“Who am I?” Image by Getty Images

Who am I?

It’s a question Moses asks, standing in the searing heat of the burning bush. It’s a question Jean Val Jean, hero of the seminal Broadway musical “Les Miserables” asks, in lyrics written first in French by Jewish lyricist Alain Boubil, and then adapted for English by Jewish lyricist Herbert Kretzmer. And it’s a question a lobster asks in a sketch on Saturday Night Live that aired this weekend, the best and most irreverent comedy we’ve seen from the show this season.

In an episode hosted by former SNL writer John Mulaney (who gave the world the character Stefon,) cast member Pete Davidson (who has Jewish heritage and is dating Larry David’s daughter, if you care to know such things,) chooses to order the lobster dinner at a New York City diner. Mulaney, who wrote the sketch in 2010 with Colin Jost (current SNL writer and Weekend Update host who is dating Scarlett Johansson,) realized his dream of a lobster-themed musical with the help of dauntless comedians Kate McKinnon, Cecily Strong, and in one of the best performances of his career, Kenan Thompson.

Jenny Singer is a writer for the Forward. You can reach her at [email protected] or on Twitter @jeanvaljenny

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. All donations are being matched by the Forward Board - up to $100,000.

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 matched gift today.

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

$120 $180 $360 OTHER AMOUNT