Tumbalalaika Around the World: As Sung by ApiChorus, Harvard's a Cappella Group

The Yiddish folk love song Tumbalalaika originated in Eastern Europe in the 19th century, but its exact origin is hard to pinpoint. That hasn't prevented it from being sung and played over and over, not only in places where Yiddish songs are sung, but just about everywhere in the world, in vocal and instrumental versions, in cabarets and in the movies.

Just as we have followed the songs Hava Nagila, Adon Olam, Hevenu Shalom Aleichem, and Abanibi as they took different forms as interpreted by a wide variety of singers, musicians, and dancers, we're continuing the series today that we started back in 2012, sharing our 29th version of this universal courting and love song.

This version is sung by ApiChorus, Harvard's premier Jewish a Cappella Group and an affiliated student organization of Harvard Hillel. Founded in 2023, ApiChorus is a coed group comprised of current students at Harvard University. They sing a diverse repertoire of Hebrew and English classics, represent a broad range of Jewish backgrounds, and perform at venues locally in Cambridge as well as in concerts across the globe. 

Enjoy!

Welcoming Shabbat with Lecha Dodi Sung by Harvard Hillel's "ApiChorus" a Cappella

Today we welcome Shabbat with another version of Lecha Dodi set to Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah in an arrangement by the Maccabeats. It's sung by ApiChorus, Harvard Hillel's Jewish a Cappella Group. 

Founded in 2023, ApiChorus is a coed group comprised of current students at Harvard University. They sing a diverse repertoire of Hebrew and English classics, represent a broad range of Jewish backgrounds, and perform at venues locally in Cambridge as well as in concerts across the country.

Enjoy, and Shabbat shalom!

Prank Call to Harvard University Asks if They Have a Terrorist Scholarship

A video of a prank call to the Harvard University admissions office, made by an Israeli comedian who pretends to be the mother of a Hamas terrorist, racked up millions of views on various platforms within 24 hours of its publication.

The illustrated clip produced by Racheli Rottner was the latest Israeli dig at American universities, which have come under fire for tolerating activities from students seen as downplaying the October 7 terror onslaught, supporting Hamas and targeting Jewish students on campus.

The call, reported in The Times of Israel and which Rottner says is authentic, features a mother named Jaama whose son Hamid is angling to attend Harvard on a terrorist scholarship.

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.