Flu Tips From a Jewish Mother and Other Shtick From Mendy Pellin's "Jewbellish the News"

Chasidic comedian Mendy Pellin and his Jewbellish crew have come down with the flu. So they invited a Jewish mother to offer advice on preventing and treating this winter malady.

In this episode of Jewbellish the News, Mendy also interviews an El Al spokesperson and a male passenger about the recent incident when a group of Chasidim caused a flight delay by refusing to sit next to female passengers. Oh, so now we understand the real reason for the refusal to sit in an assigned seat.

Enjoy!

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A Joke to Start the Week - "Mezuzah"

It's Monday again, and if we can believe the weather forecasts, the Northeast U.S. is bracing for one of the biggest snowstorms in a long time. So as we batten down the hatches, we really need a joke to start this week.

Today's joke is another one from the archives of Old Jews Telling Jokes. The joke teller is retired 76-year-old Rabbi Jerry Fisher.

Here's the setup: This wealthy guy builds a brand new mansion, and he's got an appointment on Sunday morning at 10 o'clock with the contractor just to go over last minute details and make the last payment, and then...

Enjoy!

(A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO IS NOT VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY.  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.)

Comedy Showcase: Iliza Shlesinger on Eating Around Men

Originally from Dallas, Iliza Shlesinger moved to Los Angeles after graduating from Emerson College. She is the only female and youngest comedian to hold the title of NBC'S Last Comic Standing. Most recently she was the host of CBS's syndicated comedy dating show Excused, in which she filmed 230 episodes.  

Iliza's TV credits include her own half-hour Comedy Central Presents special, as well as NBC'S Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central's Live at Gotham, E! Network's Chelsea Lately and The Soup, NBC'S Last Call with Carson Daily, TBS’ Who Gets the Last Laugh?, and Showtime's Pauly Shore and Friends and Bridging the Gap Comedy Festival.

In this clip from her new comedy album War Paint, Iliza carries on about the unwritten rule that women on dates have to limit their menu choices.

Enjoy!

(A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO IS NOT VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY.  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

Comedy Showcase: Rabbi/Comedian Bob Alper on Weddings

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We've been following Rabbi Bob Alper since we started this blog in 2009. Over the years we've posted some of his stand-up comedy performances and clips from his DVD.

Alper, 69, started doing stand-up comedy in 1986 in Philadelphia. He's been at it ever since, doing about 60 shows a year across the USA.

He served Reform congregations for 14 years, but now only officiates at High Holy Day services in Philadelphia.

His  DVD runs 102 minutes, and includes a live performance, an interview, and 33 of his best jokes. He bills himself as the only practicing clergyman doing standup comedy...intentionally.

Here's an excerpt from the DVD in which he has the audience laughing about funny experiences he's had while officiating at weddings. 

Enjoy, and Shabbat shalom! 

(A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO IS NOT VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY.  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.) 

Jon Stewart on Latest Mideast Crisis: Miss Israel Posts Selfie With Miss Lebanon

The decision of Haredi newspaper HaMevaser to remove women from the iconic photo of world leaders marching in Paris last week was an inspiration to comedian Jon Stewart.  

He lost no time in creating a new feature on his Daily Show: "What Picture is Upsetting the Middle East This Week?"

And the photo that wins the prize this week is a "selfie" photo snapped by the Miss Israel contestant at the Miss Universe pageant in Miami. It seems that not everyone was happy to see Miss Israel and Miss Lebanon smiling together in the photo.

Jon milks the controversy for all it's worth on his show. Enjoy!

(A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO IS NOT VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY.  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.) 

Comedy Showcase: Joel Chasnoff on the Joys and Challenges of Raising Children

We've been fans of stand-up comedian Joel Chasnoff since 2010, when we started posting some of his funny routines about traveling, Jewish day school basketball, foreign languages, and Jewish holidays.

After graduating from Penn, Joel served as a tank gunner in the Israel Defense Forces. Joel’s memoir, The 188th Armored Brigade, is a brash and gritty depiction of his year in combat that Kirkus Reviews calls “Horrifyingly hilarious.” 

Joel’s comedy is a smart mix of personal anecdotes and keen observational humor, centered around the theme of the absurdity of modern American life. When he’s not on tour, Joel teaches stand-up comedy at the 92nd Street Y in Manhattan.

Here's Joel performing at the City Winery in New York in a funny riff on the joys and challenges of raising kids.

Enjoy!

(A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO IS NOT VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY.  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.)  

 

Jewish Traces in Unexpected Places: Abanibi Is Still a Big Hit.....in Thailand

A Ba Ni Bi, a seemingly nonsensical song that won first prize for Israel in the 1978 Eurovision Song Contest, has taken off and found expression in many languages and in many venues that are surely surprising original singer Izhar Cohen, composer Nurit Hirsh, and songwriter Ehud Manor.

The song was the subject of an article in Tablet magazine, in which Marjorie Ingalls reflects on the song's explosion onto the Jewish camp scene where it was and still is a staple of the zimriah and rikudiah (song and dance festvals) that are focal points of the camp season.

A Ba Ni Bi is actually not nonsensical, at least when sung in Hebrew.  It gets a little weird when it's sung in Chinese, Spanish, Thai, and other languages. We have posted previous versions of the song performed in Spain, Malaysia, and Singapore.

As Ingalls, points out, It's cleverly written in S'fat HaBet (B Language,) an Israeli variation of Pig Latin.  The phrase Aba Nibi Obo Hebev Obo Tabach is simply Ani Ohev Otach (I Love You) with the suffixes ba, bi, bo, and beh appended to each syllable.  If it were sung in English, the words would be Iby Lubuve Youboo.  But nobody sings it that way.

Here is a version of the song performed recently in Thailand. The singers can't pronounce the words in the refrain correctly. The verses are either in Thai or in English. Either way, we can't figure them out. If you can, please let us know in your comments.

Just below, we're sharing the original Hebrew version that won the 1978 Eurovision song contest for Israel. Enjoy!

(A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO IS NOT VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY.  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 - "Portrait"

Here we go again. It's Monday, the start of a new week, and time to start it off with a laugh. Once again, Old Jews Telling Jokes comes through with an oldie but goodie to face the challenges of a cold January. (Unless you're in Florida, where cold doesn't apply.)

For the month of February, we'll be posting our daily entries from Miami Beach, and entertaining groups in Deerfield Beach. If you're in South Florida and looking for a one-hour program of the funniest Jewish videos on the Internet for your club, synagogue, organization, or private function during February, just contact us at akustan@gmail.com and we'll work out the details.

Today's joke teller is 76-year-old Jerry Fisher, a retired rabbi. Here's the setup: This elderly Jewish lady is having her portrait done. And the artist gets done with this beautiful portrait of her. And she says, "OK, now I want you put on a very expensive looking necklace" and then...

Enjoy!

(A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO IS NOT VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY.  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.)

The New Comedians: Meet Ronn Blitzer, Jewish Week Comedy Contest Winner

Ronn Blitzer was the winner of The Jewish Week competition for Funniest Comedian in New York in June 2013. 

Two months later, at the premiere of When Comedy Went to School at the JCC in Manhattan, Ronn delivered a stand-up set to warm up the audience for the film, which we previewed on Jewish Humor Central with three video clips.

Here is Ronn's eight minute comedy routine.

Enjoy!

(A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO IS NOT VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY.  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.)

Jewish Comedy on Record - "When You're in Love the Whole World is Jewish" - "Discussion in the Airplane"

Of all the comedy albums produced in the era of LP records, our favorite has always been You Don't Have to be Jewish. The album is a collection of blackout bits and extended one-liners which poked fun at the absurdities of American Jewish culture.
 
It was recorded in a studio with a live audience in attendance, as a cast of actors performed scripted material much in the manner of a radio play.
 
Comedy writers Bob Booker and George Foster had the good judgment to assemble a superb cast for this recording, and they transform what could have been ordinary Catskills shtick into something memorable.
 
The performers include Lou Jacobi, Jack Gilford, Betty Walker and Arlene Golonka, and their expert timing and feel for their characters is impeccable. You Don't Have To Be Jewish is a fine sampling of classic Borscht Belt humor performed by a top-notch cast.


The response to the album was so great that the same writers and cast produced a sequel called When You're in Love, the Whole World is Jewish. The two albums are now being sold together as a single CD.

We previously shared two of the funniest routines on the first album. Today we're posting a bit from the second album titled Discussion in the Airplane.

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.)