Jewish Humor Central is a daily publication to start your day with news of the Jewish world that's likely to produce a knowing smile and some Yiddishe nachas. It's also a collection of sources of Jewish humor--anything that brings a grin, chuckle, laugh, guffaw, or just a warm feeling to readers.
Our posts include jokes, satire, books, music, films, videos, food, Unbelievable But True, and In the News. Some are new, and some are classics. We post every morning, Sunday through Friday. Enjoy!
Last year 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 Rukhl explains the many ways we have of saying "Thanks."
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 few years ago we posted a version of Adon Olam that was sung by Russia's Red Army Choir during a concert at the Sultan's Pool in Jerusalem in 2014.
Three years later a more diverse Red Army Choir gave another rousing performance of Adon Olam in Tel Aviv with singers in military dress and a group of folk dancers in traditional costumes.
Here's a video of the 2017 performance that's the 71st version of Adon Olam that we've posted since starting Jewish Humor Central.
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.
The Ed Sullivan Show was a television variety program that aired on CBS from 1948-1971. For 23 years it aired every Sunday night and played host to the world's greatest talents.
The entertainers each week ranged from comedians like Joan Rivers and Rodney Dangerfield, to Broadway stars Julie Andrews and Richard Burton, to pop singers such as Bobby Darin and Petula Clark.
On June 14, 1959, comedian Henny Youngman made one of his many appearances on the show. He delivers his one-liners so fast that you may have to watch the clip more than once to catch all the punch lines.
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.
Starting tomorrow we
will be waving the etrog, along with the lulav, myrtle and willow
branches, for the week of Sukkot. The etrog can be very expensive,
costing up to and in some cases more than $100 apiece.
But what use is the etrog after the holiday is over? It depends where you are and who you are. As we enter the Sukkot holiday, let's hop over to Jerusalem's Mahane Yehuda market, where one of the shopkeepers, Uzi-Eli Chezi, is known as the Etrog medicine man.
In this video, Uzi-Eli greets a pair of American visitors and gives them instant etrog-based treatments for a variety of illnesses and skin conditions, along with a jolly laugh and a hearty welcome to Israel.
Enjoy! We'll be celebrating Sukkot tomorrow and Wednesday, returning with more Jewish Humor Central on Thursday.
Chag Sameach!
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.
Last year 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'll share the Yiddish words and expressions that relate to the holiday of Sukkot, which starts tomorrow night.
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.
Last week international stars of Fiddler On The Roof from productions
staged all over the world, united in singing “Sabbath Prayer” in eight
different languages.
The piece was meant as a collective prayer for the safe
return of Broadway and theatres everywhere -- a prayer
for protection, ease, health, and a
safe return of in-person gatherings, and for the relief those communal moments
will bring.
The piece was produced by Adam Kantor and Reboot and presented by
OneTable and Broadway.com. It features singers from performances in English, Yiddish, Hebrew, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Japanese, and Tagalog.
Avinu Malkeinu is one of the central themes of Yom Kippur, which Jews worldwide will be observing tonight and tomorrow.
We're getting in the mood for Yom Kippur by sharing a version of Avinu Malkeinu composed by Max Janowski, sung by Hazamir at their 2016 Gala
Concert at Carnegie Hall.
The choir was conducted by Hadas Sturman, Conductor of HaZamir Beit She'an and
accompanied by Dr. Alan Mason, Conductor of HaZamir Miami.
Soloists were Allison Abrams, HaZamir Manhattan, Juliana Lynch, HaZamir
Baltimore, Yohji Daquio-Braude, HaZamir Providence, and Samuel Dylan
Rosner, HaZamir Westchester.
HaZamir: The International Jewish Teen Choir is a program of the Zamir
Choral Foundation, www.zamirchoralfoundation.org.
We'll be posting again on Friday. We wish you a G'mar Chatima Tova and a happy and healthy New Year.
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.
The company J. Ariowitsch was one of the leading companies in the Leipzig smoked goods trade in the Weimar Republic. Now their building is a center for Jewish culture in Germany. Numerous cultural events, concert and reading series, exhibitions, lectures and seminars take place here every year.
Last week Sharon Brauner, Karsten Troyke, Daniel Weltlinger & Harry
Ermer performed a live concert of Jewish music at Ariowitsch-Haus in
Leipzig, including their version of Tumbalalaika.
Born
in West Berlin in 1969, Brauner attended a musical school and took a job as
a bouncer, bartender, and go-go dancer in Berlin's trendy clubs. Then
she studied acting at the Lee Strasberg institute in New York while
singing jazz standards at night in various clubs. Brauner
launched a singing career, and dedicated herself to popularizing
Yiddish classics that she knew from her childhood. She reinterpreted the
songs, some of which are centuries old, in swing, jazz and pop, Balkan
polka, Arab arabesques, South American rhythms, reggae, waltz, country,
and tango elements. The songs captured the joy and the soul of the
music.
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.
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: Three young men in Poland -- Beryl, Cheryl, and Shmeryl -- have a friend Moshe who emigrated to the United States. He became a very successful businessman. And then...
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.
Last year 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'll share the Yiddish words for cutlery that we use every day and learn about the mixing spoon that's not only a cooking utensil.
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.
We
never expected to put the words Yiddish, Shabbat, and Jimmy Buffett in
the same sentence. But last week a funny video with just this
combination started spreading on the Internet and already has 7,500
views.
Rokhl Kafrissen, the columnist and playwright, translated a Jimmy Buffet classic song with the family-friendly shortened title of Let's Get Drunk into Yiddish.
The Margaritaville Resort Times Square — part of Buffett’s
hospitality company, which manages and franchises restaurants, stores
and casinos named for the singer’s hit song, “Margaritaville” — is
located at the center of Manhattan’s garment district.
The neighborhood once housed three synagogues serving the many
Yiddish-speaking garment industry workers. While most of the textile
businesses no longer exist, the historic Garment Center Congregation is
now on the ground floor and two sub-floors of the Margaritaville
entertainment complex, part of a complicated real estate negotiation.
In honor of that unusual situation, Yiddish culture nonprofit
Congress for Jewish Culture commissioned playwright Rokhl Kafrissen to
adapt Buffett’s tale of a man’s bar hookup into a woman’s Yiddish plea
to skip Shabbat dinner and go right to dessert.
The song is performed by a formidable crew of klezmer performers: Sasha Lurje (voice), Craig Judelman (violin) and Lorin Sklamberg (guitar, voice).
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.
Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In was one of the most popular TV shows in the 1960s and 1970s. One of their regular segments was Story Time. In this segment, Jack Benny is asked to tell a story for a Scandinavian audience. When he protests that he can't speak Scandinavian, the hosts provide him with a Scandinavian translator played by hilarious comedian Arte Johnson.
Benny starts telling the story that's instantly translated by Johnson into a gobbledegook parody of Scandinavian speech. The sketch also provides an opportunity for Ruth Buzzi to hit Benny with her pocketbook, a regular feature of her skits with Johnson.
Ah, the memories that this skit brings back! 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.
Thanks to our thousands of loyal
subscribers and casual readers worldwide who have joined us during the year.
We started this blog on October 5, 2009 and it's been going strong with more
than 3600 blog entries and more than 3 million page views over the last 12 years.
We appreciate your
loyalty and we hope to keep bringing you a daily mix of Jewish humor in all of
its forms -- traditional, eclectic, musical, unbelievable but true, and just
funny, tempered with touches of nostalgia and Yiddishe nachas. We'll be attending Rosh Hashanah services remotely tonight, Tuesday and Wednesday, and we'll be
back posting again on Thursday. Here's wishing you a happy, healthy, joyous,
prosperous and funny New Year from our family to yours!
Last week the world of Jewish humor lost one of its greatest stars with the death of Mal Z. Lawrence, one of our favorite comedians, who brought Borscht Belt comedy and waves of laughter to Jewish audiences in the Catskills, South Florida, Las Vegas, and Midtown Manhattan.
Mr. Lawrence came to prominence in the Catskills in the 1950s but was
soon known all over the country, playing Las Vegas, Atlantic City,
Florida and other stops on the comedy circuit, where his brand of
relatively mild Jewish-tinged humor was greeted enthusiastically. To a
Florida audience he might joke about the Catskills; to a Northern
audience, he’d poke fun at Florida.
Manny Miller was born on Sept. 2, 1932, in the Bronx and grew up there.
“Mal Z. Lawrence,” as he variously told the story over the years, was
the suggestion of an early agent, or perhaps several different agents.
“Lawrence” was borrowed from a Long Island village where he was
appearing. As for the Z, which stood for nothing, “My agent told me I’d
get more marquee space,” he said.
As a tribute to Mal, we're sharing a video clip of one of his classic performances. 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.
Temple
Ohabei Shalom, “Lovers of Peace,” has been at the center of New England
Judaism since it was founded in 1842 as the first congregation in
Massachusetts. As an affiliate of the Union for Reform Judaism, the Brookline congregation
encourages people from all paths of Judaism to be a part of its
community.
In this video, Cantor Avi Davis and the Ohabei Shalom choir sing David Sparr's arrangement of Yigdal, the liturgical poem that many congregations sing at the end of Friday night services.
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.
It's another Throwback Thursday and time to turn the calendar back 56 years to one of Sid Caesar's appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show.
Caesar was considered a "sketch comic" and actor, as opposed to a
stand-up comedian. He also relied more on body language, accents, and
facial contortions than simply dialogue. Unlike the slapstick comedy
which was standard on TV, his style was considered "avant garde" in the
1950s. He conjured up ideas and scene and used writers to flesh out the
concept and create the dialogue.
In this sketch on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1965, Caesar played the part of a suitor meeting his girlfriend's stuffy parents for the first time, an encounter in which anything that could go wrong, did.
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.
Ed Asner, the burly and prolific actor who became a star in middle age
as the gruff but lovable newsman Lou Grant, first in the hit comedy “The
Mary Tyler Moore Show,” and later in the drama “Lou Grant,” died
Sunday. He was 91.
As reported in The Times of Israel,
Asner was born in Kansas City, Missouri, in 1929, to Orthodox Jewish
parents, Lizzie Seliger and Morris David Asner, who had immigrated from
the Soviet Union. He was given the Hebrew name Yitzhak.
He almost became a newsman in real life. He studied journalism at the
University of Chicago until a professor told him there was little money
to be made in the profession.
He quickly switched to drama, debuting as the martyred Thomas Becket
in a campus production of T.S. Eliot’s “Murder in the Cathedral.”
As Grant aged, many of his characters were more explicitly Jewish, from
Joe Danzig, a worn-out principal at a troubled inner-city high school in
“The Bronx Zoo,” in 1988, to Sid Weinberg, the abusive stepfather in
the recent “Karate Kid” reboot, “Cobra Kai.”
Asner was interviewed as part of the Yiddish Book Center's Wexler Oral History Project. In an excerpt from the interview, he described his harrowing first performance -- his Bar Mitzvah, where he was criticized by his father and his uncle. Having failed his first performance, he became determined to be an actor.
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.
Israel has quietly become one of the world leaders in the research and use of medicinal psychedelics. In Israel there is a company called PsyRx that is leading research in psychedelic medicine.
As Brian Blum wrote in Israel21c,
With military service mandatory and conflicts breaking out every few
years, most Israeli families have experience with PTSD. There’s also
trauma in communities near the Gaza border that are under regular but
unpredictable rocket attack.
In early 2019, Israel became the first government worldwide to approve a
“Compassionate Use” program for MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD.
The United States followed Israel’s lead when the FDA approved limited
MDMA therapy in December 2019.
This video shows the lab trying to produce psychoactive compounds in fungi. Mushrooms can help with conditions like anxiety or PTSD. The PsyRx lab focuses on developing mushrooms that help with depression.
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.
It's another Monday,
and time for another Joke to Start the Week. Today we're bringing you another joke told by
David Apfel.
Now living in Modiin, Israel, David
Apfel is an accomplished entertainer and chazzan. He sings in several languages
with repertoire ranging from the musicals to opera. He has officiated
internationally at several orthodox synagogues and he also specializes in
''Kosher Komedie''.
Here's the setup
for today's joke: A long time ago in the Soviet Union in a very severe winter, there was a long line of people waiting to buy food. And
then...
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.
Last year 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's subject is the computer and the many expressions that result from its use.
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.
Since we started sharing various Shabbat melodies in our Friday posts, we've included 43 versions of Lecha Dodi,
the central liturgical poem in the Kabbalat Shabbat service.
While all
versions are worthy of emulating, so far none has been as ebullient and
joyful as the one we're sharing today.It's a medley of Modzitz melodies for Lecha Dodi sung by with orchestra and choir arranged and conducted by Maestro Ofir Sobol from Colin Schachat's album The Cantorial Collection.
South African born Colin Schachat has established himself
internationally both as a renowned baritone and cantor. He performs a
wide range of popular repertoire including Broadway, Yiddish, Opera,
Chassidic, Israeli, Italian and Spanish songs.
Avremi Roth, who is often associated with his deep and
powerful voice, has recently changed his musical style and released a number of recent pop hits that have been a resounding
success on radio stations and playlists. “I would not say that I have
really changed my style,” Avremi Roth points out. “I
just make the necessary adjustments to the current musical style and put
out songs that will also suit the current era. But the authentic
cantorial cantata and music are still ingrained in my soul forever.”
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.
It's another Throwback Thursday and today we're turning the calendar back 54 years to an appearance by the comedy team of Smith and Dale on The Ed Sullivan Show.
Joe
Smith (originally Joseph Seltzer) and Charlie Dale (originally Charles
Marks) grew up in the Jewish ghettos of New York City. Many of the
famous comic performers of vaudeville, radio and movies came from the
same place and the same era, including Gallagher and Shean, George
Burns, Eddie Cantor, George Jessel and The Marx Brothers. Seltzer and Marks met as teenagers in 1898 and formed a partnership.
They named their act "Smith and Dale" because a local printer gave them a
good deal on business cards reading "Smith and Dale" (intended for a
vaudeville team that had dissolved). Joe Seltzer became Joe Smith, and
Charlie Marks became Charlie Dale.
During
the 1920s, they became famous for their signature sketch "Doctor
Kronkheit and His Only Living Patient," which like "Who's on First?" for
Abbott and Costello,
became one of the famous comedy sketches of the 20th century. The name
of the doctor is an inside joke: Smith and Dale, both being Jewish,
named the physician Kronkheit, which is Yiddish and German for
"sickness". Thus we have a doctor named "Dr. Sickness". Indeed a
hospital in German is called a Krankenhaus, or literally "sick house".
In today's skit, Joe Smith goes to see tax consultant Charlie Dale for help in avoiding taxes.
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.
At age 10 Avi Hoffman (bornAvrum Ber, in 1958) made his
theatrical debut in a Yiddish Folksbiene Theater production called Bronx
Express. In the decades that followed, the performer, a son of
Holocaust survivors, has appeared in a wide range of theatrical
endeavors, both in New York City and regionally.
Avi is the CEO of the Yiddishkayt Initiative, a not-for-profit organization
that celebrates and promotes Jewish history, life, and culture and their
positive and far-reaching impact on the world. From performing arts,
publishing, and education to language, philosophy, and literature, YI
offers a global clearinghouse of Jewish culture and entertainment.
Avi is known for his shows, Too Jewish and Too Jewish Too. Today we're sharing Welcome to the Catskills, an excerpt from Avi's second show Too Jewish, Too. 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.
Folkadu is an ensemble which takes us on a musical journey from traditional Jewish tunes to Israeli folk songs, sung in diverse Jewish languages such as Hebrew, Yiddish and Ladino, accompanied by a unique instrument combination of trumpet, accordion and oud.
Hava Nagila (Hebrew: "הבה נגילה", "Let us rejoice") is an Israeli folk song traditionally sung at Jewish celebrations. The melody is based on a Hassidic Nigun, composed in 1915 in Ottoman Palestine, when Hebrew was being revived as a spoken language for the first time in almost 2,000 years.
We are now in the middle of the Hebrew month of Elul. As Rosh Hashanah approaches, it's traditional to blow the shofar each day of the month. By
doing so, inevitably we’ll feel remorse over past misdeeds and set
ourselves upon a fresh new path. We don't think that the rabbis who started this tradition had it in mind as a prelude to Hava Nagila, but why not take Yael Gat's interpretation as a foretaste of the coming holidays?
Folkadu are:
Yael Gat - Shofar & Trumpet
Pier Paolo Bertoli - Acoordion
Doron Furman - Oud
Performance at Berlin Music Festival 2021
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.
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: A renowned rabbi is scheduled to lead a discussion in a strange town. He's tired and so he says to the chauffeur who drives him to all of these lectures: "You know, I'm not up to leading the discussion tonight." And then...
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.
Subscribe now. Start each day with a smile. No cost, no obligation, no spam.
A Message From Al Kustanowitz About FAU OLLI Lectures
A video greeting to all past, present, and future patrons of Florida Atlantic University’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute in Boca Raton. The University is making Al's presentation of The Great Jewish Entertainers available online until June 30 as it transitions from live lectures in the 550 seat auditorium to video lectures accessible at home on computer screens, laptops, and smart phones. To register for this lecture click on this link and follow instructions to obtain a Patron ID. The fee for this lecture is $35 and membership in FAU OLLI is not required.
Jewish Humor Central Staff
Publisher and Editor-in-Chief:
Al Kustanowitz Food and Wine Editor:
Aviva Weinberg Israel Food and Wine Consultant Penina Kustanowitz Reporter and Photographer:
Meyer Berkowitz Reporter Phyllis Flancbaum
Now You Can Book Program and Lecture Dates for 2021 Via ZOOM
Now is the time to book our Jewish humor programs and lectures for your 2021 events via ZOOM anywhere in the world. Book any of our 20 popular programs including "The Great Jewish Comedians", “Israel is a Funny Country”, and "Jewish Traces in Unexpected Places." Click above for details and videos. To book a program, contact Al at akustan@gmail.com or 201-390-7535.
BUY OUR LATEST BOOK IN PAPERBACK AND GET THE KINDLE VERSION (E-BOOK) FREE!
Buy our latest book "Jewish Traces in Unexpected Places" from Amazon in paperback for $9.95 and Amazon will offer you the Kindle (e-book) version free of charge. You can read the Kindle (e-book) on any computer, tablet, or smart phone with a Kindle reader that you can download free from Amazon. You can give the print version as a gift and keep the Kindle version for yourself. The book presents 150 anecdotes and associated video clips that reveal the myriad ways that Jewish culture, religion, humor, music, song, and dance have found expression in parts of the world that, at first glance, might not seem supportive of Jewish Life. It includes 50 videos of Hava Nagila being performed from Texas to Thailand, from India to Iran, and from Buenos Aires to British Columbia. Also highlighted are 34 international versions of Hevenu Shalom Aleichem, Adon Olam, Abanibi, and Tumbalalaika. Whether you’re reading the print version and typing in the video URLs or reading the e-book version and clicking on the links, you’ll have access to 150 video clips totaling more than 10 hours of video. Enjoy!
Buy "Israel is a Funny Country" and Amazon will give you a free copy of the Kindle edition
Amazon.com is running a promotion of the Kindle Edition of our book, "Israel is a Funny Country." If you buy the paperback edition, Amazon will give you the Kindle edition free under their MatchBook program. After you order the book, return to the book page and click on Kindle Edition. The price will change from $2.99 to $0.00. Amazon offers free Kindle reading apps so you can read any Kindle book on your PC, Mac, Kindle, iPad, iPhone, or Android smartphone.
Now is the time to book our Jewish Humor Shows and Lectures for your shul, JCC, or club on ZOOM.
Bring Al's Jewish humor lectures and comedy programs with the funniest videos on the Internet to your community and your synagogue, club, JCC, organization or private event via ZOOM. We're taking reservations now for 2021 dates in your community. Click above for details. To book a program, contact Al at akustan@gmail.com or 201-390-7535.
Now Open: The Jewish Humor Central Gift Shop
Jewish Humor Central logo merchandise is now available. Click on the image above to see the complete collection -- More than 100 items from tote bags, baseball caps, mugs, aprons, drinkware, T-shirts and sweatshirts, to pajamas and underwear.
Add Laughter to Your Purim Celebration. Order Now From Amazon.com.
The Kustanowitz Kronikle - 25 Purim newsletters from 1988 to 2012 filled with parody, satire, and spoofs. Available now from Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.. A great gift for the hosts of your Purim Seudah.
The Best of Jewish Humor Central - Now Available in eBook and Paperback at Amazon.com
The Best of Jewish Humor Central - More than 400 video clips, including music and comedy videos for all the Jewish holidays. View them on Your PC, Mac, Kindle Fire, iPad, iPhone, iTouch, Android Tablet and Smartphone. Click on the image above to peek inside and download a free sample. And now, a paperback edition for anyone who prefers a traditional book and doesn't mind typing the URLs instead of clicking on them.
About the Publisher and Editor-in-Chief
Al Kustanowitz, Jewish Humor Central's Publisher and Editor-in-Chief, has collected Jewish humor even before there was an internet. For the last 25 years he has been editor and publisher of The Kustanowitz Kronikle.
Al is a member of the Jewish Speakers Bureau.
Want to contact us? Just send email to akustan@gmail.com.
[MASTER LIST] Global Sukkah Restaurants 2021
-
We’ve gotten so used to outdoor dining over the past year and a half that
eating in a Sukkah may not seem that different than usual. Nonetheless,
we’ll a...
DJIA 2021: Did “Sell Rosh, Buy Yom Kippur” Work?
-
There is a Wall Street adage of SELL ROSH HASHANA, BUY YOM KIPPUR to make
some dollars on the stock market. If you had done that from 1998 to 2005,
on the ...
Thoughts on the Haggadah by Rabbi Eli Teitelbaum
-
[image: Story 375601404]
We just recently were able to find the latest version of my fathers, Rabbi
Eli Teitelbaum Z”L, thoughts on the Haggadah and conve...
Hamantaschen: The Symbolism behind Purim Cookies
-
Purim is a celebration of masquerade, Mishloach Manot, Hamantaschen and
book of Esther reading. Every Jewish holiday focuses on a special dish and
the tria...
Taking the Shuk to the Next Level
-
Anyone who has spent any time on my blog, or just getting to know me, knows
how much I love Jerusalem’s famous outdoor market, Shuk Machane Yehuda.
I’ve ...
Kettlebell Training Massachusetts
-
In April 2006, legislation was passed requiring all residents in
Massachusetts specializes in assisting Massachusetts residents who have
been put on exhi...
A chat with some protesters…
-
Originally posted on don of all trades:
Hi protesters, it’s me, Don. Do you remember me? No? I’m a police officer.
We’ve met before. Excuse me? Did you say...
Trayf of the Week: Bacon Jam
-
Just when you thought it was safe to eat your bagels in mixed company,
comes this devilish concoction. Next time a Goyishe friend offers you a
shmear, mak...
Posts
