Here's a post with Chaim telling a classic story of how an immigrant arriving at Ellis Island managed to end up with a very non-Jewish name.
Enjoy!
Known
as the 42-letter Name of God, Ana b'Cho'ach 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 b'Cho'ach 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 b'Cho'ach meditation, we enrich our lives with unadulterated spiritual Light and positive energy.
The Hebrew text and translation appear below the video.
Enjoy, and Shabbat shalom!
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 team brought a tank of helium gas to a gas station and tried to convince customers that they need to replace the air in their tires with helium to make the cars lighter and more fuel efficient.
Enjoy!
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 explains how his heritage (Polish father, Moroccan mother) gives him license to make fun of almost every ethnic group and be politically incorrect.
Enjoy!
Bob Alper is an ordained 78-year-old Reform rabbi from Vermont who served congregations
for fourteen years and holds a doctorate from Princeton
Theological Seminary.
But he's also a stand-up comedian with a thirty year comedy
career. He presents wonderfully unique material in a way that's
intelligent, sophisticated, and 100% clean.
Since
2010 we have posted more than two dozen video clips of his stand-up
routines. We keep finding new clips, some of which we'll use as Jokes to Start the Week.
Here's one about the time when he was eight years old in Vermont. When Brown University had its home football games they would parade from the campus down to the stadium right near his house. And then...
Enjoy!
After the fall of the Soviet Union, their benevolent dictator, Papa Allo, moved his clan from their native Tajikistan to Israel, where he has continued to exert his will. Only his equally strongwilled daughter, Ada, has dared to resist until now. As Papa nears 80, the patriarch’s power begins to slip further, calling into question the future of the family business.
A documentary, The World of Papa Alaev, has been featured at many Jewish film festivals and is now streaming on YouTube.
Here is a trailer for the film, which you can see in its entirety at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxTAqX65DOc.
Enjoy!
The Sherman Brothers were born to a father of Russian-Jewish origin, a composer of the prior generation on Tin Pan Alley. As a tribute to Richard Sherman, Cantor Azi Schwartz used the melody that the Shermans wrote for the Mary Poppins song Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious to sing Adon Olam on Shabbat -– joyful words of the liturgy combined with a bouncy tune made famous by Julie Andrews.
Enjoy, and Shabbat shalom!
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 team went to a residential neighborhood and started to install parking meters in front of private homes. The homeowners were understandably upset by this sudden invasion of their personal space. Their reactions ranged from acceptance to outrage until the pranksters revealed that they were on TV.
Enjoy!
Here are 10 examples of Jewish contributions to some of the icons of pop culture.
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: Officer Jones is driving along the highway when a car when a car whizzes by him at a tremendous speed. So he turns on the flashing lights and follows the car. And then...
Enjoy!
In 2008, Shai Abramson was appointed Chief Cantor of the Israel Defense Forces. Abramson serves as the representative cantor of the State of Israel, and participates in this capacity in formal state occasions and ceremonies. Abramson also accompanies various government representatives to ceremonies and events in Israel and abroad. He has performed as cantor and singer under the auspices of the Knesset, the IDF, the Ministry of Defense, and various other government ministries and agencies.
During the past few years, Abramson has presented his cantorial repertoire in numerous Jewish communities in the U.S., Canada, South America, Australia and Europe, with the intention of developing and strengthening ties with Jewish communities around the world, and intensifying connections with Israel and with the IDF.
This performance by Abramson was recorded at the 30th anniversary dinner of the Sage Nursing Home in London in July 2024.
Bring them home!
Since July 2020, the religious leader of the CIM has been Rabbi Lucca Myara.
In this video, Rabbi Myara sings the hymn Anim Zemirot, which is usuallly sung at the end of the Shabbat service.
Enjoy, and Shabbat shalom!
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 tells us how he enjoys television programs about Gentiles, especially The Crown.
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.
In this episode Peter played the role of a salesman in a camera store and promoted a new video camera that could see through clothing. Customers were all too willing to believe him and considered buying such a camera.
Enjoy!
Get ready to laugh and kvell with Swedishkayt: YidLife Crisis in Stockholm as self-proclaimed international Yiddish-ish icons YidLife Crisis—comedy duo Eli Batalion and Jamie Elman—bravely step onto Swedish soil to unearth a hidden treasure trove of Jewish culture.
From the
moment they arrive in Stockholm, our heroes, like gefilte fish out of
water, prepare for a big live show while unraveling the little-known
history of Sweden’s Jewish community in their hilarious and heartfelt
journey.
Jamie Elman & Eli Batalion are filmmakers, writers and performers hailing from Montreal with credits spanning 25 years of theater, music, television and film - from starring in Mad Men, House MD and Curb Your Enthusiasm to writing, directing and producing films shown at the Sundance, Toronto, Berlin and SXSW film festivals.
Their unique friendship spawned an irreverent tribute to the Yiddish language, culture and comedic tradition they were reared on. Calling it YidLife Crisis, they hatched the world’s first Yiddish sitcom, toasting, roasting and wrestling with the modern Jewish experience. Its popularity has led to various awards and nominations, over 4 million online views, frequent live performances across North America and Europe, and hours of documentary content covering their travels and the Jewish diaspora.
The new film, Swedishkayt: YidLife Crisis in Stockholm, makes its debut this weekend at the Miami Jewish Film Festival.
There will be two showings. The first, on Saturday night, January 18 at 8 pm, will be at The Hub at Temple Beth Am, 5950 N. Kendall Drive, Pinecrest, Florida. The second, on Sunday, January 19 at 4 pm will be at the Michael-Ann Russell JCC, 18900 NE 25th Ave. Miami, FL 33180.
Both performances will feature a special live performance by YidLife Crisis to bring some LIVE SHTIK to this World Premiere event! Following the screening, there will be a Q&A with Eli Batalion and Jamie Elman.
Here is a trailer for the film. Enjoy!
The program, Rowan and Martin's Laugh-in: A Trailblazer in Television Comedy, will include video clips from the show, which ran for six years from 1968 to 1974 on NBC.
The presentation is from 12:30 pm to 2 pm at FAU's Friedberg Auditorium in the Lifelong Learning Building. Entrance to the University is at 777 Glades Road in Boca Raton. Admission at the door is $35. Members can purchase tickets in advance for $30.
So bring your friends and let's meet afterwards at the conclusion of the program.
Here's a sample of what you'll see:
Best known as one third of the folksinging group Peter, Paul, and Mary, Yarrow co-wrote the song Puff, the Magic Dragon in 1962, a song about the loss of innocence and the inevitability of children growing up and taking leave of their childhood toys.
As John Rogers wrote in The Times of Israel,
Born May 31, 1938, to Jewish Ukrainian parents in New York, Yarrow was raised in an upper-middle-class family that he said placed a high value on art and scholarship. He took violin lessons as a child, later switching to guitar as he came to embrace the work of such folk-music icons as Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger.
After months of rehearsals, the three became an overnight sensation when their first album, 1962’s eponymous “Peter, Paul and Mary,” reached No. 1 on the Billboard chart. Their second, “In the Wind,” reached No. 4, and their third, “Moving,” put them back at No. 1.
From their earliest albums, the trio sang out against war and injustice in songs like Seeger’s “If I Had a Hammer” and “Where Have all the Flowers Gone,” Dylan’s “Blowin’ in the Wind” and “When the Ship Comes In” and Yarrow’s own “Day is Done.”
In this interview recorded seven years ago, Yarrow reflected on the origin and meaning of the song.
Enjoy!
The medley includes Shalom Aleichem, Lecha Dodi, V'Shamru, a Hebrew version of Sabbath Prayer from Fiddler on the Roof, and Havdalah.
Nusach America was a World Premiere Tribute concert in Tel Aviv dedicated to the rich and varied musical culture world of North American Jewry.
Bat Ella said she learns Talmud and Tanach (Hebrew Bible), says Modeh Ani (the prayer upon arising) in the morning and the Shema prayer when she goes to sleep. She also attends a Conservative synagogue near her home. She said she is incredibly proud of her Judaism, and believes it’s a source of wisdom that makes her a better human being.
Enjoy, and Shabbat shalom!
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 (born Sidney Liebowitz) have been among our favorite singers for many decades. Eydie died in 2013 and Steve in 2024. We miss them both but we still enjoy their duets and solos thanks to YouTube.
Enjoy the flashback!
The program, Saturday Night Live: Fifty Years Through a Jewish Lens, will be presented at 7 pm tonight at Congregation Anshei Emuna, 16189 Jog Road, Delray Beach, Florida 33446. Admission is free, but registration is advised.
Join Al for a hilarious trip back to the funniest Jewish-themed comedy sketches that Saturday Night Live has featured throughout its 50-year history. Though not an exclusively Jewish program, SNL’s Jewish writers and performers have ensured that Jewish themes and attitudes have made Jewish audiences adopt it as their own.
As SNL enters its 50th year, this program will include video clips of a Purim sketch with Mayor Ed Koch, Jon Lovitz as Hanukkah Harry saving Christmas, Adam Sandler singing his signature Hanukkah song, and Andy Samberg as the Jewish Willy Wonka with Ben Stiller in a world of Jewish deli. Watch mock commercials for Jewess Jeans and Hanukkah Hymns, Howard Cosell’s Bar Mitzvah, Jerry Seinfeld as a Yeshiva basketball star, and a Jewish version of “It’s a Wonderful Life.”
Here's a sample of what you'll see:
Enjoy!
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 and he's looking around for parts when he spots a deli across the street. And then...
Enjoy!
Since we started posting on Jewish Humor Central in 2009, we have shared 126 renditions of this song with you. So here comes number 127.
Just yesterday, the 9th Grade Chorus of the Pennfield Middle School in a Pennsylvania suburb started off its winter concert with a performance of Hava Nagila.
Enjoy!
Thanks to a symphonic mashup of five festive Hanukkah songs arranged by Bill Holcombe, the Beaufort Symphony Orchestra of Beaufort, South Carolina under the direction of Fred Devyatkin, recently performed this work for our enjoyment.
Happy last day of Chanukah and a Happy New Year!
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 hilarious video clip from Know Your Audience,
Modi skewers anti-semitism and gives advice to Gentiles who want to become Jewish. Along the way he gives his own funny spin on some Jewish and Christian religious practices.
Enjoy!
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