Welcoming Shabbat with Oseh Shalom by the Choir of the French Army

This week we welcome Shabbat with a version of Oseh Shalom sung by the Choir of the French army under the direction of Lieutenant-Colonel Aurore Tillac and the Republican Guard orchestra conducted by Colonel François Boulanger.

The melody was composed by Nurit Hirsch and the words are from the Kaddish prayer. The performance was at the Concert of Joy in 2020 in the Synagogue de la Victoire in Paris.

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.

"The Jews Are Coming" - Israeli TV's Satiric Look at The Dreyfus Affair

In 2014 Israeli satire on TV took a bold step forward with the airing of a new series of sketches called HaYehudim Ba'im (The Jews Are Coming).

Written by Natalie Marcus and Asaf Beiser, the show asks questions about everything, from the Bible to Ben Gurion to the Ashkenazi leadership. Their approach is to  go into the texts and make you think. They say that they give all their subjects a critical look, but they're not attacking, just giving the story a fresh, modern look.

The series ran for three seasons on Israeli TV, all in Hebrew. Some of the half-hour episodes were divided into video clips and published on YouTube with English subtitles.  

Not all of the situations are Biblical.  Some, like today's video about the Dreyfus Affair in France, take a satiric look at events in Jewish history.

Alfred Dreyfus was a Jewish officer in the French Army in the late 19th century when he was accused of a treasonous crime: selling military secrets to Germany.

After his highly publicized trial, authorities sentenced him to life imprisonment on Devils Island, and anti-Semitic groups used him as an example of unpatriotic Jews. However, suspicions arose that the incriminating letters were in fact forged and that a Maj. Esterhazy was the real culprit. When French authorities suppressed these accusations, the novelist Emile Zola stepped up to accuse the army of a vast cover-up.

The scandal exploded into a fight between so-called Dreyfusards, who wanted to see the case reopened, and anti-Dreyfusards, who didn't. On both sides, the debate became less about Dreyfus' innocence and more about the principle. During the dramatic 12-year controversy, many violent anti-Semitic riots broke out and political allegiances shifted as Dreyfusards called for reform.

After Maj. Hubert Joseph Henry admitted to forging key documents and committed suicide, a newly elected Cabinet finally reopened the case. The court found Dreyfus guilty again; however, he soon received a pardon from the president. A few years later, a civilian court of appeals found Dreyfus innocent, and he went on to have a distinguished army career and fought with honor in World War I. Meanwhile, the scandal had changed the face of politics in France.

This video clip, like all the others in the series, may offend some readers who are not open to satirical interpretations of the scriptures and satirical views of Jewish life through the ages, but we believe that there's a place for humor everywhere and we hope you'll find the satire amusing.

Enjoy!

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This video was uploaded with English subtitles for educational purposes only.
All rights reserved to Yoav gros productions and the IBA.  

French Moroccan Jewish Comedian Gad Elmaleh Points Out Absurdities in English Language

Gad Elmaleh is a Jewish Moroccan-born French stand-up comedian and actor. He has starred in several feature films, including Coco, Priceless, La Doublure and Midnight in Paris.

He has been voted the funniest person in France and was named knight of the Order of Arts and Letters by the Minister of Culture. He was also named knight of the National Order of Quebec. 

He is often referred to as the "Seinfeld of France". In 2015, Elmaleh did a national comedy tour across the United States. His new comedy special American Dream is now available on Netflix.

In this video clip from the Conan late night show, Gad is learning English and having trouble coping with the fact that he will never know how old a toddler is and how much is actually in a bunch.

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.

Welcoming Shabbat with Manchester's Whitefield Synagogue Choir Singing Adon Olam Aboard Flight to France

Last March Cantor Joseph Muller and the choir of the Whitefield Hebrew Congregation of Manchester, UK were on their way to France via Switzerland to perform at a choral concert. 

They were asked by the passengers and cabin crew to sing a song for everyone. They duly obliged with a rendition of Adon Olam and got a big round of applause.

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: "Hevenu Shalom Aleichem" at Condom Band Festival in France

The Festival de Bandas, a band festival, has been taking place in the city of Condom, in the Gers region of southwest France on the second weekend of May for 44 years. It's the largest gathering of brass and percussion marching bands from southwest France, held in a convivial atmosphere.

This year's festival featured a band called Les Bundy's playing Hevenu Shalom Aleichem. The group's membership is about 20 musicians whose average age is 20 years (some friends are pleased to lend a hand too!). 

Their repertoire includes traditional banda tunes, pasodobles, but also music of the Blues Brothers, Louie Louie, Joe Dassin, Elvis Presley, with Latin accents (Caravan, Tequila, Yolanda, La Belle Image, sambas , Slavic (kasatchok, Shalom Aleichem), disco (ABBA, Flashdance, Full monty), and even ska.  

The band mainly performs in the Gers on special occasions, but they sometimes venture out of Gascogne and even go as far as Catalan country and the capital (International Salon of Agriculture). They also performed at the Shanghai World Expo 2011 in the French Pavilion.

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.

 

French Jewish Refugee Creators of "Curious George" are Subject of New Documentary

Ema Ryan Yamazaki, a 27-year-old graduate of New York University’s film school, is working on a documentary about H.A. Rey and Margret Rey, the husband-and-wife team behind the multimillion-selling Curious George children's books. 

The Reys were Jewish refugees during World War II, fleeing from Paris in 1940 on homemade bicycles. Eventually settling in Cambridge, Massachusetts, they would launch a series that has sold more than 30 million copies worldwide. (H.A. Rey died in 1977; Margret Rey in 1996.) 

As Hillel Italie wrote in The Times of Israel,

Yamazaki, whose previous credits include directing a short documentary about an 800-year-old Buddhist temple in Kyoto, Japan, and editing the HBO documentary “Class Divide,” had read “Curious George” in Japanese as a girl and was surprised to learn that no one had made a film about the Reys. Through a mutual friend, she got in touch with the literary estate and received its cooperation.

Yamazaki plans a 75-minute documentary, which has the working title, “Monkey Business: The Adventures of George’s Curious Creators,” and will include original animation of the Reys themselves, and has begun a Kickstarter campaign to help with funding.

In the video below, Yamazaki tells the story of how she got involved with the project, and the story of the Reys' escape.

Enjoy!

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New Selfie Music Video is Tribute to Paris Terrorism Victims

Israeli musician Shai Barak has produced a music video, together with artists and musicians in multiple countries and languages using the slogan: Je Suis Juif  (I am a Jew.)

The slogan became the symbol of the attack around the world and especially in France last year, including at a mass protest in which Frenchmen held up signs showing their support for the victims.

Barak approached popular Jewish singers from across the globe, and together they recorded a pop song that they hope will send out a message of Jewish unity. The song was written and sung in 3 languages: Hebrew, English and French.

All the singers from around the world filmed themselves using smart-phones in "Selfie" format.

The video, which was the brainchild of Jerusalemite journalist Zvika Klein, who previously produced a video of 10 hours of silent walking in Paris as a Jew, hopes to be the first Jewish Selfie music video. It is aimed at uniting Jews from all denominations around the world and is therefore sung in multiple languages.

The singers include:
From Israel: Gad Elbaz, Ishay Lapidot, Aaron Razel, Mendy Jeruffi, Shai Barak, JEW2, Dou Reim, Udi Ulman, Amiran& Arik Dvir, The chief IDF cantor Shai Abramson,and the Buba Myses Puppet rock band.
From the US and the UK: Lipa Schmeltzer & Matt Dub, Benny Freidman, Berry Weber, Eli Gerstner, Shloime Gertner, and Ely Katz. 

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.) 

Unexpected Traces in Jewish Places: Adon Olam (Pharrell Williams' "Happy") in Paris Synagogue

Since Pharrell Williams' hit song Happy was nominated for an Academy Award in 2014, it's been the basis for many parodies. We posted a few, including exuberant dance moves by residents of Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and Efrat.

We even posted a Sukkah hop version of the song last month. But we were unprepared for its appearance as the melody for a new version of Adon Olam in the La Victoire Great Synagogue in Paris.

This is a video that we just had to post because it fits perfectly into two series that we've been running over the last few years, Adon Olam Around the World and Unexpected Traces in Jewish Places.

So if you feel especially happy as you leave your synagogue tomorrow, why not surprise your friends by launching into a few choruses of this up to date version of a Shabbat classic?

If you missed the performance of the original Happy song at the 2014 Oscar awards show, you can see it by clicking here.

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.)

Streets of Paris Resound to Hava Nagila with Gad Elbaz and Dancers

In light of the recent terror attacks on French journalists and Jews, and in a show of solidarity for the Jewish community of France, Israeli superstar Gad Elbaz has released a new music video to a contemporary upbeat version of Hava Nagila. 

Hava Nagila which means “Lets be happy” is the most well-known Jewish song, and serves as a universal call to unite all people in song. Gad Elbaz along with Jews, Muslim and Christians dancers, dance at the Place De La Republic, Shanzelize and the streets of Paris accompanied by an eastern European Klezmer Band.

“Despite the French army presence at every Jewish site, we still felt the fear and heightened tensions everywhere. That however, did not hold us back from singing and dancing to Hava Nagila in the streets of Paris, and spreading the joy.” said producer-Director Daniel Finkelman.” Its all about people taking a stand and refusing to be bullied, we will not hide our identity as Jews, we are proud to be Jewish” Added Gad Elbaz.

Elbaz already achieved international success by the age of 26 with three number one hit songs, Halayla Zeh Hazman, Or and Al Neharot Bavel.  All of his CD's have climbed high on the charts and sold over 100,000 copies in Israel alone.  Gad began to sing and write music at age four. He first appeared with his father Benny Elbaz, a popular Israeli singer, accompanying him on the hit song Father I Love You.

Gad's music intentionally captures both the observant and secular listener by mixing original and biblical texts with ballads, harmonies, middle-eastern rhythms and modern pop. Many of the songs are a collaboration between him and his wife Moran, where he composes the music and she writes the lyrics. 

(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 Rafi of the Life in Israel blog (http://lifeinisrael.blogspot.com) for bringing this video to our attention.)