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!

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. 

i-Shiva - An iPhone App Satiric Commercial - Dark Humor But Still Funny

Sitting shiva is not a subject you would expect to be the basis of a funny commercial. But there is a long history of dark humor over the centuries during which Jewish jokes and anecdotes developed.

With more than one million apps available for the iPhone, it was just a matter of time until one surfaced that dealt with sitting shiva.

Nathan Firer followed a Jewish tradition of turning tragedy into comedy when he lost his father last year. The former lawyer turned comedy writer and producer used his powers of observation and exaggeration to satirize what typically occurs at a house of mourning during the seven day long shiva period. He created a funny mock commercial for a new iPhone app called i-Shiva.

In the video below, the announcer asks "Are you down on your luck, homeless and hungry yet own a smart phone? Are you a foodie in search of your next blog-worthy meal? Are you totally stoned and have the munchies? Then i-Shiva is the app for you! i-Shiva is the new revolutionary smart phone application that will guide you to the nearest shiva call within 18 miles of your location."

From there it gets funnier and funnier, with the app even including a database of which yentas to avoid when visiting and fressing at the shiva house.

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.)



(A tip of the kippah to Seth Front for bringing this video to our attention.)