Jewish Traces in Unexpected Places: Hava Nagila by Street Musician Karolina Protsenko

16-Year-Old Karolina Protsenko moved to California with her family from Ukraine a few years ago and established herself as a street musician playing the violin. Her style is to start playing in the street and let passers-by ask her to play their favorite songs. 

The Protsenkos now live in California but we're not sure where this version of Hava Nagila was played because they have traveled the world and Karolina plays in many cities.

In this video a little girl asks her if she can play Hava Nagila and when she says yes, her father picks up the microphone and gets into the act.

Enjoy!

In Coronavirus Times, Street Music Goes On (Masked) in the Streets of Jerusalem

If your visit to Jerusalem includes a stop at the intersection of Jaffa Road and King George Street near Ben Yehuda Street and Zion Square, you'll find yourself at the epicenter of Jerusalem street theater and street music. 

All year long, some of the best singers and performers show up to give the passing crowds a good show.We thought that the coronavirus pandemic would bring an end to this entertainment, but as you can see from this video of the downtown scene last week, busy Jerusalem life isn't taking a break. 

The intersection is as bustling as ever, the only difference being the presence of masks on virtually everyone. We had read about Israelis not paying much attention to the mask and distancing precautions, and were surprised to see the almost universal compliance. 

Soldiers, students, women pushing carriages, Hasidim, and even the ever-present Chabad emissaries promoting the wearing of tefilin, and the lone guitarist, all exercising caution but not wavering from their daily routines.

So take a virtual walk in the streets of Jerusalem, and enjoy the medley of Jewish and Israeli music!

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Prankster Meir Kay Goes on a Hugging Spree in New York City

As we surf the web looking for funny videos to post here, we come across some very talented funny people who delight in creating interesting and humorous situations to provide entertainment and reasons to laugh. 

Because this is Jewish Humor Central, we try to find ones that have some kind of Jewish connection. Sometimes they're obvious, and sometime they're a bit of a stretch.

Meir Kalmanson has been posting funny Jewish videos on YouTube under the name Meir Kay. An Orthodox Jewish filmmaker from Brooklyn, his aim is to spread "happiness and positivity."
We've already featured five of his videos in April 2015 on the Evolution of Chassidic Dance, High Fiving Strangers in New York, Dancing Behind People in Jerusalem, How to Lift the Torah Like a Boss, and Looking for a Leader in the Park.

 In this video, Meir dresses himself completely in bubble wrap and invites strangers to give him a big hug.

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. 

English Magician Julius Dein Pranks His Israeli Grandmother

Julius Dein is a London-born internet personality, with over 6.1 million online followers. Since his internet career began, his videos have been viewed more than 500 million times, with many of his pranks and social experiments attracting major media and television attention. Julius has one of the highest Snapchat followings in the United Kingdom, in excess of 350,000 Snapchat followers.

Dein, a North Western Reform Synagogue member who grew up in Hampstead Garden Suburb, said: "My aspiration is to perform street magic on TV shows."I absolutely love to perform. I love watching people freak out. It is like a drug." He attended JFS, a modern orthodox school that's the biggest Jewish school in Europe. 

Julius' pranks on the public are often positively received, being described as "hilarious" and news sites have covered some of his videos. One video, where Dein uses a fake 6 foot snake to scare people and record what the Daily Mail describes as "their hilarious reactions", went viral on Facebook, being shared over 148,000 times by June 2016. 

One of Dein's pranks, where he tried to convince strangers on the street that he was their long-lost son was described as a "hilarious stunt", but did note that not all victims took the prank well. The video received over two million views. 

In this video, Dein gives his Israeli grandmother a few scares with a pierced tongue, a bloody hand, and an exploding phone.

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.

Meir Kalmanson Spreads Joy by High Fiving Strangers in New York

Meir Kalmanson has been posting funny Jewish videos on YouTube under the name Meir Kay. An Orthodox Jewish filmmaker from Brooklyn, his aim is to spread "happiness and positivity."

We've already featured one of his videos in April 2015 on the Evolution of Chassidic Dance. A video of him wandering the streets of New York and high fiving unsuspecting strangers who were raising their hands to hail a cab made it onto a Fox 5 TV newscast.

We'll be showing you some of his other comedy videos in the coming weeks. Here's the original high fiving video followed by the TV news report. 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 Taste of Jerusalem: Music, Merchandise, and Giant Puppets at Sukkot Street Fair

Sukkot is an amazing time of year to be in Jerusalem, and that's where we are this week. With most schools closed for the entire week, the streets and parks are teeming with children and their parents attending the special events that have been planned to keep them in a happy holiday mood.

During this Sukkot week we'll be running a series of blog posts to share this mood with you and give you a taste of Jerusalem.

Today we'll start with a few minutes that we captured on the first intermediate day of Sukkot at an evening street fair in the German Colony. 

Every year the art fair, with street theater performances, exhibits, music concerts, central stages, art workshops, food stands, caricaturists, outdoor musicians, public dances, exhibitions and more is held all along Derech Beit Lechem.

You'll be with us as we walk past vendors of clothing, housewares, and gifts, food stands, and groups of performers including singers and giant papier mache puppets.

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.)

Unexpected Traces in Jewish Places: Rabbi Tomer and Gypsy Lady Play on Stage and in the Streets of Jerusalem

When we came across a rabbi and a violinist playing in the rain on a Jerusalem street two weeks ago, we pulled out our smart phone and captured a few minutes of their antics to post here as a Jerusalem curiosity.

After some searching on the Internet, we discovered that the duo, known as The Rabbi and Gypsy Lady, are regular performers in Kikar Zion (Zion Square) and also on stage in clubs and theaters around Israel.

Who are these street and theater performers? Rabbi Tomer Peretz's day job is as a teacher of Torah and Talmud, but he is also a singer, composer and guitarist, and can be found often at the junction of Ben Yehuda Street and Jaffa Road in Zion Square. His musical partner is Alexandra Kanarit. This "Gypsy Lady" is a violinist and composer from the Ukraine. 

Together they are The Rabbi & Gypsy Lady who for most of their lives have created music and shared their love with other people through art performance. They love what they do and they do what they love. 

For the last three years both of them have separately been engaged in street shows, making people happy. One day they met each other at Kikar Zion, Jerusalem, immediately connected with mutual common energy. Two people who became one through art and now The Rabbi and Gypsy Lady perform together. 
 
They play a wide range of Israeli songs and their original compositions, but they seem especially drawn to rock music. Two of their favorites are Stairway to Heaven, the Led Zeppelin standby, and Ain't no Sunshine, the song made popular by Bill Withers.

Here is one of their performances of Ain't no Sunshine at the Theatron HaStudio in Haifa.

Enjoy!