Havdalah Service by B'nai B'rith Youth Organization with Guitar Chords

On Fridays we usually post a musical welcome to Shabbat with a version of Shalom Aleichem, Lecha Dodi, or Adon Olam. But this week we're skipping to the end of Shabbat and continuing the series of Havdalah services that we started a year ago.

There's a rich lode of musical endings to Shabbat, and Havdalah ceremonies around the world reflect the traditional and local musical tastes of each location.

Any one interested in leading the Havdalah ceremony can use this video to help make the experience as moving and enriching as possible. Included are Havdalah chords and choreography; the Hebrew, English and transliteration of the Havdalah Blessings; and a beautiful rendition of the ceremony performed by BBYO song leaders Eric Hunker, Happie Hoffman, Stephen Brickman, Deb Winter, Josh Cohen and Rachel Wolman.

Shabbat Shalom and Shavua Tov. Enjoy!

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Throwback Thursday Comedy Special: Groucho Marx and Dinah Shore Sing "Peasy Weasy"

It's Throwback Thursday -- Time to set the clock back 59 years to 1959, when Groucho Marx appeared on The Dinah Shore Chevy Show to sing a duet with Dinah.

Groucho said that he first sang the song, Peasy Weasy, on the vaudeville stage when he was 15 years old. It looks like they had fun bringing this old song back to life on Dinah's TV show.

Enjoy!


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#Throwback Thursday   #TBT

Comedy Showcase: "Border Control" From Rita Rudner's New TV Special

We've been big fans of Rita Rudner ever since she started to appear on late night TV in the 1980s. 

One of the hallmarks of her comedy is that it's clean, free from the vulgarity and shouting that many stand-up comics find necessary.  Her delivery is demure, tasteful, full of wry observations, and very funny.

Rudner started her career as a dancer, then switched to stand-up comedy about her dating experiences.  She married British producer Martin Bergman about 30 years ago and they have a daughter.  She is fond of Jewish humor but generally reserves it for when she performs for Jewish audiences.

Rita just released a TV special called A Tale of Two Dresses. We're happy to be able to share some clips from the show, starting with today's clip called Border Control

Enjoy!

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Twitteleh - Twitter for Your Jewish Mother

We've been posting more than 2600 video clips since October 2009, and we've spent more than many hours surfing the Internet to find them. But there was an Internet before 2009, and we're sometimes surprised that there were funny Jewish videos before then.

Today we came upon a video clip that's just as funny and relevant today as it was when it was posted back in September 2009 by Reg Tigerman. It's an announcement for a new app called Twitteleh -- Twitter for Your Jewish Mother.

Any time you want to update your Jewish mother, just answer these three questions:
1. Where are you?
2. What have you eaten?
3. Are you wearing a sweater?

Enjoy!

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A Joke to Start the Week: "Another Type of Headache"

It's another Monday and time for another Joke to Start the Week.

For the last two weeks we've been posting some classic Yiddish jokes presented anew in Yiddish by Leana Jelen, a young Yiddish-speaking sign-language interpreter.  These jokes come from the Forverts, the Yiddish edition of The Jewish Daily Forward.

This week we have another of her jokes in Yiddish. If you don't understand Yiddish, just read the subtitles in English. If you play it a few times, maybe you'll start learning the language.

Here's the setup: An old woman used to buy headache medicine. One day, she went to the pharmacy to buy pills for birth control. And then...

Enjoy!

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Hava Nagila Around the World: Iosif Kobzon Sings in Moscow Concert

Last September, a concert  in Moscow's State Kremlin Palace was dedicated to the 80th anniversary of People's Artist of the USSR Iosif Kobzon. 

Kobzon appeared on the stage for almost 60 of his 80 years, not including his participation in student amateur performances. During these years he sang an incredible number of songs - more than three thousand!

And of course one of them was Hava Nagila, a song that has been performed all around the world in many countries. And since we started Jewish Humor Central in 2009, we have posted 70 of them.

To see them all, scroll down the Keywords list in the left column and click on Hava Nagila.

Iosif (Joseph) Davydovich Kobzon was born to Jewish parents in the mining town of Chasiv Yar, in the Donbass region of Ukraine.

In 1983, Kobzon was expelled from the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and reprimanded for "political short sightedness," after he performed Jewish songs during an international friendship concert, which resulted in the Arab delegations leaving in protest. 

However, the following year, (1984) his reputation was restored, as he was honored with the USSR State Prize.

He claimed that his promotion of Jewish culture in the USSR contributed to the establishment of diplomatic ties between USSR and Israel.

Enjoy!

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Welcoming Shabbat with Adon Olam by Tulane University's Jewish a Cappella Group NJBeats

Shabbat is almost here and we're ready to welcome it with our 44th posting of Adon Olam. This version is by NJBeats, the Jewish a cappella group from Tulane University in New Orleans.

The Hebrew lyrics and traditional Jewish basis of NJBeats’ songs provide a refreshing twist to a cappella music. The group, however, does not limit itself to only slow, traditional songs. NJBeats plans to sing pop songs with a unique Hebrew twist in future performances. With its recent performances and plan to include more pop music, the group is becoming more fully engrained in Tulane’s culture.

Enjoy, and Shabbat shalom!

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Throwback Thursday Comedy Special: Sid Caesar and Imogene Coca in "The Sewing Machine Girl"

Silent film parodies were an important part of Your Show of Shows, the 90 minute weekly live TV show pioneered by Sid Caesar in the early 1950s. These parodies were also tributes to the acting skills needed to convey plot and emotion in the absence of spoken words.

Sid Caesar, Imogene Coca, Carl Reiner, and Howard Morris all had a special talent to bring these early films to life in hilarious takeoffs. This video, The Sewing Machine Girl has the classic elements of this genre: The mean shop owner, the poor overworked, underpaid girl, and her beleaguered co-worker who emerges as her hero.

This is a rare sketch just made available to a mass audience as one of the "Ten from Your Show of Shows" now available as part of the five DVD set Sid Caesar: The Works.

Enjoy!

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#Throwback Thursday    #TBT

A Visual and Musical Celebration of Jewish Food

We love surfing the internet, we love Jewish food, and we love musical satires by Mickey Katz.

So when we found a Vimeo video posted by Harris Bookfor that combined all these three elements, we just couldn't resist sharing it with you.

This video includes three songs by Mickey Katz and one by The Barry Sisters. After watching it you'll want to make a quick trip to the nearest deli, if they still have them in your community.

Enjoy!

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You Know You Are Dating an Israeli Woman When...

There's a YouTube channel called Dating Beyond Borders that focuses on dating around the world. It has some funny insights into dating in different cultures.

The format is "You know you are dating an ____ man or woman when..." and then shows some stereotypical examples of dating situations.

One of the countries they profile is Israel and illustrate what it means to date an Israeli woman with video vignettes of dates in progress.

Are they exaggerating? You probably know the truth.

Enjoy!

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A Joke to Start the Week - "You're Smarter Already"

It's another Monday and time for another Joke to Start the Week.

The Forward is producing a series of classic Yiddish jokes presented in Yiddish by Leana Jelen, a young Yiddish-speaking sign-language interpreter. 

Last week we posted a joke that was reported to be the favorite of  Sigmund Freud, the founder of modern psychoanalysis who spent years collecting and studying Jewish jokes.
 
This week we have another joke in Yiddish by Leana Jelen, an oldie but goodie in our collection of favorite Jewish jokes. 

Here's the setup: A gentile notices a Jew eating a piece of herring and he asks him: "Why are Jews so smart?" He replies "Because they eat the head of the herring." And then...
If you don't understand Yiddish, watch the English subtitles while Leana tells the joke in Yiddish. Who knows, you might even learn the language!
Enjoy!

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A NOSH-talgic Look at Jewish Food: History of the Pastrami Sandwich

We've been collecting videos about the origins of classic Jewish foods that bring back mouth-watering memories of the Borscht Belt and the many Kosher delis that were present in Jewish neighborhoods everywhere. Today the Borscht Belt hotels are gone and so are many of the delis.

One of our more popular programs is A NOSH-talgic Look at Jewish Food, with videos and memories of bagels and lox, chicken soup with matzo balls, pickled herring, sour pickles, real seltzer, and even schmaltz. We presented it last month at a brunch in a senior community in New Jersey that got the attendees really hungry. 

Whenever we find a video that makes us hungry for nostalgic Jewish delicacies, we try to share it with you. If you're in the mood for a good pastrami sandwich, take a look at this new video from The Nosher website that reveals the origin of this staple of the Jewish diet.

Enjoy!

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Welcoming Shabbat with Shalom Aleichem at Temple B'nai Jeshurun in Short Hills, New Jersey

Every Friday we try to find a new version of one of the traditional songs that are sung in the synagogue or in the home to welcome Shabbat.  

Shalom Aleichem is the liturgical poem that signals the start of this special 25 hour weekly respite from the workaday world. 

We never know until Thursday what version of which song we'll be sharing with you on Friday. 
Sometimes it's Adon Olam, Yedid Nefesh, Eishet Chayil, Lechu Neranena, or Yigdal. This week we're sharing yet another version of Shalom Aleichem, as sung by Lucy Fishbein, Assistant Cantor at Congregation B'nai Jeshurun in Short Hills, New Jersey.

Enjoy, and Shabbat shalom!

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Throwback Thursday Comedy Special: Sid Caesar and Imogene Coca in "Breaking the News"

It's Throwback Thursday again and today we get another chance to go back 67 years to 1951 and another episode of The Hickenloopers on Your Show of Shows.

Sid Caesar and Imogene Coca starred in many episodes of the hilarious marital tribulations of Doris and Charlie Hickenlooper.

In this sketch, Mrs. Hickenlooper (Imogene Coca) tries to gently break the news about an auto accident she had to her husband (Sid Caesar).

Enjoy!

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#Throwback Thursday   #TBT 

BREAKING NEWS! Yiddish Fiddler on the Roof Extended Again Through November 18

If you haven't yet seen the highly acclaimed new Yiddish production of Fiddler on the Roof at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in New York City, you can still get tickets because the show has been extended for a third time, through November 18.

Directed by Joel Grey and starring a very talented cast, most of whom learned Yiddish in a few weeks, Fiddler has gotten rave reviews in the media.

One of the accomplished cast members is Adam B. Shapiro, who plays the role of the town rabbi and is understudying the role of Tevye. He has made some YouTube videos called One Man Broadway, in which he plays all of the major characters. Today we're sharing a video that he made singing The Dream from the show, playing the roles of Tevye, Golde, Grandma Tzeitel, and the butcher's departed wife Fruma Sarah.

Enjoy!

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Tumbalalaika Around the World - Italian Singer Stefania Miele Adds Her Version to the Collection

The Yiddish folk love song Tumbalalaika originated in Eastern Europe in the 19th century, but its exact origin is hard to pinpoint. 

That hasn't prevented it from being sung and played over and over, not only in places where Yiddish songs are sung, but just about everywhere in the world, in vocal and instrumental versions, in cabarets and in the movies.

Just as we have followed the songs Hava Nagila, Adon Olam, Hevenu Shalom Aleichem, and Abanibi as they took different forms as interpreted by a wide variety of singers, musicians, and dancers, we're continuing the series today that we started back in 2012, bringing you many interpretations of this universal courting and love song.  

This version is sung by Italian singer Stefania Miele, who gives it new form with a videographic montage shot in various Italian locations. It's the tenth version of Tumbalalaika that we've posted, and we don't expect it to be the last.

Enjoy!

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A Joke to Start the Week - "A Yiddish Joke by Sigmund Freud"

It's the first Monday after all the holidays, when we weren't posting Monday jokes because we were in the synagogue. Now that there are no Jewish holidays on the horizon until Chanukah, we're happy to be bringing you jokes to start the week again.

The Yiddish Forward is producing a series of classic Yiddish jokes presented in Yiddish by Leana Jelen, a young Yiddish-speaking sign-language interpreter. This joke was the favorite of none other than Sigmund Freud, the founder of modern psychoanalysis who spent years collecting and studying Jewish jokes. 

While Freud is remembered today as a serious figure it’s clear from this joke that he could also poke fun at both psychiatrists and his fellow Jews.  

If you don't understand Yiddish, watch the English subtitles while Leana tells the joke in Yiddish. Who knows, you might even learn the language!

Enjoy!

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Robin Williams on Jewish Sarcasm and Gentile Humor

In Northwest Iowa, William J. Jackson, a 30-year Purple Heart army veteran and trauma counselor for soldiers, took upon himself the task of founding the "Center for Tanakh-Based Studies." 

He studies and teaches Tanakh, the Jewish Bible, in classes to the local community, as well as hosting Torah study groups. He also conducts an outreach program to a local prison, as a way to deliver Tanakh teachings to the incarcerated.

The center's mission statement says "we only use HaShem’s instructions from Torah/Tanakh to teach and train. We are not affiliated with any sect or denomination of any kind (i.e. Christianity, Judaism, etc. etc.); nor do we teach their beliefs or traditions.If it’s not in YHVH’s written word, we do not teach it."

So, you may be wondering, what does all have to do with Jewish Humor? Well, Jackson has a sense of humor, and he posted a comedy routine by Robin Williams about the birth of Jewish sarcasm and Gentile humor that we're sharing with you today. While we understand that some readers of different faiths may not find it funny, we enjoyed it and hope that you will, too.

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Welcoming Shabbat with the BBYO Singers - With Guitar Chords

Today we're inviting the B'nai B'rith Youth Organization Singers to lead us into another Shabbat with a collection of traditional melodies. 

BBYO Sings presents the Friday night Shabbat rituals. This video includes: Candle Lighting, Shalom Aleichem, Kiddush, Ritual Handwashing, and Hamotzi. You'll also find companion chords for instrumentation if you'd like to play along or lead these rituals for your community!

BBYO Sings features acclaimed BBYO song leaders Eric Hunker, Happie Hoffman, Stephen Brickman, Deb Winter, Josh Cohen and Rachel Wolman.

Enjoy!

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Throwback Thursday Comedy Special: Billy Crystal and Carl Reiner Remember Sid Caesar

Without Sid Caesar, comedy would have been a lot less funny.

In 1949, television was an infant technology. No one knew how long it would last ... or whether it would last at all. 

A 27-year-old Broadway star, along with a team of writers and performers who would become legendary, including Imogene Coca, Nanette Fabray, Mel Brooks, Carl Reiner, Larry Gelbart, Neil Simon, and Woody Allen, revolutionized sketch comedy by telling stories rooted in the human condition. They redefined television sketch comedy, and paved the way for landmark comedy shows like Saturday Night Live.

Sid Caesar – The Works is a just released collection of the best work of Caesar and his teams, beginning with The Admiral Broadway Review, through Your Show Of Shows and Caesar's Hour, and featuring many interviews and extras, including the 2014 Paley Center For Media Tribute with Mel Brooks, Carl Reiner and Billy Crystal.

We just ordered this 5 disc, 11 hour set and look forward to watching it soon. We'll try to share whatever we can from it in the coming weeks and months.


In this clip, Billy Crystal talks about his introduction to Sid Caesar and his unique comedy.

Enjoy!

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#Throwback Thursday   #TBT

Ivanka Trump and Kids Head to Shul on Shemini Atzeret

The news media always pay attention when Ivanka Trump gets dressed for shul, and this week her walk to shul on Shemini Atzeret in the Kalorama section of Washington, D.C. was no exception.

This year they focused on her dress and hat, and the scooters that her three kids were riding. The mispronunciations of the automated text reader are always funny, and especially when trying to pronounce Sukkot and Shemini Atzeret.

Back in 2011 we posted a photo from the London Daily Mail showing Ivanka, Jared, and baby Arabella walking to shul in Manhattan on Sukkot. It's still the most viewed post on Jewish Humor Central. What made the photo an example of Jewish humor was the Daily Mail's description of the scene as Ivanka walking with some flowers that her husband bought for her. Actually he was carrying a lulav in plastic wrapping and an etrog in a cardboard box, just like any Jew going to shul on the holiday. 

Enjoy!

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Welcome to Shemini Atzeret with a Simchat Torah Rap by Rap Daddy D

Our month of holidays concludes this week with Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah -- Monday in Israel and Monday and Tuesday everywhere else. 

We'll be celebrating both days in a New Jersey synagogue and we'll be back with our usual mix of funny stuff and Jewish entertainment on Wednesday.

But we have one more chance to share a holiday video with you and we selected the Simchat Torah Rap by David Nachenberg, who also goes by the name Rap Daddy D. The first half of the song is in Hebrew and the second half is in English.

Enjoy, and Chag Sameach!

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Musical Showcase: Meet Mezumenet - Maryland's Female a Cappella Group

Mezumenet is the University of Maryland's Jewish a cappella group. It was founded in December 2008 by four young women who studied (and sang) in Israel together. When they came to the University of Maryland they wanted to continue to share their passion for singing and Jewish culture.

Their repertoire includes traditional Jewish melodies, current Israeli pop, classic rock, current Broadway hits, and contemporary radio hits, all rounded out with their unique Mezumenet parodies. 

Let us Bench is a parody of Be Our Guest from the animated film Beauty and the Beast. It's about the only thing that's left to do after a long Shabbat lunch -- saying the Grace After Meals (Benching). The lyrics appear below the video.

Enjoy, and Shabbat Shalom!

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Let us bench, let us bench
Let us daven like a mensch
We've been sitting here and talking and we really need a rest
Challah's gone, cholent too
So there's one thing left to do
It's halacha and I don't lie
Don't believe me? Ask the rabbi!

Time is short, I'm in a crunch
After all it's way past lunch
And I've already digested all this food
Go on and take that step
This is no time to schlep
So let us bench
Let us bench
Let us bench

I got here at twelve o'clock
And you never stopped your talk
Gossiping, oh it was fun
Oh have you seen the rabbi's son?
But politics don't thrill me
And I have somewhere to be
I don't mean to be complaining
You're no longer entertaining

We told jokes
Heard your schtick
Now come on, let's be quick
Oh the food was really great, I've no regrets
But drain that kiddush glass
Get up and off your--tuchus!
And let us bench
Let us bench
Let us bench

Life is so unnerving
For a girl who's so observing
And my head just needs a bed to lay upon
Ah, those Shabbos naps when I was little
Suddenly those good old naps are gone

For hours we've been sitting
And for me it's time for quitting
I need exercise, a chance to use my limbs
Today we just sat around the table
Flabby, fat, and lazy
And it's making me go crazy

Let's not bench, let's not bench
It's not something we suggest
You haven't been here all that long
And dear quite frankly you're our guest
So sit down, eat more food
It's not time yet to conclude
'Til the moonlight starts a-glowing
Let us help you, we'll keep going

Course by course
Song by song
We'll stay here 'til day is done
Then Mez can sing you off to sleep as you digest
We know you love to schmooze
(But I've just got to snooze!)
So let's not bench (So let us bench!)
Let's not bench (Let's bench!)
Let's not bench (Miriam, you pulled this last week, I'm not doing it again!)
Please let's not bench (The rabbi's son would be so disappointed!)

Throwback Thursday Comedy Special: George Burns at 93 on the Johnny Carson Show

When George Burns was 93 years old in 1989 he was interviewed by Johnny Carson on his Tonight Show. In the interview Burns reminisced about the many entertainers that he knew and wrote about in his book All My Best Friends, including Al Jolson, Groucho Marx, and Jack Benny.

Burns, who lived to be 100, had Carson laughing as he joked about outliving his doctors and his habit of smoking between 15 and 20 cigars every day.
   
Enjoy!

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#Throwback Thursday    #TBT