Trivia, Humor & Satire

By Mark D. Zimmerman Al Jaffee died last week at the age of 102. Jaffee was one of “The Usual Gang of Idiots” who wrote and produced Mad Magazine under the leadership of editor Harvey Kurtzman and publisher William Gaines. Mad Magazine’s humor had a very Jewish slant, including regular use of Yiddish and faux-Yiddish

By Mark D. Zimmerman There is an annual convention in April at the Javits Center in New York which always falls around the Passover holiday. In 2013, a Jewish participant came up with the idea of holding a seder for the Jewish attendees at the convention. He chose New York’s Katz’s Deli as the site

By Mark D. Zimmerman Jews worldwide are preparing for Passover, with the first seder taking place this coming Wednesday. Traditionally, Jews do a thorough cleaning of their houses, removing all chametz, or forbidden foods, particularly leavened bread. Dishes are changed, shelves are lined, and kosher-for-Passover products replace the year-round foods in the kitchen. Sadly, however,

By Mark D. Zimmerman A recent study at Jerusalem’s Hadassah Academic College confirmed that Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) men have a higher rate of what medical problem than the general population? A. Spinal problems including herniated discs and sciatica, as a result of shuckling, the rapid front to back swaying that Haredi men perform while praying, to

By Mark D. Zimmerman Israeli actor Chaim Topol died last week at the age of 87. The actor, who professionally used only his last name because too frequently people would mispronounce his first name, Chaim, as “shame,” is most famous for playing the role of Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof. Topol starred as Tevye

By Mark D. Zimmerman Purim will be celebrated this week, with costumes, hamantaschen, Megillah reading, and Purim shpiels. Purim has occasionally made an appearance in popular culture, including the 1960 movie Esther and the King starring Joan Collins as Esther and The Bible Collection: Esther, a 1999 made-for-TV movie starring F. Murray Abraham as Mordecai.