Catskills Comedian Jan Murray Dies at 89
Jan Murray, a Jewish comedian who got his start in the Catskills, died Sunday at 89. Murray, who was born Murray Janofsky in the Bronx to immigrant parents, was one of a generation of Jewish comedians that includes Sid Caesar, Milton Berle, Shecky Greene and Buddy Hackett. He was a star of 1950s television, using his gravelly voice and his quick wit as a host of such game shows as “Treasure Hunt.” Murray’s second wife, who was not Jewish, hosted an annual Passover Seder at the couple’s house that was a Hollywood tradition, The New York Times reported.
Murray was also the longtime master of ceremonies for the annual West Coast Chabad Telethon.
It’s our birthday and we’re still celebrating!
We hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, we’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s independent Jewish news.
This week we celebrate 129 years of the Forward. We’re proud of our origins as a Yiddish print publication serving Jewish immigrants. And we’re just as proud of what we’ve become today: A trusted source of Jewish news and opinion, available digitally to anyone in the world without paywalls or subscriptions.
We’ve helped five generations of American Jews make sense of the news and the world around them — and we aren’t slowing down any time soon.
As a nonprofit newsroom, reader donations make it possible for us to do this work. Support independent, agenda-free Jewish journalism and our board will match your gift in honor of our birthday!
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
