Jewish Grandparents Promise to Rise From the Dead, Haunt Their Grandkids If They Don't Vote for Hillary Clinton

//--> Back in 2008, comedian/actress Sara Silverman implored young Jews to schlep over to Florida to convince their grandparents to vote for Barack Obama; now it's the bubbes and zaydes who are stepping up to push the younger generation to vote for Hillary Clinton, in a hilarious video from Bend the Arc Jewish Action, an organization that brings Jews together to advocate for a just and equal society in the U.S. Part of the campaign "#WeveSeenThisBefore" launched last fall, the new film cuts together grandparent after grandparent in a "loving" lecture to the young'uns, in which they diss Donald Trump and emphasize the importance of getting out the vote. The lighthearted comedy, inflected with the more sinister history of persecution under Nazi Germany, makes for a particularly powerful punch: "We have seen this before, we saw it in Germany and we don't want to see it here," says one grandmother. Then, it's a litany of pejoratives, with the grandparents calling Trump a "narcissist," "petulant [like her own kid when he was little]," "far more than a putz," "definitely a tyrant," an "obnoxious, lying individual." But things are just getting good at this point, and then, the elders reveal what will happen if their grandkids don't vote for Hillary: "I'll haunt you when I die." From there, the gems just flow: "My ghost will make sure that the kale in your fridge will rot twice as fast," says one grams. "Boooooo!" says a grandpa, wearing a big white sheet with eye holes. "I'll spoil every episode of 'Game of Thrones,'" says another granny. "When you're having a dinner party, I'll come down and say something racist, but if you're voting for Trump, you probably don't care," says yet another. And then, there's the final scene, in which Ghost Gramps returns -- but we won't spoil his killer line here. "We, as Jews, recognize that [Trump's] candidacy has echoed times when the Jewish community experienced the dangers of fascism, anti-immigration and persecution against religious minorities," said Stosh Cotler, CEO of Bend the Arc Jewish Action. "We've seen this before and we wanted to make sure that as Jews we were speaking out boldly and loudly and making sure it was known the Jewish community rejects Trump for the platform of hatred and bigotry that he has unleashed." To create the film, Bend the Arc cast "everyday Jews, who were the best ambassadors to give this message," said Ms. Cotler. The organization tapped veteran comedian Jena Friedman, former "Late Show with David Letterman" writer, to write and direct the piece. "For her part, it was the expert writing, suggesting questions, and then she and the editor did a great job putting it all together," Ms. Cotler said. The organization had previously put out another ad, after Trump had made his comment about Mexicans being rapists and murderers. Since then, "We've been continuously ramping up," Ms. Cotler said.

Jewish Grandparents Promise to Rise From the Dead, Haunt Their Grandkids If They Don't Vote for Hillary Clinton

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