A Joke to Start the Week - "A Difficult Eulogy"

It's another Monday, and time for another Joke to Start the week. Here's another one from author and lecturer Michael Krasny.

Krasny has been telling Jewish jokes since his bar mitzvah, and it’s been said that he knows more of them than anyone on the planet. He certainly states his case in his latest book Let There be Laughter.

In promoting the book, Krasny has been giving lectures and interviews in which he tells some of the classic Jewish jokes, explaining the cultural expressions and anxieties behind the laughs.

We found some videos of these lectures, and today we're sharing another oldie but goodie.

Here's the setup: A guy goes to a rabbi and says "As you know, Rabbi, my brother died. And you're going to be doing the funeral, aren't you?" And the rabbi says "Yes, I am." And then...

Enjoy!

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Yiddish Word of the Day: Greetings and Counter-Greetings

As people continue to spend their days and evenings at home, due to coronavirus social distancing restrictions, the Forverts has launched a daily series of short informal video clips called Yiddish Word of the Day.

The series, written and narrated by Forverts editor Rukhl Schaechter, aims to give non-Yiddish speakers an introduction to familiar Yiddish words and phrases and how they might be used in everyday situations. 

Schaechter, who was appointed the new editor of the Forverts in 2016, is the first woman to helm the paper in its 119-year history, its first editor to have been born in the United States, and likely its first editor who is shomeret Shabbat.

We posted the first of this series in May. Now that the Forverts is continuing the series, we'll be sharing some of the words and phrases as a regular feature of Jewish Humor Central.
Today's phrases are very useful greetings and counter-greetings for every day and for special occasions.
 
Enjoy!

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Welcoming Shabbat with Adon Olam by the Temple Emanu-El Choir of Toronto

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 59 different versions to provide you with a lively way to start Shabbat.

Our 60th version today, by Cantorial Soloist and Choir Director Judy Adelman Gershon, is sung by the Temple Emanu-El Choir of Toronto, Canada.
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Temple Emanu-El is a vibrant, progressive, Reform community committed to Jewish renewal at home, in the synagogue and in the wider Jewish universe. 

This is their first virtual choir performance.

Enjoy, and Shabbat shalom!

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Throwback Thursday Comedy Special: Eddie Cantor's 1951 One-Man Show

It's another Throwback Thursday and we're turning the clock back 69 years to 1951 when Eddie Cantor put on a one-man show featuring comedy, song and dance.

Cantor, born Isidore Itzkowitz (1892–1964) was an American "illustrated song" performer, comedian, dancer, singer, actor, and songwriter. Familiar to Broadway, radio, movie, and early television audiences, this "Apostle of Pep" was regarded almost as a family member by millions because his top-rated radio shows revealed intimate stories and amusing anecdotes about his wife Ida and five daughters. 

Some of his hits include "Makin' Whoopee," "Ida (Sweet as Apple Cider)," "If You Knew Susie," "Ma! He's Makin' Eyes at Me," “Mandy,” "My Baby Just Cares for Me,” "Margie," and "How Ya Gonna Keep 'em Down on the Farm (After They've Seen Paree)?" He also wrote a few songs, including "Merrily We Roll Along", the Merrie Melodies Warner Bros. cartoon theme.

His eye-rolling song-and-dance routines eventually led to his nickname, "Banjo Eyes." In 1933, artist Frederick J. Garner caricatured Cantor with large round eyes resembling the drum-like pot of a banjo. Cantor's eyes became his trademark, often exaggerated in illustrations, and leading to his appearance on Broadway in the musical Banjo Eyes (1941).
His charity and humanitarian work was extensive, and he helped to develop the March of Dimes (and is credited with coining its name). He was awarded an honorary Oscar in 1956 for distinguished service to the film industry.

In this one-man show, Cantor sings Ballin' the Jack, Josephine Please No Lean on the Bell, several improvised songs, and tells stories about John Barrymore, Orson Welles,and Jimmy Durante. 

Enjoy!

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#Throwback Thursday     #TBT

Jewish Traces in Unexpected Places: Mayim Mayim - The Israeli Folk Song/Dance That All Japanese Know

The popular Israeli folk song Mayim Mayim (i.e. 'Water, Water' in Hebrew), whose lyrics are based on a biblical promise for salvation, is now the well-known tune accompanying countless Japanese video games. Now that's a Jewish trace in a very unexpected place. 

As Gabriela Gaselowitz wrote in Tablet, 

Everyone in Japan knows Mayim Mayim.

How did this happen? It began in the post-WWII occupation of Japan, led by General Douglas MacArthur. As part of the (admittedly somewhat forced) cultural exchange, the United States decided to teach the youth in Asia folk dances.

They enlisted the aid of Rickey Holden, a prominent square and folk dance-caller, scholar, and educator.Holden does not appear to be Jewish, but he did visit Israel to study folk dance. That’s most likely where he learned Mayim Mayim. Over the course of 1957 and 1958, he went on a world tour that included Japan and Taipei.

It’s not clear if he’s solely responsible for teaching the dance in Japan, but in Taiwan it’s closely associated with him. (In fact, Israeli dance in general is popular in Taiwan, but it was Mayim Mayim that started it all.)

Here's a video of the original Israeli song in a film clip from 1959 followed by an example of its use in the opening sequence of a Japanese children's show.

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 Henry Goldberg for bringing this video to my attention.)