1,000 Israeli Musicians in Caesaria Homeland Concert to Bring Hostages Home

When producer Talya Yarom thought about a giant production of musicians playing and singing for the hostages held captive in Gaza, she kept thinking about bringing 1,000 musicians and singers together.

As Jessica Steinberg wrote in The Times of Israel,

“One thousand sounds good,” said Yarom. “It’s a good place to get to, and 1,000 musicians in Caesarea, which to me is a symbol of the beautiful Israel.”

On December 18, Yarom brought together 1,000 musicians, old and young, rockers and classical players, amateurs and professionals, to the Caesarea amphitheater for a day of recording and filming.

The result is “Homeland Concert,” with a medley of lyrics from Ehud Manor’s classic song, “Home” and part of “Hatikva,” Israel’s national anthem, composed by Yair Klinger and melded into one work arranged by Eran Mitelman, with the orchestral arrangement by Ron Klein and directed by Shilo Gallay and Danny Casson.

But the concept was Yarom’s, a veteran of outdoor productions who felt that she had to bring something big and beautiful “to warm everyone’s frozen hearts” after the vicious Hamas terrorist attacks of October 7, when some 1,200 people were killed by gunmen in a widespread assault in the Gaza border communities, and another 240 people taken captive to Gaza.

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.

Israel Philharmonic Plays Concert to Salute Israel and its People: Hatikvah, Fanfare to Israel, and Beethoven's "Eroica"

On Sunday, October 22, 2023, the Israel Philharmonic, conducted by Lahav Shani, presented a special live concert to play hope-filled compositions to salute Israel and its people.

The program began with the Israeli national anthem, “Hatikvah”, followed by Paul Ben-Haim’s “Fanfare to Israel” and Beethoven’s 3rd Symphony, “Eroica.”

The full orchestra played to a concert hall without an audience. The seats were occupied by posters depicting the missing hostages who were kidnapped by Hamas on October 7.

Maestro Lahav Shani addressed all the viewers during the broadcast –

Dear audience, listeners and friends around the world,

The Israel Philharmonic, founded in 1936 in order to save Jewish musicians and their families, has witnessed all the wars in Israel. We never believed that in our lifetime we would witness the violence and inhuman atrocities we saw in the massacre on Saturday, the 7th of October. We are concerned for the safety of the hostages and hope for their swift return. Our hearts go out to those killed, to their families, to all those who are wounded in body or in spirit, and to all who have lost their homes.

We stand with the soldiers, who are protecting us in these hours. We are tremendously inspired by the many heroic stories of the volunteer soldiers, ordinary citizens, neighbors and acquaintances, stories that are gradually revealed to us daily. The solidarity of all Israeli society is a ray of light in these dark times. The resourcefulness, cooperative spirit and willingness to volunteer inspire us and give us hope.

I wish us all better days.

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.

Remembering Singer Tony Bennett and His Jewish Connections

When legendary singer Tony Bennett died Friday at the age of 96, it didn't take long for The Forward and The Algemeiner newspapers to come up with his connections to Jewish life.

As Dan Epstein wrote in The Forward,

Throughout his eight-decade post-war career as a singer, performer and recording artist, Bennett regularly employed his melodic gifts and mellifluous phrasing in service of songs composed by many of the 20th century’s great Jewish songwriters. In fact, quite a few of the Jewish-penned numbers in Bennett’s discography were particularly significant for him — not just as chart hits, but as key career turning points and cornerstones of his lasting musical legacy.

These songs include Rags to Riches by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross, The Best is Yet to Come by Cy Coleman and Carolyn Leigh, Chicago by Fred Fisher, Our Love is Here to Stay by George and Ira Gershwin, and White Christmas by Irving Berlin.

In The Algemeiner, Shiryn Ghermezian wrote:

The I Got Rhythm singer was not Jewish but his daughter, vocalist Antonia Bennett, converted to Judaism in 2013. She married Ronen Helmann, a native Israeli, and together they gave the late singer a Jewish granddaughter named Maya in May 2016.

Bennett was drafted in the US Army at the age of 18 in 1944, and was part of the 255th Regiment that during World War II liberated the Kaufering concentration camp in Landsberg, which was 30 miles south of the Dachau concentration camp in Germany.

In September 2014 Bennett visited Israel and performed for 90 minutes in Tel Aviv's Mann Auditorium. Here's Tony singing The Way You Look Tonight by Jerome Kern and Dorothy Fields from that show.

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.

Andre Rieu and His Orchestra Return to Tel Aviv With a Concert Including Hava Nagila and Jerusalem of Gold

Famous Dutch violinist and conductor Andre Rieu is best known for creating the waltz-playing Johann Strauss Orchestra. Together they have turned classical and waltz music into a worldwide concert touring act, as successful as some of the biggest global pop and rock music acts.

Last week Rieu and his orchestra swept into Tel Aviv for a few days of performances at the Menora Mivtachim Arena. It was the second visit to Israel for Rieu and his 75 singers, dancers, and musicians. Their first visit was in 2018, when they toured Tel Aviv, Jaffa, and Jerusalem. Rieu and his son met with Holocaust survivors who were saved from the Nazis by Rieu's wife's mother, who was active in the Dutch Resistance.

Rieu's father was conductor of the Maastricht Symphony Orchestra. Showing early promise, André began studying violin at the age of five. From a very early age, he developed a fascination with orchestra.

Rieu created the Johann Strauss Orchestra in 1987 and began with 12 members, giving its first concert on 1 January 1988. Over the years it has expanded dramatically, nowadays performing with between 80 and 150 musicians. Rieu and his orchestra have performed throughout Europe, North and South America, Japan, and Australia. The size and revenue of their tours are rivaled only by the largest pop and rock music acts.

Here is the complete concert from 2018. The musical numbers and the commentary are worth watching, but if you only have time to watch Hava Nagila and Jerusalem of Gold, they are at 18 minutes and 33 minutes from the start of the concert.

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.

Hava Nagila Around the World: In Bucharest, Romania it's Christmas Jazz

In our 12 years of bringing you Jewish Humor Central we have posted 93 versions of Hava Nagila from countries around the world. The song is immensely popular but categorizing it has been challenging. Is it a Jewish folk song? A Hebrew folk song? An orchestral piece? A wedding dance? Yes to all of the above. 

But to the Bucharest Grand Orchestra in Romania, it's Christmas Jazz, as presented in a concert last month in the country's capital. Featured performers are accordionist Emy Dragoi and violinists Alessia and Bianca Dragoi accompanied by the orchestra.

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.

Throwback Thursday Musical Showcase: Billy Joel and Itzhak Perlman Play "Downeaster Alexa"

Two Jews, two instruments, one voice, and beautiful music. That's what the audience saw and heard on March 9, 2015 when Billy Joel introduced Itzhak Perlman as his musical guest at one of his Madison Square Garden concerts.

After calling him the world's greatest violinist, Joel and Perlman blended their piano and violin with Joel's voice singing The Downeaster Alexa. 

This wasn't Perlman's first connection with that song. He can be heard playing an uncredited violin solo on Joel's album Storm Front, which included the song. Joel named the song for his boat, The Alexa, which was in turn named for his daughter.

Joel and Perlman performed the song in Madison Square Garden again on February 20, just before most concert performances were canceled in the wake of the coronavirus crisis.

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.



#Throwback Thursday   #TBT

Throwback Thursday Musical Special - Steve Lawrence & Eydie Gorme Sing in Japan

Back in March 1988, Steve Lawrence (Steve Liebowitz) and Eydie Gorme (Edith Gormezano) performed live on stage in Tokyo. Their concert included 25 songs, including That's What Friends Are For, composed by Burt Bacharach with lyrics by Carole Bayer Sager.

Steve and Eydie were always our favorite singers, and we were saddened in 2013 to hear that Eydie died at the age of 84. Eydie's parents were Sephardic Jews from Sicily and Turkey, and she was a first cousin to singer Neil Sedaka.

Steve continued to perform until last year, when he revealed that he was in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease.

This rendition of That's What Friends Are For is a classic example of their song stylings.

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.




#Throwback Thursday    #TBT

70 Years in the Promised Land - Hora Medley to Celebrate Independence

Continuing our tribute to Israel on its 70th birthday, we're sharing another excerpt from the new show 70 Years in the Promised Land as performed by an international cast of singers assembled by Musical Director and Producer Tomer Adaddi.

This excerpt is a collection of horas with black and white films of the original dancing in the streets of Tel Aviv on the first Independence Day in May 1948.

Just below this video we're also sharing a video interview wiith musical director Tomer Adaddi in which he talks about the Spanish River concerts in South Florida and explains the origins of the show and talks about the performers who are actors and singers in Habima, the Israel National Theatre.

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.

First International Festival of Jewish Performing Arts - 100 Events in NYC

The National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene, now with a permanent home at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in Lower Manhattan, is celebrating its 100th anniversary this month. And what a celebration it will be!

KulturfestNYC will consist of 100 events all over Manhattan during the week of June 14-21, including theatre, concerts, film, dance, a symposium, lectures, and workshops.

Over 100 theatre actors, musicians, and scholars will particpate from Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Israel, Japan, Poland, Romania, Russia, South Africa, Spain, USA, and more countries.

Some of the events are free, and others have a $10 or $18 admission charge. Recognizing that many attendees will not understand Yiddish, all programs in Yiddish will have English subtitles projected on the screen.

One of the free events is Yiddish Soul: A Concert of Cantorial and Chassidic Music, to be performed at 7 pm on Tuesday, June 16, at Summerstage in Central Park. It will feature Avraham Fried, Netanel Hershtik, Yanky Lemmer, Joseph Malovany, and Lipa Shmeltzer

The five cantors made a TV appearance on New York's PIX11 and gave a preview of their concert. 

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.) 

Israel Philharmonic and Bobby McFerrin Have Fun With William Tell Overture

Bobby McFerrin, the singer and conductor best known for his song Don't Worry, Be Happy, has been a guest conductor for many symphony orchestras. In 1995 he conducted a concert in Tel Aviv with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra.

If you thought that the Israel Philharmonic played only classical music, you would be wrong because this concert was more like a Boston Pops production. McFerrin fooled around with the orchestra and with the audience, and the more serious pieces were the overture from Carmen and the suite from West Side Story.

But the highlight that captured the audience's applause the most was the William Tell Overture by Rossini. After what seemed like an ordinary introduction, instead of playing their instruments, the members of the orchestra launched into an a cappella version, mimicking their instruments with only their voices.

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.)



(A tip of the kippah to Sharon Mosenkis for bringing this video to our attention.)

Jewish Traces in Unexpected Places: Serbian Primadonna Sings Hava Nagila at Kennedy Center

Jadranka Jovanović is a primadonna of Opera in the National Theatre in Belgrade, Serbia. 

She was born in Belgrade, and she is one of the most popular artists in the classic music in her country with a respected international career.

So when she made an appearance at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington D.C. she sang operatic selections as expected.

But can you guess what song she also chose to include in the concert? You guessed it. Hava Nagila.

We have included 45 versions of Hava Nagila from around the world among the 1500 Jewish Humor Central posts since 2009, but this is the first by a classical opera singer in a concert hall. We think it's funny to see this Jewish folk song given the full operatic treatment. We hope you'll agree.

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.)

Jerusalem Musical Flash Mob Performs Tchaikovsky's Sleeping Beauty

When you visit Jerusalem's new First Station (Tachana Rishona) entertainment, activity and dining center, you never know what surprises you'll find there. It's open seven days a week with restaurants and coffee shops, Segway tours, hybrid bikes, walking tours, and a play area for kids. 

The station has an interesting history as a primary means of transportation between Jaffa and Jerusalem that started in 1892 and ended in 1998. Last year it was converted to the eight restaurant complex that also features ice skating, marionette theatre, and scheduled and unscheduled entertainment.

In March, just in time for Purim, an unscheduled event took place in the open area between the restaurants and shops. Without any announcement, fifty students from the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance, together with children from Sderot's Perach Tutorial Project, gathered at the station for a surprise concert. They were joined by Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat and philanthropist Shari Arison.

The flash mob style performance was part of Good Deeds Day, an annual event that originated in Israel in 2007 and now takes place in over 50 countries worldwide. On this day, volunteers reach out to the less fortunate and the vulnerable.

The crowd that was shopping and dining that day enjoyed a bonus musical performance, and we hope that you'll enjoy the video of the event.

(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.) 

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.

Jewish Traces in Unexpected Places: Sukkot Concert and Braai in Johannesburg, South Africa

This year Sukkot coincided with the South African public holiday, Heritage Day. 

Since South Africans are encouraged to celebrate their diversity of cultures, beliefs and traditions, this was a good opportunity for one of South Africa's Jewish Outreach organizations to organize a concert of local soul and pop music talent to celebrate both religion and culture. 

The educational and outreach organization Soul Workout organized the Soul Simcha concert. Amid the smoke of braai (barbecue) fires, performers sang in Hebrew and English. A children's choir stole the show as South Africans got an exposure to Jewish culture and music that usually appears only at weddings and bar mitzvahs.

It turned out to be a joyful family evening filled with Jewish music and Boerewors rolls – South Africa’s version of a hotdog. The event was recorded and reported on by JN1, the Jewish-interest news channel of the European Jewish Union.

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.)