Jewish trivia quiz: Kamala Harris
What Jewish activity did Kamala Harris participate in when she was growing up? [Mark D. Zimmerman]
Jewish trivia quiz: Kamala Harris Read More »
Mark D. Zimmerman, Trivia, Humor & Satire, USAMark D. Zimmerman
Humorist Mark D. Zimmerman writes a weekly Jewish trivia column, offering multiple choice answers to challenge and enlighten the reader. Click on the link to see if you’ve guessed correctly.
Zimmerman is the author of a series of Jewish trivia books, under the title RASHI, RAMBAM and RAMALAMADINGDONG: A Quizbook of Jewish Trivia Facts & Fun. The quizzes are designed to challenge, educate, entertain, and make you laugh. Are Tzitzit disease-carrying Mediterranean flies? Are Israeli cherries harvested during the Jubilee year? Is Gefilte Phish one of Ben and Jerry’s best-selling Israeli ice cream flavors?
Raised on the Three Stooges, The Addams Family, Monty Python’s Flying Circus, and most importantly, the Marx Brothers, Zimmerman combines his comedic sensibilities with his background in Jewish Communal Service and synagogue and day school volunteer work to create Jewish trivia guaranteed to stimulate and amuse.
His books, available on Amazon, include:
* Rashi, Rambam and Presidential-Dingdong: A Quizbook of Presidential Jewish Trivia Facts and Fun
* Rashi, Rambam, and Ramalamadingdong: A Quizbook of Jewish Trivia Facts and Fun
* Rashi, Rambam, and Ramalamadingdong: A Quizbook of Jewish Trivia Facts and Fun, Volume Aleph
* Rashi, Rambam, and Ramalamadingdong, A Quizbook of Jewish Trivia Facts and Fun, Volume Bet
* Rashi, Rambam, and Ramalamadingdong: A Quizbook of Jewish Trivia Facts and Fun, Volume Gimel
* Rashi, Rambam and Ramalamadingdong: A Quizbook of Jewish Trivia, Facts, and Fun: Volume Dalet
* Zim’s Guide: A Survey of Family Attractions: 95-96 Long Island
* Rashi, Rambam, and Ramalamadingdong: A Quizbook of Jewish Trivia Facts and Fun
* Rashi, Rambam, and Ramalamadingdong: A Quizbook of Jewish Trivia Facts and Fun, Volume Aleph
* Rashi, Rambam, and Ramalamadingdong, A Quizbook of Jewish Trivia Facts and Fun, Volume Bet
* Rashi, Rambam, and Ramalamadingdong: A Quizbook of Jewish Trivia Facts and Fun, Volume Gimel
* Rashi, Rambam and Ramalamadingdong: A Quizbook of Jewish Trivia, Facts, and Fun: Volume Dalet
* Zim’s Guide: A Survey of Family Attractions: 95-96 Long Island
Jewish trivia quiz: U.S. Postal Service
What were the circumstances that once led the Postal Service to reject the mailing of an item by a Jewish person? [Mark D. Zimmerman]
Jewish trivia quiz: U.S. Postal Service Read More »
Jewish History, Mark D. Zimmerman, Trivia, Humor & SatireJewish Trivia Quiz: Anti-Netanyahu Movement
Netanyahu has blamed the media for inciting the public, saying, “There has never been such a distorted mobilization—I wanted to say Soviet but it has already reached North Korean terms—of the media in favor of the protests.” What name has been applied to the anti-Netanyahu protest movement? [Mark D. Zimmerman]
Jewish Trivia Quiz: Anti-Netanyahu Movement Read More »
Mark D. Zimmerman, Middle East, Trivia, Humor & SatireJewish trivia quiz: Congressman Yoho
Congressman Yoho traveled to Israel in 2013, where he met with many Israeli political, military and civilian leaders, but also with Saeb Erekat, the chief negotiator for the Palestinian Authority. Yoho found the trip to be very educational, as he noted “It’s always fascinated me how screwed up that whole region is.” After returning from his trip, Yoho told a Gainesville Sun reporter that Erekat conceded Israel’s right to exist, but rejected that it should be populated by Jewish people. Noting that such a position undermined any real chance of peace negotiations, Yoho then said what? (Mark D. Zimmerman)
Jewish trivia quiz: Congressman Yoho Read More »
Mark D. Zimmerman, Trivia, Humor & Satire, USAJewish trivia quiz: Portland, Oregon
The first Jewish mayor of Portland was Bernard Goldsmith, who served from 1869–1871. Goldsmith was born in Bavaria and emigrated to New York City at age 5. He eventually moved to California and started a jewelry store, and in 1861 he moved to Portland where he opened a retail store with some of his brothers. Which of the following is true about Bernard Goldsmith? [Mark D. Zimmerman]
Jewish trivia quiz: Portland, Oregon Read More »
Jewish History, Mark D. Zimmerman, Trivia, Humor & SatireJewish trivia quiz: Ringo Starr
Ringo Starr just celebrated his 80th birthday by hosting a livestream concert benefiting Black Lives Matter and other causes. The concert featured performances by Paul McCartney, Joe Walsh, Steve Earle, Keb Mo and others, with Ringo opening the show performing “It Don’t Come Easy.” The Beatles drummer once found himself at the receiving end of a very scary threat, which led him to say, “I’m not Jewish.” What was the frightening event? [Mark D. Zimmerman]
Jewish trivia quiz: Ringo Starr Read More »
Mark D. Zimmerman, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Trivia, Humor & SatireJewish trivia quiz: Carl Reiner, z”l
Reiner grew up in the Bronx, the son of Jewish immigrants. While proudly Jewish, he said he became an atheist after the Holocaust. How did Reiner describe his bar mitzvah? [Mark D. Zimmerman]
Jewish trivia quiz: Carl Reiner, z”l Read More »
Jewish Religion, Mark D. Zimmerman, Trivia, Humor & SatireJewish Trivia Quiz: Al Jaffee
Al Jaffee was a major contributor to Mad Magazine’s Jewish ethos, which included the use of Yiddish and faux-Yiddish words such as furshlugginer, farshimmelt, and Potrzebie (possibly based on the insult “putz-rebbe”), as well as the use of Yiddish phrases, such as when the Superman spoof character Superduperman uttered the words, “Shazoom? Vas ist das Shazoom?” In addition to working for Mad Magazine for 65 years, what other magazine did Al Jaffee write for? [Mark D. Zimmerman]
Jewish Trivia Quiz: Al Jaffee Read More »
Jewish History, Mark D. Zimmerman, Trivia, Humor & SatireJewish trivia quiz: Tulsa, Oklahoma
In the early-1940’s, B’nai Emunah, a synagogue that was a hybrid of Orthodox and Conservative practice, built a new building, only to learn that many women protested and refused to sit upstairs in the women’s balcony. How did the synagogue resolve that dispute? [Mark D. Zimmerman]
Jewish trivia quiz: Tulsa, Oklahoma Read More »
Jewish History, Mark D. Zimmerman, Trivia, Humor & Satire, USAJewish trivia quiz: West Point Jewish Chapel Choir
There is a long Jewish history at West Point. The 2019 graduating class included the 1000th Jewish graduate of the Academy since its founding in 1802. And in fact, half of the graduates in the very first class in 1802 were Jewish (though there were only two students in the class). The Jewish student, Simeon Magruder Levy, graduated at the bottom of his two-person class, but went on to distinguish himself at the Battle of Fallen Timbers in 1794, marking the end of the Northwest Indian War. For more than 60 years the West Point Jewish Chapel Choir has been a part of student life. The Choir sang at what presidential event? [Mark D. Zimmerman]
Jewish trivia quiz: West Point Jewish Chapel Choir Read More »
Jewish History, Mark D. Zimmerman, Trivia, Humor & Satire, USAJewish trivia question: The Bible
While there have been Christian Bibles printed in English for many centuries, English editions of the Hebrew Bible have only been around for about a century and a half. Which of the following is an English edition of the Hebrew Bible? [Trivia column by Mark D. Zimmerman]
Jewish trivia question: The Bible Read More »
Mark D. Zimmerman, Trivia, Humor & SatireJewish trivia quiz: Wolf Blitzer
In 1990, journalist Wolf Blitzer joined CNN as a reporter, and he eventually became a news anchor and host of CNN’s Sunday interview show, Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer. He has won numerous honors including an Emmy and the Anti-Defamation League’s Hubert H. Humphrey First Amendment Freedoms Prize. Blitzer’s parents were Auschwitz survivors who emigrated to Buffalo where he was raised. He studied Hebrew at Hebrew University in Jerusalem, and one of his first jobs was as a Washington correspondent for the Jerusalem Post. Not everyone is a fan of Wolf Blitzer, however. Which of the following has criticized Wolf Blitzer? [Mark D. Zimmerman]
Jewish trivia quiz: Wolf Blitzer Read More »
Mark D. Zimmerman, Trivia, Humor & SatireJewish trivia quiz: Hong Kong
Thousands of protesters were met by police with tear gas and water cannons in the streets of Hong Kong as China imposed new national security laws over Hong Kong, bypassing the territory’s legislature which normally would deal with such issues. The Jewish community in Hong Kong dates to the mid-1880’s. The Sassoon family of Iraq were among the first people to establish a business outpost in Hong Kong, which played a significant role in the growth of the territory. Another Jew who had an impact in Hong Kong was Matthew Nathan, who is remembered for Nathan’s Folly? What does that refer to? [Mark D. Zimmerman]
Jewish trivia quiz: Hong Kong Read More »
International, Jewish History, Mark D. Zimmerman, Trivia, Humor & SatireJewish trivia quiz: Jerry Stiller, z”l
Actor and comedian Jerry Stiller died last week at the age of 92. Stiller was most famous for playing the quintessentially Jewish, but technically non-Jewish Italian Frank Costanza, father of George Costanza on the Seinfeld sitcom. Born to Polish immigrant parents, Stiller grew up in Brooklyn and the Lower East Side, and studied drama after serving in the army during World War II. He married comedian and actor Anne Meara, and the two created a hugely successful comedy duo, focusing on their lives as an intermarried couple. Among their bits was an “I hate you” routine, in which Meara called Stiller a “matza head” and he called her a “shillelagh shiksa.” What was one of Jerry Stiller’s first acting roles? [Mark D. Zimmerman]
Jewish trivia quiz: Jerry Stiller, z”l Read More »
Jewish History, Mark D. Zimmerman, Trivia, Humor & Satire