Update: The Senior Citizens Who Celebrate Shabbat at Wendy's

Last year we posted a story and a trailer about a short film called Wendy's Shabbat. It's about a group of Jewish senior citizens in Palm Desert, California who celebrate the weekly Shabbat at the local Wendy’s fast food restaurant with Hebrew blessings over (non-kosher) burgers and fries, presided over by a 97-year-old Reform rabbi.

The friends usher in the Sabbath by candlelight, with challah bread and grape juice (no wine at Wendy's) to complement their chicken nuggets, chili and fries. Shabbat is typically observed at home with family, but here these seniors share in the celebration of their religion at Wendy’s. The Wendy’s staff, somewhat tickled and honored to be the site of such ritual, arrange the restaurant tables into a long row and prepare milkshakes for each attendee.

This is a story of rediscovering the joys of community again in older age, and in the longing for ritual, however unorthodox and non-kosher it may be. There are themes of love, of ritual and of community -- all within the context of an adorable scene at Wendy’s.
The film has been making the rounds of many film festivals in 2018 and 2019 and has been a magnet for many comments, both positive and negative.

Here is our reaction to the comments, especially the ones critical of observing Shabbat this way:

Of course it’s not how to celebrate Shabbat. But instead of criticizing the participants, it’s an indictment of the Jewish community that they don’t provide a kosher alternative. With all the Chabads and JFSs and synagogues of all denominations, how can they let a group of elderly and infirm Jews with a spark of Yiddishkeit feel that the only way they can experience the joys of Shabbat is to celebrate Shabbat at Wendy’s?

Shame on the Jewish community. I hope that this film will be a wake-up call and that the organizations who shout “social justice” will create a meaningful, kosher, and fulfilling way for these old Jewish folks to have a weekly wholesome Shabbat experience.

So far we haven't seen any follow-ups to this film and story in the press, and we don't know if the weekly Wendy's Shabbat gatherings are continuing. But in the interest of alerting Jewish institutions to the need for a more traditional Shabbat experience, we're sharing the full 10 minute video with you.

Shabbat shalom!

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Throwback Thursday Comedy Special: Woody Allen Standup Comedy - Vodka Ad and Las Vegas

In the early 1960s, before he started down the road of producing, directing, and acting in 65 films, Allen began performing as a stand-up comic, emphasizing monologues rather than traditional jokes. 

As a comic, he developed the persona of an insecure, intellectual, fretful nebbish, which he maintains is quite different from his real-life personality. 

In 2004, Comedy Central ranked Allen in fourth place on a list of the 100 greatest stand-up comics, while a UK survey ranked Allen as the third greatest comedian.

For this Throwback Thursday, let's turn the calendar back to 1967 and see Woody in a standup routine on the Dean Martin Show talking about the time when he was offered a role in a vodka ad and when he performed in Las Vegas.
 
Enjoy!

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#Throwback Thursday   #TBT

Jewish Traces in Unexpected Places: 18 (Chai) Versions of Shlomo Carlebach's "Am Yisroel Chai"

Shlomo Carlebach's music binds Jews of all kinds from all over the world, as seen in this three-minute mixtape of chai (18) kinds of Jews singing it - from Israeli soldiers to Reform cantors to yeshiva boys to Disney performers to Ethiopian Jews to passengers on Jerusalem's light rail. 

Bibi Netanyahu, Menachem Begin, and Reb Shlomo's own daughter Neshama all make appearances. 

The video was compiled for David Benkof's session "How Did Debbie Friedman and Shlomo Carlebach Liberate Jewish Music?" at Limmud Mallorca and Limmud Manchester, summer 2019.

Enjoy! 

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(A tip of the kippah to David Benkof for bringing this video to our attention.)

Stand-up Comedians Are Getting Younger - Meet 15-Year-Old Leo Lytel

Leo Lytel, a 15-year-old high school freshman, has been making the rounds of comedy clubs and was a contestant on The Voice. He captivated the panelists on that TV show with his awkward delivery and funny comments on the launching of his comedy career.

Leo's funniest line was that he has already achieved the goals of many comedians -- he has a Jewish writer (his father) and his agent is a girl he used to sleep with (his mother).

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A Joke to Start the Week - "Clock Shop"

It's Monday again! Time for another joke to start the week. Today we're really digging deep into the Old Jews Telling Jokes treasure chest to come up with a real oldie but real goodie. Today's joke teller is auditor Lawrence Goldberg.

Here's the setup: This fellow has an antique clock. He's had it for years and it's kept perfect time. All of a sudden the clock stops. And then...

Enjoy!

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Rebbetzin Rivka Leah Zelwig Talks About Health - A Parody

She's back again. We haven't seen "Rebbetzin Rivka Leah Zelwig" aka actress and comedian Danielle Jacobs for awhile, but she's back with another funny commentary about being healthy. We've posted her funny Pesach preparation video and others on Purim and Chanukah in previous years.

Now she's back in character with a few timely tips on staying healthy. Enjoy!

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Debbie Friedman's Havdalah - Sung in Every Corner of the Jewish World

There's a rich lode of musical endings to Shabbat, and Havdalah ceremonies around the world reflect the traditional and local musical tastes of each location. But one version, with music by Debbie Friedman, has managed to penetrate every corner of the Jewish world.

Here's a video to save for tomorrow night at the conclusion of Shabbat. Playing it after dark will give us a reminder of the sweet taste of Shabbat and energize us to face the challenges of the coming week.

In this video compilation, watch Hasidic Jews, Reform rabbis, Black African Jews, Conservative youth, Haredim, Modern Orthodox Jews, Messianic (Christian) "Jews," Marines, Chabadniks, German descendants of Nazis, West Bank yeshiva boys, women cantors, modern Orthodox teens, Jews from the former Soviet Union, and Debbie Friedman herself sing this classic tune that marks the end of Shabbat.

Shabbat shalom! 

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 THEPLAY BUTTON IN THE VIDEO IMAGE TO START THE VIDEO. 

Eurovision Song Contest: Israel Hosts But Doesn't Repeat 2018 Win

The 2019 Eurovision song contest, hosted by Israel last week in Tel Aviv, was watched by an audience of 1.3 million people. Israel won the right to host the event because it was the winner last year, with Netta Barzilai's performance of the song Toy.

This year, Israel didn't do so well, with Kobi Marimi's song Home finishing in 23rd place. But the run up to the performance was notable because the Jewish Agency produced a music video of the song in American Sign Language (ASL) to make it accessible to the deaf and hearing-impaired population in Diaspora communities around the world.

The video cuts from one location to another, with the signers in harmony as they act out the lyrics in New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Florida, California, Virginia, DC, New York, Massachusetts, Texas, Pennsylvania, Missouri, Washington, Rhode Island, Indiana, South Africa, Canada, Greece, Uruguay, and Brazil.

Here's the Eurovision performance by Kobi Marimi followed by the Jewish Agency's ASL version.

Enjoy!

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Jewish Traces in Unexpected Places: Inside Nigeria's Jewish Community

They pray like Jews. They study like Jews. They keep the Jewish dietary laws. They observe the Jewish Holidays. But are they Jews?

Igbo Jews are members of the Igbo people of Nigeria who practice a form of Judaism. They either adopted Judaism newly, or are descendants of the Jews of Bilad el-Sudan. 

Over the past decades, some of members of the Igbo have migrated to Israel and especially to Tel Aviv, to fully connect themselves with their religion and ancestries. This wave of immigration can also be explained by the strong diaspora established in Israel since Nigeria was granted independence in 1960.

Nevertheless, the Igbo Jewish community is not recognized by the Israel's Supreme Court or by any other Jewish religious group. Indeed, while they identify themselves as part of the worldwide Jewish community, they are still struggling to be recognized by other Jews.

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Comedy Snapshot: Benji Lovitt on Israelis Shopping in America

Standup comedian Benji Lovitt got started in Texas, moved to Jerusalem and then to Tel Aviv. He's been living in Israel for 13 years now. He performs for audiences in Israel and the US.

We keep running into him when we travel to Israel, the latest encounter having been during the week of Passover in April.

Benji’s observations on Israeli society, combined with his lifelong involvement in Jewish education, create a hilarious narrative that has brought smiles to faces all over the world.

Since making aliyah in 2006, Benji has been called on by Jewish organizations to share his hilarious insights into cultural differences as he translates both the challenges and marvels of life in Israel.

In this short video clip, Benji shares his observations about Israelis shopping in America.

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 THEPLAY BUTTON IN THE VIDEO IMAGE TO START THE VIDEO. 

A Joke to Start the Week - "The Waiter and the Spoon"

It's another Monday already, and time for another Joke to Start the Week.

This week we're dipping deep into the Old Jews Telling Jokes archive to come up with an oldie but goodie as told by retired carpet businessman Bernie Leibowitz.

Here's the setup: My wife and I were in this famous restaurant in Philadelphia and where all the waiters wear tuxedos. And I noticed that they all had a spoon in their pocket. And then...

Enjoy!

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Koolulam Unites Israel (Tower of David) and America (AIPAC Conference) in Song

On March 24th, at the general session of the AIPAC Annual Conference in Washington D.C., Koolulam brought 18,000 people together to sing an original song for the first time in Koolulam history. 

Together with a simultaneous broadcast of 1,000 Israelis singing the same song at the Old City of Jerusalem, the United States and Israel sent a message - the two countries are connected for good.  

Koolulam is a social-musical initiative, meant to bring together people from any and all walks of life. The idea is to simply stop everything for a few hours and just sing - together.

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 THEPLAY BUTTON IN THE VIDEO IMAGE TO START THE VIDEO.

 

Welcoming Shabbat with Lecha Dodi by Manginah - the Brandeis a Cappella Group

Founded in 1994, Manginah is Brandeis University’s premier co-ed Jewish a cappella group. Partnered with Hillel, Manginah sings a mixture of culturally Jewish, Israeli pop, and English pop songs.

Located in Waltham, Massachusetts at Brandeis University, Manginah has served the greater Boston community with an enthusiasm for Judaism, music, and any ways those two combine!

Manginah is proud to perform for the residents of the Coleman House retirement home in Newton every semester. Recently, the group has been increasing its regional profile by winning third place in the New England Jewish Collegiate A Capella and Showcase at Temple Sholom. 

Manginah's version of Lecha Dodi is the 25th that we've posted since starting Jewish Humor Central. You can see and hear all of them by scrolling the keyword list at the left side of this page.

Enjoy, and Shabbat shalom! 

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