Christmas Eve Special: Jewish Kids Meet Santa for the First Time

We hope all of our readers had a happy Hanukkah. We celebrated the holiday in Jerusalem, where the sufganiyot (filled donuts) won a lopsided victory over the latkes. Now, as we put our Hanukkiot away until next year, it's time to wish our Gentile readers and friends a Merry Christmas.

Most large department stores in major cities have been featuring a Santa Claus encounter for the children who accompany their parents shopping for gifts. The funny folks at BuzzFeed video set the stage for some Christmas eve humor by getting a bunch of cute and precocious Jewish kids to meet Santa for the first time. The kids are skeptical, reluctant, outspoken, and adorable.

Enjoy!

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Welcoming Shabbat with Concert Version of Adon Olam - Tribute to Cantor Moshe Stern

Adon Olam, the hymn that usually concludes the Shabbat morning service, has been sung in many diverse styles from traditional to Broadway and Beatles versions.

But it has also been performed in concert. A few years ago, it was a featured part of a special concert to honor Moshe Stern, one of the great cantorial singers of the last century.

The concert was held In Tel Aviv's Heichal Hatarbut (Mann Auditorium), together with the Tel Aviv Philharmonic Orchestra. on April 9, 2014. Leading young cantors from around the world such as Yaakov Lemmer, Netanel Hershtik, and Ushi Blumenberg also sang at the concert, conducted by Dr. Mordechai Sobol. 

Enjoy, and Shabbat shalom!

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Comedy Showcase: Meet Michael Shafar, Standup Comedian from Melbourne, Australia

Michael Shafar started out with a law degree in Melbourne, Australia, but decided he didn't want to work in an office all day. So he became a standup comedian. 

In 2016, Michael also reached the RAW Comedy National Grand Final, represented Australia in the Laugh Factory's Funniest Person in the World Competition and toured across Asia, headlining at some of the continent's largest comedy clubs. He also developed, produced and hosted the showcase Melbourne Comedy's Rising Stars, which continues to sell out shows.

2017 has been another huge year for Michael, selling out his entire season and extra show of Jewish-ish at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, selling out shows at Sydney Fringe Comedy, performing on ABC's Comedy Bites, Triple J's Good Az Friday, landing a gig writing jokes for Channel 10's The Project and appearing in the show's sketches, well as being selected to perform internationally on Carnival Cruise Lines.

Here's a video clip of Michael's performance at the 2016 RAW Comedy National Grand Final.

Enjoy!

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"Mostly Kosher" Band Celebrates Chanukah at Disney California Adventure

If you happened to be visiting Disneyland in California last month, you would have seen Mostly Kosher, the Jewish entry in Disney's Festival of Holidays including Chanukah. If you're visiting Walt Disney World in Florida this month, you're likely to have seen them performing there too at Epcot Center.

Mostly Kosher, the acclaimed Post-Klezmer Indie band, radically reconstructs Judaic and American cultural musical roots through ravenous klezmer beats and arresting Yiddish refrains. Mostly Kosher is a musical feast that explodes into a global food-fight of Jazz, Latin, Rock, Hip Hop, and Folk. Led by Leeav Sofer, one of Jewish Journal’s "30 under 30" most accomplished professionals in the Los Angeles' Jewish diaspora, Mostly Kosher is comprised of some of the highest regarded Los Angeles musicians: violinist Janice Mautner Markham, drummer Eric Hagstrom, bassist Adam Levy, accordion/trumpet Mike Bolger, trombonist Mike King, and on guitar, Will Brahm.

Mostly Kosher is a fixture at renowned Los Angeles stages such as the John Anson Ford Amphitheatre and Skirball Cultural Center, while also having graced the stage of the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion for a live television broadcast to over half a million viewers. Most recently, Mostly Kosher had the honor of being the first Jewish music ensemble at the Disney parks and performed a 2 month residency at Disney California Adventure, featured in the Festival of Holidays. Mostly Kosher was credited for “stealing the Festival of Holidays Show” by the acclaimed Fresh Baked Disney podcast.

Enjoy!

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Here Come the Chanukah Videos: Hanerot Halalu by Keepalive

Kippalive is an Israeli a cappella group that started out as a group of friends in Raanana who got together every Friday night to sing and were discovered while singing in the streets of Raanana.

We featured them previously in a cappella songs for Chanukah and Passover.

This year they're back again with an original rendition of Hanerot Halalu, the traditional song sung right after the candles are lit each night of Chanukah.

Enjoy!

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A Joke to Start the Week - "Two Garment Workers"

We're in the middle of Hanukkah, but we're taking a break from music videos to bring you another Joke to Start the Week.

Here is another oldie but goodie from Sam Hoffman's Old Jews Telling Jokes. The joke teller is graphic designer Milton Glaser, one of the co-founders of New York Magazine and the man who created the iconic "I ♥ NY" logo.

Here's the setup: There are two old geezers in the garment district. One is pressing and the other is ironing. And the guy who is ironing says "So Sam, what did you do this year on your vacation?" And then...

Enjoy!

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An Elvis Hanukkah with Shir Soul a Cappella and Key Tov's Elliot Dvorin

Hanukkah is the time of year when all the a cappella and musical groups come out with their annual music videos. It's a special treat when two groups come together to produce an ensemble video.

That's what we're getting this year with Elliot Dvorin, the lead singer of the Key Tov Orchestra joining in with Shir Soul to give us an Elvis Hanukkah.

Shir Soul is a wedding band and a cappella singing group founded in 2005 by David Ross.

With their eclectic mix of Jewish rock, pop, and soul music, Shir Soul has recorded a few albums and plays at weddings, bar/bat mitzvahs, and other occasions with musical instruments or a cappella.

We really like Elliot Dvorin and his Key Tov orchestra. We've shared a few of their very vibrant and melodic singing and dancing videos. In this video Elliot takes a break from his Chicago-based wedding band to perform with Shir Soul.

This Elvis Hanukkah mashup includes:
“Hanukkah Rock” based on Jailhouse Rock “S’vivon” based on Don’t Be Cruel “All Lit Up” based on All Shook Up “Ma’oz Tzur” based on Love Me Tender “Latke” based on Hound Dog “Al Hanisim” based on Can’t Help Falling in Love

Enjoy!

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Welcoming Shabbat with Adon Olam at the Hampton Synagogue

On this Shabbat Chanukah we're sharing a medley of Adon Olam versions that was sung just a few weeks ago in the Hampton Synagogue in Westhampton, New York.

The occasion was a 70th birthday concert in honor of Cantor Naftali Hershtik, the father of the synagogue's long time cantor, Netanel Hershtik. The two cantors were joined in the concert by four other cantors: Netanel Baram, David Berson, Azi Schwartz, and Gideon Zelermyer.

Naftali Hershtik is a well known chazzan (cantor) and teacher. He was born in Hungary and came with his family to Israel at the age of three. He is descended from a long line of cantors and Rabbis, and was recognized as a cantorial prodigy from his early childhood, singing as a teen in concerts with Cantor Moshe Koussevitzky. 

Enjoy and Shabbat shalom from Jerusalem.

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Throwback Thursday Hanukkah Special: SNL's Hanukkah Harry Saves Easter

One of our favorite Saturday Night Live characters was Hanukkah Harry, as played by Jon Lovitz. He first appeared on December 16, 1989 in a sketch titled "The Night Hanukkah Harry Saved Christmas". 

We couldn't find that sketch to share with you, but we did find Harry's second appearance on April 14, 1990, in a sketch titled "The Night Hanukkah Harry Saved Easter." It has a similar theme to the first sketch, but instead of filling in for Santa Claus who couldn't deliver toys because of a stomach virus, he helps out the Easter Bunny who can't deliver Easter baskets because of a leg injury.

In this sketch, Hanukkah Harry saves Easter for a poor family of gentile children with the help of an invisible (and thirsty) Elijah the Prophet and his trusty flying donkeys Moishe, Herschel, and Shlomo.

The Baltimore Sun has called Hanukkah Harry one of the best Saturday Night Live sketches of all time. We hope you enjoy this 27 year flashback.

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#Throwback Thursday   #TBT

Chanukah Around the World With the Womens' Performance Group of Jerusalem

Today we're sharing a KOL ISHA Chanukah music mash-up! 

Every month The Women's Performance Community of Jerusalem invites women/teens from all over the Greater Jerusalem area to participate in a performance-related activity in the OU Israel Center.

For this extra-special Chanukah event, they invited women anywhere to participate right from their homes (or their cars or their cactus gardens) and they did. Women from Toronto to Tuscon, New York to Neve Daniel are all included in this clip of holiday unity and love.

Enjoy!

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Chanukah Comes Early to the White House

Tonight Jews around the world will light the first Chanukah candle as the eight-day holiday begins.

A year ago we posted the Hanukkah candle lighting ceremony at the White House presided over by then President Barack Obama. 

This year Chanukah came early as President Donald Trump presided over a party to light the Chanukah menorah and celebrate the announcement a day earlier that the United States recognizes Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

The White House Hanukkah Party is an annual reception hosted by the U.S. President and First Lady to recognize and celebrate the Jewish festival of Hanukkah. The tradition was established in 2001, during the administration of President George W. Bush. 

At the White House party, attended by many friends and supporters of Israel, the candle lighting by President Trump's Jewish granddaughter Arabella Kushner was led by Rabbi Meir Soloveichik, the Rabbi of Congregation Shearith Israel in New York City, the oldest Jewish congregation in the United States.

He is the great nephew of Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik, the late leader of American Jewry who identified with what became known as Modern Orthodoxy. 

Because it was a few days before Chanukah, the blessing for lighting the candle was not said. Instead Rabbi Soloveichik said the first blessing, Shenatan michvodo l'basar vadam (Who bestows power and distinction upon flesh and blood), a blessing said when in the presence of a head of state. The second blessing was the Shehecheyanu.

The 7 minute version of the event appears below. You can see the full 21 minute version by clicking here.

We wish you a happy Chanukah from Jerusalem. Enjoy!

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A Joke to Start the Week - "She's Out of This World"

Yes, we know it's almost Chanukah. But Monday is Monday, and we have to start the week off with a joke. Otherwise, we know we'll get complaints from our Monday joke fans.

So here's another oldie from the archives of Sam Hoffman's Old Jews Telling Jokes. This one is told by Larry Aarons, a Marketing and Creative Director.

Here's the setup: A businessman walks into a bar. He sees this fabulous looking woman at the end of the bar and he says to the bartender "Get her a drink." And then...

Enjoy!

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Happy Chanukah from the Staff of Jewish Humor Central and the Mensch on the Bench

Office Depot/Office Max has partnered with the folks who created the Elf on the Shelf Christmas phenomenon and the associated Elf Yourself app and the creators of The Mensch on a Bench.

The result?  They've added a Jewish twist to the funny dance videos that let you add yourself and up to four others into the animated action.

Most of the animated dances feature familiar songs about Christmas and the winter holiday season. But now you can create a Chanukah themed dance, featuring the Hanukkah phenomenon, the Mensch on a Bench, and the popular a capella group, the Maccabeats, singing Oh Chanukah!

We've joined in the fun and created a video featuring the five members of our staff dancing like we've never danced before and wishing you a Chanukah that's filled with enough light and laughter to last eight days.

You can do the same with photos of your family and friends. Just follow the directions at elfyourself.com and choose the Hanukkah theme from among the many offered.

Enjoy!

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Welcoming Shabbat: Shalom Aleichem with Japanese Students in Tel Aviv

As we prepare for another Shabbat, we're posting our 20th version of Shalom Aleichem, the liturgical poem that was written by the Kabbalists of Safed in the late 16th or early 17th century.

The version that we're sharing today is one of the traditional melodies, but it's being sung in Tel Aviv by a group of Japanese students participating in a Visual Arts Young Leadership Program and singer David D'Or. The students seem glued to their smart phones while singing. We can only hope that they're carefully reading the lyrics and not texting their friends.

Enjoy, and Shabbat shalom!

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Throwback Thursday: A Look Back at The Good Old Days with British Comedian Bernard Spears

The Good Old Days was a BBC television light entertainment program which ran from 1953 to 1983 in the United Kingdom.

It was performed at the Leeds City Varieties and recreated an authentic atmosphere of the Victorian–Edwardian music hall with songs and sketches of the era performed by present-day performers in the style of the original artists.  

British music hall was similar to American vaudeville, featuring rousing songs and comic acts, while in the United Kingdom the term "vaudeville"' referred to more working-class types of entertainment that would have been termed "burlesque" in America.

The audience dressed in period costume and joined in the singing. In the course of its run it featured about 2,000 performers. Each show was up to an hour long. All acts were in the style of late Victorian/Edwardian stage acts.

One of the stars of The Good Old Days was Jewish comedian Bernard Spear. Here is one of his performances from 1980. Spear tells a few jokes and sings You Gotta Have a Little Mazel. Notice the elaborate Victorian hats and fancy dresses worn by the women attending the show.

Enjoy!

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#Throwback Thursday   #TBT

Here Come the Chanukah Videos: Boys Town Jerusalem Choir with Sevivon and Dreidel Song

The Dreidel Song has been taken to a new level with this new jazzed up rendition by the Boys Town Jerusalem choir. The Dreidel song or in Hebrew Sevivon Sov Sov Sov has been given a new modern spin. 

Hanukkah - the festival of lights - is enjoyed by thousands of Jewish families around the world, many who play the Dreidel game and sing the Dreidel song after lighting the Hanukkah candles.

Established in 1948 to provide a home and education for young immigrants to the newly-created State of Israel, Boys Town Jerusalem has become one of the country's largest and most respected educational institutions.

Boys Town was founded by Alexander S. Linchner, a Brooklyn-born rabbi who, after the Holocaust, devoted his life to building a school for the children of immigrants who poured into Israel from countries around the world. His goal: providing them with a quality education that would prepare them to build the State of Israel with technological skill and traditional Jewish idealism.

Today, the beautiful 18-acre Boys Town campus in the Bayit Vegan neighborhood of Jerusalem is one of Israel’s major technological training centers. Approximately 800 students, ranging in age from 12 to 20, live on the campus, with a capacity to house up to 1,000.
 
The children and grandchildren of immigrants from 45 countries on six continents, they mirror the ethnic diversity of the Israeli population. More than 75% come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds and require substantial scholarship assistance. No student is ever turned away from Boys Town due to inability to pay tuition.
 
In addition to receiving a fine technological and academic education, Boys Town students are deeply imbued with traditional Jewish values and ideals, and pride in their Jewish heritage. As a result, Boys Town graduates are proud to serve in the Israel Defense Forces and then go on to build fine Jewish homes and families, while making important contributions to their communities and the State of Israel. Among Boys Town’s more than 6,200 graduates are many engineers, technicians, educators, fine craftsmen and professionals.

Enjoy the video!

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Tumbalalaika Around the World: Eco Band Performs Yiddish Classic in Rome

The Yiddish folk love song Tumbalalaika originated in Eastern Europe in the 19th century, but its exact origin is hard to pinpoint. That hasn't prevented it from being sung and played over and over, not only in places where Yiddish songs are sung, but just about everywhere in the world, in vocal and instrumental versions, in cabarets and in the movies.

Just as we have followed the songs Hava Nagila, Adon Olam, Hevenu Shalom Aleichem, and Abanibi as they took different forms as interpreted by a wide variety of singers, musicians, and dancers, we're continuing the series today that we started back in 2012, bringing you many interpretations of this universal courting and love song.  

This rendition of Tumbalalaika was recorded by the trio called Eco in Rome, Italy.

The English translation appears under the video on this page.

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Tumbalalaika - English Translation

A young lad stands, and he thinks
Thinks and thinks the whole night through

Whom to take and not to shame
Whom to take and not to shame
Tumbala, Tumbala, Tumbalalaika
Tumbala, Tumbala, Tumbalalaika
Tumbalalaika, strum balalaika
Tumbalalaika, may we be happy
Girl, girl, I want to ask of you
What can grow, grow without rain?
What can burn and never end?
What can yearn, cry without tears?
Foolish lad, why do you have to ask?
A stone can grow, grow without rain
Love can burn and never end
A heart can yearn, cry without tears

A Joke to Start the Week - "Talking Dog"

It's Monday again, and you know what that means. It's time for a Joke to Start the Week, our most popular feature.

Today we're sharing another old joke from the archives of Old Jews Telling Jokes, created back in 2009 by Sam Hoffman. The joke teller is Julie Lokin, a semi-retiredconcert promoter.

Here's the setup: A man is walking his dog. They go into a bar. The bartender says "Sir, you cannot bring a dog into the bar." And then...

Enjoy!

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Charedi Humor: Chasidic Man Goes Shopping For Groceries in Lakewood, NJ

Lakewood, New Jersey, is a very religious Haredi community. Like most Haredi neighborhoods, it has a very active Hatzolah organization that provides emergency medical services (EMS). 

Hatzolah wives in Lakewood, New Jersey do all of the grocery shopping while the men are studying and volunteering for EMS. But what happens when the wives are busy and ask their husbands (who have never shopped before) to do the shopping? Oy Vey!

The chasid in this skit is Jake Turx, the first Hasidic Jew to become a member of the White House Press Corps, reporting for Ami Magazine.

Enjoy!

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A Musical Havdalah by the Chorus of Atlanta's Weber School

On Fridays we usually post a musical welcome to Shabbat with a version of Shalom Aleichem, Lecha Dodi, or Adon Olam. But this week we're continuing a different approach that we started in September.

Because we don't post on Shabbat, we haven't been paying much attention to the closing minutes of Shabbat, when beautiful melodies are sung as part of Havdalah, the ceremony marking the transition from the holiness of Shabbat to the work week.

But there's a rich lode of musical endings to Shabbat, and Havdalah ceremonies around the world reflect the traditional and local musical tastes of each location.

Here's a video to save for tomorrow night at the conclusion of Shabbat. Playing it after dark will give us a reminder of the sweet taste of Shabbat and energize us to face the challenges of the coming week. This version is by the chorus of The Weber School, a private Jewish high school in Sandy Springs, a suburb of Atlanta, Georgia.

It's a coed and pluralistic Jewish community high school located with approximately 270 students, the majority of whom come from The Epstein School, The Davis Academy, Atlanta Jewish Academy, and other private and public schools.

Shabbat Shalom and Shavua Tov.

Enjoy!

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