Israelis Are In On The 'Borat' Joke

(AP)  Like moviegoing masses around the world, Israelis have crowded theaters to watch the hit spoof "Borat." But they are laughing for another reason: They actually understand what the anti-Semitic, misogynist Kazakh journalist is saying.

Few realize that comedian Sacha Baron Cohen's wacky comedic creation, Borat Sagdiyev, is not speaking Kazakh or even gibberish, but rather Hebrew, the biblical language of the Jewish people.

The 35-year-old British comedian is no stranger to Israel. He is an observant Jew, his mother was born in Israel and his grandmother still lives in Haifa. In high school, he belonged to a Zionist Jewish youth group, Habonim Dror, and upon graduation spent a year working and studying on a kibbutz, or collective farm, in northern Israel. He has since returned for several visits, his Hebrew is excellent and his understanding of Israeli culture superb.

The irony of a Hebrew-speaking anti-Semite is not lost on the admiring Israeli audience, which has made the movie a huge hit here.

"It is extremely funny and kind of cool to realize that you are understanding something no one else does," said Gaby Goldman, 33, of Tel Aviv. "It's not just the Hebrew but also the way he speaks. He sounds almost Israeli, he sounds like one of us."

Israelis begin giggling right from the opening scene, when Borat departs his hometown in Kazakhstan for the "U.S. and A.," assuring a one-armed man in fake Kazakh: "Don't worry I will bring you a new hand in America."

The subtitles give the direct translation, but there's no need in Israel. It merely repeats what Borat has just said in his impeccable Hebrew.

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Photos: Borat Makes A Splash
Photos: Borat Among The Stars At London Film Festival

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The film is peppered with Hebrew expressions and Israeli slang, inside jokes only Israelis could truly appreciate. In one scene, Borat sings the lyrics of the legendary Hebrew folk song "Koom Bachur Atzel," meaning "get up lazy boy." Later, he refers to a Kazakh government scientist, "Dr. Yarmulke," who proved that a woman's brain is the size of a squirrel's. Even Borat's signature catch phrase — "Wa wa wee wa," an expression for wow — derives from a skit on a popular Israeli comedy show and is often heard in Israel.

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[agnim]

Now that we know that Kazakhstan is part of the invasion and killing of Iraqi women, children, old people, etc, Borat can continue to hold their destructive feet to the fire. LOL

[hermit22]

I don't care who he thinks he is, and where he came from, the man is REPULSIVE!

I don't know what Michael Richards did, or Mel Gibson either, first hand, but this Cohen guy I've seen first hand on t.v. and he is the MOST REPULSIVE guy I've seen on t.v.

[fascistusa]

Comedic genius.

I loved how Sacha ripped Virginians in the rodeo scene.

Nope, we're not a Fascist Nation. Nothing to see here. Move along.