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https://www.aish.com/j/sod/98189579.htmlStars of David: Gertrude BergJul 11, 2010by Marnie Winston-MacauleyGertrude Berg created the American sit-com. And she did it by portraying a proudly Jewish family.“Yoo hoo, Mrs. Bloom!”-It all started with those few words. The sitcom. From a character who was quintessentially, boldly, proudly and loudly, Jewish. More, a Jewish immigrant. Hear those words, and you instantly know the source (assuming you’re old enough to know that a mu mu isn’t the sound a cow makes): Molly Goldberg! The very first Jewish character on what many consider to be America’s first sitcom who fixed everyone, and everything from her family, to Mrs. Bloom, to the world, in her broken Yiddishe hecsent.For over 20 years, “Yoo hoo ...” -was a national buzz-phrase, muttered by Americans from –Jews and Italians in New York, the Irish in Boston, to Scandinavians in Minneapolis, (to Jews again in L.A.).“Come sit on the table, dinner is ready. You’ll swallow a cup, darling?” – Molly GoldbergAmerica fell in love with The Goldbergs.1930's America fell in love with The Goldbergs on radio the lives of an immigrant family headed up –by Mama Molly, along with husband Jake, daughter Rosalie, son Sammy, Uncle David and followed this–bold major nationwide portrayal of Jews and Jewish life through to 1950s television.\"It's late, Jake, and time to expire.\" Molly Goldberg–Watch a teaser for the 2009 documentary about Gertrude Berg (article continues below)

Molly, through her Mollyisms, or cracked Yinglish, “shmoozed” common sense, wisdom, and compassion to further her “fix it” mission.-“Vat's de matter, so late, Sammy? Let me look at your hands. Playing marbles, ha? A marble shooter you're gonna be? A beautiful business for a Jewish boy!\" Mollyism–Unlike Molly the character she played, Gertrude Berg the actress was highly literate. The only child of Dinah and Jacob Edelstein, born in Harlem in 1899, she honed her talent at the Jewish boarding house her parents, Dinah and Jacob Edelstein, ran in Fleischmanns, New York, where as a young girl, she entertained guests by writing and performing skits. It was also where she met her husband, Lewis Berg, a chemical engineer. The couple went on to have two children, Cherney Robert in 1922, and Harriet, in 1926.In 1929, she submitted her script for a daily unlikely radio show called The Rise of the Goldbergs and so began one of the longest and most successful runs in media history. Berg went on to be not only a star, but the first female “hyphenate,” as creator- writer--actor long before the Streisands, Roseannes, Mary Tyler Moores, and Goldie Hawns. Even today, few, if any, have the control she had in her executive and creative roles. And she used it to stand up for Jews, and fight against abuses of the power she used so well.“Throw an eye into the ice box and give me an accounting.” –- MollyismConcerned about Fascism in the thirties and the welfare of European Jews, Berg was active in many Jewish groups, before, during, and after World War II. More, she risked all when, despite intense pressure from the network and advertisers, she took a stand against the blacklist by refusing to fire co-star Philip Loeb and she won.–“And dat’s bizness? It’s slavery just like in ‘Oncle Tom’s Cabinet!’” –-- MollyismNo one would dare fool with Gertrude-Molly a genuine American hit! How was it possible –for a Jewish family to become not just a hit, but the prototype of a new genre, with an audience of Gentiles? For Jews and non-Jews alike to laugh with, not at her? And how did Berg accomplish this in the 1930s, when the world and the country was rife with anti- ––Semitism; where Jews had trouble getting jobs, and many restaurants, hotels and clubs had “No Jews or Dogs Allowed” signs hanging in their windows?#The Goldbergs portrayed Jewish life with heart, warmth, and humor, but without mockery.The Goldbergs, under Berg’s brilliant direction, did what few sitcoms have managed to do since: Portray Jewish life with heart, warmth, and humor, but without mockery.

In creating The Goldbergs, she allowed Molly to speak for all first and second generation immigrants of every ethnicity. The timing, following the second great wave of immigration to the United States, was perfect. These families, whether Jewish, Irish, Italian, or Russian, were struggling with the same issues: assimilation, old vs. new values, and having to take the hand of their children in this new land. America loved Molly because Americans knew her, or someone like her. Whether they spoke Yinglish, Italiadish, or Eiredish, it was all Ameridish.Her Jewish humor reflected their trials, hopes, compassion, common sense, and above all patriotism, making their journey personal, amenable, and funny, as it has for We Jews for thousands of years. Is there a better way to impart knowledge of the human condition?“Mr. Policeman, officer of the law, your honor, could you be so kindly if you would inform me of the location of where is 14th St.?\" Mollyism–American Jews were proud of Molly. Few decried the stereotypical accents and images. For the first time in history, our heritage was brought to the forefront of mainstream culture in a gentle, respectful vehicle, that was also fearless, satirical, and wise which are the kishkes of –most good Jewish humor.Through Molly, we also saw how, in the right hands, the truth of our ethnicity, could entertain, inform, and strike a universal chord.Without Berg’s courage and risk, a Sid Caesar, Joan Rivers, or Jackie Mason would be playing to an audience of 50 at the Flatbush Knights of Pythias, and a Seinfeld – wouldn’t be, altogether.In the 1950s, like many immigrants, the Goldbergs “moved on up” from a New York tenement, to the Bronx, to Connecticut then to cancellation in 1956. A generation had –passed. Assimilation ceased to be front page news. The babies had boomed. As Jews “melted” into suburbia, appearing to, and desperately wanting to turn from kugel to apple pie, the issue itself was driven underground, along with positive Jewish images.End of an EraAfter The Goldbergs ended, Jews “disappeared” on air for two decades. The Vanilla families –The Nelsons, the Cleavers, the Andersons, and the Stones -- reigned in Main Street U.S.A.Then, in the 1960's, a little egg cream once again entered the Land of Vanilla. Carl Reiner created what became The Dick Van Dyke Show with a Jewish family and workplace in mind. Ultimately the only openly Jewish character was Buddy (Morey Amsterdam who had a bar mitzvah on the show!), but the “groats” served was pure kasha. Not only was the tone Jewish, but other “probable” Jews included The Helpers, Rob and Laura’s friends, Alan Brady, the thinly disguised “Sid Caesar,” and Mel, the lackey brother-in-law.

Copyright © 1995 - 2020 Aish.com, https://www.aish.com.Aish.com is a non-profit and needs your support. Please donate at: aish.com/donate,or mail a check to: Aish.com c/o The Jerusalem Aish HaTorah Fund PO Box 1259 Lakewood, NJ 08701.Then came Rhoda (played by non-Jew Valerie Harper), Mary’s gal pal on The Mary Tyler Moore Show. When “Rhoda”spun off, enlarging the role of her family, we saw a marked change in how Jews were portrayed. Sitcoms, now in their adolescence, were rife with rebellion that reflected the turbulent 1960s and 70s. Many male writers were conflicted over their Jewish traditions and traits, which they perceived as obstacles but not to getting a quick laugh on –the back of exaggerated stereotype. Mothers, especially, took heat, or, a Jewish character was the foil for the “straighter” gentile, in shows such as Bridget Loves Bernie, Mad About You, The Nanny, Will and Grace, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and even Seinfeld (when any parent is involved). The exception was Brooklyn Bridge (1991), based on producer (Family Ties, Spin City) Gary David Goldberg’s early life, the show was an authentic look at Jewish life. Sadly, it lasted only two seasons, was a great disappointment.Hello Molly? Today, we’re seeing indications of change. In Will and Grace, Grace married “in!” In drama, Jews are more “normalized” in House, Law & Order, NCIS, among others.Is America “ready” to use cutting edge humor to portray Jewish values?If so, We Jews need to stop struggling to be “Americans” and start struggling to define how to be “Americans” and “Jews.”If so, we can finally be true to Gertrude Berg’s legacy.\"If it's nobody, or anybody ........ I'll call back.\" Molly Goldberg–

https://www.aish.com/j/sod/99534354.htmlStars of David: Jerry WeintraubJul 31, 2010by Marnie Winston-MacauleyFrom Presley to Presidents, this Star of David has seen it all.Jerry Weintraub, the producer of “Nashville,” “Diner,” “The Karate Kid” and the trio of “Ocean’s Eleven” films, died Monday, July 6, 2015, of cardiac arrest in Santa Barbara, Calif. He was 77.When you dig through all the craziness of my life, you'll see that I'm just a guy from the Bronx who knows how to attract a crowd Jerry Weintraub–Jerry Weintraub just may be the most brilliant salesperson alive today. One of a handful of select showmen that includes the likes of Mike Todd and P.T. Barnum. In case you haven’t been in a bookstore lately, his 2010 autobiography When I Stop Talking, You'll Know I'm Dead: Useful Stories from a Persuasive Man (available here), is a hit.Not surprising. After all, Jerry’s tales are the stuff of fables that rival Aesop’s for life lessons. But wait, there’s more ... he the best at this most underrated skill: “Selling,” the true is measure of which are his successes as a manager-promoter-producer-impresario, and his sphere of influence.Selling? Underrated? Think about it. You may have Streisand’s voice, written a modern-day War and Peace, or yes, even come up with a winning solution to the Mideast crisis. But if you can’t sell it -- if you can’t shop it, execute it, promote it, you’re just another guy/gal bemoaning what “might have been” to your mate over flanken.“Packaging. That’s my talent. If I’d been around with Van Gogh or Melville, they wouldn’t have had to wait so long for fame.” – Jerry WeintraubUnited Artists.Meet Jerry Weintraub. A human phenomenon who, starting in his twenties, managed the careers of some of the biggest stars in the world (Frank Sinatra, Led Zeppelin, The Carpenters, Neil Diamond to name a few); created the concept of the concert tour for pop music icons; produced Broadway and motion picture hits (Nashville, Diner, Oh God!, the Ocean's films Karate Kid , series); and headed up

Click below to view the trailer for The Karate KidIf Jerry were merely a good “spielmeister,” either his 15 minutes would’ve been up long ago, or he’d be hawking “Get With the Program!” DVDs on a Shopping Network. Not Jerry. At 72, his time just gets longer, along with his many honors, which includes UNICEF 2010 Man of the Year, lifetime achievement awards, Producer of the Year awards (from the National Association of Theater Owners), a seat on the board of the Kennedy Center, and, he has the distinction of being the only producer to have his hands and feet imprinted in front of the famed Grauman’s Chinese Theater!But wait ... there’s more. Pick a time – any time, and you might catch him shmoozing with longtime pal George Bush Sr., Will Smith, “Bibi” Netanyahu, or George Clooney. And yes, phoning and flying around to meet world leaders, also his buddies, in support of Israel – if Israel asks him to do so.“This was not a theater; it was a synagogue. Everything I wanted was up on the screen.” – Jerry Weintraub.What did it take for this Brooklyn-born, Bronx-raised Jewish boy to go from dreaming the Big Dreams at the Roxy theater, to shaking things up in Hollywood and on the world stage?Simple. It took brains. Not the kind of “brains” youcan learn at Wharton. No. Sachel (smarts). The kindof brains that come from a Yiddishe kop in high gear: a talent for trend-spotting, a “never-take-no” perseverance, and a “joy of the chutzpah” to master the “art of the spiel.”[Moral: “I never hear the word ‘no.’ It’s called chutzpah, and it works.” – Jerry Weintraub]It took guts. The kind of guts that infuses your bravado with the confidence and skill to win and keep the trust of Presidents and Hollywood royalty, starting with a King. In his own –words:“I got up in the middle of the night, three o'clock in the morning. I said to my wife, 'I just had this crazy dream. I saw a sign in front of Madison Square Garden that said 'Jerry Weintraub presents Elvis.' She said, 'That's crazy. You don't know Elvis. You don't know Colonel Parker.' I said, 'I'm telling you. G-d sent me a sign that I’m gonna do this.'”So, he set off on this “holy” mission impossible. For one year, he refused to take a “no” from the fearsome Colonel Parker who finally, worn down, set the young impresario a staggering challenge: meet him in Las Vegas with a million bucks. Meshugge? You bet. (Jerry was in the hole for 65K.) Part keystone comedy, with a splash of the “Oceans” movies he would later

produce, the “kid,” just a few years out of the mail room at William Morris, not only took a giant risk, but convinced a backer to share it by offering a full half of his future earnings from concerts. [Moral: “You give up something to get something, you get something and you give something” – Jerry Weintraub.] He paid the Colonel and met his –“Jerry Weintraub presents Elvis” destiny.Click below to view trailer for Ocean's ElevenA destiny that was a combination of DNA and mentoring from dad, Sam, a gem dealer. So great was Sam’s influence, that the father-son relationship became a life theme for Jerry, one he produced years later on the big screen with The Karate Kid. When Jerry was eight, his father returned home from a business trip with “the largest star sapphire in the world,” the “Star of Ardaban,”which he put in a case under lock and key. Armored guards and reporters in tow, Sam took it across country to delight customers. But wait ... there’s more. The “Star” was a piece of junk. [Moral: “It’s not the gem people buy, it’s the story, the romance behind the gem.”– Jerry Weintraub] While Sam’s customers were “romancing the stone,” they also bought what Sam was selling. And so, the elder Weintraub taught his son the value of a good story and guts.–“I’ve never been frightened of anybody or anything in my life.” –Jerry WeintraubEnough guts to stand-up for Israel, and We Jews, today. This just may be among his most daunting achievements. Jerry Weintraub is not afraid to speak out. Unlike many of his Hollywood lantslaite who arequietly cancelling pro-Israel appearances in fear oftainting their “liberal” labels, risking careers and country club memberships, Jerry Weintraub is a stand-up guy. You won’t find Jerry cowering behind Beverly Hills bushes. He not only knows where he stands, but will tell you. Just as he’ll tell presidents and prime ministers.“I was never ashamed of what I was. When I left [the Bronx] at 17, I carried it with me and I never tried to hide it. I don’t understand Jews who don’t want to be Jews, who are ashamed to be Jews, who want so much to assimilate.”– Jerry WeintraubHis devotion to Jews and to Israel is absolute. He’s a world class philanthropist, “giving back,” -to a variety of groups, causes, and institutions, including Hebrew University and Chabad. But more ... he’s a creator/producer of the Chabad Telethon, where he can be seen on TV, dancing joyfully (and unabashedly) with the Rabbis. The Telethon now raises over $8 million a year.

Copyright © 1995 - 2020 Aish.com, https://www.aish.com.Aish.com is a non-profit and needs your support. Please donate at: aish.com/donate,Working with good friend and Vice-President at the time, George Bush Sr., he played an instrumental, if unofficial, role in the rescue of Ethiopian Jews (Operation Moses and Operation Joshua) in the mid-1980s, and earlier with Rufuseniks in Russia.He firmly supports Israel as our homeland, and preserving Jerusalem as capital. He also believes that the Palestinians should have their own place to live, which is a source of internal conflict for Jerry, who describes himself as “a Likud.”But, Jerry, “an American Jew, not a Jewish American,” sees boundaries. While all Jews are -“family” – the best of families respect limits. Yes, American Jews should support Israel financially and politically, but, “We should not meddle in their affairs.” In other words, MYOB. Says Weintraub, “They have a difference psyche, a different political system, a different way of doing things. We can’t dictate to them any more than they should dictate to us.” [Moral: “Stay out of what you don’t understand.”–Jerry Weintraub.] It was a painful lesson learned first- hand. On one occasion when, at the behest of powerful American Jews, Jerry “interfered” over a critical issue, he was abruptly told it was a non-issue by Israel’s PM. The implication was clear. “You don’t have the facts. You don’t know what we know.” Tail between his legs, it was a mistake he vowed never to make again. Would he get involved if asked by this administration? Only by invitation from the Israelis.–Jerry Weintraub has had a giant journey. But, as with most who are larger-than-life, it hasn’t come without sacrifices. Balancing a world-class career and paying enough attention to family wasn’t an easy mix. It’s hard to be father of the year to four children when you’re working till four a.m. “You make a decision, a choice,” he readily admits. Has this been a factor in his passionate relationship with Israel, and philanthropy. Probably. If there’s a scorecard “up there,” Jerry would want to cut a good deal.But wait ... there’s more. It’s also hard to have a world-class career and be one of the good guys. In this, he has been a resounding success.Now, at 72, it seems as if he’s just starting:Still filled with the wonderment that fueled his Big Dreams at the Roxy. Still a “fan,”Still enthralled with giving talent a stage,And still seeing in neon: “Jerry Weintraub presents ...”The author would like to thank Mitch Julis for his invaluable contribution to this article.

https://www.aish.com/j/sod/Stars_of_David_Rupert_Murdoch.htmlStars of David: Rupert MurdochMay 21, 2011by Marnie Winston-MacauleyIn the thick of many controversies is his vociferous support of Israel.“The Truth Has Many Faces” [Der emess hot a sach ponimer.] Yiddish Proverb–Then again, perhaps it’s not a “Jewish” proverb. It may have come from Oscar Wilde, James Baldwin, or heck, the House of Saudi.It all depends upon where you look and who you ask these days. Because these days, in media, it’s “anything goes,” or perhaps more accurately, “anything that sells, goes” – in newspapers, TV, online, universities, and other hallowed bastions of “truth.”“We live in a world where there is an ongoing war against the Jews”– Rupert Murdoch.Any “truth” then, reported about media mogul Rupert Murdoch, founder, chairman and CEO of News Corp. (News Corporation), one of the most powerful people in the world who’s a stand-upIsrael-defender, is going to be uncomfortable forany reporter vaguely interested in “truth.”Love or hate Fox? The Wall Street Journal? The Times of London? The Simpsons? DirecTV? The film Titanic? They’re all Murdoch. I’ll bet my modem that your “loves” and “hates” won’t line up single file whether you’re a neo-con or a liberal. Through The Simpsons and BSkyB to Twentieth Century Fox and digital television, with a satellite system from Boston, to Blackpool, to Beijing, Murdoch’s estimated media empire would make Charles Foster Kane burn his sled himself.And like the protagonist in Citizen Kane, the persistent, unanswered question is: “Who, really, is Keith Rupert Murdoch?” Especially when his story is told almost exclusively by others imbued with particular prejudices.In the thick of many controversies is his vociferous support of Israel.

“My own perspective is simple: We live in a world where there is an ongoing war against the Jews. ... Now the war has entered a new phase. This is the soft war that seeks to isolate Israel by delegitimizing it. The battleground is everywhere: the media … multinational organizations … NGOs. In this war, the aim is to make Israel a pariah. ...Every day, the citizens of the Jewish homeland defend themselves against armies of terrorists whose maps spell out the goal they have in mind: a Middle East without Israel.”–Rupert Murdoch upon being honored by the ADL, October 12, 2010Murdoch fashioned his speech around two critical points. “The disturbing new home that anti- Semitism has found in polite society especially in Europe,–” and how violence and extremism is encouraged, when “the world sees Israel’s greatest ally [ the U.S.] distancing herself from the Jewish state.”Most rankling to him, and to his critics, was his statement: “Today it seems that the most virulent strains come from the left.”Keith Rupert Murdoch was born in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, the son of Elisabeth Joy (née Greene) and Sir Keith Murdoch, a regional newspaper magnate who groomed his son early. Rupert has said: \"My father left me with a clear sense that the media was something different.\" He received a platinum education at Oxford and supported the Labour Party. At age 22, following the death of his father, Murdoch returned to Australia to head up the family business. Beginning with one newspaper in Adelaide, Murdoch acquired and started other publications before expanding News Corp. into the U.K., U.S., and Asian markets. Murdoch's first permanent foray into TV was in the U.S. where he created Fox Broadcasting Company in 1986 (becoming a U.S. citizen, per relevant law). In the 2000s, he became a leading investor in satellite television, the film industry and the Internet. His acquisitions have included: The Sun (U.K. 1969) which he turned into a tabloid format and gold; The Times and The Sunday –Times (1981) and, in 1990, BskyB.In the U.S. he purchased or holds significant shares in: the New York Post, 20 Century Fox, th The Wall Street Journal, DirecTV, MySpace.com, IGN entertainment, and of course the Fox Broadcasting company.In the 2010 Forbes's The World's Most Powerful People list, he was ranked 117 wealthiest th person in the world with a net worth of $6.3 billion.Straightforward, right? Wrong. The questions remain:Is Murdoch guilty of some hypocrisy? Perhaps. Does Murdoch firmly support Israel? Yes.

Should they co-exist in a perfect universe?They do. We may not like it. But unholy alliances in big business and media are de rigueur, regardless of which side of the aisle you’re on.There are no saints in this war of the words. And I doubt Murdoch himself would want that noble burden.But the more salient question is, are Murdoch’s firmly pro Israel pronouncements “good for -the Jews?”Common sense: The guy stands up for Israel!\"Maybe we should start wondering whether we in Europe and the United States can survive if we allow the terrorists to succeed in Israel.\"While we don’t know what personally motivates him, we do know: 1. Despite allegations to the contrary, it’s not for the bucks. He doesn’t need them, and there are easier/faster ways to make them. 2. He’s pro-West. For Murdoch, whose politics and “bottom lines” depend upon democracy, the two are indistinguishable.“In the West, we are used to thinking that Israelcannot survive without the help of Europe and the United States. … Maybe we should start wondering whether we in Europe and the United States can survive if we allow the terrorists to succeed in Israel. –Rupert Murdoch, on receiving AJC National Human Relations Award, March 4, 2009Common sense: The guy stands up for Israel at a time when that particular podium isn’t crowded with media and celebrity giants.He’s got guts. Jewish publications, organizations and leaders have lauded him. Said Abe Foxman, National Director of the Anti-Defamation League: “I have come to know the man, not his image. I learned that he cared deeply about the safety and security of Israel … that he was as distressed as I was about efforts to de-legitimize the Jewish state, to hold it to a double standard, and to seek its demise by some.\"Common sense: The guy “gets” the problem of “intellectual” media dialectic on the Middle East.It’s become increasingly “radical chic” for some intellectuals to define the Mid-East conflict as the rich, powerful, educated Jews versus the poor Palestinians.

Said Murdoch: “Often this new anti-Semitism dresses itself up as legitimate disagreement with Israel. Back in 2002 the president of Harvard, Larry Summers, put it this way: ‘Where anti- Semitism and views that are profoundly anti-Israeli have traditionally been the primary preserve of poorly educated right-wing populists, profoundly anti-Israel views are increasingly finding support in progressive intellectual communities…’”At the heart of Murdoch’s words is the critical notion that intellectuals are creating a moral equivalence between the Palestinians and Israelis.“For Hamas, the images of Palestinian suffering – of people losing their homes, of parents mourning their dead children, of tanks rolling through the streets create sympathy for –their cause.” –Rupert MurdochWithout the framework of a larger moral compass, without asking “who’s the true slayer?” the result is not only incomplete, but the message skews to far more important fundamental untruths.Is creating morally equivalence between the Palestinians and Israelis common sense?Responsible reporting involves more than simply imparting individual facts “equally.” It calls for accuracy, analyzing these facts against motive in context, and drawing lines in the moral sand.9-11 was odious!As are attacks on U.S. bases as well as targets around the world ... as are those who strap suicide bombs to children ...as are cultures and governments who call for the annihilation of the U.S., Jews, and Israel.“‘Serious and thoughtful people are advocating and taking actions that are anti-Semitic in their effect if not their intent.’” – Rupert MurdochWhen academics and journalists with credibility become obsessed with reporting the “machinations” of Israel, and the U.S. Israel lobby, the result is an upswing in anti-Semitic tirades.Says The Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg: “Whenever one of these guys (referring to Phillip Weiss’s Mondoweiss, Glenn Greenwald’s blog on Salon, and Stephen Walt’s blog on ForeignPolicy.com, owned by The Washington Post Company) writes about me ... my inbox quickly fills with anti-Semitic invective. Whenever I see a subject line with something like ‘You fascist Zionazi,’ it’s pretty much assured the link in the email will lead back to a post from one of these guys.”

Copyright © 1995 - 2020 Aish.com, https://www.aish.com.Aish.com is a non-profit and needs your support. Please donate at: aish.com/donate,or mail a check to: Aish.com c/o The Jerusalem Aish HaTorah Fund PO Box 1259 Lakewood, NJ 08701.Are criticisms over Israeli policy the same as anti-Semitism? Not necessarily. But Murdoch is implying that by creating a moral equivalence, even those with good intent, are supplying the seed corn for anti-Semitism.Is Rupert Murdoch, then, “good for the Jews?”The free world makes a terrible mistake if we deceive ourselves into thinking this is not our fight. ... In the end, the Israeli people are fighting the same enemy we are: cold- blooded killers who reject peace … who reject freedom … and who rule by the suicide vest, the car bomb, and the human shield. ... Against such an enemy, I will not second-guess the decisions of a free Israel defending her citizens. And I would ask all those who support peace and freedom to do the same.” –Rupert Murdoch, March 4, 2009For his stand-up pro-Israel position, highly unusual among his peers, his bold insights into the “soft” media war, his stalwart statements that this soft war engenders and furthers anti- Semitic agendas, and his staunch belief that the fate of the U.S. and all free nations are inextricably tied to Israel’s survival, Rupert Murdoch is a Star of David. It’s just common sense.

https://www.aish.com/j/sod/96545184.htmlStars of David: Sandy KoufaxJul 5, 2010by Marnie Winston-MacauleyD u r in ga t im ewhe nm a n yJe s w fo u n d i td iffi c u ltt ob ed itfe e rn t ,San d y Ko u fax was proud of it.\"I'm Jewish. I'm a role model. I want them to understand they have to have pride.\" Sandy –KoufaxSanford \"Sandy\" Koufax, the \"man with the golden arm,\" one of the greatest pitchers in baseball, established record after record throughout his relatively short 11-year career with the Dodgers.Wait. A Jew? Lighting up a baseball diamond? “Jews own, don’t play,” right? How could a Member of the Tribe pitch for the Dodgers or Yankees? The “greats” were red, white, and blue, and they had nicknames. They were the Tommys, Hanks, Joes. They pushed crackerjacks and ate hot dogs made of pure treif Your . ma made liver and onions, and pushed kishke.Sandy not only played ball, he did something even greater: The right thing.Ah, but if you were a Jewish kid growing up in the 1950s we had Sandy, who could not only play ball, he did something even greater:The right thing.Koufax, born Sanford Braun on December 30, 1935,raised by mom, Evelyn, and step-father Irving Koufax, a lawyer, breathed inYiddishkeit in Borough Park. For the “uninitiated,” Brooklyn wasn’t merely a borough of New York City. It was its own planet, plunked, unaware and uncaring next to Manhattan and Queens.Your “block” is what you remembered, back when Brooklyn was the world. And it was. Immigrants from Ireland, Germany, and Scandinavia abounded. But Jews and Italians defined it. Yiddish and Italian made a secular turn to Yinglish and Italiadish with a brave new world; one waffling equator between the old and new. From pushcarts you could get arbus; from barrels, pickles. While you got your chicken flicked, you could tell Mrs. Abrams your remedy for corns – in Ameridish. In the summer, you headed to Coney Island, or Nathan’s. Or ... sit.

Stoops were more than hunks of sidewalk. They were box seats in your personal stadium. Streets, teeming with animation were the cheapest ticket in town for the greatest show in town.But there was another. For the kids, there was “the new.” That stadium. Ebbets Field and the beloved Dodgers. Immigrant children were learning about America. And America was baseball. For many of the new generation, “Dem Bums,” was more than a team. Their fortune represented the fortune of Brooklyn itself.Sandy Kaufax was rooted here. Like other Jewish kids, he enjoyed Yiddish theater, and a local Jewish Community Center, where he excelled at basketball. A good thing?Despite the fact that We Jews have been “running” for 3,000 years, athletics and Judaism has always been an uneasy mix. The Judaic point of view disparages blood sports, but most important, many Jewish scholars, while appreciating the healthful benefits of athletics, fear the lure of “the game.” A Jewish lad is expected to study Talmud, not throw balls with “the goyim.”But unlike a lot of Jewish kids, Sandy’s stepfather encouraged the young athlete, who went on to become captain of the basket team at Lafayette High School. At age 15, Koufax joined the “Ice Cream League,” where he honed his pitching brilliance. It was here he was spotted and at 17, recruited to pitch for the Coney Island Sports League's Parkviews.And the rest, as they say… A Dodger, both in Brooklyn and Los Angeles from 1955 to 1966, he broke record upon record for wins, and awards. In 1972, he was the youngest former player to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

For the “Herschels” that would be enough. A role model for every Jewish kid who ached to pick up a bat. Look at the crowds. And dream.But it takes more than this to be a true Star of David. And Sanford “Sandy” Koufax did more.October 6, 1965. The first day of the World Series ... the Los Angeles Dodgers vs. the Minneapolis Twins. This was it. The whole raison d’etre of the sport. Koufax, the team’s lead pitcher was asked to play.October 6, 1965. Yom Kippur. Sandy Koufax refused. As he had always refused to play on the High Holy Days. He stayed in his hotel room that day (despite rumors that he went to shul).Don Drysdale pitched and he gave up seven runs in 2 2/3 innings. \"I bet right now you wish I was Jewish, too,\" Drysdale said to manager Walter Alston when he pulled him from the game. The Dodgers lost to the Minnesota Twins, 8-2.The day after Yom Kippur, Koufax was visited by Rabbi Moshe Feller, regional director of the educational arm of the Lubavitch movement. He brought Sandy a pair of tefillin. \"Since you bat right and throw left,\" he told the pitcher, \"I wasn't sure what type to get you.” With the issue resolved, Feller later explained, “The Talmud says that tefillin is representative of all the mitzvot of the Torah, so I could not think of a better way to honor a person for enhancing Jewish values.”Following the holidays, Koufax pitched Games Two, Five, and Seven, throwing complete-game shutouts in Games Five and Seven! He led his team to victory, and was named MVP.

Copyright © 1995 - 2020 Aish.com, https://www.aish.com.Aish.com is a non-profit and needs your support. Please donate at: aish.com/donate,or mail a check to: Aish.com c/o The Jerusalem Aish HaTorah Fund PO Box 1259 Lakewood, NJ 08701.Koufax's decision and his pitching brilliance remain a source of pride among American Jews, even those who aren't baseball fans.Koufax quietly and firmly stood by his principles, regardless of the fall-out.There were others before Koufax who faced similar dilemmas. But what makes this story unique is the unusual “ordinariness” of the sensibility of this humble man. How a simple, unpretentious Jewraised eyebrows even among the devout.Sandy Koufax emerged as a Jew of conscience. It was his way of saying, “For me, for my people....it’s simply the right thing to do.”In the 1960s, “the right thing to do” wasn’t easy, or for some, even imaginable. Anti-Semitism and intolerance still existed with Jews fighting for acceptance. And this was baseball, the World Series. America’s ultimate game.Yet Koufax quietly and firmly stood by his principles, regardless of the fall-out. Regardless of what anyone else thought.In that singular decision, he became known forever as the pitcher who refused to play the opening game of the World Series because it fell on Yom Kipper. And still win.To every bar mitzvah boy and bat mitzvah girl in America, Koufax became a personal role model. Here was a Jew who could succeed in the secular world, while standing by his Jewish beliefs.A new inspiration took hold in American Jews. Yes. We could do it. We could be Jews and still reach the top of our games -- thanks in part to Sandy Koufax, a true Star of David.

https://www.aish.com/j/sod/Stars-of-David-Stanley-Kramer.htmlStars of David: Stanley KramerOct 6, 2013by Marnie Winston-MacauleyProducer Stanley Kramer was the conscience of a generation.There’s an old saying in Hollywood: “If you want to send a message, call Western Union.” Producer-director Stanley Kramer ignored that line.His timing was ironically impeccable. This was the fifties and sixties. This was an industry that was fighting the new medium, television. Frantic moguls tried rock rock rocking audiences ’round the clock, beguiling them via crab invasions, and invented new techniques from 3-D to Smell-O-Vision to get kids off the sofa and back into these popcorn havens.To be sure, the fifties and sixties produced many memorable films, yet even many of the “greats” left the messages for Western Union as their talented stars danced beautifully among the raindrops.Kramer used his films as a weapon.Not Kramer. He closed those umbrellas, and opened the eyes of his audiences to the storm clouds he saw around him. Swimming against the tide, he used film as a weapon against the uncomfortablestuff such as racism (The Defiant Ones, 1958 and 1967's Guess Who's Coming to Dinner), the futility of a nuclear war (On the Beach, 1959), youth rebellion (The Wild One, 1953). He also hit hot buttons delving into the Jewish perspective, anti-Semitism, and the Holocaust (The Caine Mutiny, 1954; Ship of Fools, 1965; and Judgment at Nuremberg, 1961).Kramer, who died in 2001, marginalized the “message” moniker of his work seeing himself as \"a storyteller with a point of view\":

Yet, despite some reviewers who saw many of this “stories” as \"shallow, irritatingly self- righteous melodramas,\" virtually all hailed his courage, taking on themes of social importance; a risky move in a Presley world. Even he would finally have to grudgingly accept the dubious honor of being the moral conscience of Hollywood.While his work may have angered some (at times he received death threats) most of his 35 pictures won acclaim, receiving 85 Oscar nominations and winning 16 Academy Awards.Kramer received the Irving Thalberg Award in 1961 for his achievements as a producer. In 2002, a year after his death, the Producers Guild of America created the Stanley Kramer Award honoring those films that illuminate provocative social issues.Provocative he was. Kramer, with undaunting conviction and courage did things his way, early on becoming an autonomous “independent producer” long pre dating the “Indie” film -movement. If he was going to tell a story, it actually had to make a point; \"I tried to make movies that lasted about issues that would not go away,\" he said.They haven’t. His films have not only stood the test of time, they’ve had an impact on the conscience of the world.Difficult ChildhoodStanley Earl Kramer was born on September 29, 1913 to Jewish parents, or more precisely to a Jewish mother. His father separated from the family before he was born, leaving his wife and infant son nearly broke in a dingy apartment located in the notorious part of Manhattan known as Hell’s Kitchen. His grandparents watched the precocious boy while his mother worked grueling hours as a secretary for Paramount. His stroke of luck hit during the Depression. Just before graduating from New York University in 1933, Hollywood reps looking for interns read one of his stories, and so he entered show biz. Kramer was sent to Twentieth Century-Fox in California where he moved furniture around sets and wrote material nobody read. At the end of his three month internship, he was stuck in L.A. without train fare back to New York. So the pugnacious young Kramer bet all he had on a horse at Santa Anita and –won.He stayed, moved more furniture, and shopped screenplays. He finally landed a job as an assistant to independent producers Albert Lewin and David Loew. When Kramer was drafted into the Army in 1943, with Lewin’s help, he was assigned to an army film unit on Long Island where he made training films. Having shlepped enough furniture in Hollywood, he was determined to make his own films. In 1947 Kramer, along with Carl Foreman (later blacklisted) formed their own independent film company.

No doubt the mean streets, and circumstances of his childhood influenced both his art and determination, but it was FDR and the New Deal he credits as giving him a social conscience and focus. “When I made pictures … Roosevelt was in the front of my mind … his concern for the welfare of all Americans. All of this had a tremendous influence on me, not only on which films I made, but on the way I made films and the reasons I made them,” said Kramer later.His filmography reads like a syllabus in civics and plays like an engrossing reality check with the help of a cadre of talent who worshipped the man for his bold-face chutzpah and his conviction that the United States could make movies that were both entertaining and gave audiences personal “ah” moments. The list of his disciples is extensive and includes among many: Spencer Tracy, Katherine Hepburn, Humphrey Bogart, Cary Grant, Frank Sinatra, Gregory Peck, Fredric March, Richard Widmark, Burt Lancaster, Lee Marvin, Vivien Leigh, Sidney Poitier, and even Marlon Brando, whom Kramer introduced to the world in The Wild One.Ship of FoolsHis films about the Jewish point of view, as well as Nazi Germany, specifically Ship of Fools, and Judgement at Nuremberg are of particular interest as while each is dynamic, even harsh, “the messages” are delivered globally, and without exploitation. In these masterpieces, Kramer didn’t “pull” his audience, but fiercely lulled them into awakening.Around it swirl distasteful, ignorant, In and pathetic characters—particularly the loud and noxious anti-Semite (played by Jose Ferrer). speaks to viewers directly and acts All are on their way to a destiny they as a Greek chorus throughout the could have stopped.Prophetically, the Jew aboard scoffs: \"There are nearly a million Jews in Germany. What are they going to do—kill us all?\"In Ship, Kramer created a microcosm, displaying a weakness of the world that permitted the rise of Hitler. Kramer has written: \"Even though we never mention himShip of Fools the audience is primed from the first, as brilliant actor Michael Dunn, a dwarf, film, says: \"My name is Karl Glocken and this is a ship of fools! I am a fool. You’ll meet more foolsas we go along. This tub is packed with them. … Tolerant Jews, Dwarfs. All kinds. And who knows—if you look closely enough, you may even find yourself on board.\" The film, superbly written by Abby Mann from the Katherine Anne Porter novel, takes us on a voyage as an all-star cast sets out from Mexico to Germany in 1933 so close and so far from war. The reactions and –interactions of the passengers are somewhat metaphoric, as some are happy to be bound for the

[Hitler] in the picture, his ascendancy is an ever-present factor.”\"There are nearly a million Jews“motherland,” some are apprehensive, while others appear oblivious to its potential dangers, including the Jew aboard.Such is the wealth of reflection upon the human condition in Ship of Fools.in Germany. What are they going to do—kill us all?\"Judgment at NurmebergThe film was inspired by the Judges' Trial before the Nuremberg Military stands as one of the greatest post- Tribunal in 1947, which resulted in four of the defendants being sentenced to life in prison. A key thread in the film involves a \"race defilement\" trial known as the \"Feldenstein case.\" In this fictionalized case based on the real upon Judge Frances Biddle), andlife Katzenberger Trial, an elderly Jewish man was tried for having a relationship with an \"Aryan\" woman men to sexual sterilization, imprisonment or execution and sentenced to execution by Janning in 1935.Using this and other examples, plusJudgment at Nuremberg (1961) still Holocaust films of all time. The unsettling film capsulizes the series of 13 infamous Nuremberg Trials held in 1948; dramatically focusing on Chief Judge Haywood, played by Spencer Tracy (based four fictional Nazi judges, notably Dr. Ernst Janning (Burt Lancaster), all who knowingly sentenced innocent for their religions, racial or ethnic identities, political beliefs, or physical handicaps in accordance with Nazi “Law.”explicit footage, the movie explores individual conscience vs. “following orders” and loyalty to country in the face of unjust laws, perfidy, and societal amorality.Like Ship of Fools, the film is most powerful for its subtle and shaded characterizations of both victim and victimizer. Of all the defendants, the scholarly brilliant jurist, Jannings alone, accepts responsibility and confesses in one of the most remarkable speeches of writer Abby Mann’s stellar career.Janning [Excerpted]: “Where were we? Where were we when Hitler began shrieking his hate in Reichstag? …Where were we when our neighbors were being dragged out in the middle of the night to Dachau?! … Where were we when they cried out in the night to us. Deaf, dumb, blind!! … Because we didn't want to know. … And [I] Ernst Janning, worse than any of them because he knew what they were … who made his life excrement, because he walked with them.”

Copyright © 1995 - 2020 Aish.com, https://www.aish.com.Aish.com is a non-profit and needs your support. Please donate at: aish.com/donate,or mail a check to: Aish.com c/o The Jerusalem Aish HaTorah Fund PO Box 1259 Lakewood, NJ 08701.Ultimately, Haywood has to choose between patriotism and justice, and he rejects the call to let the Nazi judges off lightly to gain Germany's support in the Cold War against the Soviet Union.Judge Dan Haywood [Excerpted]: The real complaining party at the bar in this courtroom is civilization. ...Janning, to be sure, is a tragic figure. ... This trial has shown that under the stress of a national crisis, men - even able and extraordinary men - can delude themselves into the commission of crimes and atrocities so vast and heinous as to stagger the imagination. … There are those in our country today, too, who speak of the ‘protection’ of the country. Of ‘survival.’ The answer to that is: ‘survival as what’? A country isn't a rock. And it isn't an extension of one's self. It's what it stands for, when standing for something is the most difficult! Before the people of the world - let it now be noted in our decision here that this is what we stand for: justice, truth... and the value of a single human being!”In a riveting final scene, the convicted Janning asks to see Judge Haywood, pleading not for mercy, but for understanding.“Those people, those millions of people... I never knew it would come to that. You must believe it, You must believe it!” to which Haywood simply replies, “Herr Janning, it ‘came to that’ the first time you sentenced a man to death you knew to be innocent.”Coincidentally, the film was released during the Eichmann trial in Israel.For his indefatigable courage, his ability to hold a mirror to the world, and for his refusal to leave the messages “to Western Union” – messages that are as critical today as they were 60 years ago, Stanley Earl Kramer is a Star of David.

https://www.aish.com/j/as/63054607.htmlSuperJewsOct 18, 2009by Marnie Winston-MacauleyHere th e y ’ve o e ocm t s a v e t h dea y...J ew s t inhe o cmi icn d u s t r y .A radiation-ridden asteroid heading for Earth can only be stopped by a vintage 1955 solar- powered, Sukkah-shaped force-field, whose components were camouflaged and hidden in important Jewish historic spots decades ago. In a race against time, The Jewish Hero Corps follows clues to track down where their predecessors hid the devices more than half a century ago. – Issue 2, Jewish Hero Corps, “The Secret of the Solar Sukkah”And so the world’s only Jewish super hero team, the Jewish Hero Corps, fights for truth and justice, and the Jewish Way! And oy, what powers they possess! Minyan Man can ... what else? Divide into ten. Shabbos Queen has a wand that nullifies electricity (but needs recharging one day in seven.) Menorah Man can shoot fire from eight arms, while Dreidel Maidel ... take a guess.Wait ..... Jews fighting, flinging, flying? Is this what we learned in Hebrew School? You bet! The Jewish Bible is full of Mighty MOTs with super powers that would send Batman, a broken nishtikeit (a Mr. Nobody), slinking into his cave. Abraham, David, Moses, The Maccabees, with a leg-up from Hashem, are just a few who were archetypes for the many Jewish writers and artists who created some of our most beloved and enduring comic super heroes.Jewish writers and artists were ripe for contributing their mighty values and images to their “mighty” comic creations.And who better than us? Verbal, yet marginalized, deeply affected by the Diaspora and the Holocaust, Jewish writers and artists were ripe for contributing their mighty values and images to “Mighty” creations in pre and post-War America. But, with few exceptions ad agencies and syndicates weren’t thrilled with names like “Goldberg” on their talentrosters. So, what to do? What we’ve always done – developed our own characters and publishing companies!

The very first Jewish comic character, Gimpl Beinish the Matchmaker, created by Samuel Zagat, debuted in the Daily Forward in 1910.In 1934, the first comic book, “Famous Funnies,” was the brainchild of Max “M.C.” Gaines (Ginsburg). Inspired by the old newspaper comics, he had a “EUREKA!” moment, realizing that funnies, packaged in “magazine” format, could rake in the gelt! Within six months, “Famous Funnies” did. (His son, wild man William Maxwell \"Bill\" Gaines was a shining light of the brilliant, irreverent, “Yiddishe”-styled MAD magazine, that changed comics and comedians –forever.)OY VEY SAVES THE DAY,!Enter Jerry Siegel, artist Joe Shuster and the Mensch of Steel! When Superman first flew in 1938, the D.C. Comic flew off shelves faster than a speeding bullet! The savvy, sophisticated super hero ushered in the “Golden Age” of comic books, and “super” clones who could BIF, BAM, SOCK, SWING, (after a short costume change in venues from caves to phone booths). Were his superpowers re-charged weekly by Shabbat cholent? The boys behind the “MAN,” did imbue him with Jewish traits and roots. Like baby Moses traveling the Nile in a basket, –Superman, born Kal-El, Hebrew for “Voice of G d,” was saved from annihilation by his parents, -arriving on Earth in a tiny space capsule, to escape the holocaust on Krypton. His values were to heal the world, fighting for good against evil.Like the closeted Jews of the time, alter ego Clark Kent was the “vanilla” guy to the world, hiding the almost invincible hero. More, similarities to the Golem who protected the Jews in medieval Prague, are undeniable. During World War II, Superman, along with other comic heroes, BIF, BAMMED, and SOCKED the “reischstags” out of the evil Nazis! It’s been said that Joseph Goebbels denounced the Man of Steel as a Jew!THE FLINGING AND FLYING CONTINUES ...In Steve Rogers, Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, also gave their Captain America, a passive and weak alter-ego, symbolic of how Jews were stereotypically viewed. That is ... until “Steve” slurped a serum transforming him into the star-spangled hero. Who on Earth could create such a potent potable? Simple, the Jewish team created “Professor Reinstein” to concoct the stuff. Hmmm.And superJewish creators continued to define the medium. Bob Kane and Bill Finger developed Batman and world of Gotham City. Finger and Gil Kane (no relation to Bob Kane), created various incarnations of the Green Lantern, while Aquaman came to life via Mort Weisinger.

MARVEL-USLegendary Jews, Stan Lee (Spiderman) and Jack Kirby spearheaded Marvel – a “Universe” of super heroes, including the Fantastic Four, the Incredible Hulk, X-Men, Thor, Iron Man, Daredevil among others. But more ... it was later discovered that one of them was Jewish! For decades, these demi-Gods of “Jewish extraction” professed no religion.Then, in 2002, Lee and Kirby used The Thing as a metaphor for Jews and other minorities who were made to feel “freakish.” In as issue of the Fantastic Four, “Remembrance of Things Past,” test pilot Benjamin Jacob Grimm a.k.a. The Thing, returned to his Lower East Side roots to give back a Mogen David he stole from a pawn shop while a teen. When the owner, Mr.Sheckerberg, was “super villain ized,” Grimm did what no other Super hero had done before: -recited the Shma. Later, he finally celebrated his Bar Mitzvah, no doubt serving some gezunta buffet for the Fantastic Four, who watched him daven.Lee and Kirby’s 1963's X-Men --super mutant heroes who were hated and feared by those they helped -- proved a powerful allegory for those born with differences.OUT OF THE COMIC CLOSETBy the late 1970s, as Americans matured in their views of minorities, openly Jewish characters “flew” out of the closet and off the comic stands. Chris Claremont (yes, Jewish), introduced Kitty Pryde (X-Men), who often wore a Star of David, and “redeemed” the X-Men's arch nemesis Magneto (a.k.a. Max Eisenhardt), through a new backstory, explaining how his villainy resulted from his childhood in Nazi concentration camps.Marvel's Sabra (Incredible Hulk #256, 1981), with the power to shoot energy quills (resembling the sabra fruit) was born in the Holy Land. Another Hulk pal, Doc Samson, is a former yeshiva student, (Incredible Hulk #373). DC comics created Hayoth, an Israeli super hero team. Led by Ramban, rabbi and a Jewish mystic, the group includes the Golem, Dybbuk, and Judith.Moving into the 1980s, the legendary Will Eisner, took the “comic” art form into the literary and critical stratosphere. In A Contract With God (1978) -- four stories about the Bronx tenement life of Eisner's youth -- were released in novel-length. And the comic “graphic novel” was born. Harvey Pekar’s “American Splendor” series followed for which Pekar won the American Book Award (1987). A critically acclaimed film based on the series was released in 2003. Art Spiegelman’s ground breaking Maus, a memoir of his father’s Holocaust -experience, with animals representing characters, was the first graphic novel/comic to win the Pulitzer Prize in 1992. The popularity of the form continues to this day with James Sturm's The

Copyright © 1995 - 2020 Aish.com, https://www.aish.com.Aish.com is a non-profit and needs your support. Please donate at: aish.com/donate,or mail a check to: Aish.com c/o The Jerusalem Aish HaTorah Fund PO Box 1259 Lakewood, NJ 08701.Golem's Mighty Swing, Miriam Katin's We Are On Our Own, and Ben Katchor's The Jew of New York, and the 2007 Time Magazine Book of the Year, Alison Bechdel’s Fun Home to name a few.Comics, that started on the fringe, with crude, childish, broadly drawn stick figures, has emerged as a sophisticated pop culture phenomenon. And from Maus to The Simpsons, this transition was due, in large part, to the talent and values of we “Mighty MOTs.”The history of Jews as creators and characters in comics is as vast and complex as it is fascinating. So yes, I’ll apologize in advance: “I know, I know. I know I left ‘him’ out, put ‘her’ in, missed ‘that’ entirely.” The following is but a smidgeon of Jewish SUPER-eriority to WOW you!CHARACTERS:Astrovik, Marvel Comics Atom: The Justice LeagueAtom Smasher, The Justice LeagueColossal Boy, DC Comics, Legion of Superheroes Harley Quinn, BatmanMasada, Team Youngblood Prime, Malibu Comics Ragman, DC Comics Sasquatch, Alpha Flight Volcana, Marvel Comics

Savehttps://www.aish.com/j/as/Superman-The-Mensch-of-Steel.htmlSuperman: The Mensch of SteelMar 12, 2016by Marnie Winston-MacauleyS uperm n a, wh do efined h t eA m eri c a n c om i c s uper eroh, d dis ou s in gJ ew i sh values, implicit in his creators’ psyche.In honor of the new film, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) which is about to be released, let’s look more closely at the Man of Steel and how he changed the way Americans thought, especially during and after WWll.Superman changed the way Americans thought, especially during and after WWll.More, Superman, who defined the American comic superhero, did so using Jewish values, implicit in his creators’ psyche.Enter Jewish writers Jerry Siegel, and artist Joe Shuster. While we never saw Superman lightingShabbat candles in his icy Fortress, the Jewish themes from Jewish pens are unmistakable. The Super Hero, born Kal-El (Hebrew often translated as “Voice of God”) reminds us of baby Moses traveling the Nile in a basket. Saved by his parents from a “holocaust” on his home planet, Krypton, Superman was sent to Earth (specifically America) to heal the world, fighting for good against evil not unlike the Golem who protected the Jews in medieval Prague. As a moral compass, he essentially follows Hillel’s Golden Rule: \"What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor.” Goodness and putting others first, trumped happiness and even required his own isolation. Reminiscent of closeted Jews of the time, alter ego Clark Kent was the “vanilla” guy hiding the almost invincible hero.

When Superman leaped tall buildings in 1938, the D.C. Comic leaped off shelves faster than a speeding bullet and ushered in an array of “super” clones. The golden age of the comic Superhero flew into high gear.Culturally, these characters were far more than fluff-stuff kiddie lit. Superman and his Super spin-offs, whether in strips, on radio, TV or film deeply influenced the pop culture “psyche.” Audiences sensed it. The producers, writers, networks, ad agencies and the government (during the 1940s and fifties) knew it and used it.The “Super”Medium was the messageTo understand how extraordinary The Man of Steel’s message was to the war effort, we have to look at the times. Long before “equal rights” was all inclusive, large segments of America were divided. The color lines were deeply drawn. Signs proclaiming “No Jews or dogs allowed (or need apply)” abounded. Overseas we were fighting a War with GIs who ranged from scholars to the illiterate. The world’s attitude toward the monstrous Holocaust was mostly –silence and inaction.It was against this background that The Metropolis Marvel, starting in the 1940s exposed the evils of anti-Semitism and Nazi-ism directly and primarily indirectly through ardent patriotic covers, and mockery of enemies (referred to as “Nazis” to differentiate them from German American fans). Clearly as The Man of Steel with his amazing powers could not have been written to directly encounter our enemies by name, and more, entertainment as a diversion was crucial for morale, the focus was on Superman the Patriot. In doing so, the “Jewperman,” through his enormous popularity across mediums, helped shape American culture and mores through this campaign of patriotism while offering escapism. Yet, the war was ever present. In one unusual event, The Man of Steel stood up to Hitler and Stalin even before America did so. (NOTE: Captain America, created by Jews Joe Simon and Jack Kirby was more directly combative and was shown among other things, socking Hitler across the jaw.)The February 27, 1940 edition of Look Magazine ran a two-pager by Siegel and Shuster entitled \"What If Superman Ended the War?\" In this hypothetical scenario, we see the Man of Steel capturing Hitler, then Stalin, and flying the pair to a court before the League of Nations where the two dictators were tried for war crimes against their own people.One German Propaganda Archive presents a copy of Das Schwarze Korps, the SS weekly newspaper. Criticism was scathing. Particular attention was paid to Siegel’s (called the derogatory “Siegellack”) Jewishness and character (“an intellectually and physically circumcised chap” … “An inventive Israelite” who created the character of Superman with “an overdeveloped body and underdeveloped mind”). As the article continues, “you can see, there is nothing the Sadducees won’t do for money!” and the wind up? “Instead of using t-he

chance to encourage really useful virtues, he sews hate, suspicion, evil, laziness, and criminality in their young hearts. Jerry Siegellack stinks. Woe to the American youth, who must live in such a poisoned atmosphere and don’t even notice the poison they swallow daily.”Clearly, as early as 1940, Superman’s huge cultural appeal was making for some Nervösen Nazis. It is believed that Goebbels, the Nazi propagandist, wrote: “This Superman is a Jew!” While no direct order from Hitler about Superman has been proven, the Nazis certainly banned incoming material.Goebbels wrote: “This Superman is a Jew!”Superman and the War YearsSiegel was careful not to name dictators (such as Hitler). His characters were, however, obvious. In Superman #10 (May-June 1941), the “Dukalian” leader, Karl Wolff, gave a speech saying, \"We Dukalians are superior to any other race or nation. Proof that we are entitled to be the masters of America.\"Starting in September 1941 and continuing throughout the war, the strong images on at least half of Superman covers forged a key propaganda alliance with American service people. For example covers showed The Man of Steel, arm in arm with a soldier and sailor, sinking enemy ships, attacking German and Japanese pill-boxes, destroying tanks or submarines, and flying to the rescue of fighting Americans. One famous cover shows him standing on the Earth holding Hitler and the Emperor of Japan by the scruff of their necks. (Superman #17, July- August 1942). Lois Lane was also shown referring to Servicemen as “You’re my Superman.” Some covers also directly made a plea for organizations like the Red Cross and War bonds.Superman #25 (Nov-Dec 1943), however did contain war stories considered classics. In \"King of the Comic Books,\" for example, a cocky comic book creator and his character, Geezer, fought the Nazi influence in Europe. The German Bund in the U.S. captured the creator and Superman, dressed as Geezer, arrived in the nick of time to save him. The cover of Superman number 26 ( January-February 1944), portrays Superman playing a then-modern day Paul Revere, lifting Goebbels into the air while ringing the Liberty Bell in front of a microphone labeled “Radio Berlin.” Mocking humor was also used in portraying Hitler-like characters as mad scientists who would destroy their own, rather than lose face in defeat.So effective was Superman that the War Department, along with National Periodical Publications (a forerunner to DC comics) distributed a special series of 23 to GIs to increase literacy one of the first examples of using comics to teach as well as boost morale and––

Copyright © 1995 - 2020 Aish.com, https://www.aish.com.Aish.com is a non-profit and needs your support. Please donate at: aish.com/donate,or mail a check to: Aish.com c/o The Jerusalem Aish HaTorah Fund PO Box 1259 Lakewood, NJ 08701.entertain.Superman on Radio and FilmWriter and merchandiser Robert Maxwell, also Jewish, brought The Man of Steel to the airwaves. On February 12, 1940, eager fans heard the legendary words: \"Faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's Superman!\" The show quickly gained an even larger audience of both children and adults, than the comics. The radio program continued on the air until 1951, and its popularity led to bringing Superman to the screen. From 1941-1943, the Fleischer studios produced an excellent series of cartoons. Both on radio and in animation, our hero dealt with the war even more directly. In Jungle Drums (Episode #15, Released: March 26, 1943) he not only leaps to rescue Lois from the Nazis, but U.S forces were saved as well.Post-WarNotably, in 1946, Superman took on the KKK in a ground-breaking and hood-shaking 1946 series called “Clan of the Fiery Cross.” Through Klan insider Stetson Kennedy, Maxwell revealed the evil inner workings of the KKK, not only robbing it of its mystique, but, by 1948, turning the organization into an image of mockery. The American Heroes Channel describes this period in detail in a documentary titled \"How Superman Defeated the KKK.\"Superman’s Lasting EffectWars are won by more than guns alone. Indeed, Goebbels’ hideous P.R. and “marketing” to the German populace made Hitler’s power possible. His “arch enemy” then, was in part The -Jewperman, who, at both the behest of the War Department, and in the consciousness of its Jewish creators and producers, taught America what they were fighting for, and brought hope to millions.From the war on, no comic character more than The Mensch of Steel provided a moral compass, imbuing the American psyche - both in the battlefields and at home with the –belief that standing up for good vs. evil was not only a duty … but a mitzvah.

https://www.aish.com/j/fs/Sylvia-3000-Year-Old-Bubbe.htmlSylvia: 3000-Year-Old BubbeDec 28, 2019by Marnie Winston-MacauleyBefore the Star of David there was a Star of Sylvia.We at Jewlarious just got word of a miraculous find 15 miles from the Negev: Archeologists just found a 3000-year-old bubbe in the Negev. And her name is Sylvia. Sylvia! During a routine dig, archeologists found the woman who claimed she was 3000 years old. Actually, she said she’ll be 3000 and ½ – in October. As the best in Jewish news, we ran over and expressed what a privilege it would be if we were the first to interview her, and she agreed! So now I am over the moon to share with you part of my conversation with THE 3000-YEAR- OLD JEWISH BUBBE! (OK, so I’m rounding off a little.) With love and gratitude to Reiner and Brooks!MARNIE: Sylvia, why did you hide from the public all these years?SYLVIA: I was never a people person. I lived in what is now the Middle East. Where? I never knew. It was the Dark Ages. Who could see? So when I turned 500, the whole city-state turned out with a cake with 500 candles plus one to grow on. Then they chanted, “blow and make a wish to see the light!” Not only was I temporarily blinded, I almost lost a lung with all the blowing. Then there were the crowds, the noise, the spitting on me when they talked? My wish was to get the heck out of there. For a while I hid in a cave, lovely.

When I stepped outside, I had such a view of the Dead Sea. With no spitting. I stayed there for years. But how many times can a person read:THE GREATEST INVENTIONwithout going meshugge? And from then on, I kept a low profile.MARNIE: Over the years you’ve seen so many marvelous inventions, tell the world what in your opinion was the greatest invention?SYLVIA: Many. At least 100. But the first? No Question! Deodorant! I’ll never forget my first hut. Mama, papa, me and 98 other people running around wearing fur in 110 degrees. By –the age of three, I had PTSD from the shtink alone. So I toddled out for a breath of fresh air. But it turned out, the shtink traveled. In Kinderhut I learned that 250,000 cubits was the record even the parts –without people. We also studied philosophy. The big question was: If a shtink is somewhere in the desert, and no one’s there to smell it, does it still shtink anyway? Oh boy! You bet! When our hut reached 300 and we were plotzing right and left, it took Chaim the Kohen to say, “Maybe we should build two huts.” Two huts! The man was gifted!The Star of DavidMARNIE: So, you were born Jewish.SYLVIA: Who wasn’t back then?MARNIE: I noticed your Star of David.SYLVIA: Forget David! It should be The Star of Sylvia! Forgive me, but no one knows. Which is the unfortunate story of my life. Even as a child, I’d get up, pile my rocks perfectly. Did mama give me any credit? Not a word. But my brother? If he put two pebbles in a row, he was a prince. But that Star? Me. Not that I want praise but a little wouldn’t hurt.MARNIE: Are you saying that you, Sylvia, invented The Star of David?! How?SYLVIA: Way back women got rotten gifts a bundle of sticks, a sandcastle, a brown tooth. A –shovel was a big deal. So one day when I was digging with my birthday shovel, up came a rock that was yellow and soft like butter. While I was thinking what to do, I bent it into a lot of shapes. I made circles, squares, on occasion, a dodecahedron. Then I hit triangles. What a pastime! You could say I also invented “the hobby.” Anyway, I showed my triangle to the ladies in my village. They loved them! At the time I was married to my 76 husband, David.th He hated it.MARNIE: Why?

Copyright © 1995 - 2020 Aish.com, https://www.aish.com.Aish.com is a non-profit and needs your support. Please donate at: aish.com/donate,or mail a check to: Aish.com c/o The Jerusalem Aish HaTorah Fund PO Box 1259 Lakewood, NJ 08701.SYLVIA: One triangle? He kept saying, “Syl … who the heck will buy one?! You have to say ‘And for only 19 1/2 raisins, we’ll double your order! Yes, you’ll get TWO, TWO for the price of ONE.’” Such fighting over that one triangle! “David,” I said. “Who needs TWO triangles?!” Five years we yelled at each other. Finally we saw the rebbe. He said: “The Lord decreeth that maneth and wifeth shall be equalith. So you Sylvia, keep your one triangle and David, you make another but put it upside down on top of hers.” Boom! Two triangles in one. My husband called it The Star of David! Without a Sylvia. I can still hear his hocking: “You think ‘The Star of S & D’ will go over? Filth it is, filth! Feh!”RECREATIONMARNIE: In those days, what games did you play?SYLVIA: Well, “LOOKIE LOOKIE” was number one. We’d lie on the grass, point and say “Lookie, lookie at … that.” Nothing had names. It was very popular because face it … we were busy?MARNIE: So…interesting. You know, I think I’ve taken up enough of your day.SYLVIA: I’ve got lots of them. Days I mean. Come again tomorrow. Bring food. Gefilte fish. Not the little balls, the big boat ones. And not sweet. I need diabetes at my age? Make sure there’s a carrot on top. Make it three.

https://www.aish.com/j/fs/The-6-Funniest-Shadchan-Jokes.htmlThe 6 Funniest Shadchan JokesMar 30, 2019by Marnie Winston-MacauleyAdam and Eve asked the Almighty, “Why are marriages made in heaven?”Shadchans! Matchmakers. Few professions have suffered such a series of “rep warps” -throughout the ages, and yes, that includes lawyers (who have been universally mistrusted. Ask Shakespeare).For centuries, the shadchan, entrusted with the critical mission of matching two “soulmates” to make a holy shidduch was the province of the most learned and trusted. Rabbis and scholars performed this noble deed from the matching to the marriage. Appearance was always a plus, but character, morality, intellect, piety, family pedigree and compatibility were essential components of a “good match.”The “pro” or the paid shadchan started at the close of the Middle Ages. Anxious parents now added kopek-incentive. By the 15TH century, rabbinic guidelines were developed outlining the gelting rules. Fair it was. If a match was a disaster, his fee could be refused. On the other hand, if this was a “match made in heaven” he could claim twice the fee, proving once again, We Jews pay for value.Over the centuries, the societal need for the shadchan among more assimilated Jews diminished. Shadchans themselves changed. The learned realized income and status was often given to those with no real “resume” and they bowed out. The new shadchans who replaced them developed a smarmy, even unscrupulous reputation. In 500 years, the shadchan went from exalted and admired to an object of mocking humor. In the 20 century, th “Yente” the matchmaker in “Fiddler on the Roof,” joined Dolly Levy in “Hello Dolly” who was a colorful bender of the truth. The jokes flew.

In today’s dating jungle the shadchan has been re-invented yet again. Just click on a dating site to find your bashert! Sign up and a mega-puter spits out a string of prospects whose basic species may be in doubt. It also sends us messages and stats. “Hey, you’re doing great! You have 3350 “’looks!’” Or, “Oy, change your profile.”Interestingly, in many Orthodox circles today, going with a reliable shadchan is seen as the most dependable way to find your match.With such an interesting history, I got curious, researched, and now present you with some of the best “Shadchan” jokes. Enjoy!GOD, THE PRIME MOVERWe Jews know that God Himself is the ultimate shadchan. He created humankind two –radically different improbables who could cleave “as one flesh.” After all, we first heard the sampler: In Midrashic literature we read: “Marriages are made in heaven.” Then there was the first “best” pairing: Adam and Eve.In heaven, Adam and Eve asked the Almighty why they were the best pairing.\"Well,\" God replied, \"Adam, you didn't have to hear about all the men Eve could have married, and Eve, you didn't have to hear about how well Adam's mother cooked.\"VALUE FOR “VALUE?”Dora Epstein, a widow, called upon Motel, a shadchan.“Listen, Motel, I want a match. At my age right away. For fast, I can pay 3000 rubles.”“A good amount,” replied Motel who looked through his notes. “Ah, here’s one. He’s 52 and a Torah scholar.”Dora wasn’t pleased. “So, he reads all day. Try again.”Motel thumbed through his notes once again. “Here we go. I widower, 56, a learned cantor in a small synagogue.”Again, Dora shook her head. Motel kept thumbing. “A former lawyer who gave it up to study with the greatest Jewish minds in his town?”“No!”“Dora,” said the shadchan in exasperation, just what do you want?!” “A working man!”“What?! A working man?” Motel exclaimed, astonished. “For a lousy 3000 rubles?! I never heard from such chutzpah!”

GELT TALKS!Shadchan: “Have I got a girl for you! And wait … better. She comes with a dowry of 10,000 rubles!”Young Man: “Interesting. So, let me see her photo.”Shadchan: “Listen sonny, with a 10,000 ruble dowry, pictures we never show!”-A MATTER OF TASTEA young artist, Chaim, contacted Zippora, a shadchan to find him a mate. “Have I got the perfect girl for a creative soul like you!” she exclaimed.The next day she brought over his “bashert.” Chaim gasped and took the shadchan aside.“You call her ‘perfect’?! One eye on her forehead, one ear the size of a grapefruit, no neck, her mouth where her nose should be?! And that’s just for starters!” fumed the artist.“Look,” said the shadchan. “Either you like Picasso or you don’t!”LET’S BE PRACTICALIn a small village there was a shortage of marriageable men, so Shmuel, who was not only miserly, but had big boils, told the local shadchan, he’d marry if the dowry was big and the girl, special.“I have just the one,” said the shadchan. “Her father’s rich and she’s gorgeous.” “So why isn’t she married?” asked Shmuel.“She has an affliction. She goes a little meshugge – but only one day a year. Otherwise, perfect! And her father will pay twice the usual dowry!”After thinking it over, “It’s a match,” said the cheap, ugly prospective groom. “Introduce us.” “Ok, it’s a match! But ... we have to wait,” says the shadchan.“So, nu, until when?”“Until she goes meshugge again.”CREATIVE MATHTwenty-five-year-old Yossel enlists the services of Rivka, the town’s most renowned shadchan. Finally, after two weeks she brings a candidate to meet Yossel. They talk, and the woman leaves.“Rivka! This woman you brought me looks like she’s 40 if she’s a day!” said the prospective bridegroom!

Copyright © 1995 - 2020 Aish.com, https://www.aish.com.Aish.com is a non-profit and needs your support. Please donate at: aish.com/donate,or mail a check to: Aish.com c/o The Jerusalem Aish HaTorah Fund PO Box 1259 Lakewood, NJ 08701.“Looks, looks. Don’t go by looks!” replied Rivka. “But you said she was 23! Tell me! Is that true?!” “Uh ... partly.”Have a great shadchan joke to share? By all means, add!

https://www.aish.com/j/fs/The-10-Funniest-Yiddishe-Kop-Jokes.htmlThe 10 Funniest “Yiddishe Kop” JokesMar 2, 2019by Marnie Winston-MacauleyA n t lIa a in , a nA ra abn d aJ ew walkin g throu g h Ce rnt l aP a r k in a b lizza r d …In writing Jewish books, articles and calendars for over a generation, I’ve made the public claim there is no Jewish joke I haven’t read, heard, or written. When challenged, The IYA (International Yenta Gazette) threw down a challenge. They sent me to the prestigious Badchen Institute in the Catskill Mountains where for three intense hours, 10 comics over age 70, hit me with openings such as “There were three guys: an Italian, an Arab and a Jew walking through Central Park in a blizzard: Finish it!” I did, after which we broke for brisket, noodle pudding and a little cake we washed down with halvah.As we were “washing down,” we all (except for one whose name I won’t mention) agreed.Some Jewish humor is distinctive as it comes from a culture that has, for thousands of years, felt special but has been forced to suffer. From suffering comes our joys as well as our oys.The true Jewish joke reflects a unique mindset; our witty, hysterical, often irreverent view of the world and the people in it and us.–A perfect example is one the late comedian Marty Allen read in one of my books and used in his act:The Italian says, I'm tired and thirsty. I must have wine.The Scotsman says, I'm tired and thirsty. I must have Scotch. The Russian says, I'm tired and thirsty. I must have vodka.The Jew says, I'm tired and thirsty. I must have diabetes.Mix it up. A thirsty Scotsman worries about diabetes? Funny? Feh!

So, today I’ve chosen a sampling of my favorite jokes that reflect our Yiddish kops; jokes that could only come from us. I also added a short commentary. Enjoy! And, challenge me with your favorites!THREE AGAINST …?Four rabbis engaged in theological arguments, and it was always three against one. Finally, the odd rabbi out appealed to a higher authority.“God!” he cried. “I know I am right! Please, a sign to prove it to them!” Suddenly, from a clear day, it snowed. “See? A sign!”“No,” said one of the others. “A little snow in winter is unusual?So again, the lone rabbi said, “Please, God, a bigger sign!” A huge icicle suddenly felled a huge tree. “Ah, now that’s a sign!”“A sign of nature!” they insisted, again making it three to one. Just as the rabbi was about to beg an even bigger sign, the sky blackened, and a booming voice intoned: “HEEEEEEEE’S RIIIIIIIGHT!”The rabbi, hands on hips, said, “Well?!”The others shrugged, “OK, so now it’s three to two.”Not only do we Jews (on occasion) disagree, we may be the only religion that both reveres God and, includes Him in our jokes.NEVER SATISFIEDA Jewish Mother and her 4-year-old were walking along the beach when suddenly a gigantic wave rolled upon the shore, sweeping the little girl out to sea.\"Oh, God,\" lamented the mother, her face toward heaven. \"This is my only baby. She’s the love; the joy of my life. I’ve cherished every moment with her. Please God! Bring her back to me and I'll go to synagogue every day!\"Suddenly, another gigantic wave rolled upon the beach and deposited the little girl back on the sand, safe and sound.The mother looked up and said, \"She was wearing a hat ...”Part if the Jewish mind set is “Never Satisfied.” Good enough isn’t always enough. Hey, if God forgot to send back a hat, can a small reminder hurt?CAN WE TALK?Solly and Max were describing their fishing expeditions with great relish.

\"Once in Florida,\" said Solly, \"I caught a fish so huge, it took three men to shlep it in the boat!”\"That's nothing,\" scoffed Max. \"I once caught a lamp with a date engraved on it ‑‑ 1492, when Columbus discovered America!”“Big deal,” said Solly rising from his chair. “My fish weighed 150 pounds.” “Yeah? Well, the lamp I caught was still lit!”Nose to nose, they stared each other down ... until finally ...“Listen Max,” said Solly. “How about ... we make my fish five pounds and you put your light out!”We Jews adore exaggeration, but when enough is enough? We negotiate rather than fight? After all, who has the energy to pick up a rifle after so much brisket? The next line is probably, “Now, let’s eat!”ALRIGHTNIKSDuring a service in a wealthy synagogue, the rabbi got carried away. Falling to his knees, forehead to floor, he said, “Oh God, before thee I am nothing.”The cantor, not to be outdone, also got down, forehead to wood, and said, “Oh God, before thee I am nothing.”Seeing this, Levy, a tailor in the back row left his seat, walked through the aisle, fell to his knees, forehead to floor and he, too, said, “Oh God, before thee I am nothing.”With this, the cantor elbowed the rabbi and sniffed, “Look who thinks he’s a nothing!”We Jews have our special types: Even in shul we’ll find alrightniks – a Yiddish Americanism for “Are we bigshots or what?”THE SCHLEMIELRuthie told Mo:\"You’re a schlemiel! You always were a schlemiel, you always will be a schlemiel! You look, act and dress like a schlemiel! You’ll be a schlemiel until the day you die! And if they ran a competition for schlemiels, you’d take second place as the world’s second biggest schlemiel!\"\"Why only second place?\" Mo asked.\"Because you’re a schlemiel!”From one word from our thesaurus for “fools” (schlemiel) we have a gold mine of repetition we can not only use to hock and bock, but then AH HA the victim!

THE CREW TEAMYeshiva University decided to create a crew team. Unfortunately, they lost every race. Each day they practiced for hours but always came in dead last. Finally, they sent Yankel to spy on the Harvard team. Yankel shlepped off to Cambridge and hid in the bushes off the Charles River from where he secretly watched the Harvard team practice. After two days, he returned, satisfied.“I’ve figured out how they do it,” said Yankel to his eager teammates, huddling around him. “What?” asked the others eagerly.“They have eight fellows rowing and only one fellow screaming!”Alright, OK. It’s a stereotype, but the mixing of white bread (them) vs. challah (us) is funny. The moral? We Jews should stay away from things we don’t know from, like moving big sticks in boats.INDIANA JONES THEY AREN’TIrwin and Murray celebrated selling their raincoat business by going on safari in Africa. One night in the jungle, they were frozen in their tracks by an ominous, low roar.“Murray ...” quaked Irwin. “I heard ...”“Sha! ... Look behind me ... tell me what you see. A lion? A tiger? A leopard?” “I should know?” moaned Murray. “What am I? A furrier?”Not only should Jews stay away from unnecessary moving big sticks, but also dangerous places! More, God forbid we’re stuck, we’ll go back to what we (don’t) know.And while we’re on the subject THE “COMPLEAT” WORRIERGoldfarb, a coat manufacturer, couldn’t sleep. He was growing thin and haggard. Finally, his partner, Vogelman, suggested counting sheep.“OK, tonight I’ll count!”The next morning, Goldfarb looked worse. “Nu? Did you count?” asked Vogelman.“Did I count! All the way to 5,000 sheep. Bupkes. So, I sheared them. Still I was wide awake. So then I made up 5,000 coats — till I finally drifted!”“So what’s the problem?”

Copyright © 1995 - 2020 Aish.com, https://www.aish.com.Aish.com is a non-profit and needs your support. Please donate at: aish.com/donate,or mail a check to: Aish.com c/o The Jerusalem Aish HaTorah Fund PO Box 1259 Lakewood, NJ 08701.“I awoke with a start thinking, ‘OY! where could I get 5,000 linings?!’”We Jews have been known to worry from time to time. We’re not talking “usual” worry about children, health, business. No. We’re talking deep worry which is why we’re mavens at “what if? “and are constantly oysgematet (exhausted).THE LESSONDavid received a parrot for his Bar Mitzvah. This parrot had one bad attitude and a worse vocabulary. David tried to teach him manners, but the bird just got ruder and cruder.Desperate, David put him in the freezer to cool off. He heard squawking, then quiet. Frightened, David quickly opened the freezer.The parrot calmly walked out and said: \"I'm sorry I offended you, Master David. I shall go to synagogue, pray, and modify my behavior.” Before David could ask about this astounding change, the parrot continued, \"Sir ... may I ask what the Empire chicken did?\"Believe it or not, many don’t get this one. But We Jews, with our Yiddishkeit and our brilliant imaginations can visualize the humor of the parrot, who upon seeing the “disciplined” frozen chicken, walked out in repentance. Jewish hysterical!SO, A LITTLE MORE TSOURISA new flood was predicted, and nothing could prevent it. In three days, the waters would wipe out the world.The Dalai Lama appeared on worldwide media and pleaded with humanity to follow Buddhist teachings to find nirvana in the wake of the disaster.The pope issued a similar message, saying, “It is still not too late to repent.”The chief rabbi of Jerusalem took a slightly different approach. “My people,” he said, we have three days to learn how to live under water.”While not a knee‑slapper, in one joke, we’ve summed up our persistence, determination, and uncommon flexibility! To me, even more than “Don’t do unto others” this joke is at the core of our Jewish identity. Survival!By all means if you have a favorite, post and share!

https://www.aish.com/j/f/The_2010_Jewish_Guinness_World_Records.htmlThe 2010 Jewish Guinness World RecordsDec 25, 2010by Marnie Winston-MacauleyRaise your glass of Guiness, and make a L’chaim to this year’s Jewish record holders.We Jews are nothing if not achievers. Show us a mountain and we’ll climb, a sky, we’ll dive, a “bungee,” we’ll jump, a – Wait! Am I meshugge? Show us a dreidel, we’ll spin it, a matzo ball, we’ll fatten it, hummus, we’ll spread it over a satellite dish – that’s better! True, there are MOTs who fling and fly, but the vast majority of Jewish Record setters this past year have preferred safer, decidedly more savory and charitable endeavors!Yes our people set records this year, and no they’re not just for accounting.Some were noble pursuits performed by groups and countries for tzedakah. Others were a bissel odd. But all are a testament to the mighty spirit of the MOT (Member of the Tribe)! So, as we wave farewell tothe secular year 2010, let’s look at six that made anindelible mark in that Macher of Mavinhood, theGuinness Book of World Records.Nes Gadol Haya Sham! “A Great Miracle Happened There.”All they wanted for Hanukkah was a Guinness title, and it looks as though they’ve “spun” their way into it, and some scholarship gelt to boot! On November 30, the dream of two Yeshiva University students was realized when they, along with 616 other Y.U. students, alumni, faculty, staff, neighbors and friends, filled the Max Stern Athletic Center in Manhattan the night before Hanukkah to break the Guinness World Record for most dreidels spun simultaneously. The previous record of 541 was set at Temple Emanuel in Cherry Hill, N.J. in 2005.This event, termed “DreidelPalooza,” was organized by Students Helping Students, which raises money for scholarships. As over 70% of the Y.U. student body receive some sort of financial aid, the group not only twirled their way into the record book, they raised awareness, pride, and much needed gelt to further Jewish education!

Checkmate!The tension was high in Tel Aviv’s Rabin Square last October 21, as Israeli Chess champion, Alik Gershon, 30, set out to play the most simultaneous opponents at Chess. In order to set a new Guinness World Record, Gershon would have to take on more than 500 simultaneous opponents and win at least 80 percent of the matches to beat the record set in Iran in 2009. If you think his opponents were a bunch of bubbies, Gershon's opponents were ranked by the Israel Chess Federation, as per the requirements of the auspicious Guinness. Most were immigrants from the former Soviet Union. Gershon himself, is a native of Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine, who immigrated to Israel in 1990.The event was sponsored by the Jewish Agency and the Israel Chess Federation to mark the 20th anniversary of the mass aliyah from the former Soviet Union. Jewish Agency Chairman Natan Sharansky kicked things off, by squaring off against Gershon at the start of the event which attracted many other public figures among the spectators.The formalities started at 11.30 am, and by 6 am the next morning, Gershon handily beat the record taking on 523 simultaneous opponents, and winning 86% of the games played!You Call This a Matzo Ball?At almost 500 pounds, maybe a matzo boulder! No, it wasn’t some “natural” formation that Hashem bestowed upon Boomer Jews who have flocked to the desert (this one in Arizona). It was created by Chef Jon Wirtis of Shlomo and Vito’s restaurant in Tucson this past November for the Third Annual Jewish Food Festival. The feat required 125 pounds of matzo meal, 25 pounds of schmaltz, over 1,000 eggs, and a six-foot high, six-foot wide pot, to create the mega matzo ball, which at 488 pounds, is a new World Record, solidly beating the old one of 267 pounds set a year earlier by Noah’s Ark Deli in New York City.The biggest challenge was insuring the ingredients would hold together, so Chef Jon, relying upon his bubbie’s recipe (with a few upward modifications), added 20 pounds of potato starch, and covered the monster matzo ball in heavy cheese cloth during boiling.And what of the soup?? It took 320 chickens, 80 pounds of carrots, 40 pounds of celery, 40 pounds of onions and a 1,500 pound kettle! As for what to put the leftovers in? Personally, I’m bringing a ladle, a boat load of mandlen, and heading for Hoover Dam.Proceeds from admission tickets went to the Community Food Bank, to ensure holiday meals for everyone.“Battle Hummus” Rages Toward Peaceful Settlement?

In my continuing coverage of theGreat Hummus Wars here, we left off with Lebanon grabbing the honors last October. Good news, pro-Israeli hummus fans! A mere three months later, in January of 2010, the Israelis came back to reclaim their rightful place in Hummus history. Jawdat Ibrahim, an Israeli-Arab, who is a 17.5 million-dollar U.S. lottery winner, and restaurateur was behind this successful attempt to wrest the prize from Lebanon in the Israeli Arab town of Abu Ghosh. Their record-breaking hummus weighed over 9,000 pounds (and was served on a satellite dish)! The struggle was described by Israel's Army radio as the Third Lebanon War. But Ibrahim, who awards scholarships to both Arab and Jewish university students and hosts informal peace talks between Israeli and Palestinian Authority leaders at his Abu Ghosh eatery, may approach the Lebanese to suggest a joint Israeli-Lebanese effort to create the Ultimate Hummus! Can the road to peace be paved with chick peas?? Stay tuned, mamalas!IDF Prepares Jewish Aussie to Muscle in On New Guinness Record!His name? Jarryd Rubinstein. His Game? “Muscle ups.” -Farshay? As far as I can gather, a muscle-up is a combination chin-up and dip, where the upper body is raised above a bar to the point at which the arms can be straightened. Does that help you? (Me neither.) But 26- year-old Rubinstein, now an Australian, who served in an elite unit of the Israel Defense Forces, recently registered 25 Muscle-ups, beating the previous record of 15, and is in the process of being formally recognized by Guinness as the world record holder. In addition to meeting Guinness requirements (two witnesses, including a certified trainer, photos and video), Rubinstein put his feat on YouTube with a challenge to all comers. It has received around 300,000 hits! The closest anyone came to beating him was a fellow in New York who did 20.Twenty is “typical” for Rubinstein, who credits his three years with the IDF for his super strength. The 143 pound muscle man, who trains at Bondi Beach, spent three years in the elite Sayeret Golani counter-terror unit preventing hundreds of casualties in operations against Palestinian terrorists in Gaza and Nablus.He kept up the training when he returned to Australia in 2008. When he’s not working in wealth management, he’s often seen performing his muscle-ups in the exercise area near North Bondi Surf Club.Muscles up, dude!The Record-Breaking Record Breaker: Ashrita Furman

Copyright © 1995 - 2020 Aish.com, https://www.aish.com.Aish.com is a non-profit and needs your support. Please donate at: aish.com/donate,or mail a check to: Aish.com c/o The Jerusalem Aish HaTorah Fund PO Box 1259 Lakewood, NJ 08701.Arguably one of the world’s finest (and well-rounded) athletes, health food store manager, Ashrita Furman, born Keith Furman in Queens, New York, is the world’s primo world record breaker and holder! This past November 18, he received his 122nd Guinness nod, bestowed in London by the editor. It read: Most Records Currently Held by an Individual!A wimp in High School, Furman, in 1979 at age 25, set his first official record by doing 27,000 jumping jacks. In 1986, he invented, then set the record for underwater pogo stick jumping which he introduced on Good Morning America on April Fool’s Day. That same year, he performed what may have been his most daunting tasks: setting records at historic landmarks which included doing forward rolls along the 12 ¼ mile route of Paul Revere's Ride, and jumping 11 ½ miles up and down the foothills of Mount Fuji on a pogo stick!Middle age hasn’t slowed Furman’s quest for the best. In 2010, in addition to his record- setting honor, the Brooklyn born maven, who’s motive has been to inspire others to “connect with their own indomitable inner strength,” has set about 40 new records. These include: pea, coin, and stamp blowing distance, Hula Hoop spinning, grape catching by mouth, orange, lemon, and pickled egg eating, apple bobbing, golf ball bouncing (on a golf club), egg cracking, balancing, and catching, duct-taping (himself to a wall), underwater juggling, spitting (all kinds).And so, Furman, along with the other MOTs in our group, through valiant effort, unparalleled persistence, and unmatched creativity, have once again, in 2010 earned a place in the Guinness Record book, and added a colorful, if odd, stitch to the fabric of our Jewish History!Mazel Tov to all!

https://www.aish.com/j/fs/The-3000-Year-Old-Jewish-Woman-Part-3.htmlThe 3000 Year Old Jewish Woman, Part 3Nov 23, 2014by Marnie Winston-MacauleyMeet Sylvia. She’s been around for 3000 years, the last 1200 of which with an enormous bunion. But does she complain? No.JEWLARIOUS: I’m sure everyone wants to know … how has your health been over the years?SYLVIA: Eh. I don’t like to complain, but since you asked I’ve got a bunion that’s a killer. Let me tell you walking with this bulke on my foot for 1200 years isn’t as easy as it sounds, especially during the Diaspora. Who do you think invented the sandal?JEWLARIOUS: Really?SYLVIA: Me and Ruchel. Oy! Her bunion was a watermelon altogether. And all we had were shoes made of tree bark. It was Ötzi the Iceman who invented shoes. That’s a fact. We Jews, however called him Frozen Fritz. Try walking on tree bark, never mind running. The only people who seemed to like it were the Dutch. Then again, what kind of meshugeners wear little boats on their head? So from Frozen Fritz’s tree bark shoes, we cut a hole for the bunions. Pretty it wasn’t because frankly, Ruchel was so near sighted she couldn’t cut a -straight line, never mind a circle with an axe, plus how big a circle and a person make? So we kept cutting until finally there was nothing left but a sole and a strap. But, it was perfect for wearing in the sand, so we called it a “sandle.” The Egyptians I think changed it.JEWLARIOUS: So all these centuries and you’ve only had a bunion?!SYLVIA: I also had the worst case of whoosh in the history of whoosh. I still suffer from it, but Thank God, it’s a little better now.

JEWLARIOUS: “Whoosh?” I never heard of that.SYLVIA: It’s terrible! Terrible! I got it in Pinsk. We had a newcomer to our shtetl; a Mrs. Know- it-all. A real vilda Chaya. Anyway, we had a colossal fight and the curses flew. I said to her, “May your nose grow so much hair it strains your soup!” Would you believe, in two minutes she looked like Fu Manchu? So she said to me: “May you have devoted children to chase the flies off your nose!” From that day on I’ve been attracting flies like nobody’s business! Every few hours for over 100 years, my kids and I did nothing bur swat. It’s whoosh here, whoosh there! This wooshing doesn’t help your social life. Wait, you may see it first-hand soon. It not only sounds like a whoosh, it comes with a whoosh. Here’s a swatter just in case.JEWLARIOUS: Surely it can be cured?!SYLVIA: Listen sonny, I tried everything, believe you me. I tied twisting wool around myself and walked into the Dead Sea; I stuck my nose in a vat of Manieschewitz, which altogether wasn’t too bad, except for the slight drowning part. It was a good idea not to try this at home alone. My neighbor recommended I recite prayers like “My burden be upon me, and my burden be upon you.” Meyer, my husband at the time thought it may have ticked off Hashem a little. He suggested I find a large ant at a crossroad, put in a tube and shake. Then again, Meyer also thought God told him to circumcise chickens.JEWLARIOUS: While we’re on the subject, of all your 587 and a half husbands you must have had many terrific ones.SYLVIA: Two. There was Benny the Philosopher. Never made a shekel but what a thinker! Like the song, “100 Bottles of Slivovitz on the Wall.” That was his. Also, the saying, \"Avoid like the plague\" which was a hit with Jews during the Bubonic years. Not so much with Gentiles who noticed more of them were plotzing so they blamed us.One of my husbands, Benny, invented the song, “100 Bottles of Slivovitz on the Wall.”JEWLARIOUS: But we know more Jews survived because of our laws of cleanliness.SYVIA: I know that, you know that, but in the Middle Ages? Pffft. They thought the Jews were mixed up in it especially Benny. Magical powers,–they believed he had, all because of his saying. Frankly, I always had a secret suspicion he was a master of the Kabbalah. He became a local legend. But back then, Yiddishe Kops the Gentiles had? Half the world believed there was a god for everything, water, trees, lice. In our town alone, the Gentiles erected a marble statue to Bedlamtorius the god of Bedbugs. But did they know from cleaning up? Maybe if they took a bath more than once a century instead of blaming us, they could celebrate a 21 birthday. To st this day, I couldn’t tell you whether more

Copyright © 1995 - 2020 Aish.com, https://www.aish.com.Aish.com is a non-profit and needs your support. Please donate at: aish.com/donate,or mail a check to: Aish.com c/o The Jerusalem Aish HaTorah Fund PO Box 1259 Lakewood, NJ 08701.Jews died from the plague or the persecution, which is when Benny came up with his “All the rest is history.” When he went public with it, so much for Benny. Meanwhile, my 47th removed grand-great nephew’s wife told me that “Avoid like the plague” is still number 10 on Google. I still remember when I spilled something, I had palpitations, which is when he came up with “Don’t cry over spilt milk.” Trust me, on two shekels a month, when you “spilt,” you cried. A mind like that but were there copyright laws? In the 1300s they couldn’t even make a law about spitting plagues on strangers.JEWLARIOUS: But surely they had doctors then.SYLVIA: What do they know? True, we had our geniuses. Amatus Lusitanus, who helped Pope Julius lll get rid of such a fungus you wouldn’t believe. No one would even take a wafer from him if it wasn’t for Lusitanus. But that’s another story. His office hours started 200 years later -- in 1555. May 1 I believe. I remember it well. His mama did the catering. No loshon hora,st but between us, the woman couldn’t make a matzo ball that didn’t give you heartburn. You know, now that I’m thinking, maybe she was drumming up a little business for her boychick? And then of course, there was the very best: Moses Maimonides. But try to get an appointment?! He was booked solid. Now that’s a good doctor! For 50 years I tried for my Nathan who was my husband then, but they couldn’t squeeze him in. So my Nathan spent our marriage just screaming in pain. Thank God it didn’t hurt his career as a professional stuffer.JEWLARIOUS: A professional stuffer? What did he stuff?SYLVIA: He stuffed! Derma, pigeons, sofas for Sultans. His best-seller was the Cleopatra Chaise model. Saladin alone bought over 2,000. So are you finished interrupting? During the Inquisition, we Jews had two words for it: “OYtis Interruptus.”JEWLARIOUS: Sorry, continue …SYLVIA: Thanks to your interrupting, I’m all farshimmelt and feel a big whoosh coming on. You have the swatter?JEWLARIOUS: Um … you know Sylvia, maybe it’s better that you swat yourself in the hotel. –And we’ll pick this up later when your condition clears up.SYLVIA: Ok, but make sure you take care of your condition. Then I’ll tell you out how my Nathan made us a little rich. Meanwhile, I’m going. Three thousand years of Oytis Interruptus is enough for any Jew.

https://www.aish.com/j/fs/The-3000-Year-Old-Jewish-Woman.htmlThe 3000 Year Old Jewish WomanSep 28, 2014by Marnie Winston-MacauleyArcheologists just found a 3000 year old woman in the Negev. And her name is Sylvia.We, at Jewlarious, just got word of a miraculous find 15 miles from the Negev: Sylvia! During a routine dig, archeologists found the woman who claimed she was 3000 years old. Actually, she said she’ll be 3000 and ½ – in October. As the best in Jewish news, we ran over and expressed what a privilege it would be if we were the first to interview her, and she agreed!So now mamalas we are over the moon to share with you part of our conversation with THE 3000 YEAR OLD JEWISH WOMAN! (OK, so we’re rounding off a little.)Turns out the Star of David was first called the Star of Sylvia.JEWLARIOUS: Sylvia, why did you hide from the public all these years?SYLVIA: I’m very health conscious. After I passed my 413th birthday, I figured “did I need the crowds? Thenoise? People spitting on me when they talk?” And the cake? You try blowing out 414 –including one for mazel! I would’ve lost a lung, maybe two.JEWLARIOUS: And … you’re Jewish.SYLVIA: Vo den? Not that I want praise poo poo, but to set the record straight, even though you call it the Star of David, it should be The Star of Sylvia! Yes! I invented it. You see, back then women got rotten gifts sticks, shovels, sand. What can I say? The men were yutzem. So –one day when I was digging with mine birthday present, I found … something shiny and yellow. We knew from gold then? Today I’d be a billionaire. Anyway I bent it into a lot of little