YidLife Crisis Comedians Jamie and Eli Explain Shavuot, Which Starts Tonight

Jamie Elman & Eli Batalion are filmmakers, writers and performers hailing from Montreal with credits spanning 25 years of theater, music, television and film - from starring in Mad Men, House MD and Curb Your Enthusiasm to writing, directing and producing films shown at the Sundance, Toronto, Berlin and SXSW film festivals.

Their unique friendship spawned an irreverent tribute to the Yiddish language, culture and comedic tradition they were reared on. Calling it YidLife Crisis, they hatched the world’s first Yiddish sitcom, toasting, roasting and wrestling with the modern Jewish experience. Its popularity has led to various awards and nominations, over 4 million online views, frequent live performances across North America and Europe, and hours of documentary content covering their travels and the Jewish diaspora.

To get ready for Shavuot, which starts tonight for one day in Israel and two days in the diaspora, Jamie and Eli are back in Montreal to visit Rabbi Lisa Grushcow at Temple Emanu-El-Beth Sholom for a humorous discussion of the holiday and its association with cheesecake. See video below.

We will be observing Shavuot tonight, tomorrow, and Tuesday, so Jewish Humor Central is taking a few days off. We will be back with our usual mix on Wednesday.

Chag Shavuot sameach! 

Jewish Traces in Unexpected Places: YidLife Crisis Visits Stockholm to Create New Comedy Film for Miami Jewish Film Festival

Get ready to laugh and kvell with Swedishkayt: YidLife Crisis in Stockholm as self-proclaimed international Yiddish-ish icons YidLife Crisis—comedy duo Eli Batalion and Jamie Elman—bravely step onto Swedish soil to unearth a hidden treasure trove of Jewish culture. 

From the moment they arrive in Stockholm, our heroes, like gefilte fish out of water, prepare for a big live show while unraveling the little-known history of Sweden’s Jewish community in their hilarious and heartfelt journey.

Jamie Elman & Eli Batalion are filmmakers, writers and performers hailing from Montreal with credits spanning 25 years of theater, music, television and film - from starring in Mad Men, House MD and Curb Your Enthusiasm to writing, directing and producing films shown at the Sundance, Toronto, Berlin and SXSW film festivals.

Their unique friendship spawned an irreverent tribute to the Yiddish language, culture and comedic tradition they were reared on. Calling it YidLife Crisis, they hatched the world’s first Yiddish sitcom, toasting, roasting and wrestling with the modern Jewish experience. Its popularity has led to various awards and nominations, over 4 million online views, frequent live performances across North America and Europe, and hours of documentary content covering their travels and the Jewish diaspora.

The new film, Swedishkayt: YidLife Crisis in Stockholm, makes its debut this weekend at the Miami Jewish Film Festival.

There will be two showings. The first, on Saturday night, January 18 at 8 pm, will be at The Hub at Temple Beth Am, 5950 N. Kendall Drive, Pinecrest, Florida. The second, on Sunday, January 19 at 4 pm will be at the Michael-Ann Russell JCC, 18900 NE 25th Ave. Miami, FL 33180.

Both performances will feature a special live performance by YidLife Crisis to bring some LIVE SHTIK to this World Premiere event! Following the screening, there will be a Q&A with Eli Batalion and Jamie Elman.

Here is a trailer for the film. Enjoy!

YidLife Crisis Meets Elon Gold at Montreal Airport for "ADARABLE" Funny Jewish National Fund Commercial

ADARABLE is a special presentation in honor of the festive Jewish month of Adar and a world in quarantine. YidLife Crisis comedians Chaimie and Laizer (Jamie Elman and Eli Batalion) start out doing a commercial for the Canadian Jewish National Fund. 

They end up meeting fellow comedian Elon Gold in an empty Montreal airport.In their opening sequence and later at the airport they have fun with Amazon, JNF blue boxes, paper tree certificates and Bar Mitzvah certificates, with lots of puns.

With Gold they have some Jewish National FUN with comparisons of Israel and Disneyland.

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.

The YidLife Crisis Guide to Chanukah - With Jamie and Eli and Rabbi Lisa Grushcow

We've been following and posting videos by Jamie Elman  and Eli Batalion for years, including their expanded version of the old Chinese Yiddish waiter joke two years ago.

Yesterday the Montreal-based comedy team known as The YidLife Crisis released their Chanukah video for this year. It's a tongue-in-cheek conversation with Reform Rabbi Lisa Grushcow of Temple Emanu-el Beth Shalom in Montreal.

Some of the questions are funny, some preposterous, and some even serious. But we think you'll like the answers, and even more, the interaction between the rabbi and YidLife 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.

YidLife Crisis Explorers Find Surprising Traces of Jewish Life in Detroit

Jamie Elman and Eli Batalion, the Montreal-based Jewish comedians of YidLife Crisis who travel the world looking for unusual slices of Jewish life, set their sights on the Jewish community of Detroit, Michigan a few months ago.

Sure enough, they found some unexpected instances of Jewish life in previous decades, including a shvitz (steam bath) that had been regularly frequented by members of the Purple Gang (Jewish American bootleggers and hijackers in Detroit during the 1920s).

After a venik massage - a back and shoulder massage with a broom made from a fragrant bundle of leafy birch or oak tree twigs, and a nosh at a kosher deli, our intrepid explorers visit the old home of Temple Beth El where a rabbi and a pastor (no, this is not a joke) are building an interfaith community center.

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.

YidLife Crisis Presents: "Jews in Cars Getting Babka"

The Montreal-based comedy team of YidLife Crisis (Jamie Elman and Eli Batalion) have outdone Jerry Seinfeld's Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee with their own satire, Jews in Cars Getting Babka.

Filmed under hazardous driving conditions in Montreal's construction challenged Jewish neighborhoods, this satire features Leizer (Eli) racing the clock (and the sun) to drive Chaimie (Jamie) to his parents' house for Shabbat dinner.

After a mandatory stop at Cheskie's bakery for challah and babka, Chaimie gets into Leizer's car, which he has named Hodl, and they shmooze in Yiddish (with English subtitles that are not exact translations) about German and Japanese cars.

Will they get home before Shabbat? Watch the video and find out. 

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.

YidLife Crisis Presents Hollywood's Greatest Film Moments (Vol. 2) -- in Yiddish!

Take some of the most famous lines from legendary Hollywood movies and imagine them being uttered in Yiddish? That's exactly what Eli Batalion and Jamie Elman, the creators of YidLife Crisis have done. Not only imagined but actually dubbed for our enjoyment.

Last year we brought you volume one of this series. Now we're sharing some more of these classic videos that Eli and Jamie have dubbed in Yiddish.
So take a break and see what Star Wars, The Exorcist, E. T. and many others would have sounded like with a Yiddish soundtrack.
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.

YidLife Crisis Presents Hollywood's Greatest Film Moments -- in Yiddish!

Take some of the most famous lines from legendary Hollywood movies and imagine them being uttered in Yiddish? That's exactly what Eli Batalion and Jamie Elman, the creators of YidLife Crisis have done. Not only imagined but actually dubbed for our enjoyment.

So take a break and see what Lord of the Rings, The Big Lebowski,Braveheart, When Harry Met Sally, and many others would have sounded like with a Yiddish soundtrack.

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.

YidLife Crisis Visits Toronto's Kensington Market - Part 2

Our favorite Yiddish speaking comedians from Montreal are at it again. Their tour of this iconic Toronto neighbourhood continues as Jamie & Eli eat their way through Kensington Market in an attempt to understand culture through cuisine.
They latch onto native Torontonian mother and daughter tour guides Joyce and Hannah Wayne to understand the multi-generational aspect of the market and how it became a cultural hub for many immigrant communities.

If you missed part one, click here to star the tour of Toronto's oldest Jewish community.

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.)

YidLife Crisis Visits Toronto's Kensington Market - Part 1

Our favorite Yiddish speaking comedians are at it again. They're based in Montreal, but they just returned from a trip to Toronto to report on one of the Canadian city's most iconic and storied neighborhoods, Kensington Market. 

Rabbis meet Rastafarians as YidLife Crisis' Eli Batalion & Jamie Elman explore the place where many Jewish immigrants arrived in Canada many years ago.

They latch onto native Torontonian mother and daughter tour guides Joyce and Hannah Wayne to understand the multi-generational aspect of the market and how it became a cultural hub for many immigrant communities.

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.

YidLife Crisis With an Expanded Version of the Chinese Yiddish Waiter Joke

We're sorry that Chanukah is only eight days long. We wish that the oil had lasted a few more days, not because we need more latkes or sufganiot (jelly donuts). 

A longer holiday would have let us post more Chanukah music videos and related jokes and skits. We received lots more this year and we will put the best of them in our video safe to post next year.

Last year we also banked some videos for future use. Today, on the last day of Chanukah, we're sharing just one of the funniest that we didn't get around to last year. It's a funny skit by YidLife Crisis, the comedy vehicle of Jamie Elman and Eli Batalion, in which they converse in Yiddish (with more or less accurate English subtitles - and the less accurate the funnier) in a Chinese restaurant in Montreal.

The punch line will be familiar, because it also occurred in a video that we posted on Thursday, But this skit goes farther, with funny comments on the phenomenon of Jews in Chinese restaurants on Christmas day, and the all-too-common experience of encountering rude and noisy fellow diners.

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.

Here Come the Chanukah Videos: YidLife Crisis Guide to the Holidays

Two years ago Chanukah coincided with Thanksgiving. This year the eight days of Chanukah coincide with the period between Christmas and New Years Day. 

So Jamie Elman and Ely Batalion, the two Canadian jokers who refer to themselves as your favorite nudniks of YidLife Crisis, have been having fun writing parodies of many of the songs that we've become accustomed to hearing in December.

As they say on their website, "while you’re at work shredding those potatoes, yingling bells, or chugging gogl-mogl or eggnog, this platter of oy-ful melodies will make your season even brighter. Or, at least, not any darker!"

With Chanukah starting in just 11 days, we're opening the Chanukah video season with their YidLife Crisis Guide to the Holidays, a hilarious rendering of the December classics in funny Yiddish, with even funnier English subtitle translations. 

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.

YidLife Crisis in Tel Aviv: A Visit to Beit Hatfutsot, Museum of the Jewish People

We've been following the Canadian comedy duo of Jamie Elman and Eli Batalion as they travel the world in search of funny situtations involving Yiddish culture, language, and food.

Their web series, YidLife Crisis, was recently nominated for a Canadian Screen Award for best original digital media series.
They have taken their act on the road, performing a live version of their show in Krakow, Tel Aviv, Toronto, Montreal, Los Angeles and Birmingham, England.

The pair has also received a prestigious grant from the Natan Fund and have created a series of travelogues featuring their impressions of Tel Aviv. We previously posted their funny Valentine’s Day episode guest staring Mayim Bialik and two of their Tel Aviv episodes, Canadians in Cabs Getting Kishkas, and Searching for Yiddish Speakers and Second Hand Items in Old Jaffa

There's a lot of Yiddish in some of the episodes and some of the English includes coarse language that we avoid in our family-friendly posts, so we pick the episodes that we share with you very carefully.

Today we're posting another one of their Tel Aviv episodes . In it, they visit Beit Hatfutsot, Tel Aviv's Museum of the Jewish People.
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.)

YidLife Crisis in London Pt. 2 - Britishkayt: Think Yiddish, Drink British

We've been following the Canadian comedy duo of Jamie Elman and Eli Batalion as they travel the world in search of funny situtations involving Yiddish culture, language, and food.

Their web series, YidLife Crisis, was recently nominated for a Canadian Screen Award for best original digital media series.

They have taken their act on the road, performing a live version of their show in Krakow, Tel Aviv, Toronto, Montreal, Los Angeles and Birmingham, England.

The pair has also received a prestigious grant from the Natan Fund and have created a series of five travelogues featuring their impressions of Tel Aviv. In February we posted their funny Valentine’s Day episode guest staring Mayim Bialik.

We've been touring London with Jamie and Eli in two blog posts in the last two months. Now we're back with part 2 of their Britishkayt series: Think Yiddish, Drink British.

In this episode Jamie and Eli talk with Leon Silver of the East London Central Synagogue about changing demographics, the Jewish origin of Fish & Chips, and good Scotch whisky.
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.)

Yid Life Crisis - Searching for Yiddish Speakers and Second Hand Items in Old Jaffa

We've been following the Canadian comedy duo of Jamie Elman and Eli Batalion as they travel the world in search of funny situtations involving Yiddish culture, language, and food.
 
Their web series, YidLife Crisis, was recently nominated for a Canadian Screen Award for best original digital media series.

They have taken their act on the road, performing a live version of their show in Krakow, Tel Aviv, Toronto, Montreal, Los Angeles and Birmingham, England.

The pair has also received a prestigious grant from the Natan Fund and have created a series of five travelogues featuring their impressions of Tel Aviv. In the last two months we posted their funny Valentine’s Day episode guest staring Mayim Bialik and the first of a series of Tel Aviv episodes, Canadians in Cabs Getting Kishkas.

There's a lot of Yiddish in some of the episodes and some of the English includes coarse language that we avoid in our family-friendly posts, so we pick the episodes that we share with you very carefully.

Today we're posting another one of their Tel Aviv episodes . In it, they search the markets in Old Jaffa for used items (alte zachen in Yiddish) and for Yiddish speakers in the street.

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.)

YidLife Crisis Searches for Yiddish Culture (and Kishka) in Tel Aviv

We've been following the Canadian comedy duo of Jamie Elman and Eli Batalion as they travel the world in search of funny situtations involving Yiddish culture, language, and food.

Their web series, YidLife Crisis, was recently nominated for a Canadian Screen Award for best original digital media series. 

They have taken their act on the road, performing a live version of their show in Krakow, Tel Aviv, Toronto, Montreal, Los Angeles and Birmingham, England. 

The pair has also received a prestigious grant from the Natan Fund and have created a series of five travelogues featuring their impressions of Tel Aviv. Last month we posted their funny Valentine’s Day episode guest staring Mayim Bialik.

There's a lot of Yiddish in some of the episodes and some of the English includes coarse language that we avoid in our family-friendly posts, so we pick the episodes that we share with you very carefully.

Today we're posting one of their Tel Aviv episodes, Canadians in Cabs Getting Kishkas. In it, they try to order from a menu in a Tel Aviv restaurant, where some of the selections are misspelled, as frequently happens in Israeli restaurants. 

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.)

Yiddish Web Comedy Series, YidLife Crisis, Features Food and Coarse Language

Two Montreal comedians, Jamie Elman and Eli Batalion, have created a series of web videos called YidLife Crisis in Yiddish with English subtitles. It's been characterized as comedy, culture, and religion on a plate. While it sometimes pokes fun at religious customs, Elman says that it comes from a place of love.

Elman and Batalion made an appearance last year at the Comedy for a Change Conference in Jerusalem, an event that we reported on a few weeks ago. So far there are 7 videos in their series. Food is a major part of their comedy, especially the ethnic food available in the close-knit Jewish communities of Montreal and New York.

They were recently the subjects of a report on Sunday Bite, a Montreal TV program. Their videos start with a warning: "The following contains adult situations and coarse language. In Yiddish."

We offer the same warning: If you're going to be offended by a few off-color words, then skip this one. Otherwise, enjoy (and laugh)!

(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.)