ginsberg

"Kind of novel, right?" the Fair Lawn native continued. "Not every day you see an accountant who's already Jewish."

But Ginsberg doesn't want to be defined as a Jewish comedian. He just wants to be funny.

"You're only as good as your surroundings," said the father, who will be performing at Carolines on Broadway on Monday evening.

"Performing with top comedians challenges you to improve your material, and humbles you pretty quickly. 

"A few months back I thought I had a strong set and I told my friend ‘I think I’m getting good at this’. Then Jim Gaffigan gets up and kills and I realized, ‘Alright guess I’m not that good.’"

That's the goal exactly — to get really good.

Ginsberg has enjoyed making people laugh but says he was always pretty bad at it.

The first time he performed was in September. He says he got one laugh, and it was his own.

"It's a skill that can be developed," he said. "I've been finding a method and training myself."

He's been practicing his jokes on people in Bryant Park on his lunch breaks at work, he said.

Comedy allows Ginsberg to better express himself.

"I talk about my childhood," he said "I was so bad at sports I got pick last — and I went to the Jewish school."

"I have a cynical type of view on some of the things in the Orthodox world. The materialism bothers me, so this is an outlet to be more expressive in a humorous way."

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