Welcoming Shabbat with Shalom Aleichem by Cantor Jacob Agar and the Israeli Goup Nava Tehila

Nava Tehila is a Jerusalem-based prayer community that gathers for a big musical Kabbalat Shabbat once a month in Jerusalem's Baka neighborhood. They create musical and engaging prayer spaces where people feel comfortable to come as they are. All are welcomed. 

Their prayer service is innovative, egalitarian and accompanied by acoustic instruments. It flows between ecstatic chanting and dancing and contemplative, and is uses mostly their own beautiful original melodies written by their members.

Cantor Jacob Agar received his cantorial investiture at the H.L Miller Cantorial School at Jewish Theological Seminary of New York. Previously he studied opera performance and linguistics at SUNY Purchase College. Following conservatory, he sang with several opera companies in New York and New Jersey, and has worked with a wide variety of conductors. 

Today we join Cantor Agar and Nava Tehila in bringing in Shabbat with the singing of Shalom Aleichem.

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Comedian Elon Gold on Getting Shushed at Barnes and Noble

We've been following Elon Gold and posting some of his shtick on Jewish Humor Central for the last 12 years. 

Elon is an American comedian, television actor, writer and producer. He starred in the television series Stacked.  He also starred in the short-lived sitcom In-Laws. 

 

Known for his impressions, including those of Jeff Goldblum, Howard Stern and Jay Leno, Gold was a judge on the ABC celebrity impersonation competition series The Next Best Thing. Gold was also in the movie Cheaper by the Dozen as a cameraman from the Oprah Winfrey show.

Gold attended the Westchester Day School in Mamaroneck, NY and the Marsha Stern Talmudical Academy (MTA)/Yeshiva University High School for Boys in Manhattan, NY. He is a practicing Orthodox Jew.

Today we're sharing a video clip of Gold's stand-up comedy in which he tells about the time he was shushed at a Barnes and Noble bookstore.

Enjoy!

 

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Wacky Wednesday Comedy Special: Consumers Find "Lousy Stuff" in Bank, Supermarket, and Department Store - Candid Camera Gold

Candid Camera was an American hidden camera/practical joke reality television series created and produced by Allen Funt, which initially began on radio as The Candid Microphone on June 28, 1947. 

After a series of theatrical film shorts, also titled Candid Microphone, Funt's concept came to television on August 10, 1948, and continued into the 1970s. 

The show involved concealing cameras filming ordinary people being confronted with unusual situations, sometimes involving trick props, such as a desk with drawers that pop open when one is closed or a car with a hidden extra gas tank. When the joke was revealed, victims would be told the show's catchphrase, "Smile, you're on Candid Camera."

Peter Funt joined the show professionally in 1987 when he became a co-host with his father. During this time the show was being broadcast on the CBS television network. In 1993, Allen Funt had a serious stroke, from which he never fully recovered. This required Peter to host the show full-time. 

The show went through a few revivals. During his time on the show Peter was a producer, host and acted on the show. He also produced and hosted over 200 episodes. 

Twenty-four years ago the Candid Camera crew tested the patience of customers in a bank, supermarket, and department store by exposing them to non-working pens, smelly cheese, socks and perfume, and trying to sell them coupons to get free products.

Enjoy!

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Comedian Modi Rosenfeld is Interviewed on Israeli TV and Tells His Favorite Jewish Joke

Modi Rosenfeld is one of our favorite Jewish comedians. We've been following his career and shtick ever since we started Jewish Humor Central in 2009. Whether it's his standup comedy or clever skits and short films, he always leaves us laughing.

Modi is making waves in the New York stand-up scene, embracing and making light of his Israeli background, and sharing his Jewish humor on social media. Last month he was interviewed on Israeli TV. He talked about his background, growing up in Long Island, and how he relates to different audiences.

He also told one of his favorite Jewish jokes.

Enjoy!

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The Frisch School of Paramus, New Jersey Sings the Prayer for the IDF Overlooking the Hudson River and Manhattan Skyline

Following the tragic events of October 7th, student musicians and singers of Yeshivat Frisch joined together on a plaza overlooking the Hudson River and Manhattan skyline to lift each other up in song and pray for the safety of our brothers and sisters in Israel. 

The song is the prayer for the Israel Defense Forces that many synagogues recite every Shabbat and holiday. 

We're sharing this performance in wishing you a meaningful Memorial Day.

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Today is Lag B'Omer. Israel Limits Bonfires and Celebrations but Chasidim Find a Way

Today is Lag B'Omer, the the 33rd day of the period of counting days between Passover and Shavuot. In Israel it's traditionally a big day of celebration, with large bonfires throughout the country, and especially on Mount Meron in the north. 

It's the burial site of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, known as Rashbi. Hundreds of thousands of Charedi Jews make a pilgrimage each year to sing and dance on the mountain.

This year the Israeli government decided to close roads leading to Meron, to prevent large crowds amid exchanges of fire between Israel and Hezbollah in the Galilee and Southern Lebanon.

The checkpoint is one of 11 roadblocks set up around Meron in an effort involving hundreds of police officers to enforce the ban following concerns that some pilgrims would defy it.

The events at Meron are limited this Lag B'Omer to three ceremonial bonfire lighting ceremonies attended by no more than 30 people at any given time. But celebrants are finding ways to observe the day in other locations around Israel.

Last night tens of thousands gathered in Beit Shemesh, a Jerusalem suburb, to celebrate.

Enjoy, and Happy Lag B'Omer!

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Welcoming Shabbat with Eshet Chayil as Sung to "Uptown Girl" by Cantor Azi Schwartz and Six13 a Cappella

On Mother’s Day a few weeks ago, Park Avenue Synagogue reimagined Billy Joel's Uptown Girl as Eshet Chayil, the classic tribute to a “Woman of Valor.” 

This collaboration included the celebrated a cappella group Six13, Cantors Azi Schwartz and Arielle Reisner, Rabbi Lori Koffman, and officers and staff members of the synagogue. 

Enjoy, and Shabbat shalom!

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Throwback Thursday Musical Showcase: Danny Kaye Sings "You" on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1970

Danny Kaye (born David Daniel Kaminsky; 1911-1987) was an American actor, singer, dancer, and comedian. His performances featured physical comedy, idiosyncratic pantomimes, and rapid-fire novelty songs.

Kaye was born to Ukrainian Jewish immigrants in Brooklyn, the youngest of three boys for Jacob and Clara Nemerovsky Kaminsky. He was the only son born in the United States.

Kaye starred in 17 movies, notably Wonder Man (1945), The Kid from Brooklyn (1946), The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (1947), The Inspector General (1949), Hans Christian Andersen (1952), White Christmas (1954), and The Court Jester (1956). His films were popular, especially his bravura performances of patter songs and favorites such as "Inchworm" and "The Ugly Duckling". He was the first ambassador-at-large of UNICEF in 1954 and received the French Legion of Honor in 1986 for his years of work with the organization.

Here is Danny Kaye singing "You" in a performance on the Ed Sullivan Show in November 1970.

Enjoy!

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    #Throwback Thursday      #TBT

Wacky Wednesday Comedy Special: Supermarket Trap -- A Candid Camera Gold Classic from 1962

Candid Camera was a popular and long-running American hidden camera reality television series. Versions of the show appeared on television from 1948 until 2014. Originally created and produced by Allen Funt, it often featured practical jokes, and initially began on radio as The Candid Microphone on June 28, 1947. 

The show involved concealed cameras filming ordinary people being confronted with unusual situations, sometimes involving trick props, such as a desk with drawers that pop open when one is closed or a car with a hidden extra gas tank. When the joke was revealed, victims were told the show's catchphrase, "Smile, you're on Candid Camera." The catchphrase became a song with music and lyrics by Sid Ramin.

Today we're sharing a classic episode from 1962 in which supermarket customers found themselves trapped in an aisle.

Enjoy! 

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Selling Israeli Products at the Mall - Kosher Comedy by Zehavit Rosenbloom

Zehavit Rosenbloom is a mom with seven children who is performing standup comedy and recording videos for Jewish audiences. She has created many Jewish characters including ultra religious Rebbetzins, secular Israelis, and El Al representatives who put passengers through intensive interrogations before letting them board planes.

She calls her comedy routines Zeya Comedy and we plan to share some of her sketches in future Jewish Humor Central posts. Today we're sharing a portrayal of an obnoxious Israeli saleswoman selling Israeli products at an American shopping mall.

Enjoy!

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A Joke to Start the Week - "The Airline Joke"

It's another Monday and time for another Joke to Start the Week. Today we're sharing a joke by Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak (YY) Jacobson, one of America's premier Jewish scholars in Torah and Jewish mysticism.

Rabbi Jacobson, an American Chabad rabbi from Monsey, New York, is one of the most sought after speakers in the Jewish world today, lecturing to Jewish and non-Jewish audiences on six continents and in forty states, and serving as teacher and mentor to thousands across the globe. 

He is considered to be one of the most successful, passionate and mesmerizing communicators of Judaism today, culling his ideas from the entire spectrum of Jewish thought and making them relevant to contemporary audiences. 

He served as editor-in-chief of the Algemeiner Journal, and as a choizer (transcriber) for Lubavitcher Rebbe Menachem Mendel Schneerson.

He also loves to tell jokes, and here's the setup: This fellow is sitting in the lounge in the airport. He's sipping an iced coffee, reading a newspaper. And he sees the profile of a woman who is dressed as a flight attendant. And then...

Enjoy!

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Yiddish Word of the Day - "Flowers"

In 2020 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 get to learn the Yiddish word for flowers and lots of related expressions.

Enjoy!

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Welcoming Shabbat with Avinu Shebashamaim by the Moscow Male Jewish a Cappella Choir

Avinu Shebashamaim, the Prayer for the State of Israel, is usually sung in the Shabbat morning service. It is also sung at special days, such as Yom HaAtzmaut, and other days when congregations unite to show support for the State of Israel and the people of Israel.

As we get ready for Shabbat, let's watch Alexander Tsaliuk conduct the Moscow Male a Cappella Choir singing Avinu Shebashamaim at a performance a few days ago to commemorate Yom Hazikaron and Yom HaAtzmaut.The concert was at the Memorial Synagogue on Poklonnaya Gora in Moscow with soloists Cantor Uriel Granat and Vladislav Ayrapetyan.

Enjoy, and Shabbat shalom!

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Comedian Jerry Seinfeld's Commencement Address at Duke University - "Don't Lose Your Humor"

"Don't lose your humor. Forget everything else." These were comedian Jerry Seinfeld's closing words of advice to the graduating class of Duke University this week when he delivered the commencement address to a packed stadium."

It's not often that we get an invitation to attend a college graduation that features a commencement address by a world famous comedian, so we're glad that Duke University posted it on YouTube.

In his presentation, Seinfeld gives the students his three real keys to life.

Enjoy!

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Wacky Wednesday Comedy Special: Meddling Mother on Candid Camera Gold in 2001

Candid Camera was an American hidden camera/practical joke reality television series created and produced by Allen Funt, which initially began on radio as The Candid Microphone on June 28, 1947. 

After a series of theatrical film shorts, also titled Candid Microphone, Funt's concept came to television on August 10, 1948, and continued into the 1970s. 

The show involved concealing cameras filming ordinary people being confronted with unusual situations, sometimes involving trick props, such as a desk with drawers that pop open when one is closed or a car with a hidden extra gas tank. When the joke was revealed, victims would be told the show's catchphrase, "Smile, you're on Candid Camera."

Peter Funt joined the show professionally in 1987 when he became a co-host with his father. During this time the show was being broadcast on the CBS television network. In 1993, Allen Funt had a serious stroke, from which he never fully recovered. This required Peter to host the show full-time. 

The show went through a few revivals. During his time on the show Peter was a producer, host and acted on the show. He also produced and hosted over 200 episodes. 

In this classic episode from 2001, actress Fannie Flagg plays a restaurant owner with mothering on her mind.

Enjoy!

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Am Yisrael Chai - The Nation of Israel Lives on Its 76th Independence Day

Yesterday's Yom Hazikaron (Memorial Day) in Israel transitioned last night to Yom Ha'atzmaut, a day of celebration of Israel's 76th birthday. Today we offer a salute to Israel on its years of outstanding achievements in so many areas.

Eyal Golan leads us in his popular song Am Yisrael Chai (The Nation of Israel Lives). Eyal is an Israeli singer who sings in the Mizrahi music pop fusion genre, and is considered one of the most successful singers in Israel.

Enjoy and Chag Sameach!

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A Break from Humor on Yom Hazikaron - Israel's Memorial Day

Last Monday it was Yom Hashoah - Holocaust Remembrance Day, and tody it's Yom Hazikaron, Israel's Memorial Day. 

We think it's inappropriate to start this week off with a joke, our usual Monday posting, when everything stops throughout Israel for two minutes at 11 am, to remember Israel's fallen soldiers.

So we're taking a day off from jokes and humor to share a few minutes of silence in solidarity with our family and friends in Israel as they pause to reflect on the sacrifices made by so many to insure a life of freedom and happiness for all who live there.

These two minutes of silence were in Yavne, a city on the Mediterranean coast between Tel Aviv and Ashdod, this morning at 11 am Israel time to remember fallen IDF soldiers and police.

Tomorrow is Yom Ha'atzmaut, Israel's Independence Day, the most festive day of the year, which starts immediately at the conclusion of Yom Hazikaron. We'll be back with appropriate content to celebrate Israel's 76th birthday.

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The Gospel According to Berkeley - A Hilarious Parody from Eretz Nehederet (Israel's Saturday Night Live)

History is fungible. There is nothing that is fact, nor anything that is a lie. That is the new fashion on college campuses today. That has been the case for decades. 

And this absurdly hilarious video from  Eretz Nehederet, the Israeli comedy TV show that is being called Israel's Saturday Night Live, brings all of the absurdities of the progressive left universities right into clear focus. 

Enjoy!

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Welcoming Shabbat with Lechu Neranena at Mishkon Tephilo in Venice, California

Mishkon Tephilo's historic landmark building on Main Street in Venice, California houses a beautiful synagogue that warmly embraces interfaith families and converts to Judaism. People notice its relaxed and inclusive vibe and find it less formal than other synagogues — as one of its regulars put it, "Hawaiian shirt optional." 

Mishkon is participatory and many congregants engage in synagogue services, leading a section or reading from the Torah on Shabbat. Services are held Friday night (usually on Zoom or at the beach), Saturday morning and all holidays, with occasional family services and alternative learning services. 

In today's video, Mishkon's spiritual leader, Rabbi Joshua Katzan and Happie Hoffman, Musical Director for BBYO International, welcome Shabbat with Lechu Neranena, a major part of the Friday night service.

Enjoy, and Shabbat shalom!

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Throwback Thursday Musical Showcase: Ed Ames and Dinah Shore Sing "Sunrise, Sunset" on the Ed Sullivan Show

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 Ed Sullivan Show is well known for bringing rock n' roll music to the forefront of American culture through acts like Elvis Presley, The Beatles, and The Rolling Stones. 

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. It also frequently featured stars of Motown such as The Supremes, The Temptations, Stevie Wonder and The Jackson 5. The Ed Sullivan Show was one of the only places on American television where such a wide variety of popular culture was showcased and its legacy lives on to this day. 

Let's turn the clock back 56 years to February 25, 1968 when singers Ed Ames and Dinah Shore sang Sunrise, Sunset from Fiddler on the Roof on the Ed Sullivan Show.

Ed Ames (Edmund Urick) was a pop singer and actor. He was also part of the popular 1950s singing group with his siblings, the Ames Brothers. Dinah Shore (Frances Rose Shore) was an American singer, actress, and television personality, and the chart-topping female vocalist of the 1940s. They both grew up in Jewish families, Ames' parents from Ukraine and Shore's from Russia.

Enjoy!

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  #Throwback Thursday    #TBT

Wacky Wednesday Comedy Special - Misinformation at an Information Booth - A Candid Camera Classic

Candid Camera was an American hidden camera/practical joke reality television series created and produced by Allen Funt, which initially began on radio as The Candid Microphone on June 28, 1947. 

After a series of theatrical film shorts, also titled Candid Microphone, Funt's concept came to television on August 10, 1948, and continued into the 1970s. 

The show involved concealing cameras filming ordinary people being confronted with unusual situations, sometimes involving trick props, such as a desk with drawers that pop open when one is closed or a car with a hidden extra gas tank. When the joke was revealed, victims would be told the show's catchphrase, "Smile, you're on Candid Camera."

Peter Funt joined the show professionally in 1987 when he became a co-host with his father. During this time the show was being broadcast on the CBS television network. In 1993, Allen Funt had a serious stroke, from which he never fully recovered. This required Peter to host the show full-time. 

The show went through a few revivals. During his time on the show Peter was a producer, host and acted on the show. He also produced and hosted over 200 episodes. 

This classic episode first aired in 1998. Actress Suzanne Somers played the role of a guide at the information booth at the Sears Tower in Chicago. But for every visitor who asked her a question about the building or the city, she only had misinformation or no information.

Enjoy!

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When Israeli Hebrew and Ashkenazi Hebrew Collide - Kosher Comedy by Zehavit Rosenbloom

Zehavit Rosenbloom is a mom with seven children who is performing standup comedy and recording videos for Jewish audiences.She has created many Jewish chsracters including ultra religious Rebbetzins, secular Israelis, and El Al representatives who put passengers through intensive interrogations before letting them board planes.

She calls her comedy routines Zeya Comedy and we plan to share some of her sketches in future Jewish Humor Central posts. Today we're sharing a mock conversation that she conducted with two of her characters, a no-nonsense Israeli El Al airport agent with perfect Hebrew pronunciation and a religious Ashkenazi woman who is getting ready to board a plane.

Enjoy!

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A Joke to Start the Week - "Barry Has a Son-in-Law"

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: Barry Feldman's daughter had just married a nice young man with a good education...a real mensch. So he called the family together and told his new son-in-law "We're so excited to have you in the family, I decided I'm going to give you half of my business." And then...

Enjoy!

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Jewish Traces in Unexpected Places: Nepalese Students Sing "Hevenu Shalom Aleichem"

Hevenu Shalom Aleichem is such a popular Hebrew song that it's sung all over the world. Over the years we've shared videos of it being performed in Indonesia, by Mayan children in Guatemala, and in a Korean musical stage show. 

Among the 22 versions that we've posted you'll find it in France, India, and in an Irish pub in Phoenix.

So we weren't too surprised to come across another rendition of this song by students in Nepal. It's coupled with them singing Shabbat Shalom.

Enjoy!

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Welcoming Shabbat with Ein Keloheinu by Eitan Kantor

Eitan Kantor is a musician, educator and composer based in Denver, CO. Eitan is the Music Director of the Hebrew Educational Alliance, a Conservative synagogue in South Denver. Through the creation of both religious and secular Jewish music, he works to inspire social action rooted in Jewish values. 

He channels music through his fiddle, his singing voice and the collective singing voice of the community. His music is rooted in musical traditions of Eastern Europe and sends branches skyward towards the potential of the present moment.

Eitan Kantor’s Ein Keloheinu challenges our concept of what Jewish music can be. The song was composed in a 7/8 rhythm and features neither guitar nor piano, but accordion. Clap along with Eitan and St. Louis-based Bosnian-American accordionist Mensur Hatic. 

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.

Jewish Traces in Unexpected Places: 5 Surprising Locations Jews Live Today

From Iquitos, Peru to Namibia, Gibraltar, Japan, and Siberia, Jewish communities are found on every continent today outside of Antarctica. Each presenting a unique flavor of Judaism, these communities have continued to cling to their Jewish culture and keep their ancient traditions alive.

Join us in visiting these five locations to see how these very different Jewish communities maintain their culture in environments that you wouldn't expect Jewish traditions to thrive in.

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.