Lipa Schmeltzer's Music Video "Mizrach" Supports Jewish Unity

Lipa Schmeltzer is an American Hasidic singer and composer. He is a headliner within Hasidic and Haredi communities worldwide and has been called "the Jewish Elvis" and the "Lady Gaga of Hasidic music." Schmeltzer has released ten solo albums. In 2008 he was named to the Forward 50 of most influential Jews.

Now Schmeltzer is using his celebrity status as a springboard for the greater good, with the release of a music video that uses a hit song to promote solidarity among Jews worldwide, no matter what their background or religious leanings.

The video features the dance sensation Mizrach, one of the most popular tracks from Lipa's recent Leap of Faith album and shows the bespectacled icon singing and dancing with a group of Israeli soldiers, members of the noted Netzah Yehuda Battalion of the Nahal Haredi. Part of the Kfir Brigade of the Israeli Defense forces, Netzah Yehuda was created to give religious Israeli soldiers the opportunity to serve in the army while maintaining a strict adherence to their religious convictions.
 
With the expiration of the Tal Law one month ago, the Israeli army has been the subject of much media scrutiny as yeshiva students who were previously exempted from military service are now facing the possibility of joining their fellow countrymen in the army. Thousands of Israeli yeshiva students are expecting to receive draft notices in the upcoming future, further widening the division between Israel's secular and ultra-Orthodox communities.

With the release of the new video which clocks in at just under five minutes long, Lipa hopes to help bridge the gap between the two groups, with the clear message of unity amongst all Jews expressed in the lyrics of the song.

"There are chareidim serving in the army and we should value their service" explained Lipa, who has strong ties to the Nahal Haredi. The singer is a close friend of David Hager, a staunch supporter of the religious battalion, who just recently donated an Aron Kodesh to Lipa's Airmont Shul.

Directed by producer Danny Finkelman, the video was shot in various locations around Israel and features the outspoken singer, who is known for his unabashed love of Jews of all affiliations and support of countless Jewish causes, dressed in army fatigues as he dances in a Jerusalem square with Israeli soldiers and with six Israeli teenagers in several other spots across the country.

(A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO MAY NOT BE VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY ON SOME COMPUTERS AND TABLETS.  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.)

Kids Say the Darndest Jewish Things

From 1952 to 1970 Art Linkletter's House Party was telecast on weekdays on CBS TV. Each show ended with a segment called Kids Say the Darndest Things. In that segment Linkletter interviewed thousands of kids from different backgrounds in all shapes and sizes who came up with answers that were cute and funny.

Mark Schiff, a Los Angeles-based comedian whose work we featured last month, has come up with a modern variation on the Kids theme. 

Taking his microphone to the Maimonides Academy, an Orthodox Sephardi day school, he interviewed a group of kids from Kindergarten through 8th Grade last year on subjects including Mitzvahs, Davening, Hashem, Work, Marriage, and Bedtime.

We think their answers are cute and funny. We hope you agree. Enjoy!

(A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO MAY NOT BE VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY ON SOME COMPUTERS AND TABLETS.  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.)

Jewish Star 2012 Winner Dovid Moskovits Sings Hebrew "You Raise Me Up"

Fresh from his victory as the junior winner of the "Jewish Star 2012" international singing competition, 12-year-old Dovid Moskovits has released a new music video, Saeni Nah.    

Written by Zvika Bornstein with music by Rolf Lovland, this is the first time that the song You Raise Me Up has been covered in Hebrew and the touching lyrics transcend language and culture, speaking words of solace and comfort that are universal.

The song is simultaneously haunting yet hopeful, as the poignant lyrics describe how children through the ages have endured tremendous suffering and tribulations, yet have been comforted by the knowledge that God is with them, even at their darkest hour.

Dovid's soaring vocals give voice to the trials and heartache of Jewish children over the years, with a particular nod to the children of the Holocaust. The haunting violins, reminiscent of the noted musicians of Auschwitz, and the pictures of children who endured the horrors of World War II only serve as a stark reminder that despite the passage of generations, these children of yesteryear are forever linked to today's youth, who still feel their pain.

Yet Sa'eni Nah, produced by Zvika Bornstein, with musical arrangement by Nochi Krohn, is about the timeless solace that has helped children endure for centuries, knowing that even in the bleakest situations, they are never alone. As the voice of the new generation, Dovid continues to shine, offering a beacon of hope that is both comforting and heartwarming.

The song has an interesting history. It was composed originally as an instrumental piece by Rolf Lovland, with parts of the melody based on Londonderry Air, an Irish tune later put to lyrics in 1910 to create the song Danny Boy, now considered an Irish classic. Lovland approached the Irish songwriter Brendan Graham to add lyrics and You Raise Me Up is the result.

It became a huge success in a version produced by David Foster and sung by Josh Groban, reaching the top of the Billboard charts in 2004. It has since been covered more than 125 times, with our favorite version the finale of the Celtic Woman concert at Slane Castle, Ireland in 2006. We've included that version at the end of this blog post. Enjoy!

The music video is directed by Aaron Orian, and produced by Danny Finkelman.

(Translation below the video) 

(A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO MAY NOT BE VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY ON SOME COMPUTERS AND TABLETS.  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.)

Translation of the Hebrew version: You Raise Me Up (שאני נא)

Lyrics : Zvika Bornstein
Sung by : Dovid Moskovits

Here you are walking right beside me,
As our footsteps, press into the sand.
But darkness comes, I'm all alone and frightened,
Into the light I'm carried in Your arms.

My Awesome God, you lift me from the darkness,
from the stormy seas to the highest mountains,
You raise me up, and I am on your shoulders,
You gave me all the good that is in me.

My life in pictures flashes in the heavens,
Those troubled images flash before my eyes,
You say, "My son, then you were on my shoulders
Those single footsteps in the sand -- they are mine."

My Awesome God, you lift me from the darkness,
from the stormy seas to the highest mountains,
You raise me up, and I am on your shoulders,
You gave me all the good that is in me.

Here is the Celtic Woman version:

eBay Vendor Sells Chai Pendant as Navajo Moose

Earlier this month, an eBay seller sold and an eBay buyer bought what they thought was a unique vintage Navajo Moose sterling silver pendant. What the buyer got was a sterling silver rendering of the Hebrew letters chet and yud, spelling chai, the Hebrew word for life.

Why a moose? Well, if you take a close look at the chai and use your imagination, you might see the yud as the head and antlers of a moose standing with front legs and back legs perfectly aligned.

We think that's a stretch, but in Fort Worth, Texas, there may be more moose than chai pendants. This one is claimed to be unique. We searched all over but at first we couldn't find a photo of a moose, Navajo or not, that looked like this piece of jewelry. But then we discovered a Navajo moose earring that did bear a resemblance to a chai, that is, if you remove the antlers. So was the seller right?

Navajo Moose or Chai Pendant? You be the judge!

A Joke to Start the Week: Naked Woman in the Window

Here we go again with another old Jew telling another old joke from the Old Jews Telling Jokes collection. This time it's Charlotte Spiegelman, a 71-year-old psychotherapist retelling a joke that her mother used to tell. 

It's about a Jewish man who runs up to a police officer complaining that there's a woman across the street from him standing in the window completely naked. The cop rushes up to see, and...

Enjoy!

(A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO MAY NOT BE VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY ON SOME COMPUTERS AND TABLETS.  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.)

Jewish Sword Dancer Wins Bronze With Hava Nagila in Korean Competition

Did you know that Aly Raisman is not the only Jewish American to win a world championship by performing to the music of Hava Nagila?  Of course, we all know about Raisman's achievement in gymnastics, winning the gold medal at the London Summer Olympics for her floor exercise.

Meanwhile, 5,500 miles away in Daejeon City, South Korea, practitioners of the ancient Korean martial art of Haedong Gumdo have been competing for medals in an international competition.

The bronze medal was won by Josh Segal, performing the sword dance to a medley of Israeli songs, including Nigun Atik, Hava Nagila, and Erev Shel Shoshanim.

Enjoy!

(A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO MAY NOT BE VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY ON SOME COMPUTERS AND TABLETS.  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.)

In Israel, Even the Donkeys Are Wi-Fi Routers

Wi-Fi internet access in Israel is becoming more widespread than ever. Now you can surf the web and read and respond to your email while sitting on your ass (donkey, that is.)

In the village of Hoshaya in northern Israel, a biblical reenactment tourist site called Kfar Kedem (village of yore) is letting its visitors know that while they can don the clothes of ancient villagers, thresh grain, press oil from fresh olives and wine from fresh grapes, they are never far from the modern electronic conveniences that keep them connected with the world of today.

As Elinor Zuckerman reported Wednesday for the Associated Press,

An Israeli attraction meant to immerse tourists in an authentic, ancient biblical experience has outfitted its donkeys with wireless routers.

At the historical park of Kfar Kedem in northern Israel, visitors decked out in biblical robes and headdresses ride donkeys through the rolling hills of the Galilee, learning how people lived in Old Testament times.

Now they can also surf the web while touring the land of the Bible on one of the oldest forms of transportation. A device slung around the donkey's neck like a feedbag is actually a Wi-Fi router.

The park's manager, Menachem Goldberg, said Wednesday he hopes the melding of old and new will connect the younger generation to ancient Galilee life while allowing them to share, tweet and snap the experience instantly to friends. He played down the notion that 21st-century tourists have grown addicted to being online at all times.

"You take some pictures, you want to change your picture on Facebook — you can do it," Goldberg said.

Visitor Peter Scherr accessed the Internet while touring the Galilee hills to do some donkey fact-finding with his family.

"It has been used as a working animal for 5,000 years," said the New York native, reading from a Wikipedia page on his iPad. "There are more than 40 million donkeys in the world . That's a lot of donkeys!"

Scherr visited the park with his wife and children, all dressed in traditional garb. The family could easily have been mistaken for shepherds from a bygone age — were it not for their Camelbacks, iPads and smartphones.

The wireless donkey tour has been running for less than a week, but it is already a hit with visitors.

"I don't miss any news," Scherr said. "I send pictures back to my family while I'm having fun on the donkeys."

(A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO MAY NOT BE VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY ON SOME COMPUTERS AND TABLETS.  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.)

Jewish Mr. Softee Serves Kosher Kids in Brooklyn

Come and make a brocha, 

a brocha, a brocha.

Come and make a brocha, 

the kosher ice cream truck is in.

We've got ice cream and ices,

And boy, you'll love our prices.

It's cold and refreshing.

Come on up and make a blessing.

So goes the jingle, broadcast over and over again through the streets of Brooklyn, where Yaniv Bazel guides his kosher ice cream truck to reach the Orthodox children of Borough Park, Crown Heights, and other Jewish enclaves.

As Hannah Rubin reported in this week's Jewish Daily Forward,

“Give me it for free,” a group of young boys yells in Yiddish, giggling merrily, as their tzitzit strings dangle.

The man standing in the ice cream truck grins down at them. “No, give me money,” he replies.

The negotiation continues until an older sibling finally comes over with a wrinkled fistful of dollar bills.

“They always come at me, in Yiddish, shouting for free ice cream,” Yaniv Bazel said while leaning against a popcorn machine in his hot-pink ice cream truck, in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn. “They drive me crazy!”

It’s all in a day’s work for Bazel, 24, the Lubavitch co-owner of the Kosher L’Mehadrin Bazel Ice Cream Truck. Though there are hundreds of ice cream trucks that tour the city streets in the summer, this truck is different from most. It is among the few that hold a strict kosher certification allowing them to cater to a specific — and ice cream hungry — sliver of New York children: the ultra-Orthodox.

In 2006, Bazel had no ice cream experience and one lone truck — a small school bus painted bright pink, designed with clip art pictures of ice cream cones and with “Bazel” written across it in swirling letters. He recruited his brother and soon-to-be brother-in-law, both 17-year-old Israelis, to venture into the project with him. Since then, that original truck has become a family business. Bazel now has a fleet of six trucks, each one stocked with freezers and ice cream machines. Every summer, his father flies in from Israel to help man the trucks, and he’s hoping to get a visa for his youngest brother to join them in the United States.

“We want to be big, like a kosher Mister Softee, with 600 trucks all over the city,” Bazel said. “We’re not trying to sell to people that don’t keep kosher, because they already have enough ice cream trucks. We’re looking at Jewish customers.”

(A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO MAY NOT BE VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY ON SOME COMPUTERS AND TABLETS.  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.)

 

Rare Footage Shows Frank Sinatra's Love For Israel

It's not widely known that Frank Sinatra had a love affair with the State of Israel. Newly found film footage dating from 1962 has provided proof of that relationship.

As the JEWNIVERSE newsletter of My Jewish Learning reported yesterday,

What does a nice Italian Catholic boy have to do with Israel? For Frank Sinatra, a sincere appreciation of the Jewish people led to a lifelong advocacy for the Jewish state.

In the film Frank Sinatra in Israel from 1962, Sinatra narrates his tour of Israel, including live footage from his concert at Tel Nof Air Force base and a scene of him watching the Independence Day parade. Among the many facets of Israeli life and culture that Sinatra appreciates, its health care system is his favorite.

Explaining the Histadrut labor movement and the leading health service Kupat Holim, Sinatra states, "If you have to get sick, Israel is the place for it."

While it's unclear what sparked Sinatra's love for the Jewish people (perhaps good pal Sammy Davis Jr. won him over?) Sinatra always donated a large portion of his philanthropic efforts to the State of Israel. In 1947, he performed at an "Action for Palestine" rally, and he later donated over $1 million to Israel's Hebrew University, where there is now a Frank Sinatra International Student Center.

At the end of his 1962 film, Sinatra faces the camera and makes a plea to Americans, saying, "What happens to Israel tomorrow depends on what we do for its children today." As if saying no to those bright blue eyes wasn't hard enough, Sinatra closes the film by saying, "Shalom, shalom." Hebrew words never sounded so smooth.

Enjoy!

 

(A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO MAY NOT BE VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY ON SOME COMPUTERS AND TABLETS.  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.)

Jewish Traces in Unexpected Places: An Orthodox Australian South African Wedding in Thailand

Every once in a while we come across a video that illustrates the beauty and pervasiveness of Jewish life and traditions reaching out to corners of the world where they are least expected to be found. We categorize these as "Jewish Traces in Unexpected Places" and have reported on quite a few since starting Jewish Humor Central.

Today we're sharing a video of a Jewish wedding that took place last December on the beach of a remote island in Thailand that has no roads. The Australian groom met his South African bride while rock climbing in Asia.

Why Thailand? Well, it's roughly half-way between South Africa and Australia. Eighty of their friends and family traveled across the world to attend the wedding. Talk about destination weddings!

The couple were married in a traditional Orthodox ceremony by a South African rabbi who happened to be the grandson of the rabbi who had married the bride's grandparents on the same day two generations earlier in South Africa. You'll notice the signing of the ketuba at the chatan's tish, the badeken ceremony, the bride circling the groom during the ceremony, and the use of an RCA ArtScroll Life Cycle Madrikh (guide to performing life cycle ceremonies) by the rabbi.

The videographers deserve a lot of credit for shooting for 17 hours straight, walking and running over 12 miles between locations, each carrying 22 pounds of video gear all day in sweltering heat.

It's not exactly Jewish humor, but it clearly fits into our category of Yiddishe nachas. If you're looking for humor in this video, we can call your attention to:

- Monkeys cavorting on a fence

- Locals smoking home made cigarettes

- Wedding procession marching to Hebrew version of Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah

- Fire dancers at nighttime reception
- Launching fire lanterns into the night sky

Mazal tov! Enjoy!

(A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO MAY NOT BE VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY ON SOME COMPUTERS AND TABLETS.  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.)

Bring Jewish Humor Central to Your Synagogue or JCC

 

Now is the time when Synagogue, Men's Club and Sisterhood presidents and JCC and Y program chairpersons start to plan events for the coming year.  

 

Jewish Humor Central is available as a resource to bring the humor that you've been getting daily in your email into your Jewish Community Center (JCC), Y, synagogue, or organization. 

 

After three years of 900 blog posts on the internet, Blogger-in-Chief Al Kustanowitz is now presenting the best of Jewish Humor Central in a series of talks illustrated with video clips.

Each presentation is approximately one hour long and includes about 30 minutes of funny video clips and 30 minutes of commentary. Presentation content and length can be adjusted to meet the needs of your organization. 

To book a date for 2012-2013, contact Al at 201-796-9273 or akustan@gmail.com.

Here is a list of the available topics.

Jewish Humor on Your Desktop: A Whole Lot More than Catskills Comedy

      A survey of Jewish humor on the internet: Classic Jewish comedy, unbelievable but true news items, Jewish wedding fun, Jewish food fun, Israeli humor, funny Israeli commercials, Jewish holiday humor, Jewish film, music, dance, and flash mobs, unusual renditions of Hava Nagila, and Yiddishe nachas (Jewish pride).

Jewish Internet News: You Just Can’t Make This Stuff Up

          Jewish life encounters the world, Haredi high jinks, and stories that could happen only in Israel.

Jewish Traces in Unexpected Places

       Slices of Jewish Life and Jewish music in Uganda, Indonesia, Guatemala, Beijing, Lithuania, Ukraine,Vietnam, Singapore, Thailand, and Japan.

Yiddish Fun on Your Desktop

      Yiddish jokes, cooking in Yiddish, funny translations of Yiddish words and phrases, and Yiddish Gilbert and Sullivan operas.

Rosh Hashanah on Your Desktop

      Satire, parody, cartoons, song and dance, and inspirational videos just for Rosh Hashanah.

 Chanukah on Your Desktop

      Satire, parody, cartoons, song and dance, and inspirational videos just for Chanukah.

 Purim on Your Desktop

      Satire, parody, cartoons, song and dance, and inspirational videos just for Purim.

 Passover on Your Desktop

      Satire, parody, cartoons, song and dance, and inspirational videos just for Passover.

Another "Old Jews" Joke to Start the Week: Remember When We Started Dating?

Here we go again. It's Monday morning, the start of another work week. What better time to start off with an old joke from the collection of Old Jews Telling Jokes. This one is told by Dennis Spiegelman, father of OJTJ Producer Eric Spiegelman. Enjoy! To our readers who regularly put a check mark in the "more jokes" box every day, this one's for you!

(A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO MAY NOT BE VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY ON SOME COMPUTERS AND TABLETS.  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.)

In Tel Aviv, If You Gotta Go, You're In Luck

  

Just when you think you've seen everything, along comes a boutique toilet store in Tel Aviv. It's part of a chain called 2theloo, that started in Amsterdam last year, and has spread throughout Europe, and now, to Israel. The first one is located near the Carmel market, and there will soon be another one at Dizengoff Center.

The walls are covered with scenes of the Tel Aviv skyline and the Tel Aviv beach.

As Sivan Raviv reported for JN1 Television News,

You walk by this store on a busy Tel Aviv Street right by the Carmel market and from the outside it seems just like any other storefront, except that it features toilets -- not for purchase, but for use. 

This European trend has infiltrated the Israeli market, which does have toilets for pay at bus stations, among other locations. However, the service, hygiene and costs are not the same. It costs 3 shekels to use one of these boutique toilets, about 75 cents.

It feels almost as if you've entered a hotel washroom. With music playing in the background, nice decor, and pleasant service, this boutique fills a basic need. The store hosts about 400 people a day, who are interested in the experience. The store is open Sunday through Friday and is closed on Shabbat.

Some choice quotes from the general manager:

"For food, drink, sleep, we have all kinds of brands. There is no brand for going to the toilet."

"It's fun to use those toilets."

"We think we're going to be the McDonald's of the loo."

(A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO MAY NOT BE VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY ON SOME COMPUTERS AND TABLETS.  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.)

 

(A tip of the kippah to Sheila Zucker for bringing this video to our attention.)

Another Marvin Hamlisch Gem: Jewish Liturgy Meets the Broadway Stage

A few days ago we posted a video in tribute to the late Marvin Hamlisch, in which the composer kidded around with Cantor Simon Spiro of the Bet Tzedec synagogue in Toronto and they sang a duet to the tune of Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better.

The response to that post was so positive that we searched for and found another Hamlisch clip that we hope you'll enjoy. This was filmed a few years ago at a concert in Sydney, Australia, with cantors from Canada and Australia.

What's unique is that this is a series of liturgical melodies from the daily, Shabbat, and High Holiday services set to music from popular Broadway shows. Starting with the introduction to the story of the Binding of Isaac (the Akeidah) where Abraham takes his son Isaac to the top of Mount Moriah (Maria from West Side Story), the medley moves on to include songs from Oliver, Phantom of the Opera, Fiddler on the Roof, A Little Night Music, Evita, Oklahoma, Chicago, and The Sound of Music. 

After a short interlude from Hamlisch's A Chorus Line, the concert concludes with a  straightforward cantorial rendering of O Sole Mio. Enjoy and Shabbat Shalom!

(A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO MAY NOT BE VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY ON SOME COMPUTERS AND TABLETS.  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.)

Storyteller Noa Baum Reads "Trotsky's Telegram" (Inflection is Everything)

It's not what you say that counts. It's how you say it. And when you add a Yiddish inflection, anything can happen.

Noa Baum, an expert storyteller who was born and raised in Jerusalem, has a unique approach to storytelling in communities and organizations. Since 1982, she has inspired and educated audiences of all ages with her performances, keynotes, and workshops.

Noa holds a BFA in Theater from Tel Aviv University and was an actress with the Khan Repertory Theater of Jerusalem. She continued to combine storytelling and drama while working in a school for emotionally disturbed boys in Tel-Aviv. Noa also taught early childhood and special education teachers at several colleges, including Levinsky Teachers College.

Noa has been living in the U.S. since 1990 and touring internationally. She has presented at hundreds of venues including: The World Bank, The Mayo Clinic, The Kennedy Center, The US Defense Department, GWU Law School, Brandies and Stanford Universities, and Hebrew University.

Her one-woman show for adults, A Land Twice Promised, received a grant from the National Storytelling Network. She has also received several Individual Artist Awards from the Maryland State Arts Council and the Arts & Humanities Council of Montgomery County Maryland. She won a Parents’ Choice Recommended Award for her CD, Far Away and Close to Home.

In the video below, Noa performs one of her stories, "Trotsky's Telegram."

The scene: Red Square, near the Kremlin. Stalin addresses a roaring crowd, reading a telegram that he just received from Trotsky. A little Jewish tailor, standing in front of the podium, suggests an alternate reading. Enjoy!

(A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO MAY NOT BE VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY ON SOME COMPUTERS AND TABLETS.  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.)

Plans Made For Movie About Mickey Katz, King of Not-So-Kosher Yiddish Parody

Anyone who was tuned in to Jewish comedy in the 1950s was tuned in to the hilarious Yiddish song parodies of Mickey Katz.  During that era Katz released dozens of songs that made fun of most of the pop songs that deserved to be made fun of.

Hernando's Hideaway became Hermendel's Koch-Alein, Cry of the Wild Goose became Geshray of De Vilde Kotchke, Ghost Riders in the Sky became Borscht Riders in the Sky, Shrimp Boats became Herring Boats, Wheel of Fortune became Shlemiel of Fortune, Doggie in the Window became Pickle in the Window, and Kiss of Fire became Kiss of Meyer. And the list went on and on.

Now, filmmaker Eric Krasner is working on a documentary to bring Katz's shtick to a wider audience and generations who, if they heard of him at all, recognize his name as the father of actor Joel Grey and the grandfather of Dirty Dancing star Jennifer Grey.

Contributing to the hilarity of Katz's songs was the Yiddish lyrics, which had a risque nuance that was only apparent if you had a good command of Yiddish slang. In the video below, Phil Fink, Cleveland radio host of Shalom America, reminisces about Katz's lyrics, and Peter Sokolow, also known as Klezmer Fats, takes to the piano to play and sing a few examples.

Enjoy!

(A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO MAY NOT BE VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY ON SOME COMPUTERS AND TABLETS.  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.)

"Big Business" - A Comedy Classics Tribute to Sid Caesar on His 90th Birthday

Sid Caesar is turning 90 on September 8, and we haven't seen him performing his zany comedy for a long time. But thanks to YouTube and the internet, we still have access to much of his classic work. Much of it is in the field of comedy sketches, in which he is arguably the master.

Caesar was funny by himself, but when he got together with Carl Reiner, Howard Morris, and Imogene Coca in skits on the 1950s TV program Your Show of Shows, it was always classic gold.

We came across a sketch called Big Business that had us, in today's internet shorthand, ROTFL. (If you don't know what that means, look for the small type below the video.)

This sketch also features Reiner and Morris, but not Coca, probably because in 1950 there were few women attending power meetings in the world of big business. 

The group starts out having a serious business meeting, but when the issue of having lunch comes up, everything starts to get out of control, especially when the sandwiches are delivered and Howard Morris starts waving his pickle in view of the now starving Sid Caesar.

We've heard that some corporations actually use this sketch as an introduction to training sessions on how not to run a meeting.

Enjoy, and Happy Birthday, Sid!

(A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO MAY NOT BE VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY ON SOME COMPUTERS AND TABLETS.  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.)

(ROTFL = Rolling on the floor laughing)

Rare Video Shows Composer Marvin Hamlisch Was Funny, Too

Renowned composer Marvin Hamlisch, who passed away last week at the age of 68, had a funny side that surfaced when he performed music and comedy shtick at Congregation Beth Tzedec in Toronto Canada.

A rare video appeared a few days ago that showed Hamlisch, who was famed for writing the music for A Chorus Line, The Way We Were, The Sting, and James Bond movies, singing, playing the piano, and doing shtick with Simon Spiro, the cantor of Congregation Beth Tzedec.

In this nine minute clip, after four minutes of kidding around, Hamlisch and Spiro launch into a new version of Irving Berlin's "Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better" with special lyrics by Aliza Spiro.

Enjoy! 

(A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO MAY NOT BE VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY ON SOME COMPUTERS AND TABLETS.  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.)

(A tip of the kippah to Sheila Zucker for bringing this video to our attention.)

British Comedy Showcase: Insurance Against Becoming Jewish

We've shared lots of comedy sketches among the almost 900 posts since Jewish Humor Central started in October 2009, and most of them are either American or Israeli. But Jewish comedy isn't limited by geography. So we're going further afield to find some funny shtick that comes from other countries.

The Two Ronnies was a British sketch show that aired on BBC1 from 1971 to 1987. It featured the double act of Ronnie Barker and Ronnie Corbett, the "Two Ronnies" of the title.

Their satire reminds us of some of the classic sketches of Monty Python and Saturday Night Live.

One of the most popular sketches performed by the Two Ronnies was a scene in an insurance company office where Barker, dressed in full chassidic regalia, asks Corbett if he can buy a policy against becoming Jewish. The audience ate it up, and we hope you enjoy it, too.

(A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO MAY NOT BE VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY ON SOME COMPUTERS AND TABLETS.  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.)

Musical Showcase: Meet SoulAviv and Their Uptempo Spiritual Jewish Music

We've been showcasing new Jewish comedians and revisiting some classic old-timers in the three years that Jewish Humor Central has been visible online. Now we think it's time to do the same for Jewish musical groups that are new on the scene and who make music that we like a lot.

Even though SoulAviv was formed in 2007, we just came across them this week and we wanted to share their beautiful music with you.

In the past five short years SoulAviv has earned a reputation as one of the most exciting new vocal groups in Jewish Music. Named as one of the top 12 Jewish music groups in the world, they are equally at ease singing in English, Hebrew, or Yiddish. Their unique and original repertoire is infused with the sounds of Motown, gospel, Memphis soul, and a particularly affinity with the great harmony groups of the 60's and 70's. Socially conscious lyrics mix with deep spirituality; combined with jubilant celebration, and a little California sunshine thrown in for fun.

The four band members have deep musical roots and one is the granddaughter of a rabbi and a cantor. Lots of information about them appears on their website.

As we head into Shabbat, we'd like to share their interpretation of Hashkivenu at  a Valley Outreach Synagogue outdoor Reform Shabbat service in Woodland Hills, California.

Enjoy, and Shabbat Shalom.

(A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO MAY NOT BE VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY ON SOME COMPUTERS AND TABLETS.  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.)