Borat Sagdiyev, the crude but lovable Kazakh alter ego of English comedian Sacha Baron Cohen, is getting ready for the silver screen. This fall, the character, one of the three played by Cohen on his “Da Ali G Show,” will star in a feature film all his own. Trailers for the movie, which is snappily titled “Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan,” have begun making the rounds. And according to early reviews, the Jews — a frequent target of Borat’s brand of pseudo-primitivism — come in for some regular abuse. For one, Borat’s Kazakh hometown features a less-than-Hemingwayesque “Running of the Jews.” And, taking a page from the Mel Gibson handbook, Borat at one point eschews air travel lest “the Jews repeat their attack of 9/11.” The film, directed by Larry Charles (“Seinfeld,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm”), is set to open November 3.

This is a moment of great uncertainty. Here’s what you can do about it.

We hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, we’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s independent Jewish news this Passover.

This is a moment of great uncertainty for the news media, for the Jewish people, and for our sacred democracy. It is a time of confusion and declining trust in public institutions. An era in which we need humans to report facts, conduct investigations that hold power to account, tell stories that matter and share honest discourse on all that divides us.

With no paywall or subscriptions, the Forward is entirely supported by readers like you. Every dollar you give this Passover is invested in the future of the Forward — and telling the American Jewish story fully and fairly.

The Forward doesn’t rely on funding from institutions like governments or your local Jewish federation. There are thousands of readers like you who give us $18 or $36 or $100 each month or year.

Don't just read the Forward - invest in it. Make a gift today.

Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

Support Our Work