First book from comedian behind the Clash Of The Comics wrestling extravaganza

Comedian Max Olesker has written a memoir about converting to Orthodox Judaism in the name of love.

The comic – one of the driving forces behind the Wrestling extravaganza Clash Of The Comics – fell for a woman from a deeply traditional family after a late-night meeting at the Edinburgh Fringe.

Describing himself as an ‘uncircumcised liberal Jew, his relationship led to  ‘the world’s most demanding religious conversion process’ as he learned the dizzying complexities of Jewish law, and the challenges of maintaining a relationship without physical contact – as well as undergoing a circumcision.

His experiences – billed as ‘a rollercoaster of humour, heartbreak, and self-discovery’ – will be charted in Making The Cut, to be published by Ebury Press in February.

Writing on Instagram, Olesker explained: ‘It’s the true story of how I met a woman in a bar in Edinburgh at 3am, fell in love, and then discovered that the only way we could be together is if I were willing to convert to Orthodox Judaism.

‘This is a famously daunting process – deemed to be the most difficult conversion in the world – which involves, but is not limited to… utterly refraining from physical contact with one’s partner; hugely rigorous oral exams before a court of Rabbis (in a room with an actual throne); moving alone into the house of a religious family for an unspecified period of time; and, at the end of it all, a dreaded but utterly unavoidable appointment with a surgeon…

‘Thus began the most unexpected journey of my life. It was also, by turns, the funniest, strangest, saddest, most painful, most ridiculous, most joyful, and most important experience I have ever had.

‘This book is my attempt to communicate even the barest fraction of that experience.’

Olesker was once Britain's youngest professional wrestler, fighting under the name Max Voltage. He is best known as one half of the double act Max & Ivan, alongside Ivan Gonzalez, who have had a number of hit character comedy shows at the Edinburgh Fringe.

In 2011, they created The Wrestling, whose latest – newly renamed – instalment took place at the Eventim Apollo in Hammersmith this week and will be broadcast on U&Dave in November.  They also created the ITV2 sitcom Deep Heat, set in the glitzy-but-grimy world of British wrestling.

Olesker is also a contributing editor at Esquire magazine, and  Making The Cut is his first book.

It is available for advance order from Amazon, priced £18.99 in hardback or £9.99 on Kindle – or from uk.bookshop.org, below, which supports independent bookstores.

» Review of Clash Of The Comics

Published: 10 Oct 2025