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Dave Lefkowitz chats with his old friend, OZER TEITELBAUM
Topics include: movies
Segment aired Dec. 31, 2025 as part of episode #1014, our annual New Year’s Eve special edition of the “Dave’s Gone By” radio/video podcast program hosted by Dave Lefkowitz.
Please Note: Segments extracted from “Dave’s Gone By” may have music and other elements removed for timing and media re-posting considerations. For the full interview with all elements, please visit the audio of the complete original broadcast.
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Dave Lefkowitz chats with theater critic CHARLES GROSS
Topics include: Broadway, New Year’s, New York
Segment aired Dec. 31, 2025 as part of episode #1014, our annual New Year’s Eve special edition of the “Dave’s Gone By” radio/video podcast program hosted by Dave Lefkowitz.
Please Note: Segments extracted from “Dave’s Gone By” may have music and other elements removed for timing and media re-posting considerations. For the full interview with all elements, please visit the audio of the complete original broadcast.
Shalom Dammit! This is Rabbi Sol Solomon with a Rabbinical Reflection for the end of the year, 2025.
I don’t think I know anyone who hasn’t had a cruddy year. If they’re not upset with politics and the government, they’re dealing with death, illness, financial stress, mental problems, dental problems — if you actually had a good year in 2025, please let me know your phone number so I can play it for Lotto.
But here it is, December 31st, and whaddya know? You survived. I’m not saying you thrived, but you endured. And I hope you got your jollies along the way. Not every news event was tragic, and a few sad stories had silver linings. Pope Francis died, but the new guy’s from Chicago. He’s on the conservative side, but what do you expect from a Pope, Ru Paul? And while inflation is scaring everyone who has to buy a house, a car, a health plan, or, you know, groceries, the stock market has remained a juggernaut. Therefore, if, by the time you retire, you haven’t given all your money to Aetna, you might have a few bucks left in your 401K… to spend on cat food.
Politically it was another Civil War-level year, with liberals screaming “disaster!” at Trump’s every move, and Trump often deserving the screams. Did he need to renovate the White House Ballroom and make the silverware goldenware? Did he have to put his name on the memorial Kennedy Center — I mean, Trump’s bullet missed! And did the President have to redact all those pages in the Epstein files that showed him to be almost as big a perv as Bill Clinton? Well, at least Trump is ridding the country of useless foreigners with questionable visas. Anybody seen Melania lately?
Meanwhile, antisemitism, disguised as antizionism, still gives college students and left-wing wingnuts a hard-on, but Israel and the Palestinians are holding to some kind of cease fire, while America’s been going after ISIS in Syria and Nigeria and stopping nukes in Iran. And while the mass murder at a Chanukah festival in Bondi Beach reminded us Jews are still hated, a clump of Jewish corpses granted us a day or two of sympathy before the clown cars returned with their Free Gaza circus act. God help us, New York elected a rabidly anti-Israel socialist mayor, but the good news is: Mamdani’s policies will be so ruinous, bankrupting, and unenforceable, no one’s gonna give an alqaraf what he believes!
Oh, and if it’s not already evident, let me assert that this Rabbinical Reflection was written entirely with my two little hands and my too-preoccupied brain. That is to say, any intelligence you happen to find in my prose may be unexpected but not artificial. 2025 was the year that everything on social media or the internet was suspect. From heartwarming parables about celebrities to the sloppiest slop, algorithms were telling us what to buy, how to think, and where to vent. It was the year academics gave up fighting A.I. and instead told students, “Hey, my ChatGPT wrote this exam. Have your Grammarly take it, and then my Copilot will grade it. And afterwards we can all meet on the unemployment line because nobody has to fucking know anything anymore.”
But I digress. Anger is not the endgame of my annual review of the annum gone by. Nostalgic melancholy is more the mood because now is time to remember those we lost. Musicians, authors, performers — folks who left their mark, so in poetic form, we mark their passing.
Farewell to Pope Francis, as Popes go, a goodie
Adieu, Diane Keaton, we loved you with Woody
With his gifted family, Sly Stone took us higher
And tears for Jill Sobule, who died in a fire
We lost Lalo Schiffrin and his orchestrations
Let’s hope Brian Wilson picks up good vibrations
Ace Frehley and Ozzy now sleep in the sand
And farewell Garth Hudson, the last of The Band.
We lost Malcolm-Jamal Warner when he lost his grips
Loretta Swit and Chuck Mangione have sealed their hot lips
Farewell to Rob Reiner, what great films he did!
If only Nick Reiner was Greta Thunberg’s kid.
Tom Stoppard whose plays were quite The Real Thing
Now joins Robert Redford in feeling death’s Sting
Bye bye to Hulk Hogan who wrestled with glee
And Loni Anderson, who put the T&A in KRP
Ta-ta, Charlie Kirk, whose death gave us chills
So long to George Foreman whose life gave us grills
Bill Moyers once anchored the news desk with grace
And Charles Strouse helped us put on a happy face
With David Johansen we rocked and got funky
And Jane Goodall taught us the mind of a monkey
So long, David Lynch, whose films got tongues waggin’
“Puff” went Peter Yarrow, and his magic dragon
Connie Francis could sing and Roberta Flack croon
Jules Feiffer satirized life by cartoon
Gene Hackman found dead in his run-down chalet
Steve Cropper now dead on the dock of the bay
Val Kilmer, Diane Ladd, each one a sad loss
And Jimmy Cliff has no more rivers to cross
No love for Dick Cheney and his years of fears
But raise up a glass for George Wendt and his Cheers
And keep that toast going for loved ones departed
We mourn them, we miss them, and though brokenhearted
We bravely go forward through kicks, sticks, and bricks
And hope for the best in 2026.
This has been a Rabbinical Reflection from Rabbi Sol Solomon, Temple Sons of Bitches in Great Neck, New York. Happy Jew Year.
click above to watch episode #1013click above to listen (audio only)
Here is episode #1013 of the long-running radio show/video podcast, Dave’s Gone By, which aired live on Facebook, Saturday morning, Dec. 27, 2025.
Featuring: Rabbi Sol Solomon interviews actor-singer Darius de Haas; Dave’s Big Dictionary (apropos); Colorado Limerick of the Damned (Chester); Bunion Watch; Greeley Times.
Guests: actor Darius de Haas; spiritual leader Rabbi Sol Solomon
00:00:01 DAVE GOES IN w/ Joyce: for the birds, wonderful life, Mount Washington 01:00:00 GREELEY TIMES 01:29:30 GUEST: Rabbi Sol Solomon interviews Darius de Haas 02:22:30 DAVE GOES FURTHER IN: New Year’s Eve 02:33:00 RABBI SOL SOLOMON’S RABBINICAL REFLECTION #190: 2024 Farewell (repeat) 02:44:00 DAVE’S BIG DICTIONARY: apropos 02:57:00 Friends of the Daverhood 03:06:30 COLORADO LIMERICK OF THE DAMNED: Chester, CO 03:09:30 DAVE GOES OUT
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Here is episode #1012 of the long-running radio show/video podcast, Dave’s Gone By, which aired live on Facebook, Saturday morning, Dec. 20, 2025.
Featuring: Rabbi Sol Solomon interviews playwright Jeremy Kareken and reads “A Parakeet Named Dreidel”; Greeley Times; Colorado Limerick of the Damned (Cherry Knolls); My Sick Mind (The Reiners); Bunion Watch.
Guests: playwright Jeremy Kareken; spiritual leader Rabbi Sol Solomon
00:00:01 DAVE GOES IN w/ Joyce: balloons, dentist, Chanukah bagel 00:34:00 GREELEY TIMES 01:22:30 GUEST: Rabbi Sol Solomon interviews Jeremy Kareken 02:04:00 STORYTIME w/ Rabbi Sol: “The Parakeet Named Dreidel” (Isaac Bashevis Singer) 02:31:00 BUNION WATCH 02:34:00 DAVE GOES FURTHER IN: Rob Reiner 02:45:00 MY SICK MIND: The Reiners 02:50:00 Friends of the Daverhood 02:57:00 COLORADO LIMERICK OF THE DAMNED: Cherry Knolls, CO 03:00:00 DAVE GOES OUT
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Rabbi Sol Solomon chats with playwright JEREMY KAREKEN
Topics include: The Value of Names, Lifespan of a Fact, playwriting
Segment airs Dec. 20, 2025 as part of episode #1012 of the “Dave’s Gone By” radio/video podcast program hosted by Dave Lefkowitz.
Please Note: Segments extracted from “Dave’s Gone By” may have music and other elements removed for timing and media re-posting considerations. For the full interview with all elements, please visit the audio of the complete original broadcast.
All content (c)2025 TotalTheater Productions.
More information on Dave’s Gone By: http://www.davesgoneby.com
For this week’s StoryTime segment on Dave’s Gone By, Rabbi Sol Solomon reads the children’s book, “Mendel’s Hanukkah Mess Up” by Chana & Larry Stiefel.
This segment aired Dec. 13, 2025 as part of episode #1011 of the “Dave’s Gone By” video podcast program hosted by Dave Lefkowitz. Full episodes also available on youtube, Facebook (davesgoneby), and on DavesGoneBy.com.
All content (c)2025 TotalTheater Productions.
More information on Dave’s Gone By: http://www.davesgoneby.com
More information on Rabbi Sol Solomon: shalomdammit.com.
click above to watch episode #1011click above to listen (audio only)
Here is episode 1011 of the long-running radio show/video podcast, Dave’s Gone By, which aired live on Facebook, Saturday morning, Dec. 13, 2025.
Featuring: Rabbi Sol Solomon interviews writer Matt Schatz, reads “Mendel’s Hanukkah Mess Up,” and offers a Rabbinical Reflection about Eurovision; Greeley Times; Colorado Limerick of the Damned (Cherry Creek); The Dreidel Game.
Guests: playwright Matt Schatz; spiritual leader Rabbi Sol Solomon
00:00:01 DAVE GOES IN: Chanukah, yard animals, ear wax 00:35:00 GUEST: Rabbi Sol Solomon interviews Matt Schatz 01:22:00 GREELEY TIMES 01:46:30 DAVE GOES FURTHER IN w/ Joyce: Maryland life 02:02:00 THE DREIDEL GAME 02:24:00 RABBI SOL SOLOMON’S RABBINICAL REFLECTION #199: Eurovision 02:31:00 STORYTIME w/ Rabbi Sol Solomon: Hanukkah Mess Up (Stiefels) 02:51:00 Friends of the Daverhood 03:00:00 COLORADO LIMERICK OF THE DAMNED: Cherry Creek, CO 03:03:00 DAVE GOES OUT
Topics include: Dramaturgatory, The Burdens, Rabbis
Segment airs Dec. 13, 2025 as part of episode #1011 of the “Dave’s Gone By” radio/video podcast program hosted by Dave Lefkowitz.
Please Note: Segments extracted from “Dave’s Gone By” may have music and other elements removed for timing and media re-posting considerations. For the full interview with all elements, please visit the audio of the complete original broadcast.
All content (c)2025 TotalTheater Productions.
More information on Dave’s Gone By: http://www.davesgoneby.com
Rabbi Sol Solomon’s Rabbinical Reflection #199 (12/13/2025): EUROVISION
This Rabbinical Reflection first aired Dec. 13, 2025 on the Dave’s Gone By video podcast.
Rabbi Sol’s Rabbinical Reflections are heard on the long-running Dave’s Gone By radio/video podcast program (davesgoneby.com) and then archived as text and audio on the Rebbe’s blog, Shalomdammit.com, where a transcript of this Reflection may be read.
Rabbi Sol is also the creator of the stage show, “Shalom Dammit! An Evening with Rabbi Sol Solomon,” which played in NYC in Nov. 2011 and Aug. 2012.
More information on Dave’s Gone By: http://www.davesgoneby.com
More on Rabbi Sol: shalomdammit.com
TRANSCRIPT:
Shalom Dammit! This is Rabbi Sol Solomon with a Rabbinical Reflection for mid-December 2025.
Ooh, I feel like bursting into song…a song of hate! It’s dedicated to the four countries that are boycotting Eurovision 2026.
The Eurovision Song Contest, in case you didn’t know — and if you’re American, it’s like soccer: you know, but you don’t really give a shit — Eurovision holds an annual competition. Countries across the world submit their dumbest, most homogenized tunes for the honor of winning a glass microphone. The contest started in 1956, and it’s a global phenomenon, launching the careers of ABBA, Celine Dion, and Lulu, who won Eurovision 1969 with a song called “Boom Bang-a-Bang,” which should give you some idea of the profundity of this contest.
Still, who doesn’t love a catchy song? And, like the Olympics, Eurovision is supposed to be an international alliance, free of politics and posturing. And I am Marie of Romania.
Actually, Romania’s not the problem. They’re participating in Eurovision 2026, as are Finland, Albania, Serbia, Malta, Portugal, France, Italy—a host of Eastern and Western European countries with lousy songs to share. Four nations, however, have withdrawn from the competition. Why? They are boycotting because Israel has been allowed to take part. See, they feel that Israel’s revenge for October 7th has been a terrible genocide and, therefore, heaven forfend that they share the stage with Israeli Jews.
So many times I have explained that Hamas is the real cause of Palestinian suffering—not Bibi, not Trumpy, not the IDF. When you lie down with terrorists, you wake up dead. Which is an oxymoron, so I dedicate it to the maxi-morons of these useless countries: Spain, Slovenia, Netherlands, and Ireland. In fact, the head of the Irish Eurovision Fan Club told The New York Times, and I quote: “I can’t see us returning as long as Israel is involved.” Unquote. Now, granted, being Irish he was probably drunk. But that’s no excuse.
Remember when the Irish and the Jews got along? In the 1960s, Dublin even had an Orthodox Jewish mayor who had worked with the IRA. But in recent years, the IRA aligned with the PLO, so FUCK them. And that goes for Irish music, too. Van Morrison’s an asshole, Riverdance gives me headaches, and Enya puts me to sleep faster than a 30 milligram Ambien.
As for the Netherlands, their public-broadcasting arm explained that having Israel in Eurovision is quote, “not compatible with the responsibility we bear.” The Dutch, responsible? These are the people who told the Nazis, “Hey, that girl you’re looking for? She’s up in the attic.”
Another country taking a “moral” anti-Israel stand is Slovenia. Since breaking from Yugoslavia in 1991, Slovenia has given the world so many things, like . . . like . . . more Slovenians. I’d also make an alcoholism joke, but I already used it on the Irish.
That leaves Spain. A curious people. An inquisitive people. In fact, their inquisition murdered, tortured, or forced into conversion tens of thousands of Jews. Remember, too, that for sport, Spaniards lasso an innocent bull, infuriate it, and then stab it in various places until it collapses. ¡Qué diversión!
So this loathsome foursome—the Dutch, the Slovs, the micks and the spics—they all think that by pulling their presence and sponsorship from Eurovision, the world will join them in dumping on Zionism. Well, the joke’s on them, because the world already hates Jews anyway. If these boycotting countries had any guts, they’d write an anti-Semitic song and do that on the broadcast. Something like:
Jews are stingy, Jews are dingy
Bing-Dang Ding-Dang Ring-a-Ding-Dong!
Why hide your Jew hatred behind liberal lies about Palestinian oppression? Let all the poison out:
Nobody likes those big-nosed Kikes
Boogie-Oogie Boom-Boom Ring-a-Ding-Dong!
The final irony that I would like to point out is that one country threatened to exit Eurovision if they didn’t admit Israel. Again, I quote: “It’s a scandal this is even being discussed. Israel has a place there.” That quote comes from Friedrich Merz, chancellor of Germany. Well, gee, Fred. Schtup the past: all is forgiven! And I am Marie of Romania.
Actually, I’m not, I’m Rabbi Sol Solomon, Temple Sons of Bitches in Great Neck, New York. Boom Bang-a-Bang.
