"The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" Season 3 Has Arrived on Amazon Prime

With most TV channels covering the news coming daily out of Washington, you may not have noticed that over the weekend, Amazon Prime has unloaded another full season of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. It's a breath of fresh air that takes us back to simpler times.

Eight hour-long episodes of the highly anticipated third season of the widely acclaimed portrayal of a Jewish family in New York in the 1950s and 1960s is now streaming on Amazon Prime. All of the main characters are back, and we get to relive Jewish life in New York 60 years ago.

In the first episode Midge performs at a USO show with White Christmas as the closing number. She quickly realizes that she doesn't know the words. Her manager Susie learns the ins and outs of contract negotiation. Abe and Rose grapple with their new financial situation, and Joel finds the perfect spot for his new club until he discovers that the space isn't as it appears.

Here's the trailer for the new season.

Enjoy!

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Israel's Shalva Band Sings "God Bless America" at IAC Summit

On Saturday night December 7, Israel's Shalva Band gave an emotional performance of God Bless America at the Israeli American Council (IAC) Summit at the Diplomat Beach Resort in Hollywood, Florida. 

The IAC's mission is to unite Israelis who moved to America with the Jewish State. Attendees spent Thursday through Saturday discussing the most “pressing matters in Diaspora Jewish affairs.” 

The band originally began as a music therapy group started by Shalva, the Israel Association for the Care and Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities. 

They previously made it to the finals in The Rising Star competition leading to representing Israel at Eurovision, but they dropped out because they would have had to violate Shabbat to perform.

At the Summit, President Trump prefaced his introduction of the Shalva Band with a tribute to Irving Berlin, who wrote God Bless America in 1918 and revised it to the current form in 1938. After the performance, they showered him with hugs.

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 New Name"

It's another Monday, and it's time for another joke to start the week. Here comes another one from Toronto's Jewish Folks Telling Jokes, a night of comedy to benefit Jewish Family and Child, one of the foremost Jewish service agencies in North America.
We previously posted a few jokes that were told at the event, a Canadian contribution to the world of Jewish humor, probably inspired by the off-Broadway show Old Jews Telling Jokes, still touring around the USA.
We'll be posting more of these jokes on upcoming Mondays. Here's another oldie but goodie, told by Alf Kwinter.
Here's the setup: Moishe and Duvid met on Spadina Avenue in Toronto. Moishe says: Duvid, my name is no longer Moishe. 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: Sebastian Maniscalco on How he Tried to Baptize His Jewish Baby

Los Angeles artist Lana Gomez is married to stand-up comedian Sebastian Maniscalco, an Italian Catholic whose encounters with his Jewish in-laws have given him lots of material for his routines.

As Erin Ben-Moche wrote in the Los Angeles Jewish Journal, 

Gomez, who is Sephardic, grew up in Memphis, Tenn., and Naples, Fla. She said although she lived in the heart of the Bible belt in Memphis, the Jewish community thrived. She also noted she is a descendant of the Gomez family who fled to America after the Spanish Inquisition. Their family ancestor Luis Gomez established the Gomez Mill House in 1714 in Newburgh, N.Y., and it remains one of the earliest known Jewish dwellings in North America and one of the oldest homes on the National Register of Historic Places.

Together, with her husband — comedian Sebastian Maniscalco — and their two children, 2 1/2-year-old Serafina and 3-month-old Caruso, Gomez said their artistic visions are a team effort, whether she’s styling posters or tour artwork for her husband or he is weighing in on designs for their West Hollywood home.

Here's a funny video about what happened when Sebastian Maniscalco's family wanted him to baptize their Jewish baby so she could celebrate Christmas.

Enjoy!

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Welcoming Shabbat with Adon Olam by Cantor Shira Ginsburg and Michael Hunter Ochs

This week we welcome Shabbat with a new version of Adon Olam by Cantor Shira Ginsburg and Composer-in-Residence Michael Hunter Ochs at the East End Temple, a Reform synagogue in New York City.

Cantor Ginsburg is celebrating her 15th year of service at the synagogue in New York City. As a Messinger Scholar, Shira earned her Masters, Cantorial degrees and ordination from Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion.  

Shira is the recipient of the Women of Reform Judaism Award, Cantorial Alumni Association Prize, and Sylvia Davidson Memorial Award for extraordinary diligence in mastering Chazzanut. 

In addition to his success in contemporary popular music, Ochs is universally recognized as a leading composer of Jewish and Interfaith worship music. On any given Friday evening his music can be heard in synagogues around the world. 

Enjoy, and Shabbat shalom!

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Throwback Thursday Comedy Special: Billy Crystal Standup from 1977

On this Throwback Thursday we're going back 42 years to 1977 and a standup comedy performance by Billy Crystal on the TV show Midnight Special.

In this set, Billy makes fun of leisure suits, Nehru jackets, corduroy on college campuses, getting phony proof of age, and dealing with a malfunctioning microphone at the senior class high school assembly.

Enjoy!

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#Throwback Thursday     #TBT

Comedian Tiffany Haddish Celebrates Her "Black Mitzvah"

Black and Jewish US comedian Tiffany Haddish is having a bat mitzvah ceremony soon. 

She has released a Netflix stand-up special inspired by the occasion as well. 

As reported by The Times of Israel, 

Haddish had been kicking around the comedy world and doing guest shots on television programs for some time, but her role in the raunchy comedy “Girls Trip” got her the spotlight she deserved. She was voted Best Supporting Actress by the prestigious New York Film Critics Circle, a rarity for a comedic performance, and ultimately far more impressive than an Oscar.

As a teen she met her biological father, an Eritrean Jew who was living in Los Angeles for a while but went back to his home country when she was three years old. At the same time she started working in comedy clubs and other entertainment jobs. Ironically enough, one of her early gigs was working as part of the party team at bar and bat mitzvahs in Los Angeles.

In recent years, though, Haddish has gotten more interested in exploring her Jewish heritage. She started learning Hebrew and preparing for a bat mitzvah of her own. Indeed, she plans to answer the call to Torah this December 3, her 40th birthday, which just so happens to coincide with the release of her latest comedy special on Netflix, “Black Mitzvah.”

 In a special Sunday night edition of Jimmy Fallon’s “The Tonight Show,” Haddish broke into singing “Hava Nagila,” backed up by The Roots, Fallon’s famous house band.

Enjoy! 

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Jewish Traces in Unexpected Places: Jewish and Japanese Foods Fuse in Brooklyn

She is Japanese. He is Jewish. Together, they cook up all kinds of deliciousness. Meet Sawako Okochi and Aaron Israel. Their love for each other led to marriage, and their love of cooking led to Shalom Japan.

The Brooklyn restaurant merges Japanese and Jewish culinary influences. On the menu? Matzoh ball ramen and a lox bowl version of chirashi. 

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 - "The Best Insurance"

It's another Monday, and it's time for another joke to start the week. Here comes another one from Toronto's Jewish Folks Telling Jokes, a night of comedy to benefit Jewish Family and Child, one of the foremost Jewish service agencies in North America.

We previously posted a few jokes that were told at the event, a Canadian contribution to the world of Jewish humor, probably inspired by the off-Broadway show Old Jews Telling Jokes, still touring around the USA.

We'll be posting more of these jokes on upcoming Mondays. Here's another oldie but goodie, told by Susan Lanczi.

Here's the setup: . An elderly woman goes for a checkup to her physician. The physician is asking many questions about her health. 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: Gad Elmaleh Sings a Song in Made Up English

We've posted a few video clips by French Moroccan Jewish comedian Gad Elmaleh, and your response has been very positive. So today we're posting another one of his funny bits as shown on the Conan O'Brien show last year.

Before he launched his comedy career which made him France's most popular comedian, Elmaleh played at a piano bar, entertaining customers who didn't speak English.

One day one of the owners asked him to sing a song in English for an important client whose wife was celebrating her birthday and insisted on an English song.

So he made up a song that sounded like English. And everyone joined in. 

Here's the stunt that he pulled off successfully. 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.