Sitting shiva is not a subject you would expect to be the basis of a funny commercial. But there is a long history of dark humor over the centuries during which Jewish jokes and anecdotes developed.
With more than one million apps available for the iPhone, it was just a matter of time until one surfaced that dealt with sitting shiva.
In the video below, the announcer asks "Are you down on your luck, homeless and hungry yet own a smart phone? Are you a foodie in search of your next blog-worthy meal? Are you totally stoned and have the munchies? Then i-Shiva is the app for you! i-Shiva is the new revolutionary smart phone application that will guide you to the nearest shiva call within 18 miles of your location."
From there it gets funnier and funnier, with the app even including a database of which yentas to avoid when visiting and fressing at the shiva house.
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 Seth Front for bringing this video to our attention.)
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awful! take it away. DELETE, DELETE, DELETE
ReplyDeleteI had a good laugh about which Yenta to stay away from. This could be very handy in many situations.
ReplyDeleteAnd, note: yentas come in both genders, and may be hard to take, but are humans who hunger for connection. So cutting them off is not an act of kindness. Listening is showing rachmunis.
DeleteI'm Jewish, haven't sat Shiva in nearly 50 years, and would like to
ReplyDeleteget back into the religious part of my heritage. Would someone
seriously consider the App, please; unless you just have to sit
around and pray. That part sucks. --Thank you.
I have no idea what you're asking for. If you want to get back to your heritage, why would you want to have that satiric fake commercial made real? Go to a synagogue or a temple. It is FREE to attend. They don't take attendance, although many shuls will have people who come up and greet you but not in an uncomfortable way. Attend once a month on a Saturday morning. Eventually, you will have friends there. Join, if you get interested. Judaism is a "communal" faith meaning everything is based around at least 10 people (a minyan) and we celebrate and we mourn and we try to make sense of life events anmd current events together.
DeleteJust begin attending Saturday morning services at least once a month. They are free and no one will pressure you to do anything, but you may get invited to sit at an Oneg Shabbat lunch and over time, you'll get to have friends and be a part of a community.
DeleteAnti-Semitic and not funny.
ReplyDeleteNot funny? This is hysterical! A trenchant satire about how we have allowed a sacred moment, designed to help the family learn to cope with the tragedy that has just happened, into a social occasion. Shiva has lost its meaning as a way of comforting the bereaved, and this bit shows this quite well.
ReplyDeleteThis was a break from writing my YK sermons. It is good satire and does reflect how unfortunately the Shivah has become a social event without spiritual sustanence
ReplyDeleteSustenance is the spelling. And there is a social part because Judaism is a social, a communal faith and we talk, we provide food and even tell humorous stories about the deceased as a way of remembering him/her and celebrating their existence and their power in our lives. So we provide lots of food? The commercial shows them sharing the excess with needy people....nothing bad about that. To be surrounded by Am Yisroel, the People Israel, at the moment of greatest grief, that gives us sustenance that even the best corned beef cannot provide.
DeleteBetter to go to a house of mourning than to a house of Simcha.
ReplyDelete