Hasidic Comedian Mendy Pellin Reflects on His Comedic Roots in a Self-Biographical Monologue

Mendy Pellin is our favorite Chasidic comedian. We've been running his shtick for 14 years, and he keeps inventing new routines, from his Mendy Report on Chabad TV to the comedy midrash he created on the Jewbellish site that he co-founded.

Now Pellin has posted a monologue on YouTube in which he narrates his autobiography to the camera, telling us how he got started in comedy and how he has been able to turn his penchant for humor into a full-time occupation.

Enjoy!

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Hasidic Comedian Mendy Pellin Shows His Magic Kippah to Ward Off Anti-Semitism

Mendy Pellin is our favorite Chasidic comedian. We've been running his shtick for ten years, and he keeps inventing new routines, from his Mendy Report on Chabad TV to the comedy midrash he created on the Jewbellish site that he co-founded.

In this episode, Mendy shows off the Magic Kippah, a new attempt to ward off anti-Semitism. It's made of hair and is designed to give you a gentile appearance without removing your head covering.

It comes in different sizes: Small for Modern Orthodox, Large for Ultra Orthodox, and Extra Extra Large for Chasidic.

It's a typical Jewbellish news report, with Mendy gently touching some hot buttons among Jewish denominations. But it's all in fun, so enjoy!

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Chasidic Comedian Mendy Pellin is Still Controlled by His iPhone, But Not by Siri

Mendy Pellin is our favorite Chasidic comedian. We've been running his shtick for ten years, and he keeps inventing new routines, from his Mendy Report on Chabad TV to the comedy midrash he created on the Jewbellish site that he co-founded.

Four years ago, Pellin posted a YouTube video explaining why he replaced his iPhone featuring Siri with a kosher phone in which his questions were answered by Avraham Fried, the Chasidic singer.

The answers were hilarious, guiding Pellin toward appropriate activities and away from anything remotely prohibited by Jewish law. The video also was used as a promotion for an event featuring Pellin and Fried.

Now Pellin has posted a follow-up video in which he asks more questions such as "What are the show times for West Side Story?" and gets answers like "I found a mincha on the West Side at 12:05 pm and 12:45 pm." 

We're posting both videos below. Enjoy!

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Stand-up Chasidic Comedian Mendy Pellin Searches for the Secret to a Happy Marriage

Mendy Pellin is a Chasid and a stand-up comedian. We have posted many of his shtick over the years. So what's new with Mendy? Well, he decided to walk the streets of a frum Brooklyn neighborhood and ask random passersby to tell him the secret to a happy marriage.

Men, women, children all responded to his questions and the answers provide a wide range of collective wisdom, including "Do the dishes," "Take out the garbage," and "Don't eat with your mouth full."

Enjoy!

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Evolution of Jewish Dating: From Eliezer's Shidduch for Yitzchak and Rivkah to the Robotic Future

Jewish matchmaking has been going on for thousands of years, and it comedians Meir Kay and Mendy Pellin have collaborated in a survey of the Jewish dating scene from Biblical times to the present day.

Starting with Eliezer's quest for a bride for Yitzchak, and revisiting the story of Jacob, Rachel, and Leah, the two comics show how the urge to merge has developed to include rabbinic romance, speed dating, online dating, smartphone app dating, and robotic dating in the future.

Enjoy!

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Hassidic Comedian Mendy Pellin on Using Humor to Overcome Stereotypes

Hassidic comedian Mendy Pellin sits down for an interview with Israeli TV station Arutz Sheva.

Mendy blends Hassidic spirituality with out-of-the-box humor. He aims to overcome stereotypes commonly attributed to ultra-Orthodox Jews.

In the interview, Mendy reflects on his blending of Jewish themes and pop culture, the nature of Jewish humor, and how he sometimes crosses the line into humor that may offend practitioners of political correctness. 

During the course of the interview, we see some of Mendy's classic routines, such as dipping Apple iPhones and iPads in honey for a Rosh Hashana video.

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.

Kinder -- The Jewish Tinder App -- Brings Jewish Mothers Into the Dating Game

By now you've probably heard of Tinder, the newest entry into the world of online dating. A smartphone app, it makes it easy for people to meet potential matches based on photos and proximity. A quick swipe right means you're interested and a swipe left means a lack of interest. If both swipe right, it's a match!

Now Hasidic comedian Mendy Pellin of the Jewlicious website has come up with Kinder, a Jewish parody of Tinder, which puts Jewish mothers in the center of the dating process. In this video, Mendy interviews the founder of the new popular dating app for Jewish singles.

There really is a similar application called JSwipe, which has just merged with JDate, but it doesn't put Jewish mothers in the role of uploading their childrens' photos, as the fictional Kinder does.

Enjoy!

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Hasidic Comedian Mendy Pellin on a Seder That You Don't Want to Attend

Hasidic comedian Mendy Pellin performed a stand-up Pesach comedy routine before a Hasidic crowd. 

In the routine, he describes the ordeal he had to go through as a guest in a house with 17 kids who recited Ma Nishtanah, one after the other. Oy vey!

And if that wasn't enough, there was the nemesis who stands in the way of the food with extra questions after every paragraph in the Haggadah. And some hilarious speculation about what would happen if separation of men and women went too far.

Enjoy!

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Flu Tips From a Jewish Mother and Other Shtick From Mendy Pellin's "Jewbellish the News"

Chasidic comedian Mendy Pellin and his Jewbellish crew have come down with the flu. So they invited a Jewish mother to offer advice on preventing and treating this winter malady.

In this episode of Jewbellish the News, Mendy also interviews an El Al spokesperson and a male passenger about the recent incident when a group of Chasidim caused a flight delay by refusing to sit next to female passengers. Oh, so now we understand the real reason for the refusal to sit in an assigned seat.

Enjoy!

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Mendy Pellin and the Jewbellish Crew in "Taking Off" (for Jewish Holidays) Parody of "Shake it Off"

Hasidic comedian (and rabbi) Mendy Pellin and the Jewbellish crew are in high gear for a boisterous parody of Taylor Swift's pop hit "Shake it Off." 

Just a couple of days ago we joined in the fun of posting another parody of this song by the a cappella group Six13. But this version came in after Hanukkah started and we thought you'd like to see a different take on it.

In this version, Mendy, dressed as the Loopholer Rebbe, leads his Chasidim out of the office where they work, to take the day (or week) off from work because it's a Jewish holiday.

As the Jewish online newspaper The Algemeiner reports:

Menachem Weinstein, the video’s lead singer, is the creative director at the all-boys Jewish Educational Trade School (JETS) in Los Angeles. I’m Taking Off features all JETS students, including the young boy who raps in Yiddish about fooling his boss, losing his job and  then having to work at the Jewish-owned electronics store B&H.

“We sort of want to show the world that Hassidic Jews are not those close-minded, sad, closed people,” Weinstein said. “We wanna show the world Hassidic Jews can have fun and we’re fun.”

The boss and co-workers are understandably not pleased with this display of chutzpah in taking off on a holiday on which work is permitted. While in our working days we took off our share of religious holidays like Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Pesach, Shavuot, and Sukkot, but we never took the same privilege with Purim or Chanukah.

We hope this video is only in the spirit of satire and parody and not an attempt to portray Chanukah as a holiday that demands taking off from work.

Enjoy!

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Wall Street Journal Puts Chassidic Comic Mendy Pellin on Front Page

On Friday November 14 The Wall Street Journal printed a feature article about Chassidic rabbi and comedian Mendy Pellin on its front page. 

The article in the "A-Hed" position  below the fold, was titled Did You Hear the One About the Rabbi Who Carries a Big Schtick? (In later editions and online, they changed the title to This Rabbi Raps and Riffs -- on Judaism.)

We have been featuring Mendy's schtick on Jewish Humor Central since 2010, with 12 posts including his music parodies, news show parodies, and other funny stuff.

As Lucette Lagnado wrote in the Wall Street Journal,

Mr. Pellin is an Hasidic Jew who trolls Tinsel Town in a skull cap and sneakers, a long beard grazing his polo shirt. An ordained rabbi, his risky mission is to show the world that an observant culture—largely absent from the comedy mainstream—is natural fodder for funny.

“I call this period the ‘Hasidic Spring,’ ” he says, noting that many Hasidic youth are now embracing Facebook and Twitter, thereby pushing the boundaries of a once-insular society.

“Talk Yiddish to Me” is one of Mr. Pellin’s signature online music videos. A parody of the hit Jason Derulo song, “Talk Dirty,” the number features the comedian, dressed in full black Hasidim garb accented with an enormous gold chain.

Surrounded by singing sidekicks, he sways back and forth, as if praying, and busts the kind of rap moves—like hand gestures straight from the ’hood—more often associated with 50 Cent or Eminem.

YouTube counts more than 237,000 views for the video; Mr. Pellin says it has received millions more hits via other social networks.

What do other Hasidic rabbis think of Mendy's schtick? Those with a sense of humor generally like it and those without a sense of humor don't. The article has lots more information about Mendy and other Orthodox comedians. It's a good read and worth your time. You'll find it right here.

Enjoy!

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Chasidic Folk Rock Band Teams Up With Chabad Comedian for Some Sukkot Fun

Rogers Park, the Chasidic folk rock band named for a Chicago neighborhood, has teamed up with Chabad comedian Mendy Pellin to bring us a funny start to the holiday of Sukkot, which starts tonight and lasts for seven days.

Rogers Park was founded a few years ago by singing duo Mordy Kurtz and Yosef Peysin. This year they collaborated with Mendy Pellin, famous Chabad chasidic comic and founder of the Jewbellish website, to produce Sukkah's Falling, a parody of The Beatles' song I've Just Seen a Face.

The song is part of their work with Jewish student life on college campuses to bring attention to, and create a buzz for this lesser known holiday among Jewish college students.

We hope you enjoy the falling sukkot, flying lulavs, and vocal harmonies of the video and have a happy Sukkot holiday. We're off to celebrate in the sukkot of friends and family. We'll be back on Sunday with our usual mix of Jewish humor and Yiddishe nachas.

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Jewbellish Gives ALS Ice Bucket Challenge a Traditional Jewish Twist

Jewbellish founder and Hasidic comedian Mendy Pellin has taken the ALS Ice Bucket challenge to the next level and has given it a traditional Jewish twist. Why challenge people to pour a bucket of ice water over their heads when you can ask them to douse themselves with a pot of boiling matzo ball chicken soup?

But does the substitution of matzo ball soup for ice water meet the stringencies of halacha, or Rabbinic Jewish law? Mendy and his co-anchor Big Dave Earl Jones search the sources and find that although most commentaries say that if there is no ice it doesn't count, the Loopholer Rebbe says that it's the water that counts and chicken soup is mostly water.

On the Jewbellish web site, Pellin posts a lists of halachic questions and answers about the challenge that will have you rolling on the floor laughing. We're posting the list just below the video. Enjoy!

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Hilchos Ice Bucket Challenge (reprinted from the Jewbellish.com website)

We’ve received several halachic questions regarding various aspects of the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge and we will address a number of them here.

What is the biblical source for the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge?

The verse in Twitteriticus (24:7) states, “And it shall be seventh day, when your friend shall calleth upon you to partake in the ice-water ceremony. You shall surely pour the ice-water on your head, or on the head of thou friend who is close to you. For if you shall not pour, you shall incur the wrath of the Lord the scorn of your social media friends and you shall pay one hundred silver coins to the charity of my choosing. And it shall be for an atonement on your soul.”

I have been nominated. How long do I have to complete the Ice Bucket Challenge?

It depends who you are. For the layman 24 hours is the limit. If you need to arrange a helicopter to dump ice on you while you stand on top of a mountain wearing speedos, the American Council of Rabbis grants you an additional 24 hours due to the great pirsumei nisa (publicity) that you are affecting. If you are Ellen Degeneres, better you should wait as long as humanly possible so that every living celebrity under the sun gets down on their knees and begs and pleads for you to do it while pledging tens of thousands of dollars to ALS.

I have seen many videos of people pouring plain water on themselves. Rabbi, is that allowed?

In short, no. One who pours plain water on himself has not fulfilled his obligation. This prohibition can be derived from a careful, detailed examination of the name of mitzvah: Ice Bucket Challenge. The Rabbis derived that ice must be present in the bucket in order to properly do the mitzvah. Otherwise, they argued, it would just be called “The Bucket  Challenge.” Not very compelling.

Reform says warm water is fine also.

Does the ice need to have a hashgacha (a kosher certification)?

Preferably, yes. That has been the custom of the Hassidim. However, according to Rav Moshe, kerach stam is fine also, the reasoning being that the vast majority of ice in the United States is made of water. Most modern-orthodox bucket dumpers have adopted this ruling. This reasoning would obviously not apply to ice manufactured in third-world countries such as Liberia and Canada. God only knows what they put in their ice.

Reforms says anything will do.

Do I need to be clothed to participate, or can I wear a bathing suit?

While according to the strict letter of the law you do not need to be decked out in a tux and bowtie, people that dump the water while wearing bathing suits may be transgressing the rabbinic prohibition of being really lame. Furthermore, people that do it while standing in a bathtub are just cowardly yutzes.

Alternatively, they are Reform.

Does pouring the water on my head really absolve me of the need to give charity?

If you speak very passionately about the ALS cause before dumping water on your head, your friends will assume that you gave money and then you don’t have to actually do it yourself. Better you should give the money to the schnorer in shul.

Reform says you must donate regardless. You also must donate to AIPAC and JNF.

May the video be filmed in vertical mode?

 Absolutely not. Reform agrees.

"Abraham and Isaac - The Director's Cut" - Another Comedy Midrash From Jewbellish

Hasidic comedian Mendy Pellin has done it again. After the success of his hilarious rendition of "Why Moses Hit the Rock" his Jewbellish troupe brings us the "real" story of what happened at the binding of Isaac on Mount Moriah.

According to this comedy midrash, Abraham was "punked" (made the object of a practical joke) by God and a team of angels into thinking he was commanded to sacrifice his son, Isaac. It turns out that it was a gag and Isaac was in on it the whole time. 

There's a funny side reference to the possibility that Abraham had been punked previously when he was commanded to circumcise himself. The whole midrash is a hilarious retelling of two of the most famous Bible stories.

Enjoy!

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