Yesterday's Robots

Check out A Review of the Best Robots of 2008 and the accompanying videos, including this captivating video of the Nao Robot above. The Jewish Robot was snubbed again, but better luck in 2009.

Peace-Fire

This is a comic I did during the 2006 Lebanon War. It's still relevant, just swap Hezbollah for Hamas.

Join the Protest in favor of Israeli-Palestinian Peace tomorrow, Sunday, January 11, 2009.

Hanukkah Around the World on ABC News Good Morning America

My Hanukkah video, Pass The Candle, featuring friend and fellow ROI participant Michelle Citrin, was announced on ABC News Good Morning America on December 22, 2008.

The video was made possible with a grant from ROI and support from The Jewish Channel and JTA.

SuperJews

Having just completed one of my most ambitious animation projects to date, I am pleased to present SuperJews - Episode 1: "The Package", part of the UJC Team Super Jews Color Wars campaign on Facebook. I worked with my longtime neighbor and friend, Bill Alger, who did the illustrations for all the characters used throughout the SuperJews.org website, Facebook Fan Pages, and the animation. This cartoon also features a music soundtrack I composed, inspired by the Peter Gunn Theme and Orbital's remake of the Saint Theme, mixed in with a little Tradition.

Voices by Jessica Wachsman, Jesse Epstein and me ... and special cameo voiceover by Meir Taub as "The Cough" ... long story, I had recorded Meir doing the lines of Captain Israel but gave poor direction and realized I couldn't use his audio clips when it was too late to rerecord.

Special thanks to campaign leaders Allison Weiner and Andy Neusner, and former leaders Naftali Goldsmith and Dina Garfinkel.

Pass The Candle

I am pleased to announce my third music video collaboration with Michelle "Rosh Hashanah Girl" Citrin. This one is called Pass The Candle, a Hanukkah celebration around the world. We received hundreds of submissions of video clips of our friends, families, and fans around the world, and compiled our favorites into a musical montage to our new song, "Left To Right".

Special thanks to ROI120 for honoring me with the 2008 ROI Small Grant to fulfill my "Music Videos for Jewish Kiddios" project. To fellow ROI120 participant, partner and friend, Michelle Citrin for her incredible talent, creativity and patience. And to Aryeh Goldsmith of Jewster.com for hosting the site and providing the inspiration for this music video over a year ago!

More thanks to Jesse Epstein for her help with the How-To video, and to Simon Weaver, who stayed up late at night editing the final music video.

Also special thanks to JTA and The Jewish Channel for their support.

And thank you, everyone, who sent in your video clips. We couldn't have done it without you! Including fellow ROI120 participants Marcus Freed, Harry Rubenstein, Esther Kustanowitz, Uri Levin, Josh Nelson, and Justin Korda. And friends Lisa Kingston, Andrew Krucoff, Ephraim "Ha'anak" K, Jesse Epstein and family, my niece Lola, Dina Garfinkel, Tova and Molly Gold, and Billy Weaver.

Song "Left To Right"
Performed by Michelle Citrin
Music, Lyrics and Production by William Levin and Michelle Citrin

Help Us Pass the Candle

Michelle "Rosh Hashanah Girl" Citrin and I are making our next music video for Hanukkah, and we need your help! Send us your video clips of you passing a candle and lighting a menorah, and it just might end up in our musical montage. Watch the demo video and visit PassTheCandle.com for more instructions.

But hurry, Hanukkah is almost here, and we'd like to have all the video clips by November 28! If you go home for Thanksgiving, get your family involved!

A Smear Campaign

Just a little cartoon I cranked out at midnight remind people to vote on Election Day, Tuesday November 4, 2008.

VOTE! A Smear Campaign
Created by a Jewish Robot
Cartoon and music by William Levin
Voice and co-direction by Jesse Epstein

Giant Jewish Robot

I never heard of Mado King Granzort, but if it came down to a fight, I'm pretty sure this Jewish robot would kick my Jewish robot's shiny metal ass. Does anyone know if the Star of David means something in this opening sequence?

Hit me, I'm Jewish

Hit a Jew Day! It's a lot better than the "Hit a Jew Year" that I endured in high school.

Let there be G-dcast!

Friend and fellow ROI120 participant Sarah Lefton pitched her idea for G-dcast, an educational animated cartoon series at the ROI120 Summit in 2006. The website has finally launched, and you can now catch the first episode for the parshat of the week, Parshat Bereshit, at G-dcast.com.

From Sarah's newsletter:

It's basically low commitment learning! You can check out a different narrator for 4 minutes each week - some tell stories, some sing country songs, and some hurl some hip hop. Whether you already know the story, or this is totally new stuff, you can hear 54 new voices this year. New episodes drop Mondays.

How it works: we think of brillant speakers - teachers, rabbis, novelists, musicians, and poets - they tell the story in four minutes or less - and then we animate their words into a cartoon EVERY WEEK.