Born as Joseph Levitch to Jewish parents who had immigrated to America from Russia, Lewis was raised on show business. His parents earned their living as a musician and an actor. Jerry Lewis’ career began in 1946, when he and Dean Martin formed a comedy duo. He had an innate ability to make people laugh. In 1981, Lewis came to Israel for five hours to raise funds for disabled children. When asked what made him so special as a...

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