In the wake of escalating violence in Israel, two Jerusalem Jews have developed a satirical website that asks the question, Have I Been Stabbed Yet?
The site, according to a press release, lets individuals identify “if they are already dead,” asking questions to discover their location (stay away from Jerusalem, they warn), their Jewish appearance (if applicable), and if they would summon Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat if they ran into trouble. Barkat has personally helped neutralize attackers and subdue terrorists on several occasions during his tenure.
Created by copywriter Shalom Shore and app developer Dan Bystrisky, Have I Been Stabbed Yet? looks to “break the tension” of the current situation. “There is a feeling of uncertainty, where the average person feels like the situation is out of their control. For us, humour is a way to cope, to come to terms with the experience,” Shore says.
While the duo recognizes that certain people will not appreciate their brand of humour, they insist that the goal here is not to offend anyone, “except for terrorists.” Instead, the site is a way to make it easier for people to deal with the current situation, and to raise awareness about the daily difficulties Israelis are facing.
According to Shore and Bystrisky, humour is a great way to cope with terror and conflict, citing other parody videos that have gone viral in Israel, but are rather dark in nature.
After filling out the questionnaire, Have I Been Stabbed Yet? then redirects you to a landing page where users can buy a “Kill Me, I’m Jewish” T-shirts. “Nothing says ‘Stab me’ like a sexy t-shirt, especially one worn by a sexy Jew,” the site reads. It then encourages people to, “Wear this t-shirt in solidarity with Israel, and in recognition of the fact that at it’s root, anti-Zionism is anti-Semitism in disguise.”
