EDUCATION
Teaching through
SONG AND DANCE
SHOOBY DOOB SHLOIMY
Sitting down to meet the real-life Shooby
Doob Shloimy and his creator was an experience no less entertaining and inspiring than watching him perform live on
stage to the tune of 300 or 400 cheering
kids. Mark Samowitz, the sound behind
and co-creator of Shooby Doob Shloimy,
asserts he is the real Shooby Doob Shloimy, the character’s name stemming from
his Hebrew name, Shlomo.
Or rather, says Helen Heldenmuth, who
conceived of the original Jewish superhero character, and now writes the lyrics,
Mark has become the character. Much to
my amusement, the two banter over se-
44 JEWISH LIFE ■ ISSUE 85
mantics for a few minutes. Mark puts his
being correct down to Helen’s age, and
Helen attributes her correctness to her
wisdom and Mark’s enduring youth. I am
having so much fun, getting to see how
the amalgamation of two real-life characters, who juggle the roles of drama queen
and sincere and inspired artist so perfectly, blend as one in the Jewish superhero,
educator and entertainer Shooby Doob
Shloimy. And what’s more, I get to ask the
question my four year old has been begging of me since we first heard Shooby
Doob Shloimy for the first time: why, oh
why, can’t you give us more? It seems I’ve
opened a can of worms, as they berate
themselves for not being able to give their
adoring fans more over the past 13 years
they have spent teaming up together creatively as the vision and the voice behind
Shooby Doob Shloimy, arguably South Africa’s greatest Jewish export to date.
But, with scores of sell-out concert performances and record-breaking CD sales,
Shooby Doob Shloimy, the fun and funky
mitzvah kid, is fast establishing himself as
the world’s favourite in educational Jewish kids’ songs.
With his catchy lyrics, rhythmic beat and
hip melodies, Shooby Doob Shloimy captivates the hearts, minds and souls of Jewish
children and their parents throughout the
world and across the religious spectrum, allowing them to connect to their Jewish
heritage with warmth and joy. Every show
includes local kids who are taught by the
esteemed Helen; every lyric and every
movement is learnt in just three weeks,
and due to the kids’ excitement and love
for performing with Shooby Doob Shloimy,
they have become the stars of the show in
their own right. And while music is a
shared love of this dynamic duo behind the
well-loved character, teaching kids and instilling this love and joy for Torah into the
hearts of their audience trumps all, and
therein lies the key to their sterling success.
Because Shooby Doob Shloimy is not just a
beautifully spoken and lyrical star, he is a
true Jewish superhero, teaching kids the
values and ideals of Judaism in a way that
is catchy and accessible to all, particularly
kids ranging from the ages of three to 13.
Helen has spent the lion’s share of her
50-year career teaching, to the point where
PHOTOGRAPHS: ILAN OSSENDRYVER; PORTRAIT: SUPPLIED
Making learning fun, exciting, and
entertaining I BY CHANDREA SEREBRO