Israeli Comedian Yohay Sponder Retells the Purim Story as a Standup Routine

Social media sensation Yohay Sponder has gone viral with his charming and unapologetic comments on Jews in general, Israeli Jews specifically, and overall audience interaction on topics ranging from political correctness (or not), Muslims, women, terrorists, gays, and the Holocaust — many things people are feeling, but stand back from expressing.

Since 2016, Sponder has been producing “Funny Monday,” an Israeli standup comedy show in English that, among other things, touches upon current events from an Israeli-Jewish point of view.

In this video, Sponder tries to explain why Jews dress up in costume on Purim.

Enjoy!

Today is Purim! Let's Join Tour Guide Frieda Vizel and the Hasidic Revelers in Borough Park, Brooklyn

Frieda Vizel is a Brooklyn tour guide with Satmar ancestry, who leads walking tours in Borough Park and Williamsburg.

Until she was 25, Vizel lived in the Satmar Hasidic community. This experience – and her interest in how society works on a systemic level – informs her work. She draws from all sorts of disciplines, like urban studies, history, sociology, and cultural criticism.

Today she visited Brooklyn Hasidic communities as they let themselves go with Purim costumes, charitable giving, exchanging Mishloach Manot (gifts of food), drinking, and dancing in the streets. Its the one day each year when these ultra observant Jews take a break from serious study and meticulous observance.

Let's join them in taking a day off and having a good time. And when the day is over, it's time to welcome another Shabbat.

Shabbat shalom, everyone! 

Six13 a Cappella Sings a Purim Medley As We Get Ready to Read the Megillah Tonight

Anchored by a strong Jewish identity and driven by a mission to connect Jews around the globe with their heritage through music, professional Jewish a cappella group Six13 are the originators of today's Jewish a cappella sound. 

They've performed to rave reviews at the White House, and many more at synagogues, religious schools, JCCs, fundraising events, B'nai Mitzvah and private affairs alike. They’ve appeared all over mainstream media, been cited by Billy Joel and Bruno Mars, received numerous awards for their eight best-selling CDs, been selected as finalists for casting in NBC's "The Sing-Off", and garnered more than 20 million views online.

Six13 helps us to get ready for the reading of Megillat Esther tonight and tomorrow with a rousing medley of songs for Purim.

Enjoy, and Chag Purim sameach!

Countdown to Purim - Ari Lesser Raps About the Story of Purim and the Need to Fulfill its Mitzvot

Ari Lesser is an American Orthodox Jewish rapper, singer, songwriter, and spoken word artist. Since 2010, he has released thirteen albums and has collaborated with artists like Gad Elbaz, Lipa Schmeltzer, Kosha Dillz, and C Lanzbom.

After graduation from the University of Oregon, Lesser worked as a musician in Los Angeles, where he became known in the "hippie jam band" scene. While working on his first album there, his financer, a Rastafarian selling Medical Marijuana, gave him a copy of Psalms.

Lesser found that he related to King David as a songwriter and started rhyming the psalms; this ultimately led him to a deeper interest in Torah and his Jewish roots, and he became a baal teshuva. He visited Israel on a Taglit-Birthright trip that he ended up extending to ten months, during which he studied at Yeshiva Temimei Darech in Safed and Mayanot in Jerusalem.

In this Purim video "I'm a Jew Like Mordecai", Ari retells the story of Purim and calls on his listeners to fulfill all of the mitzvot of Purim.

Enjoy!

Here Come the Purim Videos - 3 Days and Counting

In three days we will be celebrating Purim, and Megillat Esther will be read on Thursday night and Friday morning.

Our countdown to Purim begins today and we're starting the festivities with a performance by Israeli singer Avi Ilson of the joyous expression at the end of the Megillah after the Jews of Persia rose up and conquered Haman and his followers.

La'Yehudim Hayta Orah v'Simcha v'Sasson vi'Ykor.

And the Jews basked in light and happiness, joy, and great honor.

Enjoy!

Happy Purim! Join Us in Celebrating with a Purim Song in Yiddish by Litvakus

Renowned Eastern European clarinetist, pianist, and composer Dmitri Zisl Slepovitch presents a uniquely thrilling klezmer experience with his new quintet Litvakus, which brings to soaring life the often overlooked Belarusian and Litvak (Belarusian-Lithuanian) Jewish musical heritage. 

Litvakus is reaching out to the modern audiences worldwide, making the old sound new and fresh, meaningful and hip.

Makhts Of - Open Up! is a traditional Yiddish song produced by the National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene in collaboration with Museum of Jewish Heritage (New York City), In this video Litvakus introduces the main characters of the Purim story.

The performers are Zoë Aqua, violin; Taylor Bergren-Chrisman, bass; Joshua Camp, accordion; Zisl Slepovitch, clarinet, gragger, vocals;  Sam Weisenberg, poyk (drum)

Enjoy, and have a Happy Purim!

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Purim Comedy Special: Stand-up Comedian Elon Gold on Purim

We've been following Elon Gold and posting some of his shtick on Jewish Humor Central for the last 12 years. 

Elon is an American comedian, television actor, writer and producer. He starred in the television series Stacked.  He also starred in the short-lived sitcom In-Laws. 

 

Known for his impressions, including those of Jeff Goldblum, Howard Stern and Jay Leno, Gold was a judge on the ABC celebrity impersonation competition series The Next Best Thing. Gold was also in the movie Cheaper by the Dozen as a cameraman from the Oprah Winfrey show.

Gold attended the Westchester Day School in Mamaroneck, NY and the Marsha Stern Talmudical Academy (MTA)/Yeshiva University High School for Boys in Manhattan, NY. He is a practicing Orthodox Jew.

Today we're sharing a video clip of Gold on stage in a short bit of observational comedy about the holiday of Purim which is only 3 days away.

Enjoy!

 

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A Star Wars Video for Purim - Return of the Jewdi by Temple Beth Shalom - Annapolis Maryland

Purim is only four days away, so it's time to share some new funny Purim content. It's traditional to have funny Purim plays (Purimshpiel) to accompany the megillah reading, which this year occurs on Saturday night and Sunday morning.

We're always on the lookout for original Purim content to share with you. So far this year we haven't seen many new video satires and spoofs. Maybe it's because of the ongoing war in Israel. But we're supposed to increase our joy during the month of Adar, so we keep looking for humor to share.

Here's a shout out to the BAYTY Senior Youth Group of Temple Beth Shalom in Annapolis, Maryland, who put lots of effort into creating a Star Wars parody called Return of the Jewdi featuring Darth Haman and Jabba the Hutt as King Ahasuerus.

Special effects include realistic battles with light sabers and the Temple's rabbi as the voice of King Jabba.

Kol Hakavod to the Purim players! Enjoy!

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One More Day: Purim Celebrations in Jerusalem and Other Walled Cities Continue Today

What? Another day of Purim? If you live in Jerusalem, you're celebrating Purim today, the 15th of Adar.
 
The battles fought between the Jews and their enemies throughout the Persian empire took place on 13 Adar. Around the world, the Jews rested and celebrated on the following day—14 Adar. In the capital city of Shushan, however, where there were a greater number of Jew-haters, the fighting continued for two days, 13 and 14 Adar. The victory celebrations in Shushan were thus held on the 15th.
 
When the holiday of Purim was set for the 14th of Adar, the sages instituted that Shushan residents perpetually observe Purim on the 15th of Adar—the day when the Shushanite Jews celebrated. The 15th of Adar is hence known as Shushan Purim.
 
Along with Shushan (which is located in modern-day southwestern Iran), all cities that were walled at the time when the Israelites, under the leadership of Joshua, entered Canaan, observe Purim on the 15th.
 
Today, the only city that we are certain had walls in Joshua’s times is Jerusalem. And indeed, in the holy city, Purim is festively celebrated one day after all other cities. There are a number of other ancient cities in Israel, such as Jaffa and Tiberias, regarding which there is a reasonable doubt whether they were walled in Joshua’s times. These cities observe two days of Purim. 

Here's a report from Israel TV on yesterday's celebrations all over Israel.

Chag Sameach!

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Happy Purim to Everyone! Here's the Purim Story in Rhyme by Rabbi Art Gould

Purim is finally here. After days of anticipation and getting in the mood with Purim music videos, we read Megillat Esther last night and head for a second reading this morning.

But we're always on the lookout for interesting and unusual takes on the basic Purim story. We found one posted on YouTube by Miriam Anzovin. It's the story written in rhyme by Rabbi Art Gould.

Miriam Anzovin is a writer, visual artist, and TikTok creator, exploring the juxtaposition of pop culture, nerd culture, and Jewish culture. Her work as a Jewish learning influencer and content creator encourages her audience to engage with Jewish literature, history, and tradition in creative and dynamic ways authentic to each individual, no matter their level of knowledge, belief, or observance.

Enjoy!

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Here Come the Purim Videos: Rabbi Jaclyn Cohen Sings "Jews", a Parody of the Hip-Hop Song "Juice"

Chag Purim Sameach! This year, Temple Isaiah of Los Angeles’ contribution to the Purim parody video canon is a celebration of our Jewishness: a joyful and whole-hearted message of love for our diverse, extraordinary Jewish community. 

Jaclyn Cohen, Associate Rabbi of Temple Isaiah, offers a response to the Hamans of this world is by taking pride in our tradition, culture & rituals, raising them up high and sharing them far & wide.She takes the lead in Jews, a Jewish version of the song Juice, popularized by singer Melissa Jefferson (known as Lizzo). 

Enjoy!

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Celebrating Purim in Houston with the World's Biggest Gragger

Everything is bigger in Texas, and celebrating Purim in Houston is no exception.  

One of twelve Houston branches of Chabad Lubavitch of Texas, Chabad of Uptown is located in the heart of the trendy Uptown area, near the Galleria, River Oaks and Memorial areas, offering Shabbat services, classes, holiday programs, a vibrant young professionals group and a Mommy and Me program among other outreach activities. 

Rabbi Chaim Lazaroff, who leads Chabad of Uptown with his wife Chanie, appeared on Houston's Fox 26 Morning Show to explain Purim to the TV audience and to demonstrate the use of the world's biggest gragger.

Enjoy!

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Just Published in Time for Purim: The Kustanowitz Kronikle - 35 Years of Purim Parody

The festival of Purim is only four days away. We read the Megillah next Monday night and Tuesday morning.

Every Purim for the past 35 years we have published a Purim parody edition of The Kustanowitz Kronikle, covering virtually every aspect of Jewish life, and including parodies of hundreds of popular movies. 

This year we decided to retire the series and capture all the fun in a book that's just been published and is available at Amazon.com. It has every Purim issue of The Kustanowitz Kronikle from 1988 through 2022 in a full-color, full-size paperback book with hilarious headline stories and parody movie picks.

Here are a few examples:

TRUMP, NETANYAHU SWAP ROLES, COUNTRIES

NEW TALMUD VOLUME "VOTIN" FOUND IN IRAQ; JOINS "FRESSIN", "NAPPIN", TANTZEN","PATCHEN"

"JUDAICARE" PROGRAM PLANNED TO ENSURE THAT ALL JEWS HAVE SYNAGOGUE MEMBERSHIP

RABBIS CREATE TALMUD AMERICANI; NEW LAWS EXTEND HALACHA TO THANKSGIVING AND JULY 4

JEWISH ORGANIZATIONS WORLDWIDE UNITE TO STOP GLOBAL WARMING; FOCUS ON REDUCING HOT AIR

RABBIS TO REQUIRE SHECHITA FOR MANY FRUITS AND VEGETABLES 

TRUMP TEMPLE TENPLEX TO UNITE ALL NEW YORK SYNAGOGUE DENOMINATIONS IN HUGE MEGA-MALL

It's a great gift for yourself and for the hosts of your Purim seudah. And it's selling for only $5.99 with free shipping if you're an Amazon Prime member.

Happy Purim to all of our readers!

Here Come the Purim Parody Videos: JTS Performers in a Cover of "Be Our Guest" from "Beauty and the Beast"

Purim is almost here. Next Monday evening we read Megillat Esther. We'll be watching for a new crop of Purim parody videos and share the best ones with you over the next few days.

In the meantime we're posting some of the best ones from last year that didn't reach us in time to share with you.

Here's one of a series of Purim parodies by performers from List College and the JTS Rabbinical and Cantorial schools. It's a parody of Be Our Guest from Beauty and the Beast. This video premiered at the 2022 JTS Purim Spiel on March 16th, 2022. 

Enjoy!

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Yesterday Purim Coincided with St. Patrick's Day. Here's What Saturday Night Live Did With it in 1984

We're still posting Purim content because today is Shushan Purim, an extra day of celebrating Purim in cities that were walled from the time of Joshua. Today the only city that meets this criteria is Jerusalem, and our relatives and friends in Jerusalem are getting an extra day to celebrate.

It's rare for Purim to coincide with St. Patrick's Day, but when they do, it presents an opportunity for lots of fun. The last time this happened was in 1984, when Saturday Night Live took advantage of the occurrence to open the show with a funny skit that blended the two holidays and included a cameo appearance of New York's mayor Ed Koch.

Enjoy the skit, and Shabbat shalom!

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Everything You Wanted to Know About Hamantaschen

This week CBS Sunday Morning featured a segment on hamantaschen, the edible symbols of Purim. The hamantasch, a triangular-shaped cookie served during the Jewish holiday of Purim, celebrates the spirit of resilience. 

Correspondent Faith Salie bites into the history of this treat, and of how it came to be associated with the Biblical tale of Esther – and a notorious villain.

In this segment, Gadi Peleg, owner of New York's Breads Bakery, shows the many hamantasch fillings available, including pizza. Stephanie Butnick, Deputy Editor of Tablet magazine and host of the podcast Unorthodox, explains the Purim story and how the cookies were named hamantaschen.

Enjoy, and have a happy Purim!

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Jewish Life Olympics to Return in 2023; South Florida Set to Host the Games (A Purim Spoof)

 This year Purim starts with the reading of Megillat Esther Wednesday night. It is read again Thursday morning, March 17. We wish a Happy Purim to all of our Jewish Humor Central readers. We hope you enjoy this special Purim spoof from the Purim 2022 issue of The Kustanowitz Kronikle. Print it and share it at your Purim Seudah.

 

It's Adar II - Here Come the Purim Videos! Let's Start with Purim Besimcha by the Brazilian Yeshiva Boys

Mishenichnas Adar Marbim Besimcha. From the beginning of the month of Adar we increase our simcha by sharing the latest Purim videos. 

Now that we're into Adar II and Purim is just 10 days away, let's start the Purim celebration with a video produced by the students of Yeshiva Guevoha Beer Avraham in Sao Paolo, Brazil.

Every year the bachurim of the Yeshiva Guevoha gather to compose a fun and happy song for Purim to share with all the community around the world. This year their song is Purim Besimcha.

Enjoy!

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Shushan Purim: It's a Weekend of 3 Days of Purim in Jerusalem

If you're like us, you probably have had your fill of hamantashen and Purim is over. But if you live in Jerusalem, you're celebrating Purim today, the 15th of Adar.
 
The battles fought between the Jews and their enemies throughout the Persian empire took place on 13 Adar. Around the world, the Jews rested and celebrated on the following day—14 Adar. In the capital city of Shushan, however, where there were a greater number of Jew-haters, the fighting continued for two days, 13 and 14 Adar. The victory celebrations in Shushan were thus held on the 15th.
 
When the holiday of Purim was set for the 14th of Adar, the sages instituted that Shushan residents perpetually observe Purim on the 15th of Adar—the day when the Shushanite Jews celebrated. The 15th of Adar is hence known as Shushan Purim.
 
 Along with Shushan (which is located in modern-day southwestern Iran), all cities that were walled at the time when the Israelites, under the leadership of Joshua, entered Canaan, observe Purim on the 15th.
 
Today, the only city that we are certain had walls in Joshua’s times is Jerusalem. And indeed, in the holy city, Purim is festively celebrated one day after all other cities. There are a number of other ancient cities in Israel, such as Jaffa and Tiberias, regarding which there is a reasonable doubt whether they were walled in Joshua’s times. These cities observe two days of Purim.

Let's pay a visit to a Shushan Purim street celebration in Jerusalem. This looks like a pre-coronavirus celebration.

Chag Sameach!

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Yiddish Word of the Day: Purim

As people continue to spend their days and evenings at home, due to coronavirus social distancing restrictions, the Forverts has launched a series of short informal video clips called Yiddish Word of the Day.

The series, written and narrated by Forverts editor Rukhl Schaechter, aims to give non-Yiddish speakers an introduction to familiar Yiddish words and phrases and how they might be used in everyday situations. 

Schaechter, who was appointed the new editor of the Forverts in 2016, is the first woman to helm the paper in its 119-year history, its first editor to have been born in the United States, and likely its first editor who is shomeret Shabbat.

We posted the first of this series last May. Now that the Forverts is continuing the series, we'll be sharing some of the words and phrases as a regular feature of Jewish Humor Central.

Purim is actually a Hebrew word, but it found its way with many other Hebrew words into the Yiddish language, albeit with altered pronunciations. Many Yiddish speakers pronounce the word as "Peerim".

Because today is actually Purim day, let's listen to Rukhl give us some Yiddish terms for baked goods we eat on Purim and some proverbs based on the holiday.

Enjoy! Happy Purim and Shabbat Shalom!

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