A Joke to Start the Week - "Shanghai Encounter"

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: My wife and I took one of these guided trips to China. Most of the time the guide stayed with us but we had one Saturday morning when we were free. So she and I went walking along some back streets of Shanghai. And then...

Enjoy! 

Boys Town Jerusalem Choir Sings "Am Yisrael Chai"

The entire Boys Town Jerusalem choir came together in April to sing Eyal Golan's Am Yisrael Chai song. In this video you can also see the incredible things Boys Town Jerusalem students have done during the war, from collecting food for soldiers, volunteering in a preschool, to working in Israel's fields in the South. 

Boys Town Jerusalem is one of Israel's premier institutions for educating the country's next generation of leaders in the fields of technology, commerce, education, the military and public service. 

Since its founding in 1948, BTJ has pursued its mission of turning young boys from limited backgrounds into young men with limitless futures. From Junior High through the College level, the three part curriculum at Boys Town - academic, technological and Torah - is designed to turn otherwise disadvantaged Israeli youth into productive citizens of tomorrow. 

Boys Town’s 18 acre campus is a home away from home for its more than 950 students. More than 7,500 graduates hold key positions throughout Israeli society.

Enjoy! 

Welcoming Shabbat with Adon Olam by Trio Mandili, Georgian Folk Group

Tonight we welcome Shabbat with Adon Olam, as sung by Georgia (the country, not the state) folk group Trio Mandili. The trio have been very supportive of Israel during this difficult year.

As reported by The Times of Israel,

A few weeks after the October 7 Hamas rampage into southern Israel, Trio Mandili, a folkloric music group sometimes called “Georgia’s ambassadors to the world,” released a video covering a traditional Jewish prayer, in quite good Hebrew, while wearing blue and white.

“We could not stand aside after the tragic events in Israel on October 7. After what happened, we recorded a video for the song ‘Adon Olam’ and posted it on our pages on social networks. Many users wrote us very offensive things and even unfollowed us,” the group wrote in an email exchange with The Times of Israel.

Trio Mandili, three women who sing in the traditional polyphonic Georgian style and language, became international and social media stars several years ago after some of their early videos went viral, garnering many millions of views on YouTube.

After a tour through several European countries, the trio performed five concerts around Israel in June. 

Enjoy, and Shabbat shalom!

Israeli Paratrooper Rami Reuveni Branches Out to Standup Comedy

Rami Reuveni is a former Israeli paratrooper who participated in numerous military operations, served as a reservist during the Gaza war, and has spent the last 13 years working as a tour guide in Israel.

Rami brings light and laughter to counter the darkness of the war. In his standup routine he shares his comical experiences as a soldier and tour guide.

Enjoy! 

Wacky Wednesday Comedy Special: Half-Baked Massage - A Candid Camera Classic

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 set up shop in a health spa and offered some very unusual massages. The men who came for treatments didn't expect to be coated with olive oil, teriyaki sauce, salt and pepper and grated cheese, but that's what they got.

Enjoy!

Yiddish Word of the Day - "Friday Night"

In 2020 the Forverts launched a daily series of short informal video clips called Yiddish Word of the Day.

The series, written and narrated by Forverts editor Rukhl Schaechter, aims to give non-Yiddish speakers an introduction to familiar Yiddish words and phrases and how they might be used in everyday situations. 

Schaechter, who was appointed the new editor of the Forverts in 2016, is the first woman to helm the paper in its 119-year history, its first editor to have been born in the United States, and likely its first editor who is shomeret Shabbat.

We posted the first of this series in May 2020. Now that the Forverts is continuing the series, we'll continue sharing some of the words and phrases as a regular feature of Jewish Humor Central.

Today we get to learn the Yiddish word for Friday night and some of the rituals and customs associated with the start of Shabbat.

Enjoy!

A Joke to Start the Week - "Priest, Minister, and Rabbi in Bar"

It's been a long time since we posted a "priest, minister, and rabbi" joke. So when we came across this one by Dr. Jay Orlikoff, we couldn't resist sharing it with you.

Jay Orlikoff is 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 priest, a minister, and a rabbi are walking down the street on a really hot day. And they come upon a really busy bar, but none of them have any money. And then...

Enjoy!

Holiday Countdown: Yiddish Philharmonic Chorus Sings a High Holidays Medley

The Yiddish Philharmonic Chorus began as a musical expression of the Jewish labor movement. It was founded in 1922 as the Freiheit Gezang Farein, an outgrowth of the leftist Morgen Freiheit Yiddish newspaper. 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 a medley of songs for Rosh Hashanah,  Sukkot, and Simchat Torah.

Enjoy!

Welcoming Shabbat With Adon Olam (to the Main Theme from Star Wars) by Cantor Marcus Feldman

The songs we sing in the synagogue on Shabbat can be set to many different tunes and there have been many adaptations of Adon Olam, Lecha Dodi, and Ein Keiloheinu that reflect popular songs from Broadway, Hollywood, and the Great American Songbook.

On May 4 (May the fourth be with you) Cantor Marcus Feldman of Temple Sinai in Los Angeles sang Adon Olam to the main theme from Star Wars, in an arrangement by Benjamin Fingerhut. This is the 95th version Adon Olam that we have posted. To see the other 94 versions, scroll down to Keywords in the left column on this page.

Enjoy, and Shabbat shalom!

Comedian Zehavit Rosenbloom on Different Characters You May Encounter Before Rosh Hashanah

Rosh Hashanah is only two weeks away, and so we'll be sharing humor and music suited to the High Holidays between today and October 2.

Today we're sharing a comedy routine by Zehavit Rosenbloom, who posts humor under the name of Zeya Comedy.

Zehavit is a mom with seven children who is performing standup comedy and recording videos for Jewish audiences.She has created many Jewish characters including ultra religious Rebbetzins, secular Israelis, and El Al representatives who put passengers through intensive interrogations before letting them board planes.

In this sketch she impersonates the following types of characters that you're likely to encounter during this High Holiday period:

-The one who talks about donations

- The calendar fanatic

- The one who's all about doom

- The one who's all about peace and love

- The one who tries to be nice before Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur

- The Baal Teshuva

- The one who prays for food

- The one who's all about the tablescape

- The one who only cares about the food

- The blamer 

- The one who says "This is the year"

 

Enjoy! 

 

Wacky Wednesday Comedy Special: Casino Requires Life Vests - A Candid Camera Classic

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-three years ago when Mississippi and other states said gambling casinos couldn't be built on land but only on water, the Candid Camera crew went to Gulfport where a casino stood in three feet of water. Gamblers were told that to enter the casino they had to wear life jackets. Let's see how they reacted.

Enjoy!

Yiddish Isn't the Only Jewish Language....There are at Least Five Others

You might know about Yiddish, but have you come across other Jewish languages like Ladino, Aramaic, Judeo-Persian, Judeo-Arabic, and several more that are spoken across the Diaspora and Israel? 

It's true that all Jews connect through the same religion, culture, and history, but it doesn't mean they all speak the same "Jewish" languages (we're pretty sure there are at least 5 Jewish languages you've never even heard of). 

Throughout history, Jewish communities have made their mark all over the world, and their languages reflect the cultures they've interacted with. Take Yiddish for example, which originated in medieval Germany, or Ladino, shaped by Sephardic Jews after they were expelled from Spain, or the variety of Judeo-Arabic dialects. These languages aren't just about communication—they offer a unique window into a diverse linguistic heritage that's been evolving for centuries.

Unpacked, a division of Open Dor Media, has posted an interesting video about these Jewish languages. We found it informative and want to share it with you.

Enjoy!

A Joke to Start the Week: Crimes and Punishment

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: This guy gets up in Red Square and he screams at the top of his lungs "Vladimir Putin is a meshuggeneh" And then...

Enjoy!

Chassidic Singer Shulem Lemmer Sings Frank Sinatra's Hit "My Way" in Tel Aviv

We've become big fans of Shulem Lemmer after spending a Shabbat with him in Delray Beach a couple of years ago when he was the star of a concert at Anshei Emuna Congregation.

Shulem Lemmer, known professionally simply as "Shulem," is an American Belz Hasidic singer from Borough Park, Brooklyn, in New York City. He is the first born-and-raised Haredi Jew to sign a major record contract with a leading label, Universal Music Group, under its classical music Decca Gold imprint.

Before becoming a full-time singer, Lemmer was marketing director at a technology firm start-up based in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. He also works as a cantor during the High Holidays at Congregation Ahavath Torah, a Modern Orthodox synagogue in Englewood, New Jersey.

Shulem Lemmer is the most recent rising star of the Jewish musical tradition that has been intertwined in the life, faith, and culture of the Jewish people throughout their history. Whether it's prayers, psalms, or contemporary classics, this youthful Brooklyn tenor finds in music something rich and affirming, an endeavor that makes the soul soar and the spirit rise and speaks to the human condition. 

Shulem is as comfortable with popular music and Broadway show tunes as he is with Chassidic music. Today we're sharing a performance by Shulem of Frank Sinatra's hit My Way at Magen David Adom's annual event at the Heichal Hatarbut in Tel Aviv in June 2023.

Enjoy!

Welcoming Shabbat with Eishet Chayil by The Shvesters

The Shvesters (Chava Levi and Polina Fradkin) are a Yiddish vocal duo hailing originally from Detroit, Michigan. They gained a reputation on social media for their perfectly synchronized voices (and signature matching outfits) — and have won the hearts of audiences from all backgrounds. The Shvesters transform classic Yiddish melodies into sophisticated, contemporary harmonic jazz arrangements.

The Shvesters, accompanied by Omri Bar Giora on guitar, performed "Eishet Chayil" at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in Battery Park, NYC, on August 22, 2024. 

"Eishet Chayil" is a cherished Jewish hymn traditionally sung on Friday nights to honor and celebrate a wife or woman of valor. Based on verses from the Book of Proverbs, this heartfelt song is a central part of the Shabbat dinner, highlighting the virtues and contributions of women in Jewish life.

Enjoy, and Shabbat shalom!

Israeli Standup Comedian Yohay Sponder Explains the Mess in Israel Now

Social media sensation Yohay Sponder has gone viral with his charming and unapologetic comments on Jews in general, Israeli Jews specifically, and overall audience interaction on topics ranging from political correctness (or not), Muslims, women, terrorists, gays, and the Holocaust — many things people are feeling, but stand back from expressing.

Since 2016, Sponder has been producing “Funny Monday,” an Israeli standup comedy show in English that, among other things, touches upon current events from an Israeli-Jewish point of view.

In this video, Sponder uses humor to explain the differences and conflicts between Ashkenazi and Mizrachi Jews.

Enjoy!

Wacky Wednesday Comedy Special: Selling Fake Dirt Made From Garbage -- A Candid Camera Classic

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 props department created a pile of fake dirt made from household garbage and placed it in a nursery in California that sells all types of plants and gardening supplies. Then a member of the staff acted as a clerk at the nursery and tried to sell bags of the fake dirt to shoppers.

Enjoy!

Laughter Among the Tears: Standup Comedian Modi Rosenfeld Finds a Funny Angle on Missions to Israel in Wartime

The war started by Hamas when they invaded Israel on October 7 of last year was only a few days old when Jewish groups, including synagogues, JCCs, and just small groups of Jews embarked on trips to Israel to offer support to the embattled state.

At first these journeys were welcomed with open arms by Israeli soldiers and civilians alike, as they contributed to a struggling economy with financial and material help.

But as the number of visits kept increasing, it didn't take long for the Jewish inclination to find humor even in humorless situations emerge, especially when developed and delivered by accomplished Jewish standup comedians.

Modi Rosenfeld, known professionally as Modi, has found a funny angle to comment on these Israel trips, generally described as missions.

In this appearance on stage, Modi focuses on missions by wealthy Jewish women from suburban communities, clad in the latest designer fashions, as they overstate the benefits of their visits and struggle to communicate with soldiers who don't speak a word of English.

Enjoy!

 

A Joke to Start the Week - "The Rabbi and the Lottery"

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: There was once a rabbi who got a call from a woman.  And she says "Rabbi, I have a big crisis." And then...

Enjoy!

Hava Nagila Around the World - A New Performance in Jaroslaw, Poland

One of the joys of posting videos on Jewish Humor Central is discovering new versions of traditional Jewish and Hebrew songs as they are performed around the world, often in unexpected places.

Since we started Jewish Humor Central in 2009 we have posted 123 different versions of Hava Nagila. The song has shown up in many countries, including some unexpected ones (Scroll down the left column on this page and click on Hava Nagila in the Keywords list and you'll see what we mean.)

Today we're posting a version of Hava Nagila that was performed last month at Jarmark Jarosławski, an end of summer music and arts festival in Jaroslaw, a town in Eastern Poland.

Enjoy!

Welcoming Shabbat with V'Shamru (Sephardic-Turkish Style) by Rabbi Jacob Agar of Beth Sholom in Elkins Park

Last year Cantor Jacob Agar, the cantor of Congregation Beth Sholom in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania, sang V'Shamru to the tune of Uskudara, a traditional Sephardic Turkish melody. The synagogue, also known as the Frank Lloyd Wright Synagogue for its architect and designer, is a National Historic Landmark.

Cantor Agar received his cantorial investiture at the H.L Miller Cantorial School at Jewish Theological Seminary of New York. Previously he studied opera performance and linguistics at SUNY Purchase College. Following conservatory, he sang with several opera companies in New York and New Jersey, and has worked with a wide variety of conductors. 

Cantor Agar is also a composer and arranger and is inspired by a wide variety of music. He was inspired to become a cantor by his love for Judaism, Jewish music, and his interest in using music to uplift people and bring them closer to Judaism. His goal is to use music to elevate people spiritually and to help them find comfort and solace at synagogue. 

Enjoy, and Shabbat shalom! 

Throwback Thursday Musical Showcase: Ed Ames Sings "Son of a Travelin' Man" on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1969

Ed Ames (Edmund Urick) (1927-2023) was a pop singer and actor. He was also part of the popular 1950s singing group with his siblings, the Ames Brothers.

Best known for his singing career with three of his brothers as The Ames Brothers, and his acting in the role of Mingo, a Cherokee tribesman in the TV series Daniel Boone, Ames was a committed Zionist and president of the California chapter of the Zionist Organization of America.

In this video from the Ed Sullivan Show 55 years ago, Ames sang his 1969 hit song "Son of a Travelin' Man".

Enjoy!

 

   #Throwback Thursday      #TBT

Wacky Wednesday Comedy Special: Price Check Hell (A Candid Camera Classic)

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-three years ago the Candid Camera crew took over a cashier station in a supermarket and had the checkout clerk call for a price check on every item that a customer put on the checkout conveyor belt.

Enjoy!

Sampling 10 Weirdest Hasidic Foods with Frieda Vizel, Brooklyn Tour Guide

Today we are joining Frieda Vizel, a former member of the Satmar Hasidic community who conducts tours of Hasidic neighborhoods in Brooklyn. In this video she goes looking for the most exotic foods available in this Jewish neighborhood, or as she puts it, foods that have more of an acquired taste.

She tries fargliverta fish zaft, yapchik, galareta, kishka, herring and even a cake that in English translates to: "rag cake". It’s an unusual food tour on the hunt for the food that will most challenge the faint of heart!

1) 1:10 - Kuchinya [Hungarian] / Fargliverte Fish Zaft [Yiddish] / Fish Jelly 

2) 1:50 - Grieven / Chicken Scraps 

3) 2:38 - Yapchik / Overnight Potato Kugel with Meat 

4) 3:05 Galareta or P’tcha / Calves Foot Jelly 

5) 4:10 Shmaltz Herring with Kichel 

6 & 7) 6:23 Chollent and Kishka / Everything Bean Stew and Stuffed Intestines 

8) 7:31 Browne Eyer / Overnight Hardboiled Chollent Eggs 

9) 8:10 Falche Fish / Fake Fish, Imitation Fish made of Chicken 

10) 9:00 Shmata Cake / Rag Cake 

A Joke to Start the Week - "50th Anniversary"

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: There was a Jewish couple celebrating their 50th anniversary. And she gets up and says "I want to make a L'Chayim to me for sticking it out with him for 50 years." And then...

Enjoy!

Yiddish Word of the Day - "Work"

In 2020 the Forverts launched a daily series of short informal video clips called Yiddish Word of the Day.

The series, written and narrated by Forverts editor Rukhl Schaechter, aims to give non-Yiddish speakers an introduction to familiar Yiddish words and phrases and how they might be used in everyday situations. 

Schaechter, who was appointed the new editor of the Forverts in 2016, is the first woman to helm the paper in its 119-year history, its first editor to have been born in the United States, and likely its first editor who is shomeret Shabbat.

We posted the first of this series in May 2020. Now that the Forverts is continuing the series, we'll continue sharing some of the words and phrases as a regular feature of Jewish Humor Central.

Since tomorrow is Labor Day, let's learn the word for work in Yiddish, and also learn how to say job, wages, a raise and “working like a horse.”

Enjoy!