CNN Anchor Jake Tapper Talks About Passover and a One Man Seder in Ukraine

In a recent interview with Stephen Colbert, CNN anchor Jake Tapper reminisced about his trip to Ukraine where he interviewed president Vlodomyr Zelenskyy and gave him a box of matzot for Passover.

Tapper explained that it was the first time he didn't have a seder for Passover, but the local Chabad rabbi gave him the seder essentials in a box so he could have a one-man seder in Ukraine.

Enjoy!

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Welcoming Shabbat with a Ukrainian Version of Shalom Aleichem by Cantors Sergei and Elena Schwartz

Tonight we welcome Shabbat with a version of Shalom Aleichem that's set to a famous Ukrainian song Nich Yaka Misyachna - "Нiчь яка мiсячна" (What a Moonlit Night)..

It's sung by Cantors Sergei and Elena Schwartz of Temple Sinai of Roslyn, New York, Long Island's largest Reform synagogue as a symbol of support for Ukraine.  

Enjoy, and Shabbat Shalom! 

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Jewish Traces in Unexpected Places: Shtrudl Band Sings a New Version of Hevenu Shalom Aleichem in Ukraine

In Lviv, the largest city in Ukraine, a band of musicians originally called Varnitshkes renamed themselves Shtrudl Band.

Last week they created a music video of a new version of Hevenu Shalom Aleichem composed by Parisian composer Itai Daniel. The recording was inspired by the "Teyva" Progressive Judaism Community, and all-out support of the "Dialog" program by "Libertas" Interfaith and Interreligious Center.

The musical piece is based on David's Psalm No.133 Hinei ma tov u'ma naim ("Look how good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity") and the lyrics of the Hebrew folk song Hevenu Shalom Aleichem which says "we brought you peace". 

Enjoy!

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Hava Nagila Around the World - In the Wintry Streets of Odessa

Hava Nagila always brings out the dancers, no matter where in the world it's played. 

Last Friday, on the cold cobblestones of Deribasovskaya Street in Odessa, the third most populous city in Ukraine, a solo saxophone brought them out in the midst of their winter shopping to dance to this popular Jewish song. 

If you're keeping a count (and yes, we are) it's the 84th version of Hava Nagila that we've shared with our readers during the 10 years that we've been publishing Jewish Humor Central, and we look forward to posting many more in the days, weeks, months, and years to come.

Enjoy!

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Welcoming Shabbat with Shalom Aleichem for French Horn and Orchestra

Dnipro is the third largest city in Ukraine and it's the home of the chamber orchestra of the Dnipro State Conservatory. 

Today we're welcoming Shabbat with the orchestra's version of Shalom Aleichem from Lev Kogan's Hassidic Tunes for Horn and Orchestra with Dmytro Taran playing the French horn.

Enjoy, and Shabbat Shalom!

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Jewish Traces in Unexpected Places: A Wild Rosh Hashanah in Uman, Ukraine

Rosh Hashanah in Uman, Ukraine is an event that takes place annually over the Jewish New Year. It attracts over 60,000 people from around the world, from all different religious and non religious backgrounds - all coming together to celebrate Rosh Hashanah together at the resting place of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov. 

As Yossi Katz wrote last year on the Breslov.com website,

Not too long ago, Breslover Chassidim were so ridiculed that they were often compelled to hide their affiliation. When their friends and neighbors would hear that the Chassidim were willing to pay thousands of dollars to travel halfway across the globe to a backward town in the Ukraine for Rosh Hashanah, leaving their wives behind, they would loudly conclude that the Breslovers had lost their minds altogether.

How times have changed. Today upwards of 60,000 Jews, including many prominent rabbis, politicians, intellectuals and celebrities, join the annual pilgrimage to Uman for Rebbe Nachman’s Rosh Hashanah gathering. Many who are not Breslover chassidim come for a once in a lifetime spiritual boost, only to discover that they can’t fathom spending Rosh Hashanah anywhere else. What is the allure of Uman?

To describe Rosh Hashanah in Uman to the unaffiliated is nearly impossible—but I’ll give you a glimpse. Imagine the schlep of a lifetime. You pack your bags with whatever modern amenities you can squeeze in for a weeklong plunge into a country where most people are still living in the eighteenth century. Then you board one (or more) overbooked flights to Kiev filled with ecstatic Chassidim.

You immediately notice that your fellow Jewish travelers seem to have nothing in common. They hail from every conceivable background—young, old, rich, poor, religious, secular, Ashkenazi, Sephardi, and everything else. There is, however, one common denominator—they are all spiritual seekers. While some may be great “ovdei Hashem” and pious Chassidim, others are just simple Yidden whose lives haven’t turned out as planned. They, too, make the trek to Uman, hopeful for a new year and a new lease on life.

After the plane lands, there’s a three-hour shared van ride from Kiev to Uman. You peer through the window at a Ukraine that is a mix of ancient and modern, of horses and buggies alongside Mercedes SUVs, of dilapidated huts leaning on soaring skyscrapers. No doubt the awkward drive to Uman causes one to slowly let go of his day-to-day “norm” and expectations. Personally, I feel transported out of my perceived reality and into something entirely unknown. These feelings are replicated when I arrive in Uman. As I stare at the unremarkable streets and houses, I think, “How in the world am I going to spend an entire week in this place? What am I doing here?” But sure enough, at the end of this year’s voyage, I once again marvel how time flew by so quickly.

Meir Kalmanson has been posting funny Jewish videos on YouTube under the name Meir Kay. An Orthodox Jewish filmmaker from Brooklyn, his aim is to spread "happiness and positivity. In this video from last year's pilgrimage to Uman, Meir Kay gives us an up close and personal view of what it's like to travel to Uman and be among the multitudes celebrating the run-up to Rosh Hashanah in the streets of the ancient city.
 
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Jewish Traces in Unexpected Places: Just Jewish Dance in New JCC in Kiev, Ukraine

In response to the onset of World War I and the devastation it wreaked on thousands of Jewish communities in war-torn regions, the newly-formed American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) initiated massive relief projects in pre-Israel Palestine to sustain fragile communities and across Eastern Europe to support communities devastated by the war.

"The Joint," as it came to be known, is still active and was instrumental in creating the Halom Jewish Community Center (JCC), a new 17,000 square foot facility located in central Kiev. The center — a project of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee and Kiev’s Jewish community — serves as a multi-generational hub for Jewish cultural, educational, community, and social service programs and activities.

Among the activities is Just Jewish Dance, a creative program of dance set to Jewish and Israeli music. Here are some of the dancers in a graphical production of Shmor Na Aleinu. Enjoy! 

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