ShaBot ShaBlog

Jewish Arabia

2009-06-18T16:59:00.003-05:00

It is the year 2020. Yossi and Itamar head to the Palestinian town of Taybeh, to ask its citizens about a future Arab-Jewish State. As a new unified citizenry, the identity of the "other" must be re-established with new scapegoats and enemies, those that everyone can hate together.

via Street Boners and TV Carnage

The Evil Jewish Robot

2009-04-26T10:06:00.004-05:00

Google Alerts alerted me to Paul Fricke's Jewish Robot Comics at Blue Moon Studios. Nicely illustrated! Though not quite as lovable as Shabot.

Matzah Time

2009-04-13T10:28:00.003-05:00

Time has posted an article online, So You Think You Know Matzo?, mentioning the "20 Things To Do With Matzah" video I made with Michelle Citrin. And, this Passover, our video has received over 1,000,000 views on YouTube!

Matzah Boy

2009-04-04T15:55:00.003-05:00

Meet Billy, son of Simon. Simon edited our "20 Things To Do With Matzah" music video, as well as Rosh Hashanah Girl and Pass The Candle. This is a photo from Simon's blog, of Billy's first Passover party at preschool here in Brooklyn. According to Simon, Billy prefers to strip and eat the chocolate off the matzah, leaving behind the flat, unleavened bread. At least we know what he can do with all that leftover matzah!

See more photos, and help Simon solve the mystery of the frogs.

Passover Videos

2009-04-02T11:52:00.004-05:00

JTA, one of the sponsors of the Pass The Candle music video I made with Michelle Citrin for Hanukkah, was busy this week with articles and blog posts about Jewish videos for Passover. Author Amy Klein took an in depth look at the reasons behind the Jewish YouTube craze in her article, Let my people post Passover videos, where she interviewed Michelle about our Matzah Song, and followed up with a Top 10 list, 10 YouTube videos for Passover, (which I'm surprised failed to mention my Shabot 6000 "Seda' Club"), placing our "20 Things To Do With Matzah" at the #1 spot. And as a bonus, a JTA blog post, Two more Passover videos, by Ami Eden, gives a shout out to Bitter Herb.

Thanks for all the attention, JTA!

Bitter Herb

2009-03-30T19:09:00.003-05:00

Meet Bitter Herb, the star of my new Passover cartoon for Taglit-Birthright Israel. His name pretty much says it all -- please try to laugh with this standup comic, not at him.

Starring Meir Taub as Bitter Herb
Illustration, animation and music by me (William Levin)

Share it with your friends!

20 Things To Do With Outtakes

2009-03-26T17:26:00.003-05:00

This Passover marks the first anniversary of Michelle Citrin's and my video, "20 Things To Do With Matzah". To celebrate, Michelle compiled this blooper reel of our experience while making the video. There are some really funny moments in it, and as well as few embarrassing ones I forgot about. Thanks, Michelle! And thanks, Jesse Epstein, for your camerawork!

Also see the original video, "20 Things To Do With Matzah", edited by Simon Weaver.

Happy Passover!

Round Two with David Pogue

2009-03-02T01:28:00.002-05:00

Two years ago I worked with New York Times technology columnist David Pogue to produce the animation for his Video Recorder Deathmatch, a battle between TiVo and generic DVR. And last week we followed up with a new epic battle, the Kindle 2 e-Reader vs. ... a Book! The video aired on CNBC last week, and can also be seen on JetBlue flights. You can also watch it on the NYTimes.com video website, and download a hi-res version from iTunes.

Concept, script, voiceover and video by David Pogue
Illustration, animation, and sound design by Macboy.com (me)
Edited by Ben Thompson at CNBC.

Swearing In, Faithfully

2009-01-25T01:10:00.003-05:00

A little cartoon I made to celebrate Barack Obama's inauguration, and the flubbed oath courtesy of Chief Justice John Roberts.

Animation, voices and music by William Levin (me)

Yesterday's Robots

2009-01-18T18:58:00.002-05:00

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

2009-01-10T18:18:00.005-05:00

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.

SuperJews

2008-12-17T01:33:00.006-05:00

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

2008-12-10T03:46:00.005-05:00

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.

Help Us Pass the Candle

2008-11-25T00:24:00.003-05:00

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

2008-10-31T12:46:00.002-05:00

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

2008-10-27T06:09:00.004-05:00

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

2008-10-24T12:51:00.003-05:00

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!

2008-10-23T22:42:00.005-05:00

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.

The Great Schlep

2008-09-25T14:48:00.002-05:00

The Great Schlep from The Great Schlep on Vimeo.

I love this video from TheGreatSchlep.com featuring Sarah Silverman encouraging us to persuade our Jewish grandparents in Florida to vote for Obama. And I've finally made up my mind: I'm voting for Sarah Silverman for President.

Rosh to Buy

2008-09-24T01:01:00.003-05:00

Exactly one year ago, Michelle Citrin and I released our first music video together, Rosh Hashanah Girl. Now you can purchase and download the song, "I Gotta' Love You Rosh Hashanah", along with our second holiday hit, "20 Things To Do With Matzah", together in a double release, aptly titled "Rosh Hashanah Girl & the Matzah Song".

Now, what the Jewish Advocate calls, "The best parody songs since Adam Sandler's 'Chanukah Song'" are available for download on your iPod with the release of their double hit album "Rosh Hashanah Girl and Matzah Song", so you can listen all year round!

If you love Rosh Hashanah Girl (who doesn't?), show your support for the artists and download the songs from CD Baby!

Phone Atone

2008-09-21T22:49:00.003-05:00

How do Obama, McCain, Biden and Palin celebrate their Jewish heritage during the High Holy Days? Check out "Phone Atone", my latest cartoon for Taglit-Birthright Israel, a JibJab-style animation featuring the 2008 presidential and vice presidential candidates exploring the tradition of making amends for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Atonement is just a phone call away!

Written and animated by William Levin
Voices by William Levin and Andrea Praet
Special thanks: Concept by Jesse Epstein

Todd & God Get Their Fruit On

2008-09-12T14:45:00.004-05:00

I'm happy to announce my latest cartoon for MyJewishLearning.com, Todd & God Episode 2: Eat a New Fruit for Rosh Hashanah. This is the second in the Todd & God series, after the pilot episode "How to Light the Hanukkah Candles" was introduced last year. In this educational series, featuring a young boy who befriends God, we learn about the tradition of eating a new fruit on the second night of Rosh Hashanah. And, as an added bonus, remember the old Sesame Street bit where a stop-motion animated orange sings Carmen? It was arguably one of the creepiest things I was exposed to as a child. Were the animators on drugs? You might ask the same question when you see this Todd & God tribute.

I Went To Israel (I Liked It!)

2008-09-02T12:47:00.002-05:00

Check out my latest cartoon music video collaboration with Michelle Citrin ... "I Went To Israel (I Liked It!)", a new recruitment piece for Taglit-Birthright Israel. This is a fun parody of Katy Perry's hugely popular hit, "I Kissed A Girl". Pay close attention and you'll catch a reluctant cameo appearance by friends Meir Taub and Esther K!

Music and lyrics by William Levin (me)
Sung by Michelle Citrin
Illustration and Animation by William Levin

Heeb Olympics

2008-08-25T11:57:00.003-05:00

I found these kosher-style Olympic video clips by Heeb Magazine pretty entertaining. There are four Heeb Olympic events online:

The Yarmulke Toss

Penny Pick-Up

Gefilte Fish Wrestling

Disconnecta Yenta

And remember, it's only okay to make jokes about penny-pinching yarmulke-tossing gefilte fish-wrestling Jews if you are one.

I'm a Cool Jew

2008-08-03T22:10:00.002-05:00

I just received my copy of Lisa Alcalay Klug's new book, Cool Jew: The Ultimate Guide for Every Member of the Tribe, in which you will find a few of my Shabot 6000 comic strips. The book is available now, and you can pick up your own copy at Amazon.com