"We Met at Grossinger's" - New Joyfully Nostalgic Documentary Now Playing in South Florida

We Met at Grossinger’s is a joyfully nostalgic journey through the Jewish Catskills—once known as the Borscht Belt—told through the rise and fall of its most beloved resort: Grossinger’s Resort and Hotel, the real-life inspiration for Dirty Dancing.

Built and run by three generations of trailblazing women, Grossinger’s Resort and Hotel stood at the center of a world Jews built for themselves after being shut out of America’s mainstream resorts and clubs. It became far more than a vacation destination—it was a sanctuary of identity, joy, and reinvention. Here, amid the laughter of comics, the brilliance of athletes, and the grace of guests like Jackie Robinson, Eddie Fisher, and Eleanor Roosevelt, Jewish Americans and other marginalized communities found a stage to redefine what it meant to be accepted, celebrated, and free.

As once nostalgic and revelatory, We Met at Grossinger's captures both the golden age and the fading echoes of the Catskills’ most beloved resort. It paints a sweeping portrait of an America in transformation—one that discovered, in the glow of the Borscht Belt, that inclusivity, creativity, and leisure lie at the very heart of the American dream.

The film will be making the rounds of Jewish film festivals and is playing through March 31 at the Movies of Delray in Delray Beach, Florida. Tickets are $8.00.

Here's the trailer for the documentary. Enjoy!

Wacky Wednesday Comedy Showcase: "Impossible Phone Message" - Candid Camera Gold 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.

In this classic episode the Candid Camera team set up two adjacent public phone booths and persuaded a passer-by to use one phone booth to take an important message for a planted cast member in the other booth while workers were making noise with air hammers just outside. 

This Candid Camera episode took place 64 years ago in 1962.  

Enjoy!

Israeli Comedy Showcase: Shahar Hason on Aliyah and Religion in Israel

Shahar Hasson is one of the leading stand-up comedians in Israel, appearing on Israeli stages for over 25 years, He is a graduate of Yoram Levinstein's acting school. 

Shahar is an entertainer who paved his way through the best entertainment programs in Israel: Eretz Nehederet, Zahirut TV, TV at its best, Laughter from Work, Limited Edition, Fun Night, Express Hearts and more.

In this performance before a live audience, Shahar delivers a stand-up routine filled with humorous observations about Aliyah, becoming Jewish, and living in Israel.

Enjoy!

A Joke to Start the Week - "Jewish Retirement Celebration"

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: An old Jewish merchant is retiring and it's his last day at work. He decides he's going to out in glory so he calls in his assistant. And then...

Enjoy! 

Sunday Standup Comedy Showcase: David Brenner's First TV Appearance 55 Years Ago

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. 

David Brenner was born to Jewish parents in 1936 and raised in poor areas of South and West Philadelphia. His father, Louis, was a vaudeville comedian, singer and dancer performing under the stage name of Lou Murphy, who gave up his career and a film contract in order to please Brenner's grandfather, a rabbi, who objected to his working on Shabbat.

After making his national television debut in 1971, on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, he became the show's most frequent guest, with 158 appearances. He guest-hosted for Johnny Carson 75 times between 1975 and 1984, placing him fifth on the list of Carson's most frequent guest hosts.  

Here's the video clip of Brenner's first appearance on Carson's show on January 8, 1971.

Enjoy!

Welcoming Shabbat with L'Cha Dodi by Beth Reinstein at Central Synagogue

Beth Reinstein is a Cantorial Intern at New York City's Central Synagogue with a mission to craft community through music. Born and raised in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Beth’s first introduction to music came through joining Temple Beth Emeth’s youth choir. It was there that she discovered and experienced how music can bring a community together.

Through Temple Beth Emeth’s music program, Beth fostered a love and passion for music that blossomed into her work. 

While pursuing her secular music career, Beth began to serve the greater Chicago area as a Cantorial soloist and song leader. Beth has served as a Cantorial soloist and song leader at Beth Emet the Free Synagogue, Temple Sholom, Anshe Emet Synagogue, Sukkat Shalom, and several other Chicago communities. She also performs with Jewish Rock Radio’s group “Chicago Sings” and had the opportunity to debut her own liturgical compositions at URJ’s Biennial in 2019. It was through her work as a Cantorial soloist that Beth realized her heart lay in Jewish music, and it was time to pursue the Cantorate.  

In this video, Beth sings L'Cha Dodi, a traditional part of the Kabbalat Shabbat service.

Shabbat shalom!

 

Throwback Thursday Musical Showcase: Abbe Lane Sings "Never on Sunday" in 1961

Abbe Lane (born Abigail Francine Lassman to Jewish parents in 1932) is an American singer and actress. Lane was known in the 1950s and 1960s for her revealing outfits and sultry style of performing. Her first marriage was as the fourth wife of Latin bandleader and musician Xavier Cugat, more than thirty years her senior. 

Because of her work in Europe, Lane was known as an actress before she became recognized for her singing and dancing. She had a television program in Europe and made 21 films there early in her career.

In 1952, she married bandleader Xavier Cugat. During the 1950s and early 1960s she worked as a nightclub singer and was described in a 1963 magazine article as "the swingingest sexpot in show business."Cugat's influence was seen in her music, which favored Latin and rumba styles. 

In this 1961 video from the Ed Sullivan Show, Lane sings Never on Sunday, in English and in French.

Enjoy!

  

  #Throwback Thursday     #TBT

Wacky Wednesday Comedy Special: Slot Machine Devotion - A Candid Camera 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.

In this classic episode the Candid Camera team tried to distract customers putting nickels into a slot machine at a Las Vegas casino, but they were so devoted to their slots that nothing could keep them from continuing to play.

This Candid Camera episode took place 64 years ago in 1962.  

Enjoy!

Musical Showcase: Koolulam Brings Optimistic Choral Singing to Modi'in in Israel

Koolulam is a social-musical project that aims to strengthen our society by strengthening the bonds between the people who make it up. Koolulam invites people from all walks of life to do one thing - stop everything for an hour and simply sing, together.

For those who are not familiar with the concept of Koolulam, it is a gathering where the musicians on stage teach the audience to perform a well-known song according to a special arrangement they wrote, with harmonies and vocal roles that are divided into different groups in the audience.

At the end of the learning process, the band and the audience together perform the song in its entirety.

Here's a video of a recent performance of "Start From the Beginning" in the Moadon Gray auditorium in the city of Modi'in in Israel. The song expresses an optimistic view that even in difficult times, even though there's a way to go, in the end the flowers will bloom again, and everything will be all right. 

Enjoy!

A Joke to Start the Week - "The Burglary Problem"

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: Father Moynihan went to see Rabbi Kaplan as he did once a week. They traded visits to just stay in touch. And then...

Enjoy! 

Sunday Standup Comedy Showcase: Jean Carroll on Trying on Dresses in 1964

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.  

Jean Carroll was the first famous female standup comic. Born as Celine Zeigman in Paris, France in 1911, she began her career as part of the comedy dance team Carroll and Howe, with her husband, vaudevillian Buddy Howe, who later became her manager. 

She appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show more than 20 times and had her own short-lived sitcom, The Jean Carroll Show (also known as Take It From Me), which aired for one season (1953–1954).

In November 2006, she was honored with an evening at the Friar's Club in New York City. The emcee was Joy Behar and the main speaker was Lily Tomlin. In 2007, Carroll was featured in the Off-Broadway production The J.A.P. Show: Jewish American Princesses of Comedy, which includes live standup routines by four female Jewish comics juxtaposed with the stories of legendary performers from the 1950s and 1960s, Belle Barth, Pearl Williams and Betty Walker, Totie Fields, and Carroll herself. She was later featured in the 2009 PBS documentary, Make 'em Laugh.

Enjoy!

Welcoming Shabbat with Ana Bekoach Sung by Cantor Chaim Stern

Chaim Stern was born in 1996 to a renowned family of cantors in Jerusalem, with a long-standing tradition in cantorial music. He grew up in a Haredi environment in Beit Shemesh, Jerusalem, and Be'er Ya'akov. Chaim studied cantorial music at the Cantorial School in Petah Tikva and is considered one of the leading students of Maestro Eli Jaffe and Cantor Israel Rand.

Since 2020, Chaim has served as the Chief Cantor of the Great Synagogue in Munich. In addition, he regularly performs in Jewish communities around the world and in major synagogues in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and Ramat Gan, as well as in the United States, Australia, and Europe.

As we welcome Shabbat let's listen to Chaim Stern sing Ana Bekoach from the Friday night Kabbalat Shabbat service.

Enjoy, and Shabbat shalom! 

Remembering Neil Sedaka - Singer, Songwriter, and Pianist

The musical world lost one of its brightest stars last week with the death at 86 of Neil Sedaka, famous for his writing and performing many popular hits including Breaking Up is Hard to Do and Calendar Girl.

Sedaka was born in Brooklyn, New York. His father, Mordechai "Mac" Sedaka, was a taxi driver of Sephardi Jewish descent from Turkey. Sedaka's paternal grandparents came to the United States from Istanbul in 1910. 

Sedaka's mother, Eleanor (née Appel), was an Ashkenazi Jew of Polish and Russian descent. He grew up in Brighton Beach. Sedaka (the name is a variant of the Hebrew word Tzedaka - charity) was a cousin of singer Eydie Gorme.

Here are videos of his greatest hits. Enjoy!

 

Wacky Wednesday Comedy Showcase: Auto Photo Machine Captures Reactions - A Candid Camera Classic from 1963

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 this classic episode the Candid Camera team rigged a photo machine to give instructions to users on the expressions they should use when posing for the camera. Watch their reactions and the resulting photos.

This Candid Camera episode took place 63 years ago in 1963.  

Enjoy!

Happy Purim! Today we Welcome This Joyous Holiday with the Kol Kaveret Choir of SAR High School

Today is the long awaited holiday of Purim. We're welcoming this Yom Tov by singing the traditional prayer Al Hanissim together with the SAR High School  Kol Kaveret Choir in Riverdale, New York.

The video was recorded at the American Dream mall in New Jersey. 

Enjoy, and Chag Purim sameach to all of our readers!

A Joke to Start the Week - "Irving, the Talking Dog"

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: Todd took his dog to the veterinarian, Dr. Saul. He said "Dr. Saul, my dog has a problem." And then...

Enjoy! 

Sunday Standup Comedy Showcase: Shelley Berman - "Don't Hang Up"

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.   

In this classic TV moment, watch Shelley Berman, one of the first and best to do the one-sided telephone conversation, bring his irritable telephone solicitor to The Colgate Comedy Hour stage. 

Berman was an American comedian, actor and writer who was awarded three gold records for his comedy albums. He also won the first Grammy Award for a spoken comedy recording in 1959. The Colgate Comedy Hour revival takes us back to 1967, the year war raged abroad with the Vietnam War and the Six-Day War, while at home Elvis and Priscilla tied the knot and the landmark Monterey Pop Festival launched.

Enjoy!

Welcoming the Shabbat Before Purim with a Sephardi Version of Yigdal by Hazzan Daniel Halfon

In the Spanish and Portuguese Sephardi tradition, it is common for a particular melody to serve as a motif for a specific day or occasion. There's a custom which is observed with particular consistency in the New York community. 

On the Shabbat before Purim, known as Shabbat Zachor, Mi Kamokha, a Piyyut of considerable length by Yehuda Halevi is inserted into Nishmat during Shacharit. 

In anticipation of this, the Friday night service at Congregation Shearith Israel concludes with Hazzan Daniel Halfon singing Yigdal set to the melody of that Piyyut.

Enjoy, and Shabbat shalom!

Israeli Comedy Showcase: Shahar Hason Teases His Audience About Biblical Names, Iran, and Doctors

Shahar Hasson is one of the leading stand-up comedians in Israel, appearing on Israeli stages for over 25 years, He is a graduate of Yoram Levinstein's acting school. 

Shahar is an entertainer who paved his way through the best entertainment programs in Israel: Eretz Nehederet, Zahirut TV, TV at its best, Laughter from Work, Limited Edition, Fun Night, Express Hearts and more.

In this performance before a live audience, Shahar delivers a stand-up routine filled with humorous observations about Biblical names, conflicts with Iran, and doctors.

Enjoy!

Wacky Wednesday Comedy Special - Recruiting Subjects for a Reality TV Show - A Candid Camera Classic from 2003

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-three years ago the Candid Camera team asked people in the street if they would be willing to eat bugs or harm family members if they were paid a lot of money to appear on a reality TV show. Let's watch their reactions when they were told they're on Candid Camera.

Enjoy!  

Comedy Showcase: Modi Rosenfeld on the "Keep it Clean" Speech for His Performances

There are comedians who happen to be Jewish, and then there are Jewish comedians. In his YouTube special, Know Your Audience, Modi solidifies himself as the former; wielding his unique blend of observational comedy and hilarious insights to shine a light on an often-insular community.

Having performed for Jewish organizations and causes all over the globe, Modi’s unique vantage point lends a birds-eye view of what it means to be Jewish in today’s day and age.

Modi’s performance represents a modern interpretation of the Borscht-belt comedians who came before him. Drawing inspiration from Jackie Mason and Alan King, Modi’s larger-than-life stage presence sends a clear message: be true to your audience and the rest will follow.

In this video clip from Know Your Audience, Modi tells us how he reacts to requests from his Jewish audiences to keep his performance clean.

Enjoy!

A Joke to Start the Week - "How to Get a Room at a Crowded Hotel"

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: Sol Schwartz is a traveling salesman in the garment industry. One day after a long, long day and as he's about to get to the front desk to get a room, another woman arrives. And then...

Enjoy!

Comedy Showcase: Alex Edelman on Being Jewish

Alex Edelman isn't his real name. It's Dovid Yosef Shimon ben Elazar Reuven Halevi Alexander Edelman. So he goes by Alex. We've been posting his comedy clips since 2019.

Alex is from Boston and he appeared on the Conan O'Brien show.He recently appeared in a one-man show on Broadway called Just for Us. 

In this stand-up routine he talks about the first time he was aware of being Jewish.

Enjoy!

Welcoming Shabbat with an Animated version of Mah Yedidut - A Traditional Song of Shabbat Zemirot

Mah Yedidut (How Beloved) is a traditional zemer celebrating the joy and peace that Shabbat brings to every Jewish home. Tonight we welcome Shabbat with this beautiful melody  brought to life through heartwarming puppet animation. 

 

Watch as a Jewish village prepares for the holiest day of the week. The fiddler plays, the families gather, and the sweet rest of Shabbat arrives.

 

This video was created by Torah Toons - Jewish stories for the next generation. 

 

Enjoy, and Shabbat shalom! 

 

Throwback Thursday Musical Showcase: Rivka Raz, Israeli Superstar, Sings "I Could Have Danced All Night"

Rivka Raz,  known in Israel and abroad as" The First Lady of  Israeli Musical Theatre", has played leading roles in the major Hebrew productions of such classical Broadway and West-End musicals as My Fair Lady (directed by the Broadway director Sam Liff), Oliver (at the Habimah National Theatre; directed by Peter Coe, who created the show at the London West End), The King and I (directed by J. Hammerstein II, son of the musical's librettist; at the Godik Theatre, and again at the Tel-Aviv Cameri Theatre) and Fiddler on the Roof (with Haim Topol, in Hebrew).

In this video clip from 1965 on the Ed Sullivan Show, Rivka sings I Could Have Danced All Night in Hebrew, a song she sang in Israel when she originated the role of Eliza Doolittle in the original 1964 Israeli production of My Fair Lady.

Enjoy!

 

  #Throwback Thursday      #TBT

Wacky Wednesday Comedy Showcase: Getting a Head - Candid Camera Gold from 1963

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. 

Sixty-three years ago the Candid Camera producers gilded two of their staff members with gold paint and made them look like statues. Let's see what happens when they seem to come alive.

Enjoy!

Hava Nagila Around the World - 100 Serbian Trumpets Play the Jewish Classic Song

"Sto Srpskih Truba" (100 Serbian Trumpets) is a unique musical ensemble composed of the top trumpet players from southern and western Serbia, particularly renowned performers from the Guča Trumpet Festival. 

 

Formed by journalist and music historian Dragan Babić, the group showcases the power and versatility of the Serbian trumpet, blending traditional folk melodies with modern arrangements. 

 

The ensemble features leading trumpeters from acclaimed orchestras such as those led by Dejan Lazarević, Veljko Ostojić, Ekrem Mamutović, Siniša Stamenković, Aca Novković, Milan Nikolić, Dejan Jevđić, Miroljub Kremić, and Mija Bondžulić. Under the musical direction of Maksut Maksutović Maksa, a descendant of the legendary Koštana, the orchestra delivers powerful performances that range from solemn marches to lively folk dances.

 

So what song do you expect them to play? Hava Nagila, of course. Since we started Jewish Humor Central in 2009 we have posted 131 different versions of Hava Nagila. The song has shown up in many countries, including some unexpected ones (Scroll down the left column on this page and click on Hava Nagila in the Keywords list and you'll see what we mean.)

 

Enjoy!

A Joke to Start the Week - "My Husband's Gifts"

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: Sol and Sophie are both 62 years old. They're celebrating their 35th wedding anniversary in a very romantic restaurant. 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: Two women were sitting next to each other on a long flight cross-country. They started a conversation, and then...

Enjoy!