April Fool's Day - April 1, 2021

I have never been clear about the origin of April Fool’s day or why it is observed on April 1st but I do remember that as a kid it was a day when we were given permission to be mischievous and to play pranks – especially on our parents.

Posted
April 5, 2021
Graphic of a light bulb

April Fool's Day - April 1, 2021

I have never been clear about the origin of April Fool’s day or why it is observed on April 1st but I do remember that as a kid it was a day when we were given permission to be mischievous and to play pranks – especially on our parents.

Posted
April 5, 2021

"Humor is mankind's greatest blessing." - Mark Twain

Alexander Jewish Family Service Friends – 

I have never been clear about the origin of April Fool’s day or why it is observed on April 1st but I do remember that as a kid it seemed to be one of the most fun days in the calendar. It was a day when we were given permission to be mischievous and to play pranks – especially on our parents.

I have also known many adults who embrace the holiday and put an extensive amount of work, effort and planning into pulling off a stunt. Even large companies have gotten involved in the fun – in 1998 Burger King, as an April Fool’s joke, announced that is was launching a special version of its famous Whopper burger designed especially for left-handed people. The ad claimed that the new Whopper included the same ingredients as the original however, the left-handed Whopper had:

"all condiments rotated 180 degrees, thereby redistributing the weight of the sandwich so that the bulk of the condiments will
skew to the left, thereby reducing the amount of lettuce and other toppings from spilling out the right side of the burger."

In spite of this ad being meant as a clever April Fool’s prank, thousands of customers showed up at Burger King restaurants asking for the new burger.

A prank, at its best, is done affectionately and is careful not to cause any real harm – but rather to create a sense of kinship or friendship between the people involved. The experience is similar to a comedy roast – because the person being roasted is in on it - and has consented to be roasted and is willing to laugh at him/herself - the overall environment is friendly and people can laugh with one another rather than at one another.

If you are one of those individuals that observes April Fool’s Day I hope that, whether you are the recipient of a prank or the one that pranks someone else, your day is full of the spirit of play and an extra dash of joy.

By the way, I just read an article about left-handed matzah – it is designed so that the charoset doesn’t fall off during the Seder if you are left handed. I’m on my way to get some now 😉

Take care,
Carl Josehart's signature

Carl E. Josehart, MSW (he/him/his)

Chief Operating Officer

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