Jon Stewart's Daily Show Tackles the Left Wing War on Purim

When Brooklyn Assemblyman Dov Hikind ignited a firestorm by dressing up as a black basketball player wearing blackface makeup, an Afro wig, and an orange jersey on Purim, he was criticized by the press for being insensitive and politically incorrect. His public apology was mocked by Jon Stewart on his news parody Daily Show.

But Jessica Williams, the show's "Senior Purim Correspondent" kicked the comedy up a notch by accusing the politically correct left of waging a war on Purim. With mock anger, she accused Hikind and others who wear Superman and other pop culture costumes of denigrating the holiday by not dressing up in traditional costumes of Esther, Mordecai, and Haman. 

You have to watch the second video. It gets funnier and funnier as Williams' anger builds to a frenzy.

Enjoy!

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(A tip of the kippah to Jack and Penina Kustanowitz for bringing these videos to our attention.)
 

12 Minutes With Comedian Modi at Aish Center Gala

We've been following comedian Modi Rosenfeld, professionally known as Modi, ever since we started blogging more than three years ago. 

We love his delivery and the way he incorporates his yiddishkeit and menschlichkeit and knowledge of Hebrew, Yiddish, and Jewish tradition into his humor, whether it's parody or just plain stand-up comedy.

We found a video clip of Modi's appearance at the Aish Center's 5th Annual Gala last November at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in New York City.

In twelve minutes, Modi touches on many topics, including the perils of raising 17 children, the Concord Hotel in the Catskills, New York Mayor Bloomberg speaking in Spanish, Chassidim speaking in Yinglish, and driving a SmartCar in New York.

Enjoy!

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.)

Hava Nagila Around the World: Street Circus Theater in Venice

As if 25 versions of Hava Nagila weren't enough, we found a new one just posted last week showing a street circus troupe called Orkestrada Circus performing this classic song a few days ago in the streets of Venice, Italy.

This is a particuarly jubilant version, as the dancers, dressed in circus costumes, whether for Purim or not, dance wildly through the streets.

Enjoy!

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 Joke to Start the Week: Alan Dershowitz and "New Wife"

It's another Monday and we're back to work (except for our readers in Jerusalem and other walled cities who are celebrating Shushan Purim today). So it's time for another joke to start the week.

This week we're once again dipping into the Old Jews Telling Jokes collection and coming up with an oldie but goodie told by a star performer, noted attorney and author Alan Dershowitz.

Dershowitz has been called "the best-known criminal lawyer in the world" and one of the nation's "most distinguished defenders of individual rights." He was defense counsel in some of the biggest celebrity trials of the 20th century. He is presently the Felix Frankfurter Professor of Law at Harvard Law School. Alan was born in Williamsburg, in Brooklyn, in 1938. 

This week we're completing a ten day lecture tour in South Florida and were inspired to include this joke after telling and hearing countless jokes like this one -- in hotels, in shuls, at Shabbat lunch, at a Purim seudah, and at a full-to-capacity 1200 seat playhouse in one of the senior villages that give this area its character.

Enjoy!

(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.)

Purim Shpiels: One of the Best - A Les Miserables Parody

Today is Purim, the funniest day of the Jewish year. On this day even the most serious of our brethren and sistren let their hair down and open all the bottles of single malt scotch as they celebrate the victory of the Jews in Persia over their enemy Haman.

For weeks leading up to Purim, members of synagogues around the world have been creating parodies, spoofs, satires, some musical, some readings, to perform for their friends and fellow congregants at the traditional Purim seudah (festive meal) in the late afternoon and into the evening.

Some of these Purim shpiels appeal only to the members of the individual congregations as they are full of inside jokes and local references. We've been watching the few that have more universal appeal, and more are coming in every day. It's our intent to share with you some of the best ones, even if it's a few days after Purim.

Today we're sharing a Purim shpiel by members of the Mount Sinai Jewish Center in Washington Heights, New York, one of the entries in a Purim parody contest. We haven't seen all of the entries and we don't know which won first prize, but this one seems a winner to us, so we're posting it on the day of Purim. Some of our readers may remember last year's prize winner, The Frumest iPhone Ever.

Today's post is a takeoff on Les Miserables, including most of the songs from the show/movie, with lyrics expressing the trials and tribulations and joys and sorrows of life in a Modern Orthodox shul. If you're not familiar with some of the references, there's a lot of interplay on the practice of the Orthodox and some of the more right-leaning Modern Orthodox of avoiding any contact with members of the opposite sex and listening to womens' voices. These are known as shomer negiah (literally, observance of touching) or "being shomer" and kol isha.

Enjoy, and have a Happy Purim!

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Symbolic Purim Foods: The Yiddish Chefs Show That It's More Than Hamantaschen

What food is most closely associated with the holiday of Purim? Hamantaschen, of course. But it's not the only symbolic food that's prepared for Purim, at least in some households where there's an equally strong tradition to prepare kreplach, also known as varenikes and pirogen, for the joyous holiday.

In today's video, the Jewish Daily Forward's Yiddish-speaking chefs give the reason for the popularity of kreplach on Purim, and take us through all the steps to produce these tasty dumplings for the holiday. Why the one English word dumpling suffices, but we need three Yiddish synonyms, God only knows.

What's the reason? A major Purim theme is God's hidden role in saving the Jewish people from the evil plans of Haman. Nowhere in the Megillah is God even mentioned, but He is always there in the background, guiding the actions of Esther and Mordecai. Just as God's role in the story is hidden, so are the fillings of the kreplach/varenikes/pirogen. The complete recipe follows the video.

Enjoy and have a Happy Purim!

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Purim is Almost Here: Ultimate Hamantaschen from Joan Nathan

According to an article by Joan Nathan in Tablet, the online magazine, hamantaschen, Purim’s traditional triangular cookies, are relatively new to the Jewish gastronomic scene. They most likely originated in Bohemia, in what is now the Czech Republic, just two or three centuries ago. 

Nathan, author of ten cookbooks and a regular contributor to The New York Times, Food Arts Magazine, and Tablet Magazine, writes:

The earliest American recipe I could find for mohn maultaschen (poppy seed tartlets, which we would recognize as hamantaschen) was in 1889’s “Aunt Babette’s” Cookbook: Foreign and Domestic Receipts for the Household—published by Edward Bloch, who was from the Bohemian village of Grafenried.

There aren’t that many ingredients, but that doesn’t stop bakers from having intense preferences; you’ll hear about mine in the video. However you make them, though, there’s one rule to follow: Save a few for yourself.

Editor’s note: The recipe calls for 1 teaspoon of baking powder, not 1 tablespoon as indicated in the text of the video.

12-Year-Old Israeli Performer Sings Yiddish Classics

Last year in Jerusalem's International Conference Center at a party celebrating the mass Bar Mitzvah of 110 orphaned boys coordinated by Colel Chabad, professional child singer Daniel Pruzansky sang two Yiddshe classics: A Yiddishe Mamme and Oyfn Pripetchik. 

Daniel Pruzansky was born in 1999 and he lives in Rosh Ha'ayin. He plays the piano and clarinet and knows how to sing opera. When he was six he won the first place in a young talent competition becoming the solo singer of the band Kinderlach. At the age of nine he released his first album which contains sixteen songs and he represented Israel at the Slavic Bazaar festival two years ago.

Daniel and five girl singers have formed a band called Kids.il. The group’s name refers to Israel’s international domain suffix, which is .il. Working with musician Ohad Hitman, they wrote the song Let the Music Win, the Israeli entry in the Junior Eurovision contest. 

In the first video below, Daniel sings A Yiddishe Mamme and Oyfn Pripetchik. The video that follows is the official entry in the Junior Eurovision contest, with Kids.il singing the chorus in four languages: English, Russian, French, and Hebrew.  

Enjoy!

(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.) 

(A tip of the kippah and a copy of our e-book Jewish Humor on Your Desktop: Humor in Jewish Life to May Herlands for bringing this talented young singer to our attention.)

Comedy Showcase: Johnny Lampert at the Chinese Restaurant

Johnny (Jonathan) Lampert is a Jewish comedian who specializes in performing Jewish comedy at temples, JCCs and other Jewish events all over the USA.

He is a regular at New York City's and Los Angeles' best comedy clubs including The Comic Strip, Caroline's Comedy Club and The Improv. Johnny has also made numerous television appearances on MTV, A&E's Caroline's Comedy Hour, Comedy Central, and HBO Comedy Showcase.

In this video clip, Johnny gives his impressions of ordering in a Chinese restaurant.

Enjoy!

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A Joke to Start the Week: "I Want to Have a Monkey"

It's another Monday, but it's President's Day. It's still the start of the work week, but not for the lucky ones who have the day off. Either way, it's still a good day to start with a joke. 

Today we're bringing back 84-year-oldMilton Glaser, who told the joke about the magician and the sledgehammer last month. Glaser is a graphic designer best known for the I Love New York logo, his Bob Dylan poster, the logos for Sesame Place, and New York Magazine, which he founded with Clay Felker in 1968.
 
This is a Sam and Sadie joke. Here's the setup: Sam and Sadie have been married 60 years and they're having dinner one night. Sadie says: "Sam, I want to have a monkey." And then Sam says...

Not all of these jokes get us rolling on the floor laughing, but we get an extra kick when we see the joke teller cracking up as he delivers the punchline, and that's the case with this one.

Enjoy!

(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.)

A Comedy Reporter Tries Her Hand Selling at the Jerusalem Shuk

Molly Livingstone, co-founder of the Jerusalem-based comedy troupe HaHafuch, took a day off to try her hand as a vendor in Machaneh Yehuda, the famous shuk (market) in Jerusalem.

Combining her experience in improv comedy and reporting with an understanding of what it means to be an immigrant in Israel, Molly learned a few lessons in how to sell and how not to sell everything from peppers and pita to fresh fish.

The stall owners seemed to take the reporter's antics in good spirits and joined in the fun.

Enjoy!

(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.)

Oscars, Shmoscars! Here Are Our Purim Picks Of The Best Movies Of 2012

Happy Purim to all of our Jewish Humor Central readers.  We hope you enjoy this special Purim spoof from the Purim 2013 issue of The Kustanowitz Kronikle.  You can download the PDF by clicking HERE.  Print it and share it at your Purim Seudah.

 

There are the Golden Globes and the Academy Awards (Oscars).  But who needs them when the best awards of all are the Silver Graggers.  Jewish Humor Central is proud to present the movie awards from our sister publication, The Kustanowitz Kronikle.

The Silver Graggers are different from the Golden Globes and the Oscars in that there are multiple winners for Best Picture, the only award we give.

 

This year the Kustanowitz kids have been hard at work, deliberating which films released in 2012 merited consideration for this prestigious award.  Today we are announcing the winners of the annual competition.  Here are the best films of 2012, with a brief description of each one.

 

LES MISERABLES: The story of a revolution in the Jewish Quarter of Paris, where women preparing for Pesach find that they can’t take one day more, because at the end of the day they have nothing but matzah.

SILVER LININGS PRAYBOOK: Sensing pessimism among his congregants, a rabbi uses White-Out to remove every negative passage in his synagogue’s siddurim.

FLIGHT: On a plane to Israel and desperate for a minyan, nine Jewish men hatch a scheme to convince a Jewish atheist in first class to join the daveners at the back of the plane.

THE FIVE YEAR ENGAGEMENT: An ultra-orthodox Jewish man shocks his community by staying engaged for five years, during which time his eight brothers and sisters all get engaged, married and have children of their own.

MAGIC MIC: A soft-spoken orthodox rabbi takes voice lessons so his congregants can better hear him, which leads to swirling rumors about a hidden microphone existing somewhere under the bimah.

TROUBLE WITH THE CURVE: A cantor is fired in the middle of Musaf on Yom Kippur when the strict members of his congregation disapprove of the way he bows during Aleinu.

MAN ON A LEDGE: A gabbai successfully lobbies to have a railing installed around the narrow bimah after one too many close calls during Hagbah.

ABRAHAM: VAMPIRE HUNTER: A new look at Abraham’s early years in Haran. What was his father’s business anyway, and were those really idols he smashed?

TWO DAYS IN NEW YORK: Find out how long it takes a recent college graduate to move to the Big City, go to shul on the Upper West Side, and find his bashert.

LIFE OF PIE: A first-time faster spends every moment of his Yom Kippur fast dreaming of exactly how he’ll break it.

THE HUNGER GAMES: Forbidden to ingest dairy because of lactose intolerance, grains because of digestive problems, and fruits and vegetables because they may contain small bugs that render them unkosher, a family prepares for Passover.

BREAKING DAWN, PART I: In B’nai B’rak, the rabbis would sit and discuss the Exodus all night, until their students came to tell them it was time for the morning prayers. This two-part mini-series examines the famous Haggadah story from the perspectives of the first-century students who roused the rabbis to their prayer duties.

JACK REACHER: When a man realizes that his morning newspaper is sitting several feet outside of the eruv, it’s time to get creative.

HOPE SPRINGS: A Hebrew poet seeks refuge in a spa and is inspired to write Hatikvah, Israel’s national anthem.

Rabbis Create Talmud Americani; New Laws Extend Halacha to Thanksgiving and Fourth of July

This year Purim is on Sunday, February 24. We wish a Happy Purim to all of our Jewish Humor Central readers. We hope you enjoy this special Purim spoof from the Purim 2013 issue of The Kustanowitz Kronikle. You can download the PDF by clicking HERE. Print it and share it at your Purim Seudah. And coming tomorrow - Part 2 of our Purim spoof: THE KUSTANOWITZ KIDS' PICKS FOR THE 2012 SILVER GRAGGER MOVIE AWARDS.

RABBIS CREATE TALMUD AMERICANI; NEW LAWS EXTEND HALACHA TO THANKSGIVING AND JULY 4
From What Time May Turkey Preparations Begin?
How High Must the Flag Fly? “As High As An Elephant’s Eye.”

Special to The Kustanowitz Kronikle

     FAIR LAWN, February 24 – The National Board of Rabbis, sensing that the nation is growing bored of rabbis, has launched a major new project to extend the halacha (Jewish law) to observance of Thanksgiving Day and the Fourth of July, since Jews are now celebrating these days with as much enthusiasm as the major Jewish holidays.

    They have begun discussing the issues involved with regulating these holiday observances and recording the proceedings in a new set of scriptures called Talmud Americani, to stand alongside the Talmud Bavli and Talmud Yerushalmi.

 
    The Kronikle’s intrepid reporters have penetrated the inner sanctums of the deliberating rabbis and transmitted some of the livelier discussions for the benefit of our readers. Here are some of the overheard  excerpts:

    How high must a flag fly on the fourth of July? There is a gezeira shava between flags and corn. The Gemara brings forward two beraitot, one from South Pacific and the other from Oklahoma, two seforim written by Rav Rodgers and Rav Hammerstein.

     “I’m as corny as Kansas in August, high as a flag on the fourth of July” and “There’s a bright golden haze on the meadow. The corn is as high as an elephant’s eye.” Corn and height are mentioned in both citations. One might ask of the first citation, how high does a flag have to fly on the fourth of July?

    The answer is obvious by juxtaposing the second citation  – as high as an elephant’s eye. But are we talking about an African elephant or an Asian elephant?  That will have to wait until Elijah the Prophet returns.

    The rabbis discuss another case related to the Thanksgiving holiday.  One asks when it is permissible to start preparations for a Thanksgiving dinner. An answer is proposed based on a reading of another beraita  brought by Reb Sheldon Harnick which says “I’d fill my yard with chicks and turkeys and ducks for the town to see and hear, squawking just as noisily as they can.”

    Reb Harnick continues, “and each loud squawk would land like a trumpet on the ear.” Trumpet must mean shofar, and therefore chicks and turkeys and ducks (turducken) may be prepared from the time the last shofar blast is blown on Yom Kippur.

     This is confirmed by another proof from Reb Hammerstein who says “Chicks and ducks and geese better scurry when I take you out in the surrey with the fringe on top.” What fringe could he be talking about except tzitzit? So that is further proof that the optimum time to start Thanksgiving preparations is early in the morning after Yom Kippur but not until it’s time to put on tzitzit before  the Shacharit prayers.

Comedy Showcase: Meet Yuval Haklai, Israeli Stand-up Comedian

Yuval Haklai is a former Israel Defense Forces soldier, writer, and stand-up comedian. Last month he did a routine for the Jewish National Fund in San Diego, California. His shtick includes contrasting Israel and America -- foods, supermarkets, nicknames, and his Jewish mother.

In this video Yuval talks about his relationship with his mother and leads the audience in singing a parody version of Queen's pop hit Bohemian Rhapsody.

Enjoy!

(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.) 

 

Israeli Haredi Rabbis Meet to Regulate Shapes of Bourekas

(PLEASE NOTE: THIS IS NOT A PURIM PARODY OR JOKE)

Photo: Vosisneias.com

Israeli Haredi rabbis are moving toward regulation of the shapes of bourekas, the popular puff pastry filled with morsels of potato, cheese, mushroom, spinach, and various other fillings including meat. 

They are concerned that if bourekas continue to be baked in the same shape whether they are filled with meat, dairy, or vegetable mixtures, the public will become confused and possibly serve the meat bourekas at a dairy meal or cheese bourekas at a meat meal.

As Sandy Eller wrote in Vosizneias.com,

In a meeting with members of the baking industry, Rabbi Chagi Bar Guriya of the Rabbanut Harashit, demonstrated how despite their different shapes, it almost impossible to determine the filling of any closed pastry including bourekas, cigars and croissants, which has in the past created problems for both kosher consumers and those with food allergies.

Saying that the health concerns for those with food allergies is an even greater problem than the potential kashrus issues, R’ Bar Guriya suggested that perhaps a new industry standard be adopted, with all pareve bourekas being completely closed, while those with dairy fillings be left partially opened so that their filling is visible, or using different shapes to designate the type of pastry filling.

Members of the baking industry who were present at the meeting countered that not all the suggestions made would be possible to implement and further requested that any decisions made should be enforced throughout the entire country.

The Rabbanut Harashit is expected to decide on an official policy shortly.

As is often the case, the comments by Vosizneias readers are more interesting than the articles. Some make fun of the seriousness shown by the rabbinate on this issue and point out that there are more pressing issues that should command their attention. Others quote sacred texts and direct readers to chapter and verse justifying unique shapes for meat and dairy products.

Some examples:

You have GOT to be kidding!

I wish they'd meet about how best to protect children within their communities at least as often as they meet about bourekas/croissants/pastries.

There are about 1,000 issues they need to tackle before they deal with this so-called "problem".

All satirical cynics can scoff all they want, but opening up Yorah Deah Ch 97 and view the content there will seperate (sic) between fact and paradiddle.

We think that regulating size and shape of baked goods is a slippery slope that could lead to changing the appearance of cheese danish, limiting the size of soft drinks, and keeping the cigars separate from the partially open bourekas lest they (chas v'chalilah) lead to mixed dancing. Somehow our local kosher bakery found a simpler solution: all dairy baked goods are on gold trays, next to a sign that says all items on gold trays are dairy. 

(A tip of the kippah to Jack Kustanowitz for bringing this story to our attention.)

A Joke to Start the Week: "The Waiter"

It's Monday morning and our readers in the Northeast are still digging out from the biggest snowstorm of the year. So would it hurt to laugh a little?

Today's joke teller is Annie Korzen, the comedy writer and performer whose yenta routine we posted a few days ago to much acclaim. You asked for more, so here it comes, short and sweet. This joke is a family-friendly one from the Old Jews Telling Jokes collection.

Annie, in addition to her solo shows, lectures, and Old Jews Telling Jokes routines, is a blogger and the author of a book, Bargain Junkie: Living the Good Life on the Cheap.

Enjoy!

(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.)   

Hail to the Knish - Enthusiasts March in Knish Alley

Laura Silver is a true knishionado, a knish aficionado. She has spent years researching and lecturing on the history of the humble hunk of dough stuffed with potatoes, onions, and other ingredients.

In October 2010, Laura Silver's love of knishes led her to pay homage to Second Avenue, formerly known as "Knish Alley," the legendary home of Yiddish Theater in New York City for most of the Twentieth Century. Her solemn procession culminated in a visit to a former theater (now a movie house) and a stop at the Yiddish Hall of Fame on Second Avenue and East 10th Street.

Passersby were treated to the site of a five foot knish walking up Second Avenue. But this is New York, after all, and it's not the strangest thing that New Yorkers have been exposed to.

If the march and Lower East Side tour make you hungry for a real knish, we're also including a video showing you how to make knishes from scratch.

Enjoy!

(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.)  
 



 

"Ain't No Mountain High Enough" to Keep Us From Welcoming Shabbat: A New Twist to Lecha Dodi

As residents of New York, New Jersey, and New England batten down the hatches and get ready for what's being forecast as a major snowstorm today and tomorrow, we have to wonder...is there any snowstorm too snowy to keep us from Shabbat?

According to Rock musician and educator Naomi Less, there "Ain't no mountain high enough..." to keep us from Shabbat. Less wrote new lyrics to the 1967 R&B hit recorded by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell and morphed it into a new twist on Lecha Dodi, the liturgical song that's a highlight of the Friday night Shabbat service.

Enjoy, and Shabbat Shalom! 

(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.)      

Comedienne Annie Korzen (Seinfeld, Old Jews Telling Jokes) - Yenta Unplugged

If there's anyone who knows how to make an audience laugh, it's Annie Korzen, a writer and performer who has appeared on Seinfeld and other TV shows, and is a regular on Old Jews Telling Jokes.

Korzen began her career as an actress-writer in New York's Off-Broadway scene. She has also worked in films (Tootsie, Stardust Memories, etc.). In Los Angeles, Annie had a recurring role on Seinfeld, playing Doris Klompus in the Florida condo. She also has been on E.R., Judging Amy, Oliver Beene and many other TV shows.

Annie has created two solo shows that combine comedy, original music, and provocative issues. One of them is called Yenta Unplugged, a sophisticated 90-minute celebration of womanhood, from the Bronx to Beverly Hills.

Through hilarious and often poignant tales and songs, Korzen creates 40 characters to serve up the comical trials and tribulations of being female and Jewish in America. 

Here are a few funny scenes from the show. Enjoy!


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A Funny Flashback: The Kennedy Center Honors Mel Brooks

We hope you'll forgive us for maybe overdoing the Mel Brooks blog posts and video clips, but a Chanukah gift from the children -- a 6-DVD set of the works of this living legend -- inspired us to find some more Brooksian material on YouTube and share it with you.

In December 2009 the Kennedy Center paid tribute to Mel with an introduction by Carl Reiner to some of his best work in TV and films. What follows is a collection of clips of some of his funniest moments.

Enjoy!

(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.)

Hava Nagila Around the World: In a Kyoto Cafe Called Goblin

In the city of Kyoto, Japan, there is a club called Goblin, probably because of the legends about goblins living in the nearby mountains.

If you happened to be sitting in the Goblin Cafe last week, you would have seen Japanese accordionist Tomoharu Tomaru playing (what else?) an extended version of Hava Nagila.

Starting with a minute and a half introduction which doesn't give a clue where he is heading, Tomaru, who belongs to a band called "Zahatorte" that is active mainly in Kyoto, launches into a zesty version of Hava Nagila. He plays the traditional melody for a couple of minutes, and then goes into a long riff before retuning to the basic melody.

This is the 27th Hava Nagila version that we've posted since starting Jewish Humor Central. The first 26 versions, from Texas to Thailand, from India to Iran, and from Buenos Aires to British Columbia, are all included in our book Jewish Humor on Your Desktop, Volume 4: Jewish Traces in Unexpected Places with links to the videos and backstories.

And now we take you to Kyoto. Enjoy!

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A Joke (Anecdote) From Ed Koch to Start the Week (We'll Miss You, Mr. Mayor)

Ed Koch, former New York City Congressman and Mayor, passed away Friday at the age of 88. His funeral is being held today in Temple Emanuel.

In serving so many years in elected office, he was never at a loss for words, and in the many years afterward as a private citizen, he was never out of the limelight, regularly appearing on television and radio and in newspaper columns, usually with something provocative and funny to say.

When Koch was approached in 2010 by Sam Hoffman, creator of Old Jews Telling Jokes, to join the other old-timers in cracking a joke for the web site, he responded that he doesn't tell jokes, only anecdotes.

OK, so let it be an anecdote. Whatever you call it, when he tells it, it's still funny.

After serving for nine years in Congress representing New York City's 17th and 18th congressional districts, Ed Koch ran in the 1977 Democratic primary of the mayoral election against incumbent Abe Beame, Bella Abzug and Mario Cuomo. Koch ran to the right of the other candidates, on a "law and order" platform. 

When he was looking for voter support in the 1977 election, he made a campaign stop to address a group of 200 Jewish senior citizens in the Bronx. He arrived late, about 10 pm, and some of the attendees were worried about how they were going to get home so late without being mugged. And then he said...

Enjoy!

(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.)