Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Test Your Knowledge of Jewish Humor - A Multiple Choice Quiz


Jews have long used humor as a tool for self-ridicule, fighting anti-Semitism, and even passing down traditions. And in the past few decades Jewish humor has become significant in mainstream popular culture. How much do you know about Jewish humor? 

My Jewish Learning, a website launched in 2003 to bring Jewish education to people of all backgounds, has published a ten-question quiz for readers to assess their knowledge of Jewish humor.


It's a fun exercise, one that we recommend to take a nostalgic look at the origins of Jewish humor and some of its most notable practitioners.

The multiple choice questions range from humor in the shtetl to identifying the names of the Marx Brothers and the Three Stooges. If you take the quiz multiple times, you may find that the questions are somewhat different and so is their order. 

We had fun and were able to reflect on the wide range of Jewish humor that has brought us so much enjoyment over the years. We recommend that you immerse yourself in this nostalgic exercise once or a few times and see what score you come up with.  Then try it out on your family and friends. Just click on the link below and enjoy!

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

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Zaidy Battles the World Wide Web


Rabbi Ben Czeladnicki, a talmud teacher at Manhattan Day School, has been been blogging as The Wondering Jew, posting videos and observations that are often funny, but viewed through the lens of the Torah. (OK, some of them are just funny.)

Most of the posts are about the weekly Torah portion, explanations of some of the Jewish holidays and fasts, observations on Jewish life, and comments on events in the news.

Ben's latest post is a funny look at what would happen if Zaidy (or any other relative or friend of yours who is taking a first turn at the internet and world wide web) sat down with a laptop and a web connection.

Every situation encountered by accomplished web surfers is included in newbie Zayde's first session, from "How do I turn this thing on?" to "How do I turn this thing off?" with all the steps along the way, including You are the one millionth person visiting this site, All I have to do is send money to Kenya, Facebook - Why do I care what Hymie Goldsmith ate for breakfast, and more. Ultimately, he finds his own website and registers.  Enjoy!

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Monday, February 13, 2012

Jewish Traces in Unexpected Places: Mincha and Shabtai Zvi in Turkey


Continuing our series of Jewish observance and culture in countries where it's least expected, the Forward's Yiddish language reporter, Itzik Gottesman, narrates a travelogue of a family vacation in Turkey. The narration is in Yiddish, with full English subtitles.

The trip includes Istanbul and Izmir, where they encounter Sephardic Jews looking for a minyan in an abandoned Ashkenazi Synagogue. Gottesman joins the minyan and gets a tour of a few Sephardic synagogues, guided by the Ladino-speaking gabbai.

Afterward, they look for and find the home of Shabtai Zvi, the false messiah who later converted to Islam to the great disappointment of his followers. The bottom line: Turkey is a great place to visit, and they had no fear of being Jews in a Muslim country.  Enjoy!

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Sunday, February 12, 2012

Life Blossoms and Love Blooms: A Valentine's Day Special


Yes, you read it right. Valentine's Day on Jewish Humor Central. It's coming Tuesday, February 14, and it will be celebrated around the world with greeting cards, romantic gifts, and chocolates. 

There always have been mixed feelings in the Jewish world about celebrating this day which originally was named in honor of Valentine, a Christian saint. And today, you can find opinions from rabbis of all Jewish denominations that approve and disapprove of its observance.

We did some searching and found that despite some views that the holiday is foreign to Judaism and should be avoided, there are a growing number of opinions, even in the Orthodox world, that not only should the holiday be observed, but that it should be embraced.

Our contribution to Valentine's Day is a funny and heartwarming video that we received from the Los Angeles Jewish Home, called Life Blossoms and Love Blooms. That's the same Jewish Home that gave us one of our most popular Chanukah videos last year.

Featuring current residents, the 3 minute video delves into the stories of how two couples met and fell in love while living at the Jewish Home. They talk about everything from afternoon bingo games to their sex lives.

As the video plays, one thing is for certain: it’s good to be a senior in love.

As Rabbi Benjamin Blech, professsor of Talmud at Yeshiva University, has written about Valentine's Day on the aish.com website, 
As Jews, we may not be sure whether it's proper for us to join the party. After all, for the longest time the full name of this holiday was “St. Valentine's Day” because of its legendary link with the apocryphal story of one of the earliest Christian saints. Yet academics aren't the only ones who have recognized the dubious historical basis of this connection. Vatican II, the landmark set of reforms adopted by the Catholic Church in 1969, removed Valentine's Day from the Catholic church's calendar, asserting that "though the memorial of St. Valentine is ancient… apart from his name nothing is known… except that he was buried on the Via Flaminia on 14 February."
What's left for this day, as proponents of its universal celebration declare, is something that people of all faiths may in good conscience observe: A day in which to acknowledge the power of love to make us fully human.
When I am asked as a rabbi if I think it's a good idea for Jews to celebrate Valentine's Day, my standard answer is, "Yes, we should celebrate love… every day of the year."
Enjoy!

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Friday, February 10, 2012

Santa Claus Plays Hava Nagila on the Violin


If you happened to be in Honolulu, Hawaii last December and thought you heard a familiar tune coming out of Santa Claus' violin, you were right.

We don't know his name or what prompted this street Santa to play Hava Nagila on his violin on a hot December day in Hawaii, but it's just another example of how Hava Nagila has become popular not just with Jews, but in almost every location on the planet. Enjoy and Shabbat Shalom.

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Thursday, February 9, 2012

It's a Bobover Wedding - Time to Dance!


What do Bobover Hasidim do for fun? They have lots of weddings and get caught up in the spirit of singing and dancing, especially when the bride is the daughter of the rebbe himself.

Only yesterday, on Tu BiShevat, the daughter of the Bobover rebbe got married in Boro Park, and thanks to the ubiquity of the miniature camera, video clips of the event made their way through the internet and onto YouTube. We didn't make the guest list, but watching the videos made us feel like the proverbial fly on the wall, taking part in the general simcha, and then all 11 minutes of the rebbe dancing with his daughter. 

The first clip shows the enormous crowd getting caught up in the simcha. Then comes the 11 minute Mitzvah Tantz.

For the first six minutes, the bride stands motionless while the rebbe dances forward and back, holding the long ribbon. After seven minutes, the rebbe drops the ribbon and starts to dance in a circle around his daughter, while she starts to rotate ever so slowly, keeping pace with him. After another minute or so, she leaves the scene, taking a place at the end of the arena as the rebbe continues his back and forth dance, this time joined by another dancer, most likely the bridegroom. Mazal tov!

(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.)

 

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Today Is Tu B'Shvat - A Day To Celebrate Trees And Enjoy Their Fruits


Today is the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Shvat, also known as Tu B'Shvat.  No, it's not another fast day.  It's a real holiday, but one without any restrictions.  The holiday is known as Jewish Arbor Day and the New Year for trees.  It's a day to feel good about the bounty of nature, including trees, fruits and nuts.

On Tu B'Shvat we make an exception to our policy of posting an original item each day and we're repeating this post every year. We think this post says it all and we want all of our new subscribers to see it. In the last year the number of subscribers has almost tripled, from 800 to close to 2,200 today, so we're reaching a new audience.

It is customary to eat fruits on this day, especially fruits from Israel.  This includes figs, dates, oranges, pomegranates, and persimmons or Sharon fruit (afarsimonim).  All are available at most supermarkets or gourmet groceries.

Trees have been very important to Israel from its earliest beginnings.  From the tree of knowledge of good and evil described in Genesis to the eucalyptus trees planted in the Huleh Valley to drain the swamps and make much of the land inhabitable early in the 20th century, trees have always been part of Jewish life.

Yaakov Kirschen, the political cartoonist whose daily Dry Bones comic strips have appeared in The Jerusalem Post since January 1973, is using his talents to highlight the value of trees to everyone, and especially to the Jewish people, throughout the millennia.
In addition to his cartoons, which are also published in his daily blog, Kirschen has written a book in comic book format, Trees...The Green Testament, that illustrates the history of the world as narrated by a tree.  The tree, from its days as a seed and a sapling, observes and comments on world events from its own perspective.

The book is out of print, but new and used copies are available through online booksellers including Amazon.com.  It's really worth finding and reading.

Tu B'Shvat is a time for singing, feasting, and rejoicing.  So here's a video tribute to this least known but very happy holiday.  Enjoy!
 
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Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Funny Israeli Commercial Causes Friction Between Samsung and Iran


Israel's newspaper Haaretz reported this week that Iran is mulling a partial ban of products manufactured by South Korean electronics giant Samsung over an Israeli commercial promoting one of the firm's products which depicts the imagined destruction of Iran's nuclear facility in Isfahan by Mossad operatives.

In the commercial for the cable TV company HOT, three characters from the popular show Asfur arrive disguised as women near the nuclear facility, where they meet a bored Mossad agent passing the time by watching the show on his Samsung tablet.

The Mossad man then shows the various features of the tablet to the characters, when one of the "visiting" Israelis accidently pushes a button which causes the nuclear plant in the background to explode. 

To this, the character said: "What? Another mysterious explosion in Iran," a quip referring to a series of explosions in Iran targeting the countries military facilities which have been attributed in the foreign media to covert Israeli attempts to target Iran's nuclear program.

On Thursday, a top Iranian lawmaker said Iran's parliament was considering to cut the country's trade ties with the country, over what he said was an "insulting" commercial, over the depiction of Iran as a "primitive society" and of insinuating that Israel was "powerful enough to easily destroy Iran's nuclear facilities or assassinate the country's nuclear scientists." 

The commercial is in Hebrew, but the clip we reproduce below has English subtitles and in the first 50 seconds of the video a few terms are introduced that will help to make the commercial more understandable. Enjoy!

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Monday, February 6, 2012

Israel's Kosher Wines Keep Winning Awards in World Market


Wine tasting brought Israelis to Jerusalem this week for the country's first kosher wine festival. According to a TV report by JewishNewsOne, kosher wine was previously far inferior to non-kosher wines because it was boiled to meet Jewish Halakha requirements. But today, Israeli winemakers no longer boil or flash pasteurize their wine except for the most strict kosher certifications, and kosher wines are now selling well and winning acclaim.

Renowned critic Robert Parker gave his 90+ rating to three Israeli wineries: Castel, Yatir, and Yarden. Israeli reds from Carmel and Tepperberg have garnered prestigious Decanter awards in world-class competitions.

Israel produces about 35 million bottles a year at over 250 wineries. A climate with extreme heat and cold makes it ideal for winemaking. Israel's 200 million dollar wine industry is forecast to keep growing and keep collecting awards.

The head of the Israeli Wine Society, Eli Poch, told JN1, "Kosher wine today is not like your grandparents' kosher wine. This is -- we're talking about a world class wine. We're talking about, I mean, pretty much every Israeli winery these days is winning awards internationally. Ramat HaGolan winery last year took 'best winery in the world' in a contest in Italy. A lot of winemakers are now starting to go outside of the country to Italy, and to France, and to the United States to learn how to make wine properly as opposed to just crushing grapes in a barrel."

Shilo winery owner Meir Chomer had this to say, "There's an incredible commentary on the portion of the Torah when Yaakov gave over Schem and the area of Shilo to Josef as an extra gift for him. And Rashi comments on the spot -- what is so special about this land, and he says the fruits are sweeter."

Enjoy the video, and enjoy the wines!

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Sunday, February 5, 2012

Community Singalongs Help Jerusalem's Needy with Hakova HaHafuch


Sing alongs have always been part of the Israeli scene. From the early days of its founding to the present day there's something about group singing of folk songs old and new that appeals to the Israeli psyche.

We can remember singing old folk songs with lyrics projected on a screen while seated on folding chairs on the banks of the Kinneret at the Nof Ginnosar kibbutz guest house in the 1980s. Nothing much has changed except the songs chosen for the singalongs, but an organization called Hakova Hahafuch (the upside down hat, as in pass the collection plate) has found a way to turn this popular activity into fund raising for needy people and social causes in Israel.

"We can change the way people think by getting everyone involved," chairman Hanan Rubin explained to GoJerusalem.com. "We want to give people culture on the one hand, and we want to get people socially involved on the other." The group has held a number of successful events, attracting thousands of young people and raising over 100,000 NIS for various charities.

Last Thursday evening we sat on folding chairs in the auditorium of a cultural center on Emek Refaim Street in Jerusalem while a band of three musicians and a singer carried on for more than two hours. The audience of more than 100 sang and swayed to the music. Many of the songs were new to us, but we fell into line when the projector showed lyrics to Finjan, Tumbalalaika, and Katyushka, all Russian imports to Israel in the days of the halutzim (pioneers.) We taped part of this medley for your enjoyment.

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Friday, February 3, 2012

Taglit-Birthright Israel Gets Targeted for Spoof by Israeli Comedy Show


Taglit-Birthright Israel is an organization that sponsors free 10-day heritage trips to Israel for Jewish young adults between 18 and 26 years old. (Taglit is the Hebrew word for discovery.) Birthright Israel's goals are to diminish divisions between Israel and Jewish communities around the world and to strengthen participants' personal Jewish identity and connection to Jewish history and culture. 

As of summer 2011, over 250,000 individuals (over 22,000 each year), from 52 different countries have participated since the trips began in the winter of 2000, and 70% of trip participants came from the United States. From 2007, annual capacity was increased to 37,000 participants a year.

You're probably thinking: What an amazing success story. And you're right. But all this good will doesn't make Birthright Israel exempt from the kind of sharp parody that Saturday Night Live uses to skewer everything and everyone who makes news. And in Israel, Eretz Nehederet is the TV show that is often called the Israeli Saturday Night Live.

Eretz Nehederet has chosen Taglit-Birthright Israel as this year's target of its politically incorrect satire. In its first program of the season, Eretz Nehederet features a running parody of a Birthright trip to Israel that mocks American Jews for their enthusiasm and naivete (and obesity and JAPpiness, of course) and Israelis for their gold-digging and trigger fingers.


It doesn't have a happy ending. In fact there is no ending because it's a long running gag. If they keep releasing episodes with English subtitles, we'll keep bringing them to you. Just be aware that this is what Israeli viewers consider funny, given the high ratings the show keeps getting. We're sure some of the stereotypes are right on, but that's what they are...stereotypes.  Just something to keep in mind while you're laughing.  Enjoy!

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Thursday, February 2, 2012

Aliyanicks Anonymous - New Israeli Immigrants Try Group Therapy


Hahafuch is Israel's premiere English-speaking comedy troupe, based in Jerusalem. We've shared some of their funny routines on Jewish Humor Central, including the Real Housewives of Jerusalem and the Bibi Netanyahu speech translated by a sub-par Ulpan graduate.

Today we're bringing you one of their most popular sketches, Aliyaniks Anonymous, in which six recent immigrants to Israel share their frustrations with the bureaucracies dealing with new olim, the process of learning to navigate daily life in a new country and speaking a new language.

Some frustrations expressed: Paying housing tax, dealing with a strike, banking hours, paying the phone bill, customer service in stores and on the phone. The session includes group recitations and plans for returning for the next weekly session to get mutual support from the group.  Enjoy!

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Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Yiddish Book Center Students Choose Their Favorite Yiddish Words


The National Yiddish Book Center, founded by Aaron Lansky in 1980 to rescue Yiddish books, has been offering a summer program in recent years. The Steiner Summer Program at the Center, in Amherst, Massachusetts, offers 18 qualified full-time college students an intensive educational experience in Yiddish language, literature, culture, and history.  

The graduates of the 2010 summer session were asked to pick their favorite Yiddish word. In this video, the students hem and haw their way through making their selections, but finally declare their favorites, in most cases (but not all) pronouncing them correctly. 

Some of the choices are based on meaning, some on the sound, and some because just saying it gives them a special feeling. 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.)  


The story of the founding of the center is interesting in its own right, and we're sharing the video about how it got started below.

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Stand-up Comedy: Victor Wishna Performs at the Jewish Week Competition


Yesterday we posted the comedy routine delivered by Linda Landau at the 2010 Jewish Week competition for the title of Best Amateur Comedian.  Victor Wishna was another of the competitors and he delivered jokes about his recent marriage, travel to Vietnam, jury duty, street vendors, and sellers of luggage at airports. Unlike the jokes we posted yesterday, these jokes are family-friendly, and we hope you enjoy them.

Monday, January 30, 2012

Linda Landau, 71-Year-Old Standup Comic, Delivers Adult Jokes to New York Audience


WARNING: We promised that we'd warn you if we post jokes and stories that are not family-friendly so you can shield yourself or anyone around you from them. So be warned, here they come.

The Jewish Week of New York City runs a Best Jewish Comic contest every year. In June 2010, one of the joke tellers was Linda Landau, a 71-year-old standup comic who started delivering jokes at the age of 60. At the start of her routine, she welcomes the audience to "Anti-Misogyny 101" in an attempt to get even with male comedians who tell jokes that are putdowns of wives, girlfriends, and mothers.

Her first joke takes the expression "Why buy the cow if you can get the milk for free?" and turns it into "Why buy the pig when you can get the sausage for free?" From then on, it's a non-stop barrage of one joke after another for nine minutes. Some are old jokes that we've heard on "Old Jews Telling Jokes" but others are new to us. 

Some of you have been asking for more jokes among the many topics that we post. Please let us know if this collection is what you had in mind and indicate by leaving comments or checking the boxes below the video whether you like or don't like jokes of this type so we can fine tune our mix of Jewish humor in the future.

Enjoy!

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Sunday, January 29, 2012

"The Footnote," Israeli Wry Comedy, Gets Oscar Nomination For Best Foreign Film


Last September we shared a story about a new wry comedy from Israel titled "Footnote" (The Hebrew title is He'arat Shulayim) that was selected to be shown at the New York Film Festival at Lincoln Center. Now comes the news that the film, for which Joseph Cedar was given the prize for Best Screenplay at the Cannes Film Festival, has been nominated for an Oscar in the Best Foreign Film category.

From our perspective, reporting from Jerusalem this week, it's clear that the nomination has made a big impression on the public. Everyone is talking about it with great anticipation, especially since a film from Iran has also been nominated for the same honor.
  
Here's the plot synopsis: Thanks to a clerical error, Eliezer Shkolnik, a respected if little-known Talmudic scholar, is informed that he’s won the coveted Israel Prize; in truth, the prize was meant for his son, Uriel, a much more flamboyant, widely-read Talmudist. The authorities ask Uriel to help them rectify the situation, but Uriel argues the case for his father’s deserving the honor. 

Meanwhile, Eliezer plans to use the occasion as an opportunity to intellectually take down his son and the whole generation of a la mode Talmudists. Cedar has here created the wryest of Jewish comedies, a emotional competition that pits father against son, built around the understanding of sacred texts. Rarely has the weight of a culture’s intellectual past been depicted so forecefully, nor shown to be as vibrant. 

The film, which was shot at sites in and around Jerusalem, depicts situations that bring smiles to residents who know too well some of the less than perfect aspects of Israeli building construction.  For example, the way participants in a meeting have to navigate around the small conference room and the non-functioning water cooler in the hallway.

In the video below, JN1 TV correspondent Jordana Miller interviews Israelis in the street to get their views on the film and what the nomination means to them.  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.)
 

Friday, January 27, 2012

Mor D. Hai, Uruguayan Singer, Lights Up the Stage With Israeli Medley


As we get ready for our second of three Shabbatot in Israel, we're in the mood for some traditional popular Israeli songs and we'd like to share that mood with you by posting a video by Mor D. Hai,  whose real name is Marcos Cohen. He is an actor-singer and composer who was born and raised in Uruguay but lived in the United States for the past ten years.

Cohen is currently launching his first CD album "Diaspora Sur" in his native city, Montevideo. He started his artistic career working in Musical Theatre. He wrote the music and book of more than ten plays including A Magic Book, Tito, The Big Menace, Robotic Park, CUCU Beat Show, and The Creation.

He recently worked in Hollywood, playing the role the president of Guatemala in The Good Shepherd directed by Robert DeNiro (Universal, 2006.) starring Matt Damon and Angelina Jolie. His song Hay Que Cantar received an award for best original song at the World Championships of Performing Arts (2000) in Los Angeles.

His genre is predominantly pop mixed with Latin beats clearly influenced by the music of Brazil. In some songs he adds a touch of flamenco, Middle Eastern and the nostalgic sounds of Argentinean tango. This blend of styles gives a vibrant and unique sound to his music that makes it very accessible to all type of audiences.

In this video, Mor D. Hai sings and dances to a medley of Israeli songs from his show Diaspora South that most of you will recognize. So enjoy the music and Shabbat Shalom from Jerusalem.

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Thursday, January 26, 2012

Country Western Singer Gets the "Kosher Symbol Blues"


Have you ever gone to the supermarket and gotten confused by the proliferation of kosher symbols on products?  A few months ago we counted over a hundred different symbols. In addition to the most common symbols, OU, OK, Kof-K, Star K, there are seemingly endless symbols such as a buggy from Amish country, a kiwi bird from Australia, and Ks placed inside of state map symbols, such as from Texas, Florida, and Wisconsin.

Mendel Singer, a country music songwriter, has released a debut album featuring a funny song called Kosher Symbol Blues.  Here is his description of the rationale for the song.
Many years ago a great idea was conceived. Put a symbol on the label of products that are kosher, and kosher consumers will know what they can and cannot buy. With the proliferation of symbols, this has become a bit of a nightmare! There are so many symbols. Some are very interesting (I like the horse and buggy K from Amish country). Some are very similar to others. Very confusing.
Here's an example of Singer's lyrics:

I GOT SO EXCITED, I FOUND PAREVE CHEESE
IT WAS CREAMY AND IT MELTED, IT WAS MARKED O-U P
MADE THE BEST CHEESEBURGER, GAVE MY RABBI A TRY
WHEN I PROUDLY SHOWED THE WRAPPER, HE STARTED TO CRY
HE SAID THE “P” IS NOT FOR PAREVE, IT’S PASSOVER FOOD
WE GOT THE KOSHER SYMBOL BLUES

Kosher Symbol Blues, his debut album, has 11 original songs plus a cover of the Carlebach classic “Return Again”. The powerful English lyrics and strong melodies are front and center, backed by a simple production with only a few instruments. No drum tracks or synthesizers here. From tears to laughter, from introspection to observation, this album is an emotional and intellectual experience with a touch of humor. Enjoy!

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Wednesday, January 25, 2012

The Smashed Wedding Glass That Wouldn't


A Jewish wedding isn't a Jewish wedding without the groom breaking a glass at the end of the wedding ceremony. Although the preparation of the glass may vary from country to country and the type of glass may vary because of its availability, the format is basically the same: 

Either someone announces that the glass will be broken by the groom, a statement is made or song is sung to remember Jerusalem,or in some cases the glass is just broken without comment.

The glass is usually selected based on its breakability. When cameras used flashbulbs, these were sometmes selected because of their thin construction. The glass is usually wrapped in a napkin or paper to prevent glass shards from striking the participants or guests.

In most cases, the next step is simply for the groom to step on the glass and break it. But what would happen if the glass puts up a fight and refuses to be smashed?

Here's a look at just such a case where the groom intended to smash the glass with one good blow, but the glass had different ideas.  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 Dr. Allen Freedman for sending us this video.)

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

More of Amy Borkowsky's Hilarious Answering Machine Messages From Her Mother


Last February we posted a story and video about Amy Borkowsky and the answering machine messages from her mother that she turned into an iPhone application called Amy's Mom.

This week we found a larger collection of these saved messages with Amy's comments on them. Some are very funny and are bound to make you chuckle, if not laugh aloud.

Amy got her first clue that the messages which drove her crazy could be entertaining to others in her early days on New York's stand-up comedy circuit. After gathering some of her mother's most extreme messages, she played them on stage at Manhattan's top comedy clubs, and audiences consistently howled. 

The daughter who Mom nicknamed “Amila” (AY-muh-luh) stepped into the national spotlight when she appeared on the “Today” show with Matt Lauer and on National Public Radio's “Morning Edition” to introduce the first volume of her “Amy's Answering Machine: Messages from Mom” comedy CDs. Since then, she has produced a second CD, a two-volume CD set, and downloads from iTunes. They're all available from her web site.

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.)


Monday, January 23, 2012

"No Smoke" - Funny Viral Video Commercial for Electronic Cigarettes


What ever happened to the funny film and video short? We were delighted to find that it's still around, this time in the form of a viral video commercial for Blu electronic cigarettes.

What, you never heard of electronic cigarettes? We didn't until today. Last summer, the makers of Blu e-cigs launched a contest for the best viral video commercial. While this one didn't win the top prize, we thought it was the funniest.

In this short film, two groups of old grumpy Jewish men are sitting at tables in a New York deli, playing cards and arguing about sports, when a young man walks in and takes out an electronic cigarette. What happens next is a comic gem.

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.)

Sunday, January 22, 2012

Israeli Internet Date Goes Terribly Wrong - A Funny Skit from Israel Television


Internet dating has achieved success around the world, but it has also resulted in failure, largely due to discrepancies between the profiles posted by users and their real life personalities.

An Israeli TV comedy show recently showed the result of an internet blind date gone bad. 

In this clip, Efrat, a 34-year-old from Tel Aviv, decides to jump into the internet dating pool after her friend finds a match. She filters dating prospects until she finds a "cute" possibility named Shaul and agrees to meet in a restaurant.

She arrives at the restaurant, and things go downhill rapidly from there. Obviously, the guy is a jerk, but it's a TV comedy skit, so 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.)