Bruce Ayers, the owner of the Stardome comedy club in Hoover, says that while "there wasn’t any explicit calls for violence," he is confident he “did the right thing for the club, for the customers, for everybody,” when he canceled comedian Michael Rapaport’s performance that has since garnered national attention.
Meanwhile, a second event hosted by the Chabad of Alabama featuring Rapaport is being hailed as a great success.
Ayers said that there were over 100 comments that came into the club via email, Facebook, Instagram and Google from people opposed to the performance, and many of them were threatening a protest. In hindsight, he said he realizes that some of the messages could have been from bots, but at the time, his priority was safety.
Citing the increase in violence that has occurred at recent demonstrations across the nation, Ayers said that he felt that canceling the event was the right thing to do.
“I don’t care what anybody says, I did the right thing for the club, for the customers, for everybody.” That sentiment, he said, has been shared by local customers, including some from the Jewish community.
He described the Stardome, which has hosted some of the nation’s most famous comedians, as a “little family business.” Ayers was adamant that the cancellation "had nothing to do with his beliefs.”
A second event, pulled together with less than 24 hours notice by the Jewish community following the cancellation, has been hailed as a success.
1819 News spoke to Rabbi Levi Weinbaum, one of the hosts of the event, who explained that event security for the second event was coordinated with the Mountain Brook Police Department, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. There were no threats or protesters.
Weinbaum said that “the event started off with prayer, Michael spoke to the Jewish community about being a proud Jew," addomg, "We wrapped tefillin, which is, the men wear for prayers, and we gave charity, and people took mezuzahs home."
Weinbaum said that the event wasn't intended to change anyone's mind about anything going on in the world, instead, “We were trying to bring more light, more happiness and joy into the world.”
Don't miss out! Subscribe to our newsletter and get our top stories every weekday morning or become a member to gain access to exclusive content and 1819 News merch.
