Creative Exercising in a Coronavirus World

Exercising has become a challenge in a world of lockdowns, quarantine, and social distancing. 

But adversity always inspires creativity, and when Israeli golfer Leo Friedman found himself stuck in quarantine in Germany he came up with a series of creative rotational exercises to tone up his shoulder, neck, and wrist muscles.

In this video he demonstrates the exercises and suggest that you perform them 10 times a day.

The Hebrew subtitles translate as: "Listen to him...Required exercises for release and healing."

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.

 

Matzah, Maror, and the Four Cups of Wine Tell Their Own Stories

Matzah. Maror (Bitter Herb). The Four Cups of Wine. Every year we place them on the seder table and talk about them, explaining their roles as we read the Haggadah. But do we ever give them a chance to speak up for themselves and express their feelings?

Of course not. They can't speak. Or can they? Chabad.org has put together a video starring these three characters from the Passover seder. In their animated versions, they talk about their childhood and why they are best suited to win the competition for which one will inspire you the most and become champion of the seder table. 

It's fun to watch, if you can stand the constant stream of Passover puns. 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.)

Looking For a New Wine for Passover? Maybe This Will Help

Yesterday we blogged about seltzer. Today it's wine. What's going on? If you've been in a supermarket the last few weeks or looked at the full page or double page spreads in your local Jewish newspaper, you've seen the aisles of products old and new stocked and stacked up for Pesach, and the small print lists of hundreds of kosher wines, also old and new, waiting for you to buy by the case and use at your seder table. So although Passover is 18 days away, it feels a lot closer.

But how to sort through all of the ads and listings of wines -- dry, semidry, and sweet, red and white -- and make good selections to fill the four cups at the seder table?  Each year, New York's The Jewish Week conducts a Grand Wine Tasting at the City Winery in downtown Manhattan where dozens of wine companies show off their latest vintages to an eager rush of early wine buyers. We wanted to attend the event but last Sunday, when it was held, was a travel day for us.

Fortunately for us and we hope, for you, Aaron Herman, a reporter for The Jewish Week, was on the scene to walk around and get the scoop on all the latest in kosher wines. Here's his video showing many of the new wines, interviewing the vendors, and trying to make some sense of the wide range of prices. You won't see all of the new wines, but you should get some ideas to make your seder selections easier.

The paper has also published a wine guide that lists the 18 best kosher wines in eight caterories, and related articles about wine selection. It's available online here. L'Chayim!

(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.)

Israel's Kosher Wines Keep Winning Awards in World Market

Wine tasting brought Israelis to Jerusalem this week for the country's first kosher wine festival. According to a TV report by JewishNewsOne, kosher wine was previously far inferior to non-kosher wines because it was boiled to meet Jewish Halakha requirements. But today, Israeli winemakers no longer boil or flash pasteurize their wine except for the most strict kosher certifications, and kosher wines are now selling well and winning acclaim.

Renowned critic Robert Parker gave his 90+ rating to three Israeli wineries: Castel, Yatir, and Yarden. Israeli reds from Carmel and Tepperberg have garnered prestigious Decanter awards in world-class competitions.

Israel produces about 35 million bottles a year at over 250 wineries. A climate with extreme heat and cold makes it ideal for winemaking. Israel's 200 million dollar wine industry is forecast to keep growing and keep collecting awards.

The head of the Israeli Wine Society, Eli Poch, told JN1, "Kosher wine today is not like your grandparents' kosher wine. This is -- we're talking about a world class wine. We're talking about, I mean, pretty much every Israeli winery these days is winning awards internationally. Ramat HaGolan winery last year took 'best winery in the world' in a contest in Italy. A lot of winemakers are now starting to go outside of the country to Italy, and to France, and to the United States to learn how to make wine properly as opposed to just crushing grapes in a barrel."

Shilo winery owner Meir Chomer had this to say, "There's an incredible commentary on the portion of the Torah when Yaakov gave over Schem and the area of Shilo to Josef as an extra gift for him. And Rashi comments on the spot -- what is so special about this land, and he says the fruits are sweeter."

Enjoy the video, and enjoy the wines!

(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.)