Jewish comedic icon Joan Rivers, known for her quick wit and sharp tongue, passed away Thursday evening. She was 81.
Rivers was hospitalized last week when she went into cardiac arrest while undergoing a routine procedure at her doctor’s office in Manhattan. Daughter Melissa Rivers announced that he mother died, surrounded by family and friends, at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York.
“My mother’s greatest joy in life was to make people laugh,” Melissa Rivers said in a statement. “Although that is difficult to do right now, I know her final wish would be that re-return to laughing soon.”
While Rivers was more famously known for being the top “Fashion Police” in Hollywood, the icon recently made waves amongst the media during Operation Protective Edge.
When asked for her opinion on this past summer’s conflict in Gaza by paparazzi from TMZ, Rivers went off on a lengthy pro-Israel rant, showing staunch support for the Jewish state. Rivers blamed Hamas for the conflict saying, “you cannot throw rockets and expect people not to defend themselves.”
She slammed the international press for their anti-Israel bias while covering on the conflict, saying the media should be “ashamed.”
“I have been over there. That’s how I know, and I wish the world would know. And the BBC should be ashamed of themselves, and CNN should be ashamed of themselves.”
Asked about the IDF firing in civilian areas in Gaza and the high number of civilian casualties, Rivers screamed, “Don’t put your goddamn things in private homes. I’m sorry, don’t you dare put weapons stashes in private homes.”
With her quick wit, Rivers drove her point home when she told the paparazzi: “If New Jersey were firing rockets into New York, we would wipe ‘em out. If we heard they were digging tunnels from New Jersey to New York, we would get rid of Jersey!”
The clip quickly went viral and earned Rivers both admiration and contempt. At one point, thousands of people in Britain signed a petition to cancel the comedian’s scheduled tour in the region due to her pro-Israel stance.
Joan Rivers Epic Pro-Israel Rant
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a statement upon news of the passing of Rivers.
“Joan Rivers brought laughter to millions around the world and was proud of her Jewish heritage and a vocal supporter of the State of Israel. We will miss her deeply and we send our heartfelt condolences to her family,” the statement read.
Shawn Evenhaim, Chairman of the Israeli-American Council, the largest Israel-American organization in the U.S., described Rivers as one of the most ardent supporters of Israel.
“Joan Rivers was not only an iconic comedian, she was an ardent supporter of Israel who vociferously and unabashedly expressed her opinions in support of the Jewish homeland, including during the recent Operation Protective Edge. We’re sure all Israelis in the U.S. today share in the sadness of the passing of this exceptional woman. The IAC offers our deepest condolences to Joan Rivers’ family, friends and fans.”
Born Joan Alexandra Molinsky on June 8, 1933, in Brooklyn, New York, Rivers graduated from Barnard College in 1954. She made her comedic debut in the late 50s and soon became one of the few successful female comics in a male dominated industry.
At a time when censorship was the norm, Rivers quickly gained popularity for daring to express her views on all matters despite potential backlash.
In an interview with AP in 2013 and just days after the death of her older sister, Rivers succinctly described her life motto, even in the face of tragedy.
“The trouble with me is, I make jokes too often. I was making jokes yesterday at the funeral home,” she explained. “That’s how I get through life. Life is SO difficult – everybody’s been through something! But you laugh at it, it becomes smaller.”
