Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Orthodox Jews Find Love on Israeli Reality TV Show - Match Made in Heaven


Match Made in Heaven is not your average reality show. It's the first ever series in that takes a revealing look into the very closed and hidden world of matchmaking among the ultra-religious Jews in Israel who still use the traditional way of getting to know their future mate.

The project was filmed over a two year period and has gotten a lot of international buzz. Several television networks around the globe are now looking into making a localized version about their Jewish communities.

In this video, Jewish News One reporter Ron Jacobsohn interviews the director, producer, and the matchmaker who appears in the show.

Enjoy! 

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Monday, December 30, 2013

A Joke to Start the Week - "Brown Bag Lunch"

 
Today is the last Monday of 2013, and the last chance we have this year to start off the week with a joke. But don't worry -- there will be lots more next year.

The Old Jews Telling Jokes website has classified its collection of jokes by subject categories, and it shouldn't come as a surprise that one of the biggest categories is jokes having to do with food.

Today's joke teller is 65-year-old attorney and sculptor Frederick Goldstein with a joke about a brown bag lunch. 

Here's the setup: There's this couple that's been married for many years. The wife constantly makes lunch for her husband and she wraps it in a brown paper bag. She puts it on the counter, 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.)


Sunday, December 29, 2013

Vanessa Bayer's "Jacob the Bar Mitzvah Boy" Explains the Meaning of Shabbat


Saturday Night Live has had its share of Jewish cast members, and this year is no exception.

Now in her fourth year on the show, Vanessa Bayer has made a name for herself with hilarious impressions of women in the news and original funny characters that she created.

Bayer, 32, grew up in Ohio and attended the University of Pennsylvania. She was a member of the Second City troupe in Chicago and was part of the all-Jewish cast of its stage show Jewsical: The Musical, a musical that presented a comedic take on Jewish life and culture.

One of her regular characters is Jacob the Bar Mitzvah boy, who engages in awkward conversations with news anchor Seth Meyers on SNL's Weekend Update segment.

In an interview with Rolling Stone Magazine, Bayer explained the origin of the character:
The town I grew up in was at least fifty percent Jewish, so every weekend in the 7th grade, we went to Bar and Bat Mitzvahs. It's kind of based on that. A lot of my brother's friends who have seen it think that the gestures I make are based on my brother, which is pretty funny and might be true.
When I started doing standup in college, I just started doing that character. My first year on the show, one of the writers wrote me into a sketch where I played a Bar Mitzvah boy and I got to do it, which was so cool. . . but the whole thing started in my standup. I felt like I had seen that boy so much, and it's so fun to play that little awkward boy who likes to tell dad-style jokes. It's so funny that a little boy that age has to be so formal for an entire weekend.
In this segment, broadcast in October, Jacob tries to explain the meaning of Shabbat.

Enjoy! (after a very short commercial)

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Friday, December 27, 2013

Jewish Traces in Unexpected Places: Uganda Jews Sing a Song of Shalom


In 2011 we posted two videos about the Abayudaya Jewish Community of Uganda and told about their origins in 1919 and how the founder of their community embraced Judaism. 

It's a fascinating story about how Judaism emerged in central Africa, complete with a Yeshiva and Beit Midrash for Torah study and traditional prayer services with tallit and tefillin.  The community observes Shabbat and the laws of kashrut.

Now the Abayudaya and Israeli artist Irene Orleansky have partnered to create "Shalom, Mirembe!" as part of a music collection from Israelites and Jews of Africa and Asia. 

As we get ready for Shabbat, we're sharing this uniquely African musical number, followed by a narrative by the spiritual leader of this community, Rabbi Gershom, of how they got started. Rabbi Gershom discusses the community's nearly 100 year history and the challenges and successes that the Abayudaya have faced during that time.

Enjoy, and Shabbat shalom!


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Thursday, December 26, 2013

Oldie But Goodie: Frank Sinatra Fights Anti-Semitism With "The House I Live In"


The House I Live In is a ten-minute short film written by Albert Maltz, produced by Frank Ross and Mervyn LeRoy, and starring Frank Sinatra. 

Made to oppose anti-Semitism and racial prejudice at the end of World War II, it received an Honorary Academy Award and a special Golden Globe award in 1946.

In 2007, this film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".

Sinatra, apparently playing himself, takes a "smoke" break from a recording session. He sees more than 10 boys chasing a Jewish boy and intervenes, first with dialogue; then with a little speech). His main points are that we are "all" Americans and that just one American's blood is as good as another, all our religions are equally to be respected.

In the film, Sinatra sings the title song, and his recording became a national hit.

The song was memorably covered in later years by Paul Robeson, Mahalia Jackson, and Josh White. Sam Cooke also covered it. Sinatra continued to include it in his repertory, performing it in the Nixon White House and at the 1985 inaugural ceremonies of Ronald Reagan. Bill Cosby used a recording to open some of his shows in 2002.

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, December 25, 2013

Comedy Showcase: Meet Yosef Golubchik, Orthodox Comedian from New Jersey


Among all the Jewish stand-up comedians whose performances we've posted, Orthodox comedians are rare. But over the years we've found and shared routines by modern Orthodox and Chassidic comedians. They include Elon Gold, Modi, Mendy Pellin, David Finkelstein, and others.

One of our goals at Jewish Humor Central is to offer a stage for new Jewish comedians to entertain you. This week we're featuring Yosef Golubchik, a young modern Orthodox comedian from Highland Park, New Jersey. Yosef has performed at comedy clubs in New York. He's married with three young children and enjoys making people laugh.

Yosef has used his comedic talents to host a fundraiser event at Yeshiva University. He'll be on his way to Israel soon to staff a Birthright trip and we're sure he'll find a way to bring his routines to comedy clubs in Israel.

Here's a video of Yosef performing at the Village Lantern comedy club in New York's Greenwich Village.

Enjoy!

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Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Israeli Talent Show "Rising Star" Sets the Stage for Reality Shows Worldwide


Reality shows, especially those focused on showcasing new singing talent, have become very popular in Israel. The newest one, Rising Star (Kochav haBa) has become so successful that the format has been sold for use in France, Italy, Germany, and other countries.

In the US, ABC announced that they will start airing the American version of the show. 

The Chassidic duo, Aryeh and Gil Gat, are among the new performers who have become famous by appearing on the show. Their appearances singing songs by Simon and Garfunkel, Pink Floyd, The Beatles, The Eagles, and Kansas raised their profiles from Jerusalem street singers to international stars.

In this video from JN1, we go behind the scenes to take a look at the preparations for the show, some musical excerpts, and interviews with the host, producer, and judges.

Enjoy!

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Monday, December 23, 2013

A Joke to Start the Week - "Dinner Prayer"


Another Monday, another joke to start the week. Once again we visit the archives of Old Jews Telling Jokes and this time we pull out a joke by Joyce Concors, an 88-year-old shopping center owner.

Here's the setup: A grandmother was babysitting with her little 6-year-old grandson. They had a very busy day, she got him dinner, and then...

Enjoy!


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Sunday, December 22, 2013

Kutsher's Comedians Revisited: Buddy Hackett Cracks Up Johnny Carson


Continuing our nostalgic series of famous comedians who got their start or performed at Kutsher's Country Club, the Catskills resort that was sold last month, we found a funny clip of Buddy Hackett on the Johnny Carson show some years back. 

While this is not strictly speaking a stand-up comedy routine, Hackett gets some good laughs from Carson and his audience from their conversation about turkeys, his mother's cooking, what his mother considered treyf, skiing in Colorado, and a variation of an old Jewish joke about a lady with a Yiddish accent and a photofinisher and a hat. We ran another version of the joke last year as told by Old Jews Telling Jokes actress Suzanne Shepherd.

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, December 20, 2013

Jerusalem Choral Flashmob for Alzheimer's Brings Joy to Shoppers in Mamilla Mall



The Mamilla Mall just outside of the walls of Jerusalem's Old City is more than an upscale shopping destination. It's also become somewhat of a performance venue.

Melabev is the leader in Alzheimer's care in Israel. Professionals and volunteers in Melabev's day care centers in Jerusalem and Beit Shemesh conduct activities to enhance the quality of life, restore dignity and stimulate the remaining cognitive and memory skills of the participants. Some 600 families currently benefit from Melabev. 

On October 3, 2013, hundreds of shoppers at Jerusalem's Mamila Mall were surprised by a Flashmob of the Ramatayim Men's Choir, directed by Richard Shavei Tzion,


This Flashmob created awareness of Melabev and its 10th Annual Walkathon - Walking for Alzheimer's Care - in memory of Rachel Wasserman, z"l.  www.walk4alz.com

(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, December 19, 2013

Guggle-Muggle - The Miracle Concoction of the Shtetl, Broadway Stage, and Synagogue


What did Barbra Streisand, Ed Koch, and cantors preparing to sing Kol Nidre in their synagogue have in common? Guggle-Muggle (or Gogol-Mogol) -- the miracle drink that originated in the shtetls of Eastern Europe and made its way to America.

The guggle-muggle pops up every few years in the Jewish blogosphere as a cure for the common cold, a candidate, along with chicken soup, for the title of "Jewish Penicillin" and as a performance enhancing substance for cantors and choir boys. 

Although there are endless variations on the ingredients used in this concoction, there seems to be a consensus that a guggle-muggle must contain a raw egg, honey, and a shot of whiskey.

This week it surfaced in an article by Zachary Solomon in Jewniverse, a blog published by My Jewish Learning.com. In 2010 Elizabeth Alpern reported on the golden wonder in even more detail in the Forward's Jew and the Carrot blog.


In September, Al Rosen, a World War II Veteran, added his guggle-muggle memories to the Wexler Oral History Project of the Yiddish Book Center. In a short interview segment, Rosen recalls how his father, a cantor, used the elixir to get his throat in shape to deliver a proper version of Kol Nidre.

Enjoy!

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(A tip of the kippah to Esther Kustanowitz for bringing this story to our attention.)

Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Kutsher's Comedians Revisited: Henny Youngman Roasts Don Rickles at Friars Club


Yesterday we wrote about the sale of Kutsher's Country Club in the Catskills, and lamented its decline as a center of Jewish comedy. 

We promised to feature a series of nostalgic videos of the many comedians who either got their start there or visited repeatedly after achieving comedic fame on radio and television. One of the first and most famous was Henny Youngman. 

The year was 1968, and Don Rickles was being roasted at a Friars Club gala that included funny, insulting speeches about Rickles. Hosted by Johnny Carson, the evening included roasts by an all-star cast including Henny Youngman, Milton Berle and Alan King.

When Youngman stepped up to the microphone, everyone expected him to poke fun at Rickles, the honoree. But in typical Youngman style, he put the spotlight on himself and his family, reeling off a series of one-liners that had the professional comedian audience howling. We hope you'll like this look back at a funny era as much as we do.

Enjoy!

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Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Goodbye Blintzes and Knishes - Kutsher's Sold to Indian Magnate, to be Rebuilt as Wellness Center


It's the end of an era, the decades of Jewish food and Jewish comedy filling the resorts nestled in the Catskill Mountains just 90 minutes from New York City.

Late last month, while we were getting ready to light the first Chanukah candle, ownership of Kutsher's, the last of the full-service kosher Catskill resorts, passed from the Kutsher family to an Indian company that will transform the 1,325 acre property into a world-class health and wellness center.

Indian media mogul Subhash Chandra plans to spend some $90 million to completely remodel the facilities. He paid $9 million for the historic Sullivan County resort. The healthy living resort will feature "yoga sciences," "ayurvedic medical treatment," "biodynamic restaurants," golf, tennis and "a wide range of health-driven activities." 


Since this is the first we heard of biodynamic restaurants, we did a Google search and found that  biodynamic dining involves the process from farm to table consisting of complete chemical free manufacturing. From the vegetables or the livestock used to provide succulent dishes in restaurants the entire process is done with organic care and consideration. To further promote the concept restaurants produce their own organic green gardens for ultimate freshness and use local suppliers to ensure meat products are both organic and chemical free for true biodynamic authencity.

The plans for the new resort made no mention of blintzes, knishes, kishke, schmaltz, or any kosher food.

If you think that this is the end of Passover holidays in the Catskill Mountains, it isn't. While the ink was drying on the Kutsher's sale agreement, two other famed hotels have been reborn as Kosher for Passover destinations. The Fallsview, in Ellenville has been renamed Honor's Haven Resort, and the Granit, in Kerhonkson, is now the Hudson Valley Resort. Both hotels have announced programs for the full eight days of Passover in April 2014.

In the coming weeks, we'll be sharing memorable video clips of the famous comedians who performed on the stage of Kutsher's Stardust Room. Today, let's look at a new video reflecting on the sale of this landmark hotel.

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.)
 

Monday, December 16, 2013

A Joke to Start the Week - "Snow White"



Here in Jerusalem the week started yesterday with everyone digging themselves and their cars out of the more than a foot of snow that covered the city over the last few days. But everywhere else the work week starts today and there's no better way to start it than with a joke -- an old joke, of course, but one that can still produce smiles (maybe accompanied by some groans). 

This could be considered more a pun than a joke, but we think it produces the same result. Today's punster is Jeff Openden, a 67-year-old retired school counselor. The pun, like most of the jokes that we've been running on Mondays, comes from the collection at Old Jews Telling Jokes.

Here's the setup: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs were walking around one day. It was her birthday, and the dwarfs decided "You know we're going to give you a birthday present. We're going to give you a camera." And then...

Enjoy!

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Sunday, December 15, 2013

We're Still Stranded: Biggest Snowstorm in Decades Blankets Jerusalem


Photo from Vos Iz Neias. Credit: Flash90
After three balmy weeks in Jerusalem, we didn't expect to be stranded in our cozy apartment for the last Shabbat and days preceding and following, but that's what's happening here. The biggest snowstorm in decades to hit the holy city came roaring through on Thursday and kept adding more and more snow on Friday and Shabbat.

Radio and TV stations reported the growing mess outside with the same attention that those of us who weather storms in the northeastern United States expect when winter storms hit. But you have to have a TV to appreciate what's going on outside, and not everyone has one here. And the reporting is all in Hebrew, so if your command of the language isn't the best, it's hard to follow all of the details.

We have been looking for a video clip or photo that conveys the magnitude of this snowfall and the ways that Jerusalemites are reacting to it. They say that one picture is worth a thousand words. If that's true, then the more than 40 photos that we're linking to have to be worth volumes.

A big credit goes to Vos Iz Neias, the Haredi blog based in New York, for posting a comprehensive collection of photos that show the big picture and the little details that bring home the reality of the snowstorm of the century.

Here's the link. Captions and individual photo credits are included with each photo. Enjoy the scenes, and join us in wondering how Shabbat was observed in so many homes when all the challah bakeries were closed since Thursday, and if the eruv, reported down on Friday morning, was repaired in time.

Friday, December 13, 2013

Gat Brothers Sing For the Shabbat Project: Mizmor Shir L'Yom HaShabbat


Back in March we introduced a series of innovative musical arrangements by popular Israeli singers as part of The Shabbat Song Project -- an Israeli effort to spread the light of Shabbat using new and eclectic instruments.

The arrangers and singers deserve a lot of credit for their creativity and use of a wide range of instruments and musical styles to present in a new light songs that we usually hear only inside a synagogue.

We posted three videos in the series, but overlooked an important one, which we're sharing with you today. It features the Brothers Gat, the same duo that we gave lots of attention to in the past few months, featuring their unexpected renditions of songs by the Beatles, Pink Floyd, Simon and Garfunkel, and The Eagles. 

Now known as the Breslov Brothers, Aryeh and Gil Gat are already veterans of recorded music of both the traditional liturgical Hebrew melodies and the classic English pop and rock songs of the last few decades. Their music has a distinctive appeal to music lovers of many genres.

In this video, they play traditional and eclectic instruments in a variety of settings, both indoors and outdoors. The song is Mizmor Shir L'Yom HaShabbat, a Psalm for Shabbat.

Enjoy and Shabbat shalom!

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Thursday, December 12, 2013

Est Gezunterheit: The Forward's Yiddish Chefs Make a Hearty Vegetarian Cholent


Cholent, the traditional Shabbat casserole of beans, potatoes, meat, and just about anything else gets a vegetarian twist when Rukhl Schaechter and Eve Jochowitz, the conversational Yiddish chefs of the Jewish Daily Forward, combine their cooking talents in another instructional video in the Est Gezunterheit (Eat in Good Health) series.

Over the last four years, we've posted 18 of these cooking encounters covering everything from knishes to varnishkes to borscht to kugel to all kinds of holiday meals. Click on "Est Gezunterheit" in the Keywords listing in the left column of this page to link to all of them.

In the course of watching these exhibitions of culinary expertise, we've come across some Yiddish words that we didn't know before and we've been sharing them with you. This time it's no different, so check below for a few new words to add to your Yiddish vocabulary. And below the video you'll find the recipe.

Enjoy!

Celeriac: Tzeleria
Peel: Sholachtz
Food processor: Shpeiz machine
Ground: Tzemulen
Room: Platz
Cloves: Tzeindlach
Beans: Beberlach
Frying pan: Patelniye
More delicious: Geshmacker
Grater: Ribeisen
Balderdash: A Nechtiger Tog
Slowly: Pavolye

(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, December 11, 2013

Israel Chamber Music Concert Interrupted by Symphonic Flash Mob


Guests at the opening exercises of Shalem College in October were treated to an unexpected musical interlude: a symphonic flash mob, choreographed by Israel’s cutting-edge Revolution Orchestra. 

Under the direction of composer and Shalem faculty member Roy Oppenheim, who will teach music as part of the Core Curriculum, the spontaneous performance of a selection from Edvard Grieg’s In the Hall of the Mountain King interrupted the chamber music concert in progress. 

Shalem students and faculty, starting with a lone bassoon, filed into the room and took over the stage. Then a soprano started singing the Habanera aria from the opera Carmen. The spontaneous number concluded with a grand finale: Shalem students and faculty joining the musicians on stage, percussion instruments in hand.

Shalem College (Hebrew: המרכז האקדמי שלם‎, ha-Merkaz ha-Akademi Shalem) is Israel's first liberal arts college, located in Jerusalem, Israel. It was established in January 2013, following accreditation by the Council for Higher Education in Israel.

A private, undergraduate degree-granting institution, Shalem College has pioneered the use of a required core curriculum for all students. The centerpiece of the college’s academic community, the Core—which includes courses in philosophy, history, the natural and social sciences, literature, and the fine arts—is unique in its integration of the study of key Western and Jewish texts.

Enjoy the concert!

(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 Sheila Zucker and a copy of the Kindle Editon of our new book, Israel is a Funny Country, for bringing this video to our attention.

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Israeli Ad Agency Outwits Haredi Billboard Defacers


Original Poster
Last week an Israeli ad agency launched a clever campaign to promote public awareness of violence against women in Israel, outwitting the Haredi vandals who regularly deface billboards and posters that include images of women.

As Haaretz reported last week,
In a campaign coinciding with the United Nations' International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, marked on November 25, Israeli advertising firm Twisted tackled the issue of excluding women from the public sphere, Ice.co.il reported. 
Defaced Poster
In the ultra-Orthodox city of Bnei Brak, images of women on billboards are deemed immodest, especially if their knees, elbows and hair are uncovered. This is also true in Jerusalem, where advertisers refused to run ads on buses that picture women, out of fear the ads would be vandalized. 

Instead of fearing vandalism in Bnei Brak, Twisted used it in its favor, to help it get the message across: They put up a double-layered poster featuring a woman's face, and her hair and shoulders uncovered, knowing it would get vandalized, Ice reported.

Less than 24 hours after the poster went up, just as Twisted had predicted, the face of the woman in the poster was ripped off, the report said, revealing a message that read, "International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women 25.11.03." 

Monday, December 9, 2013

A Joke to Start the Week - "Israeli Errol Flynn"


It's another Monday, time for another Joke to Start the Week. Posting from our Jerusalem bureau this week, we know that the work week started here on Sunday. But we're continuing our tradition of a joke each Monday for the rest of the world where the work week starts today.

Not that we were deprived of jokes on Sunday. We posted a standup routine by Dan Naturman yesterday and spent a laugh-filled hour and a half last night with Dan and his fellow comedians at Avi Liberman's Comedy for Koby in the center of the city.

Once again, our Monday joke comes from Old Jews Telling Jokes and the joke teller is 84-year-old Archie Barkan, Yiddish professor and former Catskills MC.

Here's the setup: The Israeli film industry wants to make a film starring a swashbuckling swordsman like Errol Flynn. They put an ad in the newspaper for a Jewish guy to play a role like Errol Flynn, and then...

Enjoy!

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Sunday, December 8, 2013

Comedy Showcase: Meet Dan Naturman - Charming, Self-Deprecating, and Funny


Dan Naturman began performing stand-up comedy while a student at Fordham University School of Law. After graduating, he decided to turn his back on the law, and devote himself to comedy full time. His legal education did not go totally to waste however, as his New York State Bar Association membership gets him discounts on rental cars.

Dan’s charming, self-deprecating, sharp-tongued style has since made him a hit with comedy club audiences across the country. His joke telling and impeccable ability to work a crowd has a throwback quality of its own.

Dan has had audiences howling from coast to coast and has earned him spots on The Tonight Show, Late Show with David Letterman and Late Night with Conan O'Brien as well as his own Comedy Central Presents special.

This week Dan is one of the four comedians performing around Israel as part of the Comedy for Koby tour that we featured in yesterday's post. We'll be watching Dan perform live tonight at 7 pm in Jerusalem. Maybe we'll see you there.

Here's a five minute video clip of Dan's appearance on the David Letterman Show in September.
Enjoy!

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Friday, December 6, 2013

Avi Liberman's Comedy for Koby Tour is Back in Israel This Week


Avi Liberman, a Los Angeles-based stand-up comic, has been bringing groups of American comedians to Israel since 2002 to raise money for multiple charities, most recently for the Koby Mandell Foundation, which works on behalf of terror victims' families. 

The foundation is named after the 13-year-old who was murdered by terrorists near his Tekoa home on May 8, 2001.

This week Liberman is back in Israel with comics Roy Wood Jr., Andrew Norelli, and Dan Naturman. The comedians have appeared on the Conan, Jimmy Kimmel, David Letterman, and Craig Ferguson late night TV shows.

As David Brinn reported in The Jerusalem Post,
Whatever the benefactor or gravity of the cause, the common element in all of the tours Liberman continues to organize is sheer laughter – from equal-opportunity jokes aimed at Israelis, American Jews and everything in between.
One such joke from Liberman: “I love to going to Marzipan bakery in Jerusalem for the chocolate rugelach. This last time, they were out of the air-sealed plastic containers. The guy said he’d put them in cardboard boxes and if he closes them really tight, it would be the same thing. I told him it wouldn’t, and he said he’d been doing this for 15 years and knew what he was talking about. So apparently, if you are Israeli and have been doing something for a long time, you can defy the laws of physics.”
Or, “LA has such a large Jewish community that they actually have a Yeshiva Day School Basketball league. I don’t think that’s morally or ethically correct, because it instills these kids with a false sense of athletic ability.”
The Winter 2013 Comedy for Koby tour kicked off yesterday in Beit Shemesh. Other shows: Saturday, December 7 in Gush Etzion – 8:30 p.m., Matnas Gush Etzion; Sunday, December 8 in Jerusalem – two shows: 7 and 9:30 p.m., Beit Shmuel; Tuesday, December 10 in Tel Aviv – 8:30 p.m, Tzavta; Wednesday, December 11 in Ra’anana - 8:30 p.m., Yad Labanim; Thursday, December 12 in Modi’in – 8 p.m., Einan Theater.  

We'll be attending the 7 p.m. show Sunday night in Jerusalem and talking with Avi between shows. So if you're in Jerusalem, why not get tickets online and shmooze with us after the show.

Here's a report from Israel21C on a 2011 tour that includes a few jokes and interviews with Avi Liberman and the comics that he brought over to Israel.

Enjoy!

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Thursday, December 5, 2013

It's Time For You to Choose: Which Chanukah Music Video is Your Favorite?


Since we started our Chanukah countdown, we posted 11 new music videos that were created for this season. They covered a wide range of music styles, and they were sung by boys and girls, men and women, young and old. 

Here's an opportunity for all of our readers to get involved, take another look at the songs as we get ready to light the eighth Chanukah candle, and vote for your favorite. Only one vote can be cast, so choose carefully. Just make your selection in the column at the left of this blog post.

We'll be collecting votes for a week, ending at midnight next Wednesday, December 11.

Here are links to the videos, just in case you'd like to see them again before voting.

  http://www.jewishhumorcentral.com/2013/11/kvelling-for-thanksgivukkah-countdown.html 

http://www.jewishhumorcentral.com/2013/11/chanukah-oh-chanukah-gets-new-lyrics.html
http://www.jewishhumorcentral.com/2013/11/maoz-tzur-and-happy-hanukkah-from.html

http://www.jewishhumorcentral.com/2013/11/comedian-benji-lovitt-offers.html
http://www.jewishhumorcentral.com/2013/11/six13-completes-our-thanksgivukkah.html
http://www.jewishhumorcentral.com/2013/11/miracles-are-happening-all-around-us.html
http://www.jewishhumorcentral.com/2013/12/introducing-kippalive-new-israeli.html

http://www.jewishhumorcentral.com/2013/12/boys-town-jerusalem-joins-chanukah.html
http://www.jewishhumorcentral.com/2013/12/subways-are-forchanukah-songs-by.html