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:
By Mark D. Zimmerman Is one answer correct? More than one? None? Make your guess and click on the link at the bottom to find the real answer. MELVILLE, New York — What did Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York do recently that has stirred up controversy within the Jewish community? A. Senator Schumer announced […]
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Mark D. Zimmerman, Trivia, Humor & Satire, USABy Mark D. Zimmerman MELVILLE, New York — Mary Tyler Moore, who passed away last week, had a number of connections to the Jewish world, both in her real life (her husband Robert Levine is Jewish) and her performing life (an episode of The Mary Tyler Moore Show entitled “Some of My Best Friends Are Rhoda” grappled with
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Mark D. Zimmerman, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, Trivia, Humor & SatireBy Mark D. Zimmerman MELVILLE, New York — There was controversy at the inauguration of Donald Trump over the decision of Rabbi Marvin Hier to offer an invocation. Some felt that Rabbi Hier, the Founder and Dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center/Museum of Tolerance, should not participate, given Trump’s many remarks degrading minorities, Muslims, immigrants, women, and others
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Mark D. Zimmerman, Trivia, Humor & SatireBy Mark D. Zimmerman MELVILLE, New York — The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus has announced that it will be going out of business this year, with a final performance on Long Island on May 21. For many years the circus held special performances for the Orthodox community of New York during Chol Hamoed, the intermediate
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Mark D. Zimmerman, Trivia, Humor & SatireBy Mark D. Zimmerman MELVILLE, New York — Computer hacking was a major topic of the news in 2016, and will surely continue to be in 2017. Recently, Israeli scientists at Ben-Gurion University announced that their research and experimentation was successful in creating a particular type of hacking that could impact cyber security. What did they accomplish? A. The
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Mark D. Zimmerman, Trivia, Humor & SatireBy Mark D. Zimmerman MELVILLE, New York — It’s often said that Christmas music far surpasses the quality of Chanukkah music, thanks to the many Jewish composers who wrote such beautiful songs as White Christmas (Irving Berlin), The Christmas Song/Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire (Mel Tormé and Robert Wells), and I’ll Be Home For
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Jewish Religion, Mark D. Zimmerman, Music, Dance, and Visual ArtsBy Mark D. Zimmerman MELVILLE, New York — A fast food chain is offering a special Chanukkah menu item in Israel. What is that item? A. Based on the Chanukkah tradition of eating fried foods such as latkes, McDonald’s is offering the Big Mac-abees, a traditional Big Mac that is dipped in the deep fryer
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Mark D. Zimmerman, Trivia, Humor & SatireBy Mark D. Zimmerman MELVILLE, New York –The past year has seen a rise in anti-Semitic incidents and attitudes across Europe. In Germany, home to the world’s fastest growing Jewish community, the Munich-based European Janusz Korczak Academy recently launched a program to support the Jewish community there, promoting dialogue with non-Jews, and fighting anti-Semitism. What is this
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Mark D. Zimmerman, Trivia, Humor & SatireBy Mark D. Zimmerman MELVILLE, New York — Cuban leader Fidel Castro died last week at the age of 90. What was Fidel Castro’s first significant connection to Jews and Judaism? A. Until 1973, Israel and Cuba had diplomatic relations, and one of the strongest ties was in the area of agricultural assistance provided by Israel to Cuban farmers.
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Mark D. Zimmerman, Trivia, Humor & SatireBy Mark D. Zimmerman NEW YORK — The Broadway play Hamilton is in the news, as the cast addressed Mike Pence the other night when he attended a performance of the show. Alexander Hamilton had a little-known connection to Jews. What was it? A. Hamilton and his wife Elizabeth Schuyler had eight children, including their daughter Eliza.
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Mark D. Zimmerman, Trivia, Humor & SatireBy Mark D. Zimmerman NEW YORK — Surely the most famous song written and performed by Leonard Cohen, who passed away last week, is Hallelujah. The song, with its Biblical references to Samson and Delilah and David and Bathsheba, has been covered by hundreds of performers, including Bob Dylan, Jeff Buckley, Rufus Wainright, Willie Nelson and Justin
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Mark D. Zimmerman, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Trivia, Humor & SatireBy Mark D. Zimmerman MELVILLE, New York — In honor of tomorrow’s election, there are two trivia questions this week: When Hillary Clinton’s daughter Chelsea was preparing to marry Marc Mezvinsky, the couple met with Rabbi James Ponet, the head rabbi at Yale who performed the ceremony. The rabbi told them that they could use
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Mark D. Zimmerman, Middle East, Trivia, Humor & Satire, USABy Mark D. Zimmerman MELVILLE, New York — The FBI is in the headlines regarding its investigation of Hillary Clinton and her e-mails. The FBI has a long history of being involved in investigations that may not make any sense. The FBI file on Albert Einstein was over 1400 pages in length. Why did the FBI conduct an
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Mark D. Zimmerman, Trivia, Humor & SatireBy Mark D. Zimmerman MELVILLE, New York — Former Secretary of State Colin Powell, a Republican, just announced that he is endorsing Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton for president in the upcoming election. Colin Powell has some knowledge of Yiddish. Where did he learn to speak this language? A. Powell grew up in the South Bronx,
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Mark D. Zimmerman, Trivia, Humor & Satire