Matzah Response

I would have approved this creative short as an official Video Response to our "20 Things To Do With Matzah" video, but it would scare my niece Lola if she saw it.

Honorable Mention

After just a few days online, our "20 Things To Do With Matzah" Passover music video is definitely making the rounds: It was a featured Viral Video Hit on Yahoo! Video and even made it to the main Yahoo.com home page, bringing in over 120,000 views to date. And on YouTube, with about 90,000 views, the video has received the honor of being the #40 Most Viewed Music Video This Week (#49 Most Viewed in Canada, and #78 in Australia).

You can also find mention of the Matzah Song in The Jewish Daily Forward, YNet News, and CNET News.com!

Matzah MIA!

According to an article in the New York Times, there is a nationwide shortage of matzah this Passover, especially on the West Coast! Maybe it's because Michelle and I used all of it for our music video?

Also reported on News.com, where they also linked to our video, "clearly made in anticipation of a more plentiful matzah environment".

Product Placement

Looks like Michelle and I aren't the only ones doing product placement for matzah in YouTube videos. Beating us to the punch by a day, the young comedy duo Eric and Ben posted this hilarious take on advertising and product placement approximately 24 hours before we announced our own "20 Things To Do With Matzah" music video. Their video, Advertisements, which features Matzo Meal (repeatedly described as "Jewlicious!") in the form of subtle product placement, is just one of many entertaining shorts produced by the talented pair. I think these kids are going to be famous one day.

And when Passover is over, be sure to check out their chametz short, "Bagels".

20 Things To Do With Matzah

Passover's over, and wouldn't it be neat
If you could use all the matzah ... that you didn't eat?

I am pleased to present "20 Things To Do With Matzah", the new Post-Passover music video I produced with Michelle Citrin, a.k.a. Rosh Hashanah Girl! We're just a couple of crazy matzah-eating kids who grew up on Streit's Matzos for Pesach, so when Streit's learned we were making a video for the holiday, they were more than happy to give us 35 boxes of the stuff to use in our video.

Song "20 Things To Do With Matzah"
Performed by Michelle Citrin and William Levin
Music, Lyrics and Production by William Levin and Michelle Citrin

Video editing by Simon, and camerawork by Jesse Epstein.

Like the tight tees we wore in the video? You can get them at PopJudaica.com

Also available on Facebook, MySpace, and Yahoo! Video

Chag Sameach!

Let My People Vote

Back in January you may have seen the promotional video I did for Taglit Birthright Israel's "Let My Parents Go" video contest, in which the winners' parents get a trip to Israel. Now the finalists have been chosen, and you can vote on your favorite videos to help decide whose parents win the trip.

So take a look at these great videos and vote today!

Speaking in FutureTense

PresenTense founder Ariel Beery, Daniel Cipriani of AZM, and discussion moderator Todd Schechter

On Sunday, PresenTense Magazine hosted a roundtable discussion FutureTense on Culture for Jewish artists, raising questions about innovation, changes in cultural events and productions, and the future of the Jewish cultural space. One dominating theme was "Is it good for the Jews?" Aryeh "Jewster" Goldsmith explained that it depends on your perspective, which is so true that we had nothing left to discuss, so we all went home.

Guest speaker and rocker Naomi Less, Maya Wainhaus, Cool Jew author Lisa Alcalay Klug, and guest presenter, Leslie Ginsparg of Girls Night On

Jewish Robot and Alana Shultz

Aryeh "Jewster" Goldsmith answers "It depends who you ask" when Stacey Menchel asked if it was good for the Jews.

More photos of the FutureTense meeting on Facebook

Join the Seda' Club

My animated Shabot Passover special "Seda' Club" is now easier to share and embed on your blog than ever. It's available on YouTube, as well as MySpace and Facebook.

Seth's Bar Mitzvah

On September 4, 1993, Seth became a man. And his family became a legend.

Shabot Spotted

L to R: Ariel Beery, Skye, Kyle, Jewish Robot, and Vanessa

Yesterday I met with PresenTense Magazine founder and friend, Ariel Beery, during one of his rare social visits to Brooklyn. Always making connections, Beery stepped outside the Tea Lounge on 10th St. briefly to take a call. When he happened to mention to his acquaintance on the phone that he was in Park Slope with the creator of Shabot 6000, an unsuspecting young fan who was sitting outside with her friends perked up. That's how I met local uber-fan Skye and her friends Kyle and Vanessa. Getting recognized for my relatively obscure comic strip doesn't happen often ... thanks for making my day!