A Coronavirus Lament: Nobody Comes to the Minyan No More

Getting a quorum of ten every day for early morning or evening services has always been a problem and a subject for discussion in too many synagogues.  Since most shuls have been closed until the coronavirus crisis passes, the situation is affecting many more worshippers.

Now we have a song to add a humorous musical dimension to this unfortunate situation. It's Country Yossi's 2011 song Nobody Comes to the Minyan No More, a parody of Day-O (The Banana Boat Song), one of Harry Belafonte's most popular calypso songs in the 1950's.  

It was written by Joseph Toiv, known professionally as Country Yossi, an American Orthodox Jewish composer, singer, radio show host, author, and magazine publisher. A pioneering composer and singer in the Jewish music genre, Toiv has to his credit three albums as a member of the group Or Chodosh ("New Light") circa 1971–73, seven albums under the name Country Yossi and the Shteeble Hoppers, and a series of six albums for children called Kivi and Tuki. He also released "Country Yossi's Classic Calls" a humorous collection of actual on-air phone calls to his radio show.

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Late Night Comedy: Conan O'Brien Goes to Shul

Conan O'Brien, the Irish late night talk show host, doesn't go to shul. That's not exactly breaking news. But in one of his early shows, two Jewish men showed up and asked him why they haven't seen him in shul lately. "What?" he responded. "What's shul?" That's the beginning of a routine that brings a very unusual shul to the stage of the TV studio.

And Conan does finally go to this shul. Enjoy!

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Rabbi Itche Kadoozy Learns How to Make a Perfect Yom Kippur Speech

As we head to our synagogues, shuls, and temples tomorrow night and Shabbat for Yom Kippur services, we will be a willing audience for sermons delivered by our rabbis, who have been preparing for weeks to deliver a meaningful spiritual message to their congregations.

In most synagogues, Yom Kippur brings out the largest audience of the year, and the rabbis do all they can to deliver their most powerful message.
 
The Itche Kadoozy Show, started in 2003 as a muppet-like series about Jewish holidays, has gone through a few revisions and relocations and has emerged as a series on a funny new Jewish web site called shmideo.com.

In this episode, the muppet characters, including one who is a talking slice of gefilte fish complete with carrot on top, teach Rabbi Itche Kadoozy the five rules for the perfect Yom Kippur speech. It's cute, funny, and most important, meaningful.

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.)



(A tip of the kippah to Jack Kustanowitz for bringing this video to our attention.)