Today's Throwback Thursday musical showcase goes way, way back 72 years to 1952 when Joel Grey performed Honey Bun from South Pacific in a song and dance routine on The Ed Sullivan Show.
Enjoy!
After a series of theatrical
film shorts, also titled Candid Microphone,
Funt's concept came to television on August 10, 1948, and continued
into the 1970s.
The show involved concealing cameras filming ordinary people being
confronted with unusual situations, sometimes involving trick props,
such as a desk with drawers that pop open when one is closed or a car
with a hidden extra gas tank. When the joke was revealed, victims would
be told the show's catchphrase, "Smile, you're on Candid Camera."
Peter Funt joined the show professionally in 1987 when he became a co-host with his father. During this time the show was being broadcast on the CBS television network. In 1993, Allen Funt had a serious stroke, from which he never fully recovered. This required Peter to host the show full-time.
The show went through a few revivals. During his time on the show Peter was a producer, host and acted on the show. He also produced and hosted over 200 episodes.
Twenty years ago the Candid Camera team set up a pizza delivery service in which customers who ordered a large pizza received a large box with a tiny pizza in it. Let's watch the reactions of these unsuspecting customers when they opened the box and when they were told they're on Candid Camera.
Enjoy!
The main task of this show is to find and select universal vocalists who sing not only in different genres, but also in different languages. In the show, participants can demonstrate their vocal abilities to the audience and the jury both in the performance of jazz or rock, as well as folk songs or classical vocals.
In this episode aired on November 5, 13-year-old Sofiya Fadeyeva belts out a rousing version of Hava Nagila.
Enjoy!
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: The customer in the grocery store said to the clerk "I want to buy a half a head of lettuce." And then...
Enjoy!
Early on in her stand-up career, Cynthia became a regular at The Comedy Store and The Improv in Los Angeles. Cynthia has toured all over the United States and Canada with the comedy troupe, "Nice Jewish Girls Gone Bad” and has also performed for the U.S troupes overseas in Bosnia, Kosovo, Japan, Korea and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
In this video clip from one of her standup routines, Cynthia talks about romantic Jewish dinners and women's hairstyles.
Enjoy!
V'shamru is a verse from the Torah that emphasizes the importance of observing the Sabbath. The text of the blessing is taken from the Book of Exodus (Exodus 31:16-17) and is recited as follows:
“V’shamru v’nai Yisrael et haShabbat, la’asot et haShabbat l’dorotam brit olam."
In English, this translates to: “The children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant. Between Me and the children of Israel, it is a sign forever; for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed.”
Gormé was born in the Bronx to Sephardic Jewish parents Nessim Hasdai Gormezano and Fortuna "Fortunee" Gormezano. Both her parents were born in Turkey. The Gormezanos spoke several languages at home, including Ladino (also referred to as Judaeo-Spanish). Due to its close relationship with Castilian Spanish, Gormé was able to speak and sing in Spanish. She was distantly related (by marriage) to Neil Sedaka.
Eydie and her husband and singing partner Steve Lawrence have been among our favorite singers for many decades. Eydie died in 2013 and Steve 8 months ago. We miss them both but we still enjoy their duets and solos thanks to YouTube.
Enjoy!
The show involved concealed cameras filming ordinary people being confronted with unusual situations, sometimes involving trick props, such as a desk with drawers that pop open when one is closed or a car with a hidden extra gas tank. When the joke was revealed, victims were told the show's catchphrase, "Smile, you're on Candid Camera." The catchphrase became a song with music and lyrics by Sid Ramin.
Today
we're going back 61 years to 1963 when kids playing baseball were confronted with an unexpected situation: What happens when you're running to first base and the base runs away from you?
Enjoy!
We have resisted posting comedy videos about the current presidential election because of the heated political environment and strong passions about the candidates. But we think enough time has passed to be able to look back 24 years to the contest between George W. Bush and Al Gore.
And what better commentator on the political scene in 2000 than comedian Jackie Mason. In January 2001 he was a guest on a Canadian talk show hosted by standup comedian Mike Bullard.
Bullard was a Canadian stand-up comic and broadcaster. He was the host of two late-night talk shows, Open Mike with Mike Bullard on CTV from 1997 to 2003 and The Mike Bullard Show on Global from 2003 to 2004.
In this video clip from Bullard's talk show, Jackie Mason carries on about the ridiculous aspects of the election. He observes that 90 million gentiles voted but the result will depend on seven old Jews in wheelchairs in Miami.
Enjoy!
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 Mendel Kaplan and Father John Houlihan met at the town's Fourth of July picnic. And then...
Enjoy!
Yonah Paley has more than a decade of experience in genealogy. Through hard work, learning, and a strong knowledge of record-finding, he has managed to trace multiple lines back to the 1700s and excels at piecing together descendants and lost branches of families that were split up through emigration waves of the 1880s-1920s, as well as the Holocaust.
He specializes in researching Jews of Eastern Europe and the Baltic states and has localized specialties in parts of:
In this video he explains five ways in which European Jews changed their names from long Jewish sounding names to shorter versions or versions that had a more American or generic sound.
He counters the often cited claim that the original name was changed by a clerk in Ellis Island at the completion of the journey to America. Some of the changes are easily understood as they retain the basis of the original name, but others are completely unrelated.
What was your original family name, and how was it changed by a parent or grandparent? If you're into genealogical research, you might find some surprises in your background.
Enjoy!
Today we have another version of Lecha Dodi, one of the key musical poems in the Kabbalat Shabbat service on Friday night sung to the same tune. This version was performed by Student Cantor Kyra Goldman at Temple Kehillat Chaim, a diverse Reform congregation in Roswell, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta.
Enjoy, and Shabbat shalom!
In 1948, the Chorus changed its name to The Jewish People’s Philharmonic Chorus—likely to avoid scrutiny during the McCarthy era. Now that it's a century old, they changed the name again—to reflect the goals of learning, enjoying, and promoting the Yiddish language and Yiddish choral music.
The chorus is a multigenerational thirty-five-voice ensemble. They're students, professionals, and robust retirees, all in love with singing and committed to promoting Yiddish language and culture through beautiful four-part harmony.
Led by conductor Binyumen Schaechter, they perform each spring and fall at Merkin Concert Hall and most summers at the North American Jewish Choral Festival. They've also performed at Symphony Space, Carnegie Hall, Shea Stadium, West Point, Queens College, the World Trade Center site after 9/11, and places of worship throughout the New York metropolitan area.
Today we're sharing a video of the chorus singing Neil Diamond's "Zey kumen kin Amerike" ("They're Coming to America") as performed June 16, 2024 as the opening number of the concert on the theme of Jewish immigration, "From Varshe and Vilne to Vashington Heights," at the Merkin Hall at Kaufman Music Center in New York City.
Binyumen Schaechter is the chorus conductor and Seth Weinstein is the pianist.
Enjoy!
A video ad supporting President-elect Trump was posted on YouTube on Saturday, October 19. The ad, sponsored by the Republican Jewish Coalition, featured three Jewish women seated in a booth discussing some of the issues in the campaign.
A few days later, the same deli was used for a competing ad supporting Vice President Kamala Harris.
The ads were featured in a commentary by talk show host Michael Smerconish and posted on YouTube.
The deli, which serves traditional Jewish foods, is not under kosher supervision. In a response to a question on the internet about whether the meat served is kosher, the owner replied: "No, we are not a kosher deli.
We are more of a "New York" style deli-restaurant, but we do sell meat & cheese together as well as bacon, etc..."
If you look very closely, you will see that the coffee mugs on the table bear a clearly non-partisan, non-political message:
Here is the Smerconish post, including both ads.
Enjoy!
The Indigenous Embassy in Jerusalem does not represent a specific state or country. Rather, it embodies the voices of indigenous leaders and their people from across the world and will serve as a hub of information and a helping hand in the Promised Land.
The embassy opening was attended by leaders of indigenous communities from around the world (New Zealand, Australia, Hawaii, and the Pacific Islands), Dr. Mike Evans, Deputy Mayor of Jerusalem, and representatives from the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Speakers of the indigenous communities brought special gifts from overseas, expressed their true and strong support in Israel and finished with songs performed in Hebrew. The ceremony concluded with the grand unveiling of the embassy sign and the singing of Sh'ma Yisrael and Hava Nagila.
The representatives from Hawaii asked the indigenous leaders to stand and stretch out their hands over the audience of Israelis as they sang the Aaronic Blessing in Hawaiian. The delegation from Puerto Rico accompanied themselves on traditional instruments as they, too, sang blessings over Israel. A representative for the queen of Tonga read the Song of Moses from Deuteronomy 32:1–43.
Enjoy!
Rabbi Taub writes about Jewish mysticism and is also known for his work in the field of addiction recovery. He is a weekly columnist for Ami magazine.
Here's the setup: A non-Jew asked his Jewish friend to take him to his synagogue. On Saturday morning at the synagogue the non-Jew asked his Jewish friend what everything is about. And then...
Enjoy!
Enjoy!
A classically trained baritone, Halfon was born in England and grew up in London's ancient Spanish and Portuguese community under the tutelage of Rabbi Dr Abraham Levy z"l.
He studied Hazzanut with four of the outstanding cantors of the Western Sephardi tradition: Eliezer Abinun z"l, Abraham Beniso z"l, Abraham Lopes Cardozo z"l and Halfon Benarroch z"l. As a young man he received the call from Congregation Shearith Israel in New York to serve as Hazzan, and over the past 30 years he has been invited to sing in Sephardi synagogues across the world.
In 2006 he was appointed by the President of the State of Israel as Hazzan of the Presidential Synagogue. Daniel studied vocal production with Neil Semer and Kenneth Newbern in New York, and in Jerusalem with Jay Shir.
This spirited melody for Yigdal, which bears a striking, but probably wholly coincidental, resemblance to the Scottish folk song Coming Through The Rye, is a comparative late comer to the London repertoire. In all likelihood it was brought to Bevis Marks from the Netherlands by Hazzan Joseph Gomes de Mesquita (1878-1958). Although much loved, it is sung only occasionally on Shabbatot and Mo’adim. In the Portuguese community of Amsterdam, by contrast, this tune is the standard Erev Shabbat melody. In addition it provides an endearing setting for the table song Yah Ribon.
Enjoy, and Shabbat shalom!
His
stand-up comedy stood out from that of his fellow comedians in that he
only told simple one-liner jokes, a format that was picked up years
later by Rodney Dangerfield.
Henny explained the origin of his classic line "Take my wife, please"
as a misinterpretation: in the mid-1930s he took his wife to a show and
asked the usher to escort his wife to a seat. But his request was taken
as a joke, and Youngman used the line countless times ever after.
This video clip goes back 55 years to 1969. Enjoy!
Candid Camera was an American hidden camera/practical joke reality television series created and produced by Allen Funt, which initially began on radio as The Candid Microphone on June 28, 1947.
After a series of theatrical
film shorts, also titled Candid Microphone,
Funt's concept came to television on August 10, 1948, and continued
into the 1970s.
The show involved concealing cameras filming ordinary people being
confronted with unusual situations, sometimes involving trick props,
such as a desk with drawers that pop open when one is closed or a car
with a hidden extra gas tank. When the joke was revealed, victims would
be told the show's catchphrase, "Smile, you're on Candid Camera."
Peter Funt joined the show professionally in 1987 when he became a co-host with his father. During this time the show was being broadcast on the CBS television network. In 1993, Allen Funt had a serious stroke, from which he never fully recovered. This required Peter to host the show full-time.
The show went through a few revivals. During his time on the show Peter was a producer, host and acted on the show. He also produced and hosted over 200 episodes.
Twenty-two
years ago the Candid Camera crew placed a bowl of dollar bills on the counter of a gift shop with a sign saying that customers could take and keep only one. Let's see the results.
Enjoy!
Twelve films will be screened at the Regal Cinema Commerce Center, North Brunswick (November 7–17), and five films will be available virtually (November 15–21). In-theater and virtual tickets are $15.
The full schedule is posted on the festival website. Among the films shown will be the 86 minute documentary The Catskills, on Sunday, November 10 and Tuesday, November 12 at the Regal Cinema.
This charming documentary pays tribute to the summer resorts and bungalow colonies that became Jewish-American vacation destinations during the 20th century when hotels and resorts discriminated against Jews. Lovingly nicknamed the Borscht Belt, this film explores the Catskills not only as a hot spot for lavish meals and hilarious entertainment, but also as a refuge from social antisemitism.
Here's the trailer for The Catskills. If you can't get to the theater, the film will probably be shown at other Jewish Film Festivals around the USA next winter.
Enjoy!
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 Kaplan asked the congregation if anyone wanted to give thanks for prayers that were answered. And then...
Enjoy!
Having performed for Jewish organizations and causes all over the globe, Modi’s unique vantage point lends a birds-eye view of what it means to be Jewish in today’s day and age.
Modi’s performance represents a modern interpretation of the Borscht-belt comedians who came before him. Drawing inspiration from Jackie Mason and Alan King, Modi’s larger-than-life stage presence sends a clear message: be true to your audience and the rest will follow.
In this video clip from Know Your Audience, Modi explains how the Shabbat elevator was responsible for starting World War II.
Enjoy!
In the evening we welcome Shemini Atzeret, a separate holiday which leads into Simchat Torah. In Israel, both holidays are celebrated in a single day.
The search for a nice set of the four species is a big project in Israel, where stands are set up in the street and in front of stores where the etrogim (citrons) are on display for buyers to inspect and purchase.
In this video, singer Aaron Holder visits the Mahane Yehuda market in Jerusalem, smelling his way through many etrogim before finding the perfect one.
We will be observing Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah on Thursday and Friday, leading into another Shabbat. So Jewish Humor Central will be taking a break for two days, and we'll be back on Sunday with our usual mix of humor and music.
Enjoy, Chag Sameach, and Shabbat Shalom!
When the holidays fall on weekdays, and you add Shabbatot to the mix, finding a date for a meeting can leave the impression that you just don't want to have a meeting.
This situation is the subject of a comedy sketch that we found on the Jewish Sparks YouTube channel. In this humorous video, we join a Jewish individual as he navigates the complex calendar of Jewish holidays and hilariously explains to a customer why he couldn't meet in the past month.
With wit and laughter, he walks through the series of holiday events that have kept him occupied.
This comedic take on the challenges of scheduling during the Jewish holiday season will be familiar to many of our readers.
Enjoy!
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: A woman wakes up in the middle of the night. She looks around, and her husband is not in bed. And then...
Enjoy!
Born in Tel Aviv, Israel, Modi emigrated with his family to the United States at the age of seven and was raised on Long Island.
After graduating from Boston University, he worked as an investment banker until his first open-mic night made him realize that stand-up was his true calling. Equipped with a sharp wit and a knack for reading an audience, Modi has gone on to become a successful fixture in New York's vibrant comedy scene, often doing bits that incorporate his heritage, and he is a hit with diverse Jewish audiences as well as fans of all backgrounds and beliefs.
Here's Modi with an excerpt from one of his standup shows where he makes fun of the Hamptons and Westhampton.
The Hamptons are a popular summer destination for wealthy New Yorkers and celebrities. The area is known for its scenic beauty, historic charm, and luxury lifestyle. The Hamptons are made up of the towns of Southampton and East Hampton, and include many villages and hamlets.
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