You might not know L.E. Staiman by name, but chances are you've come across his work somewhere in the vast landscape of Jewish pop culture.
Staiman first made waves as the frontman of The Groggers, a Jewish pop-punk band.
But Staiman isn't one to be pigeonholed. Since The Groggers' heyday, he's been all over the map - literally and figuratively. He's bounced from New York to LA, from music to film, and from niche Jewish content to mainstream entertainment.
One minute he's collaborating with Jewish music star Benny Friedman, the next he's directing YouTube videos for Mayim Bialik.
Now, Staiman's taking on Hollywood with his directorial debut, "Love Virtually." It's a far cry from his yeshiva days, but then again, that's kind of his thing - bridging worlds that don't often meet.
Since October 7, L.E. has been producing laugh-out-loud hilarious genius satirical content on social media in an effort to combat rampant antisemitism, especially the pro-palestinian protests and encampments that popped up all over the U.S. in the first few months of 2024, and have now returned (after taking a brief summer break).
L.E. often appears as Lyle Culpepper, the satirical character he created after October 7th in response to a series of Tiktok videos praising Osama Bin Laden’s charter.
L.E. describes Lyle as "an unabashed, anti-Semitic lefty university encampment dweller on a mission to destroy Israel and all of western civilization." Lyle's antics are available on Instagram: shutuplyle (or on Eli's Insta account L.E Staiman).
What's next for this jack-of-all-trades? Who knows. But whether he's strumming a guitar or calling "action" on a film set, one thing's for sure: L.E Staiman is keeping Jewish entertainment anything but boring.
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