Welcoming Shabbat with Mizmor Shir by Cantor Paula Baruch of Hamilton, Ontario's Temple Anshe Sholom

This erev Shabbat we're sharing a version of Mizmor Shir L'Yom HaShabbat, from the Kabbalat Shabbat liturgy as sung by Cantor Paula Baruch of Temple Anshe Sholom in Hamilton, Ontario.

Hamilton is a Canadian port city on the western tip of Lake Ontario, about 50 miles from Toronto. Temple Anshe Sholom is a 170-year-old Reform congregation, Canada's oldest.

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: Billy Crystal's Night Watchman SNL Skit in 1984

Today we're turning the clock back 36 years to 1984 when Billy Crystal and Christopher Guest played night watchmen Willie and Frankie on Saturday Night Live.

In the recurring sketch, two good friends have meandering discussions in a variety of settings that inevitably drift into detailed anecdotes of grotesquely painful self-abuse. The men each complete the other's statements, correctly assuming increasingly outlandish scenarios. 

The characters periodically made some version of the remark "Don't ya hate it when that happens?" as though the pain they inflicted on themselves was a matter of bad luck. 

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

Wacky Wednesday Comedy Special: Jackie Mason, Mel Brooks and Carl Reiner in the 1960s

Today we take a deep dive into the comedy pool and come up with an undated video clip of two performances that brought back funny memories of the early days of comedy.

A very young Jackie Mason takes the stage in the first clip showing his interaction with the audience that would become very familiar in the 1960s.  

Then Dick Shawn introduces Mel Brooks and Carl Reiner in an early episode of the 2000 year-old man. They did their shtick many times on The Ed Sullivan Show and other TV variety programs but every segment was unique.

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.

Enjoy!

Hava Nagila Around the World - Played by Liub Anya Russian Accordion Band in Africa

Hava Nagila has a way of showing up in the most unexpected places. In August 2019 the Russian accordion band Liub Anya took their music on tour to Africa. 

In Tanzania they performed Hava Nagila on a portable stage to the delight of local African men and women who joined in the festive atmosphere.

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 - "The Big Sneeze"

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: Mrs. Goldstein is on an aircraft awaiting takeoff to an exotic holiday resort. Every 10 seconds she lets out a big sneeze and shakes her head violently. 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.

 

Yiddish Word of the Day: The Bed

As people continue to spend their days and evenings at home, due to coronavirus social distancing restrictions, the Forverts has launched a 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. Now that the Forverts is continuing the series, we'll be sharing some of the words and phrases as a regular feature of Jewish Humor Central.

Today's Yiddish lesson takes us into the bedroom where we learn the Yiddish words for all the bed components and a few proverbs to show how the bed plays an essential part in daily life.

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 Eishet Chayil by the Fainzaig Family Singers of Buenos Aires

It's Friday again, and it's time to welcome Shabbat. Today we're sharing another version of Eishet Chayil as sung by the Fainzaig Family Singers of Buenos Aires, Argentina.

The Fainzaig family is a well-established philanthropic family in Argentina, and they also contribute musically with their YouTube videos of traditional songs for Shabbat and other occasions.

Eishet Chayil (A Woman of Valor) is a hymn which is sung Friday night in many homes after singing Shalom Aleichem and before saying the Kiddush. Traditionally, a husband sings the song to his wife, extolling her virtues, and expressing thanks for all that his wife has done for him and their family.

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 Showcase: Victor Borge and the Opera Singer

We never get tired of watching the mischievous piano comedy antics of the great Victor Borge, the Danish comedian, conductor and pianist who achieved great popularity in radio and television in the United States and Europe. 

His blend of music and comedy earned him the nickname "The Clown Prince of Denmark","The Unmelancholy Dane", and "The Great Dane."
 
He was born as Borge Rosenbaum to a Jewish family in Copenhagen. His parents were both musicians. He began piano lessons at the age of two, and it was soon apparent that he was a prodigy.

In this video clip Borge turns an operatic performance by Marilyn Mulvey into a hilarious operatic 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

Wacky Wednesday Comedy Showcase: Gilda Radner as Baba Wawa with Praise from Barbara Walters

One of Gilda Radner's best characters on Saturday Night Live in the 1970s was Baba Wawa, a spot-on impersonation of TV news anchor Barbara Walters. 

In an episode of The View in 2014, 25 years after Radner died, Walters told Yahoo Entertainment that she eventually grew to enjoy Radner's take.

In this video, Walters reflects on their relationship. It also includes one of the most famous impersonations in which Baba Wawa interviews Mawena Doitchwand (Marlene Dietrich impersonated by Madeline Kahn).

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.  

Shtisel is Back! Season 3 Episode 1 Debuts in Live Virtual Event on the Last Night of Chanukah

Back in September we shared the good news that Season 3 of Shtisel completed production and will be available in 2021. Yesterday we learned that the World Premiere of the first episode will be shown on the last night of Chanukah as part of a live virtual event hosted by the Temple Emanu-El Streicker Center in New York.

Season 3 begins seven years after the end of Season 2.

The event will include most of the Shtisel mishpacha. Here is the invitation:

Is Akiva still painting? Did his engagement to Libbi last? Did Ruchami and Hanina survive their wedding? And who’s baby is it?

The Temple Emanu-El Streicker Center invites you to be the first to find out what has been happening in the Geula neighborhood of Jerusalem with an exclusive opportunity to attend the World Premiere of season 3, episode 1 of the award-winning show and join a live discussion and Chanukah candle lighting with:   Michael Aloni (Akiva Shtisel)   Doval’e Glickman (Shulem Shtisel)   Shira Haas (Ruchami Weiss)   Neta Riskin (Giti Weiss) Additional panelists to be announced. Tickets for the virtual event are $36 for each email address. Here is the link to register: https://streicker.nyc/events/shtisel-season-3 Here is the trailer for the third season. 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.