J-Sketch Comedy: Explaining the Jewish Holiday Schedule to Your Boss

Jewish sketch comedy has arrived, live in comedy clubs and in videos posted on You Tube. A good example of this new comedy, focused mainly on the Modern Orthodox Jewish community, is the comedy trio of Eli Lebowicz, Ami Kozak, and Mikey Greenblatt, who created J-Sketch. 

Last week they shared the stage of The Seven Crest, an event space in Teaneck, New Jersey, with four other stand-up comedians for an evening of laughter.

In today's video, the comedy trio is joined by veteran Jewish comedian Elon Gold in an all too realistic sketch. It's a new employee explaining the Jewish holiday schedule to bosses for whom the seemingly endless requests for days off to observe holidays is a not so welcome surprise.

Many of us have had this experience in our own careers and will find it very relatable and funny, especially when viewing it as an outside observer.

Enjoy!

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The Best Jewish Bakery in North America May Not be in New York, but in Montreal

When it comes to delicious Jewish baked goods, it's hard to beat the goodies offered up by the bakeries of Montreal, Canada.

Whether its the Montreal style bagel, babka, ruggelach, cheesecake, or black and white cookies, Montrealers and visitors line up at the front doors of Cheskie's Boulangerie, or the competing 24 hour bagel bakeries, Fairmount and Ste. Viateur.

This love letter to the bakeries of Montreal uses video clips from Seinfeld episodes, the Yiddish shtick of the YidLife Crisis guys, and the carb-loving praises of a pair of Montrealers, one covered with tattoos and one with a long beard. 

Enjoy!

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A tip of the kippah to Mannie Young of the Men's Club of Cote St.-Luc, Montreal for bringing this video to our attention.

Welcoming Shabbat with Rebbetzin Tap in "Shabbos is Almost Here"

Kerry Bar-Cohn is the only female chiropractor in Ramat Beit Shemesh near Jerusalem, where she lives with her husband David and four sons.
 
But that's only her day job. As "Rebbetzin Tap," she produces music and dance DVDs for children, as well as online courses and a plethora of YouTube videos, whose goal is to emphasize the “joy” component in Judaism and in life, and to teach self-esteem and empowerment.

Why Rebbetzin Tap? Because tap dancing is part of all her music videos.

She has a background in stage performance, first as a child, then attending the High School of Performing Arts in New York, and subsequently returning to performance ten years ago after making aliyah.

Kerry has performed for children, teens and adults around the world, giving concerts and inspirational talks. She also recently started the Kol Isha Facebook group, where women and girls can post their singing and dancing with one another. The group has drawn thousands of members.

In this pre-Shabbat video, Bar-Cohn and her friends tap dance while they prepare for Shabbat. Check out the lyrics. The song starts out: 

You don't have the time to doze when you're folding all the clothes.
Shabbos is almost here.
This is not the time to plotz when you're scrubbing all the pots.
Shabbos is almost here. 

Right...You get the idea.

Enjoy, and Shabbat shalom! 

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Jewish Traces in Unexpected Places: Jewish Life Holds On in Cochin on India's Malabar Coast

For 900 years there has been a small Jewish community in Cochin on India’s Malabar coast, living at peace with their Hindu, Muslim and Christian neighbors. It’s been a model of interfaith tolerance. 

But, as Fred de Sam Lazaro reports, the community has dwindled since the state of Israel was established and now one of the last Jewish survivors, who maintains the synagogue, says he plans to leave in a few years – for Israel. 

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Thousands March in New York in Sunday's Celebrate Israel Parade

Thousands of marchers and observers turned up on Fifth Avenue on Sunday to celebrate Israel's 70th anniversary.

As CBS News reported,

The parade encouraged lots of blue and white to flow along Fifth Avenue. The celebration, with music and cheering, observed the 70th anniversary of the founding of Israel. The parade started at 57th Street and stretched north to 74th.

Ambassador Dani Dayan, consul general of Israel in New York, told CBS2’s Dave Carlin he was eager to help put the day in historical perspective.

 “When you compare where we were 70 years ago from the ashes of the holocaust, it’s simply miracle what we’ve achieved in 70 years and we want to share that celebration,” Dayan said.

Talia Hazan of Kew Gardens said Queens is where she was born but Israel, which she visits often, feels like home.

“It’s just like a very happy country. The vibes there and the energy is so bright and happy,” Hazan said.

The same could be said of Sunday’s parade, celebrating Israel.

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Jewish Traces in Unexpected Places: Passover in the Desert with Wilderness Torah

We're accustomed to celebrating Passover indoors, seated at a large table, reading the Haggadah and sharing a festive meal with family and friends. But after the Exodus from Egypt, our earliest ancestors experienced Passover in the desert.

Today a group of nature-minded Jews of all denominations experience Pesach in the California desert with Wilderness Torah.

Wilderness Torah creates a big tent filled with all kinds of people bound together by a connection to nature. They work hard to create spaces where people with a range of practices are welcome. They think building pluralistic community is a fun challenge and causes participants to think creatively about the meaning of our traditions and how we practice them.

They encourage participants from all backgrounds and especially ask each one to respect others’ observance levels. The kitchen and meals are kosher and mostly vegetarian, but there is no on-site supervision by a mashgiach.

As Merissa Nathan Gerson wrote in Tablet magazine,

Wilderness Torah has developed from a small gathering of campers to a full cycle of outdoor festivals tied to Jewish holidays—Sukkot, Passover, Shavuot, and Tu B’Shevat—as well as other back-to-nature wilderness quests for adults throughout the year. The group has also created a nature-mentorship b’nai mitzvah program called B’Naiture for 11-to-13 year-olds, and an outdoor-education program called B’Hootz that takes younger kids camping, hiking, and into the wilderness to learn Torah through outdoor experience with mentors.

Enjoy!

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A Wendy's Shabbat for Seniors in Palm Desert

A short documentary film, Wendy's Shabbat, has been drawing attention at Jewish film festivals around the USA.

It's about a group of Jewish senior citizens in Palm Desert, California who celebrate the weekly Shabbat at the local Wendy’s fast food restaurant with Hebrew blessings over burgers and fries.

The friends usher in the Sabbath by candlelight, with challah bread and grape juice (no wine at Wendy's) to complement their chicken nuggets and fries. Shabbat is typically observed at home with family, but here these seniors share in the celebration of their religion at Wendy’s. The Wendy’s staff, somewhat tickled and honored to be the site of such ritual, arrange the restaurant tables into a long row and prepare milkshakes for each attendee.

This is a story of rediscovering the joys of community again in older age, and in the longing for ritual, however unorthodox and non-kosher it may be. There are themes of love, of ritual and of community -- all within the context of an adorable scene at Wendy’s.

The film will be shown at nine Jewish film festivals in 2018.

Enjoy and Shabbat shalom.

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Today is Tu B'Shvat. Go Out and Plant a Tree or Eat Fruits from Israel

Today is Tu B'shvat, the 15th day of the month of Shvat, a joyous Jewish holiday that celebrates trees and nature. It brings us back to our roots, literally. 

Learn how to celebrate this nature-loving holiday with naturalist and former park ranger Deborah Newbrun in today's video below. What will you do to celebrate the birthday of the trees?

A Tu B'shvat seder is becoming more popular each year.  Just type "Tu B'shvat seder" into YouTube and you'll find lots of examples to use as a basis for your own celebration.

Enjoy!

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Ashkenazim Eat Sephardic Food for the First Time

Are you Ashkenazi or Sepharadi? Ashkenazi Jews hail from Eastern Europe and Sephardim hail from Spain or countries in the Middle East. 

Their cuisines are quite different. We've seen and posted many videos of food tastings that pair traditional foods with diners who don't have a clue as to what's being served. Here's another one that shows what happens when Ashkenazim have their first exposure to Sephardic dishes.

No gefilete fish, kugel, kishke, or p'tcha here. Instead, you'll see reactions to shakshuka, chraime, , sabich, and kubbeh.

Enjoy!

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"Soon By You" Orthodox Singles Comedy Releases Fifth Episode - "The Wedding"

In May 2016 we posted the pilot episode of Soon By You, a new web comedy series that depicts the joys and challenges of Orthodox Jewish dating for young professional singles in New York City. In July we posted the second episode, and in October we posted the third episode. This past June, we posted the fourth episode. Today we're posting the fifth episode.

In the pilot episode titled The Setup, a rabbinical student named David accepts a blind date at a restaurant in Manhattan’s Upper East Side. While there he accidentally sits down across from Sarah Feldman, a free-spirited artist with whom he instantly connects, but that's not his date. Through a series of different events he’s eventually led to the “right” girl, also named Sarah, a larger than life superficial-type character, who is so caught up with ordering food and herself to actually catch the nuances and humor of his excuses that led him to be late.

This situation leads to a not-so-typical romantic encounter with David and Sarah F, who take short breaks from their respective dates to meet at the back of the restaurant, where they dream up mural ideas and finish each other’s sentences. It’s an example of a matchmakers' worst nightmare and how chemistry leads the way to a potential match. Get ready to cry, laugh, be amused, and, watch the "fun" filled life of Orthodox dating.

In the second episode, The Follow Up, David loses Sarah F's phone number. With the help of his roommate, Z, he is willing to do anything to find her. Two new characters are introduced and we spend more time with the original four characters.

In the third episode, The Shabbat Meal, David goes to great lengths to see Sarah F again. Meanwhile Ben faces his first conflict between work and faith.

In the fourth episode, The Dates, David and Sarah finally go on their first date. Jacobs explores foreign avenues for a love connection and Noa, Ben, and Z take up volunteering.

In the latest episode, The Wedding, David and Z crash a wedding with the intention of wooing Sarah, but don't get the reception they expect. Jacobs and Noa face the pressures of being single at a Jewish wedding firsthand. Meanwhile, Ben begins to process some unfamiliar feelings, and Sarah learns about a family member's relationship issues.

Our guess is that we will be following these characters through a series of romantic adventures, that is if the filmmakers find sources of funds to continue producing the series. They've already been successful in attracting some product and service providers and incorporating their placement into the story line.

Enjoy!

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Comedy Showcase: UK Standup Comic Ashley Blaker on Driving Habits of the Very Frum

Last week we shifted our geographic focus "across the pond" to England and were pleasantly surprised to find that Jewish standup comedy is very much alive in the UK, especially in Orthodox circles.

We posted a video clip of Ashley Blaker, who has become very popular in the UK and also in Israel. Now he's bringing his comedy to New York. On Thursday night, December 7, Blaker will be performing his Strictly Unorthodox show at the Gramercy Theatre.


Much of his comedy centers on his migration from secular Judaism to becoming a frum Baal Teshuva (newly observant Jew) and the difficulties of being accepted by co-religionists who are FFB (Frum From Birth).

In this video he reflects on the driving habits that he's noticed among the very frum, and the steps he will have to take to be seen as a member of their community.

Enjoy!

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"If There Weren't Any Jews" - An Original Tribute to Jewish Achievement by David Zasloff

David Zasloff is a stand-up comedian, vocalist and multi-instrumentalist. He has performed in a wide variety of venues throughout the United States including comedy festivals and conventions, prisons, nightclubs, universities, theaters, retirement homes, corporate events, private parties, temples, weddings, funerals, birthday parties, affairs of state, spiritual living centers, a few churches and one bris.

David has perfected the art of playing the shofar as a musical instrument. We have featured him three times before on Jewish Humor Central, playing Hatikva on the shofar, in a standup comedy routine where he plays Christmas songs written by Jews on the shofar, and as part of a Cuban Jewish ensemble in a Cuban Jewish Jazz Shabbat. 

After reading lists of Nobel Peace Prize winners and Pulitzer Prize winners David noticed that  almost all the winners were Jews. This made him proud to be Jewish. So he wrote a song about it called If There Weren't Any Jews.
 
Enjoy!

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Jewish Traces in Unexpected Places: Jewish Greek Festival on New York's Lower East Side

In 70 C.E., when the Roman emperor Titus conquered Jerusalem and carried Jewish slaves with him to Rome, the ship holding them was driven by a storm onto the Albanian coast. 

Instead of throwing his captives into the sea, he allowed them to disembark, and they eventually made their way to the area in northwest Greece where the city of Janina was established. 

In 1927, descendents of the Jews of Janina built a Greek synagogue, Kehila Kedosha Janina, on New York's Lower East Side. It was declared a New York City landmark, and last month it was the focus of a Jewish Greek Festival.

Here is a video with scenes from the festival and a video describing the founding of the synagogue.

Enjoy!

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"Soon By You" Orthodox Singles Comedy Releases Fourth Episode - "The Dates"

In May 2016 we posted the pilot episode of Soon By You, a new web comedy series that depicts the joys and challenges of Orthodox Jewish dating for young professional singles in New York City. In July we posted the second episode, and in October we posted the third episode.

Your reactions to the comedy were very positive, and so we have been watching for new episodes to show up. Last week the fourth episode, The Dates, was released, and we're sharing it with you today.

In the pilot episode titled The Setup, a rabbinical student named David accepts a blind date at a restaurant in Manhattan’s Upper East Side. While there he accidentally sits down across from Sarah Feldman, a free-spirited artist with whom he instantly connects, but that's not his date. Through a series of different events he’s eventually led to the “right” girl, also named Sarah, a larger than life superficial-type character, who is so caught up with ordering food and herself to actually catch the nuances and humor of his excuses that led him to be late.

This situation leads to a not-so-typical romantic encounter with David and Sarah F, who take short breaks from their respective dates to meet at the back of the restaurant, where they dream up mural ideas and finish each other’s sentences. It’s an example of a matchmakers' worst nightmare and how chemistry leads the way to a potential match. Get ready to cry, laugh, be amused, and, watch the "fun" filled life of Orthodox dating.

In the second episode, The Follow Up, David loses Sarah F's phone number. With the help of his roommate, Z, he is willing to do anything to find her. Two new characters are introduced and we spend more time with the original four characters.

In the third episode, The Shabbat Meal, David goes to great lengths to see Sarah F again. Meanwhile Ben faces his first conflict between work and faith.

In the fourth episode, David and Sarah finally go on their first date. Jacobs explores foreign avenues for a love connection and Noa, Ben, and Z take up volunteering.

Our guess is that we will be following these characters through a series of romantic adventures, that is if the filmmakers find sources of funds to continue producing the series. They've already been successful in attracting some product and service providers and incorporating their placement into the story line.

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.)