We’ve re-branded for 2017! Special thanks to our friends at Keren Ohr Messianic Synagogue in Savannah, GA for their help: Ellie Caracelo drew our new mascot, Elliot C. Meow (before anybody asks: yes, his family’s original last name was Meowskowitz and it was shortened at Ellis Island) and Rebbetzin Jennifer Caracelo re-designed our logo, as well as our new web site and business cards! Be sure to check it out the new web site! And, just so we’re all on the same page, there is a ride at Yeshualand named after this family: The Jude and Jennifer Carousel-o! đ
Category Archives: Entertainment
Havdalah Spice Girlsâ Debut Album âBesamimâ Rumored to Sync Up Perfectly With the Upcoming Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life
Murca – The Havdalah Spice Girls recently released their first album âBesamimâ and it is already taking off like wildfire within the Messianic community, who was in desperate need of a female pop super group. In a strange world of âcoincidencesâ and happenstance, even Praise and Worship music can have a profound effect on the secular pop culture scene.
Legend has it Pink Floydâs album âDark Side of the Moonâ syncs up perfectly with the movie The Wizard of Oz, if you time it just right. 22 year old Rebekah Goldstein of Overland Park, KS was lucky enough to have been given a leaked copy of the upcoming Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, which is set to debut on Netflix later this week. âPop culture is my life,â Rebekah posted on Facebook. âEspecially music, which is what my degree is in. I am constantly composing soundtracks to events of my life, TV shows, my friendsâ Snapchat stories, etc. As soon as I started watching the new GG season, it immediately reminded me of Besamim. So I started the show over and played Besamim along with it. Sure enough, the two sync up exactly. It was totes cray. Especially when the song âChoose This Day Whom You Will Serveâ started playing while Rory was trying to decide between Dean, Jess, and Logan! Like I seriously canât even right now, you guys.â
Nobody from The Havdalah Spice Girls camp could be reached for comment on whether or not the synchronization was intentional. If youâd like to see for yourself, Goldstein says to start 18 seconds into the track âFire and wineâ as soon as the theme song finishes in the first episode. If you have not yet purchased Besamim, you may do so on iTunes.
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Modern Yiddish Fairy Tales: Chicken Soup Little
Once upon a time there was a little bowl of Chicken Soup with legs named Chicken Soup Little. One day, Chicken Soup Little was sitting on the floor of her kitchen, when a matzah ball rolled off of the counter and onto her little keppe. âThe sky is falling!â She cried. âThe sky is falling!â And scooted off into the woods to tell The Deli Manager, so he can close up shop.
On the way, she met up with her friend, Henny Youngman Penny. âThe sky is falling!â Chicken Soup Little cried. âHow do you know?â Asked Henny Youngman Penny. âI was in my kitchen minding my own business, when a piece of the sky fell down and conked me on the keppe!â Chicken Soup Little Explained. âOh please,â Henny Youngman Penny retorted. âYouâre such a shlemazlâŚthings fall on you all the time. What makes you think itâs the sky?â âWell,â Chicken Soup Little replied. âWhen I consulted The Googles on falling objects it said it was probably the sky falling!!â âOh no!â Shrieked Henny Youngman Penny!â âIf The Googles told you that it must be true!!! We must go tell The Deli Manager!!â And Chicken Soup Little and Henny Youngman Penny scooted off into the woods to tell The Deli Manager.
On the way they ran into Turkey Reuben Shmurkey. âThe sky is falling! The sky is falling!â Chicken Soup Little and Henny Youngman Penny screamed. âHow do you know?â Asked Turkey Reuben Shmurkey. âA piece of the sky fell on me this morning!â Replied Chicken Soup Little. âOh please, youâre such a shlemazlâŚthings fall on you all the time!â Turkey Reuben Shmurkey responded. âWhat makes you think it was the sky?â âI asked The Googles what it could possibly be and it said it was the sky!â Chicken Soup Little yelped. âOh no!â Yelled Turkey Reuben Shmurkey. âIf The Googles says it was the sky then it has to have been the sky! We must go tell The Deli Manager!!â And Chicken Soup Little and Henny Youngman Penny and Turkey Reuben Shmurkey scooted off into the woods to tell The Deli Manager.
On the way they spotted Hoppel Poppel. âThe sky is falling! The sky is falling!â Chicken Soup Little, Henny Youngman Penny, and Turkey Reuben Shmurkey screamed. âWhoa whoa slow down. I get that you guys are famisht, but what do you mean the sky is falling?â Asked Hoppel Poppel. âA piece of the sky fell on me this morning!â Exclaimed Chicken Soup Little. âI know it was the sky because The Googles told me it was!â âOy gevalt en himmel!â Hoppel Poppel bellowed. âIf The Googles told you the sky is falling then surely the sky must be falling! Mach shnell! We must go tell The Deli Manager!â And Chicken Soup Little and Henny Youngman Penny and Turkey Reuben Shmurkey and Hoppel Poppel scooted off into the woods to tell The Deli Manager.
On the way they discovered that farkakta Foxy Loxy waiting in the woods. âHello, shayna punims.â He said, as he pinched each of them on their cheeks. âWhat brings you all into the woods today?â âThe sky is falling!â Chicken Soup Little blurted out. âThe sky is falling! A piece of it fell on me this morning. I used The Googles to confirm it was the sky falling! We are on our way to tell The Deli Manager so he can close up shop!â âOh dear,â said that farkakta Foxy Loxy. âWell, I know a shortcut to get to The Deli Manager. Why donât you all step into my den and I will show you?â
And Chicken Soup Little and Henny Youngman Penny and Turkey Reuben Shmurkey and Hoppel Poppel all followed that farkakta Foxy Loxy into his den. And, wouldnât you know, that farkakta Foxy Loxy devoured every single one of them and washed them down with a can of delicious Dr. Brownâs Cel-Ray Soda.
And they were never seen or heard from again.
The end.
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The Messianic Meow to Sell T-shirts That Tell the Entire Messianic Movement That Person Next to You is Not Your Spouse
Murca – If youâre an adult that has ever been to a Messianic conference or visited a new congregation, odds are youâve had at least a few people ask you if the person of the opposite sex standing next to you is your husband or wife. While this mostly affects those of the millennial generation, people of all ages have been mistaken for spouses. Itâs a common enough occurrence that something needs to be done about it.
âIâve been through this myself,â said Messianic Meow Creator, Jami Robins. âItâs happened so many times: I was asked if my boyfriend was my husband, I was asked if my brother-in-law was my husband, I was once even asked if my DAD was my husband, just because he was sitting with me during Shabbat services at a UMJC Conference. NO! But the final straw for me was when someone assumed I was my Rabbiâs wife because I was with him in the marketplace at Messiah Conference. ENOUGH. Iâm tired of this happening and I had to do something about it. So now weâve got these t-shirts that people can wear to conferences that simply say on them âNo, that is not my husbandâ or âNo, that is not my wife.â There will be no question about it and it will save everyone embarrassment. Yes, you want us to marry other Messianics, and thatâs great, but some people just arenât married to each other. In fact, MOST people arenât married to each other.â
The new T-shirts will be available online and at The Marketplace at all Regional and National UMJC and MJAA Conferences. Shirts will be $30 individually, with a discount for bulk orders. You will also be able to receive one of these shirts for free with a donation of $18 a month or more through The Messianic Meow Patreon web site. Robins says these shirts will hopefully eliminate the need for older Jewish women to go around asking people they donât know if they are married to each other. She also said what you’re reading right now is literally an article of clothing.
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Joel Chernoffâs âJew and Gentileâ Deemed Culturally, Historically, and/or Aesthetically Important by Library of Congress…
Washington DC – Joel Chernoff’s iconic song “Jew and Gentile” has been deemed culturally, historically, and/or aesthetically important by the Library of Congress. This is the first time in history any Messianic anything has achieved such an accomplishment.
The Librarian of Congress was quoted as saying, âYa know, in a time where this country hasnât been more divided politically since the Civil War, itâs nice to hear songs about people from different backgrounds: Jews and Gentiles, Democrats and Republicansâ-coming together, in unity, to make olive oil.â
Various opinions from those on the selecting committee praised how the songâs lyrics so accurately described contemporary American viewpoints regarding the upcoming election.
Harold Rosenplaza, head of the committee, stated, “Specifically, the lyrics ‘Help us Father’ and ‘Dadadee dadadoo, dadadai dadadee, dadoododo’ brought me to tears as I was lighting my Sabbath candles.â
Joel Chernoff has not yet commented on this prestigious award. However, his secretary did mention that he was so honored about receiving the award that he now feels called back to music and has even begun production on two new albums: a collaboration album with Ted Pearce slated to be titled “Jew and Gentile” (in honor of the acclaimed song) and a joyous club zinger called “Dance With Me.â
Congrats Joel!
Summer Long Cross Organizational Overnight Camp For Messianic Youth Coming Soon
Murca – Breaking news today, announced by The Messianic Times: An all summer long Messianic youth summer camp is coming soon. The new camp will be a joint effort between the UMJC, MJAA, Jews for Jesus, and Chosen People Ministries. Rather than send your child one week here or one week there, finally all Messianic children will be able to attend camp together, and not just for one or two weeks at a time.
The camp will be called Camp Hitlakdut, which is Hebrew for âcohesionâ and will be available to campers ages 8-15, with the junior counselor program starting at 16. The four largest Messianic Jewish organizations came together and purchased nearly 400 acres of land in Pennsylvania and hope to have the camp up and running by Summer 2018. Camp Hitlakdut will be nine weeks long and will include two five week sessions that overlap one week in the middle. Each session will include four weeks of camp activities plus The YMJA conference for campers ages 13 and up. Campers under 13 will enjoy a week of daily field trips during that time. Parents can choose to send to children to one or both sessions, with a discount for attending both, as well as for sending multiple children.
Hitlakdut will draw from activities and traditions from Camp Gilgal, Camp Kesher, and Camp Or LâDor, with new activities and traditions that every Messianic child can make together with this new program. Activities will include weekly Erev and Shacharit Shabbat services, Havdalah, and Hebrew and Israeli Dance classes, in addition to regular camp activities, such as boating, swimming, and finding your first relationship.
âBasically all of the camp directors got together and realized we could do a lot more than what weâre doing if we just pool our resources,â Former Camp Gilgal Director, Moose Garrett, explained in an interview. âWe not only have the staffing to make a nine week camp happen, but between all the organizations, we actually had enough money to purchase our own property. It just makes sense. There are so many Messianic youth, we may as well just send them all together. If we want to unify the Messianic movement, the best way to do that is to teach them while theyâre young. Plus, honestly, the matchmaking is a lot easier when they donât have a lot of life experience.â
Camp Hitlakdut will cost more than the previous existing Messianic summer camps that were only 1-2 weeks each, but plenty of scholarships will be available, and, with their own property, Hitlakdut will be able to rent out their facilities to other groups throughout the year to offset some of the costs. Early bird registration should be open by the end of 2017, so start saving your Shekels now;Â their goal is to have 500 children registered to attend the first summer.
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Modern Yiddish Fairy Tales: Golde Lox and the Three Shmears
Once upon a time there was a little Jewish girl named Golde Lox that lived in Brooklyn. Like every normal Jewish person of any age, Golde Lox loved to eat. One day Golde Lox got very hungry and there was no leftover Chinese food in the fridge, so she hopped on the F Train to go off in search of food. After getting off at the 7th Ave Station, she found three adjacent bagel shops. Of course she did, this is Brooklyn, after all.
The first bagel shop, Feigelâs Bagels, was your average, run of the mill bagel shop. Golde purchased a bagel and shmear, but the bagel was entirely too soft. âFeh!â She thought. âHow can they possibly think these goyshe bagels could pass? Especially in this neighborhood. What do they take me for, a shiksa? May as well go to Stop & Shop and buy a bag of Lenderâs.â So she threw the bagel on the ground for some pigeons to eat and moved on to the second shop, which was called âWhat Does the Lox Say?â
What Does the Lox Say? was running a special on trendy rainbow bagels, so Golde purchased a rainbow bagel with a shmear, but it was hard as a rock. âUch!â She groaned. âWhat is this dreck?! This feels like a foul ball from a Mets game. I could chip my tooth on thisâŚwhat are these shmendriks thinking?!â So Golde stormed out, but pocketed the overly hard bagel to throw at her conference crushâs window at a later date, to get his attention.
The third shop Golde found was called âNes Good Dough Haya Poâ and was also having a special on rainbow bagels. In addition, they carried Gluten-free, organic, and non GMO bagels too. Golde opted for an organic rainbow multi-grain bagel with a strawberry shmear, and checked in on Facebook to receive 10% off her order, which was still $5, even after the discount. â$5 for a bagel and a shmear?! I thought this was a bagel shop, not the Dominique Ansel Kitchen! Iâm starving and just want a farkakta bagel. Oy gevalt with this city!â Nevertheless, she ate the bagel and then shrieked with glee; it was not too hard, not too soft, but just right. Like a good Jewish bagel should be.
Golde hopped back on the F train to head home, her stomach and heart full; her pockets, not so much. She went to sleep and dreamed of the organic rainbow multi-grain bagel with a strawberry shmear, and the aptly named bagel shop on 7th ave. A good dough miracle truly did happen there.
And she lived jappily ever after.
The end.
Who Was Beth Messiah and Why Are So Many Messianic Congregations Named After Her?
Born Beth Hallel in 1922 in Brooklyn, New York, to Russian-Jewish Immigrants turned Vaudeville performers, Keren Ohr and Hillel Hallel, Beth Messiah was raised in a one bedroom apartment with nine siblings. Though her life started with humble beginnings, she would go on to become someone who is often hailed as âThe Chuck Norris of Messianic Judaism.â
Beth Messiah led an epic life with events that ranged from leading Joel Chernoffâs parents to The Lord, to riding the Loch Ness Monster barebacked, to jump roping across the United States in a matter of three days, to planting what is now the largest Messianic Congregation in the world.
Beth Messiah met her husband, Walter Messiah, while grooming rabid bears in Alaska and the two would later head the committee to unify the MJAA and the UMJC. Sadly, they did not succeed, but the effort was still there.
Beth Messiah passed away in 1989 after being eaten by a bear, but her legacy lives on in the names of countless Messianic congregations throughout the United States. Baruch Dayan HaEmet. Rest in peace, Beth Messiah. We couldnât bear to not let your memory be for a blessing.