Palestinian-Jewish lesbian couple makes comedy out of love story
Eman El-Husseini and Jess Salomon share a bill for a 3-night run at Yuk Yuk's in Ottawa
It may sound like the pitch for a sitcom but the story of two women — one Palestinian, one Jewish — who get married, move to New York City and perform stand-up comedy about their complicated relationship is true — and coming to Ottawa.
Eman El-Husseini and Jess Salomon were guests on CBC Radio's Ottawa Morning ahead of their three-night run at Yuk Yuk's comedy club. The couple currently lives in Montreal but will be moving to New York City to explore more stand-up opportunities in December.
"When people ask, I love to say that our parents introduced us," Salomon said.
Listen to the full interview here.
But that's far from the truth.
El-Husseini introduced Salomon to her parents as a friend before the couple was engaged. She said that her parents did not go to the wedding.
"A lot of tears — and not of joy. It's a really hard concept for them to accept homosexuality. It's so foreign to them," El-Husseini said. "They want us to marry brothers so we can stay close."
"They think we're both on the wrong path. They want something better for me, too," Salomon added. Her parents did not go to the wedding, either.
The couple is sharing a bill at Yuk Yuk tonight, Friday and Saturday.