Sunday, September 30, 2012

Sukkot in Jerusalem: Finding the Perfect Etrog


Etrogim on display on Emek Refaim Street in Jerusalem
This year we are enjoying Sukkot in Jerusalem, where the whole city is teeming with preparations for the holiday that starts tonight. The sukkot (booths or huts) are popping up everywhere -- in courtyards, on terraces, and in front of restaurants on busy streets. Folding tables appear in front of cafes, supermarkets, and other stores, displaying a wide range of etrogim (citrons, one of the four species required for the blessing and waving ritual that is characteristic of the seven day holiday (eight days outside of Israel.)

Today's video gives you a good idea of what it's like to shop in Jerusalem's Four Species Market, which is open for only a few days before Sukkot. It highlights the features of a perfect etrog, and explains that one of the reasons for holding and waving the etrog, the lulav, the hadasim and aravot all together is the symbolism of uniting the Jewish people as a whole, including those who study Torah and do good deeds (the citron), those who only study Torah (the date palm branches), those who only do good deeds (the myrtle), and those who do nothing (the willow branches) but are also included in the community.

We wish you Moadim L'Simcha (Holidays for Happiness) and a joyous Sukkot. We'll be back with more Jewish humor on Wednesday.

(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.)




Thursday, September 27, 2012

Ein Prat Fountainheads Build a Sukkah With Song and Dance



The Fountainheads of Ein Prat, one of our favorite Jewish musical groups, have done it again. Taking advantage of the beautiful scenery in the Judean hills near the pluralistic beit midrash that serves hundreds of young adults each year, this talented group of singers and dancers don colorful costumes as they light up the landscape with smiles while they build and decorate a sukkah in the desert.

The song they sing is titled Livin' in a Booth, a parody of Bruno Mars' hit song, Marry You. The Fountainheads note that no etrogim were harmed in the filming of this video. 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.)



"What is Gefilte Fish?" Old Jews Telling Jokes Cast Member Looks For Answer in Times Square


Old Jews Telling Jokes is truly the gift that keeps on giving. First the web site, then the book, CD, and DVD, and finally the hit off-Broadway show, all have been a source of comic material for Jewish Humor Central since our first mention of them in our first blogging week in October 2009. And we're not finished with them yet.

Audrey Lynn Weston, a member of the cast of the off-Broadway hit show, took to the streets of New York this week to discover just what gefilte fish is all about.

Approaching men, women, children, and even a dog and pigeons in the pedestrial mall that Times Square has become, she asks bystanders what they know about gefilte fish, and attempts (with mixed results) to get them to taste the Rokeach Old Vienna version that's sold in jars.

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.)

Monday, September 24, 2012

A Yom Kippur Special: Cantor Yitzchak Meir Helfgot and Violinist Itzhak Perlman


At sundown on Tuesday evening, Jews all over the world will gather at their synagogues to attend the start of Yom Kippur services, beginning with the singing of Kol Nidrei. As we pointed out in a blog post two years ago, Kol Nidrei is a medieval annulment of vows set to a melody composed as Opus 47 for cello and orchestra by a German protestant named Max Bruch in 1881.

There are almost as many recordings of Kol Nidrei as there are cantors to sing it. This year, lovers of cantorial music were given a special treat because the prayer is included in a new CD by Cantor Yitzchak Meir Helfgot and master violinist Itzhak Perlman titled Eternal Echoes: Songs and Dances for the Soul.

We found the Kol Nidrei cut from the CD on YouTube, along with a short video of Perlman and Helfgot preparing for the 2011 concert at which the CD was recorded. Both videos appear below. We hope they enrich your Yom Kippur experience.

We will be attending Yom Kippur services in Jerusalem this week, so there will be no posts on Tuesday and Wednesday. We'll be back on Thursday with our usual Jewish Humor Central mix, with an emphasis on the holiday of Sukkot, which starts next Sunday evening.

We wish all of our readers a G'mar Chatima Tova, a wish that even the buses in Jerusalem are carrying this week.

(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.)




Sunday, September 23, 2012

Happy New Year From the Soldiers of the Israeli Defense Forces


As the State of Israel began the holiday of Rosh Hashanah on Sunday eve, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) was ready to give thousands of soldiers a festive feast on their bases.

According to IDF figures, those staying on duty over the holiday were to be fed a total of six tons of fish, 18 tons of turkey, 16 tons of chicken, and 7.5 tons of beef, all washed down with 9,500 bottles of soft drinks. In keeping with the holiday custom, 25 tons of apples were to be dipped into two tons of honey to symbolize a sweet new year.

Toasts made with 7,000 bottles of grape juice were to be raised by soldiers on bases across the country. Also to be devoured: three tons of dried fruit, five and half tons of pomegranates and six tons of dates, rounded off with six tons of honey cake.


In this video, young Jewish soldiers from Israel and those who made aliyah from the USA, Canada, Holland, Guatemala, Brazil, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom, express their wishes for a Happy New Year.

Shana Tova from Jerusalem!

(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.)

Friday, September 21, 2012

How the Shofar Was Blown Openly During the Inquisition: An Inspiring Story


In his blog, The View From Israel, Israel advocate Barry Shaw tells a fascinating story this week about how the shofar, forbidden with all other Jewish ritual objects during the Spanish Inquisition, was blown loudly, in public, and with the full approval of King Ferdinand.

He tells a very personal story, including his discovery of this incident during a cruise to Spain, and referencing an article by Israel's Ashkenazi Rabbi, Yona Metzger, that corroborates the story and relates it to his own family history.

As Shaw tells it,
The timing of our holiday was to get us back in time to celebrate Rosh HaShana, the Jewish New Year, at home in Israel. Reading through the supplement of the Jerusalem Post I stopped to read an interesting personal anecdote from Rabbi Yona Metzger, the Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel.  He described his meeting with the King of Spain. Rabbi Metzger told the newspaper team this story;
“Let me tell you a story that happened to me over seven years ago. It was 800 years since the death of the Rambam (Maimonides) and we organized an international conference in Rambam’s birthplace, Cordoba.  Two months beforehand, I traveled to Spain to invite the king to the conference. Before my trip we wondered what gift to give him. I saw this long Yemenite shofar (ram’s horn) partly covered in pure silver, with a crown that had an engraving of the Western Wall of the Temple Mount and a menorah on it.  We put it in a glass box and I presented it to the king who asked what was this strange horn.
‘Allow me to close a historical circle with you that began about 540 years ago,’ Metzger explained to King Juan Carlos.  ‘When your great-great-great-great-great grandfather was king of Spain, he decided to expel all the Jews, and among them was my great-great-great-great-grandfather. Only the Marranos remained in Spain. These Marranos were Jews who continued to practice their Judaism in secret, otherwise the Spaniards would have killed them. Before Rosh HaShana the question arose, ‘How do you blow the Shofar quietly and secretly?’ One of them had an idea. He was the conductor of the king’s orchestra, and the king loved music and didn’t know he remained a secret Jew. He went to the king and asked to put on a special concert using all the known musical instruments in history.”
With the king’s approval the conductor arranged to hold the special musical celebration on Rosh HaShana. He invited all the Marranos he knew to attend this concert.
“He showed the king the ram’s horn that he said was the oldest known instrument, from the time of Abraham. ‘Before you expelled the Jews from Spain,’ he said, ‘they used to usher in the new year with this, and before blowing the shofar, they used to say the following blessing, and he said the blessing for the shofar. And all the Marranos quietly said, ‘Amen!’’
“And thus, 540 years ago, my father’s father’s father’s father heard the shofar. And now today, all these years later, I am the Chief Rabbi of Israel, and I am returning this shofar to you, not under the table, but on your table. Because today you allow our fellow Jews to conduct prayers openly, learn Jewish studies and blow the shofar.”
Further details of this remarkable event were divulged by Stewart Weiss in another article in the same magazine. It seems that the conductor of the Royal Barcelona Orchestra was Don Fernando Aguilar, a proud Spaniard and a Jew converted to Christianity during the Inquisition. He was a Marrano, a secret Jew, a Christian on the outside but Jewish to his core, a man emotionally torn apart by the conflict of indescribable religious pressure.
According to Weiss, the church, still holding Aguilar under deep suspicion, decided to hold a gala concert In the year 1497 on Rosh HaShana as much as a test of the musical leader as an entertainment. The Don decided to make this concert the most spectacular ever seen in Barcelona. This extravaganza would include every musical instrument, as mentioned by Rabbi Metzger. It was to be, as Stewart Weiss described in his article, ‘a sublime cascade of orchestral delight for the glory of the church.’  It was a sell-out.  Most of Spain’s rich and famous attended, including Queen Isabel. The concert was a masterpiece of orchestral arrangements that climaxed with the appearance of strange curved horns never before seen in a concert hall in Spain. On cue from Don Fernando Aguilar they produced the shrill and tremulous chords of ‘Tekia!’, ‘Shevarim!’, ‘Teruah!’ ‘Shevarim!’ one hundred notes played in unison with one last long note that seemed to go on forever. The audience went wild.
This was the last concert ever given by Aguilar of Barcelona. Weiss is not sure of his fate.  Some say he retired to his country home after his final triumph. Others say that the church learned, or were suspicious, of his deception and quietly executed him.
What is known is that the candlelight of Judaism still burns in the heart of many Marranos and is slowly emerging into the light of day.
A version of this story, The Secret Shofar of Barcelona, writtten for children by Jacqueline Dembar Greene, was published a few years ago, and is available at Amazon.com.
Shabbat Shalom from Jerusalem!

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Battle of the Titans: Spider-Man Wins First Round Against Kippa Man


Photo by Marc Israel Sellem for The Jerusalem Post
We never thought it would come to this. As frequent visitors to Jerusalem, we thought the stores that sell kippot (otherwise known as yarmulkes) bearing superhero designs were a permanent and colorful part of the city's landscape, especially the part that lines both sides of the pedestrian mall on Ben-Yehuda Street.

This week it was revealed that the superheroes, represented by lawyers for Marvel Comics, have fired the first round in a battle to prevent the stores from selling the unlicensed skullcaps.

As Melanie Lidman wrote in The Jerusalem Post last week,
On Wednesday, Jerusalem’s landmark kippa store on the Ben-Yehuda pedestrian mall, Kippa Man, suddenly found itself caught in a web of drama worthy of Spider- Man’s twisted storylines.

Owner Avi Binyamin was informed that he is being sued by Marvel Comics for NIS 100,000 for selling unlicensed Spider-Man merchandise: Kippot with Spidey’s likeness.

On July 30, Marvel’s representatives in Israel visited the Kippa Man shop and
bought a Spider-Man kippa.

“A reasonable consumer could be fooled into thinking that the infringing product is manufactured and/or sold by the plaintiff with the knowledge and/or approval of the defendant,” the court document states.

Attorney Amir Ivtsan, a partner in the Ivtsan, Netzer, Wolecki & Co. law firm that has represented Marvel in Israel for the past decade, said any business in Israel suspected of selling illegal Marvel merchandise would be sued for NIS 100,000. He added that Marvel received information about Kippa Man specifically, which is why representatives visited his store.

Binyamin’s famous store is about two meters wide and four meters long, and stuffed full with colorful kippot. He sells only kippot and does a brisk business, with a steady stream of customers.

Other kippa salesman on the pedestrian mall grudgingly acknowledge he sells the most kippot and is the best-known name internationally.

Binyamin was dismayed to learn he was the subject of a lawsuit. “They make them in China, I just bring them,” a frustrated Binyamin said on Thursday.
“There are 20 stores on this street, they all sell the same thing,” he added. He hypothesized that they targeted his store because his name was well-known.

But Binyamin isn’t the only villain on Ben-Yehuda Street. If Marvel is looking for justice, there are dozens of shops that sell touristy knick-knacks and piles of kippot that feature popular superheroes, including Spider- Man. They also feature other registered trademarks, including Starbucks, Apple, Pringles, Superman, BMW, all the major football, basketball and soccer teams, and college mascots.

On Thursday, almost every store proudly displayed a Spider-Man kippa outside, and owners were shocked when informed of Marvel’s decision to sue Binyamin.

“It’s stupid, maybe they’re bored, or maybe they hate Jews,” said B., one store owner who refused to give her name. Others wondered if the lawsuit was some kind of personal vendetta since only one shop was targeted.
 

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Street Shofar Man Comes to New York City


When we posted a video last week of Street Shofar man Michael Brous blowing his way through the streets and famous sites of Los Angeles, we bet the New Yorkers among our readers were jealous and wishing he were doing his thing in their city. 

Well, just before Rosh Hashana, IKAR, the progressive, egalitarian L.A. Jewish community, sent "honey to the Big Apple" in the form of Michael making his way across the country to do just that. 

Starting at the airport, the sounds of the shofar are heard in the subway, in Central Park, in a deli, between East River bridges, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, in front of NBC's Today Show studio, in Rockefeller Center, Times Square, in front of the Flatiron Building, in Washington Square Park, from the back seat of a yellow cab, at Chabad headquarters in Crown Heights, near Wall Street, and in Grand Central Station, where the outcome of a confrontation with three policemen is not quite clear. 

Hey wait, who is the second Shofar Man with the blue hoodie who pops up at the end of the video?  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 tip of the kippah to Esther Kustanowitz for bringing this video to our attention.)

Friday, September 14, 2012

Wishing All of Our Readers a Shanah Tovah - Happy New Year 5773


Thanks to our thousands of loyal subscribers and casual readers in 160 countries who have joined us during the year.  We started this blog on October 5, 2009 and it's been going strong with more than 900 blog entries over the last three 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, unbelievable but true, and just funny, tempered with touches of nostalgia and Yiddishe nachas.

We'll be attending Shabbat and Rosh Hashanah services in Jerusalem for the next four days, and we'll be back posting again on Wednesday.  Here's wishing you and your families a happy, healthy, joyous, prosperous and funny New Year! 

The Kustanowitz Kronikle is our Rosh Hashanah Greeting Card. 
Click below for a printable PDF version. 


 

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Caesar's Writers: Another Tribute to Master Comedian Sid Caesar On His 90th


Last month we noted that master comedian Sid Caesar would be turning 90 years old soon, and posted a tribute in the form of a "Big Business" comedy sketch from Your Show of Shows.

Sid's birthday was last Saturday, and we're acknowledging it with another video clip, this time from Caesar's Writers, a classic DVD that has been unavailable for some time, but is now in re-release and available at Amazon.com.

On January 24, 1996 at the Writers Guild Theater in Los Angeles, CA, legendary comic Sid Caesar was reunited with nine of his writers from Your Show of Shows and Caesar's Hour. The event was taped, and later broadcast on PBS in the United States, and the BBC in the UK as a 1 hour special, with only select portions of the full two-hour event. The full event was previously available only as a VHS, offered as a pledge premium by local PBS stations. 

Now, the full two-hour special CAESAR'S WRITERS is available on DVD for the first time. It's a non-stop laugh riot as the panel, made up of head writer Mel Tolkin, Caesar, Carl Reiner, Aaron Ruben, Larry Gelbart, Mel Brooks, Neil Simon, Danny Simon, Sheldon Keller, and Gary Belkin share stories about their time working on Caesar's shows and offer their insights about writing comedy. If you have fond recollections of the high quality comedy that this group, celebrated in Neil Simon's Laughter on the 23rd Floor, created in the 1950s, you'll want to see this DVD.

The video clip below is from the DVD, and shows the whole group cracking up as they reminisce about a joke involving a magician who makes his finger disappear. Notice that there's no profanity, meanness, or insults among the group, just plain fun and love of comedy.

Enjoy!

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Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Rosh Hashana Music Video Countdown: Call Your Zeyde


The pop song hit "Call Me Maybe" has caught fire with the parody community. Just a few days ago we posted a French version. Today we're sharing another upbeat version with original lyrics by Jason Mesches and sung by the clergy and staff of Temple Judea, a Reform congregation in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles that produced the video to wish everyone a sweet, happy, and healthy New Year.

We think the lyrics are funny and that the song contains a nice underlying message: Don't forget to call your grandparents and other loved ones before heading off to your shul, congregation, or temple on Rosh Hashana.

(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.) 


Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Rosh Hashana Countdown: "Because It's Rosh Hashanah"


Only five days until we put the apples and honey on the dining room table. Only five days until we begin the introspective ten day period from Rosh Hashana through Yom Kippur.

With the sending of New Year cards in a state of decline, Rabbi David Sirull, spritual leader of Adas Yeshurun, a Conservative synagogue in Augusta, Georgia, has found a new way to wish loved ones a Happy New Year. Rabbi Srull just picked up his guitar and made a Rosh Hashanah music video.

As Rabbi Sirull says, "Because it's Rosh Hashana, that means that I'm gonna try to be the best that I can be."

We think his video is among the best entries in this year's crop of new video greetiings.

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.)



Monday, September 10, 2012

A Joke to Start the Week - The Loan


It's another Monday morning -- time for another Old Jews Telling (Old) Jokes. So what if you've heard it before? These jokes get funnier and funnier every time they're retold.

Today's story teller is 92-year-old Bea Osher and the joke is about a wealthy man who applies for a $500 loan from a bank. Why does he need the loan?  Listen and 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.)

 





 

Sunday, September 9, 2012

A Juggling Rosh Hashana Tribute to Jewish Mothers


Oded Zohar is an Israeli juggler and performer who turned juggling into a business of training and teaching a comprehensive range of soft skills, including improvisation, creativity, innovation, mindfulness, multitasking, conflict management and more. 

Back in the early days of YouTube, Oded posted a Rosh Hashana greeting that we're sharing with you today. In the video, he juggles all the ingredients for a holiday meal, starting with apples, honey, wine, and pomegranates, and then focuses on the preparation of gefilte fish. 

Zohar juggles them in normal and fast motion to produce a tasty dish to start the holiday, ending with a wish for a Happy New Year.

He offers a special shout-out to Jewish mothers who are experts in juggling these ingredients at the same time that they are juggling kids and phone calls.

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.)


Friday, September 7, 2012

Rosh Hashana Countdown: As They Say in France, Chana Tova


Rosh Hashana Music Videos don't only come from Israel and the USA. Today we bring you an especially vibrant production from France -- an elaborate cover of the hit song Call Me Maybe by Carly Rae Jepsen.

With the Eiffel Tower in the background, this group sings and dances around Paris, singing a joyful welcome to the New Year, and wishing us all a Shana Tova, or as they spell it in French, Chana Tova.

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.)


Thursday, September 6, 2012

Rosh Hashana Music Video Countdown - Just Too Good to Be True


The singing team Jewbilation (Richard Seaman and Andrew Dimond) are no strangers to Jewish Humor Central. We profiled  them in April when they released their Pesach video Bye, Bye, Mr. Pharaoh Goodbye based on Don McLean's American Pie, and in January when we posted their Simon and Garfunkel parody, Sounds of Shabbos.

With ten days left until the start of Rosh Hashana, we're sharing a song that Jewbilation produced for the holiday, called Just Too Good to Be True. It's a parody of Frankie Valli's Can't Take My Eyes Off You.

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.) 


Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Jewish Traces in Unexpected Places: Shofar Man Hits the Streets of L.A.


Los Angeles is not exactly an unexpected place to find Judaic symbols, but we think you'll agree that the sound of a shofar is not what most people expect to hear in Starbucks, a skate park, a boardwalk, an office conference room, a tunnel, a bowling alley, boarding a bus, in a barber shop, atop a giant sloth, and at a Mexican street fair.

But that's exactly what they heard, as Shofar Man Michael Brous walked the streets of Los Angeles this week to give Angelenos a taste of Rosh Hashana and employ the shofar blast as a call to wake up to what's possible for ourselves and our world this Jewish new year.

The video, "Street Shofar," was produced by IKAR, a progressive, egalitarian Jewish community in Los Angeles.

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.)  

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Rosh Hashana Video Countdown: Shana Tova From Latma


We're into September, and Rosh Hashana is only 12 days away. At Jewish Humor Central, that means that we're going to be focusing on music videos with High Holiday themes. Don't expect a Rosh Hashana video every day -- we'll still post jokes and funny happenings -- but we'll be posting some of the best new videos as they come in. And they are coming, in greater numbers than before.

We'll kick off the countdown with a music video we just found that the crew of Latma (Israel's version of Saturday Night Live) made for Rosh Hashana two years ago, after we started the blog. Let's join Caroline Glick and the team as they put new words to the Black Eyed Peas hit, I Gotta Feeling, and approach the Yamim Noraim (Days of Awe) with a positive attitude of high hopes.

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.)


Monday, September 3, 2012

A Joke to Start the Week: The Missing Teaspoon


It's Monday morning, start of another work week. (Yes, our friends in Israel, we know that Sunday is the start of your work week.) It's time for a joke to start the week, and we've been dipping into the treasure chest of Old Jews Telling Jokes each Monday morning, a practice that seems to be meeting with your approval, based on the "Like" responses we're getting.

Today's joke features Norman Ginsberg, a relatively young "Old Jew" at 61, telling a story about a missing antique silver teaspoon at a Bar Mitzvah and the 15-year-long search for what happened to it.

Enjoy!

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Sunday, September 2, 2012

Funny Israeli Commercials: John Cleese Authorizes Air Strike While Eating Chocolate Spread


It's been awhile since we last posted a funny Israeli commercial, but this week we found a new one featuring Monty Python veteran John Cleese in the role of a Western general discussing possible air strikes against an unnamed target.

The commercial is getting lots of publicity in Israel. As Gabe Fisher wrote in The Times of Israel,
...in a new Israeli commercial, the British comedian and former Monty Python member appears to approve a strike on the Islamic Republic, along the way promoting Sababa Egozim chocolate-hazelnut spread.
The commercial, released on YouTube Thursday, features a group of Israeli military leaders entreating a trio of Western generals, led by Cleese as “General Rogers,” to approve an attack on an unnamed target, saying they “will be in and out in 33 minutes” and that “we have the right to defend ourselves!”

Cleese then takes a taste of a conveniently-located container of the sweet spread and dryly says “Sababa Egozim,” which the Israelis take as permission to order a strike.

“Sababa” means “cool” in Israeli slang (taken from the Arabic, like many Hebrew slang words) and “egozim” are “nuts.” Put together, though, the term is slang for “super cool” or “hell yeah.”
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.)