Wacky Wednesday Comedy Showcase: Allan Sherman Joins Andy Williams in a Parody of Chim Chim Cheree

Allan Sherman dominated the world of song parody during the 1960s and recorded eight albums, starting with My Son the Folksinger.  

Listening to or reading his lyrics is a crash course in pop culture of the 1960s, with Sherman taking satiric swipes at summer camp, psychiatry, fad diets, Hadassah ladies, school dropouts, and upward mobility.

The popularity of his parodies got him many guest appearances on TV variety shows. In this video clip, Sherman joins Andy Williams in a take-off of Chim Chim Cheree that pokes fun at all the special ingredients touted in 1960s commercials, such as teflon, orlon, banlon, marfac, melmac, fluoristan, lanolin, and many others.

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.

 

Wishing Mel Brooks a Happy 95th Birthday

Mel Brooks turned 95 yesterday and his birthday triggered good wishes from other big names in the entertainment industry. 

Born Melvin Kaminsky in 1926, Brooks is known as a creator of broad film farces and comedic parodies. Brooks began his career as a comic and a writer for Sid Caesar's variety show Your Show of Shows (1950–1954) alongside Woody Allen, Neil Simon, and Larry Gelbart. Together with Carl Reiner, he created the comic character The 2000 Year Old Man. He wrote, with Buck Henry, the hit television comedy series Get Smart, which ran from 1965 to 1970.

In middle age, Brooks became one of the most successful film directors of the 1970s, with many of his films being among the top 10 moneymakers of the year they were released. His best-known films include The Producers (1967), The Twelve Chairs (1970), Blazing Saddles (1974), Young Frankenstein (1974), Silent Movie (1976), High Anxiety (1977), History of the World, Part I (1981), Spaceballs (1987), and Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993). A musical adaptation of his first film, The Producers, ran on Broadway from 2001 to 2007 and was remade into a musical film in 2005. 

Here are two short birthday greeting videos from Sarah Silverman with Conan O'Brien, and Jimmy Kimmel.

Happy Birthday, Mel !!!

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A Joke to Start the Week - "Engine Trouble"

It's another Monday, and time for another Joke to Start the Week. Today we're bringing you another joke told by David Apfel. 

Now living in Modiin, Israel, David Apfel is an accomplished entertainer and chazzan. He sings in several languages with repertoire ranging from the musicals to opera. He has officiated internationally at several orthodox synagogues and he also specializes in ''Kosher Komedie''.

Here's the setup for today's joke: After a meeting at Camp David between Israelis and Iranians, the Israeli chief negotiator and the Ayatollah find themselves in a plane that develops engine trouble. And then...

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 Minute of Yiddish: Cookie Kibitznik on How to Wear a Schmatte, Not How to Be One

Cookie Kibitznik, your favorite Jewish mother, is back. She's a tell-it-like-it-is, unfiltered, power-walking, pool-jogging, brisket-making giver of sage advice! She's here to teach you Yiddish, and you'll be plotzing from laughter!

These videos are not meant to compete with serious Yiddish language tutorials such as the new Duolingo  course or Rukhl Schaechter's Word of the Day lessons from the Forward. They focus on Yiddish words that you probably already know, but illustrate their use in hilarious ways. They are produced and acted out by a woman who reveals only her first name, Perri. In today's video and other that we will be sharing in the coming weeks, she assumes the identity of Cookie Kibitznik, a
yenta if we ever saw won.

In this episode, Cookie shows how to wear a schmatte, and how not to be one.

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.

Welcoming Shabbat with Yedid Nefesh by Beit Tefilah Israeli

Beit Tefilah Israeli (BTI) is a fast-growing community in Tel Aviv that is renewing and revitalizing the notion of prayer. Services at BTI combine live music, modern poetry and literature with the traditional prayer book. 

In recent years BTI became famous for its Summer Kabbalat Shabbat service at the Tel Aviv port, which attracts up to 800 worshippers each week. This phenomenon—attracting many secular Israelis who once felt marginalized by the Jewish community—is now being replicated in Jerusalem and throughout Israel. 

Today we welcome Shabbat with the BTI version of Yedid Nefesh, a liturgical poem at the beginning of the Kabbalat Shabbat service.

Enjoy, and Shabbat shalom!

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Throwback Thursday Comedy Special: Myron Cohen Tells Stories About Marital Infidelity and Close Calls

Today we're going back 50 years to 1971 and another great standup performance by Myron Cohen on The Ed Sullivan Show.

In this episode the legendary comedian spins a few short tales about marital infidelity and close calls. The audience loves it.

Enjoy!

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#Throwback Thursday       #TBT

Wacky Wednesday Comedy Showcase: Don Rickles Hosts Saturday Night Live in 1984

Born in Queens with the name Rikhters to a Yiddish-speaking family, Don Rickles began doing stand-up comedy performing in hotels in the Catskill Mountains in New York. 

He became known as an insult comedian by responding to his hecklers. The audience enjoyed these insults more than his prepared material, and he incorporated them into his act.

In 1984, Rickles hosted an episode of Saturday Night Live and delivered a monologue in which his political incorrectness spared no group from his insults. In less than 10 minutes he managed to cast aspersions on Italians, Irish, Jews, Blacks, Puerto Ricans, Chinese, fat people, and even (with difficulty) Swedes. But always funny in classic Rickles style, and not in a mean spirited way.

Enjoy!

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Comedy Special: Actress, Comedian, and Storyteller Annie Korzen on Funny Aspects of Moving

If there's anyone who knows how to make an audience laugh, it's Annie Korzen, a writer, actress, and performer who has appeared on Seinfeld and other TV shows, and was a regular on Old Jews Telling Jokes.

Korzen began her career as an actress-writer in New York's Off-Broadway scene. She has also worked in films (Tootsie, Stardust Memories, etc.). In Los Angeles, Annie had a recurring role on Seinfeld, playing Doris Klompus in the Florida condo. She also has been on E.R., Judging Amy, Oliver Beene and many other TV shows.

Annie created two solo shows that combine comedy, original music, and provocative issues. One of them is called Yenta Unplugged, a sophisticated 90-minute celebration of womanhood, from the Bronx to Beverly Hills.

She has appeared as a storyteller with The Moth Mainstage in L. A., Berkeley, and Boston, and has been a regular participant at spoken word venues in Los Angeles and New York. 

In this storytelling performance in 2019, Annie tells about what happened when she got an eviction notice and believed her life was over. Not true, as she discovered as the pain turned into laughs.

Enjoy!

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A Joke to Start the Week: "Charm School"

It's another Monday and time for another Joke to Start the Week. Today Mickey Greenblatt is back with another good one.

Marshal (Mickey) Greenblatt received degrees from Columbia (BA and BS in Flight Sciences), a DC from Von Karman Institute (1963) and his PhD from Princeton in Aerospace Sciences. He worked as a researcher for NASA and the Naval Research Laboratory. 

With four other scientists, he founded Fusion Systems Corporation, which invented microwave-powered UV lamps for drying coatings. He founded and served on the boards of technology companies and is active in volunteer work. He served on the executive committee of the Jewish Council for the Aging of Greater Washington for many years.

Mickey also loves Jewish jokes and sent us this one to share with you. Here's the setup: Rose and Mary are two middle aged women who happen to be sitting next to each other on a long distance flight. To pass the time they started to converse. And then...

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 Minute of Yiddish: Move That Tuchis with Cookie Kibitznik

Cookie Kibitznik, your favorite Jewish mother, is back. She's a tell-it-like-it-is, unfiltered, power-walking, pool-jogging, brisket-making giver of sage advice! She's here to teach you Yiddish, and you'll be plotzing from laughter!

These videos are not meant to compete with serious Yiddish language tutorials such as the new Duolingo  course or Rukhl Schaechter's Word of the Day lessons from the Forward. They focus on Yiddish words that you probably already know, but illustrate their use in hilarious ways. They are produced and acted out by a woman who reveals only her first name, Perri. In today's video and other that we will be sharing in the coming weeks, she assumes the identity of Cookie Kibitznik, a
yenta if we ever saw won.

In this episode, Cookie shows how to move your tuchis and reminisces about the days when it was more common to give a potch in tuchis and conduct business with tuchis afn tish.

Enjoy!

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Welcoming Shabbat with Adon Olam Sung by Cantor Gustavo Gitlin as an Argentinian Tango

In February we posted a version of Adon Olam sung by Gustavo Gitlin to Bob Dylan's Blowin' in the Wind. Gitlin, the cantor of Congregation Tifereth Israel , the oldest continuously operating Jewish congregation on Long Island, with roots traced back to the Civil War era. 

Located in Glen Cove, on Long Island's North Shore, it is led by Rabbi Irwin Huberman, a graduate of the Academy of Jewish Religion, a rabbinical seminary that embraces all Jewish denominations.

Cantor Gitlin comes from a family of musicians and his grandfather was a cantor. He moved with his family to Glen Cove from Buenos Aires, Argentina in 2003.

Today we welcome Shabbat with a more traditional version as Cantor Gitlin returns to his roots in Buenos Aires and sings Adon Olam as a pair of tango dancers perform Argentina's national dance.

Enjoy, and Shabbat shalom!

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Throwback Thursday Comedy Showcase: Buddy Hackett on Johnny Carson Show in 1986

Today we're turning back the clock to October 7, 1986. 

In one of his many appearances on Johnny Carson's Tonight Show, comedian Buddy Hackett comes through with his father's explanation of canine mating on the streets of New York, comments about the status of Soviet Jews in Gorbachev's USSR, and a skillful retelling of one of the oldest and funniest Jewish jokes ever told.

Enjoy!

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#Throwback Thursday    #TBT

Wacky Wednesday Comedy Special: Pee Wee Herman on the Conan O'Brien Show

Pee-wee Herman is a comic fictional character created and portrayed by Jewish American comedian Paul Reubens. Born Paul Rubenfeld in Peekskill, New York, his father was one of the founding pilots of the Israeli Air Force during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war.

He is best known for his films and television series during the 1980s. The childlike Pee-wee Herman character developed as a stage act that quickly led to an HBO special in 1981. As the stage performance gained further popularity, Reubens took the character to motion picture with Pee-wee's Big Adventure in 1985, toning down the adult innuendo for the appeal of children. 

This paved the way for Pee-wee's Playhouse, an Emmy Award-winning children's series that ran on CBS from 1986 to 1991. Another film, Big Top Pee-wee, was released in 1988, and after a lengthy hiatus, a third film, Pee-wee's Big Holiday, was released by Netflix in 2016.

Due to negative media attention following a scandal in 1991, Reubens decided to shelve his alter ego during the 1990s, then gradually resurrected it during the following decade. It was at that time that Reubens addressed plans to write a new Pee-wee film, Pee-wee's Playhouse: The Movie. In June 2007, Reubens appeared as Pee-wee Herman for the first time since 1992 at Spike TV's Guys' Choice Awards.

In this video clip from an interview with Conan O"Brien, Pee Wee makes a grand entrance and shows off his Phony Phone Phone Ringer Excuse and his balloon trick.

Enjoy!

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Jewish Traces in Unexpected Places: The Jewish World of Elvis Presley

Elvis and Jews: At first glance these two words may not seem to go together. But the truth is that, despite growing up in a fundamentalist Christian family in the Deep South - an area sometimes known for its anti-Semitism - Elvis Presley nevertheless developed a deep affinity to Jews.

A new book, The Jewish World of Elvis Presley, by Roselle Kline Chartock celebrates Elvis's Jewish roots and the influence of his vast Jewish inner circle that goes back to his days of childhood poverty.

This book contains answers to two questions: What accounted for this deep affinity? And what was the nature of the personal relationships Elvis developed with the Jews he befriended in Memphis - including merchants and members of his inner circle, the Memphis Mafia - and those he met in the music and movie industries? 

Today's video clip of an interview with the author on Israel's i24news reveals a little-known side of this rock 'n' roll icon, including Presley's own Jewish heritage. There is within this book ample evidence that Presley's personality as well as his musical gifts were, in part, shaped by his Jewish world.

Enjoy!

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A Joke to Start the Week: A Martian Needs Parts for His Spacecraft

It's another Monday and time for another Joke to Start the Week. This week we're posting another joke from Dr. Jay Orlikoff, a retired dentist from Centereach, New York, a community on Long Island in Suffolk County.

After a distinguished and meritorious dental career, he is shifting his focus to telling and posting jokes on YouTube. We were fortunate to find some of his jokes and we're sharing one of the family-friendly ones with you today. 

Here's the setup: A Martian is having trouble with his spacecraft and he's forced to land on earth. So he lands in this vacant parking lot. He's looking around for parts when he spots a deli across the street. And then...

Enjoy!

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A Minute of Yiddish: Today Cookie Kibitznik is Completely Farblondjet

Cookie Kibitznik, your favorite Jewish mother, is back. She's a tell-it-like-it-is, unfiltered, power-walking, pool-jogging, brisket-making giver of sage advice! She's here to teach you Yiddish, and you'll be plotzing from laughter!

These videos are not meant to compete with serious Yiddish language tutorials such as the new Duolingo  course or Rukhl Schaechter's Word of the Day lessons from the Forward. They focus on Yiddish words that you probably already know, but illustrate their use in hilarious ways. They are produced and acted out by a woman who reveals only her first name, Perri. In today's video and other that we will be sharing in the coming weeks, she assumes the identity of Cookie Kibitznik, a yenta if we ever saw won.

In this episode, Cookie gives examples of all the ways that we can get completely farblondjet.

Enjoy!

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Welcoming Shabbat with a Persian Version of Lecha Dodi from Iran by Cantor Jacqueline Rafii

After posting 41 versions of Lecha Dodi we thought we had heard them all, but they keep on coming. Tonight we welcome Shabbat with a Persian Jewish version of Lecha Dodi from Teheran, Iran. It's sung by Cantor Jacqueline Rafii of the Shomrei Torah Synagogue in West Hills, California.

Cantor Rafii was ordained as a Hazzan and earned her Master's in Sacred Jewish Music from the Academy for Jewish Religion California. She is a Wexner Graduate Fellow, one of twenty young Jewish leaders in North America selected annually to help strengthen the future of Jewish America. Prior to becoming a cantor, Cantor Rafii earned her J.D. from UCLA School of Law and subsequently practiced entertainment law in Los Angeles for three years. She also served as cantorial soloist at Sinai Temple, Wilshire Boulevard Temple, Temple Emanuel, Kehillat Ma’arav, and other congregations throughout Los Angeles. 

Enjoy, and Shabbat shalom!

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Throwback Thursday Comedy Special: The Hickenloopers (Sid Caesar & Imogene Coca) in "Going Out Saturday Night"

It's Throwback Thursday again and today we get another chance to go back 67 years to 1951 and another episode of The Hickenloopers on Your Show of Shows.

Sid Caesar and Imogene Coca starred in many episodes of the hilarious marital tribulations of Doris and Charlie Hickenlooper.

In this sketch, Doris Hickenlooper (Imogene Coca) wants to go out to dinner and a movie Saturday Night. Charlie (Sid Caesar) goes along with the plan but traffic and parking get in the way.

Enjoy!

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   #Throwback Thursday     #TBT

Hava Nagila Around the World: British Singer Matt Monro Sings "A Gaelic Version"

We've posted 95 versions of Hava Nagila so far (scroll down and click on the keyword in the left column to see them all) and we still haven't run out of them. Today we're turning the calendar back to 1970 when British singer Matt Monro gave his television audience a treat by singing a lively version of this Hebrew classic. 

Monro became one of the most popular entertainers on the international music scene during the 1950s and 1970s. Known as The Man with the Golden Voice, he filled cabarets, nightclubs, music halls, and stadiums across the world in his 30-year career.

In this 1970 performance, Monro played with his audience, introducing Hava Nagila as a Gaelic song.

Enjoy!

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Comedy Showcase: Elon Gold's Stand-Up Comedy

Today we came across an undated video clip of a stand-up comedy performance by Elon Gold. 

In it he does imitations of Jeff Goldblum and Jerry Seinfeld, reflects on the different head and neck motions of various ethnic groups, and the lack of Jewish astronauts and contestants on The Price is Right. 

Enjoy!

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A Joke to Start the Week - "Aliyah"

It's another Monday and time for another Joke to Start the Week. Today Mickey Greenblatt is back with another good one.

Marshal (Mickey) Greenblatt received degrees from Columbia (BA and BS in Flight Sciences), a DC from Von Karman Institute (1963) and his PhD from Princeton in Aerospace Sciences. He worked as a researcher for NASA and the Naval Research Laboratory. 

With four other scientists, he founded Fusion Systems Corporation, which invented microwave-powered UV lamps for drying coatings. He founded and served on the boards of technology companies and is active in volunteer work. He served on the executive committee of the Jewish Council for the Aging of Greater Washington for many years.

Mickey also loves Jewish jokes and sent us this one to share with you. Here's the setup: Rabbi Yurofsky approaches a guest in shul on Shabbat and says "I'd like to give you an aliyah. What's your name?" And then...

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 Minute of Yiddish: Cookie Kibitznik on All the Ways That You Can Plotz

Cookie Kibitznik, your favorite Jewish mother, is back. She's a tell-it-like-it-is, unfiltered, power-walking, pool-jogging, brisket-making giver of sage advice! She's here to teach you Yiddish, and you'll be plotzing from laughter!

These videos are not meant to compete with serious Yiddish language tutorials such as the new Duolingo  course or Rukhl Schaechter's Word of the Day lessons from the Forward. They focus on Yiddish words that you probably already know, but illustrate their use in hilarious ways. They are produced and acted out by a woman who reveals only her first name, Perri. In today's video and other that we will be sharing in the coming weeks, she assumes the identity of Cookie Kibitznik, a yenta if we ever saw won.

In this episode, Cookie gives the simple definition of the word plotz, and goes on to show the many different situations where it can be used.

Enjoy!

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Welcoming Shabbat with Sim Shalom by the Los Angeles Jewish Symphony

The Los Angeles Jewish Symphony performs orchestral works of well-known as well as not widely recognized Jewish composers. 

It establishes opportunities for the presentation of new compositions by Jewish artists, serves as a professional resource for aspiring Jewish and non-Jewish musicians, acts as an educational medium for Jewish music and composers, and provides educational opportunities for diverse populations of school-age children. 

With this video, we welcome another Shabbat with the LAJS performing Sim Shalom, part of the Shabbat liturgy.

Enjoy, and Shabbat shalom! 

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Throwback Thursday Comedy Showcase: Groucho Marx Hosts Phyllis Diller as a Contestant on "You Bet Your Life"

On this Throwback Thursday we're turning the clock and calendar back 65 years to 1957, when Groucho Marx was in his heyday as host of the weekly show You Bet Your Life.

The show debuted on ABC Radio on October 27, 1947, then moved to CBS Radio debuting October 5, 1949, before making the transition to NBC-TV and NBC Radio on October 4, 1950. Because of its simple format, it was possible to broadcast the show simultaneously on radio and television. 

The last episode in its radio format aired on June 10, 1960. On television, however, the series continued for another year, debuting in its final season on September 22, 1960, and with a new title, The Groucho Show. 

In this 1957 episode, Phyllis Diller appears as a contestant -- a housewife from Ohio who just started out in the entertainment industry. It was Diller's first appearance on national TV. She went on to become a stand-up comedy legend for 45 years.

Enjoy!

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#Throwback Thursday     #TBT

Wacky Wednesday Comedy Showcase: Gilda Radner and Steve Martin Spoof Original Astaire-Charisse "Dancing in the Dark"

In 1978 Saturday Night Live ran a spoof of the famous Central Park dance scene between Fred Astaire and Cyd Charisse in the 1953 movie The Band Wagon. It featured Gilda Radner and Steve Martin attempting to do the same steps as Astaire and Charisse. 

But instead of grace and elegance in the dance, Radner and Martin prance clumsily around the floor and stage of the nightclub set.

If you don't remember the original Astaire-Charisse number, we're including a video clip of the classic dance just below the SNL version.

Enjoy!

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Valley Beth Shalom Sings Hinei Ma Tov to Honor its Teachers

Valley Beth Shalom is a Conservative synagogue in Encino, Los Angeles, California. With approximately 1,500 member families it is one of the largest synagogues in Los Angeles and one of the largest Conservative synagogues in the United States.

The synagogue leadership, faculty, and students recently celebrated their return to regular school after a year of pandemic by singing Hinei Ma Tov with music by Eric Lindberg and Doni Zasloff of Nefesh Mountain.

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.