Purim Comes a Month Early to South Florida

Today is Purim Katan, or little Purim. It is the 14th day of Adar, but since this is a Jewish leap year, it's Adar I. Whenever we have a leap year, Purim is celebrated on the 14th day of Adar II.

But that's not a reason to defer all merrymaking until March. As the saying goes, Mishenichnas Adar marbim b'simcha (When Adar arrives, we increase our happiness.) But why wait for Adar II when we can get off to a happy start in Adar I?

That's exactly what happened at Le Club in Deerfield Beach's Century Village in South Florida last night. As Purim Katan arrived, the 300+ Canadian residents who winter in Deerfield Beach reacted to the invitation of Cantor Adam Stotland to take to the dance floor and join him and Rabbi Aubrey Glazer of Montreal's Shaarei Zion Congregation in singing and dancing to Hevenu Shalom Aleichem, L'Shana Tova BiYerushalayim and Oseh Shalom Bimromav.

We're still in South Florida doing Jewish humor lectures and performances and we'll still be here in March when Purim arrives. After last night's preview, we know where to be for the real thing.

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.

Jewish Traces in Unexpected Places: Israeli Folk Dancing in Dublin, Ireland

The Tel Aviv University Dance Company put on a performance of Israeli Folk Dancing in Dublin, Ireland on April 29, 2015. An added bonus is the dancing in the aisles by the Irish audience six minutes in!

The event was organized by Israel's Deputy Ambassador Nurit Tinari-Modai to mark Israel's 67th Independence day. Nurit can be seen at work 7 minutes 42 seconds into the video.

The choreographer was Shlomo Maman and the producer Ronen Tin. Viewers will notice that the Israeli dancers perform in their bare feet. This is to signify that the Israeli folk dance tradition is rooted in the earth. The opening dance is the Hora medley "A State is Born". It was brought from Romania by early Jewish pioneers during the pre-state period. 

The Hora came to symbolize their socialist ideology - its closed circle form gave equal status to all participants and its simple movement enabled everyone to take part.

According to Ronen Tin, folk dancing is hugely popular in Israel with over 350,000 people taking part in a major folk dancing competition every year.

Ambassador Boaz Modai and Deputy Ambassador Nurit Tinari-Modai, joined the Tel Aviv University Dance Company and violinist Alex Bronsky on stage after their performance.

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.

Israel's 70th - The Worldwide Celebration Continues in Song and Dance with Israel Sheli (My Israel)

Israel's 70th birthday is over, but the celebrations will continue around the world all year long. A special song has been selected as the official song to commemorate the occasion, and it is catching fire worldwide in song and dance.

The song is Yisrael Sheli (My Israel) and the official video is by Israeli pop singers Yardena Arazi and Lior Narkis. It's a very catchy tune and must have been released a few weeks ago so it could be used to train groups of dancers who recorded their versions for sharing on YouTube. 

Here is the original music video, followed by a montage of dance groups in 48 cities in 16 countries performing the same dance. We should warn you that it's infectious and if you watch both videos you may be singing and humming the melody and dancing around your house and neighborhood all weekend long. 

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.

Basketball Giant Shaquille O'Neal Dances the Hora

Shaquille O'Neal, the retired professional basketball player who is currently an analyst on the television program Inside the NBA, showed off his skill at a different sport last week -- dancing the Hora.

Seven feet tall and weighing 350 pounds, he was one of the heaviest players ever to play in the NBA. O'Neal played for six teams throughout his 19-year NBA career.

It happened at the Salter-Markowitz wedding in Miami, where O'Neal was a guest of Jamie Salter's, the father of the groom and his partner at Authentic Brands Group.

As the staff of TMZ reported,

We're told the entire party was poppin' until around 2:30 AM (oy vey) and at one point Shaq took to the dance floor -- but instead of his tried-and-true pop-locking routine, he got cultural ... and Horah'd it up.

BTW -- we're also told efforts were actually made to lift Shaq up in a chair (part of the dance) but they were predictably unsuccessful.

Which means we'll never know the answer to the question -- how many Jews does it take to lift Shaquille O'Neal?

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.)