A Joke to Start the Week - "You're Smarter Already"

It's another Monday and time for another Joke to Start the Week. 
  The Forward is producing a series of classic Yiddish jokes presented in Yiddish by Leana Jelen, a young Yiddish-speaking sign-language interpreter. 

Last week we posted a joke that was reported to be the favorite of  Sigmund Freud, the founder of modern psychoanalysis who spent years collecting and studying Jewish jokes. 
This week we have another joke in Yiddish by Leana Jelen, an oldie but goodie in our collection of favorite Jewish jokes. 

Here's the setup: A gentile notices a Jew eating a piece of herring and he asks him: "Why are Jews so smart?" He replies "Because they eat the head of the herring." And then...
If you don't understand Yiddish, watch the English subtitles while Leana tells the joke in Yiddish. Who knows, you might even learn the language!
Enjoy!

A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO MAY NOT BE VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY ON SOME COMPUTERS AND TABLETS.  YOU MUST CLICK ON THE TITLE AT THE TOP OF THE EMAIL TO REACH THE JEWISH HUMOR CENTRAL WEBSITE, FROM WHICH YOU CLICK ON THE PLAY BUTTON IN THE VIDEO IMAGE TO START THE VIDEO.

A NOSH-talgic Look at Jewish Food: History of the Pastrami Sandwich

We've been collecting videos about the origins of classic Jewish foods that bring back mouth-watering memories of the Borscht Belt and the many Kosher delis that were present in Jewish neighborhoods everywhere. Today the Borscht Belt hotels are gone and so are many of the delis.

One of our more popular programs is A NOSH-talgic Look at Jewish Food, with videos and memories of bagels and lox, chicken soup with matzo balls, pickled herring, sour pickles, real seltzer, and even schmaltz. We presented it last month at a brunch in a senior community in New Jersey that got the attendees really hungry. 

Whenever we find a video that makes us hungry for nostalgic Jewish delicacies, we try to share it with you. If you're in the mood for a good pastrami sandwich, take a look at this new video from The Nosher website that reveals the origin of this staple of the Jewish diet.

Enjoy!

A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO MAY NOT BE VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY ON SOME COMPUTERS AND TABLETS.  YOU MUST CLICK ON THE TITLE AT THE TOP OF THE EMAIL TO REACH THE JEWISH HUMOR CENTRAL WEBSITE, FROM WHICH YOU CLICK ON THE PLAY BUTTON IN THE VIDEO IMAGE TO START THE VIDEO.

Welcoming Shabbat with Shalom Aleichem at Temple B'nai Jeshurun in Short Hills, New Jersey

Every Friday we try to find a new version of one of the traditional songs that are sung in the synagogue or in the home to welcome Shabbat.  

Shalom Aleichem is the liturgical poem that signals the start of this special 25 hour weekly respite from the workaday world. 

We never know until Thursday what version of which song we'll be sharing with you on Friday. 
Sometimes it's Adon Olam, Yedid Nefesh, Eishet Chayil, Lechu Neranena, or Yigdal. This week we're sharing yet another version of Shalom Aleichem, as sung by Lucy Fishbein, Assistant Cantor at Congregation B'nai Jeshurun in Short Hills, New Jersey.

Enjoy, and Shabbat shalom!

A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO MAY NOT BE VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY ON SOME COMPUTERS AND TABLETS.  YOU MUST CLICK ON THE TITLE AT THE TOP OF THE EMAIL TO REACH THE JEWISH HUMOR CENTRAL WEBSITE, FROM WHICH YOU CLICK ON THE PLAY BUTTON IN THE VIDEO IMAGE TO START THE VIDEO.

Throwback Thursday Comedy Special: Sid Caesar and Imogene Coca in "Breaking the News"

It's Throwback Thursday again and today we get another chance to go back 67 years to 1951 and another episode of The Hickenloopers on Your Show of Shows.

Sid Caesar and Imogene Coca starred in many episodes of the hilarious marital tribulations of Doris and Charlie Hickenlooper.

In this sketch, Mrs. Hickenlooper (Imogene Coca) tries to gently break the news about an auto accident she had to her husband (Sid Caesar).

Enjoy!

A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO MAY NOT BE VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY ON SOME COMPUTERS AND TABLETS.  YOU MUST CLICK ON THE TITLE AT THE TOP OF THE EMAIL TO REACH THE JEWISH HUMOR CENTRAL WEBSITE, FROM WHICH YOU CLICK ON THE PLAY BUTTON IN THE VIDEO IMAGE TO START THE VIDEO.



#Throwback Thursday   #TBT 

BREAKING NEWS! Yiddish Fiddler on the Roof Extended Again Through November 18

If you haven't yet seen the highly acclaimed new Yiddish production of Fiddler on the Roof at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in New York City, you can still get tickets because the show has been extended for a third time, through November 18.

Directed by Joel Grey and starring a very talented cast, most of whom learned Yiddish in a few weeks, Fiddler has gotten rave reviews in the media.

One of the accomplished cast members is Adam B. Shapiro, who plays the role of the town rabbi and is understudying the role of Tevye. He has made some YouTube videos called One Man Broadway, in which he plays all of the major characters. Today we're sharing a video that he made singing The Dream from the show, playing the roles of Tevye, Golde, Grandma Tzeitel, and the butcher's departed wife Fruma Sarah.

Enjoy!

A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO MAY NOT BE VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY ON SOME COMPUTERS AND TABLETS.  YOU MUST CLICK ON THE TITLE AT THE TOP OF THE EMAIL TO REACH THE JEWISH HUMOR CENTRAL WEBSITE, FROM WHICH YOU CLICK ON THE PLAY BUTTON IN THE VIDEO IMAGE TO START THE VIDEO.

Tumbalalaika Around the World - Italian Singer Stefania Miele Adds Her Version to the Collection

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, bringing you many interpretations of this universal courting and love song.  

This version is sung by Italian singer Stefania Miele, who gives it new form with a videographic montage shot in various Italian locations. It's the tenth version of Tumbalalaika that we've posted, and we don't expect it to be the last.

Enjoy!

A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO MAY NOT BE VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY ON SOME COMPUTERS AND TABLETS.  YOU MUST CLICK ON THE TITLE AT THE TOP OF THE EMAIL TO REACH THE JEWISH HUMOR CENTRAL WEBSITE, FROM WHICH YOU CLICK ON THE PLAY BUTTON IN THE VIDEO IMAGE TO START THE VIDEO.

A Joke to Start the Week - "A Yiddish Joke by Sigmund Freud"

It's the first Monday after all the holidays, when we weren't posting Monday jokes because we were in the synagogue. Now that there are no Jewish holidays on the horizon until Chanukah, we're happy to be bringing you jokes to start the week again.

The Yiddish Forward is producing a series of classic Yiddish jokes presented in Yiddish by Leana Jelen, a young Yiddish-speaking sign-language interpreter. This joke was the favorite of none other than Sigmund Freud, the founder of modern psychoanalysis who spent years collecting and studying Jewish jokes. 

While Freud is remembered today as a serious figure it’s clear from this joke that he could also poke fun at both psychiatrists and his fellow Jews.  

If you don't understand Yiddish, watch the English subtitles while Leana tells the joke in Yiddish. Who knows, you might even learn the language!

Enjoy!

A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO MAY NOT BE VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY ON SOME COMPUTERS AND TABLETS.  YOU MUST CLICK ON THE TITLE AT THE TOP OF THE EMAIL TO REACH THE JEWISH HUMOR CENTRAL WEBSITE, FROM WHICH YOU CLICK ON THE PLAY BUTTON IN THE VIDEO IMAGE TO START THE VIDEO.

Robin Williams on Jewish Sarcasm and Gentile Humor

In Northwest Iowa, William J. Jackson, a 30-year Purple Heart army veteran and trauma counselor for soldiers, took upon himself the task of founding the "Center for Tanakh-Based Studies." 

He studies and teaches Tanakh, the Jewish Bible, in classes to the local community, as well as hosting Torah study groups. He also conducts an outreach program to a local prison, as a way to deliver Tanakh teachings to the incarcerated.

The center's mission statement says "we only use HaShem’s instructions from Torah/Tanakh to teach and train. We are not affiliated with any sect or denomination of any kind (i.e. Christianity, Judaism, etc. etc.); nor do we teach their beliefs or traditions.If it’s not in YHVH’s written word, we do not teach it."

So, you may be wondering, what does all have to do with Jewish Humor? Well, Jackson has a sense of humor, and he posted a comedy routine by Robin Williams about the birth of Jewish sarcasm and Gentile humor that we're sharing with you today. While we understand that some readers of different faiths may not find it funny, we enjoyed it and hope that you will, too.

A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO MAY NOT BE VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY ON SOME COMPUTERS AND TABLETS.  YOU MUST CLICK ON THE TITLE AT THE TOP OF THE EMAIL TO REACH THE JEWISH HUMOR CENTRAL WEBSITE, FROM WHICH YOU CLICK ON THE PLAY BUTTON IN THE VIDEO IMAGE TO START THE VIDEO.

Welcoming Shabbat with the BBYO Singers - With Guitar Chords

Today we're inviting the B'nai B'rith Youth Organization Singers to lead us into another Shabbat with a collection of traditional melodies. 

BBYO Sings presents the Friday night Shabbat rituals. This video includes: Candle Lighting, Shalom Aleichem, Kiddush, Ritual Handwashing, and Hamotzi. You'll also find companion chords for instrumentation if you'd like to play along or lead these rituals for your community!

BBYO Sings features acclaimed BBYO song leaders Eric Hunker, Happie Hoffman, Stephen Brickman, Deb Winter, Josh Cohen and Rachel Wolman.

Enjoy!

A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO MAY NOT BE VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY ON SOME COMPUTERS AND TABLETS.  YOU MUST CLICK ON THE TITLE AT THE TOP OF THE EMAIL TO REACH THE JEWISH HUMOR CENTRAL WEBSITE, FROM WHICH YOU CLICK ON THE PLAY BUTTON IN THE VIDEO IMAGE TO START THE VIDEO.

Throwback Thursday Comedy Special: Billy Crystal and Carl Reiner Remember Sid Caesar

Without Sid Caesar, comedy would have been a lot less funny.

In 1949, television was an infant technology. No one knew how long it would last ... or whether it would last at all. 

A 27-year-old Broadway star, along with a team of writers and performers who would become legendary, including Imogene Coca, Nanette Fabray, Mel Brooks, Carl Reiner, Larry Gelbart, Neil Simon, and Woody Allen, revolutionized sketch comedy by telling stories rooted in the human condition. They redefined television sketch comedy, and paved the way for landmark comedy shows like Saturday Night Live.

Sid Caesar – The Works is a just released collection of the best work of Caesar and his teams, beginning with The Admiral Broadway Review, through Your Show Of Shows and Caesar's Hour, and featuring many interviews and extras, including the 2014 Paley Center For Media Tribute with Mel Brooks, Carl Reiner and Billy Crystal.

We just ordered this 5 disc, 11 hour set and look forward to watching it soon. We'll try to share whatever we can from it in the coming weeks and months.


In this clip, Billy Crystal talks about his introduction to Sid Caesar and his unique comedy.

Enjoy!

A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO MAY NOT BE VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY ON SOME COMPUTERS AND TABLETS.  YOU MUST CLICK ON THE TITLE AT THE TOP OF THE EMAIL TO REACH THE JEWISH HUMOR CENTRAL WEBSITE, FROM WHICH YOU CLICK ON THE PLAY BUTTON IN THE VIDEO IMAGE TO START THE VIDEO.



#Throwback Thursday   #TBT