LIFESTYLE → ENDNOTE Issue 1101 · February 25, 2026

A Gantz Yohr Freilach

Sometimes, they say, those whimsical words contain the deepest meanings of all

A Gantz Yohr Freilach
Jewish music today isn’t always serious business, or is it? According to some of the industry’s funniest people, it’s both, and maybe that’s one reason we keep playing songs that seem pretty silly when we first hear them.
Joey Newcomb, 8th Day (Bentzi and Shmueli Marcus), Country Yossi, and the TYH (Thank You Hashem) Chevra are some of today’s popular composers of the lighter side of Jewish music. But sometimes, they say, those whimsical words contain the deepest meanings of all

WHAT IT’S LIKE TO PUT OUT SONGS THAT HAVE A FUNNY TWIST

JOEY NEWCOMB

Much of life is so serious, so full of intensity. Sometimes you just have to let go, take the load off your back and let the Eibishter hold it, while you lighten up. Because really, you’re not in control of anything. I have a very light-hearted personality — in class I was always the silly guy. On the other hand, I’m always searching for deeper meanings and growth. Even my lighter songs have serious meanings and messages and it’s actually an easier way to get the messages across into people’s hearts.

COUNTRY YOSSI

Yidden have historically turned to humor as a way to cope with the ever-present dangers and pressures of surviving and succeeding in often hostile environments. Growing up in America in the 1960s, ’70s, and ’80s offered a measure of post-Holocaust respite, but it also came with its own challenges. There was intense pressure to make a living and build a successful business while raising a Torah-oriented family.

Sensing a need in our tight-knit — sometimes uptight — community for some much-needed humor to lift our spirits, I began writing funny parodies of current popular hit songs. I rewrote the lyrics to reflect our traditional lifestyle and values, always with a smile, a wink, and a Yiddishe knaitch.

It’s true that a song doesn’t change the world, but it can make the journey through life a little lighter.

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