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.

(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 to Sarah Adler for bringing the video to our attention.)