Fiddler on the Roof - in Yiddish ! Interview with Star Steven Skybell and Director Joel Grey

We saw the new Folksbiene production of Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish when it first came out last year. Since then we've been talking about it with friends who joined the crowds who trekked down to the tip of Manhattan to see the production that was extended many times.

Now it's moved to an off-Broadway location for an extended run through September 1.

In an interview with Laura Heywood than runs for 30 minutes, Steven Skybell, the actor who plays the lead role of Tevye, and Joel Grey, Oscar and Tony award winning actor and the show's director, sit down in front of a studio audience and tell their personal stories about the show and what it means to them.

It's a somewhat longer video than we usually post, but we think it's worth the time to watch.

Enjoy!

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Hava Nagila Around the World - Russian Singer Alla Reed Sings in Israel

Since we started Jewish Humor Central back in 2009, we've posted 72 versions of Hava Nagila -- arguably the most played Jewish song ever, as performed in so many countries around the world. Some of these renditions have been in Israel, of course, but somehow each one has a different character.

So today we're continuing this tradition with version number 73, just posted on YouTube by a talented Russian singer who also sings in Hebrew and Yiddish.

Alla Reed is a Russian singer, soloist of the Gradsky Hall theater, 1/4 finalist of the Voice-4 show (Channel One), finalist of the international competition New Wave (Jurmala), winner of the world-famous Montreux Jazz Festival ( Montreux, Switzerland), and a resident of the projects "Jazz in Motion" and "Jazz in the House of Cinema".

Alla also sings in Yiddish and Hebrew as part of the Jewish Jazz format, the combination of ethnic melodies and jazz sound gives the songs a special flavor. In 2007 the disc “Two lands” was released, in which this concept was reflected.

Enjoy!

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A Joke to Start the Week - "The Summer from Hell"

Last week was a great week for our South Florida tour. Our sold out 90 minute lecture on The Great Jewish Comedians at Florida Atlantic University had the audience of 540 Jewish humor lovers laughing out loud as they left the auditorium. 

But now it's another Monday and time for another Joke to Start the Week. Today's joke is another one from the Old Jews Telling Jokes collection. The joke teller is Richard Levine, a retired label printer for clinical drug studies and one of the OJTJ veterans.

Here's the setup: A guy meets his friend in the street. He asks "How're you doing?" He says "Don't ask! Did I have a summer with business? July and August were so terrible." And then...

Enjoy!

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Yiddish Music Hall is Alive and Well in Paris

 

The tradition of international popular music standards sung in Yiddish was alive and well in Paris last December with the production Yiddish Music Hall in Farandole.

 

The show featured lively performances of My Way, Tea For Two, Summertime, Fever!, Over the Rainbow, Do Not Leave Me, Blowing in the Wind and Dancing to the End of Love.

The cast included eight singers and singers (Isabelle Georges, Jacinta, Betty Reicher, Michele Tauber, Laurent d'Aumale, Jean Birenbaum, Bursztein David, Lionel Miller), the best of the Yiddish song in Paris, under the musical direction of Fred Manoukian. 

 

Enjoy!

 

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Welcoming Shabbat with Adon Olam - Blowin' in the Wind at Buffalo's Shir Shalom

 

If your synagogue is anything like ours, the Shabbat service ends with Adon Olam.  This is usually led by a prepubescent boy with questionable pitch, key, and general singing ability.

This is good for the kid educationally, and should be encouraged.  Musically, however, it's not always the best way to lift spirits for the rest of Shabbat and the week ahead.

But it's not that way around the world.  Adon Olam has become a staple of many singers, choruses, bands, and other musical troupes, both in synagogue and on the concert stage.

Back in 2010 we started a new series, presenting renditions of Adon Olam from performers worldwide, including traditional and eclectic versions.  Since then we have posted 48 ydifferent versions to provide you with a fun way to start Shabbat.

Today's version was recorded at Congregation Shir Shalom in Buffalo, New York. Led by Rabbi Alex Lazarus-Klein, it's the first merged Reform-Reconstructionist synagogue.

This version of Adon Olam is sung to the folk song Blowin' in the Wind.  

Enjoy! 

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Throwback Thursday Comedy Special - Burns and Allen in "Gracie Tells a Story"

George Burns and Gracie Allen worked together as a successful comedy team that entertained vaudeville, film, radio, and television audiences for over forty years.

The duo met in 1922 and married in 1926. Burns was the straight man and Allen was a silly, addle-headed woman. Their 30-minute radio show debuted in September 1934 as The Adventures of Gracie, whose title changed to The Burns and Allen Show in 1936; the series ran, moving back and forth between NBC and CBS, until May 1950. 

After their radio show's cancellation, Burns and Allen reemerged on television with a popular situation comedy, which ran from 1950 to 1958.

Here's an episode from their show called Gracie Tells a Story.

Enjoy!

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#Throwback  Thursday    # TBT

Jewish Traces in Unexpected Places: Shiloh Choir Sings Hevenu Shalom Aleichem in Indonesia

Hevenu Shalom Aleichem is one of the most widely played and sung Hebrew songs around the world, probably second only to Hava Nagila. We have been sharing versions of this song as performed in India, Guatemala, Australia, Korea, Belarus, and in an Irish pub.

The Shiloh Choir is one of many choirs singing in Indonesia. Last month the Shiloh Choir recorded a version of Hevenu Shalom Aleichem in Parakan, Central Java.

Enjoy!

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Unexpected Traces in Jewish Places: Hassidic Singer Shulem Sings Billy Joel's Piano Man

Growing up in Brooklyn's Boro Park neighborhood, Shulem Lemmer was exposed primarily to the cantorial music preferred by his father as well as his older brother, who's now a synagogue cantor in Manhattan. 

Shulem, who was a featured child soloist in his community, explains, "There are many different kinds and forms of cantorial music. I was hearing a wide variety of styles and approaches which broadened my awareness.”  Opera, particularly Luciano Pavarotti, also became an important influence, along with Michael Jackson that led him to artists such as Billy Joel, Elton John, Stevie Wonder, Andrea Bocelli and Josh Groban.

Today we're sharing Shulem's cover of Billy Joel's classic, Piano Man. It was recorded live on tour at the Manhattan JCC in October 2018, accompanied by leading Broadway musical director, Andy Einhorn.  

Enjoy!

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A Joke to Start the Week - "Zebra in America"

The Los Angeles Jewish Home has been a good source of humor for us over the years. We recently discovered some jokes in their Comedy Corner that they have shared as told by their residents.

Today we're sharing a joke by Jerri Kane. Here's the setup: Two cousins owned farms -- one in South Africa and one in the United States. 

The cousin who lived in South Africa thought he would surprise his cousin who lived in the United States and send him a real cute female zebra. And then...

Enjoy!

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Jerry Seinfeld Tells How to Write a Joke

One of Jerry Seinfeld's popular stand-up comedy jokes is about the invention and marketing of the Pop Tart by the Kellogg company. It took him two years to complete writing the joke.

In an interview posted by The New York Times, Jerry revealed the process that resulted in creation of the joke, and discussed the long time involved from the conception of the joke through multiple rewrites in longhand on a yellow pad.

It's a fascinating insight into the effort involved in crafting a joke that will produce laughs. If you haven't heard the joke, we're posting a clip of its delivery below the interview video.

Enjoy!

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Welcoming Shabbat with Adon Olam by Cantor Azi Schwartz

With another Shabbat rapidly approaching, we're giving it a special welcome with the 48th version of Adon Olam that we've posted on Jewish Humor Central. This one is sung by Cantor Azi Schwartz of New York's Park Avenue Synagogue.

The tune used is Hashem Melech, another popular melody from the liturgy. Enjoy, and Shabbat shalom!

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