A Joke to Start the Week: "Incriminating Evidence"

Bob Hertzendorf, our prolific supplier of jokes to help us start your week with a smile, has sent us a few more that we'll be sharing with you.

Bob, a certified hypnosis counselor, is actually into more than hypnosis. He has appeared in stage versions of popular Broadway shows, including Guys and Dolls, Lend Me a Tenor, Barefoot in the Park, and he played the rabbi in a production of Fiddler on the Roof.
 
Here's the setup for today's joke: 

A divorce trial is going on in a courthouse in Japan. The judge turns to the plaintiff and asks him: "Tell me, why do you want to divorce this woman?" 

And then...

Enjoy!

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Bagels 101: Zagat Evaluates Bialys vs. New York Style vs. Montreal Style Bagels

When it comes to bagels, New Yorkers can be pretty particular. From hand-rolled, kettle-boiled classics to wood-fired hybrids, there's something for everyone.

Zagat, the publisher of restaurant guides and reviews, visited three of New York's beloved bagel shops — Kossar's Bagels and Bialys, Black Seed Bagels and Zucker's Bagels and Smoked Fish — to find out which version their editors enjoyed the most. 

In this video, the Zagat reporters show the differences in production of bialys, Montreal style bagels, and New York style bagels, and analyze the results. After viewing, it, you'll find it hard to resist a trip to the local bagel bakery and loading up your favorite with some lox and a schmear.

Enjoy!

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Musical Showcase: Meet Stereo Sinai and the Punk Song of Solomon

We've been showcasing new Jewish comedians and revisiting some classic old-timers in the six years that Jewish Humor Central has been visible online. Now we're doing the same for Jewish musical groups that are new on the scene and who make music that we like a lot.

 

Stereo Sinai is the married duo Miriam Brosseau and Alan Sufrin, who took a one of the most quoted parts of Kohelet and turned it into a dance-pop version of Ecclesiastes that they call The Punk Song of Solomon. 

 

Kohelet, the Book of Ecclesiastes, is usually read on the holiday of Sukkot. But as the video below shows, there's no reason to restrict the message of the book to one holiday. 

 

Here are the lyrics, in English, Hebrew, and in transliteration.

Meaninglessness of meaninglessness! All is meaningless. [Ecclesiastes 1:2] … 
That which has been is that which will be, and that which has been created is that which will be created; 
and there’s nothing new underneath the sun. [Ecclesiastes 1:9]

הֲבֵ֥ל הֲבָלִ֖ים הַכֹּ֥ל הָֽבֶל׃ [קהלת א:ב] … מַה־שֶּֽׁהָיָה֙ ה֣וּא שֶׁיִּֽהְיֶ֔ה וּמַה־שֶּׁנַּֽעֲשָׂ֔ה ה֖וּא שֶׁיֵּֽעָשֶׂ֑ה וְאֵ֥ין כָּל־חָדָ֖שׁ תַּ֥חַת הַשָּֽׁמֶשׁ׃ [קהלת א:ט]ו
Havel havalim ha-kol havel. Ma she-haya hu she-yih’yeh, u-ma she-naasa hu she-yease, ve-ein kol chadash tachat ha-shemesh.

Enjoy!

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Throwback Thursday Comedy Special: Rodney Dangerfield on the Dean Martin Show

Throwback Thursday has become a weekly social media posting trend to let readers and viewers look back fondly on some of their favorite memories -- hence the "throwback" theme. At Jewish Humor Central, every Thursday we'll be posting a nostalgic video clip from a very old TV show or movie that brings back happy memories.

Today it's Rodney Dangerfield doing one of his standup comedy routines on The Dean Martin Show in 1973.

Dangerfield (1921-2004) was a fixture on the standup comedy circuit during the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. His appearances on the Ed Sullivan Show, the Dean Martin Show and all the late night shows solidified his place in the world of comedy.
 
Born Jacob Rodney Cohen on Long Island, Dangerfield (he took the name from a character in a skit on the Jack Benny Show) had a career that went beyond standup comedy to the movies and to his own comedy club, Dangerfield's, in Manhattan.

Enjoy!

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#Throwback Thursday #TBT 

Mexican Cantor Moshe Mendelson Sings Rumenia Rumenia (with a Mariachi Twist)

Every time we post a song by Mexican Cantor Moshe Mendelson (twice so far) we get an enthusiastic response and requests for more of his singing. So when we found Mendelson singing his version of the classic Yiddish song Rumenia, Rumenia, we knew we had to post it here.

The song was composed and originally sung by Aaron Lebedeff in 1925. It's a song of nostalgic praise for old Romania, with its special foods and the good life there before the war. There are references to mamalige (a cornmeal mush or cornbread), Karnatsel (a garlicky sausage or meat patty) Kashtaval or Kashkaval (cheese made from sheep’s milk) and other delicacies. 

Since this was recorded in Mexico City, where Mendelson has been a cantor for the Ashkenazi Kehila in for 43 years, he is accompanied by a Mariachi band in full costume.

Enjoy!

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The Great Jewish Comedians: Paul Winchell and His Dummy, Jerry Mahoney

Paul Winchell (December 21, 1922 – June 24, 2005) was an American ventriloquist, comedian, actor, voice actor, humanitarian and inventor whose career flourished in the 1950s and 1960s. From 1950–1954, he hosted The Paul Winchell Show, which also used two other titles during its prime time run on NBC, The Speidel Show, and What's My Name?.

Winchell was born Paul Wilchinsky in New York City on December 21, 1922 to Solomon Wilchinsky and Clara Fuchs. His father was a tailor.  His grandparents were Jewish immigrants from Russian Poland and Austria-Hungary. Winchell's initial ambition was to become a doctor, but the Depression wiped out any chance of his family's ability to afford medical school tuition. At age 13, he contracted polio. While recovering, he happened upon a magazine advertisement offering a ventriloquism kit for ten cents. 

Back at school, he asked his art teacher, Jerod Magon, if he could receive class credit for creating a ventriloquist's dummy. Mr. Magon was agreeable, and Winchell named his creation Jerry Mahoney, by way of thanks. Winchell went back to reading magazines, gathering jokes from them and putting together a comedy routine, which he then took to the Major Bowes Amateur Hour in 1938, winning first prize. A touring offer, playing various theaters with the Major Bowes Review, was part of the prize. Bandleader Ted Weems saw the young Winchell while on tour; he visited Winchell and made him an offer of employment. Winchell accepted and became a professional at age 14.

Let's go back 60 years to 1956 and visit with Paul Winchell and his two dummies, Jerry Mahoney and Knucklehead. 

Enjoy! 

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A Joke to Start the Week - "Dog Hair"

It's Monday again and time for another joke to start the week.

Today's joke is another one from a new collection of Old Jews Telling Jokes. The joke teller is 70-year-old artist, writer, and professor Judy Blotnick.

Here's the setup: This woman has a dog, and the dog keeps scratching his ear, and she decides to take him to the vet. And then...

Enjoy!

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"Trumped" Takeoff on "The Producers" - Love Him or Hate Him, You'll Love This Parody

Mel Brooks didn't know what he started when he created the Broadway and Hollywood hit musical and movie The Producers.

Late night TV host Jimmy Kimmel has taken the show and created a hilarious parody, tying it to the Republican primary contest that's playing on our TV screens every day and night.

Of course the bigger than life center of the parody is presidential candidate Donald Trump. Whether you're for him or against him, you should find the satire very funny. As we said when we posted the Bernie Sanders bad lip reading video last week, Jewish Humor Central generally avoids political humor, but this one was just too funny to resist. Like the original musical, this parody includes a few choice Yiddish words.

As Daniel Kreps wrote in Rolling Stone,

The Producers stars Matthew Broderick and Nathan Lane reunited for Jimmy Kimmel's post-Oscars special to appear in a trailer for a faux-sequel to their hit musical. "Just in time for the election, it's a story that starts off funny then gets really, really depressing," the trailer warns of Trumped, which finds the two producers hopping aboard the runaway train known as Donald Trump.

"Max, do you realize that under the right circumstances it might be possible for us to make more money from a losing candidate than from a winner? First we find a bad candidate, then we raise money like crazy and we promise all the donors an ambassadorship, to Italy or Sweden or Armenia," Broderick's Bloom proposes, planting the seed of the Trump campaign.

You can read the rest of the review here.


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Nefesh Mountain Releases New Jewish Bluegrass Album

Last August we introduced you to the new bluegrass group called Nefesh Mountain. Founded by husband and wife team Eric Lindberg and Doni Zasloff, Nefesh Mountain is pioneering this blend of Jewish Americana throughout the country, bringing their unique knowledge and passion for both Jewish and Bluegrass traditions to the fore, singing English and Hebrew songs alike.

As a duo, Doni and Eric alternate lead and harmony vocals while switching between instruments, using the drive of the banjo, intrigue of the guitar, nuance of the mandolin, and visceral sound of the dobro.

You may recognize Doni Zasloff as Mama Doni, the role she has played in producing CD and DVD albums of children's songs. In 2012 we featured her video Mission Immatzoble as one of our Passover posts.

Here's the official music video of Esa Einai from Nefesh Mountain's new album releasing May 20, 2016. Doni and Eric are accompanied here by special guests and bluegrass greats Sam Bush, Mark Schatz, Rob Ickes, and Gary Oleyar. Also joining them on their record is banjo extraordinaire Scott Vestal. The video was shot by Jeff Carpenter of Readylight Media at the Sound Emporium in Nashville, Tennessee and in the beautiful hills of Asheville, North Carolina.

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Throwback Thursday Comedy Special: Groucho Marx Meets Pedro Gonzalez Gonzalez

Today we're starting a new Thursday weekly series on Jewish Humor Central. We've been posting a joke every Monday to start the week on a funny note. Now we're also adopting Thursday as a special day as we join the many blogs, Facebook, and Twitter posts that designate Thursday as Throwback Thursday.

Throwback Thursday has become a weekly social media posting trend to let readers and viewers look back fondly on some of their favorite memories -- hence the "throwback" theme. At Jewish Humor Central, we'll be posting a nostalgic video clip from a very old TV show or movie that brings back happy memories.

Today we're sharing an old episode of Groucho Marx's TV show You Bet Your Life. It's the classic episode in which Groucho meets Pedro Gonzalez Gonzalez, a Mexican character actor who made his first appearance as a contestant on the quiz show. The segment was so funny that Gonzalez Gonzalez was offered roles in movies and became best known for his appearances in a number of John Wayne movies and earned a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame.

Enjoy!

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(A tip of the kippah to Irving Gerber for bringing this video to our attention and to Esther Kustanowitz who introduced us to Throwback Thursday.)
 
#TBT #ThrowbackThursday

Jewish Humor from Australia - Jim Brewsky at the Melbourne Jewish Comedy Festival

Yes, there is Jewish humor down under. Last year Melbourne, Australia started a Jewish Comedy Festival to celebrate Jewish culture through comedy and they're planning another one for 2016.

Today we're bringing you one of the highlights of the festival, a stand-up comedy routine by Jim Brewsky, who starts the routine by teasing his audience as to whether they think he is, or isn't, a member of the tribe.

Enjoy!

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YidLife Crisis Searches for Yiddish Culture (and Kishka) in Tel Aviv

We've been following the Canadian comedy duo of Jamie Elman and Eli Batalion as they travel the world in search of funny situtations involving Yiddish culture, language, and food.

Their web series, YidLife Crisis, was recently nominated for a Canadian Screen Award for best original digital media series. 

They have taken their act on the road, performing a live version of their show in Krakow, Tel Aviv, Toronto, Montreal, Los Angeles and Birmingham, England. 

The pair has also received a prestigious grant from the Natan Fund and have created a series of five travelogues featuring their impressions of Tel Aviv. Last month we posted their funny Valentine’s Day episode guest staring Mayim Bialik.

There's a lot of Yiddish in some of the episodes and some of the English includes coarse language that we avoid in our family-friendly posts, so we pick the episodes that we share with you very carefully.

Today we're posting one of their Tel Aviv episodes, Canadians in Cabs Getting Kishkas. In it, they try to order from a menu in a Tel Aviv restaurant, where some of the selections are misspelled, as frequently happens in Israeli restaurants. 

Enjoy!

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A Joke to Start the Week - "The Golden Years"

It's another Bob Hertzendorf Monday. Today we're posting the last in a series of clips from Bob's standup comedy routine before an audience in Lakewood, New Jersey.

We've been lucky to have received a collection of these from Bob, an accomplished actor and comedian, and we're happy to share them with you. 

Bob is very prolific -- he just sent us some more jokes, and you can expect to see them in the weeks to come.

In today's clip Bob reflects on the new challenges that come with reaching the golden years.
Enjoy!

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The Great Jewish Comedians: Remembering Garry Shandling

Garry Shandling, the American comedian, actor, writer, producer and director who died on Thursday, was born November 29, 1949 in Chicago, to a Jewish family. He grew up in Tucson, Arizona, one of three sons of Muriel Estelle (née Singer), a pet store proprietor, and Irving Shandling, a print shop owner.

His persona was an anxiety-ridden, grimacing, guarded, confused man on the verge of losing control. After a couple of years on the road, a talent scout from The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson booked him to appear as a guest in 1981. Shandling substituted for Carson on a regular basis until 1987, when he left to focus on his cable show leaving Jay Leno as permanent guest host and Carson's eventual successor.

Shandling began his career writing for sitcoms such as Sanford and Son and Welcome Back, Kotter. He made a successful stand-up performance on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and became a frequent guest-host on the show. Shandling was for a time considered the leading contender to replace Carson (other hopefuls were Joan Rivers, David Letterman and David Brenner). 

In 1986 he created It's Garry Shandling's Show for the pay cable channel Showtime. It was nominated for four Emmy Awards (including one for Shandling) and lasted until 1990. His second show, The Larry Sanders Show, which began airing on HBO in 1992, was even more successful. 

During his three-decade career, Shandling was nominated for 19 Primetime Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards, along with many other awards and nominations. He served as host of the Grammy Awards four times and as host of the Emmy Awards three times.

Here's a video clip of one of his many performances doing stand-up comedy on Comic Relief.

Enjoy!

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