Prank Call Accuses Yale University of Cultural Appropriation in Using Hebrew Phrase "Urim v'Tummim" as their Logo

After it was announced that Yale University was removing the word "Israeli" from its menu, a prank call was made to the Yale president's office by an Israeli prankster accusing the university of cultural appropriation for using the Hebrew phrase Urim v'Tummim on the school's logo.

The caller tells the hapless Yale employee that Israel considers this to be copyright violation and cultural harassment and demands that the Hebrew letters from the logo be removed and be replaced with another Hebrew phrase that translates to We are a stupid university.

Enjoy!

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Welcoming Shabbat with Yismechu Sung by Cantor Yaakov Motzen

Cantor Yaakov Motzen is a native of Tel Aviv and the fifth generation of a family of Cantors. He attended the Kol Torah, Be’er Yaakov and Ponovezh yeshivot in Israel and studied music and vocal technique with the late Yosef Goland, the principal baritone in the Berlin opera in the late 1920’s. He also studied liturgy with the renowned Cantor Yitzchak Eshel, obm. Additionally, he served in the Israel Defense Forces.

Cantor Motzen served as vice president of the Nachala organization from 1973-1978, which was dedicated to entertaining wounded soldiers. Cantor Motzen held the position of Chief Cantor in Givatayim, Haifa, and Ramat Gan, and sang on Kol Yisrael radio and television.

Cantor Motzen served Congregation Shomrim Laboker-Beth Yehuda-Shaarei Tefillah and the Adath Israel Poalei Zedek Congregation in Montreal. From 1997 to 2005 he served as the Cantor of Shaarei Shomayim Congregation in Toronto, Canada. 

Since 2005, he has been the Chazzan at The Shul of Bal Harbour, Florida. Cantor Motzen has performed in concert in many parts of the world, and he has become a favorite of guests of many kosher cruises.

In this video Cantor Motzen sings Yismechu from the Shabbat liturgy.

Enjoy, and Shabbat shalom!

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Jewish Traces in Unexpected Places: The Catholic University of Korea Veritas Choir Sings "Hava Nagila"

We continue to be amazed by the number of countries where Hava Nagila has been performed. This is the 120th rendition of the popular Hebrew song that we've posted since starting Jewish Humor Central in 2009.

Here's the latest version that we just found, a concert performance a few days ago by the Veritas Choir of the Catholic University of Korea.

The Catholic University of Korea is a private Roman Catholic university  in Bucheon-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea. It was established in 1855. The Catholic University of Korea operates campuses in Seoul and in the neighboring Bucheon City. The university's school of medicine operates eight affilIated hospitals throughout the country.

Enjoy!

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1,000 Israeli Musicians in Caesaria Homeland Concert to Bring Hostages Home

When producer Talya Yarom thought about a giant production of musicians playing and singing for the hostages held captive in Gaza, she kept thinking about bringing 1,000 musicians and singers together.

As Jessica Steinberg wrote in The Times of Israel,

“One thousand sounds good,” said Yarom. “It’s a good place to get to, and 1,000 musicians in Caesarea, which to me is a symbol of the beautiful Israel.”

On December 18, Yarom brought together 1,000 musicians, old and young, rockers and classical players, amateurs and professionals, to the Caesarea amphitheater for a day of recording and filming.

The result is “Homeland Concert,” with a medley of lyrics from Ehud Manor’s classic song, “Home” and part of “Hatikva,” Israel’s national anthem, composed by Yair Klinger and melded into one work arranged by Eran Mitelman, with the orchestral arrangement by Ron Klein and directed by Shilo Gallay and Danny Casson.

But the concept was Yarom’s, a veteran of outdoor productions who felt that she had to bring something big and beautiful “to warm everyone’s frozen hearts” after the vicious Hamas terrorist attacks of October 7, when some 1,200 people were killed by gunmen in a widespread assault in the Gaza border communities, and another 240 people taken captive to Gaza.

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Actor Ben Stiller Tells Actress and Game Show Host Mayim Bialik His Favorite Yiddish Words

Mayim Bialik is best known for her lead role as Blossom Russo in the 1990s NBC sitcom Blossom, as well as Amy Farrah Fowler on the CBS comedy, The Big Bang Theory, for which she garnered 2 Critics’ Choice Award wins, a SAG nomination, and 4 Emmy nominations.

Bialik and her company, Sad Clown Productions, produced the FOX show Call Me Kat, which she starred in for three seasons. She has been hosting Jeopardy! since 2021 which won the Critics’ Choice Award for ‘Best Game Show’ in 2023.

Along with her partner, Jonathan Cohen, Bialik hosts a successful podcast, Mayim Bialik’s Breakdown, breaking down myths about mental health; the podcast has 20 million downloads and counting. 

In a recent interview on her podcast, actor and comedian Ben Stiller revealed his favorite Yiddish words and Bialik suggested a new one.

Enjoy!

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A Joke to Start the Week - "Pit Bull"

It's another Monday and time for another Joke to Start the Week. This week we're posting another joke from Dr. Jay Orlikoff, a retired dentist from Centereach, New York, a community on Long Island in Suffolk County.

After a distinguished and meritorious dental career, he is shifting his focus to telling and posting jokes on YouTube. We were fortunate to find some of his jokes and we're sharing one of the family-friendly ones with you today. 

Here's the setup:  A guy has this big mangy yellow dog, and he's out taking a walk with it in a really bad part of town. And then...

Enjoy!

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Wishing You a Happy New Year (Again) with "Bashana Haba'ah" by Cantors Azi Schwartz and Mira Davis

Here we are on another erev Rosh Hashanah (actually New Year's Eve) with wishes for all of our readers for a Happy New Year. We're lucky to have two occasions each year for sharing these good wishes, our own Rosh Hashanah in September and the secular New Year in January.

To get the secular New Year off to a good start, we're sharing a video recorded at New York's Park Avenue Synagogue on erev Rosh Hashanah this year by Cantors Azi Schwartz and Mira Davis of the popular Israeli song Bashana Haba'ah with words by Ehud Manor and music by Nurit Hirsch.

Once again, a happy and healthy New Year to all and may it be a year of success for Israel in defending and protecting Am Yisrael!

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Welcoming Shabbat with Ana Bekoach Sung by Hila Ben David

It's Friday again and time to welcome another Shabbat. Today we're sharing a beautiful rendition of the Kabbalistic prayer Ana Bekoach.

The singer is Hila Ben David.

Ana Bekoach is 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 Bekoach 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 Bekoach 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 Bekoach meditation, we enrich our lives with unadulterated spiritual light and positive energy.

Enjoy, and Shabbat shalom!

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Throwback Thursday Musical Special: The Barry Sisters Sing "All of You"

For almost half a century, from the 1930s to 1976, The Barry Sisters, Claire and Merna, were the voice of Jewish jazz in recordings, nightclub acts, and television appearances on The Jack Paar Show, The Tonight Show, and The Ed Sullivan Show.

Born in the Bronx to Yiddish speaking immigrants from Kiev, Clara and Minnie Bagelman started out in show business using their real names as The Bagelman Sisters, but after awhile, Clara became Claire, Minnie became Merna, and Bagelman became Barry. They performed songs in nine languages.

Looking glamorous and sparing no expense for their orchestrations, they sang to a full house at the Concord and other Catskills resorts.

In this Throwback Thursday special, Claire and Merna perform Cole Porter's "All of You" from "Silk Stockings" in a 1963 TV appearance.

Enjoy!

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   #Throwback Thursday       #TBT

Daniel Ahaviel, Hasidic Violinist, Performs at Kikar Hamusica in Jerusalem

We've been following the career of the amazing Hasidic Israeli fiddler Daniel Ahaviel ever since we discovered one of his early YouTube videos in 2010 and posted it on Jewish Humor Central.

His fame and his audiences keep growing as does our amazement at his boundless energy, his synthesis of Jewish, Irish, and bluegrass music, and finding that his talent comes from British secular musical roots.

Last year he performed at Kikar Hamusica, a modern complex in the picturesque Nachalat Shiva neighborhood in central Jerusalem and one of the most enchanting places to visit. Every day there are live performances in the square, the repertoire of performances in the square is wide and comprehensive, including rock n ‘roll, samba, klezmer, reggae, pop and Hasidic music.  

Enjoy!

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Prank Call to Harvard University Asks if They Have a Terrorist Scholarship

A video of a prank call to the Harvard University admissions office, made by an Israeli comedian who pretends to be the mother of a Hamas terrorist, racked up millions of views on various platforms within 24 hours of its publication.

The illustrated clip produced by Racheli Rottner was the latest Israeli dig at American universities, which have come under fire for tolerating activities from students seen as downplaying the October 7 terror onslaught, supporting Hamas and targeting Jewish students on campus.

The call, reported in The Times of Israel and which Rottner says is authentic, features a mother named Jaama whose son Hamid is angling to attend Harvard on a terrorist scholarship.

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A Joke to Start the Week - "What Did You Learn in School Today?

It's Monday again, and time for another Joke to Start the Week. Today we're sharing a joke told by Rabbi Avrohom Rapoport, also known as Rabbi Raps. Rabbi Rapoport is the spiritual Leader of the Chabad Ventnor Shul at the New Jersey shore. 

He is a graduate of the Rabbinical College of America and received his Rabbinical Ordination in 2003. Rabbi Rapoport is also the director of the Jewish Learning Institute of Atlantic County. 

Here's the setup: A young boy went to school for the first time. His mommy walked him to the school and said to him "My shepseleh, my zeeskeit, bubbeleh, be a good boy in school today." And then...

Enjoy!

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Tovah Feldshuh's One Woman Show "Aging is Optional" Comes to Pompano Beach January 11-12

If you're spending January in South Florida, you'll have a unique opportunity to see the award-winning actress Tovah Feldshuh in her acclaimed one-woman show Aging is Optional at the Pompano Beach Cultural Center on January 11 and 12, 2024. If you're wintering elsewhere, we're sharing a 10 minute excerpt from the show right here. 

In this video clip, Feldshuh portrays a range of characters from Mama Lily and Grandma Ada to a French nightclub singer to Naomi Bunch in My Crazy Ex-Girlfriend to broadcaster Sylvia Chronic and others.

Tovah Feldshuh is a six-time Emmy & Tony nominee and has been awarded three honorary Doctorates of Humane Letters. Additionally, for her theatre work, she has won four Drama Desks, four Outer Critics Circle Awards, three Dramalogues, the Obie, the Theatre World, and the Helen Hayes and Lucille Lortel Awards for Best Actress. 

She has recently been twice nominated as Best Actress in a Drama in Los Angeles for her work in the play Sisters-in-Law, in which she originated the role of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. She recently starred in Funny Girl on Broadway as Rosie Brice. 

Enjoy!

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Welcoming Shabbat with Adon Olam Sung by Temple Kol Emeth to Chicago's "25 or 6 to 4"

Temple Kol Emeth, a Southern Reform congregation in suburban Atlanta, Georgia has been conducting Shabbat services with popular musical themes.

We previously posted excerpts from their Beatles Shabbat, with most of the familiar Shabbat prayers sung to famous Beatles songs. Last Shabbat the temple's Ahavat Torah Band played and sang the Kabbalat Shabbat liturgy to the melodies of Chicago.

Today we're sharing their rendition of Adon Olam, to the Chicago song 25 or 6 to 4. The original song was written by Robert Lamm, one of the founding members of the band. It was recorded in 1969 for their second album, Chicago, with Peter Cetera on lead vocals. Lamm said the song is about trying to write a song in the middle of the night. The song's title is the time at which the song is set: 25 or 26 minutes before 4 AM, i.e. 03:34 or 03:35.

The performers are Blake Singer, Cantorial Soloist and guitar, Jon Warner bass and harmony, Ira Wajsman keyboard, Wayne Menick drums, Burt Kann vocals, Gil Estes trombone, Herbie Dorfzaun sax, and Jason Rones trumpet and flugelhorn.

Enjoy and Shabbat shalom!

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Israeli "Saturday Night Live" Uses Satire to Give a Harry Potter Hogwarts Context to College Presidents' Evasions

Even in the midst of tragedy, a dose of humor can serve to clarify and expose hypocrisy and muddled thinking.

It didn't take long for Israeli comedy writers to create satiric sketches about the hypocrisy of the three college presidents who waffled on answering congressional questions about whether genocide violated the school's principles.

This sketch placed the three professors in the Hogwarts School of Wizardry and Witchcraft, with headmaster Albus Dumbledore presiding over an inquiry into violation of the Hogwarts Code of Conduct.

It appeared on Eretz Nehederet, the Israeli version of Saturday Night Live, one of the most popular TV programs in Israel.

Harry Potter fans will enjoy this satire. If you haven't read the books or seen the films, we encourage you to step into the magical world.

Enjoy!

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Comedian Modi Skewers College Presidents as if They are Analyzing Talmud Text

Voted one of the top 10 comedians in New York City by The Hollywood Reporter, Modi Rosenfeld is one of the comedy circuit’s most sought after performers. Featured on HBO, CBS, NBC, ABC, Comedy Central, Howard Stern, and E! Entertainment, Modi has received rave reviews in The New York Times, Time Out NY and The New York Post.

Born in Tel Aviv, Israel, Modi emigrated with his family to the United States at the age of seven and was raised on Long Island. After graduating from Boston University, he worked as an investment banker until his first open-mic night made him realize that stand-up was his true calling. Equipped with a sharp wit and a knack for reading an audience, Modi has gone on to become a successful fixture in New York's vibrant comedy scene, often doing bits that incorporate his heritage, and he is a hit with diverse Jewish audiences as well as fans of all backgrounds and beliefs.

In this video clip from a comedy club stand-up appearance, Modi delivers a parody of the college presidents answering congressional questions about anti-semitism on campus. Mocking their personal appearance, he then likens their answers to the way Yeshiva students would analyze a Talmud text with commentary from Rashi and other sources.

Enjoy!

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Yiddish Word of the Day: The Wedding

In 2020 the Forverts 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 2020. Now that the Forverts is continuing the series, we'll continue sharing some of the words and phrases as a regular feature of Jewish Humor Central.

Today we get to learn the Yiddish word for a wedding and lots of related expressions.

Enjoy!

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A Joke to Start the Week - "Problem With the Car"

It's another Monday and time for another Joke to Start the Week. Today Mickey Greenblatt is back with another good one.

Marshal (Mickey) Greenblatt received degrees from Columbia (BA and BS in Flight Sciences), a DC from Von Karman Institute (1963) and his PhD from Princeton in Aerospace Sciences. e worked as a researcher for NASA and the Naval Research Laboratory. 

With four other scientists, he founded Fusion Systems Corporation, which invented microwave-powered UV lamps for drying coatings. He founded and served on the boards of technology companies and is active in volunteer work. He served on the executive committee of the Jewish Council for the Aging of Greater Washington for many years.

Mickey also loves Jewish jokes and sent us this one to share with you. Here's the setup: Leslie and Joe were in the kitchen having dinner when Leslie said very tentatively to Joe: "I think there's something wrong with the car." And then...

Enjoy!

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Why do Jews Eat Chinese Food on Christmas?

It's been a tradition, or better said, a common practice, for Jews to eat Chinese food on Christmas day, either by going to Chinese restaurants or buying Chinese takeout food for dinner at home.

Supreme Court justice Elena Kagan made it sort of official when she was asked during her confirmation hearing where she was on Christmas day. Here's what she said:

 

The reasons most cited for the affinity between Jews and Chinese food are that Chinese restaurants are generally open on Christmas day, most of their menu items do not include dairy, and that their non-kosher meats are chopped up and hidden inside of dumplings or wrappers.

 

Today it's not so easy to find a kosher Chinese restaurant in many cities, but you'll likely have a selection to choose from if you live in the New York-New Jersey area, or in other states with large Jewish communities like South Florida, Los Angeles, or in Israel.

Dani Klein is doing a great service to the kosher Jewish community by providing an updated list of kosher restaurants worldwide at www.yeahthatskosher.com. To find a certified restaurant in your area, his website is worth checking out. 

Also be sure to check out the smartphone apps Kosher Near Me and Kosher GPS.

Welcoming Shabbat with Lecha Dodi by Congregation Beth Israel of San Diego

Congregation Beth Israel is San Diego’s oldest and largest Jewish congregation with roots dating to 1861 when San Diego was a frontier settlement. Jewish pioneers first came to San Diego in 1850 and, although very few in number, gathered each year to observe the High Holy Days. 

According to the late historian Henry Schwartz, San Diego Jewry, led by Old Town merchant Marcus Schiller, first met in 1861 to form the congregation they called Adath Yeshurun (Assembly of Israel). Beth Israel traces its origins back to the formation of Adath Yeshurun in 1861.

Join us today in welcoming Shabbat with the congregation singing Lecha Dodi by Aaron Bensoussan.

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Former President Trump Releases Hanukkah Message on Social Media

Two days ago we posted a video of the White House annual Hanukkah reception where President Joe Biden wished all Jews a Happy Hanukkah and recalled his statement 35 years ago that you don't have to be a Jew to be a Zionist and that he is a Zionist.

This week former President Donald Trump released his message to the the Jewish people, recommitting ourselves to extinguishing the evil of anti-semitism, and reaffirming everlasting solidarity with the Jewish people as we go forward with God's help that light will overcome this horrible darkness.

Wishing you a very happy seventh day of Chanukah!

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Six13 Celebrates Chanukah With Variations on 13 Taylor Swift Songs

The a Cappella group Six13 is bringing some much-needed light into the world with a fun stroll through the Taylor Swift eras and their unique spin on 13 T-Swift tunes plus the reprise of a Six13 classic.

Six13 is a six-man vocal band that brings an unprecedented style of Jewish music to the stage, with songs ranging from hip-hop dance tracks to rock anthems. The members of the New York City-based group sound like a full band – while using nothing but their voices.

Enjoy, and Chag Chanukah Sameach!

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White House Hosts Candle Lighting Event on Fifth Night of Hanukkah

Last night the White House hosted a Hanukkah reception to light the fifth candle of the Hanukkiah, a menorah that was fashioned from a piece of timber from the building. 

The program started with Rabbi Angela Buchdahl of New York's Central Synagogue setting the scene and thanking President Joe Biden for his support of Israel and the Jewish people during this stressful time.

The candles were lit by five Jewish White House staffers who are descendants of Holocaust survivors.

The president spoke about the warmth and kinship that he feels with the Jewish community. He reiterated what he said 35 years ago and was criticized then for his statement that "You don't have to be a Jew to be a Zionist, and I am a Zionist." 

Enjoy, and Chag Chanukah sameach!

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A New Version of "Maoz Tzur" for the Fourth Day of Hanukkah by the New York Boys Choir

With the arrival of Chanukah, Jews everywhere dispel darkness for eight nights. During the long dark nights of winter, it feels like you can’t see very far. But the flickering menorah lights of Chanukah give us a message of hope, of future, of our very redemption.

For the fourth day of Chanukah, we continue our series of holiday music videos with a new version of the traditional Maoz Tzur, composed by Yitzy Bald and sung by the New York Boys Choir.

Enjoy, and Chag Chanukah sameach!

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Disney World Celebrates Hanukkah with Story and Song at Epcot Center

If you happen to be in Walt Disney World's Epcot Center this month, you'll likely encounter Disney's tribute to Hanukkah. Every year Epcot features a storyteller relating the history of Hanukkah with a personal twist. 

The Hanukkah story is told at the Epcot International Festival of the Holidays, and leaves visitors knowing at least something about menorahs, dreidels, latkes, oil, Antiochus, and Judah Maccabee.

But wait! There's more. Voices of Liberty, the resident a cappella singing group at The American Adventure pavilion gives a nod to Hanukkah by singing a short medley including I Have a Little Dreidel and Hevenu Shalom Aleichem. But this year instead of a medley, they are singing Peter Yarrow's song Light One Candle, a song made popular by Peter, Paul, and Mary.

Enjoy, and Happy Chanukah!

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Light one candle for the Maccabee children
With thanks that their light didn't die
Light one candle for the pain they endured
When their right to exist was denied
Light one candle for the terrible sacrifice
Justice and freedom demand
But light one candle for the wisdom to know
When the peacemaker's time is at hand

Don't let the light go out!
It's lasted for so many years!
Don't let the light go out!
Let it shine through our hope and our tears. (2)

Light one candle for the strength that we need
To never become our own foe
And light one candle for those who are suffering
Pain we learned so long ago
Light one candle for all we believe in
That anger not tear us apart
And light one candle to find us together
With peace as the song in our hearts

Don't let the light go out!
It's lasted for so many years!
Don't let the light go out!
Let it shine through our hope and our tears. (2)

What is the memory that's valued so highly
That we keep it alive in that flame?
What's the commitment to those who have died
That we cry out they've not died in vain?
We have come this far always believing
That justice would somehow prevail
This is the burden, this is the promise
This is why we will not fail!

Don't let the light go out!
Don't let the light go out!
Don't let the light go out!

Welcoming Shabbat and Hanukkah with Adon Olam by Kolot HaLev of Washington DC

Kolot HaLev – Voices of the Heart – is Greater Washington, DC's independent community choir focusing on Jewish choral music.

Kolot HaLev has performed in various venues beyond its home base, including the Jewish Heritage Museum in New York City, Arlington National Cemetery, the Library of Congress and the Italian Embassy in Washington DC among other prominent venues. In response to invitations from the community, KHL presents at local and regional music festivals and at nursing homes as time allows. KHL has become recognized as a source of highest quality, inspiring Jewish music, catering to audiences that return again and again.

Adon Olam, the well-known Jewish prayer, is actually a poem that describes the greatness of God and is often sung to the tune of different songs. In 2015 we posted a version sung by Kolot HaLev to the tune of Moscow Nights.

In this performance by Kolot HaLev led by musical director Ramon Tasat, the prayer is sung to the rousing melody of "Asa Branca" by Luiz Gonzaga and Humberto Teixeira.

Enjoy, Shabbat shalom, and Chag Chanukah Sameach!

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 Hanukkah Video by Boys Town Jerusalem - "It's for Chanukah"

The Boys Town Jerusalem choir has a new Hanukkah video.  It's for Chanukah, with lyrics by Haim Nahman Bialik and a melody by Nahum Nardi.

Boys Town Jerusalem is one of Israel's premier institutions for educating the country's next generation of leaders in the fields of technology, commerce, education, the military and public service. 

Since its founding in 1948, BTJ has pursued its mission of turning young boys from limited backgrounds into young men with limitless futures. From Junior High through the College level, the three part curriculum at Boys Town - academic, technological and Torah - is designed to turn otherwise disadvantaged Israeli youth into productive citizens of tomorrow. 

Boys Town’s 18 acre campus is a home away from home for its more than 950 students. More than 7,500 graduates hold key positions throughout Israeli society.

Enjoy! Chag Chanukah Sameach!

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.