The Great Israeli Singing Groups: The Gevatron Sing Their Hit "Bat Shishim" Then and Now

Today we're starting another new series on Jewish Humor Central -- The Great Israeli Singing Groups. Every few weeks we'll profile one of the ensembles that brought joy to the people of Israel, whether on a kibbutz or in the streets of Tel Aviv in the early days of the state.

Just like us, they've aged. But just like us, they haven't stopped singing the songs that carried them through the founding and building of the state of Israel. We'll post video clips of them at reunions held recently alongside video clips at the height of their popularity.

We'll start with the Gevatron.   The story of the Gevatron troupe begins in early 1948, when a group of singers in Kibbutz Geva performed at the dedication of a new basketball court in the kibbutz. They called themselves the "Gevatron" – a combination of the name of the kibbutz with the name of the "Cheezbatron", a singing troupe that performed during the War for Independence. The young group started performing for communal occasions in the kibbutz, with accordion accompaniment. They were amateurs and sang mainly verses, written by members of the kibbutz, to borrowed melodies, Russian songs for the most part.

One of their most popular songs, Bat Shishim, was originally written for the kibbutz's 60th anniversary in 1981. It was revived and updated in 2008 when the Israel government chose it as the official song to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the founding of the state.

In this video clip, recorded at their 60th anniversary concert, the Gevatron sing Bat Shishim. It's followed by a video recording of the group singing the original song and a TV report of members reminiscing about the old days after being awarded the prestigious Israel Prize.

Enjoy!

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Here is an English translation of the lyrics:
She (the song, the kibbutz, the State of Israel) is 60  years old,
The head of the Gilboa (mountain)
That someone painted in red

A great day is coming,
A young and new day,
That erases her wrinkles
And her years

She's real 
And not just a symbol
And not a flag or a sign
She is looking to the future 
As the past is behind her
Every single day

A great day is coming
A young and new day
That erases every wrinkle
And her years to the day

She is a grandma
And a mother
And a granddaughter
That becomes always new
Like the seasons of the year
A woman of the summer 
Or the winter
But in her heart she is always spring

Five Jokes to Start the Week from the Chicago Production of Old Jews Telling Jokes

Today is Monday and it's also Tu B'Shvat, the new year of the trees. We posted our Tu B'Shvat post yesterday so we wouldn't miss starting the week with a joke today.

Since it's a holiday, we're giving you a bonus -- not just one joke, but five in rapid succession. They come from a Chicago production of Old Jews Telling Jokes, and we're thankful to the Chicago Tribune for posting them on YouTube.

The performance was in 2013 when the off-Broadway show went on a national tour. Alex Goodrich, Tim Kazurinsky, Renee Matthews and Gene Weygandt are the performers at the Royal George Theatre.

Enjoy!

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Funniest Jewish Film Moments (A Tu B'Shvat Treat): The Tree Planting Scene from Sallah Shabati

One of the funniest films to come out of Israel is Sallah Shabati סאלח שבתי))

It's a 1964 comedy about the chaos of Israeli immigration and resettlement. This social satire placed the director Ephraim Kishon and producer Menahem Golan among the first Israeli filmmakers to achieve international success. It also introduced actor Chaim Topol (Fiddler on the Roof) to audiences worldwide.

The film's name, Sallah Shabati, is a play on words; ostensibly a Yemenite Jewish name, it is also intended to evoke the phrase סליחה שבאתי, "sorry that I came". In earlier print versions of Kishon's short stories which were revised for the film, the character was known as Saadia Shabtai.

The film begins with Sallah Shabati, a Mizrahi Jewish immigrant, arriving with his family in Israel. Upon arrival he is brought to live in a ma'abara, or transit camp. He is given a broken down, one room shack in which to live with his family and spends the rest of the movie attempting to make enough money to purchase adequate housing. His money-making schemes are often comical and frequently satirize the political and social stereotypes in Israel of the time.

In this scene, appropriate for tomorrow's holiday of Tu B'Shvat, the new year of the trees, Sallah is  working in a tree planting detail on a hillside in Israel. A government official plants a sign announcing the naming of a forest for an American donor couple just as they arrive in a taxi.  After they take a few photos of  their new tree and depart, the official plants a new sign with the name of another donor pair just as they arrive at the same spot.

The movie is in Hebrew and there are no English subtitles, but the story line is obvious and easy to follow.

Enjoy, and have a happy Tu B'Shvat! 

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A New Version of Lecha Dodi at New York's Central Synagoue

The song Lecha Dodi is a central part of the Friday night synagogue service of all Jewish denominations all over the world. 

With all of the services that we've attended over the years, we thought we'd heard them all. And we probably have. But musical talent is emerging  in places that we haven't attended. 

The Internet and YouTube have been instrumental in introducing new music to people who otherwise would not have been exposed to it.

In looking for video clips to share with you in welcoming Shabbat each Friday, we discovered this new one that premiered last year at the Central Synagogue in Manhattan. It was composed by Elana Arian, who plays the guitar and sings it together with Associate Cantor Julia Cadrain and Senior Rabbi Angela Buchdahl.

Enjoy and Shabbat Shalom!

The Great Jewish Comedians: Joey Bishop on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson and Jack Benny

Joey Bishop (1918-2007) born Joseph Abraham Gottlieb, was an American entertainer who appeared on television as early as 1948 and eventually starred in his own weekly comedy series playing a talk show host. He then became the host of a late night talk show. 

Bishop later became a member of the "Rat Pack" with Frank Sinatra, Peter Lawford, Sammy Davis, Jr., and Dean Martin. sord

Like most of the old-time Jewish comedians, he wasn't known for any overt Jewish material, but he usually managed to insert a reference to a Bar Mitzvah or other Jewish term into his commentary.

The youngest of five children, he was born in The Bronx, the son of Anna (Siegel) and Jacob Gottlieb, Jewish Polish immigrants. His father was a bicycle repairman.  Bishop was raised in South Philadelphia.

He guest-hosted The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson at least 175 times from 1971–76, more than anyone else until that time. Here is a video clip of one of his appearances on the show in October 1972.

Enjoy!

Just Published - "Jewish Traces in Unexpected Places." Get the e-Book Edition Free Now Through Sunday!

Among the more than 1,800 video clips that we've shared with you on Jewish Humor Central, there are about 150 video examples of Jewish life and music that appear in places you wouldn't expect them to. 

This week we published the collection in a new book, Jewish Traces in Unexpected Places (and Unexpected Traces in Jewish Places). It's available now from Amazon.com in paperback and in a Kindle (e-book) version that you can read on any device with free Kindle reader software from Amazon.

The paperback version sells for $9.95, and when you buy it, Amazon will offer you a free Kindle download. So when you receive the paperback version you can give it as a gift and keep the Kindle version for yourself.

For the next 5 days (Wednesday, January 20 through Sunday, January 24) you can get the Kindle version free of charge directly from Amazon.com by clicking here. 

The book presents anecdotes and associated video clips that reveal the myriad ways that Jewish culture, religion, humor, music, song, and dance have found expression in parts of the world that, at first glance, might not seem supportive of Jewish Life. 

It includes 50 videos of Hava Nagila being performed from Texas to Thailand, from India to Iran, and from Buenos Aires to British Columbia. 

Also highlighted are 34 international versions of Hevenu Shalom Aleichem, Adon Olam, Abanibi, and Tumbalalaika. Whether you’re reading the print version and typing in the video URLs or reading the e-book version and clicking on the links, you’ll have access to 150 video clips totaling more than 10 hours of video.

Jewish Traces in Unexpected Places is also the title of a popular lecture that Al will be presenting in South Florida in February and in the Berkshires in July. If you're interested in information about Al's lectures and Jewish humor programs for your organization, you can reach him at akustan@gmail.com. 

Here are the videos shown on the cover. There are 146 more videos that you can link to in the book.

Enjoy!

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Adon Olam with Leaping Brazilian Dancers



Sh'ma Yisrael in Papua New Guinea


Chabad Wins World Cup Soccer in South Africa


Are the Japanese the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel?

Comedy Flashback: Allan Sherman and Herman's Hermits Parody "Hello Muddah Hello Faddah"

Back in 1965 there was a musical variety show on TV called Fanfare. 

In one of the episodes, master song parodist Allan Sherman got together with Peter Noone, the lead singer of Herman's Hermits to create song parodies in real time.

First Sherman wrote an American version of the British pop song Mrs. Brown, You've Got a Lovely Daughter. 

Then after Sherman sang a new version of his hit Hello Muddah Hello Faddah, the two singers collaborated in creating a British version of the classic funny song about summer camp.

Enjoy!

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A Joke to Start the Week - A Scientific Experiment

We can't believe that it's already another Monday, and time to post another Joke to Start the Week.

After a long interval, we discovered a new treasure trove of Old Jews Telling Jokes. Or maybe it's an old treasure trove. In any event, we found some jokes that met our requirement of not having been posted here before and being reasonably family-friendly.

So today's joke is told by 72-year-old social worker Vicki Salz. Here's the setup:

An Italian scientist is doing work with frogs. He cuts off the frog's front leg and says "Jumpa frog, jumpa." And then...

Enjoy!

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German Violinist and Lithuanian Accordionist Play a Rousing Hava Nagila in Berlin

David Garrett, a record-breaking German pop and crossover violinist and recording artist, and Martynas Levickis, a young Lithuanian accordion virtuoso, got together at a concert in Berlin and electrified the crowd with a rousing rendition of Hava Nagila.

Garrett attended the Keshet Eilon Masterclasses in Israel in the summers of 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2002. Keshet Eilon is a music center established in the year 1990, located in Kibbutz Eilon, Israel. Its mission is to be a source of strength and support for young gifted violinists.

Martynas recently completed his degree at the Royal Academy of Music in London, and has acquired all the knowledge and technical expertise of a professional classical musician, but he sees classical music as just one part of his personal mix.

Enjoy! 

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Unexpected Traces in Jewish Places: Lecha Dodi (Let it Be) at a Beatles Shabbat in Los Angeles

Beit T'shuvah is a Los Angeles based community with a mission to guide individuals and families towards a path of living well, so that wrestling souls can recover from addiction and learn how to properly heal.
 
The Beit T'Shuvah faith-based model, founded on authenticity and wholeness, integrates spirituality, psychotherapy, Jewish teachings, the 12 Steps, and the creative arts. They are a compassionate, supportive community, devoted to building an empowering sense of belonging and purpose to everyone who seeks it.
 
They also have a band, and last month they recorded a Beatles Shabbat service with all the familiar songs in the Friday night liturgy sung to some of the most popular Beatles songs.

Here's an excerpt from the service with the shul band welcoming Shabbat with Lecha Dodi set to Let it Be.

Enjoy and Shabbat shalom!

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The Great Jewish Comedians: Jack Carter Sings "What's the Matter With Kids?" on the Judy Garland Show

 
Jack Carter (1922-2015) was born Jack Chakrin in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, New York to a Jewish family. Carter served in the United States Army Air Corps during World War II. He hosted an early television variety program called Cavalcade of Stars on the DuMont Network. He was lured to NBC to host his own program titled The Jack Carter Show.

Carter recommended Jackie Gleason to take his place as host of Cavalcade of Stars. The Jack Carter Show appeared under the banner of the Saturday Night Revue, NBC's two-and-a-half-hour Saturday night programming slot. Carter hosted his show for one hour each week followed by the 90-minute Your Show of Shows starring Sid Caesar,Imogene Coca, Carl Reiner, and Howard Morris. Carter remained friends with Sid Caesar his entire life and delivered the eulogy at his funeral.

In this excerpt from the Judy Garland Show in 1963, Carter delivers a riff on teenage behavior after singing What's the Matter with Kids Today?, the classic song from Bye Bye Birdie.

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Hava Nagila Around the World: A Mexican Mariachi Version in Apatzingan

 

Apatzingán, located in the hot Tierra Caliente valley, in the west-central part of the Mexican state of Michoacán, has received media attention because of the strong presence of notorious, powerful and wealthy drug trafficking cartels. 

But it's also the home of some beautiful music, as played by the Apatzingan Real Mariachi Band.

In this video, they perform a Mexican version of Hava Nagila that we're adding to our collection of more than 50 versions.

Enjoy!

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Jerry Seinfeld in Tel Aviv: "It Is What It Is"

Since it's likely that you missed Jerry Seinfeld's show in Tel Aviv in December, as we did even though we were spending the month in Israel, we're posting some excerpts from his performance.

This video clip has Jerry carrying on about empty phrases that have become popular, such as "It is what it is," and "Business is business."

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(A tip of the kippah to Yifat Cohen for posting this video on YouTube.)

A Joke to Start the Week - "A Serious Senior Moment"

It's Monday morning again, and it's time for a Joke to Start the Week. This week it's an oldie but goodie from retired teacher Freyda Kolinsky.

Here's the setup: Two young people are walking along and they see an elderly Jewish man sitting on a bench, crying. They go over to him and say "Are you OK?" And then...

Enjoy!

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Indian Band Amrutam Gamaya Performs Beautiful Version of Hava Nagila

If you think you’ve heard the most beautiful rendition of Hava Nagila, you may have to rethink it. Recently the Israeli folk song was performed on, of all places, the popular Indian talent show Music Mojo by a band by the name of Amrutam Gamaya. 

We've posted more than 50 versions of this song in the 6+ years that we've been publishing Jewish Humor Central, and all of them will be included in our book, Jewish Traces in Unexpected Places, which will be released in a second, updated edition in February.

While the tune is normally fast paced and uplifting, this version definitely stands apart from other versions of the song. Although the tune does quicken near its end, the song is less upbeat and Amrutha Suresh, the lead singer of the group, has a hauntingly beautiful voice.

Enjoy!

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New Selfie Music Video is Tribute to Paris Terrorism Victims

Israeli musician Shai Barak has produced a music video, together with artists and musicians in multiple countries and languages using the slogan: Je Suis Juif  (I am a Jew.)

The slogan became the symbol of the attack around the world and especially in France last year, including at a mass protest in which Frenchmen held up signs showing their support for the victims.

Barak approached popular Jewish singers from across the globe, and together they recorded a pop song that they hope will send out a message of Jewish unity. The song was written and sung in 3 languages: Hebrew, English and French.

All the singers from around the world filmed themselves using smart-phones in "Selfie" format.

The video, which was the brainchild of Jerusalemite journalist Zvika Klein, who previously produced a video of 10 hours of silent walking in Paris as a Jew, hopes to be the first Jewish Selfie music video. It is aimed at uniting Jews from all denominations around the world and is therefore sung in multiple languages.

The singers include:
From Israel: Gad Elbaz, Ishay Lapidot, Aaron Razel, Mendy Jeruffi, Shai Barak, JEW2, Dou Reim, Udi Ulman, Amiran& Arik Dvir, The chief IDF cantor Shai Abramson,and the Buba Myses Puppet rock band.
From the US and the UK: Lipa Schmeltzer & Matt Dub, Benny Freidman, Berry Weber, Eli Gerstner, Shloime Gertner, and Ely Katz. 

Enjoy!

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New Comedian Showcase: Meet Standup Comic Mike Fine

With a sharp mix of an unpredictable demeanor, abstract observations and deadpan delivery, Mike Fine’s comedy styling is reminiscent of the classic Borscht Belt comedians. 

Always a crowd favorite, Mike’s adept ability to tailor his act for any audience keeps him in constant demand, making regular appearances at major clubs, colleges, and corporate events in the U.S. and abroad.

Whenever Mike performs, he always makes it a priority to give back. He actively volunteers for Veterans' causes, such as Wounded Warrior Project, Wheelers for The Wounded, Disabled Sports USA, He also dedicates time to other charitable oauses such as the Friars Sunshine Committee, Gilda’s Club, Police Athletic League, Fresh Air Fund, The Actors Temple, United Hatzalah, and many other non-profit organizations that he’s passionate about.

Enjoy!

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Israeli Soldier Shuffles His Way Through Basic Training

Ron Bronstein, a 24-year-old St. Louis native enlisted in the IDF at the end of March 2012 and decided to document his transition from civilian to soldier by dancing his way from start to finish. 

Bronstein moved to Israel from the United States in 2007 and now serves in the IAF’s Technology and Logistics Directorate’s foreign relations department.

As Ilan Ben Zion wrote in The Times of Israel,

“The day I was drafted, I stood excited at the enlistment office and I wanted to document the moment, to preserve the experience. At every stage, from being drafted to the end of basic training, I asked my friends to document me dancing, and that’s how they got to know me, as the guy who every few minutes asked them to film him,” Bronstein told Yedioth Ahronoth.

In the video posted to YouTube — set to LMFAO’s “Party Rock Anthem” — Bronstein dances the shuffle through guard duty, kitchen detail, barracks, and parade grounds in his IDF greens. He proudly struts his stuff in IAF dress khakis on train platforms, at his swearing-in ceremony, and in front of military aircraft.

Since being uploaded, the video has been viewed more than 350,000 times. Bronstein’s fans comment that, whereas similar videos of dancing soldiers have made their way onto the Internet, his “was done in good taste,” according to one viewer.

“Filming it took a month, the editing six weeks, and the approval of the IDF took another six months,” Bronstein said. “I want people across the world to see that IDF soldiers also have a personal and funny side.”

The IDF spokesperson did not grant The Times of Israel permission to interview Bronstein.

Enjoy!

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A Joke to Start the Week - "An Unique Partnership"

It's the first Monday of 2016, and our first opportunity to share an oldie but goodie with you. There have always been apocryphal stories about how companies and products got their names, and this one is no exception.

Today it's told by Steve Kaplan, our composer friend from New Jersey, who gave us a few jokes to use when we entertained members of a synagogue in Kearny last month.

Here's the story of how a great company began from a very small, humble origin on the Lower East Side. Enjoy!

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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!

Jewish Traces in Unexpected Places: Mexico Chazzan Moshe Mendelson Sings Ein Keilokeinu With a Full Mariachi Band

Cantor Moshe Mendelson has been the Chazzan of the Ashkenazi Kehila in Mexico City for 43 years.

In this video he teams up with a full Mariachi band to sing Ein Keilokeinu.

Shabbat shalom.

Enjoy!

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