Humorist Mark D. Zimmerman writes a weekly Jewish trivia column, offering multiple choice answers to challenge and enlighten the reader. Click on the link to see if you’ve guessed correctly.
Zimmerman is the author of a series of Jewish trivia books, under the title RASHI, RAMBAM and RAMALAMADINGDONG: A Quizbook of Jewish Trivia Facts & Fun. The quizzes are designed to challenge, educate, entertain, and make you laugh. Are Tzitzit disease-carrying Mediterranean flies? Are Israeli cherries harvested during the Jubilee year? Is Gefilte Phish one of Ben and Jerry’s best-selling Israeli ice cream flavors?
Raised on the Three Stooges, The Addams Family, Monty Python’s Flying Circus, and most importantly, the Marx Brothers, Zimmerman combines his comedic sensibilities with his background in Jewish Communal Service and synagogue and day school volunteer work to create Jewish trivia guaranteed to stimulate and amuse.
His books, available on Amazon, include:
By Mark D. Zimmerman MELVILLE, New York — Donald Trump has recently expressed interest in the possibility of the United States purchasing Greenland from Denmark (Note: It is NOT for sale). While it is not exactly clear why Trump is interested, it may be related to the natural resources on the island (iron, oil, gold, uranium […]
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International, Jewish History, Mark D. Zimmerman, Trivia, Humor & SatireBy Mark D. Zimmerman MELVILLE, New York — The Woodstock music festival took place 50 years ago this week. The event, attended by more than 400,000 people, featured performances by Richie Havens, Arlo Guthrie, Joan Baez, The Who, Santana, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and dozens of other musicians. Many of the people involved in Woodstock
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Mark D. Zimmerman, Trivia, Humor & SatireBy Mark D. Zimmerman MELVILLE, New York –Theater director, producer, and impresario Harold “Hal” Prince died last week at the age of 91. Prince, who came from a German Jewish family, was involved in numerous Broadway and off-Broadway productions. Many of his shows had Jewish themes, connections, or stories, most famously Fiddler on the Roof, which
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Mark D. Zimmerman, Trivia, Humor & SatireBy Mark D. Zimmerman MELVILLE, New York — Boris Johnson has just replaced Theresa May as prime minister of Great Britain. Johnson has been a strong supporter of Israel and an advocate for a two-state solution with the Palestinians. What was Johnson’s connection to Israel before he became a politician? A. Johnson attended high school at the
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Mark D. Zimmerman, Trivia, Humor & SatireBy Mark D. Zimmerman SAN DIEGO — With little recent progress in peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, many Israelis and Palestinians are focusing on people-to-people (P2P) approaches between the two communities, with a goal of promoting understanding and cooperation “on the ground.” One NGO (non-profit) that has taken this approach and has
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Mark D. Zimmerman, Trivia, Humor & SatireBy Mark D. Zimmerman MELVILLE, New York — American financier Jeffrey Epstein was arrested earlier this month on child sex trafficking charges. After an early career as a teacher, Epstein became an options trader at Bear Stearns, eventually becoming a partner before going out on his own and building a highly successful financial consulting firm.
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Mark D. Zimmerman, Trivia, Humor & SatireBy Mark D. Zimmerman MELVILLE, New York — Jared Kushner is heading to a two-day conference in Bahrain where he will be attempting to gain support for the Trump administration’s Israel/Palestinian peace plan. However, neither Israel nor the Palestinian Authority will be attending the meeting. Kushner will be presenting only economic proposals of support for Palestinians, which
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Mark D. Zimmerman, Trivia, Humor & SatireBy Mark D. Zimmerman MELVILLE, New York — Target was in the news this past weekend, as a major computer glitch caused the checkout registers in almost all of their stores around the world to stop working. Target has found themselves in the middle of some controversies within the Jewish community in the past. In
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Mark D. Zimmerman, Trivia, Humor & SatireBy Mark D. Zimmerman MELVILLE, New York — In an effort to goad Mexico into taking more action against Central American migrants traveling through Mexico to the United States southern border, President Trump has announced that he will begin implementing tariffs on Mexican goods in the coming weeks and months. There is a long history
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International, Jewish History, Mark D. Zimmerman, Trivia, Humor & SatireBy Mark D. Zimmerman MELVILLE, New York — Will Smith is currently starring as the Genie in a live-action remake of Disney’s Aladdin. What is a Jewish connection in Will Smith’s life? A. Smith grew up in West Philadelphia’s Wynnefield neighborhood, an area with a large Jewish population. When Smith first began rapping under the
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Mark D. Zimmerman, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, Trivia, Humor & SatireBy Mark D. Zimmerman MELVILLE, New York — Best selling author Herman Wouk died last week at the age of 103. Wouk, an Orthodox Jew, won the Pulitzer Prize for his novel The Caine Mutiny, and also wrote many Jewish-themed novels, including The Winds of War, War and Remembrance, and Marjorie Morningstar. Marjorie Morningstar told
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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Mark D. Zimmerman, Trivia, Humor & SatireBy Mark D. Zimmerman MELVILLE, New York — Billy Joel just celebrated his 70th birthday with a concert at Madison Square Garden, featuring video birthday wishes from Paul McCartney, Garth Brooks, Don Henley, Pink and others, plus a guest performance by Peter Frampton. Though Billy Joel’s parents were both Jewish, he was not raised Jewish,
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Mark D. Zimmerman, Trivia, Humor & SatireBy Mark D. Zimmerman MELVILLE, New York — Joe Biden officially announced his candidacy for the Democratic nomination for president. Biden has a long history of support for Israel. He often talks about his first trip to Israel shortly after he was elected to the Senate in 1972. On that trip he met with Prime
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Mark D. Zimmerman, Middle East, Trivia, Humor & Satire, USABy Mark D. Zimmerman MELVILLE, New York — The most popular haggadah in American history is the Maxwell House Haggadah, which the company has been distributing for free (with purchases of Maxwell House coffee) since 1932. More than 50 million copies have been given away worldwide since then, and they even had a place at the
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Mark D. Zimmerman, Trivia, Humor & Satire