Vehi She'amda Performed in Concert by Yeshiva Bnei Kinor David with Orchestra and Chorus

Vehi she'amda l'avoteinu v'lanu. (And it is she who stood for our ancestors and for us.)

This line from the Passover Haggadah is the opening to a key paragraph acknowledging the fact that in every generation someone rises up to attack the Jewish people, but God is there to save us.  

The students and staff of Yeshiva Bnei Kinor David, inspired by these words and the "Homeland Concert" project with 1,000 musicians in Caesarea, decided to contribute their part to lifting the spirit of the people by singing and playing mass music to the beloved tune of Yonatan Razel, and to send a gift for Passover with love to the people of Israel in prayer to the Creator of the world.  

Like the Homeland Concert, this version of Vehi she'amda is performed in an open amphitheater with a full chorus and orchestra consisting of old and new instruments.

We will be observing the last two days of Pesach tomorrow and Tuesday and not posting until Wednesday.

Chag sameach!

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Welcoming Shabbat Chol Hamoed With a Special Pesach Version of Shalom Aleichem

Tonight we welcome another Shabbat. It's a special one because it falls on Chol Hamoed, the intermediate days of Passover.

Cantor Thom King of Beth El Congregation in Baltimore, Maryland has come up with a unique rendition of Shalom Aleichem, sung to the tune of Ma Nishtana.

Enjoy, Shabbat Shalom, and Moadim L'Simcha.

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The Israel Philharmonic with the IDF Orchestra - Naomi Shemer's "Al Kol Eleh"

 

"Please do not uproot the planted, Do not forget the hope. 

Bring me back and I shall return to the good land." 

Today is Chol Hamoed, the intermediate day of Passover, but it's still a struggle to say "Happy Holidays". We found words of encouragement and comfort in the song "Al Kol Eleh”, (For All These), the words of encouragement that Naomi Shemer wrote to her widowed sister. 

Join us in watching and listening to the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra and the musicians of the IDF Orchestra conducted by Major Rom Shamir in this timeless entreaty to God. We hope the line "Hashiveni v'ashuva" (Bring me back and I shall return) is heard and that our hostages return soon. 

Moadim L'simcha!

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V'hi She'amda - Timeless Haggadah Song Illusrated in Sand Drawing by Aharon Bernstein

The artist and painter Aharon Z. Bernstein paints scenes in sand to accompany a music video of Yonatan Razel's song V'hi Sheamda.  

The sand drawings illustrate the way that God saves us from our enemies, from the evil pharaoh through Haman, Greeks, Romans, Inquisition, the Holocaust, to our present day.  

And this is that (promise)
which sustained our fathers and us.

That it is not one (enemy) alone
that stood up against us to destroy us.

But that in each generation there are those
standing up against us to destroy us.

But the Holy One Blessed Be He
saves us from their hand. 

We will be celebrating the first days of Pesach with family and friends at home and in the synagogue, so we will not be posting tomorrow and Wednesday. We'll be back on Thursday with more Passover content.

Enjoy, and have a happy and kosher Pesach! 

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Naftali Bennett Explains History of Zionism in 3 Minutes to University of Michigan Students

Last week Naftali Bennett, former Prime Minister of Israel, spoke to a group of students at the University of Michigan. In three minutes, he explained the history of Jews and Zionism clearly and concisely.

Bennett explained that Jews founded their first commonwealth in Israel 3,000 years ago and have continuously lived there since then. He discussed the origin of the name Palestine and how the Jews are the indigenous residents of the land.

The video is posted on YouTube and most of the comments, including readers from Syria, Lebanon, and Uganda are positive, thanking him for his history lesson. 

It's a timely lesson, one which should be shared widely as we absorb the images and reflect on the happenings in Israel since October 7 and as we prepare for the seder tomorrow night.

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Welcoming Shabbat with a Kabbalat Shabbat Medley by a Cappella Group Rabotai

Rabotai (meaning gentlemen) is a fresh and exciting Jewish a cappella group comprised of energetic vocal talent and professional beatboxing. 

Coming from different corners of the world, its members found each other in Israel, where they are rapidly becoming a sought after group to entertain audiences big and small. They specialize in mixing classical Jewish songs with modern pop. 

Today we're sharing a medley of songs from the Kabbalat Shabbat Friday night service by the Rabotai singers.

Enjoy, and Shabbat shalom!

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A Yiddish Dayenu from the Folksbiene "Third Seder"

 

As we get ready for the first (and in Israel, the only) Passover seder next Monday evening, we're sharing a version of Dayenu from The Third Seder, a long standing Yiddish cultural tradition.

 

The event, convened in 2021 by Rabbi Avram Mlotek at the Marlene Myerson JCC of Manhattan, featured the leading stars of the Klezmer and Yiddish stage. 

 

The performers included Bob Abelson, Michael Alpert, Alan Bern, Nicole Borger. Joanne Borts, Josh Dolgin, Sarah Gordon, Adrianne Greenbaum, Elmore James, Craig Judelman, Daniel Kahn, Yeva Lapsker, Leon Lapsker Kahn, Yanky Lemmer, Marilyn Lerner, Shura Lipovsky, Frank London, Sasha Lurje, Avram Mlotek, Ravi Mlotek, Sarah Mlotek, Zalm, n Mlotek, Eleanor Reissa, Merlin Shepherd, Polina Shepherd, Ilya Shneyveys, Dinah Slepovitch, Zisl Slepovitch, Lorin Sklamberg, Steven Skybell, Eric Stein, Theresa Tova, Susan Lankin-Watts, Tatiana Wechsler, Steven Weintraub,  and Michael Winograd.

 

The event was sponsored by The National Yiddish Theatre-Folksbiene

in partnership with Base MNHTN, KlezKanada, The Forward, Forvertz, Kadimah – Jewish Cultural Centre , Yiddish Book Center, Sholem Aleichem College, Jewish Labour Bund Melbourne, Penina Zylberman Yiddish Cultural and Educational Foundation, Kleztival, Ashkenaz Festival, Yiddish Summer Weimar, Shalom Foundation and I. B. Singer Yiddish Festival in Warsaw, YUNG YiDiSH Tel Aviv, YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, Museum of Jewish History – Living Memorial to the Holocaust, The Workers Circle, Vaybertaytsh, Dora Wasserman Yiddish Theatre, and Jewish Music Institute – Instituto da Música Judaica -Brasil.

 

Enjoy!

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An ABBA Musical Passover Tribute by Six13 - "Matza Pizza"

Anchored by a strong Jewish identity and driven by a mission to connect Jews around the globe with their heritage through music, professional Jewish a cappella group Six13 are the originators of today's Jewish a cappella sound. 

They've performed to rave reviews at the White House and ten of thousands more at synagogues, religious schools, JCCs, fundraising events, B'nai Mitzvah and private affairs alike. They’ve appeared all over mainstream media, received numerous awards for their eight best-selling CDs, been selected as finalists for casting in NBC's "The Sing-Off", and garnered more than 20 million views online.

Now Six13 has released a new musical video for Passover based on ABBA's greatest hits, including Dancing Girl, Take a Chance on Me, A Man After Midnight, and Mamma Mia. 

Enjoy!

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Moses Isn't in the Haggadah: A New Song for Passover

In six days, Jews all over the world will get together with their families and friends and open their Haggadot for the Passover seder. 

Is it really true that Moses isn't in the Haggadah? Well, not exactly. His name appears explicitly in the section of the Haggadah in which Rabbi Yossi the Galilean argues that since the “finger of God” was used to inflict 10 plagues, now that the “hand of God” (five fingers) was raised against the Egyptians, they actually suffered fifty plagues at the Red Sea.

Here is the verse: “And when Israel saw the great hand which the Lord had wielded against the Egyptians, the people feared the Lord; they had faith in the Lord and His servant Moses” (Ex. 14:31).

But the tradition remains that Moses does not appear in the Haggadah to teach us that God deserves all the credit for taking us out of Egypt.

Eliana Light, a songwriter and performer of catchy, content-rich tunes for all ages, has just released a new YouTube video with the campers and staff of Camp Ramah Darom called Moses Isn't in the Haggadah. It's a worthy addition to the growing collection of popular tunes that get added to the seder every year.

Enjoy!

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A Joke to Start the Week - "The Atheist and the Bear"

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: Morris Goldstein was born Jewish but he'd become an Atheist. Nature was his god. One day he's out walking in the woods. And then...

Enjoy!

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A Prayer for the State of Israel by IDF Chief Cantor Shai Abramson

As Israel reacts to the unprecedented Iranian attack on the country today, we join Am Yisrael worldwide in the Prayer for the State of Israel as sung by Shai Abramson, Chief Cantor of the Israel Defense Forces. 

This prayer was recorded on the 55th anniversary of Israel's reunification of Jerusalem.

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Welcoming Shabbat with Ana Bekoach Sung by Shulem Lemmer

It's Friday again and time to welcome another Shabbat. Today we're sharing another rendition of the Kabbalistic prayer Ana Bekoach.

The singer is Shulem Lemmer.

Raised in Boro Park, Brooklyn, Shulem’s singular voice has gained widespread attention in the Chasidic community and beyond. Shulem made history as the first born-and-raised Orthodox singer to ever sign a major record deal in the U.S. His recent contract with Universal Music’s Decca Gold Label positions him as an artist primed to break through to a global audience with the release of his album, The Perfect Dream.  

One of the most sought-after Jewish singers today, Shulem has performed in front of a wide range of audiences across the Jewish spectrum as well as those of other faiths. Shulem provides an authentic taste of Jewish music and culture with his proud Jewish appearance and style.

He performed the National Anthem at San Francisco Giants Stadium and G-d Bless America at Fenway Park and Citi Field.

Ana Bekoach is a liturgical poem from the Kabbalat Shabbat service that appears in the siddur just before Lecha Dodi. It's a Kabbalistic prayer composed by Rav Nehunia Ben Hakannah.

Known as the 42-letter Name of God, Ana Bekoach is a unique formula built of 42 letters written in seven sentences of six words each. Each of the seven sentences correspond to the seven days of the week, seven specific angels, and to a particular heavenly body. The letters that make up Ana Bekoach are encoded within the first 42 letters of the book of Genesis.

The kabbalists explain that this combination of letters takes us back to the time of Creation, and each time we meditate on a particular sequence, we return to the original uncorrupted energy that built the world. By performing the Ana Bekoach meditation, we enrich our lives with unadulterated spiritual light and positive energy.

Enjoy, and Shabbat shalom!

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Tumbalalaika Around the World: As Sung by Jimmy Kelly and the Kelly Family

The Yiddish folk love song Tumbalalaika originated in Eastern Europe in the 19th century, but its exact origin is hard to pinpoint. That hasn't prevented it from being sung and played over and over, not only in places where Yiddish songs are sung, but just about everywhere in the world, in vocal and instrumental versions, in cabarets and in the movies.

Just as we have followed the songs Hava Nagila, Adon Olam, Hevenu Shalom Aleichem, and Abanibi as they took different forms as interpreted by a wide variety of singers, musicians, and dancers, we're continuing the series today that we started back in 2012, sharing our 23rd version of this universal courting and love song.

This rendition of Tumbalalaika was recorded by Jimmy Kelly and the Kelly Family.

The Kelly Family is a European-American music group consisting of a multi-generational family, usually nine siblings who were joined occasionally on stage in their earlier years by their parents. They play a repertoire of rock, pop, and folk music, and sing in English, Spanish, German, and Basque. The group had chart and concert success around the world, predominantly in continental Europe - mainly in Germany, the Benelux countries, Scandinavia, Poland, Slovakia, Spain, and Portugal - and some in Ireland. 

They have sold over 20 million albums since the early 1980s and were ranked as the 6th most popular music act in Germany in the 1990s. Despite their American origins, the group is virtually unknown in the United States.

Enjoy!

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Wacky Wednesday Comedy Showcase: Rogue Computer Foils Temporary Office Workers

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.

In this classic episode from 2000, the Candid Camera crew rigged an office so that a staffer in an adjoining room was able to override typing done by office temporary workers, changing original words to inappropriate ones.

Enjoy!

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CNN Anchor Jake Tapper Talks About Passover and a One Man Seder in Ukraine

In a recent interview with Stephen Colbert, CNN anchor Jake Tapper reminisced about his trip to Ukraine where he interviewed president Vlodomyr Zelenskyy and gave him a box of matzot for Passover.

Tapper explained that it was the first time he didn't have a seder for Passover, but the local Chabad rabbi gave him the seder essentials in a box so he could have a one-man seder in Ukraine.

Enjoy!

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A Joke to Start the Week - "Psychotics, Neurotics, and Psychiatrists"

It's another Monday and time for another Joke to Start the Week. Today we're sharing a joke by Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak (YY) Jacobson, one of America's premier Jewish scholars in Torah and Jewish mysticism.

Rabbi Jacobson, an American Chabad rabbi from Monsey, New York, is one of the most sought after speakers in the Jewish world today, lecturing to Jewish and non-Jewish audiences on six continents and in forty states, and serving as teacher and mentor to thousands across the globe. 

He is considered to be one of the most successful, passionate and mesmerizing communicators of Judaism today, culling his ideas from the entire spectrum of Jewish thought and making them relevant to contemporary audiences. 

He served as editor-in-chief of the Algemeiner Journal, and as a choizer (transcriber) for Lubavitcher Rebbe Menachem Mendel Schneerson.

He also loves to tell jokes, and here's the setup: Someone asked me what's the difference between psychotics, neurotics, and psychiatrists. And then...

Enjoy!

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Comedian and Actor Michael Rapaport Skewers Hollywood and Oscars in Eretz Nehederet Skit

Last month comedian and actor Michael Rapaport appeared on Israeli TV in Eretz Nehederet (sometimes known as Israel's Saturday Night Live) in an English language skit satirizing the hypocrisy of Hollywood stars and their silence regarding the Hamas attacks of October 7.

As Jessica Steinberg wrote in The Times of Israel,

As he cracks jokes at the celebrities for not denouncing the Hamas-led onslaught in which Palestinian terrorists killed some 1,200 people and took 253 hostages, the camera pans the audience, showing the familiar actors, directors and faces of the Oscars ceremony crowd, using footage from previous awards shows.

He introduced several new categories to the awards show, starting with “best actor who has made millions playing a stereotypical neurotic Jew with back hair yet still won’t show some solidarity.” The nominees were Seth Rogen, Adam Sandler and Larry David.

He also took a shot at female actors who were vocal supporters of the MeToo and Time’s Up movements against sexual assault but don’t advocate for female hostages abused by Hamas terrorists.

Enjoy!

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Welcoming Shabbat with V'Shamru at Hamakom Synagogue in Los Angeles

Cantorial Soloist Jenni Asher leads the V'shamru prayer at the Zamru Musical Kabbalat Shabbat service at the Hamakom Synagogue in Los Angeles on March 1, 2024. 

Hamakom is a center of Jewish life that provides meaning and purpose for Jews of the West San Fernando & Conejo Valleys. It's a vibrant and dynamic Jewish community – a neighborhood – in which the synagogue is a sacred center, a communal home, and hub for its members and all others who wish to grow their Jewish identities, spirit, and communal connections.

Enjoy, and Shabbat shalom!

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Comedy Special: Modi Rosenfeld on Easter and Passover

Modi Rosenfeld is one of our favorite young comedians and we've posted many of his stand-up comedy routines and skits. 

Born in Tel Aviv, Israel, Modi Rosenfeld moved to New York City with his family when he was 7. Before entering comedy, he was a Wall Street international banker. He now goes solely by the name Modi and is known for creating accents and characters.

Modi has a wide range of funny persona. Sometimes he appears as a Chasid in full black dress, other times as a typical Jewish stand-up comic, and others as a non-denominational general comedian. In this video clip, an excerpt from his new show, Know Your Audience, Modi shares some funny observations about Easter and Passover.

Enjoy!

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Remembering Steve Lawrence, Nightclub, TV, Recording Star and Actor for More Than 50 Years

Steve Lawrence, who was born Sidney Liebowitz on July 8, 1935 and enjoyed a 50 year performing career, died on March 7 in Los Angeles of complications of Alzheimer's disease.

The son of a cantor at the Brooklyn synagogue Beth Sholom Tomchei Harav, he was best known as a member of the pop vocal duo "Steve and Eydie" with his wife Eydie Gormé, and for his performance as Maury Sline, the manager and friend of the main characters in the 1980 film The Blues Brothers. Steve and Eydie first appeared together as regulars on Tonight Starring Steve Allen in 1954 and continued performing as a duo until Gormé's retirement in 2009.

As Robert D. McFadden wrote in The New York Times,

The Liebowitz boys were all musically gifted. By 8, Sidney was singing in a synagogue choir, and by 12 he was composing songs. He dropped out of Thomas Jefferson High School before graduation to sing in bars and nightclubs.

He began calling himself Steve Lawrence, the given names of two nephews. He won “Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts” at 15 and sang for a week on Godfrey’s morning radio show.

Billed as “Steve and Eydie” in Carnegie Hall concerts, on television and at glitzy hotels in Las Vegas, the remarkably durable couple remained steadfast to their pop style as rock ’n’ roll took America by storm in the 1950s and ’60s.

Long after the millennium, they were still rendering songs like “Our Love Is Here to Stay,” “Just in Time” and “One for My Baby (And One More for the Road)” for audiences that seemed to grow old with them.Record sales put him in the top ranks of America’s pop singers in the early 1960s, and despite competition from rock groups, his club and concert dates with Ms. Gorme remained enormously popular.

As a tribute to the class act of Steve and Eydie, we're sharing a long medley of music by Richard Rodgers with lyrics by Lorenz Hart or Oscar Hammerstein. Songs: The Most Beautiful Girl In The World, Falling In Love With Love, A Wonderful Guy, I Married An Angel, Where Or When, My Heart Stood Still, Blue Moon, Manhattan, Isn't It Romantic, Glad To Be Unhappy, It Might As Well Be Spring, Spring Is Here, It Never Entered My Mind, Bewitched Bothered And Bewildered, My Romance, My Funny Valentine, With A Song In My Heart.

With special thanks to Buzz Stephens for posting this video on YouTube.

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Modi Rosenfeld at the 92nd Street Y - "How I Became a Comedian"

In a special interview in February at the 92nd Street Y, we step into the world of stand-up comedian Modi who is joined by author, comedian, and co-host of his podcast, Periel Aschenbrand as they navigate the complexities of finding light and joy in the midst of rising tensions and antisemitism. 

In an excerpt from the interview, Modi shares the story of how he left the world of finance to start a career as a comedian.

Click here to see the full hour interview.

Enjoy!

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A Joke to Start the Week - "Perlmutter Makes a Big Sale"

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: A Chinese man walks into Sidney Perlmutter's store to buy some bras. Black bras, size 38. And then...

Enjoy!

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