Any one who has gone to a house where Jewish mourners are sitting shiva (or shivah) after a funeral know there’s usually a lot of food there. Sometimes, many people with tenuous connections to the deceased come to the house. Here’s a funny video that puts the two together for great comic effect.
After giving my talk, Jewish Funeral Traditions on Film, at Temple Beth Ami in Rockville, Maryland, a congregant in attendance told me about this funny video for the i-Shiva app. This is not a real app, but the humor is solid!
The narrator in this less than three minute video starts out:
“Are you down on your luck, hungry and homeless, but have a smart phone? Are you a foodie in search of your next great meal? …. Are you totally stoned and have the munchies? Then i-Shiva is the app for you.”
Jews and food – what more do you need to say? I love the disclaimer at the end that says, “i-Shiva not valid in Arkansas, Idaho, Mississippi, Montana or the Dakotas.” There aren’t as many Jews there as in, say, New York, California or Illinois.
BTW, the congregant who told me about this video said of my talk, “Excellent presentation this morning. Held my interest and I can be fidgety.”
Congratulations to Nathan Firer, the creator of this video. In the description of the video he wrote, “As a Jew, I made this i-Shiva video in honor of my father, Noah Firer, the mensch of mensches who lost a battle with cancer last year. This video is the first comical thought I had during the infinite darkness following his death. I-shiva is not meant to offend or disrespect, but to uphold the longstanding Jewish tradition of turning tragedy into comedy.”