Behind the Scenes with Perl and Her Female Orthodox Rock Band

Five years ago we reported on the formation of an all-female Chasidic Indie Rock group called Bulletproof Stockings.

Well, the band disbanded last year, but Perl Wolfe, the founder of Bulletproof Stockings, has formed a new band called Perl, and she's singing again to women's groups in Brooklyn.

Not everyone in the Hasidic world has jumped on the bandwagon, but the idea of women performing rock music has caught the attention of many who live in the sheltered world of Crown Heights, Boro Park, and other Brooklyn communities.

In this video report, Perl describes the enthusiasm that her group is bringing to women who come out for their rock concerts.

Enjoy!

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Welcoming Shabbat with a Freilach Version of Yedid Nefesh

What happens when you take a klezmer trio, put them on a stage in Israel, and ask them to play Yedid Nefesh, a traditional song that's sung on Friday night to welcome Shabbat?

You get a blend of a liturgical poem and a lively freilach melody, with a touch of singing by the  audience. All in all, a new and innovative combination to start Shabbat by the Michael Gorodetsky trio.

Enjoy and Shabbat shalom.

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Throwback Thursday Comedy Nostalgia: George Burns and Gracie Allen on the Road

Today we had a twinge of nostalgia for the old TV sitcoms and found this 65 year old clip of a segment from the George Burns and Gracie Allen show.

This episode goes way back to 1952 and has George and Gracie driving with their friend Blanche Morton (played by Bea Benaderet, who appeared in almost every episode of the show) from Los Angeles to Palm Springs to visit Jack Benny.

Burns and Allen worked together as a successful comedy team that entertained vaudeville, film, radio, and television audiences for over forty years.

The duo met in 1922 and married in 1926. Burns was the straight man and Allen was a silly, addle-headed woman. Their 30-minute radio show debuted in September 1934 as The Adventures of Gracie, whose title changed to The Burns and Allen Show in 1936; the series ran, moving back and forth between NBC and CBS, until May 1950. 

After their radio show's cancellation, Burns and Allen reemerged on television with a popular situation comedy, which ran from 1950 to 1958.

Enjoy!

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#Throwback Thursday   #TBT

Comedy Showcase: Meet Debbie Praver, Jewish Disney Princess and Stand-up Comic

Debbie Praver spent too many years in Disney costumes including Minnie Mouse, Pinocchio, Sneezy, Grumpy, Dopey, the March Hare from Alice in Wonderland, and in a pinch she crouched down to do Donald Duck in a parade.

After escaping from Mouseland she toured as a Dance Leader for the media tour of the Broadway musical “Footloose”, choreographed many fitness videos, and was the technical choreographer for “the Method workout” series for Fit TV.

In this video, Debbie goes into detail describing the experience of being on fire in a defective Minnie Mouse costume while Disneyland visitors line up to photograph her.

Enjoy!

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A Joke to Start the Week - "Four Children"

Because yesterday was a national holiday and most of us had a day off from work, today we're starting the work week a day late with a Joke to Start the Week.

Once again dipping into the archives of Sam Hoffman's Old Jews Telling Jokes, we came up with this gem told by retired Certified Public Accountant Sara Ross.

Here's the setup: One Sunday after church, these four people go into a diner to have a cup of coffee. And then...

Enjoy!

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British Comedian Ashley Blaker - If Non-Jews Celebrated Christmas as a Yom Tov

 

Yes, we know that today is Monday, and you're expecting a joke to start the week. Well, today we're making an exception. Today is a national holiday, and most non-Jews celebrate the day as Christmas, while many Jews go out to see a movie followed by dinner at a Chinese (yes, there are kosher ones) restaurant.

Today we're sharing another stand-up routine by British Orthodox comedian Ashley Blaker. Ashley, a 42-year-old Baal Teshuva, performed before a sell-out crowd in Manhattan's Gramercy Theatre earlier this month. 

We've become Ashley Blaker fans, and last month we posted two segments from his stand-up tours. Today we're posting another clip that's very appropriate for the day. In it, Ashley poses the question "What if Christmas was celebrated as a Yom Tov?" The more familiar you are with restrictions on Jewish holidays, the funnier you'll find his monologue.

Be sure to check in tomorrow when we'll be posting a joke to start the week one day later than usual.

Enjoy! 

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Christmas Eve Special: Jewish Kids Meet Santa for the First Time

We hope all of our readers had a happy Hanukkah. We celebrated the holiday in Jerusalem, where the sufganiyot (filled donuts) won a lopsided victory over the latkes. Now, as we put our Hanukkiot away until next year, it's time to wish our Gentile readers and friends a Merry Christmas.

Most large department stores in major cities have been featuring a Santa Claus encounter for the children who accompany their parents shopping for gifts. The funny folks at BuzzFeed video set the stage for some Christmas eve humor by getting a bunch of cute and precocious Jewish kids to meet Santa for the first time. The kids are skeptical, reluctant, outspoken, and adorable.

Enjoy!

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Welcoming Shabbat with Concert Version of Adon Olam - Tribute to Cantor Moshe Stern

Adon Olam, the hymn that usually concludes the Shabbat morning service, has been sung in many diverse styles from traditional to Broadway and Beatles versions.

But it has also been performed in concert. A few years ago, it was a featured part of a special concert to honor Moshe Stern, one of the great cantorial singers of the last century.

The concert was held In Tel Aviv's Heichal Hatarbut (Mann Auditorium), together with the Tel Aviv Philharmonic Orchestra. on April 9, 2014. Leading young cantors from around the world such as Yaakov Lemmer, Netanel Hershtik, and Ushi Blumenberg also sang at the concert, conducted by Dr. Mordechai Sobol. 

Enjoy, and Shabbat shalom!

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Comedy Showcase: Meet Michael Shafar, Standup Comedian from Melbourne, Australia

Michael Shafar started out with a law degree in Melbourne, Australia, but decided he didn't want to work in an office all day. So he became a standup comedian. 

In 2016, Michael also reached the RAW Comedy National Grand Final, represented Australia in the Laugh Factory's Funniest Person in the World Competition and toured across Asia, headlining at some of the continent's largest comedy clubs. He also developed, produced and hosted the showcase Melbourne Comedy's Rising Stars, which continues to sell out shows.

2017 has been another huge year for Michael, selling out his entire season and extra show of Jewish-ish at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, selling out shows at Sydney Fringe Comedy, performing on ABC's Comedy Bites, Triple J's Good Az Friday, landing a gig writing jokes for Channel 10's The Project and appearing in the show's sketches, well as being selected to perform internationally on Carnival Cruise Lines.

Here's a video clip of Michael's performance at the 2016 RAW Comedy National Grand Final.

Enjoy!

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"Mostly Kosher" Band Celebrates Chanukah at Disney California Adventure

If you happened to be visiting Disneyland in California last month, you would have seen Mostly Kosher, the Jewish entry in Disney's Festival of Holidays including Chanukah. If you're visiting Walt Disney World in Florida this month, you're likely to have seen them performing there too at Epcot Center.

Mostly Kosher, the acclaimed Post-Klezmer Indie band, radically reconstructs Judaic and American cultural musical roots through ravenous klezmer beats and arresting Yiddish refrains. Mostly Kosher is a musical feast that explodes into a global food-fight of Jazz, Latin, Rock, Hip Hop, and Folk. Led by Leeav Sofer, one of Jewish Journal’s "30 under 30" most accomplished professionals in the Los Angeles' Jewish diaspora, Mostly Kosher is comprised of some of the highest regarded Los Angeles musicians: violinist Janice Mautner Markham, drummer Eric Hagstrom, bassist Adam Levy, accordion/trumpet Mike Bolger, trombonist Mike King, and on guitar, Will Brahm.

Mostly Kosher is a fixture at renowned Los Angeles stages such as the John Anson Ford Amphitheatre and Skirball Cultural Center, while also having graced the stage of the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion for a live television broadcast to over half a million viewers. Most recently, Mostly Kosher had the honor of being the first Jewish music ensemble at the Disney parks and performed a 2 month residency at Disney California Adventure, featured in the Festival of Holidays. Mostly Kosher was credited for “stealing the Festival of Holidays Show” by the acclaimed Fresh Baked Disney podcast.

Enjoy!

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Here Come the Chanukah Videos: Hanerot Halalu by Keepalive

Kippalive is an Israeli a cappella group that started out as a group of friends in Raanana who got together every Friday night to sing and were discovered while singing in the streets of Raanana.

We featured them previously in a cappella songs for Chanukah and Passover.

This year they're back again with an original rendition of Hanerot Halalu, the traditional song sung right after the candles are lit each night of Chanukah.

Enjoy!

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A Joke to Start the Week - "Two Garment Workers"

We're in the middle of Hanukkah, but we're taking a break from music videos to bring you another Joke to Start the Week.

Here is another oldie but goodie from Sam Hoffman's Old Jews Telling Jokes. The joke teller is graphic designer Milton Glaser, one of the co-founders of New York Magazine and the man who created the iconic "I ♥ NY" logo.

Here's the setup: There are two old geezers in the garment district. One is pressing and the other is ironing. And the guy who is ironing says "So Sam, what did you do this year on your vacation?" And then...

Enjoy!

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An Elvis Hanukkah with Shir Soul a Cappella and Key Tov's Elliot Dvorin

Hanukkah is the time of year when all the a cappella and musical groups come out with their annual music videos. It's a special treat when two groups come together to produce an ensemble video.

That's what we're getting this year with Elliot Dvorin, the lead singer of the Key Tov Orchestra joining in with Shir Soul to give us an Elvis Hanukkah.

Shir Soul is a wedding band and a cappella singing group founded in 2005 by David Ross.

With their eclectic mix of Jewish rock, pop, and soul music, Shir Soul has recorded a few albums and plays at weddings, bar/bat mitzvahs, and other occasions with musical instruments or a cappella.

We really like Elliot Dvorin and his Key Tov orchestra. We've shared a few of their very vibrant and melodic singing and dancing videos. In this video Elliot takes a break from his Chicago-based wedding band to perform with Shir Soul.

This Elvis Hanukkah mashup includes:
“Hanukkah Rock” based on Jailhouse Rock “S’vivon” based on Don’t Be Cruel “All Lit Up” based on All Shook Up “Ma’oz Tzur” based on Love Me Tender “Latke” based on Hound Dog “Al Hanisim” based on Can’t Help Falling in Love

Enjoy!

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Welcoming Shabbat with Adon Olam at the Hampton Synagogue

On this Shabbat Chanukah we're sharing a medley of Adon Olam versions that was sung just a few weeks ago in the Hampton Synagogue in Westhampton, New York.

The occasion was a 70th birthday concert in honor of Cantor Naftali Hershtik, the father of the synagogue's long time cantor, Netanel Hershtik. The two cantors were joined in the concert by four other cantors: Netanel Baram, David Berson, Azi Schwartz, and Gideon Zelermyer.

Naftali Hershtik is a well known chazzan (cantor) and teacher. He was born in Hungary and came with his family to Israel at the age of three. He is descended from a long line of cantors and Rabbis, and was recognized as a cantorial prodigy from his early childhood, singing as a teen in concerts with Cantor Moshe Koussevitzky. 

Enjoy and Shabbat shalom from Jerusalem.

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Throwback Thursday Hanukkah Special: SNL's Hanukkah Harry Saves Easter

One of our favorite Saturday Night Live characters was Hanukkah Harry, as played by Jon Lovitz. He first appeared on December 16, 1989 in a sketch titled "The Night Hanukkah Harry Saved Christmas". 

We couldn't find that sketch to share with you, but we did find Harry's second appearance on April 14, 1990, in a sketch titled "The Night Hanukkah Harry Saved Easter." It has a similar theme to the first sketch, but instead of filling in for Santa Claus who couldn't deliver toys because of a stomach virus, he helps out the Easter Bunny who can't deliver Easter baskets because of a leg injury.

In this sketch, Hanukkah Harry saves Easter for a poor family of gentile children with the help of an invisible (and thirsty) Elijah the Prophet and his trusty flying donkeys Moishe, Herschel, and Shlomo.

The Baltimore Sun has called Hanukkah Harry one of the best Saturday Night Live sketches of all time. We hope you enjoy this 27 year flashback.

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#Throwback Thursday   #TBT

Chanukah Around the World With the Womens' Performance Group of Jerusalem

Today we're sharing a KOL ISHA Chanukah music mash-up! 

Every month The Women's Performance Community of Jerusalem invites women/teens from all over the Greater Jerusalem area to participate in a performance-related activity in the OU Israel Center.

For this extra-special Chanukah event, they invited women anywhere to participate right from their homes (or their cars or their cactus gardens) and they did. Women from Toronto to Tuscon, New York to Neve Daniel are all included in this clip of holiday unity and love.

Enjoy!

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Chanukah Comes Early to the White House

Tonight Jews around the world will light the first Chanukah candle as the eight-day holiday begins.

A year ago we posted the Hanukkah candle lighting ceremony at the White House presided over by then President Barack Obama. 

This year Chanukah came early as President Donald Trump presided over a party to light the Chanukah menorah and celebrate the announcement a day earlier that the United States recognizes Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

The White House Hanukkah Party is an annual reception hosted by the U.S. President and First Lady to recognize and celebrate the Jewish festival of Hanukkah. The tradition was established in 2001, during the administration of President George W. Bush. 

At the White House party, attended by many friends and supporters of Israel, the candle lighting by President Trump's Jewish granddaughter Arabella Kushner was led by Rabbi Meir Soloveichik, the Rabbi of Congregation Shearith Israel in New York City, the oldest Jewish congregation in the United States.

He is the great nephew of Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik, the late leader of American Jewry who identified with what became known as Modern Orthodoxy. 

Because it was a few days before Chanukah, the blessing for lighting the candle was not said. Instead Rabbi Soloveichik said the first blessing, Shenatan michvodo l'basar vadam (Who bestows power and distinction upon flesh and blood), a blessing said when in the presence of a head of state. The second blessing was the Shehecheyanu.

The 7 minute version of the event appears below. You can see the full 21 minute version by clicking here.

We wish you a happy Chanukah from Jerusalem. Enjoy!

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A Joke to Start the Week - "She's Out of This World"

Yes, we know it's almost Chanukah. But Monday is Monday, and we have to start the week off with a joke. Otherwise, we know we'll get complaints from our Monday joke fans.

So here's another oldie from the archives of Sam Hoffman's Old Jews Telling Jokes. This one is told by Larry Aarons, a Marketing and Creative Director.

Here's the setup: A businessman walks into a bar. He sees this fabulous looking woman at the end of the bar and he says to the bartender "Get her a drink." And then...

Enjoy!

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Happy Chanukah from the Staff of Jewish Humor Central and the Mensch on the Bench

Office Depot/Office Max has partnered with the folks who created the Elf on the Shelf Christmas phenomenon and the associated Elf Yourself app and the creators of The Mensch on a Bench.

The result?  They've added a Jewish twist to the funny dance videos that let you add yourself and up to four others into the animated action.

Most of the animated dances feature familiar songs about Christmas and the winter holiday season. But now you can create a Chanukah themed dance, featuring the Hanukkah phenomenon, the Mensch on a Bench, and the popular a capella group, the Maccabeats, singing Oh Chanukah!

We've joined in the fun and created a video featuring the five members of our staff dancing like we've never danced before and wishing you a Chanukah that's filled with enough light and laughter to last eight days.

You can do the same with photos of your family and friends. Just follow the directions at elfyourself.com and choose the Hanukkah theme from among the many offered.

Enjoy!

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Welcoming Shabbat: Shalom Aleichem with Japanese Students in Tel Aviv

As we prepare for another Shabbat, we're posting our 20th version of Shalom Aleichem, the liturgical poem that was written by the Kabbalists of Safed in the late 16th or early 17th century.

The version that we're sharing today is one of the traditional melodies, but it's being sung in Tel Aviv by a group of Japanese students participating in a Visual Arts Young Leadership Program and singer David D'Or. The students seem glued to their smart phones while singing. We can only hope that they're carefully reading the lyrics and not texting their friends.

Enjoy, and Shabbat shalom!

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Throwback Thursday: A Look Back at The Good Old Days with British Comedian Bernard Spears

The Good Old Days was a BBC television light entertainment program which ran from 1953 to 1983 in the United Kingdom.

It was performed at the Leeds City Varieties and recreated an authentic atmosphere of the Victorian–Edwardian music hall with songs and sketches of the era performed by present-day performers in the style of the original artists.  

British music hall was similar to American vaudeville, featuring rousing songs and comic acts, while in the United Kingdom the term "vaudeville"' referred to more working-class types of entertainment that would have been termed "burlesque" in America.

The audience dressed in period costume and joined in the singing. In the course of its run it featured about 2,000 performers. Each show was up to an hour long. All acts were in the style of late Victorian/Edwardian stage acts.

One of the stars of The Good Old Days was Jewish comedian Bernard Spear. Here is one of his performances from 1980. Spear tells a few jokes and sings You Gotta Have a Little Mazel. Notice the elaborate Victorian hats and fancy dresses worn by the women attending the show.

Enjoy!

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#Throwback Thursday   #TBT