Throwback Thursday Comedy Special: Groucho Marx as the Hotel Clerk in "A Night in Casablanca"

In the Marx Brothers film A Night in Casablanca Ronald Kornblow (Groucho Marx) takes over as the manager of a luxurious hotel in Casablanca, in the aftermath of World War II. 

After discovering that both of his predecessors had been murdered, Kornblow begins to fear for his safety -- especially when Nazi Count Pfefferman (Sig Ruman) tries to take over Kornblow's job in a bid to get his hands on valuable items that were stashed in the hotel by the Nazis at the tail end of the war.

In this funny clip from the film, Groucho has his way in dealing with hotel guests. 

Enjoy!

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#Throwback Thursday    #TBT

Comedy Showcase: Orny Adams on The Signs You're Getting Old

 

Orny Adams (Adam Jason Orenstein) delivers a powerful, incisive stand-up routine that vacillates between the relevant and the absurd. Orny attacks what’s wrong with the world and sometimes even what’s wrong with Orny. He’s brutally honest, satirical and his performance is ceaselessly energetic.  

 

We first ran into Orny Adams at the Just For Laughs Festival in Montreal two years ago. Last year we posted a comedy clip of Orny in one of his Showtime specials. Orny has been performing on late night TV shows and other comedy venues, and he's a regular at the Just for Laughs Festival.

Here's an excerpt from one of his recent Just For Laughs Festival performances. In it he busts a texter and then talks about why he's glad he didn't grow up with Facebook and the different things you notice when you get older.

Enjoy!

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Netanyahu Gives Visiting Pompeo a Tour of His Sukkah

On Friday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visited Israel and the home of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In a joint statement they reaffirmed the strong close relationship between the two countries.

At the end of the meeting, Netanyahu and US ambassador David Friedman showed Pompeo the residence’s sukkah, or temporary booth, built for the Sukkot holiday. “Since you’re visiting here on the holiday of Sukkot, we sit in the sukkah during the Feast of Tabernacles. We remember what it was like when we didn’t have a permanent home,” said Netanyahu. 

 “We sit here to have our family meals and visitors sit here in the sukkah.” “When you put the schach on the top, it is supposed to be porous enough so that you can see the stars. One problem is what do you do when it rains? The answer is you go in.” “This is a typical sukkah, and my kids used to draw drawings for it.”

Tonight and Monday we celebrate the holiday of Shemini Atzeret followed by Simchat Torah on Tuesday. We'll be back with more Jewish Humor Central postings on Wednesday.

Chag Sameach! 

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Welcoming Shabbat with Ana B'koach by Merav Brenner and the Hallel Chorus

This week we welcome Shabbat with Ana b'Koach, a liturgical poem from the Kabbalat Shabbat service that appears in the siddur just before Lecha Dodi. It's a Kabbalistic prayer composed by Rav Nehunia Ben Hakannah.

Known as the 42-letter Name of God, Ana b'Koach is a unique formula built of 42 letters written in seven sentences of six words each. Each of the seven sentences correspond to the seven days of the week, seven specific angels, and to a particular heavenly body. The letters that make up Ana beKo'ach are encoded within the first 42 letters of the book of Genesis.

The kabbalists explain that this combination of letters takes us back to the time of Creation, and each time we meditate on a particular sequence, we return to the original uncorrupted energy that built the world. By performing the Ana beKo'ach meditation, we enrich our lives with unadulterated spiritual Light and positive energy.

This version of Ana b'Koach is sung by Hallel, an Israeli women's chorus led by Merav Brenner. The Hebrew text and translation appear below the video.

Enjoy, and Shabbat shalom! 

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Throwback Thursday Comedy Special: Don Rickles at His Audience-Insulting Best

On this Throwback Thursday let's go back to December, 12, 1972 when Don Rickles had fun with a TV audience, walking up the aisle and finding willing and unwilling subjects to poke fun at.

Don Rickles was one of comedy’s most famous funnymen. For over 55 years he appeared in top showrooms and concert halls throughout the world. He was regarded among the world’s top entertainers. Rickles earned the nicknames “The Merchant of Venom” and “Mr. Warmth” (coined affectionately by Johnny Carson) for his style of humor in which he poked fun at people of all ethnicities and walks of life. 

Rickles’ style was never mean-spirited—it was all just part of the act. In reality, most knew him to be quite genial and pleasant. It has been said that being “insulted” by Rickles is like “wearing a badge of honor.” This is classic television comedy, perfect for fans of Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts, The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, The Dean Martin Variety Show, and other great comedy. 

Rickles was one of the last of the great old-school comedians. This vintage segmeint from his 1972 special show him at his original, insulting best!

Enjoy! 

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#Throwback Thursday    #TBT

Origins of Jewish Comedy Explored on PBS by Professor Jeremy Dauber

In a TV interview on the PBS show Metro Focus, host Jack Ford has a conversation with Jeremy Dauber, Columbia professor and author of the book Jewish Comedy: A Serious History.

The interview touches on an analysis of Jewish humor -- its nature, its development, and its vital role throughout Jewish history. Dauber's book contains plenty of jokes to illustrate the rich tradition of Jewish humor.

Dauber explains how humor has sustained the Jewish people, even through the harshest of times. Jewish comedy is not just an American phenomenon -- it goes all the way back to the Bible.

Enjoy!

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Sukkot is Here - Get Ready to Shake Your Lulav with Rebbetzin Tap!

With Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur in the rear view mirror, Sukkot is suddenly here. Starting tonight, we'll be spending lots of time in the Sukkah --eating, drinking, and spending special time with family and friends. Some of us may also be sleeping in the Sukkah, weather permitting.

As we head into a seven day period of saying special blessings while holding the lulav, etrog, myrtle and willow branches together and giving them a good shake, let's get the holiday off to a good start with Rebbetzin Tap and her entourage.

Rebbetzin Tap is Kerry Bar-Cohn, the only female chiropractor in Ramat Beit Shemesh near Jerusalem, where she lives with her husband David and four sons.
 
But that's only her day job. As "Rebbetzin Tap," she produces music and dance DVDs for children, as well as online courses and a plethora of YouTube videos, whose goal is to emphasize the “joy” component in Judaism and in life, and to teach self-esteem and empowerment.

Why Rebbetzin Tap? Because tap dancing is part of all her music videos.
She has a background in stage performance, first as a child, then attending the High School of Performing Arts in New York, and subsequently returning to performance ten years ago after making aliyah.

We'll be taking tomorrow and Tuesday off to celebrate Sukkot, and we'll be back with our usual Jewish Humor Central mix on Wednesday.

Chag Sameach!

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Welcoming Shabbat with Lecha Dodi at a Simon and Garfunkel Shabbat in Georgia

Temple Kol Emeth is a Reform synagogue in Marietta, Georgia. Last month they featured a Simon and Garfunkel Shabbat, where they set most of the traditional Shabbat melodies to tunes made famous by the folk duo.

Today we're posting one of the Kabbalat Shabbat songs, Lecha Dodi, set to the music of Scarborough Fair, and performed by the Ahavat Torah Band, led by Cantor Blake Singer.

Singer has been the Cantorial Soloist for Temple Kol Emeth since 1986. His folk-style music for guitar and voice are used during worship services and lifecycle events. Blake incorporates a balanced blend of music into the worship experience, drawing from a wide variety of music genres that include traditional, Hassidic, camp, folk, country and rock & roll.

Enjoy, and Shabbat shalom!

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Throwback Thursday Comedy Special: Buddy Hackett on the Johnny Carson Show in 1978

We thought that we had run out of Buddy Hackett videos and were pleasantly surprised to find another batch of Buddy's appearances on the Johnny Carson Tonight Show. It's rare to find a Hackett video these days, especially one that's clean.

So go back with us 41 years to 1978 when Buddy made one of his visits to Carson's late night show.

In this episode, Buddy tells stories about an unusual treatment for severe headache pain and his new vegetarian diet.

Enjoy!

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#Throwback Thursday    #TBT

An Amazingly Appetizing Yom Kippur Recipe from London's J-TV

J-TV: The Global Jewish Channel is based in London. It features weekly segments on Jewish wisdom, current affairs and entertainment. 

This year they've cooked up an amazingly appetizing recipe for Yom Kippur. There aren't many recipes for this fast day, but here's one you'll be sure to try.

We'll be attending synagogue services tonight and tomorrow, but we'll be back on Thursday with our usual mix at Jewish Humor Central.

Wishing you an easy and meaningful fast.

G'mar Chatimah Tovah!

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Welcoming Yom Kippur with Avinu Malkeinu by the Budapest Sabbathsong Klezmer Band

Yes, we know it's another Monday, and that usually means it's time for another Joke to Start the Week. But we're in the midst of a month of Jewish holidays that started with Rosh Hashanah and continues with Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah.

So we're holding off with the weekly jokes until the Monday after the holidays, and instead bringing you content that's more appropriate for this month.

Yesterday we posted a beautiful rendition of Hava Nagila by the Budapest-based Sabbathsong Klezmer Band. Today we're posting their version of Avinu Malkeinu as we prepare for Yom Kippur.

Wishing you an easy and meaningful day of prayer and fasting.

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Hava Nagila Around the World - Sabbathsong Klezmer Band in Budapest Concert

One of the joys of posting videos on Jewish Humor Central is discovering new versions of traditional Jewish and Hebrew songs as they are performed around the world, often in unexpected places.

Since we started Jewish Humor Central ten years ago we have posted 80 different versions of Hava Nagila. The song has shown up in many countries, including some unexpected ones (Scroll down the left column on this page and click on "Hava Nagila" in the Keywords list and you'll see what we mean.)

Today we're posting a version of Hava Nagila that was performed at the 2019 New Year's Concert in Budapest, Hungary by the Sabbathsong Klezmer Band.

As Tamas Masa, founder of the group, explains on its website,

Our band started in 1998 at the closing ceremony of Chief Rabbi László Deutsch in a small synagogue in Budapest, where we performed our beloved Israeli songs in gratitude. The chief rabbi then said a prophecy in the book of Isaiah (Isaiah) that "comfort, comfort my people ...", which has been accompanying our actions ever since, is said to be the foundation of our work.

In our repertoire, besides the Eastern European klezmer, Yiddish and Israeli traditional and. modern songs and dances also play an important role. Our aim, beyond a high-level interpretation of the melodies of Judaism, is to return to the spiritual root and source of these songs, the reality of the Bible. That's why we got the slogan: "More than klezmer."

Enjoy!

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Welcoming Shabbat with Adon Olam (Come Back to Sorrrento)

Adon Olam, the song sung at the end of the Shabbat service in most congregations, lends itself to being adaptable to many different melodies.

In this version Rabbi David Rubinfeld sings Adon Olam to the old Italian tune Torna a Surriento (Come Back to Sorrento).

Born in Belgium and educated in the US, the rabbi came to Australia in 1973, initially living in Sydney, then moving to Melbourne, beginning his long association with the Melbourne Hebrew Congregation, often dubbed “Toorak shule”, in the role of a cantor in 1989. 

Enjoy, and Shabbat shalom!

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Throwback Thursday Comedy Special: Don Rickles' Last Interview on Johnny Carson Show

Today's Throwback Thursday Comedy Special takes us back to May 1992 when Don Rickles made an appearance on one of Johnny Carson's last late night shows.

Don had Johnny and Ed McMahon laughing with his observations on marriage and on being selected as one of the ten best dressed men in the world.

Enjoy!

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#Throwback Thursday    #TBT

Jewish Traces in Unexpected Places: A Wild Rosh Hashanah in Uman, Ukraine

Rosh Hashanah in Uman, Ukraine is an event that takes place annually over the Jewish New Year. It attracts over 60,000 people from around the world, from all different religious and non religious backgrounds - all coming together to celebrate Rosh Hashanah together at the resting place of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov. 

As Yossi Katz wrote last year on the Breslov.com website,

Not too long ago, Breslover Chassidim were so ridiculed that they were often compelled to hide their affiliation. When their friends and neighbors would hear that the Chassidim were willing to pay thousands of dollars to travel halfway across the globe to a backward town in the Ukraine for Rosh Hashanah, leaving their wives behind, they would loudly conclude that the Breslovers had lost their minds altogether.

How times have changed. Today upwards of 60,000 Jews, including many prominent rabbis, politicians, intellectuals and celebrities, join the annual pilgrimage to Uman for Rebbe Nachman’s Rosh Hashanah gathering. Many who are not Breslover chassidim come for a once in a lifetime spiritual boost, only to discover that they can’t fathom spending Rosh Hashanah anywhere else. What is the allure of Uman?

To describe Rosh Hashanah in Uman to the unaffiliated is nearly impossible—but I’ll give you a glimpse. Imagine the schlep of a lifetime. You pack your bags with whatever modern amenities you can squeeze in for a weeklong plunge into a country where most people are still living in the eighteenth century. Then you board one (or more) overbooked flights to Kiev filled with ecstatic Chassidim.

You immediately notice that your fellow Jewish travelers seem to have nothing in common. They hail from every conceivable background—young, old, rich, poor, religious, secular, Ashkenazi, Sephardi, and everything else. There is, however, one common denominator—they are all spiritual seekers. While some may be great “ovdei Hashem” and pious Chassidim, others are just simple Yidden whose lives haven’t turned out as planned. They, too, make the trek to Uman, hopeful for a new year and a new lease on life.

After the plane lands, there’s a three-hour shared van ride from Kiev to Uman. You peer through the window at a Ukraine that is a mix of ancient and modern, of horses and buggies alongside Mercedes SUVs, of dilapidated huts leaning on soaring skyscrapers. No doubt the awkward drive to Uman causes one to slowly let go of his day-to-day “norm” and expectations. Personally, I feel transported out of my perceived reality and into something entirely unknown. These feelings are replicated when I arrive in Uman. As I stare at the unremarkable streets and houses, I think, “How in the world am I going to spend an entire week in this place? What am I doing here?” But sure enough, at the end of this year’s voyage, I once again marvel how time flew by so quickly.

Meir Kalmanson has been posting funny Jewish videos on YouTube under the name Meir Kay. An Orthodox Jewish filmmaker from Brooklyn, his aim is to spread "happiness and positivity. In this video from last year's pilgrimage to Uman, Meir Kay gives us an up close and personal view of what it's like to travel to Uman and be among the multitudes celebrating the run-up to Rosh Hashanah in the streets of the ancient city.
 
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Wishing All of Our Readers a Shanah Tovah - Happy New Year 5780

 

Thanks to our thousands of loyal subscribers and casual readers worldwide who have joined us during the year.

We started this blog on October 5, 2009 and it's been going strong with more than 3000 blog entries and more than 3 million page views over the last ten years.  

We appreciate your loyalty and we hope to keep bringing you a daily mix of Jewish humor in all of its forms -- traditional, eclectic, musical, unbelievable but true, and just funny, tempered with touches of nostalgia and Yiddishe nachas. 

5779 has been a great year for us -- a year of wonderful friendship, a year in which our nine books on Jewish humor have been selling on Amazon.com, and in which we performed comedy shows and lectures in Florida, New York, and New Jersey.

We'll be attending services for Rosh Hashanah Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday, and we'll be back posting again on Wednesday.  Here's wishing you Shabbat shalom, and a happy, healthy, joyous, prosperous and funny New Year from our family to yours!

Chasidim Know How to Have Fun in Beit Shemesh

The tish (table) of Rabbi Elimelech Biderman in Beit Shemesh, Israel, was the scene of dancing and singing last June, when one of the chasidim jumped onto the table.

The chasid started wearing a shtreimel, but quickly removed it, revealing a black kippah. He then picked up a traditional brimmed black hat and proceeded to dance, balancing the brim on his nose.

Next, he danced with a bottle on his head and, with only partial success, attempted to fill the almost empty bottle with more liquid from a second bottle. 

Who says chasidim don't know how to have fun?

Enjoy!

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Cantor Shai Abramson Sings Hineni He'ani - A Rosh Hashanah Liturgical Poem

Shai Abramson, Chief Cantor of the Israel Defense Forces, performs with the most prominent cantors and musicians of our generation, and participates in prayer services and in concerts throughout Israel and the world with a variety of musical ensembles

He has presented his cantorial repertoire in Jewish communities and concerts in the U.S. England, Canada, Australia, Italy, France, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Belgium, and more… with the intention of developing and strengthening ties with Jewish communities around the world, and intensifying connections with Israel and with the IDF
 
In this week before Rosh Hashanah, we're sharing a video in which Abramson sings Hineni He'ani, (I am poor in deed), a liturgical poem from the Rosh Hashanah Musaf service composed by Yossele Rosenblatt, accompanied by the Raanana Symphony Orchestra conducted by Ophir Sobol. The Hebrew text appears below the video.

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הִנְנִי הֶעָנִי מִמַּעַשׂ, נִרְעַשׁ וְנִפְחַד מִפַּחַד יוֹשֵׁב תְּהִלּוֹת יִשְׂרָאֵל בָּאתִי לַעֲמֹד וּלְהִתְחַנֵּן לְפָנֶיךָ, עַל עַמְּךָ יִשְׂרָאֵל אֲשֶׁר שְׁלָחוּנִי וְאַף עַל פִּי שֶׁאֵינִי כְדַאי וְהָגוּן לְכַךְ, לָכֵן אֲבַקֵּשׁ מִמְּךָ, אֱלֹהֵי אַבְרָהָם אֱלֹהֵי יִצְחָק וֵאלֹהֵי יַעֲקֹב ה' ה' אֵל רַחוּם וְחַנּוּן אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, שַׁדַּי אָיֹם וְנוֹרָא, הֱיֵה נָא מַצְלִיחַ דַּרְכִּי אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי הוֹלֵךְ וְעוֹמֵד לְבַקֵּשׁ רַחֲמִים עָלַי וְעַל שׁוֹלְחַי וְנָא אַל תַּפְשִׁיעֵם בְּחַטֹּאתַי, וְאַל תְּחַיְּבֵם בַּעֲווֹנוֹתַי, כִּי חוֹטֵא וּפוֹשֵׁעַ אָנִי וְאַל יִכָּלְמוּ בִפְשָׁעַי, וְאַל יֵבוֹשׁוּ בִי, וְאַל אֵבוֹשׁ בָּם וְקַבֵּל תְּפִלָּתִי כִּתְפִלַּת זָקֵן וְרָגִיל, וּפִרְקוֹ נָאֶה וּזְקָנוֹ מְגֻדָּל וְקוֹלוֹ נָעִים, וּמְעוּרָב בְּדַעַת עִם הַבְּרִיּוֹת וְתִגְעַר בְּשָׂטָן לְבַל יַשְׂטִינֵנִי, וִיהִי נָא דִגְלֵנוּ עָלֶיךָ אַהֲבָה, וּפְשָׁעֵינוּ תְּכַסֶּה בְּאַהֲבָה

Here I am, utterly bereft, shuddering and afraid, in fear of the One who sits in judgement of the prayers of Israel.

I have come to stand before You and plead on behalf of Your people, Israel, who have sent me, as unfit and unworthy as I am.

I beseech You, God of Abraham, God of Isaac, God of Jacob, Oh God, God of mercy and grace, God of Israel, Mighty One, exalted and awesome - may this path on which I tread - to stand and beseech mercy for myself, and those who send me - come to success.

Don't let them be punished for my failings, don't hold them guilty for my sins, for I am due punishment for my failings. Let them not be embarrassed by my failings. Let them not be ashamed of me and I won't be ashamed of them. Receive my prayer as a prayer of one wise and decent, of kind ways, great experience, of sweet voice and bound up in the ways of creation. Hold back The Distractor, so he shouldn't distract me. Pour out love towards us. Wipe away our sins in love. And overturn all our woe and pain, the woe and pain of all Israel, into joy and delight, life and peace. Love truth and peace.

Place no stumbling block before my prayer. May it be Your will, God, God of Abraham, God of Isaac and God of Jacob, the great mighty and awesome God, God on high, the One who Is and Will Always Be, may each of the Angels  who receive prayer bring my prayers before the seat of Your glory and spread them before You for the sake of all the just, kind, pure and decent, and for the sake of the glory of Your great and awesome name, for You are the One who hears the prayers of Your people Israel in mercy. Blessed are you the One who hears prayer.

The Curious History of Rosh Hashanah Greeting Cards

It’s almost Rosh Hashanah and that means apples, honey, pomegranates, shofarot (ram’s horns) and... New Years' cards. Given our love of all things digital, that last one is something of a throwback. 

But it might surprise you just how far back in history you have to go to find the origin of this festive tradition. 

Let's go back in time to discover more about the centuries-old tradition of Shana Tova cards, and to see what made the covers of Rosh Hashanah cards for past generations. 

Is it time to put the funny videos and memes aside and bring the physical Rosh Hashanah Card back? 

Any way you express it, now is the time for High Holiday greetings from Jewish Humor Central to all of our readers.  We'll be looking for new ways of wishing you a Happy New Year as we count down the days until Sunday evening, the start of the year 5780.

We hope you enjoy this retrospective of Rosh Hashanah greetings through the years.

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A Joke to Start the Week - "Dallas Haberdashery Store"

We were lucky to discover a collection of more jokes from the talented Toronto joke tellers who put on a performance of Jewish Folks Telling Jokes, a night of comedy to benefit Jewish Family and Child, one of the foremost Jewish service agencies in North America.

We previously posted a few jokes that were told at the event, a Canadian contribution to the world of Jewish humor, probably inspired by the off-Broadway show Old Jews Telling Jokes, still touring around the USA.

We'll be posting some of these jokes on upcoming Mondays. Here's another oldie but goodie, told by Al Fitleberg.

Here's the setup: Chaim and Moishe owned a haberdashery store in downtown Dallas. They were talking and said "You know, it's already 40 years that we're in this business. It's already time we should sell the place, live a little, and go for a trip." And then...

Enjoy!

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Disney Announces its First (Sephardic) Jewish Princess

The Disney organization announced that its first Jewish princess will appear on the Disney Channel in a Chanukah-themed episode of its series Elena of Avalor.

The role of the animated Sephardic princess will be voiced by Jewish actress Jamie-Lynn Sigler, who appeared on The Sopranos as Meadow Soprano.  

As The Times of Israel reported this week,

The princess, still to be named, will appear on the Disney Channel series “Elena of Avalor” in December. The Hanukkah-themed episode will feature a visiting princess who is from a “Latino Jewish kingdom,” the Disney Channel announced. 

The series centers on Princess Elena Castillo Flores, a 16-year-old who saves her kingdom from an evil sorceress. For the past two seasons, the teenager has been learning to govern Avalor. The third season launches in October. 

In the video below Cheddar TV's Kim Murstein and Azia Celestino discuss Disney's move to expand representation and become more inclusive. 

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Welcoming Shabbat with Beit T'shuvah Congregation and Shalom Aleichem a la Frank Sinatra

Beit T'shuvah in Los Angeles calls itself "a Congregation Like No Other" and certainly organizes Kabbalat Shabbat services like no other congregation.

Over the years we have posted some of their liturgical selections set to tunes of the Beatles and Country and Western stars. They specialize in Shabbat services of other popular culture genres as well.

Last July they conducted a service with most of the tefilot set to songs made famous by Frank Sinatra. Would you believe Fly Me to the Moon as Shalom Aleichem?

Enjoy, and Shabbat shalom!

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