9 Reasons to Learn Yiddish

Lindsay Williams lives in the UK and loves languages. She loves them so much that she's been producing YouTube videos for the last four years, giving nine reasons to learn just about every language from Arabic to Latvian to Yiddish. 

Well, the Yiddish video was posted only a few weeks ago, but we're glad that she included it in the series.

Lindsay teamed up with Moshe Sherizen, author of the book The Easy-Shmeezy Guide to Yiddish, and came up with nine reasons to speak Yiddish. And she manages to do reasonably well with pronouncing the numbers from one to nine.

Enjoy!

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A Joke to Start the Week - "The Seance"

It's the first Monday after Pesach. We hope you all had a happy, uplifting and meaningful Passover. And now it's time to go back to work and back to school. And of course it's time for another joke to start the week.

Here's the setup: For months, Marlene had been nagging her husband Sheldon to go with her to the seance parlor of Madame Zelda. "Sheldon, Madame Zelda is a real gypsy and she brings the voices of the dead from the other world so we can all talk to them." And then...

Enjoy!

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Pitching an Israel Honeymoon to Prince Harry and Meghan

Britain's Prince Harry is set to tie the knot with US actress Meghan Markle at Windsor Castle on May 19. It's been confirmed that the wedding will take place at St. George's Chapel in an hour-long ceremony which will be beamed across the world.

While we're pretty much up to speed on the events of the day in question, there's one thing we're all still in the dark about -- the couple's honeymoon destination.

CNN and other media outlets have been speculating that the couple will honeymoon in Namibia, Botswana, Tahiti, or Las Vegas. But Yuval Haklai, an Israeli stand-up comedian, has been touting Israel as their destination of choice. 

And why not? With its view from the Ramon Crater, 300 wineries, football (soccer), lots of food, parties, and the beaches, Israel makes a wonderful location for a honeymoon.

Will the royal couple take his advice and that of President Reuven Rivlin? We'll know soon enough.

Here's Yuval Haklai's sales pitch for an Israeli honeymoon.

Enjoy!

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16 Choirs Sing Oseh Shalom to Start the Israel 70th Birthday Countdown

Tomorrow and Shabbat are the last two days of Pesach this year in the diaspora, and tomorrow is the seventh and last day in Israel. 

There's not as much singing on these days as there is at the beginning of Pesach, but Jewish choral groups around the world have been busy preparing for a major event that starts in 13 days -- Israel's 70th birthday celebration.

Richard Shavei Tzion, the South Africa-born director of the Ramatayim Men's Choir in Jerusalem, came up with the idea of getting 16 Jewish choral groups from 12 countries to sing Roman Grinberg's version of Oseh Shalom in unison.

This video brings the choirs together for a rousing rendition of the song that we hope you'll enjoy as we finish off the last of the matzot. We'll be celebrating the end of Pesach through Shabbat and we'll be back with more of our usual mix at Jewish Humor Central on Sunday.

Chag sameach and Shabbat shalom!

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Project Seventy Will Bring 70 Unusual Videos to Celebrate Israel's 70th Birthday

As Israelis get ready to approach the state’s 70th birthday, many people are celebrating. Israel has existed for thousands of years. Due to Israelis returning to their homes and land in modern times, people have good reason to celebrate. A lot has happened in the past seventy years. 

Australian  globetrotter and energetic personality Joseph Waks moved to Miami via Europe and set out to travel more and more in Israel. Somewhere along the way this project began out of just pure love for the adventures, the people, the land, nature, and creativity of the Israeli people.

We'll be following Joseph's videos for Project Seventy as he travels throughout Israel and posts videos of his adventures in out of the way places. Between now and Israel's 70th birthday we'll pick some of the best and share them with you. Here is a taste of what you'll be seeing.

Enjoy!

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Pesach Traces in Unexpected Places: What Would We Do With Kneidlach (Matzo Balls) Without Pesach in Argentina?

The Seder (Sedarim) may be over, but Pesach and its unique foods are still with us for another week or so, and we haven't run out of new Passover music videos. 

Pesach foods are anticipated and are made the subjects of songs all over the world. And so it is in Argentina, where the Halevay choir of the Centro Union Israelita posed the musical question "If we don't have Pesach, then what do we do with the kneidlach (matzo balls)?" sung to the Donna Summer song Hot Stuff. 

Enjoy!

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A Joke to Start the Week - "Driving the Family Car"

Here we are in the middle of Passover week with the seder (or sedarim) behind us. We hope the family gatherings were delicious and filled with meaningful insights. We also hope that some jokes made their way into the long night of recitations.

It's time for another joke to start off another week. Here's the setup: 17-year-old Shlomo has just got his driver's license and asks his father Mendel when he can start to drive the family car. And then...

Enjoy!

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Welcoming Shabbat and Pesach with Ma Nishtana by Gad Elbaz & Family

Why is this Friday night different from all other Friday nights? Because we are welcoming not only Shabbat, but also seven (in Israel) or eight (everywhere else) days of Passover.  Tonight the traditional melodies of Shabbat are eclipsed by the special melodies of Pesach. 

So instead of sharing another version of Shalom Aleichem or Yedid Nefesh, we're posting a beautiful version of Ma Nishtana by Gad Elbaz and his family.

Elbaz is an Israeli superstar who is currently one of the most recognized names in Jewish music worldwide. With millions of hits on his YouTube music videos, Gad is one of the top recording artists, whose songs are played and covered around the globe. Through his soulful and contemporary sound, Gad has brought Jewish music to a new level, and continues to serve as a role model to his many fans.

We won't be posting on Sunday because we'll be observing the first two days of Pesach here in the USA. We'll be back on Monday with another Joke to Start the Week.

Shabbat shalom and Chag Kasher v'Sameach!
 
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Pesach Traces in Unexpected Places: Echad Mi Yodea by Batsheva Dance Company in Ferrara, Italy

Modern dance or strip Haggadah? Three years ago we posted a modern dance version of Echad Mi Yodea, one of the songs at the end of the Pesach seder.  Choreographed by Ohad Naharin, artistic director of Israel's Batsheva Dance Company, it includes all 13 verses of the song. 

This week we found a video of the same modern dance as performed in 2014 on World Dance Day in the municipal square in Ferrara, Italy. It starts about 2 minutes into the video, preceded by a short version of Ani Maamin. 

We don't know quite what to say about the performance, except that we wonder what would have occurred if there happened to be a 14th verse.

Enjoy!

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Blimpie Announces Passover Seder Plate Subs (P.S. - It's a Parody)

Are you short on time, but need a Kosher for Passover meal for your family? Blimpie and Haymaker are here to help. 

Two boards of matza filled with all your seder plate goodies: Horseradish, hard boiled eggs, charoset, romaine lettuce, parsley, salt, and bone broth -- all for $4.99. 

And for an extra dollar, you can add sliced gefilte fish! And for a limited time, buy one and get one free!

Of course it's a parody, so don't go looking for this special in a Blimpie restaurant. It's brought to us by the Haymaker comedy website.

Enjoy!

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Actress Mayim Bialik Answers All Your Questions About Passover

Actress Mayim Bialik (The Big Bang Theory, Blossom) tackles a bunch of questions about Passover and answers them in an upbeat style that you'll be able to share with friends who may not be up on all the basics.
 
In a video sponsored by the Manischewitz company, she explains the meaning of the holiday, the preparations for the seder and the whole week of living without chametz, and some personal reflections on ways for children to act out the Pesach story.

There's also a link to some of Mayim's personal recipes for Passover which are located on her website, www.groknation.com.

(Full disclosure: Jewish Humor Central's daughter-in-chief and Hollywood bureau chief Esther Kustanowitz is also Grok Nation's founding editor and contributor. In today's issue she offers a practical check list of things to buy, things to do, and an overall list of goals for the holiday.)

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A Joke to Start the Week - "A Lucrative Occupation"

For most of our readers, this is probably the busiest week of the year, with all the work involved in preparing for a week of Pesach. But what better way to start off a busy week than with a joke? Here's one that should get you laughing, or at the very least, smiling. 

Here's the setup: Sheldon arrives back home from work and to his horror finds his kitchen flooded. He starts to panic because he doesn't know any plumber and rushes over to Seymour, his next door neighbor, for help. And then...

Enjoy!

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The Secret Behind Kosher for Passover Coca-Cola

McGill University professor of chemistry Dr. Joe Schwarcz takes us back to the 1930s when Rabbi Tobias Geffen, Chief Rabbi of Atlanta, worked with the Coca-Cola Company to make the popular drink Kosher for Passover.

Invented in the 1800s by Atlanta pharmacist John Pemberton as a health tonic and pain killer to replace the morphine that he was addicted to, it originally included an extract of coca leaves and cola nuts. The formula for the drink was always a well-kept secret, but the company didn't want to lose the Jewish market which was expressing concern about its kosher status year-round and especially for Passover.

So they asked for the participation of Rabbi Geffen and the rest is history, as Dr. Schwarcz explains in this video.

Enjoy!


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Welcoming Shabbat with Yedid Nefesh Sung by South Africa's Star Chazzan

In 2016 Johannesburg-born Choni Goldman, aka Choni G, won the prestigious Jewish Star - an international American Idol-style competition that showcases the singing talents of Orthodox Jews.

Since then, he’s relocated to Cape Town to take on the role of chazzan at Cape Town's oldest and most famous synagogue. He performed at gigs in Australia, Brazil and the USA, and cemented his reputation as South Africa’s most sought-after Jewish wedding singer. 

In this video, Choni G. teams up with band leader Johnny Sklar to sing Yedid Nefesh on a rooftop in Cape Town in South Africa.

Enjoy and Shabbat shalom!

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Throwback Thursday Comedy Special: Alan King Interviewed by David Letterman in 1995

Alan King was one of our favorite comedians. He was funny not only in his standup routines
but just about everywhere he appeared in person or in television interviews. He made frequent appearances on the late night TV programs and gave us a candid look at the man behind the routines.

We found a video clip of Alan being interviewed by David Letterman and we're sharing it with you today. In the clip, Alan talks about his children and grandchildren, smoking cigars, and why Jews shouldn't play golf.

Enjoy!

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#Throwback Thursday   #TBT

Jewish Traces in Unexpected Places: Passover in the Desert with Wilderness Torah

We're accustomed to celebrating Passover indoors, seated at a large table, reading the Haggadah and sharing a festive meal with family and friends. But after the Exodus from Egypt, our earliest ancestors experienced Passover in the desert.

Today a group of nature-minded Jews of all denominations experience Pesach in the California desert with Wilderness Torah.

Wilderness Torah creates a big tent filled with all kinds of people bound together by a connection to nature. They work hard to create spaces where people with a range of practices are welcome. They think building pluralistic community is a fun challenge and causes participants to think creatively about the meaning of our traditions and how we practice them.

They encourage participants from all backgrounds and especially ask each one to respect others’ observance levels. The kitchen and meals are kosher and mostly vegetarian, but there is no on-site supervision by a mashgiach.

As Merissa Nathan Gerson wrote in Tablet magazine,

Wilderness Torah has developed from a small gathering of campers to a full cycle of outdoor festivals tied to Jewish holidays—Sukkot, Passover, Shavuot, and Tu B’Shevat—as well as other back-to-nature wilderness quests for adults throughout the year. The group has also created a nature-mentorship b’nai mitzvah program called B’Naiture for 11-to-13 year-olds, and an outdoor-education program called B’Hootz that takes younger kids camping, hiking, and into the wilderness to learn Torah through outdoor experience with mentors.

Enjoy!

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350 Hazamir Teenagers Salute Israel's 70th Birthday at Lincoln Center

Last Sunday we attended the 25th annual HaZamir gala concert at David Geffen Hall in New York's Lincoln Center. In previous years the performance was at Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, and The Metropolitan Opera.

For two hours, 350 teenagers from 31 chapters of HaZamir Jewish High School Choir across the United States and in seven cities in Israel performed to a packed house, singing traditional and contemporary songs in Hebrew and English.

HaZamir, the International Jewish High School Choir, is an international network of choral chapters for Jewish teens. Local HaZamir chapters meet weekly in cities across America and Israel to rehearse and perform Jewish choral music. 

HaZamir provides Jewish teenagers the unique opportunity to sing at the highest performance level, build pluralistic community, and create strong Israel-Diaspora relations in the next generation.

Each local HaZamir chapter is directed by a talented conductor whose devotion to the highest standard of Jewish music-making helps to inspire the next generation of Jewish choral singers.

This year the group paid tribute to Israel in its 70th birthday year and to Hazamir's own 25th anniversary. 

Today we're posting a short clip of their theme song, with which they begin and end their concerts, and Psalm 97 (Adonai Malach), composed by Steve Cohen and conducted by Chris Mason, conductor of HaZamir Westchester, accompanied by Scott Stein, conductor of HaZamir Manhattan on piano. Soloists are Benjamin Sokol, HaZamir Boston; Maya Behiri, HaZamir Long Island; Sam Joffe, HaZamir Silicon Valley; and Chloe Brown, HaZamir Miami.

Enjoy!

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