A Musical Special for Yom Haatzmaut - Israel Independence Day - Kol Esperanza in an Israeli Medley

 

Tonight we transition from Yom Hazikaron (Israel's Memorial Day) to Yom Haatzmaut (Israel Independence Day) as the Jewish nation moves from sorrow to joy. 

 

In celebration of Yom Haatzmaut we share a performance of a medley of Israeli songs by Kol Esperanza. The medley includes Al Hadvash v'al Haoketz, Erev Shel Shoshanim, and Bashana Ha'ba'ah.

 

Kol Esperanza (Voice of Hope) is an exciting operatic/pop trio featuring Nimrod, Adam and Omer under the musical direction of composer, arranger, and conductor Tomer Adaddi. These world-class singers perform the best of Opera, Broadway, Pop, and Jewish and Israeli favorites, blending classical tradition with  a vibrant new sound. Kol Esperanza’s vocalists have performed in prestigious venues the world over, and their talent and charm combine to deliver a powerfully emotional musical experience.

Enjoy, and Yom Haatzmaut sameach! 

A Prayer for the Israel Defense Forces on Yom Hazikaron - Israel's Memorial Day

Yom HaAtzmaut, Israel's Independence Day, is always preceded by Yom HaZikaron, Israel’s Memorial Day for its fallen soldiers. The message of linking these two days is clear: Israelis owe their independence — the very existence of the state — to the soldiers who sacrificed their lives for it.

This year Yom HaZikaron begins tonight and will be observed Wednesday until nightfall when the Yom HaAtzmaut festivities begin and continue through Thursday night.

To mark Yom Hazikaron we're sharing a video of Shulem Lemmer singing Mi Sheberach L'Tzahal, the prayer for the Israel Defense Forces, set to the melody of Eretz Tzvi, originally made popular by singer Yehoram Gaon.

Shulem Lemmer, known professionally simply as "Shulem," is an American Belz Hasidic singer from Borough Park, Brooklyn, in New York City. He is the first born-and-raised Haredi Jew to sign a major record contract with a leading label, Universal Music Group, under its classical music Decca Gold imprint.

Before becoming a full-time singer, Lemmer was marketing director at a technology firm start-up based in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. He has also worked as a cantor during the High Holidays at Congregation Ahavath Torah, a Modern Orthodox synagogue in Englewood, New Jersey.

A Joke to Start the Week - "Mistaken Translation"

It's another Monday and time for another Joke to Start the Week. This week we're posting another joke from Dr. Jay Orlikoff, a retired dentist from Centereach, New York, a community on Long Island in Suffolk County.

After a distinguished and meritorious dental career, he is shifting his focus to telling and posting jokes on YouTube. We were fortunate to find some of his jokes and we're sharing one of the family-friendly ones with you today. 

Here's the setup: The abbot is showing the young monk around the abbey. They come to a room that's filled with scrolls. And then...

Enjoy!

Israeli Comedian Yohay Sponder Tells Hilarious Version of the Passover Story

With over 20 years of experience, Yohay Sponder brings his unique outlook on life to the stage.  Throughout his career he has starred in multiple TV and radio shows. He produces and headlines in 'Funny Monday - Israeli Comedy in English' and has performed all over the world. 

Having gained a massive following on social media, Sponder most recently finished up a sold-out tour in Europe with his new show "Self Loving Jew". 

In June Sponder will be touring the USA, with shows in Boston, Philadelphia, and Fort Lauderdale.

In this video clip from a recent performance, Sponder starts to explain why we clean the house for Passover but ends up telling a hilarious version of the Passover story.

Enjoy!

Welcoming Shabbat with Shalom Aleichem Sung by BerKalit a Cappella

Today we welcome Shabbat with BerKalit a cappella singing Shalom Aleichem.

Founded in 2022 at Berklee College of Music, BerKalit's name cleverly nods to its origins; in Hebrew, 'Kalit' (קליט) means 'catchy,' capturing the spirit of BerKalit's music, while sounding like 'Berklee.' BerKalit are the proud winners of Jewish Star Season 5 and the singers behind ASMAC critically acclaimed arrangement, "Lecha Dodi."

Alongside facilitating Shabbat services and vocal harmony workshops nationwide, the group is thrilled to have released their debut EP in 2025, featuring a collection of innovative liturgical arrangements. Comprising members from diverse religious backgrounds united by their love for Jewish music, BerKalit aims to bridge the gap between Jewish music and contemporary a cappella, foster community through vocal harmony, and use their voices to uplift the Greater Boston Area and beyond.

Shabbat shalom!

J-Sketch Comedy: The Matchmaker

Jewish sketch comedy has arrived, live in comedy clubs and in videos posted on You Tube. A good example of this new comedy, focused mainly on the Modern Orthodox Jewish community, is the comedy trio of Eli Lebowicz, Ami Kozak, and Mikey Greenblatt, who created J-Sketch. 

Today's video finds matchmaker Avigail in an all too realistic sketch. She's trying to find the perfect match for Guy, who sees himself as an overconfident guy who likes to mix it up. He's looking for a girl who's half blonde and half brunette, tall but also small, part Ashkenazi and part Sephardi, who plays hard to get but is also hard to find -- you get the idea.

Many of us have seen this process play out in real life and will find it very relatable and funny, especially when viewing it as an outside observer.

Enjoy!

Wacky Wednesday Comedy Showcase: Stuck Straws on Candid Camera Gold

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.

In 1962 the Candid Camera team decided to have some fun at a lunch counter in Manhattan. They tampered with the straws provided when customers ordered a soda and placed a plug in the middle of each straw. Then they just watched the fun as customers struggled to enjoy their drinks.

Enjoy! 

Yiddish Word of the Day: Comedian Modi Rosenfeld and Actress Mayim Bialk Bring us "Gehokte Tsuris"

Comedian Modi Rosenfeld and actress/blogger Mayim Bialik are very funny in their own right, but when they collaborate the fun just multiplies. Here they bring the Yiddish word tsuris up a notch by adding the adjective gehakte and give us the ultimate trouble -- gehokte tsuris.

Enjoy!

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A Joke to Start the Week - "Three Wishes"

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: Jake is walking along the beach and he notices a bottle lying in the sand. He pulls the cork out and a genie comes out of the bottle. And then...

Enjoy! 

Welcoming Shabbat with an Egyptian Version of Yigdal by Jenni Asher

Tonight we welcome Shabbat and the seventh day of Pesach with an Egyptian version of Yigdal, the hymn that usually closes the Friday Night service.

This rendition has roots in Egyptian music, which is part of the tradition of Jenni Asher's family. This is the tenth version of the song that we've posted, and it's the first to use an Egyptian tune.

The song is a musical expression of Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon (Maimonides)’s Thirteen Principles of Faith.

We will not be posting on Sunday because we'll be in our Florida shul observing the last day of Pesach. We'll be back on Monday with another Joke to Start the Week.

Enjoy, Shabbat shalom, and Chag Pesach sameach! 

Pesach Shopping in Israel: Like No Shopping Trip You've Experienced in America

Pesach shopping in the USA can be very different depending on where you live. In communities with large Jewish populations like New York, New Jersey, Los Angeles, and Miami Beach, you may find a large selection of Kosher for Passover foods and supplies, but in areas with small Jewish populations your choices may be limited to a small display in your local supermarket.

In Israel, however, Pesach shopping can be a surreal experience with an overwhelming selection of products -- not only foods and supplies such as kiddush cups and matzah covers, but also toys for afikomen gifts like Playmobil and Hot Wheels.

A week before Passover, Malkah Fleischer made a video on her phone of her journey to an Osher Ad supermarket in Israel. Starting with a half hour wait for a parking space and anxiously navigating the parking lot looking for an opening, she documented the vast number and variety of products filling the many aisles of the cavernous space stocked with endless piles of merchandise, organized for Ashkenazi and Sephardic Jews based on their respective customs and traditions.

After a dizzying tour of the supermarket, you'll either be jealous of the many choices offered to Israeli customers, or grateful that your choices are limited to a manageable number of products.

Enjoy!

Here Comes Another Passover Video: A "Matzah Balls" Parody of Miley Cyrus "Wrecking Ball"

It seems like matzah balls are the perfect parody subject this year. After posting a Matzah Ball parody of Popular from Wicked last Thursday we came across an entirely different parody of Miley Cyrus' 2013 hit song Wrecking Ball with the same name that was posted on Kveller.

This one is performed by Rabbi Jaclyn Cohen of Temple Isaiah in Los Angeles with lyrics by Gordon Lustig.

Enjoy!

Remembering Yaakov Kirschen, "Dry Bones" Political Cartoonist and Humorist

Israeli political cartoonist Yaakov Kirschen died on Monday at 87 at the Meir Medical Center in Kfar Saba, following a lengthy illness.

As Danielle Greyman-Kennard wrote in The Jerusalem Post,

The famed cartoonist, known for Dry Bones, has been published by many leading newspapers in both Israel and the Diaspora - including The Jerusalem Post, which was the first to enjoy publishing Kirschen’s work in January of 1973.

"Bones, as his friends and colleagues called him, was a wonderful artist
and satirist who always hit the nail on the head with his cartoons," former Post editor-in-chief Steve Linde shared. "He really was a national treasure."

No political leader in Israel or the US was safe from Kirschen's perceptive and satiric wit. In addition to his daily cartoons, he wrote humorous books, gave lectures, and delivered jokes about life in Israel and other Jewish subjects. One of his long-time aims was achieved a few years ago with the publication of The Dry Bones Haggadah.

Here's a video clip from a Kirschen presentation in which he tells a few jokes about life in the Nixon era.

Enjoy!

Getting Ready for the Seder with Vehi She'amda by Shira Linshe and Noa Goren

It's Pesach time again. Tomorrow night we sit down (and recline) for the seder in Israel and the first of two sedarim in the Diaspora. But tomorrow is Shabbat and so the preparations and procedures are somewhat different from other years.

At the seder we will be singing many songs during the recitation of the Haggadah, and one of the most enduring and memorable ones is Vehi She'amda.

וְהִיא שֶׁעָמְדָה לַאֲבוֹתֵיֽנוּ וְלָנֽוּ. שֶׁלֹא אֶחָד בִּלְבָד, עָמַד עָלֵיֽנוּ לְכַלּוֹתֵנֽוּ. אֶלָּא שֶׁבְּכָל דּוֹר וָדוֹר, עוֹמְדִים עָלֵיֽנוּ לְכַלּוֹתֵנֽוּ. וְהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מַצִּילֵנוּ מִיָּדָם

Vehi She’amda, La’avotainu Velanu Shelo Echad Bilvad, Amad Aleinu Lechaloteinu Ela Sheb’chol Dor VaDor Omdim Aleinu Lechaloteinu V’HaKadosh Baruch Hu Matzilenu Miyadam.

And this (Hashem’s blessings and the Torah) is what kept our fathers and what keeps us surviving. For, not only one arose and tried to destroy us, rather in every generation they try to destroy us, and Hashem saves us from their hands.

This verse has been set to many melodies, but this one is especially expressive of the message. Composed by Yonatan Razel in 2009, it is sung in this video by Israeli singers Shira Linshe and Noa Goren.

Jewish Humor Central will be taking a break on Sunday and Monday as we observe the first two days of Passover in Florida, but we'll be back with Chol Hamoed videos on Tuesday.

Shabbat shalom and Chag kasher v'sameach!

Here Come the Passover Videos: Matzah Balls: A Passover Parody of "Popular" from Wicked

With only two days until the Passover seder, we're sharing yet another video parody created for the holiday. This one is a takeoff on the song Popular from the Broadway show and film Wicked.

It was created and sung by Cantor Laura Phillips Fogelman of Temple Beth Abraham in Tarrytown, New York. In this rendition she is joined by Stessa Peers.

Enjoy, and Chag kasher v'sameach!

10 Well-Known Passover Rituals That Are Surprisingly Profound

Is Passover just about matzah and freedom, or is there more to the story? Ezra Weiser uncovers 10 of the most surprising Passover traditions, from burning bread to drinking four cups of wine in one night to a door left open for an invisible guest.

Exploring the deep symbolism, unexpected customs, and hidden meanings behind this ancient holiday, Ezra reveals how each custom carries a hidden lesson on freedom and turns history into a living experience.

This special Passover video comes to us through the Judaism Unpacked YouTube channel.

Enjoy, and Chag Sameach!

Here Come the Passover Videos: Six13 a Cappella Sings PSVR, a Parody of Bruno Mars and Rose's Pop Hit APT

Anchored by a strong Jewish identity and driven by a mission to connect Jews around the globe with their heritage through music, professional Jewish a cappella group Six13 are the originators of today's Jewish a cappella sound. 

They've performed to rave reviews at the White House, synagogues, religious schools, JCCs, fundraising events, B'nai Mitzvah and private affairs alike. They’ve appeared all over mainstream media, been cited by Billy Joel and Bruno Mars, received numerous awards for their eight best-selling CDs, and garnered more than 25 million views online. 

Here's their latest Passover video, PSVR, a parody of Bruno Mars and Rose's pop hit APT.

Enjoy!

A Joke to Start the Week - "Calling the Rabbi"

It's Monday again, and at Jewish Humor Central that means only one thing -- it's time for another joke to start the week.

Today's joke is from our collection of jokes from Toronto's Jewish Folks Telling Jokes, a major contribution to Jewish humor by Jewish Family and Child Service, one of the foremost Jewish service agencies in North America.

Most jokes in this series are oldies but goodies. You've probably heard them before, but it's always good to hear them again, especially when retold by new joke tellers.

Here's today's setup for the joke told by Sally Mintz-Levy: It was a cold and miserable and stormy night. And Moishe (nebech) was laying on his deathbed. And then...

Enjoy!