Zach Margs - The Rising Star of Jewish Comedy

If you don’t know Zach Margolin (@zachmargs), it’s time to get acquainted. This charismatic Brit, born and raised in a Jewish community in London, spent his summers and holidays visiting Israel with his family. Now 30, Zach is a rising comedian who channels his sharp observations of modern Israeli culture into clever, laugh-out-loud social media videos. From a rude Tel Aviv beach waiter to an EL AL pilot, a security agent, or a shawarma vendor with attitude, Zach masterfully brings a range of characters to life. With his comedic precision and spot-on accent, he captures the essence and humor of life in Israel like no one else. I recently enjoyed chatting with Zach and discovering the who, what, when, why, and how. You will, too.

PG: Hey Zach. Congratulations on all your success. Your popularity has skyrocketed in the past year, and I’m sure everyone wants to know — how did you start making videos?

ZM: I discovered TikTok during the pandemic. I made many videos that weren’t about Judaism, but then life returned to normal, and I forgot about it. In August 2023, I was sitting on the beach in Tel Aviv with my friends, and we had a particularly obnoxious waiter. He was just terrible and very rude. I looked like him, and I had the same hat as him, a bucket hat. So, I put on the hat, rolled up my sleeves, tied my bag around me, picked up a tray, and impersonated the waiter. My friends were laughing so much. One said, ‘I have to film this; this is too funny.’ So she filmed it on her phone, and then I edited it into a reel. I knew how to edit because I’d been doing it on TikTok for so long, but I’d never done an Israel thing, and I just did it and posted it, and it blew up overnight.

Then, on the way home from that trip, I got interrogated by EL AL security, more than usual, and as they were asking questions, I just thought, wow, this is funny; this is content. So I got home, put on my suit, and did a video about asking the questions they asked me but exaggerating, and that video blew up as well. And I thought, wow. People like this content. What if I try some Jewish content? So I did a video about Yom Kippur, and that one blew up more than the other two. And I was like, I’m on a roll here. People like every video I do about Israel and Judaism. And it’s like, it’s me, my whole background, my whole life. This isn’t hard for me, and I really enjoy it.

PG: What happened after October 7? Did your comedy change at all?

ZM: When the war broke out, I posted passionately about what happened to my limited followers. My following slowly grew because I talked a lot about the war but made a funny video here and there. Then, I was invited by a diplomatic organization in Israel to visit the south to see Kfar Aza and Nir Oz, two of the worst affected kibbutzim. That trip was in December 2023. It was very horrifying to see firsthand what happened. I talked about my experiences going there on my Instagram and also made three videos on that trip. One was an EL AL video, one was a taxi driver, and one was a barista. And those three videos exploded my platform. I gained 40,000 followers on that trip.

PG: And that was what propelled you to continue and expand on the Jewish theme?

ZM: I was in Israel, and I was making content about Israel, and I didn’t need to talk about the war necessarily. I just wanted to show people, like, let’s humanize Israelis. Let’s humanize Jewish people. And let’s have fun. I think what started as the idea that I would make people laugh and have fun; now I realize I have a responsibility to do that. It is not from anyone specifically, but from myself because I’ve seen the reaction that it’s had, how people have said the most heartwarming things to me, and the impact it managed to have around the world. I want to continue being that person.

PG: Comedy can push boundaries. I love how you handle anti-semitic comments by turning them into more content. Tell me more about that.

ZM: Yeah, that’s how I like to deal with it. I find it funny to do that. With all the antisemitism around the world, if I can bring a little bit of relief and light to my people, then it’s an absolute pleasure. If someone’s commenting on my videos with antisemitism, you’re driving the engagement of my video. So, it’s a good thing. So, shame on you. You’ve made yourself look foolish by being hateful, and you’re making my video go viral. I think because people are seeing a proud Jewish person doing funny content, and they’re aware of that, I’m probably getting hate. But, if I can take the hate and add to it, then it’s like, wow. It lights a fire underneath me. But I never engage. I never argue with people because I don’t find that beneficial. I think my favorite hate comment was when I got called an ugly, evil, skinny Zionist or something. And I was like, so you think I’m skinny? So, yeah, let’s use it to bring more joy. Let’s turn the hate into laughter if we can.

PG: What’s your process for coming up with new ideas? Do you follow a set schedule, or is it more spontaneous?

ZM: There’s no like, rhyme, or reason. It’s not like I sit down at a computer and start writing. Sometimes, I’ll be, like, on a walk with my dog, and an idea will pop into my head or be in the shower, and I’ll be like, Oh my God, what if I did a boot camp, like training people how to prepare for EL AL. That happened in the shower.

PG: I loved that one. And, when you laugh, that’s even funnier.

ZM: You know what, I used to cut out all those moments, but I realized I want people to know how much of a good time we’re having doing this, and sometimes it is so funny that I don’t have a problem with people laughing in the video because it’s just obviously a skit and we’re real people.

PG: Who are your biggest influences in Israeli and international comedy?

ZM: My idol is Sacha Baron Cohen. My favorite thing to do is improvised character work: play this Israeli character and not necessarily write a script but bounce off people as he does with Ali G, Borat, or Bruno. I also love Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David. And Adam Sandler, because the Zohan was the first time I remember seeing an Israeli character be in the limelight. I was a teenager when the Zohan came out, and we were obsessed with it at school, so that movie was a massive inspiration as well.

PG: What’s the most challenging part of being a content creator in the fast-paced world of social media?

ZM: I think it’s delivering consistently funny content regularly. Because social media is so quick, you’re flicking through, flicking through, and you want to be able to provide new material regularly, but you don’t want to compromise on the quality of work you’re doing. An example is the EL AL pilot videos. I’m uploading a new one today, and it’s the fifth time I’ve done it. I think that character has really caught on. People love it. And it’s a challenge because people want more. But how much more can I do until it gets repetitive? So that’s a massive challenge, keeping it fresh and adapting to real-world events.

PG: What video posts have you made that you’re especially proud of? And why?

ZM: That’s a difficult question. Comedy aside, I’m proud of the videos I made about October 7, and they’ve done well. I met with my friend Milet, a survivor of Nova Festival, and we made a video telling her story that got, like, 2 million views, and I was very happy for her that I could get her story out there. So I’m super proud of that. And then, in terms of comedy, I think there’s not necessarily one video that I’m like, that’s the one. I’m proud of creating a character that people connect with and use in different scenarios, enjoy seeing, and that’s relatable. It’s humanizing my people. A lot of people that don’t understand see Israelis as these evil beings. And I’m able to humanize them and go low. Yeah, they’re flawed, but they’re human beings, and this is what’s so funny about people in Israel. So I’m not necessarily sure there’s one video that I’m like, that’s the one. They’re all my babies.

PG: I couldn’t pick just one, either. I’m like, oh, that’s my favorite. I send it to my friends, and then I see another, and I’m like, no, but look at this one too.

ZM: I think, to be fair, the one that stands out is being a taxi driver.

PG: I was going to ask you, how did these people let you do all this? Are they just cool, or do you pay them?

ZM: There’s tons of chutzpah involved. Amazing story. Just quickly, I’ll explain. I had the idea that I wanted to play a taxi driver, and I had all the jokes. I knew exactly what I would do; I just needed a taxi. So I found the taxi driver on the street. He was sitting in his car, and I said to him, ‘You working now?’ And he said yes. I said, ‘Are you available? Like, can I sit?’ And he said, again, ‘Yes, what do you want? Do you have a problem?’ I was like, ‘No, no, let me explain. I’m a comedian, and I make funny content about Israel. I want to do a video as a taxi driver, and I thought I could drive your taxi, and my friend could film me driving your car, and you can sit in the front, and we’ll drive down quiet streets, and we’ll make a hilarious video of me pretending to be you.’ And he said, ‘Are you crazy? lt’s not allowed. I have a license. I have insurance. You don’t have this. It’s my work. It’s not funny. You make joke for my work. I have a family. I have children. I want to put food on the table. You’re going to risk this all for your stupid video. Get out.’ And I was like, ‘No, no, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you. I can pay you.’ And he said, ‘Oh, Ok! You want the keys now? If you want to drive, it’s okay.’ I swear, 200 sheckles I gave him. And he literally stood outside the taxi. He didn’t even want to be in the car. He said, ‘I’m going to smoke; come back to this spot in one hour.’ I just drove up and down this one quiet street. But he let me do it, so that was funny. I was legit in a taxi driving around Tel Aviv. I always say that only in Israel could I get away with this stuff.

PG: What is next for you? Do you see yourself branching into other forms of comedy, like stand-up, TV, or writing? What is your dream gig?

ZM: So, my comedy is now leading into live shows. I’ve built such an amazing, engaged audience that when I come to their city, people get excited and want to see it. Stand-up is something I’ve always done, but, you know, in a different capacity. I always feel very comfortable doing it, and I love it. I think what’s coming soon is to tour the world and do shows for Jewish people. It’s always been a dream of mine to perform in iconic places. Doing live shows and maybe getting this in some capacity on a TV platform would be an absolute dream of mine.

PG: Serious question: Do you think EL AL hates or loves you?

ZM: Hahahah. I don’t know. I think it’s a love-hate. I think there’s a lot of love from EL AL; they’re kind of in on the joke. I was a bit nervous the first time I saw them after the first video, but Israeli people are amazing; they have the best sense of humor in the world. I think they love me.

PG: Last question: Can you hit on me like a true Israeli?

ZM: Hahaha. Rega (wait), I need to get into character. I wasn’t prepared for this, but if we’re gonna do it, let’s do it. (He takes off his sweatshirt to reveal a white short-sleeved T-shirt. He rolls up the sleeves, puts a backward baseball cap on, and leans into the camera seductively.) Wow, kapara, ma kore? Chaim sheli, I want to see what’s behind the glasses. You have such beautiful eyes you’re hiding them from me, kapara. Listen, chaim sheli, I’ve never seen more beautiful eye, in my whole life. I want to tell my ima about you. Because I told her I was meeting this amazing journalist, she’s writing, she’s telling me a lot about vibrators, I think she’s a little bit, how you say the word, kinky? So chaim sheli, if you want to practice your vibrations with me, I can help you if you want.

PG: Ani ohevet otcha! Toda Roba! (I love you! Thank you!)