Throwback Thursday Musical Showcase: Eydie Gorme Sings "As Time Goes By" on the Ed Sullivan Show

Today we're turning the clock back 50 years to 1975 when Eydie Gorme sang As Time Goes By on The Ed Sullivan Show.

The song was written by Herman Hupfeld in 1931. It became famous when it was featured in the 1942 film Casablanca, sung by Dooley Wilson as Sam. The song was voted No. 2 on the AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs special, commemorating the best songs in film (surpassed only by "Over the Rainbow" sung by Judy Garland).  

Gormé was born in the Bronx to Sephardic Jewish parents Nessim Hasdai Gormezano and Fortuna "Fortunee" Gormezano. Both her parents were born in Turkey. The Gormezanos spoke several languages at home, including Ladino (also referred to as Judaeo-Spanish). Due to its close relationship with Castilian Spanish, Gormé was able to speak and sing in Spanish. She was distantly related (by marriage) to Neil Sedaka.

Eydie and her husband and singing partner Steve Lawrence have been among our favorite singers for many decades. Eydie died in 2013 and Steve in 2024. We miss them both but we still enjoy their duets and solos thanks to YouTube.

Enjoy! 

   

#Throwback Thursday      #TBT 

A Busy Day in Jerusalem - Sukkot Shopping with Malkah Fleisher

In America, shopping for special foods and Judaica items for the Sukkot holiday varies from easy to impossible, depending on what neighborhood you live in. Not so in Jerusalem, where the whole city is a Sukkot marketplace, especially in stores like Osher Ad, Israel's answer to Costco and similar large stores.

Just before Sukkot, Malkah Fleisher, wife of Yishai Fleisher, the international spokesperson for the Jewish Community of Hebron, went shopping. 

In this video, recorded a few days before Sukkot which starts tonight, Malkah takes us on a tour of the Osher Ad store in Jerusalem, where everything you might want for the holiday and items you didn't know existed are available. 

Yishai is a podcast host, pro-Israel advocate and political advisor. Malkah is an Israel-rights activist, host on the Yishai Fleisher Israel podcast, and a marketing communications strategist at JNS. She is a graduate of Cardozo Law School and a wife and mom raising three kids in Judea.

We will be celebrating Sukkot from tonight through Simchat Torah next Wednesday, so Jewish Humor Central is taking the week off and will return on Thursday, October 16. 

Enjoy, and have a very happy Yom Tov!

Comedy Showcase: 91-Year-Old D'yan Forest - Oldest Female Standup Comedian - "A Gefilte Fish Out of Water"

It's not every day that we discover a new Jewish standup comic, let alone a 91-year-old one who has been certified by Guinness World Records as the oldest female comedian in the business. But today we came across D'yan Forest, whose real name is Diana Schulman.

As Clara Shapiro wrote in The Forward,

D’yan Forest leads a double life. By day, the 91-year-old singer and comedian is Diana Schulman, an aficionado of golf, swimming and cappuccinos. By night, like Clark Kent morphing into Superman, she transforms into D’yan Forest, a fedora-tipping, ukulele-strumming spotlight-stealer with as much material locked in her memory as a Homeric bard. She holds the Guinness World Record for “Oldest Working Female Comedian,” though her gleeful laugh and booming showbiz belt makes it easy to forget her age.

She has a comedy special, A Gefilte Fish Out of Water, a tour of her life from her earliest days (“I didn’t even know what Jewish was, or that I had it!”) to her nonagenarian ones. We'll be sharing some excerpts from the show in the coming weeks. Today we're posting her story about her encounter with Christian hymns at Middlebury College in Vermont.

 Enjoy! 

Welcoming Shabbat with Mizmor Shir by Hamakom in Los Angeles

Today we welcome Shabbat with a rendition of Mizmor Shir by Dor Kaminka & Cantor Jenni Asher of Hamakom congregation of Los Angeles.

Hamakom is an inclusive Jewish community creating meaningful experiences through communal connection, celebrating, worshiping and learning. Hamakom means “The Place” and represents the understanding that spiritual life begins when you seek the extraordinary within the ordinary. 

Hamakom has programs for all ages, from The Nook (Infant & Toddler Center) to an Early Childhood Center, one of the city’s most respected; from a vibrant and inclusive JLC Religious School to Adult Education programs and Shabbat services. 

Enjoy, and Shabbat shalom!

Yom Kippur Starts Tonight -- IDF Chief Cantor Shai Abramson Sings Kol Nidrei

Every year when Yom Kippur comes around, we search the internet for something appropriate to post. Jokes just aren't right for the most serious and spiritual day of the Jewish year, and the music videos that appear in the weeks before the other holidays either don't appear for Yom Kippur or seem inappropriate for the awesomeness of the day.

So we're left with Kol Nidrei, which has been sung and recorded by almost every cantor and singer in the world, including the great Jewish cantors and popular singers such as Neil Diamond, Johnny Mathis, and Perry Como.


Most of our readers will hear Kol Nidre chanted three times tonight when they attend their local house of worship, and the melody will be the same, regardless of whether it's Orthodox, Conservative, or Reform. Today we're posting a version of this traditional start to Yom Kippur because some of our readers can't get to their shul, synagogue, or temple because of illness or physical limitations.

This year we're sharing a version by Shai Abramson, the Chief Cantor of the Israel Defense Forces, as recorded during a rehearsal on October 2019 at the "Shaarei Shamayim" synagogue in Toronto. Cantor Abramson was accompanied by a choir conducted by Gabriel Shuraki. 

We hope this melody puts you in the proper mood to experience a meaningful day of prayer and reflection. G'mar Chatimah Tovah! 

American Pop in Yiddish: Lea Kalisch Sings Elvis Presley's Hit "Can't Help Falling in Love"

Today we're sharing a Yiddish version of Elvis Presley's big hit "I Can't Help Falling in Love With You". It's sung by Lea Kalisch and with Rabbi Tobias Moss on guitar.

Lea Kalisch is a multi-genre multi-lingual singer, actor, dancer, skater, and producer. Some know her as the Eshet Chayil of Hip Hop. Tobias Moss is a rabbi at Temple Israel in Minneapolis, a musician on YouTube and busking on the streets, and a creator of digital content known as Rabbi T.

Enjoy!

A Joke to Start the Week - "College Orientation"

It's another Monday and time for another Joke to Start the Week. This week we're posting another joke from Dr. Jay Orlikoff, a retired dentist from Centereach, New York, a community on Long Island in Suffolk County.

After a distinguished and meritorious dental career, he is shifting his focus to telling and posting jokes on YouTube. We were fortunate to find some of his jokes and we're sharing one of the family-friendly ones with you today. 

Here's the setup: It's the first day of college and the dean is holding orientation. And then...

Enjoy!

Sunday Standup Comedy Showcase: More Rita Rudner from 1989 - "Odd Jobs"

Some of the best standup comedy was on TV shows and comedy specials in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. Today we continue our Sunday Standup series, sharing some of the classic routines by iconic comedians on Sunday editions of Jewish Humor Central.

We've been big fans of Rita Rudner ever since she started to appear on late night TV in the 1980s.

One of the hallmarks of her comedy is that it's clean, free from the vulgarity and shouting that many stand-up comics find necessary.  Her delivery is demure, tasteful, full of wry observations, and very funny.

Rudner started her career as a dancer, then switched to stand-up comedy about her dating experiences.  She married British producer Martin Bergman 37 years ago and they have a daughter.  She is fond of Jewish humor but generally reserves it for when she performs for Jewish audiences.

Rita is 71 now and still performing in South Florida and other locations.

In this 1989 video, Rudner shares hilarious anecdotes about unusual pre-comedy jobs, from helicopter stewardess to envelope cleaner. This stand-up routine also covers the absurdities of homeownership and the perils of loaning money to friends. Enjoy a comedic journey through everyday life! 

Enjoy!

Welcoming Shabbat with Oseh Shalom by the Ramatayim Men's Choir

Late in 1995, four enthusiasts gathered in the Ramot suburb of Jerusalem, to sing choral music they recalled from synagogue services in their youth. 

 

Since then the choir has grown to 40 choristers, native Israelis and Olim from 4 continents who share a love of the great tradition of Jewish liturgical music and of singing together.

 

The choir appears regularly at concert halls and synagogues throughout Israel. Their list of approximately 250 performances includes appearances alongside some of the finest cantors in the world as well as artists in different genres. They have appeared in concert with the Israel Symphonette Orchestra on national television and radio and have also performed at the residence of the President of Israel.

The choir's repertoire consists mainly of Jewish liturgical music and includes Chassidic and Israeli songs, pop, opera and folk music. All activities are performed on a voluntary basis. They perform regularly in support of various Israeli and Jewish charitable and social causes. A distinctive feature of the choir's activity is their active collaboration with ensembles of the same genre, inaugurating and hosting joint concerts in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.

The choir's name derives from Ramatayim-Tzofim, in the hill country of Ephraim, birthplace of Samuel the Prophet, mentioned in the Book of Samuel 1 (1:1) and associated with the suburb Ramot, Jerusalem.

 

In this video they sing Oseh Shalom, the closing sentence of the Kaddish and the Amidah. 

 

Enjoy, and Shabbat shalom!

 

Comedy Special: Israeli Standup Comedian Yohay Sponder - "We Become Dumber"

With over 20 years of experience, Yohay Sponder brings his unique outlook on life to the stage.  Throughout his career he has starred in multiple TV and radio shows. He produces and headlines in 'Funny Monday - Israeli Comedy in English' and has performed all over the world. 

Having gained a massive following on social media, Sponder most recently finished up a sold-out tour in Europe with his new show "Self Loving Jew". 

In June Sponder toured the USA with shows in Boston, Philadelphia, and Fort Lauderdale.

In this video clip from a recent performance, Sponder comments on how we are becoming dumber.

Enjoy!

Wishing All of Our Readers a Shanah Tovah - Happy New Year 5786

 

Thanks to our loyal subscribers and casual readers worldwide 

who have joined us during the year.

We started Jewish Humor Central on October 5, 2009 and it's been going strong with more than 4800 blog entries and more than 12 million page views over the last 15 years.  

We appreciate your loyalty and we hope to keep bringing you a daily mix of Jewish humor in all of its forms -- traditional, eclectic, musical, unbelievable but true, and just funny, tempered with touches of nostalgia and Yiddishe nachas. 

We'll be observing Rosh Hashanah on Monday evening, Tuesday, and Wednesday, and we'll be back posting again on Thursday.  Here's wishing you a happy, healthy, joyous, prosperous and funny New Year from our family to yours!

L'shanah Tovah Tikatevu v'techatemu!

Welcoming Shabbat with Lecha Dodi by Micha Gamerman - An Animated Video

Micha Gamerman was born in 1983 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Soon after his marriage, Micha began rabbinical studies, graduating as a Rabbi and Mohel. Currently, Micha performs Britot throughout Brazil. At the same time, Micha is an active educator for hundreds of children in the Jewish Community in São Paulo, Brazil.  

Micha grew up with the gift and art of singing. He always accompanied famous artists in the various concerts the community organized. Over the years, Micha became a sought-after singer at weddings and various events throughout the country. In recent years, encouraged by family and friends in the community, he transitioned to international music. 

His songs are hits on major Jewish music radio stations in Israel and the United States. Micha recently performed major concerts with singers Yaakov Shwekey, Ohad Moskowitz, and Itzik Dadya and appeared to packed houses at several events in Israel and beyond.

In this animated video, Micha sings a medley of Kabbalat Shabbat songs.

Enjoy, and Shabbat shalom! 

Taking a Break From Humor: Charlie Kirk's Powerful Final Message on the Importance of Observing Shabbat

We're taking a one day break from jokes and humor to share with you a heartfelt and special speech by Charlie Kirk about why, although he was not Jewish, he was a devout Shabbat observer.

In this speech, Kirk‬ shared his personal journey and deep conviction about observing the Sabbath at the Will You Be Made Whole Conference 2025. As one of his last messages, Charlie explained why taking a Shabbat—from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset—is a transformative practice that blessed his life with peace, rest, and a break from the noise of the world. 

Though no longer with us, his powerful testimony invites everyone to discover the blessing and joy of Shabbat rest, rooted in faith and God's Commandments. 

Wacky Wednesday Comedy Showcase: Eating Possible Spoiled Food on Street Corner -- A Candid Camera Classic

Candid Camera was an American hidden camera/practical joke reality television series created and produced by Allen Funt, which initially began on radio as The Candid Microphone on June 28, 1947. 

After a series of theatrical film shorts, also titled Candid Microphone, Funt's concept came to television on August 10, 1948, and continued into the 1970s. 

The show involved concealing cameras filming ordinary people being confronted with unusual situations, sometimes involving trick props, such as a desk with drawers that pop open when one is closed or a car with a hidden extra gas tank. When the joke was revealed, victims would be told the show's catchphrase, "Smile, you're on Candid Camera."

Peter Funt joined the show professionally in 1987 when he became a co-host with his father. During this time the show was being broadcast on the CBS television network. In 1993, Allen Funt had a serious stroke, from which he never fully recovered. This required Peter to host the show full-time. 

The show went through a few revivals. During his time on the show Peter was a producer, host and acted on the show. He also produced and hosted over 200 episodes.

In this Candid Camera classic stunt from 23 years ago, a team member stood on a street corner and offered passers-by samples of cheese that he said were possibly spoiled. Would you eat one? Surprisingly, most people didn't let the warning prevent them from eating free food.

Enjoy! 

Shahak Shapira - Israeli Comedian Learns About Potato Crisis From His Vienna Audience

Shahak Shapira is an Israel-born, Berlin-based comedian. His comedy show on German TV got canceled so fast, most people didn’t even notice he had one. He recorded a stand up special for Comedy Central, which would have been awesome, but it was Comedy Central Germany. 

He also wrote two best sellers, which would be very impressive if this was a poetry slam. New York, Tokyo, Cape Town, Paris, London, LA, Barcelona - Shahak has successfully bamboozled audiences around the world into thinking he’s funny and even tricked world class comedians like Jim Gaffigan, Iliza Shlesinger, Maz Jobrani, Ari Shaffir and Joe List into letting him open for them. 

In this banter with his audience, Shahak gets an education about the jumping click beetle larvae attacking potatoes.

Enjoy! 

A Joke to Start the Week - "Ed's Present"

It's another Monday and time for another Joke to Start the Week. Today Mickey Greenblatt is back with another good one.

Marshal (Mickey) Greenblatt received degrees from Columbia (BA and BS in Flight Sciences), a DC from Von Karman Institute (1963) and his PhD from Princeton in Aerospace Sciences. He worked as a researcher for NASA and the Naval Research Laboratory. 

With four other scientists, he founded Fusion Systems Corporation, which invented microwave-powered UV lamps for drying coatings. He founded and served on the boards of technology companies and is active in volunteer work. He served on the executive committee of the Jewish Council for the Aging of Greater Washington for many years.

Mickey also loves Jewish jokes and sent us this one to share with you. Here's the setup: Sol and Sophie are both 62 years old. They're celebrating their 35th wedding anniversary in a very romantic restaurant. It's another Monday and time for another Joke to Start the Week. Today Mickey Greenblatt is back with another good one.

Marshal (Mickey) Greenblatt received degrees from Columbia (BA and BS in Flight Sciences), a DC from Von Karman Institute (1963) and his PhD from Princeton in Aerospace Sciences. He worked as a researcher for NASA and the Naval Research Laboratory. 

With four other scientists, he founded Fusion Systems Corporation, which invented microwave-powered UV lamps for drying coatings. He founded and served on the boards of technology companies and is active in volunteer work. He served on the executive committee of the Jewish Council for the Aging of Greater Washington for many years.

Mickey also loves Jewish jokes and sent us this one. Here's the setup: Ed was in big trouble. He had forgotten his wedding anniversary. His wife was furious. And then...

Enjoy! 

Sunday Standup Comedy Showcase: Don Rickles Roasts Ronald Reagan in 1973

Some of the best standup comedy was on TV shows and comedy specials in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. Today we continue our Sunday Standup series, sharing some of the classic routines by iconic comedians on Sunday editions of Jewish Humor Central. 

Born in Queens with the name Rikhters to a Yiddish-speaking family, Don Rickles began doing stand-up comedy performing in hotels in the Catskill Mountains in New York. 

He became known as an insult comedian by responding to his hecklers. The audience enjoyed these insults more than his prepared material, and he incorporated them into his act.

Here's a segment of Rickles roasting Ronald Reagan on the Dean Martin Show in 1973 when Reagan was governor of California. Let's turn the clock back 52 years and enjoy the video clip.

Welcoming Shabbat with Yedid Nefesh by Ein Lanu Zman of Agudas Achim Congregation of Northern Virginia

Ein Lanu Zman (We Have No Time) is the name of the house band of Agudas Achim Congregation of Northern Virginia. Together with Hazzan Elisheva Dienstfrey they play and sing a wide variety of songs as part of Shabbat and Holiday services.

Led by Rabbi Steven Rein and based in Alexandria, Virginia, the congregation describes itself as a community built on covenantal relationships, generating the connections that bind one individual to another and one generation to the next.

Today we're welcoming Shabbat with Hazzan Dienstfrey and the band easing into the Kabbalat Shabbat service with a version of Yedid Nefesh by Josh Warshawsky.

Enjoy, and Shabbat shalom!

Throwback Thursday Comedy Showcase: 72 Years Ago, Jerry Lewis Sings "Never Been Kissed"

Jerry Lewis' gift of comedy lasted about 85 years, from his stage debut at age 5 in the Catskills until his death in 2017. Over the years we have posted video clips of some of his best shtick. 

On this Throwback Thursday, we're sharing a segment of the Martin and Lewis show from 1953, when Jerry was featured in a production of the song Never Been Kissed.

Enjoy!

Yiddish Word of the Day: Common Yiddish Exclamations

In 2020 the Forverts launched a daily series of short informal video clips called Yiddish Word of the Day.

The series, written and narrated by Forverts editor Rukhl Schaechter, aims to give non-Yiddish speakers an introduction to familiar Yiddish words and phrases and how they might be used in everyday situations. 

Schaechter, who was appointed the new editor of the Forverts in 2016, is the first woman to helm the paper in its 119-year history, its first editor to have been born in the United States, and likely its first editor who is shomeret Shabbat.

We posted the first of this series in May 2020. Now that the Forverts is continuing the series, we'll continue sharing some of the words and phrases as a regular feature of Jewish Humor Central.

Today we get to learn some common Yiddish exclamations, some consisting of only one syllable.

Enjoy!

 

 

Jewish Food Showcase: Americans Try Israeli Snacks

A group of American friends sample Israeli snacks and drinks, rating each item on a scale of 1-10. 

They discuss the flavors and textures of each item, with some favorites being instant coffee, a smoky-flavored pasta snack, and a peanut butter-flavored puffed snack. 

The friends disagree on their ratings, with some finding items to be too sweet or salty while others enjoy the unique flavors. 

If you've been to Israel you probably have tasted all of these:

Elite Instant Coffee

Bissli 

Bamba 

Coke Zero  

Osem Croutons  

Wafers  

Halva

Enjoy!

A Joke to Start the Week - "Texan Visiting Israel"

It's another Monday and time for another Joke to Start the Week. This week we're posting another joke from Dr. Jay Orlikoff, a retired dentist from Centereach, New York, a community on Long Island in Suffolk County.

After a distinguished and meritorious dental career, he is shifting his focus to telling and posting jokes on YouTube. We were fortunate to find some of his jokes and we're sharing one of the family-friendly ones with you today. 

Here's the setup: A Texan is visiting Israel. He's driving down the road and he stops at a house and knocks on the door. The Israeli comes to the door. And then...

Enjoy!

Sunday Standup Comedy Showcase: Alan King on Married Life in 1965

Some of the best standup comedy was on TV shows and comedy specials in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. Today we continue our Sunday Standup series, sharing some of the classic routines by iconic comedians on Sunday editions of Jewish Humor Central.

Alan King (1927-2004) was synonymous with classic Jewish comedy during his career which lasted about 50 years starting in 1955. He had roles in many movies, but we remember him most vividly for his stand-up comedy routines in the Catskills and on television.

King began his comedy career with one-liner routines and other material concerning mothers-in-law and Jews. King's style of comedy changed when he saw Danny Thomas performing in the early 1950s. He realized that Thomas was talking to his audience, not at them, and was getting a better response. King changed his own style from one-liners to a more conversational style that used everyday life for humor. His comedy inspired other comedians such as Joan Rivers, Jerry Seinfeld, Larry David, Billy Crystal, Robert Klein, and Bill Cosby.

In one of his earliest appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1965, with his wife and two sons in the audience, King talks about married life.

Enjoy! 

Welcoming Shabbat with L'cha Dodi by Cantor Abbie Strauss

Cantor Abbie Strauss is a renowned composer, multi-instrumentalist, and recording artist, with her works being enjoyed worldwide. 

Abbie founded the music school, The Institute of Jewish Rock and Judaism: Inside Out, driven by her desire to bring all people together as one in love and joy through music. She is a proud member of the Grammy's Recording Academy and an advocate for the arts.

Abbie is a Cantorial Soloist at Temple Judea, a Reform congregation in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, where her husband, Feivel Strauss is a rabbi.

In today's video, she sings a lively version of L'cha Dodi.

Enjoy, and Shabbat shalom! 

Is Superman Jewish? His Creators Were

Before he became the world’s greatest superhero, Superman was a villainous, bald telepath bent on world domination.

But his transformation into the iconic protector of justice was shaped by two Jewish teenagers from Cleveland, whose lives of poverty and prejudice gave birth to the ultimate immigrant success story.

Superman's roots, like those of his creators, are a story of struggle, resilience, and the power of reinvention.

The story of how Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster used their imagination to create Superman. His origin story, and theirs, is told on the Unpacked website.

Enjoy!

Israeli Comedy Showcase: Shahar Hason Standup Comedy Mocks Eurovision Song Choices

Shahar Hasson is one of the leading stand-up comedians in Israel, appearing on Israeli stages for over 25 years, He is a graduate of Yoram Levinstein's acting school. 

Shahar is an entertainer who paved his way through the best entertainment programs in Israel: Eretz Nehederet, Zahirut TV, TV at its best, Laughter from Work, Limited Edition, Fun Night, Express Hearts and more.

In this performance before a live audience, Shahar takes a deep dive into the  Eurovision song contest, mocking some of the choices by Estonia and Italy and praising the hopeful Israeli entry, "New Day Will Rise" as performed by Yuval Raphael.

Enjoy!