[caption id="attachment_61056" align="alignright" width="100"] Mark D. Zimmerman[/caption]
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:
[showhide type=”pressrelease” more_text=”Show More” less_text=”Show Less”]
* Rashi, Rambam and Presidential-Dingdong: A Quizbook of Presidential Jewish Trivia Facts and Fun
* Rashi, Rambam, and Ramalamadingdong: A Quizbook of Jewish Trivia Facts and Fun
* Rashi, Rambam, and Ramalamadingdong: A Quizbook of Jewish Trivia Facts and Fun, Volume Aleph
* Rashi, Rambam, and Ramalamadingdong, A Quizbook of Jewish Trivia Facts and Fun, Volume Bet
* Rashi, Rambam, and Ramalamadingdong: A Quizbook of Jewish Trivia Facts and Fun, Volume Gimel
* Rashi, Rambam and Ramalamadingdong: A Quizbook of Jewish Trivia, Facts, and Fun: Volume Dalet
* Zim’s Guide: A Survey of Family Attractions: 95-96 Long Island
[/showhide]
By Mark D. Zimmerman Bagels are one of the quintessential Jewish foods. There are references to bagels in Kraków, Poland in the early 1600’s, though they may have first appeared in Germany prior to that. Polish immigrants brought bagels to the United States around the turn of the 20th century. The bagel became so popular […]
Jewish Trivia Quiz: Bagels Read More »
Mark D. Zimmerman, Trivia, Humor & Satire
By Mark D. Zimmerman Multi-millionaire biotech engineer and asset manager Vivek Ramaswamy is running for the Republican nomination for President. He is running as an “anti-woke” and anti-abortion candidate who intends to rule by executive fiat, with plans to abolish the Education Department and the FBI, eradicate teachers unions, and launch military action across the
Jewish Trivia Quiz: Vivek Ramaswamy Read More »
Mark D. Zimmerman, Trivia, Humor & Satire
By Mark D. Zimmerman The trailer was released for the upcoming biopic Maestro about composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein. Controversy has arisen as a result of the choice of the non-Jewish actor Bradley Cooper to play the part of Bernstein, as well as his use of a prosthetic nose, which according to some critics injects
Jewish Trivia Quiz: Leonard Bernstein Read More »
Mark D. Zimmerman, Trivia, Humor & Satire
By Mark D. Zimmerman The 50th anniversary of hip-hop is being celebrated, commemorating a party hosted by DJ Kool Herc in an apartment building in the Bronx on August 11, 1973 which is recognized as the first hip-hop event. The music and culture of hip-hop comprises four main elements: DJing/turntablism, MCing/rapping, B-boying/breaking, and visual/graffiti art.
Jewish Trivia Quiz: Hip-Hop Read More »
Mark D. Zimmerman, Trivia, Humor & Satire
By Mark D. Zimmerman Paul Reubens, better known as Pee-wee Herman, died last week at the age of 70. Reubens’s career began in improv as a member of the Groundlings. In 1981 he created the character of Pee-wee Herman, a “man-boy” who starred in movies, tv shows, Broadway theater, and late night television. His children’s
Jewish Trivia Quiz: Paul Reubens z”l Read More »
Mark D. Zimmerman, Trivia, Humor & Satire
By Mark D. Zimmerman Sinéad O’Connor died last week at the age of 56. She was a highly successful performer, as well as an activist in support of women’s rights and opposed to racism and child abuse. During a 1992 appearance on Saturday Night Live she performed a moving version of Bob Marley’s song
Jewish Trivia Quiz: Sinéad O’Connor, RIP Read More »
Mark D. Zimmerman, Trivia, Humor & Satire
By Mark D. Zimmerman Singer Tony Bennett passed away just two weeks shy of his 97th birthday. In 2014, Bennett performed in Tel Aviv’s Mann Auditorium, one night after a surprise guest appearance at a Lady Gaga performance in Hayarkon Park. As a United States soldier in World War II, Bennett was among the troops
Jewish Trivia Quiz: Tony Bennett, RIP Read More »
Mark D. Zimmerman, Trivia, Humor & Satire
By Mark D. Zimmerman The biographical film Oppenheimer opens this week, telling the story of J. Robert Oppenheimer, son of a Prussian-Jewish immigrant, who became a theoretical physicist and director of the Los Alamos Laboratory during World War II. Oppenheimer is credited as the “father of the atomic bomb” for his role in the Manhattan
Jewish Trivia Quiz: Oppenheimer and Israeli Nuclear Weapons Read More »
Mark D. Zimmerman, Trivia, Humor & Satire
By Mark D. Zimmerman Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, Republican candidate for president, traveled to Israel this past April, having previously visited the country four other times. He is a strong supporter of Israel, and in 2019 he tweeted that he “promised to be the most pro-Israel Governor in America.” He refers to the West Bank
Jewish Trivia Quiz: Ron DeSantis Read More »
Mark D. Zimmerman, Trivia, Humor & Satire
By Mark D. Zimmerman Kosherpalooza, a food festival featuring kosher dairy and meat items, cooking demonstrations, wine tastings and more, was recently held for the first time at the Meadowlands Expo Center in New Jersey. Thousands of attendees sampled dried pink pineapple, miniature steak tartares served in crispy tapioca shells, CBD peanut butter cups, and
Jewish Trivia Quiz: Kosher Food Read More »
Mark D. Zimmerman, Trivia, Humor & Satire
By Mark D. Zimmerman Sheldon Harnick, lyricist of Fiddler on the Roof, Fiorello!, and other Broadway shows, died last week at the age of 99. Harnick and composer Jerry Bock wrote many songs for Fiddler on the Roof which did not end up in the final version of the show, including We’ve Never Missed a
Jewish Trivia Quiz: Sheldon Harnick, z”l Read More »
Mark D. Zimmerman, Trivia, Humor & Satire
By Mark D. Zimmerman Daniel Ellsberg, the military analyst who leaked the Pentagon Papers to the New York Times in 1971, died last week at the age of 92. Ellsberg’s parents were of Russian Jewish descent, but they had embraced Christian Science and raised him in that tradition. However, he noted that “My parents always
Jewish Trivia Quiz: Daniel Ellsberg, z”l Read More »
Mark D. Zimmerman, Trivia, Humor & Satire
By Mark D. Zimmerman Pat Robertson, the controversial Baptist minister who preached a conservative brand of political Christianity, died last week at the age of 93. Robertson was the founder of the Christian Coalition and he helmed The 700 Club television broadcast, promoting his vision of America as a Christian nation. Robertson was a strong
Jewish Trivia Quiz: Pat Robertson Read More »
Mark D. Zimmerman, Trivia, Humor & Satire
She has written many food-related books, including The Encyclopedia of Spices and Herbs: An Essential Guide to the Flavors of the World and Love, Loss, and What We Ate: A Memoir. What is a Jewish connection in Padma Lakshmi’s life? [Mark D. Zimmerman]
Jewish Trivia Quiz: Padma Lakshmi Read More »
Mark D. Zimmerman, Trivia, Humor & Satire