Celebrate Israel's Role in Your Life at Sunday's Celebrate Israel Parade in New York

Do you serve cherry tomatoes in your salads? Do you use a flash drive to backup and transfer files from your computer? Do you use instant text messaging on your smartphone? Do you have anti-virus software installed on your computer? 

Do you use Waze, the software GPS app, to navigate your way around town and across the country? Do you use solar water heaters for your home? Do you have an Internet (VoIP) phone? Do you know where the world's most popular swimsuit model was born and lives?

You've probably guessed by now that there's only one answer to all of these questions. Surprise, surprise -- it's Israel.

Israeli innovation is part of your everyday life: "Created in Israel" may not be stamped on all the Israeli innovations that pop up during your average day, but in this short clip, created by the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, you can see a small sample of these anonymous inventions for yourself.

This Sunday, June 1 is the 50th anniversary of New York's annual Celebrate Israel Parade that celebrates Israel's amazing accomplishments. If you're in the New York area this Sunday, come on over to Fifth Avenue between 11 am and 4 pm to see the floats, street performers, and marching bands.

In the second short clip below, neuroscientist and actress Mayim Bialik, who plays one on The Big Bang Theory TV Series, tells what Israel means to her.

Enjoy, and Shabbat Shalom.

Israeli Comedian Continues His Explanation of Being Jewish to Foreign Workers

Israel has more than 200,000 foreign workers and most have had little or no previous contact with Jews.
  

Yair Nitzani, an Israeli comedian and TV news host has been trying to bridge this cultural gap by explaining Jews and Jewish life to three workers in the TV studio and the many others watching at home.  

He did a series of short explanations on a show called Behind the News:  We Explain to Foreign Workers.  

Nitzani's translations from Hebrew to English leave something to be desired.  As a result we get some unintentionally funny translations in addition to the funny explanations.  For example, the Hebrew word zarim can be translated as foreign, but also as strange.  Nitzani uses strange, which sounds strange, but maybe that's the point.
  

In an earlier post we shared a clip of Yair explaining to three "strange workers" about the "three types of Jewish" (meaning three types of Jews) living in Israel, how to tell them apart, and what it takes to become Jewish.
  

In today's episode, Yair contrasts Jewish holidays with non-Jewish holidays to the delight of the studio audience.

Enjoy!

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Sid Caesar: The Memories Linger On - The Archaeology Professor

Since the passing of Sid Caesar in February, we've been reminiscing and paying tribute to his comedic genius. 

Caesar left a treasure trove of  video clips of some of his funniest character portrayals and skits from his own Your Show of Shows and Caesar's Hour and from his appearances with sidekick Carl Reiner on the Ed Sullivan Show and other TV specials.

We've already run some of his most famous comedy routines and we'll be tapping into the collection for more of them from time to time.

Today we're visiting with one of Sid's most endearing characters, the wisecracking and loopy Viennese archaelogy professor, interviewed by the persistent and straight-talking Carl Reiner.

Enjoy!

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Hava Nagila Around the World - "Balagan Limited" Gives a Colorful Performance in Russia

Some folks collect stamps, others collect coins. We collect Hava Nagilas. That's right, we collect different versions of this most popular of all Jewish songs and share them with our readers. 

So far we've posted 42 unique versions. Today we're adding a 43rd version, a very colorful performance by the Russian group called Balagan Limited. 

The group is known for their sonorous voices, colorful costumes, and fashionable rhythms. They specialize in songs in English, Ukrainian, Georgian, Armenian, Latvian, Bulgarian, and Hebrew. Some of their concerts have lasted more than seven hours.

Enjoy!

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Eight Jokes to Start the Week - More Jewish Folks Telling Jokes From Toronto

Last Tuesday we reported on a performance of Jewish Folks Telling Jokes -- a comedy night in Toronto. Today we can report that the event was a huge success with more than 900 guests in attendance raising more than $460,000 to support the work of Jewish Family & Child Services.

It was also a success in bringing lots of old Jewish jokes to the attention of the audience and to the thousands more who are seeing them on the Internet. We have video clips of some of the jokes and we'll be sharing them with you each Monday for the next few weeks. Here's the first set.

Enjoy!

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Jewish Traces in Unexpected Places - Russian Jewish Choir Sings Jewish Folk Songs in Australia

Continuing our sporadic series of Jewish traces that show up where we would least expect them, we found a another example "down under."

The location: a suburb of Melbourne, Australia. The performers: the Nadezhda Russian Choir. What do you expect them to sing? What else? A medley of Jewish folk songs. Of course!

In a five minute burst of song, the choir sings

Hevenu Shalom Aleichem
A Zemerel
Chiri Biri Bom
A song that we don't recognize (Can you identify it?)
Bei Mir Bist du Schein 
Hava Nagila

Enjoy!

(Coming tomorrow: Lots of jokes to start the week)

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Chicago Dancing Flash Mob Adds New Twist to Shabbat Liturgy

Last week the complex of office buildings in Chicago's Federal Plaza was the scene of a flash mob arranged by the Key Tov Orchestra, a Chicago-based wedding band. The troupe of men and women dancers performed in front of Alexander Calder's Flamingo sculpture to the delight of passers-by.

The song that they're dancing to is Hashem Melech, popularized last year by Israeli singers Benny and Gad Elbaz. The lyrics are taken from the Ein Kamocha prayer recited in synagogue on Shabbat as the Torah is removed from the ark.

Shabbat Shalom!

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"Oliver!" (The West End and Broadway Musical) Comes to Jerusalem

One of the delightful features of Jerusalem is its emergence as a showcase for American and British musical theatre. 

Yes, you heard right. Full stage productions of the most popular shows from New York's Broadway and London's West End are being produced in English with Hebrew supertitles a few times a year, mostly by the Encore! Educational Theatre Company.

This week the familiar sounds of Food, Glorious Food, Consider Yourself, Where is Love?, I'd Do Anything, As Long as He Needs Me, It's a Fine Life, and many other songs are resounding in the modern Hirsch Theatre in Beit Shmuel, just behind the King David Hotel in downtown Jerusalem.

Even though Charles Dickens, author of Oliver Twist, the book on which the musical is based, was rumored to be anti-semitic because of his description of the Fagin character, he later apologized to the London Jewish community and changed parts of the book when it was republished in a newer edition. The musical version was the work of British Jewish lyricist and composer Lionel Bart, who made Fagin into a lovable rogue.

The Encore! troupe, under the artistic and musical direction of Robert Binder and Paul Salter, and established in Jerusalem in 2006, presents the classics of the musical stage as well as lesser-known and original works, in order to expose audiences to this repertoire and, in particular, encourage young people to be the theatre-going public of the future.

Encore! has produced full stage productions of Gilbert & Sullivan’s comic operas including The Mikado, H.M.S. Pinafore, The Pirates of Penzance, and Trial by Jury. In the last two years, they have performed My Fair Lady, A Chorus Line, Oklahoma, Carousel, Fiddler on the Roof, West Side Story, The Wizard of Oz, The Secret Garden, and Hairspray.

The casts include children and adults with and without acting experience who come out for auditions and rehearse for months until the curtain comes up on opening night. 

For Oliver!, opening night was this Tuesday. Seven more performances remain -- two today and five more next week. (Full disclosure: we're taking special pride and shepping nachas from our 8-year-old grandson Gil who is playing the leading role of Oliver for the three matinee performances today, next Thursday, and next Sunday.)

For a taste of Oliver!, here's a video clip of last week's dress rehearsal. Enjoy!

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"Kosher Comedy" Attracts a New Generation of Orthodox Jewish Stand-up Comics

Yesterday's edition of Tablet, the online Jewish magazine, featured an article on Orthodox Jewish comedy by Josh Lambert about how observant Jewish funnymen (and women) navigate the line between irreverence and devotion.

As Lambert writes in Tablet,

For the most part, good comedy, including good Orthodox comedy—funny Orthodox comedy—isn’t kosher. Which isn’t to suggest that there aren’t sincerely devout folks in the comedy business.

On the contrary, in just about every community, no matter how pious, somebody’s making a living telling jokes. And it should be noted at the outset that there are plenty of Christian comedians—even a few excellent ones, like Jim Gaffigan and Steven Colbert, who are faithful Catholics.

But Judaism goes much further than most faiths in specifying the limits of proper speech. It’s not just that Jews are enjoined to avoid nivul peh—obscene speech—by authorities like Maimonides, who taught that “we must not imitate the songs and tales of ignorant and lascivious people” (Songs and Tales of Ignorant and Lascivious People would actually be a pretty good title for a comedy podcast).

One of the Orthodox Jewish comedians profiled in the article is David Finkelstein, a stand-up performer who we have featured three times in the last year on Jewish Humor Central. His slightly unkempt look and his droll delivery with impeccable timing make him stand out in a field of observant comics whose routines are sometimes, and only sometimes, funny.

David knows how to play to his audiences, which are likely to be a mix of Jewish and non-Jewish lovers of stand-up comedy. He performs at venues such as the Broadway Comedy Club in New York City, but does not have many video clips on the Internet. We were lucky to find a fourth clip of one of his sessions that we're sharing with you today.

Enjoy!

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Jewish Folks Telling Jokes in Toronto Tonight

 

Tonight in Toronto, Koerner Hall will be the site of a performance of Jewish Folks Telling Jokes, a night of comedy to benefit Jewish Family and Child, one of the foremost Jewish service agencies in North America.

Jewish Family and Child supports the healthy development of individuals, children, families, and communities through prevention, protection, counselling, education and advocacy services, within the context of Jewish values.


Judging from the promotional video for the event, Jewish Family and Child will also be supporting lots of laughter. Check out the video below for a sample of what the evening will bring. It's a string of old Jewish jokes told in rapid succession that should bring down the house. Jewish Folks Telling Jokes is a Canadian contribution to the world of Jewish humor, probably inspired by the off-Broadway show Old Jews Telling Jokes, now touring in San Diego, California.

Enjoy!

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A Joke to Start the Week - "Old Man at a Truck Stop"

Another Monday and another Joke to Start the Week. This one is from the Los Angeles Jewish Home, which has quite a few joke tellers among its residents. Lou Lampert, an 87-year-old joke teller, give us a laugh today with a story about an old man who got even with a bunch of motorcyclist bullies who harassed him at a truck stop.

Enjoy!

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How Many Rabbis Does it Take to Start a Bonfire on Lag B'Omer?

The answer? Lots and lots of rabbis and their chasidim, and lots of lighters and bottles of oil. 

That's what happened last night in Meron, the town in northern Israel where hundreds of thousands gather each year on Lag B'Omer, the 33rd day of the countdown of 49 days from Pesach to Shavuot.

It's traditional to light bonfires at the start of this holiday that, in Israel, means one or two days off from school and a welcome break from the joy-restricted days of counting the omer starting on Passover.

Why bonfires? These commemorate the immense light that Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai introduced into the world via his mystical teachings. This was especially true on the day of his passing, Lag B'Omer, when he revealed to his disciples secrets of the Torah whose profundity and intensity the world had yet to experience.

The Zohar relates that the house was filled with fire and intense light, to the point that the assembled could not approach or even look at Rabbi Shimon. The biggest bonfires and celebrations take place in and around Rabbi Shimon’s tomb, located in Meron. Hundreds of thousands attend the festivities every year, and the round-the-clock celebration, singing and dancing are unparalleled.

Last night, lighting the bonfire proved exceptionally difficult, as shown in the video that was streamed live by the Arutz Sheva TV station. First, the torch wouldn't light when the lighters were applied. When finally a weak flame was produced, the shtreimel-wearing rabbi tried to use it to light the main bonfire. But at first nothing happened. It took successive attempts with the lighter, application of rags and finally, numerous bottles of oil to bring the fire to a respectable level.

The video below was recorded from the live stream and runs almost three hours. We recommend fast forwarding to the 1 hour and 33 minutes starting point of the lighting ceremony, which lasts about ten minutes.

Enjoy your Lag B'Omer, whatever you do. We'll be visiting a botanical garden and starting our barbecue season, but we're not planning to enlist any Chassidic helpers, with or without lighters and bottles of oil.

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Seven Mitzvah Notes That Went Wrong

Many preschools around the world encourage children to bring Mitzvah notes to class, detailing good deeds the child has done at home. They are read out loud by the teacher (“Morah,” “Giveret,” or “Rabbi”) to much fanfare, giving the child a feeling of pride for doing the good deed, and positively reinforcing the child to continue the good behavior.

However, not all parents properly understand the concept. Unfortunately, there are some children who may have a long road ahead of them as they grow out of their preschool years.

The staff of Jewbellish, a funny Jewish humor website founded by Chasidic comedian Mendy Pellin, asked around and compiled a collection of the 7 worst Mitzvah notes in history.

Enjoy!

7. A Yiddishe Mama is allowed to vent


6. Sure you sent your child to the right school?


5. Best part about this Mitzvah note is that it’s written on a WeightWatchers stationery.


4. This is why autocorrect was created (Tzdaka is “charity”)


3. Apparently this was the only good deed the mother could think of.


2. It was “bring a child to work day”


1. Parents of the year.

Dennis Prager Explains and Illustrates Why Jews Are Funny

Last September, syndicated Salem Radio talk show hosts and best-selling authors Dennis Prager and Hugh Hewitt appeared on stage together at Scottsdale Bible Church in Phoenix. Joining them was Dr. Wayne Grudem, professor of Systematic Theology at Phoenix Seminary.

The evening featured a candid, entertaining and in-depth inter-faith conversation between three nationally renowned public intellectuals one Jewish (Prager), one Catholic (Hewitt), and the other Protestant (Grudem).

At one point in the evening the subject turned to humor and the question of why Jews are funny and Catholics and Presbyterians are not. All eyes were on Prager, who is considered by many to be a Jewish ambassador to the millions of listeners (mostly Gentiles) to his three-hour long daily talk show.

Prager gave a common answer, that suffering, if you can endure it and prevail, makes you funny. And then he told a classic self-deprecating Jewish joke, commenting that he doubts that you can find a self-deprecating Presbyterian joke.

Here's the joke: A Protestant minister, a Catholic priest, and a rabbi go to the barber shop to get a haircut. Can you guess the punch line?

Enjoy!

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James Bond Reimagined as a Nonviolent Nice Jewish Mensch

The comedy web site funnyordie.com has been having fun reimagining British secret agent James Bond as a nonviolent, mild-mannered polite Jewish mensch.

They created a funny skit based on a CNN interview of movie mogul Harvey Weinstein by reporter Piers Morgan. In the interview, Weinstein considers choosing to make films that are less violent.

The parodists take it from there, with James Bond (acted by Phil Rosenthal, creator of Everybody Loves Raymond) showing his nice guy persona to a Bond girl and to comedian Patton Oswalt in the role of Bond's nemesis, the evil genius plotting to control the world.

Enjoy!

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LES MISERABBIS - The Funniest Jewish Parody We Have Ever Seen

We're not kidding. Without qualification, this video is the funniest Jewish parody we have ever seen.These are words we don't use lightly. Kol HaKavod to the Stanmore and Canons Park Shul players in Stanmore, a suburb in Northwest London.

The Stanmore shul is Orthodox, and its 2200 members make it the largest synagogue in all of Europe.

Les Miserabbis, a parody of the musical Les Miserables, was first shown on Purim, but it goes far beyond a Purim show. It's an inspired, professionally done performance that takes you through the experience of Shabbat services in a synagogue with a loving wink, and you don't have to be Orthodox or have attended an Orthodox synagogue to enjoy it. 

The music mirrors the original score, and the lyrics delightfully satirize the goings on in the synagogue service from opening the ark for the Torah reading through the conclusion of the service with the singing of Adon Olam, with many funny stops along the way.

The parts of the service that are satirized include the constant standing and sitting, the gabbai singing "Gabbai of the Shul" to "Master of the House," a bar mitzvah, the toddlers' service, and the rabbi's plaintive call for a minyan, "Empty Pews in Empty Shtiebels." There are a very few lines that are specific to the shul's London neighborhood, but the humor in the parody is universal.

It's all done in very good taste, and it's well worth taking the 26 minutes out of your busy day to have a good laugh and enjoy the parody from beginning to end. If you agree, please forward this post to your personal email lists to spread laughter around the world.

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(A tip of the kippah to Sarah Adler for bringing the video to our attention.)

15 Jokes to Start the Week - Old Jews Telling Jokes Moves to Chicago and San Diego

No, we’re not kidding. This week it’s not “A Joke to Start the Week,” but 15 jokes. Why 15? That’s how many we counted in the video clip below. 

It’s a TV report about the Chicago incarnation of the off-Broadway hit Old Jews Telling Jokes that played for a couple of years at the Westside Theatre on 43^rd Street in New York City.

With an all-new cast and some of the same jokes, the show made its move even further off-Broadway, actually some 800 miles off-Broadway to the Royal George Theater in Chicago, where it played through March 30. Now the show has moved on to San Diego.

In this video clip, Ruth Wisse, Harvard Yiddish scholar and author of No Joke, a new book on Jewish humor, explains the universal appeal of Jewish humor while examples of humor from the show abound.

Enjoy!

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Coming in June: The Jewish Week's Funniest Jewish Comic Contest

Every year The Jewish Week, New York's  Jewish newspaper, sponsors a contest over a four week period to find the funniest Jewish comic of the year. This year, the stand-up comedy shows will take place on June 1, 8, 15, and 29 at the Broadway Comedy Club in New York City.

To get in the mood for four evenings of stand-up Jewish comedy, we're sharing a ten minute video clip of one of the rounds in last year's competition.

Among the contenders in the video clip, watch for the 2013 winners of the Funniest Jewish Comic title, Ronn Blitzer and Jessica Schechter.

As Alan Zeitlin reported in The Jewish Week after the contest,

Attorney Ronn Blitzer took the title with a fluid and funny set that dealt with race, marriage and fantasy. Jessica Schechter, 25, took second place with an energetic and adorable performance about teaching in the South Bronx.

Blitzer, a 30-year-old Upper West Sider, drew laughs when he talked about how he thought he might get into Yale because since he’s Jewish, he’s a minority. But Jews aren’t a minority, they’re white, a guidance counselor told him. One day, while wearing a T-shirt with Hebrew lettering, a Neo-Nazi yelled that minorities were destroying America -- and pointed at him. If only the neo-Nazi was on the admission department for Yale, he thought.

Blitzer scored big when he spoke about being single on the Upper West Side.

“I love the sense of community,” he began. “I hate that everyone’s obsessed with getting married. Every week another friend of mine is getting married. My single friends are always talking about getting married…asking me when I’m getting married. The only people who don’t bug me about getting married are the women I go out with. Two hours with me they’re like ‘eh ... you shouldn’t get married.”

Schechter, a teacher who lives on the Upper West Side, said her students wondered why she always wore skirts.

“They were like, ‘Ms. Schechter, you never wear pants. Is something wrong with your legs?’” she said in an accent. “They’re writing about modesty. It’s called ‘Cover Up or I Will Cut You.’”

The diminutive comedian, who studies directing at the Actors Studio at Pace University, joked that walking to shul and suddenly cutting away to change into heels could look like a drug deal.

 Enjoy!

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Comedienne and Storyteller Annie Korzen on Synagogues, Churches, Buffets, and Being an Outsider

Take a Jewish nonbeliever, put her in a synagogue with gospel singers, and in an Easter service in a church with a husband who's starving from breakfast deprivation and thinks the wafers and wine being distributed are a kind of kiddush, and what do you get?

Well, of course it's Annie Korzen, Seinfeld's Doris Klompus, Old Jews Telling Jokes veteran, and storyteller extraordinaire who blends these experiences into a funny story and a lesson about being an outsider.

As the story unfolds, we and the audience are treated to Annie's funny observations on the differences between Jews and Lutherans in the way they dress and the foods they serve on their buffet tables

We've featured Annie before on Jewish Humor Central, with her stories about her son's wedding and her post-partum blues, and a video clip of her Yenta Unplugged solo show.

Enjoy! 

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Jerusalem Musical Flash Mob Performs Tchaikovsky's Sleeping Beauty

When you visit Jerusalem's new First Station (Tachana Rishona) entertainment, activity and dining center, you never know what surprises you'll find there. It's open seven days a week with restaurants and coffee shops, Segway tours, hybrid bikes, walking tours, and a play area for kids. 

The station has an interesting history as a primary means of transportation between Jaffa and Jerusalem that started in 1892 and ended in 1998. Last year it was converted to the eight restaurant complex that also features ice skating, marionette theatre, and scheduled and unscheduled entertainment.

In March, just in time for Purim, an unscheduled event took place in the open area between the restaurants and shops. Without any announcement, fifty students from the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance, together with children from Sderot's Perach Tutorial Project, gathered at the station for a surprise concert. They were joined by Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat and philanthropist Shari Arison.

The flash mob style performance was part of Good Deeds Day, an annual event that originated in Israel in 2007 and now takes place in over 50 countries worldwide. On this day, volunteers reach out to the less fortunate and the vulnerable.

The crowd that was shopping and dining that day enjoyed a bonus musical performance, and we hope that you'll enjoy the video of the event.

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L.A. Jewish Film Festival Pays Tribute to Sid Caesar and Honors Carl Reiner

The Los Angeles Jewish Film Festival, which began on May 1 and runs through today, kicked off the proceedings with a tribute to legendary comedian and writer Sid Caesar and honored Carl Reiner, his sidekick on Your Show of Shows and Caesar's Hour.

Esther Kustanowitz, Jewish Humor Central's Hollywood Bureau Chief, was in the audience. As she reported in her blog My Urban Kvetch,

"Sid Caesar invented sketch," said comedy legend Carl Reiner in an interview with Phil Rosenthal (creator of "Everybody Loves Raymond") at the opening night of the L.A. Jewish Film Festival on May 1, which was in honor of Reiner and in memory of Caesar, who died in February. "Sid performed it in such a way that it was never the same after."

As the evening stretched on, the 92-year-old Reiner used his memories of time served on "Your Show of Shows," "The Dick Van Dyck Show" and others to bring the crowd to laughter and applause. Of course, we were there to laugh, and had been warmed up considerably by the film that preceded the conversation: "Ten From 'Your Show of Shows'," a 1973 compilation film by Max Liebman of ten sketches from the show's 1950-1954 run. Although the sketches were first performed 60 years ago, the actors' commitments to character and relationship made the bits are relatable today as they were when first they aired.

Today we're sharing one of the ten sketches, This is Your Story," a spoof of the Ralph Edwards show This is Your Life, which ran on NBC television from 1952 to 1961. In the show, the host surprises a guest, and proceeds to take them through their life in front of an audience, including special guest appearances by colleagues, friends and family. This spoof takes the concept to a new high as Carl Reiner surprises Sid Caesar in the audience, escorts him to the stage, and surprises him with appearances from his Uncle Goopy and Aunt Mildred.

Following this clip, we're including the complete 47-minute long interview from the festival opening night.

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.)

Happy 66th Birthday, Israel - 66 Heroes Share Israel's Message on Yom HaAtzmaut

Today is Yom Ha'Atzmaut, Israel's Independence Day and 66th birthday. All over the country, Israeli families, regardless of religious observance or affiliation, celebrate with picnics and barbecues. 

Balconies are decorated with Israeli flags, and small flags are attached to car windows. Some leave the flags hoisted until after Yom Yerushalayim. Israeli Television channels air the official events live, and classic cult Israeli movies and skits are shown.

Nefesh B'Nefesh, the nonprofit organization that promotes, encourages and facilitates Aliyah from North America and the United Kingdom, created a video for the day that shows 66 Israelis who they call heroes sharing a powerful message -- Am Yisrael Chai (The people of Israel lives). The heroes include the president, prime minister, Orthodox and Conservative rabbis, tennis and soccer players, soldiers, a comedian, and Israelis from all walks of life.

See the names below (in order of appearance), and click here to read their profiles.

0:22 Natan Sharansky -- Chairman of the Executive of the Jewish Agency for Israel
0:27 Rabbi Jerry Epstein -- Former VP and CEO of the USCJ
0:31 Shahar Pe'er -- Professional Tennis Player
0:34 Edan Tamler -- Israel X-Factor Finalist & NBN Oleh
0:39 Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau -- Former Chief Rabbi of Israel
0:55 Gabriela Shalev -- Former Israeli Ambassador to the UN
1:00 Sussman kids -- Sabra kids of NBN Olim
1:03 Frances Greenberg -- Exodus passenger and NBN Olah
1:08 Gilad Schalit -- Former MIA soldier of the IDF
1:29 Ariel Shain -- NBN Oleh named for Ariel Sharon
1:32 Goldstein Family -- Nefesh B'Nefesh Olim 2011
1:38 Doreet Freedman -- Nefesh B'Nefesh Director of Strategic Partnerships
1:42 Benji Lovitt - Stand--up Comedian and NBN Oleh
1:44 Rami Kleinstein -- Israeli singer and composer
1:45 Nir Barkat -- Mayor of Jerusalem
1:48 Jay Shultz -- President of the Am Yisrael Foundation
1:50 David Gerstein -- Contemporary Israeli artist
1:52 Dr. Asael Lubotsky -- War hero and Physician
1:55 Noam Gershony -- Wheelchair tennis player & Olympic Gold Medalist
2:09 Josh Hoffman -- NBN Oleh and Social Media Entrepreneur
2:10 Geulah Cohen -- Irgun and Lehi member, politician and journalist
2:17 Titi Aynaw -- First Ethiopian Miss Israel
2:44 Ruth Zuman -- Holocaust Survivor
2:53 Natalie Silverlieb -- Former Broadway performer and NBN Olah
3:05 Yael Arad -- First Israeli Olympic medalist
3:08 Alyssa Magid -- NBN Olah and Business Co-Director
3:11 Hilary Faverman -- NBN Olah and Business Co-Director
3:14 Noah Miller -- Israel National Lacrosse Team
3:15 Matthew Cherry -- Israel National Lacrosse Team
3:26 Atara Solow -- NBN Staff
3:29 Benji Davis -- NBN Staff
3:32 Yakir Hyman -- G-Nome Project band Member
3:32 Zecharia Reich -- G-Nome Project band Member
3:35 Eric Michaelson -- Executive VP of NBN
4:00 Randi Weiss -- Young Leadership Director, Save a Child's Heart
4:05 Eliezer Davish -- NBN Oleh
4:09 Joseph Gitler -- Founder and Chairman of Leket Israel
4:12 Marvin Casey -- Dance Choreographer
4:15 Elan Neiger -- Israel Football League Player
4:15 Sagen Zavelo - Israel Football League Player
4:15 Jonathan Curran - Israel Football League Player
4:15 Ronny Moscona - Israel Football League Player
4:21 Adam Weiner -- Oleh Lone Soldier*
4:40 Caroline Fitouchi -- NBN Staff
4:43 Prime Minister of Israel, Binyamin Netanyahu
4:42 Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu
4:45 Tal Brody -- Goodwill Ambassador of Israel
4:49 Debra Applebaum -- Veteran Olah
4:51 Sarah Hindman -- Marketing Director, Israel Experience
4:57 Rabbi Yehoshua Fass -- Executive Director and Founder, Nefesh B'Nefesh
5:07 President of Israel, Shimon Peres

(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.)