Jewish humor is the long tradition of humor in Judaism dating back to the Torah and the Midrash, but generally refers to the more recent stream of verbal, self-deprecating and often anecdotal humor originating in Eastern Europe and which took root in the United States over the last hundred years. Beginning with vaudeville, and continuing through radio, stand-up, film, and television, a disproportionately high percentage of American comedians have been Jewish.^[1] This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... It has been suggested that Tawrat be merged into this article or section. ... Midrash (Hebrew: מדרש; plural midrashim) is a Hebrew word referring to a method of exegesis of a Biblical text. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

The history of Jewish humor

Jewish humor is rooted in several traditions. The first is the intellectual and legal methods of the Talmud, which uses elaborate legal arguments and situations often seen as so absurd as to be humorous in order to tease out the meaning of religious law. [1]. The first page of the Vilna Edition of the Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Berachot, folio 2a. ...

Hillel Halkin in his essay about Jewish humor ^[2] traces some roots of the Jewish self-deprecating humor to the medieval influence of Arabic traditions on the Hebrew literature by quoting a witticism from Yehuda Alharizi's Tahkemoni. Hillel Halkin is a prominent translator of Jewish literature. ... Yehuda Alharizi (1165 - 1234, Hebrew יהודה אלחריזי also appears as Judah or Jehuda Al-Harizi) was a Jewish rabbi, translator, and poet active in Spain in the Middle Ages. ...

A more recent one is an egalitarian tradition among the Jewish communities of Eastern Europe in which the powerful were often mocked subtly, rather than attacked overtly—as Saul Bellow once put it, "oppressed people tend to be witty." Jesters known as badchens used to poke fun at prominent members of the community during weddings, creating a good-natured tradition of humor as a levelling device. (Parallels in other cultures include Tall poppy syndrome and Jante Law^{[citation needed]}). Rabbi Moshe Waldoks, a scholar of Jewish humor, argued: "You have a lot of shtoch, or jab, humor, which is usually meant to deflate pomposity or ego, and to deflate people who consider themselves high and mighty. But Jewish humor was also a device for self-criticism within the community, and I think that's where it really was the most powerful. The humorist, like the prophet, would basically take people to task for their failings. The humor of Eastern Europe especially was centered on defending the poor against the exploitation of the upper classes or other authority figures, so rabbis were made fun of, authority figures were made fun of and rich people were made fun of. It really served as a social catharsis."[2] A kehilla or kehillah (קהלה, Hebrew: community) is a Jewish community. ... Pre-1989 division between the West (grey) and Eastern Bloc (orange) superimposed on current national boundaries: Russia (dark orange), other countries of the former USSR (medium orange),members of the Warsaw pact (light orange), and other former Communist regimes not aligned with Moscow (lightest orange). ... Saul Bellow (left) with Keith Botsford Saul Bellow, born Solomon Bellows, (Lachine, Quebec, Canada, June 10, 1915 – April 5, 2005 in Brookline, Massachusetts) was an acclaimed Canadian-born American writer. ... Badchonim (singular badchen) traditionally entertained before and after Ashkenazic Jewish weddings. ... Tall poppy syndrome (TPS) is a pejorative term used in Australia and New Zealand to describe what is seen as a levelling social attitude. ... The Jante Law (Danish and Norwegian: Janteloven; Swedish: Jantelagen; Finnish: Janten laki; Faroese: Jantulógin) is a concept created by the Norwegian/Danish author Aksel Sandemose in his novel A refugee crosses his tracks (En flygtning krydser sit spor, 1933), where he portrays the small Danish town Jante, modelled upon...

After Jews began to emigrate to America in large numbers, they, like other minority groups, found it difficult to gain mainstream acceptance and obtain upward mobility. The newly-developing entertainment industry, combined with the Jewish humor tradition, provided a potential route for Jews to succeed. One of the first successful radio "sitcoms," The Rise of the Goldbergs, featured a Jewish family. As radio and television matured, many of its most famous comedians, including Jack Benny, Sid Caesar, George Burns, Henny Youngman and Milton Berle, were Jewish. The Jewish comedy tradition continues today, with Jewish humor much entwined with that of mainstream humor, as comedies like Seinfeld indicate. Social mobility or intergenerational mobility is the degree to which, in a given society, an individuals social status can change throughout the course of his or her life, or the degree to which that individuals offspring and subsequent generations move up and down the class system. ... Jack Benny (February 14, 1894 in Chicago, Illinois – December 26, 1974 in Beverly Hills, California), born Benjamin Kubelsky, was an American comedian, vaudeville performer, and radio, television, and film actor. ... Sid Caesar (born Isaac Sidney Caesar on September 8, 1922) is an Emmy-winning comic actor and writer, best known as the leading man on the 1950s television sketch comedy series Your Show of Shows. ... George Burns[1], born Nathan Birnbaum (January 20, 1896 – March 9, 1996), was an American comedian and actor. ... Henny Youngman performing at the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon Henny Youngman (Henry Youngman, March 16, 1906 - February 24, 1998) was a comedian and violinist famous for one-liners, short simple jokes usually delivered rapid-fire. ... Milton Berle (July 12, 1908 - March 27, 2002) was an American comedian who was born Milton Berlinger according to his birth certificate. ... Seinfeld is an Emmy Award-winning American sitcom that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, running a total of 9 seasons. ...

Sigmund Freud in his Wit and the Unconscious, among other things, analyzes the nature of the Jewish jokes. Sigmund Freud (IPA: ), born Sigismund Schlomo Freud (May 6, 1856 – September 23, 1939), was an Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist who co-founded the psychoanalytic school of psychology. ...

Types of Jewish humor

Religious humor

The lives of the early hasidim, while not funny in and of themselves, are rich in humorous incidents. The dealings between rabbis, tzaddikim, and peasants form a rich tapestry of lore. Hasidim can refer to Saintly Pharisees Hasidic Judaism This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... For the town in Italy, see Rabbi, Italy. ... Tzadik may mean one of the following: The eighteenth letter of the Hebrew alphabet, written צ or ץ; also spelled: tzadi, tzodek, sade, sadhe; The Hebrew word for righteous one, and a title given to a Hassidic spiritual leader; also spelled: tzaddik, tsadik, zadik; plural: tzadikkim; A New York-based...

Baal Shem Tov

Most tales about the Besht are miracle tales and in many tales about him, the ending is left for the reader to reflect on.

Some jokes make fun of the "Rebbe miracle stories" and involve different hassidim bragging about their teachers' miraculous abilities: Rebbe which means master, teacher, or mentor is a Yiddish word derived from the identical Hebrew word רבי (Rabbi). ...

Three hasidim are bragging about their Rebbes: "My rebbe is very powerful. He was walking once, and there was a lake in his path. He waved his handkerchief, and there was lake on the right, lake on the left, but no lake in the middle." To which the second retorted, "Ha! That's nothing. My rebbe is even more powerful. He was walking once, and there was a mountain in his path. He waved his handkerchief, and there was a mountain on the right, mountain on the left, but no mountain in the middle." Said the third, "Ha! That is still nothing! My rebbe is the most powerful. He was walking once on Shabbos [Saturday is a holy day in Judaism, on which it is forbidden to handle money], and there was a wallet full of money in his path. He waved his handkerchief, and there was Shabbos on the right, Shabbos on the left, but no Shabbos in the middle." Shabbat, or Shabbos (Ashkenazic pronunciation) (שבת shabbāṯ, rest), is a day of rest that is observed once a week, from sundown on Friday until nightfall on Saturday, by practitioners of Judaism, as well as by many secular Jews. ...

Wits

Similarly, in the tradition of the legal arguments of the Talmud, one prominent type of Jewish humor involves witty solutions to problems, such as:

Q: Is one permitted to ride in an airplane on the Sabbath?
A: Yes, as long as your seat belt remains fastened. Then it is considered as if you are wearing the plane. This article or section cites very few or no references or sources. ...

Eastern European Jewish humor

A number of traditions in Jewish humor date back to stories and anecdotes from the 1800s.

Chelm

One popular humorous tradition from Eastern Europe involved tales of the people of Chełm, a town reputed in these jokes to be inhabited by fools (including their rabbi). The jokes were almost always centered on silly solutions to problems. Some of these solutions display "foolish wisdom" (reaching the correct answer by the wrong train of reasoning), while others are simply wrong. CheÅ‚m ( ; Ukrainian: , Kholm) is a town in eastern Poland with 72,595 inhabitants (2005). ...

Chelm tales were told by authors like Sholom Aleichem and Isaac Bashevis Singer. A typical Chelm story might begin, "It is said that after God made the world, he filled it with people. He sent off an angel with two sacks, one full of wisdom and one full of foolishness. The second sack was of course much heavier. So after a time it started to drag. Soon it got caught on a mountaintop and so all the foolishness spilled out and fell into Chelm." Sholem Aleichem ‎, Russian: ; March 2 [O.S. February 18] 1859 – May 13, 1916) was a popular humorist and Russian (geographically, Ukrainian) Jewish author of Yiddish literature, including novels, short stories, and plays. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Here is an example of a Chelm tale:

In Chelm, the shammes used to go around waking everyone up for minyan in the morning. Every time it snowed, the people would complain that although the snow was beautiful, they could not see it in its pristine state because by the time they got up in the morning, the shammes had already trekked through the snow to wake the men up for minyan. The townspeople decided that they had to find a way to let the shammes wake everyone up for minyan without having him make tracks in the snow.
The people of Chelm hit on a solution. They got four men to volunteer to carry the shammes around standing on a table every time there was fresh snow in the morning. That way, the shammes could make his wake up calls, but he would not leave tracks in the snow… A minyan (Hebrew: plural minyanim) is traditionally a quorum of ten or more adult (over the age of Bar Mitzvah) male Jews for the purpose of communal prayer; a minyan is often held within a synagogue, but may be (and often is) held elsewhere. ...

Hershele Ostropoler

Hershele Ostropoler, also known as Hershel of Ostropol, was a legendary prankster who was based on a historic figure. Thought to have come from the Ukraine, he lived in the small village of Ostropol, working as shochet, a ritual slaughterer. According to legend he lost his job because of his constant joking, which offended the leaders of the village. Hershele Ostropoler (also, Hershel of Ostropol) is a prominent figure in Jewish humor, and the Jewish equivalent of Nasreddin and Till Eulenspiegel. ... Shechita Shechita (Hebrew ) is the ritual slaughter of animals, as prescribed for slaughter of mammals and birds according to Jewish dietary laws. ...

In his subsequent wanderings throughout Ukraine, he became a familiar figure at restaurants and inns.

Eventually he settled down at the court of Rabbi Boruch of Medzhybizh, grandson of the Baal Shem Tov. The rabbi was plagued by frequent depressions, and Hershele served as a sort of court jester, mocking the rabbi and his cronies, to the delight of the common folk. Rabbi Boruch of Mezhbizh (1753-1811), was a grandson of the Baal Shem Tov. ... This article incorporates text from the public domain 1901-1906 Jewish Encyclopedia Israel ben Eliezer Rabbi Israel (Yisroel) ben Eliezer (about 1700 Okopy Świętej Tr jcy - May 22, 1760 Międzyborz) was a Jewish Orthodox mystical rabbi who is better known to most religious Jews as...

After his death he was remembered in a series of pamphlets recording his tales and witty remarks.

He was the subject of several epic poems, a novel, a comedy performed in 1930 by the Vilna Troupe, and a U.S. television program in the 1950s. Two illustrated children's books, The Adventures of Hershel of Ostropol, and Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins, have been published. Both books were written by Eric Kimmel and illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman. In 2002, a play entitled Hershele the Storyteller was performed in New York City. [3] The Vilna Troupe (a. ... Eric A. Kimmel is an American Jewish childrens book author. ... Trina Schart Hyman (April 8, 1939 - November 19, 2004) was an American illustrator of childrens books. ...

Humor about antisemitism

Much Jewish humor takes the form of self-deprecating comments on Jewish culture, acting as a shield against antisemitic stereotypes by exploiting them first: Secular Jewish culture embraces several related phenomena; above all, it is the culture of secular communities of Jewish people, but it can also include the cultural contributions of individuals who identify as secular Jews, or even those of religious Jews working in cultural areas not generally considered to be connected... This article is being considered for deletion in accordance with Wikipedias deletion policy. ...

Rabbi Altmann and his secretary were sitting in a coffeehouse in Berlin in 1935. "Herr Altmann," said his secretary, "I notice you're reading Der Stürmer! I can't understand why. A Nazi libel sheet! Are you some kind of masochist, or, God forbid, a self-hating Jew?"
"On the contrary, Frau Epstein. When I used to read the Jewish papers, all I learned about were pogroms, riots in Palestine, and assimilation in America. But now that I read Der Stürmer, I see so much more: that the Jews control all the banks, that we dominate in the arts, and that we're on the verge of taking over the entire world. You know – it makes me feel a whole lot better!" Coffeehouse in Damascus // A coffeehouse, coffee shop, or cafe (also spelled as café from the French, Spanish, and Portuguese or caffè from the Italian) shares some of the characteristics of a bar, and some of the characteristics of a restaurant. ... 1943 Stürmer issue: Satan Der Stürmer (literally, The Stormer) was a weekly Nazi newspaper published by Julius Streicher from 1923 to the end of World War II in 1945, with brief suspensions in circulation due to legal difficulties. ... Flogging demonstration at Folsom Street Fair 2004. ... Self-hating Jew (or self-loathing Jew) is an epithet used about Jews, which suggests a hatred of ones Jewish identity or ancestry. ... The Holy Land or Palestine Showing not only the Old Kingdoms of Judea and Israel but also the 12 Tribes Distinctly, and Confirming Even the Diversity of the Locations of their Ancient Positions and Doing So as the Holy Scriptures Indicate, a geographic map from the studio of Tobiae Conradi... Cultural assimilation (often called merely assimilation) is an intense process of consistent integration whereby members of an ethno-cultural group, typically immigrants, or other minority groups, are absorbed into an established, generally larger community. ...

Or, on a similar note:

After the assassination of Tsar Alexander II of Russia, a government official in Ukraine menacingly addressed the local rabbi, "I suppose you know in full detail who was behind it."
"Ach," the rabbi replied, "I have no idea, but the government's conclusion will be the same as always: they will blame the Jews and the chimneysweeps."
"Why the chimneysweeps?" asked the befuddled official.
"Why the Jews?" responded the rabbi. Alexander (Aleksandr) II Nikolaevich (Russian: Александр II Николаевич) (born 29 April 1818 in Moscow; died 13 March 1881 in St. ...

And another example, a direct slice of galgenhumor (gallows humor): Gallows humor is humor that makes light of death or other serious matters. ...

During the days of oppression and poverty of the Russian shtetls, one village had a rumor going around: a Christian girl was found murdered near their village. Fearing a pogrom, they gathered at the synagogue. Suddenly, the rabbi came running up, and cried, "Wonderful news! The murdered girl was Jewish!" A shtetl (Yiddish: , diminutive form of Yiddish shtot שטאָט, town, pronounced very similarly to the South German diminutiveStädtle, little town) was typically a small town with a large Jewish population in pre-Holocaust Central and Eastern Europe. ...

There is also this sort of humor originating originally in the United States, such as this one:

Down South during World War II, a sergeant gets a telephone call from a woman. "I would love it," she said, "if you could bring five of your soldiers to my house for Thanksgiving dinner."
"Certainly, ma'am," replied the sergeant.
"Just make sure they aren't Jews," said the woman.
"Will do," replied the sergeant. So that Thanksgiving while the woman is baking, the doorbell rings. She opens her door and, to her horror, five black soldiers are standing in front of her.
"Oh, my!" she exclaimed. "There must have been some terrible mistake!"
"Nope," said one of the soldiers. "Sergeant Greenburg never makes mistakes!"

This one combines accusations of the lack of patriotism and avarice:

Post-Soviet Russia. Rabinovich calls the Pamyat headquarters: "Is it true that we Jews sold out Mother Russia?" In return he hears an affirmation accompanied by antisemitic slurs. "Oh good. So where can I get my share?" Russian jokes or anekdoty (Russian: анекдо́ты), the most popular form of Russian humour, are short fictional stories or dialogues with a punch line. ... The symbol of NPF Pamyat with the Russian swastika Pamyat (Russian language: Память, English translation: Memory) is a Russian ultra-nationalist organization identifying itself as the Peoples National-patriotic Orthodox Christian movement. History In the end of 1970s, a historical association Vityaz (В&#1080... The history of Russia is essentially that of its many nationalities, each with a separate history and complex origins. ...

American Jewish humor

The role of Yiddish

Some Yiddish words may sound comical to an English speaker.^[3] Terms like shnook and shmendrik, shlemiel and shlimazel (often considered inherently funny words) were exploited for their humorous sounds, as were "Yinglish" shm-reduplication constructs, such as "fancy-schmancy". Yiddish constructions—such as ending sentences with questions—became part of the verbal wordplay of Jewish comedians. Yiddish (Yid. ... This is a list of English language words of Yiddish language origin, many of which have entered the language by way of American English or Cockney. ... The belief that certain words are inherently funny, for reasons ranging from onomatopoeia to phonosemantics to sexual innuendo, is widespread among people who work in humor. ... Yinglish words are neologisms created by speakers of Yiddish in English-speaking countries, sometimes to describe things that were uncommon in the old country. ... Shm-reduplication is a form of reduplication in which the original word (the base) is repeated with the second copy (the reduplicant) beginning with shm- (IPA [ʃm]). The construction is generally used to indicate irony or scepticism with respect to comments about the discussed object: -Hes just a baby... Word play is a literary technique in which the nature of the words used themselves become part of the subject of the work. ...

About religion

One common strain of Jewish humor examines the role of religion in contemporary life, often gently mocking the religious hypocrite. For example:

A Reform Rabbi was so compulsive a golfer that once, on Yom Kippur, he left the house early and went out for a quick nine holes by himself. An angel who happened to be looking on immediately notified his superiors that a grievous sin was being committed on earth. On the sixth hole, God caused a mighty wind to take the ball directly from the tee to the cup for a miraculous and dramatic hole in one.
The angel was horrified. "Lord," he said, "you call this a punishment?!"
"Sure," answered God with a smile. "Who can he tell?"

Or, on differences between Orthodox, Conservative and Reform movements: This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Conservative Judaism, (also known as Masorti Judaism in Israel predominantly), is a modern stream of Judaism that arose out of intellectual currents in Germany in the mid-19th century and took institutional form in the United States in the early 1900s. ... Reform Judaism can refer to (1) the largest denomination of American Jews and its sibling movements in other countries, (2) a branch of Judaism in the United Kingdom, and (3) the historical predecessor of the American movement that originated in 19th-century Germany. ...

An Orthodox, a Conservative, and a Reform rabbi are each asked whether one is supposed to say a brokhe (blessing) over a lobster [non-kosher food, normally not eaten by religious Jews].
The Orthodox rabbi doesn't know what a "lobster" is. The Conservative rabbi doesn't know what to say. The Reform rabbi doesn't know what a "brokhe" is. The circled U indicates that this can of tuna is certified kosher by the Union of Orthodox Congregations. ...

In particular, Reform Jews are often lampooned for their rejection of traditional Jewish beliefs. An example is in one of Woody Allen's early standup routines: Woody Allen (born Allen Stewart Königsberg on December 1, 1935) is a three-time Academy Award-winning American film director, writer, actor, jazz musician, comedian, and playwright. ... Richard Pryor hits the money line A stand-up comedian or stand-up comic is someone that performs in comedy clubs, usually reciting a fast paced succession of amusing stories, short jokes and one-liners, typically called a monologue. ...

We were married by a Reform rabbi in Long Island. A very Reform rabbi. A Nazi.

About the gender roles (in the more traditional Orthodox movement, people marry at a young age and have many children. The more liberal Conservative and Reform movements make the genders' roles more egalitarian, by ordaining females as Rabbis. The Reconstructionist movement was the first to ordain homosexuals.): Egalitarianism is the moral doctrine that equality ought to prevail among some group along some dimension. ... For the town in Italy, see Rabbi, Italy. ... Reconstructionist Judaism is a modern American-based Jewish movement, based on the ideas of the late Mordecai Kaplan, that views Judaism as a progressively evolving civilization. ... Since its coinage, the word homosexuality has acquired multiple meanings. ...

At an Orthodox wedding, the bride's mother is pregnant. At a Conservative wedding, the bride is pregnant. At a Reform wedding, the rabbi is pregnant. At a Reconstructionist wedding, the rabbi and her wife are both pregnant.

Or, more absurdly, from Woody Allen's Without Feathers: Woody Allens Without Feathers is one of his most well-known literary masterpieces. ...

Rabbi Zwi Chaim Yisroel, an Orthodox scholar of the Torah and a man who developed whining to an art unheard of in the West, was unanimously hailed as the wisest man of the Renaissance by his fellow Hebrews, who totaled a sixteenth of one per cent of the population. Once, while he was on his way to synagogue to celebrate the sacred Jewish holiday commemorating God's reneging on every promise, a woman stopped him and asked the following question: 'Rabbi, why are we not allowed to eat pork?'
'We're not?' the Rev said incredulously. 'Uh-oh.'

Often jokes circulate around the practice of the Jewish religion, and the strain between people in such:

A man is rescued from a desert island after 20 years. The news media is amazed at this feat of survival, and ask him to show them around his island.
"How did you survive? How did you keep sane?" they ask him as he shows them the island.
"I had my faith. My faith as a Jew kept me going. Come." he leads them to a small glen, and there stands an opulent temple, made entirely from palm fronds, coconut shells and woven grass. The news cameras take pictures of everything - even a torah made from banana leaves and octopus ink. "This took me five years to complete."
"But that left fifteen years. sure there was more..."
"Come with me." He leads them around to the far side of the island, and there, in a shady alcove, is an even MORE beautiful temple. "This took me twelve years to complete."
"But sir" asks the reporter, "Why did you need two temples?"
"This is the temple I attend. I would not set foot in that other temple if you PAID me!"

Jokes also circulate about Jewish accents. For example:

One early winter morning, Rabbi Bloom was walking beside the canal when he saw a dog in the water trying hard to stay afloat. It looked so sad and exhausted that Rabbi Bloom jumped in and after a struggle managed to bring it out alive.
A passer-by saw this and said, "That was very brave of you. Are you a vet?"
Rabbi Bloom replied, "Of course I'm a vet! I'm a freezing cold as vell."

About Jews

Jewish humor continues to exploit stereotypes of Jews, both as a form of in-humor and as a defense. Jewish mothers, "cheapness," hypochondria, and other habits are all common subjects. This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

An old Jewish beggar was out on the street in New York City with his tin cup.
"Please, sir," he pleaded to a passerby, "could you spare seventy-three cents for a cup of coffee and some pie?"
The man asked, "Where do you get coffee and pie for seventy-three cents in New York? It costs a minimum of a dollar!"
The beggar replied, "So who buys retail?"

Or...

A Buddhist monk goes to a barber to have his head shaved. "What should I pay you?" the monk asks. "No price, for a holy man such as yourself," the barber replies. And what do you know, the next day the barber comes to open his shop, and finds on his doorstep a dozen gemstones.
That day, a priest comes in to have his hair cut. "What shall I pay you, my son?" "No price, for a man of the cloth such as yourself." And what do you know, the next day the barber comes to open his shop, and finds on his doorstep a dozen roses.
That day, Rabbi Finklestein comes in to get his payoss [sideburns] trimmed. "What do you want I should pay you?" "Nothing, for a man of God such as yourself." And the next morning, what do you know? The barber finds on his doorstep a dozen rabbis!

About traditional roles of men and women in Jewish families:

A boy comes home from school and tells his mother he got a part in a school play.
"Yeah?" asks the mother, "Which part?"
"The part of a Jewish husband."
The mother frowns and says: "Go back and tell them that you want a talking part."

Or, from David Bader's Haikus for Jews: David M. Bader is the author of such works as Haikus for Jews: For You a Little Wisdom (Harmony Books, 1999), Zen Judaism: For You a Little Enlightenment (Harmony Books, 2002) and Haiku U.: From Aristotle to Zola, Great Books in 17 Syllables (Gotham Books, 2004). ... Jewish haiku are poetic parodies combining the style and conventions of ancient Japanese haiku with traditional Jewish noodging. ...

Is one Nobel Prize
so much to ask from a child
after all I've done?

Or:

A Frenchman, a German and a Jew walk into a bar. "I'm tired and thirsty", says the Frenchman. "I must have wine." "I'm tired and thirsty", says the German. "I must have beer." "I'm tired and thirsty", says the Jew. "I must have diabetes."

Or:

A Jewish man lies dying in bed, surrounded by his children. "Ah", he says. "I can smell your mother's brisket - I should like to taste it one more time before I die." So one of his sons goes down to the kitchen, but returns empty-handed.
"Sorry papa. She says it's for after the funeral."

Or:

A Jewish teenage boy asked his father for some money, 'Dad, I need fifty dollars for my date.' And the father replies, 'Forty dollars? What do you need Thirty Dollars for?'

About Christianity

Many Jewish jokes involve a rabbi and some other religion's clergyman. Often they start with something like "A rabbi and a priest..." and make fun of either the rabbi's interpretation of Christianity or (seeming) differences between Christian and Jewish interpretation of same areas.

A Catholic priest says to a rabbi: "It seems to me that if the Creator made pork, He must have made it for a purpose. It must be a sin not to use it then, don't you think? When are you finally going to try it?"
The rabbi replies: "At your wedding."

A few more examples:

A rabbi once asked his old friend, the priest, "Could you ever be promoted?"
The priest says, thoughtfully, "Well, I could become a bishop."
The rabbi persists, "And then?"
With a pause for consideration, the priest replies, "Maybe I could be a cardinal, even."
"And then?"
After thinking for some time, the priest responds, "I may, someday, rise to be the Pope."
But the rabbi is still not satisfied. "And then?"
With an air of incredulity, the priest cries, "What more could I become? G-d Himself?"
The rabbi said, quietly, "One of our boys made it."

Or...

A rabbi and a Catholic priest are having lunch in a restaurant. Up comes the priest's food, a scrumptious-looking ham entrée. The priest attacks his lunch, savouring every bite. Noticing the rabbi eyeing him, he asks: "So tell me, Rabbi Goldblum, have you ever had any pork before?"
The rabbi hesitates. "Well, it's not for me to say..."
The priest pushes on. "Oh, c'mon, Rabbi. We're both men of God here. We can tell each other our sins. Nothing to it."
"Umm...yeah, as a matter of fact, I did have pork once."
Smugly the priest teases him: "A fine meat it was, wasn't it? Heheh."
"Yeah, I'll say."
A few moments pass. Suddenly the rabbi asks the priest: "Tell me Father, have you ever had sex with a woman before?"
"Why of course...before I took holy orders, that is."
The rabbi grins. "Sure beats the taste of pork, doesn't it?"

Or...

A rabbi is on his deathbed, and a friend asks him if he has any last requests. The Rabbi requests that his friend find him a Catholic priest, so that he might convert. His friend, confused by the request, asks: "why, rabbi? You have been a great teacher and leader of your followers, and you have led nothing short of a good, honorable Jewish life. Why do you want to become a Catholic now, before you die?"
He says, "eh, better one of them than one of us."

(Note: This joke is also seen with an Irish Catholic replacing the Rabbi, and a Protestant minister replacing the Catholic priest.)

Or...

A minister told his friend, Rabbi Goldman, "Last night, I dreamed of the Jewish Heaven. It was a slum, and it was overflowing with people—running, playing, talking, sitting—doing all things. But the dream, and the noise, was so terrific that I woke up."
The rabbi said, "Last night, I dreamed of the Protestant Heaven. It was a nice, proper suburb, with neatly trimmed lawns, and houses all neatly lined up."
"How were the people?" asked the minister.
"What people?"

Or...

A Catholic priest is called away due to a family emergency one day while on duty attending the confessional. Not wanting to leave it unattended, he asks his rabbi friend from the synagogue across the street if he can fill in for him.
The rabbi says he wouldn't know what to do, so the priest agrees to stay with him for a few minutes and show him the ropes.
They enter their half of the confessional together and soon enough, a woman enters and says, "Father forgive me, for I have sinned."
"What did you do?" asks the priest.
"I have committed adultery." she replies.
"How many times?" continues the priest.
"Three times."
"Do three Hail Marys, put $5 in the poor-box, and sin no more." finishes the priest.
The woman leaves and not long after a man enters and says, "Father forgive me, for I have sinned."
"What did you do?"
"I have committed adultery."
"How many times?"
"Three times."
"Do three Hail Marys, put $5 in the poor-box, and sin no more." The man leaves.
Now the rabbi tells the priest he thinks he's got it figured out now, so the priest leaves, and the rabbi waits until another woman enters the confessional and says, "Father forgive me, for I have sinned."
"What did you do?" Asks the rabbi.
"I have committed adultery." She replies.
"How many times?"
"Only once."
"I tell you what," says the rabbi. "Go do it two more times. We got a special this week, three for $5!"

And finally, possibly the most gigantic clash of religions:

One Pope, in the Dark Ages, decreed that all Jews had to leave Rome. The Jews did not want to leave, and so the Pope challenged them to a disputation to prove that they could remain. No one, however wanted the responsibility... until the synagogue janitor, Moishe, volunteered.
As there was nobody else who wanted to go, Moishe was given the task. But because he knew only Hebrew, a silent debate was agreed. The day of the debate came, and they went to St. Peter's Square to sort out the decision. First the Pope waved his hand around his head. Moishe pointed firmly at the ground.
The Pope, in some surprise, held up three fingers. In response, Moishe gave him the middle finger.
The crowd started to complain, but the Pope thoughtfully waved them to be quiet. He took out a bottle of wine and a wafer, holding them up. Moishe took out an apple, and held it up.
The Pope, to the people’s surprise, said, "I concede. This man is too good. The Jews can stay."
Later, the Pope was asked what the debate had meant. He explained, "First, I showed him the Heavens, to show that God is everywhere. He pointed at the ground to signify that God is right here with us. I showed him three fingers, for the Trinity. He reminded me that there is One God common to both our religions. I showed him wine and a wafer, for God's forgiveness. With an apple, he showed me original sin. The man was a master of silent debate."
In the Jewish corner, Moishe had the same question put to him, and answered, "It was all nonsense, really. First, he told me that this whole town would be free of Jews. I told him, Go to Hell! We’re staying right here! Then, he told me we had three days to get out. I told him just what I thought of that proposal." An older woman asked, "But what about the part at the end?" "That?" said Moishe with a shrug, "Well, I saw him take out his lunch, so I took out mine." In the scholastic system of education of the middle ages, disputations (in Latin: disputationes, singular: disputatio) offered a formalized method of debate designed to uncover and establish truths in theology and in other sciences. ...

Jewish humor in the Soviet Union

In the Stalinist police state, it was not uncommon to get purged not only for telling a casual joke, but even for not reporting it to the authorities. See Russian joke in general, or more specifically Rabinovich jokes, Russian Jewish jokes, Russian political jokes; also History of the Jews in Russia and the Soviet Union For architecture, see Stalinist architecture. ... A police state is a political condition where the government maintains strict control over society, particularly through suspension of civil rights and often with the use of a force of secret police. ... The Great Purge (Russian: , transliterated Bolshaya chistka) is the name given to campaigns of political repression and persecution in the Soviet Union orchestrated by Joseph Stalin during the late 1930s. ... Article 58 of the Russian SFSR Penal Code was put in force on February 25, 1927 to arrest those suspected of counter-revolutionary activities. ... Russian jokes or anekdoty (Russian: анекдо́ты), the most popular form of Russian humour, are short fictional stories or dialogues with a punch line. ... Russian jokes or anekdoty (Russian: анекдо́ты), the most popular form of Russian humour, are short fictional stories or dialogues with a punch line. ... Russian jokes or anekdoty (Russian: анекдо́ты), the most popular form of Russian humour, are short fictional stories or dialogues with a punch line. ... Russian jokes or anekdoty (Russian: анекдо́ты), the most popular form of Russian humour, are short fictional stories or dialogues with a punch line. ... The vast territories of the Russian Empire at one time hosted the largest Jewish population in the world. ...

Q: Rabinovich, what is a fortune?
A: A fortune is to live in our Socialist motherland.
Q: And what's a misfortune?
A: A misfortune is to have such a fortune. Socialism is a social and economic system (or the political philosophy advocating such a system) in which the economic means of production are owned and controlled collectively by the people. ...

Or

An old Armenian is on his deathbed: "My children, remember to defend the Jews."
"Why Jews?"
"Because if they are gone, we will be next."

Or

An old Jewish man is picked up by the Stalinist police and brought in for questioning: Q: Where were you born?!
A: St. Petersburg.
Q: Where do you live?!
A: Leningrad.
Q: (menacingly) Where would you like to die?!
A: St. Petersburg. Saint Petersburg (Russian: Санкт-Петербу́рг, English transliteration: Sankt-Peterburg), colloquially known as Питер (transliterated Piter), formerly known as Leningrad (Ленингра́д, 1924–1991) and... Leningrad (Russian: Ленинград) may mean: St. ... Saint Petersburg (Russian: Санкт-Петербу́рг, English transliteration: Sankt-Peterburg), colloquially known as Питер (transliterated Piter), formerly known as Leningrad (Ленингра́д, 1924–1991) and...

Or, in the last years of the Soviet Union:

Q: Comrade Lev, why now, just when things are getting better for your people, are you applying for an exit visa to make aliyah to Israel?
A: Well, comrade, there are two reasons. One is that my next-door neighbor is Pamyat and he tells me that after they get rid of you communists, they are coming next after the Jews.
Q: But they will never get rid of us communists!
A: I know, I know, of course you are right! That's the other reason. This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The symbol of NPF Pamyat with the Russian swastika Pamyat (Russian language: Память, English translation: Memory) is a Russian ultra-nationalist organization identifying itself as the Peoples National-patriotic Orthodox Christian movement. History In the end of 1970s, a historical association Vityaz (В&#1080...

Or

An old Jewish man was finally allowed to leave the Soviet Union to emigrate to Israel. When he was searched at Moscow airport, the customs man found a bust of Lenin.
Customs: What is that?
Old man: What is that? What is that?! Don't say "What is that?" say "Who is that?". That is Lenin. The genius who thought up this worker's paradise!
The customs man laughed and let the old man through.
The old man arrived at Tel Aviv airport and the Israeli customs official found the bust of Lenin.
Customs: What is that?
Old man: What is that? What is that?! Don't say "What is that?" say "Who is that?". That is Lenin. The sonofabitch! I will put him on display in my toilet for all the years he prevented an old man from coming home.
The customs official laughed and let him through.
The old man arrived at his family's house in Jerusalem and his Grandson saw him unpack the bust.
Grandson: Who is that?
Old man: Who is that? Who is that?! Don't say "Who is that?" say "What is that?". Eight pounds of gold.

Israeli humor

Israeli humor featured many of the same themes as Jewish humor elsewhere, making fun of the country and its habits, while containing a fair bit of gallows humor as well, as a joke from a 1950 Israeli joke book indicates:

An elderly man refuses to leave for the air raid shelter until he can find his dentures. His wife yells at him, "What, you think they are dropping sandwiches?"

Or about the Israelis' view of themselves: An Israeli, a Brit, a Russian, a Vietnamese man, and an American are sitting in a restaurant. A reporter comes by and asks, "Excuse me, but can I get your opinion on the recent grain shortage in the third world?"
The Brit asks: "What's 'shortage'?"
The Vietnamese man asks: "What's 'grain'?"
The Russian asks: "What's an 'opinion'?"
The American asks: "What's the third world?"
The Israeli asks: "What's 'excuse me'?"

(As a note, this is not strictly an Israeli joke; the Israeli can be replaced by other people with little effect to the joke—for example, New Yorkers)

{Citation needed}

On February 14, 2006, in response to the Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy, and, in particular, to the International Holocaust Cartoon Competition, an Israeli group announced an Israeli Anti-Semitic Cartoons Contest. The contest was opened to Jewish cartoonists only, who were invited to poke fun at their own religion and ethnicity. is the 45th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy began after twelve editorial cartoons, most of which depicted the Islamic prophet Muhammad, were published in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten on 2005-09-30. ... Cartoons by Iranian cartoonist Maziyar Bizhani, submitted to the controversial cartoons of the Holocaust in Iran. ... The Israeli Anti-Semitic Cartoons Contest (Hebrew: תחרות קריקטורות אנטישמיות ישראלית) was initiated by two Israeli artists in response to the Muhammad cartoons controversy and the subsequent Holocaust Cartoon Competition by the Iranian newspaper Hamshahri. ...

Notes

is the 84th day of the year (85th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 81st day of the year (82nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... Hillel Halkin is a prominent translator of Jewish literature. ... Commentary Magazine is a journal published by the American Jewish Committee, since 1945. ... Leo Calvin Rosten (April 11, 1908–February 19, 1997) was born on 11 April 1908 in Lodz, Russian Empire (now Poland) and died on 19 February 1997 in New York. ...

References

• San Diego Jewish Chronicle on Jewish Humor
• Humor in the Talmud
• Funny People - A Film About Jewish Humor
• Harry Liechter's Clean Jewish Humor Site
• Novak, William & Waldoks, Moshe Big Book of Jewish Humor, originally published by Harper Perennial (1981) ISBN 0-06-090917-X.
• The Jewish jokes of a word in your eye

See also

• Ethnic joke
• List of American Jewish comedians

A joke is a short story or short series of words spoken or communicated with the intent of being laughed at or found humorous by the listener or reader. ... This is a list of Jewish American show business figures. ...

Further reading

• Jay Allen (1990). 500 Great Jewish Jokes. Signet. ISBN 0-451-16585-3.
• Morey Amsterdam (1959). Keep Laughing. Citadel.
• Elliot Beier (1968). Wit and Wisdon of Israel. Peter Pauper.
• Noah BenShea (1993). Great Jewish Quotes. Ballantine Books. ISBN 0-345-38345-1.
• Arthur Berger (1997). The Genius of the Jewish Joke. Jason Aronson. ISBN 1-56821-997-0.
• Milton Berle (1996). More of the Best of Milton Berle's Private Joke File. Castle Books. ISBN 0-7858-0719-5.
• Milton Berle (1945). Out of my Trunk. Bantam.
• Elliot Oring (1984). The Jokes of Sigmund Freud. Univ. of Pennsylvania Press. ISBN 0-8122-7910-7.
• Joseph Telushkin (1998). Jewish Humor: What the Best Jewish Jokes Say About the Jews. Harper Paperbacks. ISBN 0-688-16351-3.
• Ralph Woods (1969). The Joy of Jewish Humor. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0-671-10355-5.

Morey Amsterdam on Match Game 73. ... Milton Berle (July 12, 1908 - March 27, 2002) was an American comedian who was born Milton Berlinger according to his birth certificate. ... Milton Berle (July 12, 1908 - March 27, 2002) was an American comedian who was born Milton Berlinger according to his birth certificate. ... Sigmund Freud (IPA: ), born Sigismund Schlomo Freud (May 6, 1856 – September 23, 1939), was an Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist who co-founded the psychoanalytic school of psychology. ... Modern Orthodox Jewish rabbi, author, and teacher. ...

External links

• "On Jewish Humor" a discourse in English by "the Jewish Philosopher", C. Israel Lutsky. Yiddish Radio Project (one of their few English-language recordings). 7-minute RealAudio recording.
• The Jewish Mother, Slate, June 13, 2007