Comedy Showcase: Cathy Ladman on Being Too Jewish and Growing Up

Many of our readers have been asking for more stand-up comedy, and today we're happy to oblige. It's been harder and harder to find funny Jewish stand-up comedians who don't depend on vulgarities to get laughs, but they're out there, and we're finding them. Some are newcomers to comedy and some are veterans. Perhaps you've seen Cathy Ladman perform on TV and in live shows, but somehow we missed her until now.

Cathy's comedy focuses on family, growing up, relationships, and real life from a very personal perspective.

Cathy Ladman appeared on The Tonight Show nine times and was also the only female comic to appear on the last two Johnny Carson Tonight Show Anniversary shows. Cathy has had her own HBO One Night Stand comedy special and, in 1992, was awarded the American Comedy Award for Best Female Stand Up Comic. Most recently Cathy was one of the three finalists in Nick at Nite's Funniest Mom in America.

Today we're sharing two video clips. In the first, Cathy talks about being too Jewish. In the second, on Craig Ferguson's show, she explains how exhausting it is to have a six-year-old child and reads her own compositions from when she was nine years old in the fourth grade.

Enjoy!

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Jewish Humor Central Featured on Shalom America Radio Show

Last week, Jewish Humor Central was the subject of an interview on Cleveland's Shalom America Program. Talk show host Phil Fink interviewed Al Kustanowitz, Jewish Humor Central's Blogger-in-Chief, for 15 minutes in a freewheeling discussion about Jewish Humor in its many forms and how it is captured and delivered to readers of the blog.

In the interview, Phil asks Al about Jewish Humor Central, how it came to be, what kinds of Jewish humor he blogs about, and where he gets his material. They also talk and laugh about some of the funniest episodes that have appeared during the two years that the blog has been online.

 

Just click on the orange arrow below to start listening. We hope you enjoy the interview.

 

  Al Kustanowitz Speaks With Phil Fink on "Shalom America" October 30, 2011 by Shalom America 

Jewish Traces in Unexpected Places: A Sefer Torah Arrives in Uganda

Last June we shared the story of the Abudabaya Orthodox Jews of Putti, Uganda. Now we're updating the story with a video of the arrival of a new sefer Torah for the community.

This is a truly amazing, unbelievable but true story about how a 51-year-old Jewish spinal surgeon from Plano, Texas, was successful in getting and delivering a Torah scroll to the Abudabaya community. To get the full impact of the story, you should read the coimplete article from the Dallas Post and Courier, which we link to here.

The Abayudaya community was founded in the 1920s by Ugandan warlord Semei Kakungulu, who rejected the Christian teachings of British missionaries and converted to Judaism.

After circumcising himself and his sons and ordering his male converts to follow suit, Kakungulu compiled a book of rules and prayers for members of his tribe. In it, he demanded strict adherence to commandments in the Old Testament.

Judaism thrived in Uganda, even after Kakungulu’s death in 1928. When Ugandan dictator Idi Amin came to power in 1971, he outlawed Judaism and threatened to execute anyone who practiced the religion. The decree fractured the Abayudaya and forced its most loyal adherents underground.

Freedom of religious practice was reinstated after Amin was deposed in 1979. About 1,500 Abayudaya Jews live in villages in eastern Uganda today.

Now that you know the story, watch and enjoy the video of the joyous celebration in Putti when the Torah was delivered by Dr. Lieberman.

Shabbat Shalom.

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(A tip of the kippah to Sheila Zucker for bringing this story to our attention.)

What's a Show Stopper in Paraguay? Hava Nagila, of Course

Just when we thought we were running out of countries that give their unique styling to Hava Nagila, along comes a new one -- Paraguay.

We don't know what motivated the quartet of Paraguayan musicans that calls themselves Los Paranas del Paraguay to end their concert at a club in San Antonio, Texas with a rousing performance of Hava Nagila, but that's exactly what they did. 

We've seen this phenomenon all over the world and we've shared many of the videos with you. And still they keep coming. There's just something about Hava Nagila that gets to every nationality and every culture. Its global popularity would probably have been a big surprise to Abraham Zvi Idelsohn, who composed the song based on a Ukrainian folk dance in 1918 to celebrate the British victory in Palestine during World War I as well as the Balfour Declaration.

Enjoy!

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"Blaming Israel" - A Funny Approach to Telling the Truth About the Middle East

Ari Abramowitz and Jeremy Gimpel, soldier and commander in the IDF reserves, are the founders of a website called TheLandofIsrael.com and the creators and hosts of the TV program Tuesday Night Live in Jerusalem.

Their mission is to shift global consciousness by inspiring and educating people from all backgrounds about the truth and beauty of Israel and empowering them to rally grassroots support for the Jewish State.

With dynamic interviews, hilarious segments, and the best of Israel’s music scene, Tuesday Night Live in Jerusalem offers viewers an opportunity to experience the Israel they won’t see anywhere else on TV and the chance to plug into the heart and soul of Jerusalem every Tuesday Night.

Ari and Jeremy have just released a new video that, using a light touch, and likening the blaming of Israel for the lack of peace in the Middle East to blaming Smokey the Bear for creating forest fires, gets the facts right and makes you wonder why they aren't universally understood.

Enjoy the video and share it!

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Misirlou - A Greek Song of Forbidden Love, Popular at Jewish Weddings. But Sung by Chubby Checker?

We can't recall a Jewish wedding or a shul dinner that we've been to over the years that didn't include a roomful of women rushing to the dance floor to join in the circle dance called Misirlou (or Miserlou).

So when we heard of a new CD that includes a version with words in English and Spanish sung by Chubby Checker (remember The Twist?) we decided to take a closer look at the song and its origins.

It turns out that Misirlou is a Greek song about forbidden love, originating with Greek refugees from Turkey at the end of World War I. Misirlou translates as Eqyptian Girl. However, the Greek word Misirlou refers specifically to a Muslim Egyptian woman, thus this song refers to a cross-faith, cross-race relationship, a risqué subject at the time. 

This song has had a long history of being adopted by various styles of music from klezmer to surf-rock. The instrumental group Shalom Salaam is continuing that tradition by singing it in Hebrew and English. In the video below, they perform it together with Miranda, a talented dancer. It's safe to say you're unlikely to see this performance at a shul dinner.

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But what about Chubby Checker? His version appears on a new CD called Kosher Nostra: Jewish Gangsters' Greatest Hits (No, we're not making this up, and Purim is four months away!). This album, produced by Oz Almog and Shantel, includes Jewish songs that were popular in the heyday of Jewish gangsters like Meyer Lansky and Bugsy Siegel; songs such as The Anniversary Song by Connie Francis, Bei Mir Bist Du Sheyn by the Andrews Sisters, and, yes, Misirlou by Chubby Checker. Check out the Checker version in the video below, and share the origin of this song the next time you get up to dance at that wedding. Enjoy!

How Chamin (Portuguese Cholent) Came to Philadelphia

Just as Colonial Williamsburg brings 18th century Virginia to life with costumed interpreters telling their stories in a living history museum, there's a historic 18th century house in Philadelphia. Called Stenton and located not far from the National Museum of American Jewish History, it is one of the earliest, best-preserved and most believable historic houses in Philadelphia. Its distinguished Georgian architecture, its outstanding collection, and its superb documentation combine to create one of the most authentic house museums in the region.

Stenton is a house of learning, past and present. The learning continues today as the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania work to “preserve and maintain Stenton as an historic object lesson.” Through tours, educational programs and special events, Stenton continues gives visitors a sense of what life was like in the 18th Century.

Dressed in the clothing of an 18th century Jewish Philadelphia settler at Stenton, Ronit Treatman explains how these Jews from Recife, Brazil, having escaped the Inquisition in Portugal and settling in New York and Philadelphia, brought with them their Shabbat stew, which they called chamin (and which later arriving Eastern European Jews called cholent.) She shows the ingredients and tells how they used to prepare it in colonial times.

Enjoy!

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Do you want to replicate a colonial Shabbat meal? Here's the recipe.

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 large onions, chopped 

4 to 6 garlic cloves 

2 cans (15 ounces each) chickpeas, rinsed and drained 

2 beef bones with marrow 

3 pounds brisket or chuck roast, cut into 4 pieces 

3 pounds small potatoes 

1 tablespoon paprika 

2 teaspoons ground cumin 

1 teaspoon allspice 

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 

1/2 to 1 teaspoon ground turmeric 

Pinch of saffron threads, crumbled 

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley 

Salt 

Freshly ground pepper 

4 to 6 large eggs

1. Preheat oven to 225 degrees F
2. In a large pot, heat the oil and sauté the onions and garlic until soft and translucent. Add the chickpeas, bones, meat, potatoes, honey, paprika, cumin, allspice, cinnamon, turmeric, saffron, parsley, and salt and pepper to taste. Add enough water to cover, place the unshelled eggs in the center, and bring to a boil.
3. Reduce the heat to medium low, and simmer for 1 hour. Skim off the foam occasionally.
4. Cover the pot tightly, place in the oven, and cook overnight, or cook on low on the stove for 5 to 6 hours, or until meat is tender and done.
5. In the morning, after cooking all night, check the water level. If there is too much water, turn the oven up to 250°F or 300°F, cover, and continue cooking. [If cooking over Shabbat, traditionally observant Jews would refrain from changing the heat level, for doing so would run counter to Sabbath laws against manipulating flame and cooking.] If there is no water, add another cup, cover, and continue cooking.
6. To serve, place the chickpeas and cooking liquid in one bowl, and the eggs, potatoes, and meat in separate bowls.

The Art of Storytelling: Grandma Goes Shopping

With the explosion of hi-tech entertainment choices, full of action, color, and ever higher levels of sound, you might think that the traditional art of storytelling is now just a part of history. But Story Circle at Proctors in Schenectady, New York, one of the first resident storytelling companies at a US performing arts center, is bringing its performances to a wider audience by creating a YouTube channel where its stories can be heard by anyone, not just those who happen to be in Schenectady.

Storytelling groups and festivals are popping up all over the country, with stories usually relating to life in the immediate area. Jewish stories are not in the majority, but some of the stories have a distinct Jewish flavor. Story Circle at Proctors does have a few stories that bring back memories of Jewish life in the early 20th century and one of the story tellers is working on creating original stories that are a fusion of life in the Adirondack mountains and life in the Jewish shtetl of Chelm.

Today we're sharing a story by Frank Wind, who recently moved to the Capital District of New York (Albany, Schenectady, and Troy.) Frank retired from a major oil company after 21 years of telling stories to management. He now enjoys writing and telling solo and tandem stories to audiences of all ages. 

The story, Grandma Goes Shopping, is a warm recollection of how his grandmother, newly arrived from the old country, managed to use her limited English to bargain with Kaplan's Kosher Meats, the Four Star Bakery,and "Tiffany's," the produce stand that got its name from what they charged for their fruits and vegetables.

Enjoy!

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Redeeming a Firstborn Donkey - Pidyon Petter Chamor Comes to Cleveland

An obscure religious ceremony is becoming less obscure. First in Melbourne, then the Catskills, and now in Cleveland. We hadn't heard about the mitzvah of redeeming a firstborn male donkey with a sheep until a story about a non-Zionist chassidic sect called Adass Yisroel appeared in the Australian press two years ago. 

We posted the video in October 2009 and a year later we posted a similar story about another redemption ceremony by the Sanz-Klausenberg sect in their Catskills retreat.

Earlier this month the rare ceremony was performed again, at an assembly at the Mosdos Ohr Hatorah boys' school in Cleveland Heights, Ohio. The event was attended by 1,200 people, including dozens of Rabbonim.

Similar to the Pidyon haBen ceremony of the redemption of the first-born male child, this ritual involves buying the first-born male donkey back from a Kohen in exchange for a sheep rather than money.

What's making this almost forgotten mitzvah popular again? Probably a surge in interest among the very devout to perform, where possible, every one of the 613 mitzvot listed in the Torah.The source for the redemption is Exodus 13:13, which lists the obligation to redeem a donkey before the obligation to redeem a son.

This particular mitzvah has not been so easy to fulfill. As the rabbi in Melbourne said, "it's difficult to find a Jewish donkey." and "even though it’s not a kosher animal, the donkey has special significance because when the Jews went out of Egypt, the donkeys carried lots of loads.”

Enjoy!

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Jewish Traces in Unexpected Places: Hevenu Shalom Aleichem in Busan, South Korea

Among the over 600 blog posts that we've shared during the past two years have been some expressions of Jewish life and culture in places where you wouldn't expect it. From now on when we encounter one of these, we'll post it under a new category: Jewish Traces in Unexpected Places.

Today's post is one of these -- a choir in the city of Busan, South Korea made what we would consider an unusual choice for a musical piece to perform -- Hevenu Shalom Aleichem.

Checking with Wikipedia, we found that Jewish Life in Korea was almost nonexistent until American Jewish soldiers arrived with the start of the Korean war.

As Wikipedia puts it,

The first sizable Jewish presence in Korea was during the Korean War, when hundreds of Jewish soldiers participated in the American-led effort to repel a communist attempt to control the whole peninsula. Among the participants was Chaim Potok, who served as a chaplain. His experiences in Korea led to the book, The Book of Lights and I am the Clay.

Most of the Jewish community in South Korea resides in Seoul. The community is mostly U.S. military personnel and their families, business people, English-language journalists and teachers, and tourists. The Jewish population is constantly in flux, due to the rotation of U.S. military personnel in the country. While the soldiers have a Jewish chaplain at the Yongsan Army Base, their services are restricted and off-limits to most civilians. At this time, there are no Jewish schools, but a Chabad Rabbi has arrived in Seoul in Passover 2008.

Israel has full diplomatic relations with South Korea, and the sizable Christian population in the country also keeps ties strong between the countries. In August 2005, the Jerusalem Summit promoting Christian support for Israel was held in Seoul. In contrast, neighboring North Korea has no known Jews within its borders, and is openly hostile towards Israel, and currently forbids Israeli tourists and visitors, however Jews of other nationalities (except American) are not banned to enter.

In April 2008, the first Chabad House was established in Seoul under direction of Rabbi Osher Litzman, accompanied by his wife, Mussia Litzman. As there were no synagogues in the country, Jews in Korea would have to go to the U.S. Army base for Shabbat meals and holiday services. Chabad.org news service reported that the Israeli ambassador to South Korea asked three visiting Lubavitch yeshiva students to help arrange for permanent Chabad emissaries. This marks a monumental and welcomed change in South Korea's Jewish history.

We couldn't find any Jewish reference to Busan, where the concert was held. But the choir did a good job with the traditional Hebrew song of welcome. Enjoy!

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Jewish-Muslim Comedy Film "The Infidel" is Coming to NBC as a Sitcom Series

Last year we blogged about a funny film called The Infidel, written by David Baddiel, a Pakistani Jew, and which starred Iranian Baha'i standup comic Omid Djalili and West Wing veteran Richard Schiff. Now it appears that NBC is developing a sitcom series based on the film.

The Infidel sets up the improbable scenario of a Muslim taxi driver who discovers he was adopted and is actually Jewish.  As you can imagine, many funny situations develop as the film explores cultural differences and similarities between Jews and Muslims.  The message is that mutual tolerance can be achieved, but the road is sometimes confrontational, hazardous, unpredictable, and in this case, also funny.

As Nellie Andreeva writes in Deadline Hollywood,

For Djalili, headlining his own NBC series projects has been a decade in the making. The network first signed a talent holding deal with Djalili in 2002 following his standout performance at that year’s Edinburgh festival with a stand-up routine that revolved around his Middle Eastern ancestry and what that entails in the post-Sept. 11 world, as well as a self-deprecating look at the collision of his Iranian and Western cultural identities. 

At the time, then-NBC head of casting Marc Hirschfeld described Djalili to me as “the best comic that you don’t know, a character actor who is like a bigger-than-life John Goodman, a big lovable guy.” For Djalili’s starring vehicle at NBC, he and Annabel Knight, his wife and writing partner, came up with the idea of him playing an Iranian professor in New York who ends up helping his brother at his diner. The pilot script was barely finished when the U.S. invaded Iraq. The network told the comedian that America was probably not ready for an Iranian sitcom lead at that particular moment. 

Djalili went on to be cast in Whoopi Goldberg’s short-lived NBC comedy series Whoopi, and earlier this year, he appeared in his second American series, also on NBC, the ill-fated Paul Reiser Show. When I interviewed Djalili in 2003, he was realistic about the challenges his ethnic background presented for a TV career in the U.S. “It’s an uphill battle for me, you know,” said the actor, whose feature credits include the blockbuster The Mummy and Pirates Of The Caribbean franchises. “Like when Mr. Cunningham in Happy Days walks on the set and they go ‘Whoo!’ That’s not gonna happen for a long time.” Eight years later, it may.

In the following video, Baddiel and Djalili talk about the film and their experience in making it.

Enjoy!

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Comedy Showcase: Meet Susanna Brisk, Standup Comic, as Orthodox Mom of 20 Kids

From time to time we like to introduce you to comedians whose work you may not have seen but who we think are funny enough to help start your day off with a smile. Here's a funny bit we found by Susanna Brisk, portraying a frum (very religious) Orthodox woman with nineteen (oops, twenty) children who she's rounding up in the playground.

Susanna Brisk was born Susanna Tsyskin in Estonia in the former Soviet Union, and grew up in Melbourne, Australia. She began writing and performing stand-up comedy at age 17 and by 19 was performing her own material live on Australian television. Her early material was about her experiences as a model.

After appearances on every Australian television network, and three solo shows, Brisk moved to New York at age twenty-three. She became a regular on the New York stand-up circuit, and wrote and performed “JAP- Jewish Australian Princess” which ran at the duplex theatre in Greenwich Village. In the show she played seventeen different characters and a Rachmaninoff concert piano piece and toured to Melbourne, Sydney, and Los Angeles.

She wrote and starred in a comedy production called Mamafied, in which she plays many different types of mothers. We hope you'll like the orthodox mother she plays in this clip. 

Enjoy! 

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Funny Israeli Videos: The Price of a Parking Space

Back in December 2009, in one of our first blog posts, we ran an old joke about how an Israeli, desperate for a parking space, tried to bargain with God for one. Today we found a video version of the same situation and thought you'd like to see it as you start the work week, maybe looking for a parking space yourself.

The conversation, which we see as one-way, is in Hebrew, so we'll offer a loose translation of what the driver says to God after opening the sun roof on his car and looking heavenward.

Praying for a parking space, he says "Good morning, our father in heaven. All I want is a parking space. If you give it to me, I will put on tefillin and tzizit, keep kosher, observe Shabbat, and become a baal teshuvah, the whole package." Just then a parking spot becomes available. The Israeli turns to God and says “never mind, I can take care of this myself.” 

Enjoy! 

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Relatively Speaking - Trio of Comedies About Jewish Families Opens on Broadway

While we were celebrating Sukkot on Thursday, Relatively Speaking, a trio of one-act comedies about mothers and daughters, husbands and wives, parents and children, mostly Jewish, opened at the Brooks Atkinson Theater on Broadway. 

Charles Isherwood, of the New York Times, called the play "a reasonably savory tasting platter of comedies."

Although the reviews from major publications were mixed, this production looks like it would be a worthwhile evening spent in the New York Theater district, especially at the reduced prices offered by Theatermania, Playbill, Broadway Box, and other online ticket brokers.

The comedies, written by Ethan Coen, Elaine May, and Woody Allen, and directed by John Turturro, explore the outrageous reality of relatives.

Reviewing the play in Friday's New York Times, Isherwood writes:

Few family members are spared in this enjoyable if lightweight diversion, loosely assembled around the idea that our nearest and dearest can do us wrong in infinitely inventive ways. Husbands and wives, aunts and uncles, stepfathers and even unofficial family members like the rabbi and the therapist take plenty of hits too.

Old-fashioned boulevard comedy — bright, easygoing fare that doesn’t require the deciphering of plummy or crummy British accents — has more or less evaporated from the Broadway marketplace since the heyday of Neil Simon. “Relatively Speaking” brings back this once-popular genre in manageable bite-size portions, provided by starry showbiz names who sometimes seem to be channeling Mr. Simon’s gag-driven style.

These plays are not going to do anything much in the way of reputation burnishing for their three celebrated authors — and certainly none is required — but they are packed with nifty zingers and have been directed by John Turturro with a boisterous flair for socking home the borscht-belt humor.

Meet the 15 talented veteran actors and comedians, including Marlo Thomas, Steve Guttenberg, Julie Kavner, and Richard Libertini, as they talk about their interaction in this show at a press event at Sardi's restaurant in the video below. Enjoy!

Standup Comedy with Zalman Velvel and Rabbi Shmoyle

Stu Silver, a real estate broker and author of books on investing in mobile homes and mobile home parks, is using his Hebrew name, Zalman Velvel, to host a series of standup comedy routines. The videos, titled Laugh and Learn with Rabbi Shmoyle and Uncle Zally, feature standup comedian David Sayh as the white bearded rabbi, "one of the great mohels of our generation," being interviewed by Silver in his Zalman Velvel persona.

Watching the video, we have to believe that this duo was inspired by Mel Brooks and Carl Reiner doing their 2000 Year-old-man shtick.

Today we'll share with you the first video of this series, and we'll include some of the others over the next few weeks as part of our eclectic humor mix.

On one of his websites, Silver explains how his family name went from Yussalovich to Silver. It's a story that many of us whose ancestors passed through Ellis Island can relate to.

The Velvel comes from my Great Grandfather. He was born in Russia, and was an orthodox Rabbi. We’re pretty sure he was Hasidic, because he had a long beard, wore dark clothes, and smiled a lot, even when he wasn’t drinking Vodka. Velvel left Russia 100 years ago because his family was getting too much education. By day, he pounded wisdom into his children’s heads. By night, the Cossacks did the same thing, only with clubs. So Velvel traveled to America with his three sons and wife.

At Ellis Island, under the shadow of the Statue of Liberty, the Immigration official asked my great Grampa his last name. "Yussalovitch," Velvel replied. "Sounds like Silver," the official concluded. The man next to him, Rushevsky, became Diamond. Poppavitch became Goldberg. The logic? Who knows?

Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah, the last of the September-October holidays, begin tonight, so we will not be posting again until Sunday. Until then, enjoy this bit of humor!

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Ivanka Trump Goes to Shul on Sukkot and the Media Doesn't Get It

Newspapers in the U.S. and in London have been running articles and photos this week of Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner pushing their baby daughter in a carriage (or pram). The media's interpretation of the photo is that of a celebrity launching a new hat style and her husband carrying flowers that he bought for her.

It doesn't take much for anyone familiar with the Sukkot holiday to see that she's wearing a hat because that's what Orthodox Jewish women do when they go to shul and what Kushner is carrying is a lulav, wrapped in the cheap plastic bag that it comes in.

Rabbi Jason Miller, a writer for Jewish and internet sites and blogger at RabbiJason.com, points out the cluelessness of the media with this situation. In his current blog post, Miller comments on two funny aspects of this celebrity sighting:

First is the fact that the well-to-do couple wouldn't be using a fancy etrog holder. As Kushner was pushing their baby daughter Arabella Rose on the second day of Sukkot, he was also carrying a lulav and etrog. One would think that Donald Trump's daughter and son-in-law would have a nice silver etrog carrying case, but it appears that the Kushner-Trump couple is sporting the simple cardboard box etrog carrying case along with the plastic bag the lulav comes in.

The second funny thing is that the Daily Mail first published this photo over the weekend in its online edition explaining that "Jared, wearing a casual black jacket, pushed little Arabella Rose's pram along the streets on their way to lunch. He also held some flowers in one hand - perhaps a gift for his wife." I suppose you could combine a palm branch with some myrtle and willow branches to form a bouquet of sorts, but I don't think it's a popular gift for ones wife.

There was no word on where the couple was headed for yuntif lunch or if they had their own sukkah outside of their Manhattan home.

Miller's blog post got us thinking...how about a new reality show -- Sukkahs of the Rich and Famous?  Are there any show producers reading this post?

A Slice of Sukkot Standup Comedy From Joel Chasnoff

We've brought you some standup comedy from Joel Chasnoff before, and here he is again with a quick take on the holiday that we're celebrating this week.

In the video below, Chasnoff tries to explain Sukkot and its customs to non-Jews, specifically our practice of going outside in all kinds of weather and handling the etrog, or as he calls it, a lemon with a nipple on it. Enjoy!

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Sukkot: A Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On

We're right in the middle of the holiday of Sukkot, and all over the world, from the first day of the holiday last Thursday, there's been a whole lot of shaking going on. Anyone who paid the price of a set of arba minim (four species - the lulav-palm branch, etrog-citron fruit, myrtle branches and willow branches) had multiple opportunities during the synagogue services to hold them in a bundle and shake them in all directions to fulfill the mitzvah that's unique to this holiday.

Others have taken the shaking a step further. Bar-Cohn Productions, a fun-loving musical group in Israel created a music video filled with lots of lulav shaking set to the Beatles' song Twist and Shout. 

(A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO IS NOT VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY.  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 couple of fun-loving Israeli filmmakers got into to the lulav shaking spirit and posted a one minute video that plays off of the week's most popular activity. In the video a sleepy guy awakens in the middle of the night and heads for the refrigerator. What he finds there and how he responds to the instructions on the bottle is a scene that could only happen on Sukkot. Enjoy!

Carlebach Nigun Comes to Life at Beth Am in Los Angeles

Oseh Shalom Bimromov, Hu Yaaseh Shalom Aleinu, V'al Kol Yisrael, V'imru Amen.

May He who makes peace in His high places, make peace upon us and upon all Israel, and let us say amen.

This expression of hope for peace is an important part of every daily and holiday service and has found musical expression in many different forms. 

One of the most popular versions is by Rabbi and folksinger Shlomo Carlebach z''l. This version and another by Michael Ochs have been adapted by the cantor and members of conservative Congregation Beth Am in Los Angeles as the basis for a rousing, upbeat performance that takes to the streets of Los Angeles and the beach at Santa Monica.

Watch as the new cantor of Beth Am, Magda Fishman, and the rabbi, Adam Kligfeld, lead members of the congregation in an ebullient music video that you will find enjoyable and inspiring. 

We think it's a good way to get in the spirit of Sukkot, which starts tonight, and to express our joy at the imminent release of Gilad Shalit. We'll be celebrating Sukkot and Shabbat for the next three days. Jewish Humor Central will return on Sunday. Enjoy!

(A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO IS NOT VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY.  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 Sheila Zucker for bringing this video to our attention.)

Israel Off the Beaten Track: Balabasta Festival in Jerusalem

Today we're starting a series on places and events in Israel that even the most frequent visitors don't know about, and that don't make it into travel brochures or the itineraries of most tour guides.

The Balabasta festival takes place at the Machane Yehuda market on Monday nights in July. The busy market, usually closed at night, comes to life with an eclectic mix of singing, dancing, displays of original art and sculptures, martial arts demonstrations, and the unexpected.

Click on the video below and step into the market for a few minutes to experience the look and feel of this unusual festival.  Enjoy!

(A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO IS NOT VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY.  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.)