Oy!: The Ultimate Book of Jewish Jokes [Hardcover]

David Minkoff (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 22, 2006

From Rabbis to Relationships, Latkes to lawyers, marriage to miracles, and from chazans to chutzpah, here is a feast of over 1,000 old and new Jewish jokes and witty anecdotes-- and you don't have to be Jewish to enjoy them. The book includes an appendix of terms for those who need to brush up on their kvetching. 

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Minkoff began collecting jokes almost 50 years ago when he was 13. Six years ago, he launched his U.K.-based Web site awordinyoureye.com as "a repository for my vast collection of Jewish jokes." When Minkoff's jocularity brought popularity, his avocation turned into "a full-time job which required a lot of maintenance." With the site mushrooming to more than 1,760 jokes, it became the main source for this comprehensive collection, first published in London last year by Robson/Chrysalis. These Jewish japes and jests run the gamut from deft definitions, one-off one-liners, pithy puns, quizzes and ribald riddles to satirical songs and full-page humorous stories. Fresh, familiar or unfamiliar, all the jokes have been rewritten by Minkoff into his own style, and he has grouped gags thematically into various categories and subcategories. Spanning birth to death, the 86 topics feature more than 1,000 jokes: On circumcision: " 'It won't be long now,' said the rabbi as he circumcised the little boy." Marriage: "Q: Why are many Jewish girls still single these days? A: They have not yet met Dr. Right." Jewish telegram: "Begin worrying. Details to follow." On the 23rd Psalm for Jewish princesses: "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He leadeth me into Bloomingdale's." The lack of cartoons may disappoint some readers, but even they will find that this clever kosher compilation generates giggles galore. (Aug. 22)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

About the Author

David Minkoff's father was a Jewish butcher, so he has been surrounded by Jewish culture all his life. He has been collecting jokes since the age of thirteen. He also runs the immensely popular www.awordinyoureye.com, a website devoted to his love of Jewish jokes.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 432 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books; First Edition edition (August 22, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312361769
• ISBN-13: 978-0312361761
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.9 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,457,334 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Laughing Out Loud, February 12, 2007

By 

JayCee (CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Oy!: The Ultimate Book of Jewish Jokes (Hardcover)

I was riding into San Francisco on BART reading OY! The Ultimate Book of Jewish Jokes and just burst out laughing. The woman next me looked at me strangely and seemed to edge away, so I smiled and explained I was reading the new joke book by David Minkoff. I read her the story that made me laugh (it was one of the naughtier ones so I wo'nt repeat it here) and she started laughing too. We read the book together and laughed all the way into the city. We got along so well that we went to Masa's for dinner together and later she agreed to come home with me. Of course the woman was my wife, so if you thought this book was a dating aid, I can't help you, but if you want the Ultimate in laughs, smiles, and belly laughs, buy this book.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Lots of laughs, August 16, 2008

By 

Phelps Gates (Chapel Hill, NC USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Oy!: The Ultimate Book of Jewish Jokes (Paperback)

With more than 400 pages, there's plenty of material here to keep you laughing, and to let you entertain (and annoy) your friends for hours. My only quibble with the book is that about half the jokes aren't really Jewish jokes at all, but just ordinary jokes (some of them pretty old) dressed up with Jewish characters (and names, etc.). It does include my second-favorite joke ("He had a hat!"), but doesn't include my favorite Jewish joke: Fed up with public schools, a Jewish man sends his son to Catholic school; the kid comes home the first day and the father asks what he learned. "Well, dad, I learned that there are three gods, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost". The father replies: "No, no, no! That's not right! There's only one God! And we don't believe in him."

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Wonderful Book and a Great Gift, July 21, 2008

By 

Ari Bussel (Beverly Hills, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Oy!: The Ultimate Book of Jewish Jokes (Paperback)

Received one as a present and ordered another one to give out (and we are about to order yet another one for someone else).