Wacky Wednesday Comedy Special: "Everything is Stuck" - 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 team went into a coffee shop and stuck everything together, and we mean everything -- the cups, lids, stirrers, and napkins. Let's watch the reactions of these unsuspecting customers when they tried to put these elements together in pursuit of their daily cup of coffee.

Enjoy!

Tumbalalaika Around the World: Israeli Singer Einat Betzalel Sings With L'Orchestre Festival

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 26th version of this universal courting and love song.

Today we're sharing a version by Israeli singer Einat Betzalel. She grew up on a kibbutz near Zichron Ya’acov and at the age of 18 joined a military band. That experience, she says, “was a great learning experience for me. We were performing almost every day throughout various countries.”

After the army Betzalel attended the Rimon School of Jazz and Contemporary Music and started to work with top artists in Israel, among them Alon Olearchik, who is best known for being one of the founding members of Kaveret.

In this video the words appear in English, Hebrew, Yiddish, and Russian.

Enjoy!

A Joke to Start the Week - "Endangered Animals"

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: This guy, having been convicted of killing a California condor and then eating it, is about to be sentenced by a judge who happens to be a real conservationist. The judge looks at him and says "Your act was despicable. How you can kill and eat an animal that is on the endangered species list is beyond my comprehension."  And then...

Enjoy!

Humor in Yiddish Phrases - "A Groiseh Knocker"

In our search for new faces and new sources of Jewish humor, we came across a series of posts by a ventriloquist who goes by the name of Dr. Allan and has a dummy named Chaim.

Here's a post with Chaim explaining the meaning of the Yiddish phrase "A Groiseh Knocker."

Actually we remember the phrase as "A Gantseh Knocker" but let's accept both in the spirit of variations in Yiddish dialects.

Enjoy!

Welcoming Shabbat with Lecha Dodi by Cantor Elias Rosemberg and Sons

Born into a musical family in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Hazzan Elias Rosemberg followed in the footsteps of his grandfather, a Hazzan, and his father, a clarinetist in a Klezmer band.  

In 1991, Hazzan Rosemberg began studies at Seminario Rabínico Latinoamericano, and in 1994, he obtained the degree of Hazzan and Singing Professor.

In this video from Temple Emanuel in Newton, Massachusetts, Cantor Rosemberg and his sons Mikey and David usher in Shabbat with Lecha Dodi.

Enjoy, and Shabbat shalom!

Throwback Thursday Comedy Showcase: Rita Rudner on Side Effects in TV Pharmaceutical Commercials

We've been big fans of Rita Rudner ever since she started to appear on late night TV in the 1980s.

Rudner started her career as a dancer, then switched to stand-up comedy about her dating experiences.  She married British producer Martin Bergman about 30 years ago and they have a daughter.  She is fond of Jewish humor but generally reserves it for when she performs for Jewish audiences.

   

In this episode from one of her Las Vegas appearances Rita talks about the side effects in TV commercials for pharmaceuticals and what getting lucky at 60 really means.

 

Enjoy!

 

 

  #Throwback Thursday     #TBT

Wacky Wednesday Comedy Special: Vacation From 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-five years ago the Candid Camera team set up shop in a Liberty Travel store and tried to convince unsuspecting shoppers for a romantic travel package to book a trip with less than luxurious features. Let's watch their reactions of these when they were told they're on Candid Camera.

Enjoy!  

Adam Sandler Captures 50 Years of Saturday Night Live in Funny and Wistful New Song

Comedian Adam Sandler, who spent only five years as a cast member of Saturday Night Live, captured the essence of the 50-year-old show in a funny and wistful new song that he sang at the SNL reunion special Sunday night.

As Katie Atkinson wrote in Billboard,

Sandler started things out with a joke, singing, “Everyone in this room has something in common, all of our lives were changed by this show/ Everyone in this room has something else in common, we weren’t allowed to use the little bathroom in Lorne’s office.” The song — titled “50 Years” — toggled between sincerity and quips, including the line: “50 years of cast members saying ‘I think our cast is the greatest of all time,’ but we all know the first cast is the best.”

He wrapped things up by running through a string of classic castmembers, including late comics like Chris Farley, Phil Hartman and Jan Hooks.

Enjoy!

A Joke to Start the Week - "Cable Guy"

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: The other day I was walking in my community. There was a cable television truck and the cable guys were working on something. As I walked by one of the guys said to me "Do you know what time it is?" And then...

Enjoy!

Jewish Traces in Unexpected Places: South Korean Children Sing "Hevenu Shalom Aleichem"

We've shared 24 versions of the classic Hebrew song Hevenu Shalom Aleichem with you over the years. But we keep finding new renditions just as we've found 127 versions of Hava Nagila and 12 of Hinei Ma Tov.

Here's a performance of Hevenu Shalom Aleichem by a large group of children in South Korea.

This song really gets around. Enjoy!

Welcoming Shabbat with Shalom Aleichem 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.

In this video the Shvesters welcome Shabbat with a rendition of Shalom Aleichem.

Enjoy, and Shabbat shalom!

We Join Israeli Actress Noa Tishby in Wishing You a Happy Tu B'Shvat,

Today is Tu B'Shvat, the Israeli holiday that marks the New Year for Trees. We're joining Noa Tishby, Israeli activist, actress, model, producer, and writer in welcoming the holiday and publicizing some of its features and traditions.

Tu B’Shvat is a holiday which is deeply tied to the land of Israel. It’s a reminder that Judaism is an indigenous faith rooted in the seasons and the fruits of this land. The seven species mentioned in the Bible, wheat, barley, grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives, and dates, aren’t just symbolic. They represent a tangible connection to an ancient agricultural heritage and the physical land that shaped Jewish identity. 

In the Middle Ages, the custom developed to celebrate Tu B’Shvat with a feast of fruits. And in the 16th century, the Kabbalist rabbi, Yitzchak Luria, instituted a Tu B’Shvat seder, which is similar to the Passover seder, in which Jews all over the diaspora were able to reconnect to the land of Israel through eating her indigenous fruits. 

According to Kabbalah, when you eat fruits from the trees, it helps a human soul evolve. And Judaism is about being present to every single thing that you do and everything that you eat as well. Tu B’Shvat reminds us that Judaism and the land of Israel are inseparable. The roots of the Jewish people are right here. And to celebrate Tu B’Shvat is to celebrate Zionism, not as a modern political movement, but as a profound acknowledgement of a people’s enduring bond with the land of their ancestors. 

The land of Israel isn’t just a backdrop to Jewish history. It’s part of the story itself. And every seed sown, every tree planted, and every fruit harvested and eaten is a continuation of that story. 

Chag Tu B’Shvat Sameach, everyone.

Wacky Wednesday Comedy Showcase: Talking Horse on Candid Camera Gold

Candid Camera was a popular and long-running American hidden camera reality television series. Versions of the show appeared on television from 1948 until 2014. Originally created and produced by Allen Funt, it often featured practical jokes, and initially began on radio as The Candid Microphone on June 28, 1947. 

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 sharing a classic episode from 1962 in which the Candid Camera crew placed a microphone and a loudspeaker on a horse in his stall at the Hialeah racetrack. As people approached the horse named Pit Penna, it started to give them betting tips and they were only to happy to join in the conversation.

Enjoy! 

Author Michael Wex Analyzes Yiddish Curses and Jokes

Michael Wex is a Canadian novelist, playwright, translator, lecturer, performer, and author of books on language and literature.His specialty is Yiddish and his book Born to Kvetch was a surprise bestseller in 2005.

He recently participated in a series of lectures sponsored by the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. The series, The History of Jews and Comedy in America, included a session on Yiddish Curses and Jokes, which is one of his favorite topics.

In this excerpt, Wex explains the origins and context of some of the more popular Yiddish curses.

Enjoy !

A Joke to Start the Week - Blonde Football Logic

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 telling jokes and sent us this one to share with you. Here's the setup: A man took his blonde haired girlfriend to her first football game. They had terrific seats and after the game he asked her "How'd you like it? Was it fun?" And then...

Enjoy!

Yiddish Word of the Day - "Cold"

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 cold and some related expressions.

Enjoy!

Welcoming Shabbat with V'Shamru at Stephen Wise Temple in Los Angeles

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.”

Tonight we're welcoming Shabbat with a version of V'shamru sung by Danny Maseng, Cantor Emma Lutz, Dr. Tali Tadmor, the Stephen Wise Temple band, and vocal quartet. It was recorded at a Shabbat service in August 2023.

Enjoy, and Shabbat shalom!

Israeli Comedian Yohay Sponder on Airline and Post Office Greed

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 marvels at how a little extra money can make air travel safer and ensure the arrival of mail.

Enjoy!

 

Wacky Wednesday Comedy Showcase: Husband on a Leash - Candid Camera Gold from 1962

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."

In this classic episode Marge Green and Tom O'Malley, two writers for the show took on roles of a husband and wife, where the wife had a dog leash on her husband and asked passers-by to hold him by the leash while she ran an errand across the street.

Enjoy!

Singer Yuval Raphael, Survivor of Nova Festival Massacre, to Represent Israel at Eurovision Contest in Switzerland

Singer Yuval Raphael, a survivor of the Hamas attack on the Nova music festival, will represent Israel at the 2025 Eurovision contest in May in Basel, Switzerland.

As reported in The Times of Israel by Amy Spiro,

Raphael, 24, won the “Hakochav Haba” (Rising Star) reality contest on Wednesday night, winning the highest votes from the judges and the public, and will compete in the song contest in Basel, Switzerland, this May. The song she will sing is due to be selected in March by a committee convened by the Kan public broadcaster.

During the final of the contest on Keshet 12, Raphael, a vocal powerhouse, sang a ballad version of ABBA’s “Dancing Queen,” dedicating it to “all the angels” who were murdered at the festival.

Here's a video clip of her winning performance of Dancing Queen. Enjoy!

A Joke to Start the Week - "A Special Dog"

It's another Monday, and time for another Joke to Start the Week. This week we're sharing a joke from a collection of Jewish Folks Telling Jokes, a project of Toronto's Jewish Family and Child Service. This joke is told by Chas Gordon.

Here's the setup: A man walks into a shul with his dog, a St. Bernard. They usually have a cask of rum around their neck but this dog has a tallis bag. And then...

Enjoy!

Humor in Yiddish Phrases - A New Series - "A Goyishe Name from Ellis Island"

In our search for new faces and new sources of Jewish humor, we came across a series of posts by a ventriloquist who goes by the name of Dr. Allan and has a dummy named Chaim.

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!