YU Museum Exhibit Tells Story of Jews in America With Kitschy Music and Old Album Covers

What do Bagels and Bongos, Israeli Disco Fever, and When You're in Love the Whole World is Jewish have in common? They are just a few of the vintage record titles featured in an exhibition currently running at the Yeshiva University Museum on 16th Street in Manhattan, now through January 8, 2012.

The exhibit is based on the book And You Shall Know Us by the Trail of Our Vinyl: The Jewish Past as Told by the Records We Have Loved and Lost by Roger Bennett and Josh Kun. What started out as a mutual affinity for kitschy Jewish album covers soon became a quest for identity, history, and culture between the grooves of LPs. Pieced together, these scratched, once-loved and now-forgotten audio gems tell a vibrant tale: the story of Jews in America.
 
The exhibition features a soundtrack of highlights from these LPs to provide opportunities for museum visitors to experience forgotten moments in Jewish American pop history. Much of the music is no longer available in any format and through this exhibition, audiences will have the unprecedented opportunity to explore new perspectives on Jewish identity and history through this exciting aspect of Jewish culture.

It was a time when popular non-Jewish singers were developing an affinity for all things Jewish. Here's an example: Louis Prima singing The Darktown Strutters Ball in Yiddish as well as in Italian:

(A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO IS NOT VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY.  YOU MUST CLICK ON THE TITLE AT THE TOP OF THE EMAIL TO REACH THE JEWISH HUMOR CENTRAL WEBSITE, FROM WHICH YOU CLICK ON THE PLAY BUTTON IN THE VIDEO IMAGE TO START THE VIDEO.)

Here's one of our all-time favorite skits from the Whole World is Jewish predecessor album, You Don't Have to be Jewish. There's no video, just audio, so ignore the black box on the screen and just enjoy the audio. It's called A Call From Long Island. It's performed by veteran comics and character actors Betty Walker and Arlene Golonka. Enjoy!