A Joke to Start the Week - "The Orthopedic Surgeon"

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. Here's the setup: Dr. Barry Bloom was the most famous orthopedic surgeon in town. His waiting room was always full of people. One day a woman was sitting there. She was bent over. She walked slowly and could barely get by on her cane. And then...

Enjoy! 

Sunday Standup Comedy Showcase: An Early Appearance by Buddy Hackett

Some of the best standup comedy was on TV shows and comedy specials in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. Today we continue our Sunday Standup series, sharing some of the classic routines by iconic comedians on Sunday editions of Jewish Humor Central.   

Buddy Hackett (1924-2003) was one of the funniest comedians ever to perform on hotel stages in the Catskills. Most people remember him for his jokes and stories that usually crossed the line into family-unfriendly territory. 

This one is an early appearance by Buddy Hackett in 1980 on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. In their discussion Buddy expounds on his knowledge of snakes, medicine, organic and natural foods, and psychic phenomena. 

Enjoy!

Welcoming Shabbat with Ana Bekoach - A Brazilian Version

After a week of Pesach liturgy and celebration, it's time to welcome just another Shabbat. This week we're sharing a version of Ana Bekoach that comes from Brazil. 

Known as the 42-letter Name of God, Ana Bekoach is a unique formula built of 42 letters written in seven sentences of six words each. Each of the seven sentences correspond to the seven days of the week, seven specific angels, and to a particular heavenly body. The letters that make up Ana Bekoach are encoded within the first 42 letters of the book of Genesis.

The kabbalists explain that this combination of letters takes us back to the time of Creation, and each time we meditate on a particular sequence, we return to the original uncorrupted energy that built the world. By performing the Ana Bekoach meditation, we enrich our lives with unadulterated spiritual Light and positive energy. 

Enjoy, and Shabbat shalom!

Timeless Tuesday Passover Nostalgia: Rare 1964 Recordings by Geula Gill and Yehoram Gaon

As we get ready for the last days of this Passover holiday, let's travel back in time 62 years to Israel in 1964 where Israeli singers Geula Gill and Yehoram Gaon recorded some Pesach songs which are now rare recordings.

They sing Betzet Yisrael Mimitzrayim, Yatzanu Mimitzrayim, Be'egozim, and Adir Hu.

We hope you enjoyed our Pesach postings. Jewish Humor Central will not be posting on Wednesday and Thursday. We'll be observing the last two days of this Chag and we'll be back with our usual mix on Friday.

Enjoy, and Chag Kasher v'Sameach!

A Joke to Start the Week - "Two Brothers--A Pessimist and an Optimist"

It's another Monday, and time for another Joke to Start the Week. Today's joke teller is Rabbi Avrohom Rapoport, also known as Rabbi Raps.

Dubbed "The Tiktok Rabbi," Rabbi Rapoport is a congregational Rabbi, musician, filmmaker and motivational speaker. His upbeat, humorous, and engaging style brings meaning and inspiration to the many who follow him.

With over 20 million views and more than 220,000 followers on Instagram and Tiktok @RabbiRaps shares daily inspirational messages and lessons.

Here's the setup for today's joke: There were once two brothers. One was the ultimate pessimist, and one was the ultimate optimist. The parents didn't know what to do about these kids. They were so extreme, in one household. So they hired a psychologist to analyze the kids. And then...

Enjoy!

Sunday Standup Comedy Showcase: An Early Appearance by Henny Youngman in 1955

Henny Youngman, a British-American Jewish comedian and violinist, was very popular in the 1950s and 1960s, with many appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show and on Laugh-in.

As his biography in Wikipedia reads,

In a time when many comedians told elaborate anecdotes, Youngman’s comedy routine consisted of telling simple one-liner jokes, occasionally with interludes of violin playing. These gags depicted simple, cartoon-like situations, eliminating lengthy build-ups and going straight to the punch line. He was known as the King of the One Liners, a title bestowed upon him by columnist Walter Winchell. A typical stage performance by Youngman lasted only fifteen to twenty minutes, but contained dozens of jokes, delivered in rapid-fire fashion.

Let's take a walk down memory lane to watch one of Youngman's early performances 71 years ago, in 1955.

Enjoy!