“Rachel Creeger and Philip Simon were due to perform at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe in a matter of weeks (Picture: Instagram) Jewish comedians Rachel Creeger and Philip Simon have spoken out after having their shows axed unexpectedly. Both were due to perform at the Whistlebinkies bar as part of this year’s Edinburgh Fringe, which runs”, — write: metro.co.uk
Rachel Creeger and Philip Simon were due to perform at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe in a matter of weeks (Picture: Instagram) Jewish comedians Rachel Creeger and Philip Simon have spoken out after having their shows axed unexpectedly.
Both were due to perform at the Whistlebinkies bar as part of this year’s Edinburgh Fringe, which runs from August 1 to 25.
Creeger’s show was titled Ultimate Jewish Mother and would mark her third time doing stand-up at Whistlebinkies.
Simon, who co-hosts the podcast Jew Talkin’ To Me? alongside Creeger, was due to take his variety show, Jew-O-Rama, which displays Jewish comedic talents, to the same venue.
However, just weeks before taking to the stage, they were informed that the shows would not be going ahead, claiming they were told that venue staff expressed safety fears.
The comedians were allegedly notified of the cancellation on July 18. At this point, despite their intention of booking another venue, it was already too late to make secondary plans.
Creeger was set to take her show, Ultimate Jewish Mother, to Whistlebinkies for the third time (Picture: Instagram) 
Simon has already performed his variety show at the bar five times (Picture: philipsimon.co.uk) Consequently, their names no longer appear on the official Fringe site.
According to The Telegraph, the concerns were allegedly raised after an announcement said police supervision would be increased for the venue, amid existing concerns about the safety of Jewish acts.
Creeger told the publication: ‘Sadly, this is part of an ongoing problem faced by Jewish performers in this country.
‘We are being cancelled and often silently boycotted.’
Meanwhile, Simon voiced his own qualms about the immediate ‘solution’ to the alleged safety concerns being to ‘remove the Jews from the bill’.
‘This is emblematic of the problem facing Jewish artists and performers in the UK today,’ he stated.
The stand-up star insists his show is not political (Picture: Instagram) 
Whistlebinkies staff allegedly had ‘safety concerns’ (Picture: Getty Images) In a statement to Chortle, Free Fringe CEO Luke Meredith said: ‘The decision not to host the two shows was taken by the venue alone. So far as we understand, this was a staff decision based on last year’s experience when they experienced a significant rise in both “Free Palestine” and Zionist graffiti, together with police notices that they said made them feel unsafe.
‘The matter was first brought to our attention in late May, after the print deadline for the brochure had passed. I thought at the time that, having explained the police were only taking precautions and no actual threats had been made, and that moving them after they were already advertised in print might be detrimental, that the matter had been resolved. Apparently, however, it had been understood that we were to move the shows.’
Meredith continued on Friday: ‘I was made aware of this a week ago, and since then we have been working with the shows to try and find them a suitable replacement slot, including approaching other organisations.
‘Nothing has been possible so far, but we welcome any offer of help. If anyone has a space in central Edinburgh that would like to host them, we would be happy to run it.’
Speaking further to the Jewish Chronicle, Simon declared that ‘this would not happen to any other ethnic minority’.
‘We are bipartisan. My show is a Jewish compilation show where we have a rolling lineup of Jewish and non-Jewish comedians.’
Creeger has already spent £2,500 to fund her show (Picture: Instagram) 
Simon declared that ‘this would not happen to any other ethnic minority’ (Picture: philipsimon.co.uk) On what his show entails, further adding to the shock and confusion he felt when the show was scrapped, Simon added: ‘We had no politics, as far as I’m aware, put out onto the stage.’
He explained how the show has been running for about nine years and has already been hosted in Whistlebinkies five times, insisting his material is ‘not about Israel whatsoever’, but suggesting others now feel ‘braver’ in what they can complain about.
‘My show is really about the idea that all mums are the same,’ said Creeger. ‘It ends with wishing for peace for everyone. It’s like a lovely, warm hug of a show.’
The pair are now experiencing financial hardship, having paid thousands to fund their Fringe shows. This included travel, accommodation, and marketing costs.
‘It’s about £2,500,’ Creeger revealed of what she has already spent. ‘Which I have to save up for the entire year to afford.’
Pointing out what he believes are double standards, Simon argued that there would be ‘outrage’ if this happened to other comedians who were not Jewish, saying the venue would be ‘boycotted, shut down, [and] never allowed to trade’.
‘That’s not what we’re asking for in the least … but there’s no logic as to why this has happened this year specifically.’
Simon has two other shows, Shall I Compere Thee in a Funny Way? and School’s Out Comedy Club, which are still scheduled to go ahead at this year’s Fringe.
Whistlebinkies and the Edinburgh Fringe have been contacted for comment.
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