The OG Jason Mesches

Coming to Temple March 27 & 29

We wanted to get to know children’s entertainer Jason Mesches before his exciting visit to Temple. Check out our fun convo!

Fantasy Shabbat Dinner
Zero Mostel and Jack Black. I will spend the meal getting Zero to grant Jack Black his blessing to reprise the role of Tevye in a modern-day remake of “Fiddler on the Roof.”

Favorite Jewish Food
Challah, anyone saying anything else is lying. Second place, brisket.

Would you rather: Dreidel or grager, shofar or afikomen, matzo ball soup or cheese blintz?
Grager. Shofar. Matzo ball soup. Let’s make as much noise as possible, and then settle in for the evening with a nice bowl of soup.

Superpower
I am weirdly good at making the sound effect of a chainsaw.

Music Crush
Elvis Presley. The day a kid brought in a video of Elvis for show-and-tell in kindergarten, my life was changed forever.

That moment when you realized you wanted to be a children’s entertainer…
I moved to Los Angeles to act on television shows. After small roles on sitcoms like “The Big Bang Theory” and “Two and a Half Men,” the acting kind of dried up. Instead of waiting tables between gigs, I took a job at a local preschool, teaching music. My boss at the school was the person who told me that this was the thing I should be pursuing, she said I was “unusually good at this.”

Best reaction from an audience
A child falling asleep in the front row. Hands-down. Gotta stay humble.

Best origin story of a song
“Whole Lotta Challah” came along when a coworker of mine asked me why I never wrote a song about her, or the place that she came from. I said, “Well Brenda, nothing rhymes with Guatemala.” She said, “challah does,” and I knew what I had to do.

Jam with Jason: Not for Kids Only!
March 27 & March 29

Friday, March 27 All-In Shabbat
5:30 p.m.: Schmooze and snack
6 p.m.: Service and concert experience, followed by dinner
8 p.m.: Campfire sing-along and s’mores for adults
Bring your voices and instruments to jam with Jason!
Register here.

Sunday, March 29 4 p.m.: Tot Rave
Jason believes that music and dancing can change your life. The Tot Rave is one silly sesh for the under-6 set and their families. Come for the fun and spread the joy we will create together! Pizza nosh included. Register here.