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Moishe,
a Jewish actor, is so down and out that he's ready to take any
acting gig that he can find. Finally, he gets a lead, a
classified ad that says, "Actor Needed To Play An Ape." "I could
do that," says Moishe.
To his surprise, the
employer turns out to be the Central Park Zoo in NewYork.
Owing to the recent budget cuts and the Great Recession,
they can not afford to import an ape to replace the recently
deceased one, so until they see better times, they'll put an
actor in an ape suit.
Out of desperation, Moishe
takes the job. At first, his conscience keeps nagging
him, that he is being dishonest by fooling the zoo-goers.
Moishe also feels undignified in the ape suit, stared at by the
crowds who watch his every move. But after a few days on the
job, he begins to enjoy all the attention and starts to put on a
show for all the zoo-goers.
Moishe hangs upside
down from the branches by his legs, swinging about on the vines,
climbing up the cage walls and roaring with all his might, while
beating on his chest. Soon, he's drawing a sizable crowd.
One
day, when Moishe is swinging on the vines to show off to a group
of schoolkids, his hand slips and he goes flying over the fence
into the neighboring cage, the lion's den.
Terrified, Moishe backs up as far from the approaching lion
as he can, covers his eyes and prays at the top of his lungs,
"Shama Yisroel Adonoi Elaheinu, Adonoi Echud!"
The lion opens his powerful jaws and roars the response,
"Baruch Shem K'vod Malchuso! L'olam
Va'ed!"
From a nearby cage, the panda yells,
"Shut up, you schmucks, you'll get us all fired!"
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