Jewish Humor: What the Best Jewish Jokes Say About the Jews (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

From Kirkus Reviews

Rabbi Telushkin (An Eye for an Eye, 1991), rooted in the tradition of reverence for past learning, has gathered lots of hoary jokes and aged wisecracks, together with a few more recent japes, that make Jews laugh. To coreligionists, they'll seem like old friends; to others, the gags and their elucidation may be more in the nature of revelation. Another book of ethnic gags? Hold the cry of ``gevalt!'' because Telushkin has an unstated agenda. True to his calling, he uses the funny stuff to instruct. In this collection (in which some bits are, naturally, funnier than others), everything stands for something else--but all of it carries explanations. The exegesis of the jokes becomes a little primer on a religion and a way of life mystifying to strangers and sometimes just as puzzling to nominal adherents. It's a truism that Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle applies to humor--observing and analyzing it alters it. That effect can be seen here as Telushkin trots out Jackie Mason and Sigmund Freud, as well as Leo Rosten and a host of Unknown Comics for a higher purpose. The tales of the wise rabbis, the fabled fools of Chelm, the anti-Semites, the schnorrers, and the big shots all serve to illustrate his lessons. Was the shtetl a forerunner of Catskills on Broadway? Why are comedians so often Jewish? Why are Jews so often comedians? Why ask questions? Just listen to the rabbi and his jokes. Fine, funny fare for Jew and non-Jew alike. -- Copyright ©1992, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Description

Here are more than 100 of the best Jewish jokes you'll ever hear, interspersed with perceptive and persuasive insight into what they can tell us about how Jews see themselves, their families, and their friends, and what they think about money, sex, and success. Rabbi Joseph Telushkin is as celebrated for his wit as for his scholarship, and in this immensely entertaining book, he displays both in equal measure. Stimulating, something stinging, and always very, very funny, Jewish Humor offers a classic portrait of the Jewish collective unconscious.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Harper Paperbacks; 1st edition (August 19, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688163513
• ISBN-13: 978-0688163518
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #47,102 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #4 in	Books > Religion & Spirituality > Authors, A-Z > ( T ) > Telushkin, Joseph
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  #25 in	Books > Entertainment > Humor > Jokes & Riddles

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars This book is about the Jewish experience, November 20, 2001

By	David E. Levine (Peekskill , NY USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

In this book, we learn about the Jewish experience as expressed in humor. For example, Jews have often reacted to antisemitism by joking about it. Usually such humor includes irony, often having a punchline in which a hapless Jew gets the better of his oppressor. Sometimes, however, the humor is bitter.

Rightly or wrongly, ethnic groups are stereotyped and Jewish humor makes great use of its own stereotypes. Even the most religious Jew can poke fun at rabbis and generally, such humor is gentle and endearing. The conflict between the major branches of Judaism is fertile ground for jokes. So too, the Jewish family and all it's stereotypes e.g. the Jewish mother, is a tremendous source of humor. Even Jews who are totally non religious, such as Woody Allen, nontheless are greatly influenced by their Judaism in their humor.

This book explores the Jewish experience and then relates how this experience surfaces in humor. The book also exposes ugliness in Jewish humor such as the nasty, antisemitic "JAP" jokes that were popular, generally among non Jews. This book is not a collection of jokes, although there are plenty of jokes in this book. Rather, this is a book about what makes Jewish humor tick as illustrated by the jokes which are included as examples.

I gave the book four stars rather than five because there are extensive end notes, many of which are worth reading and I feel that they should have been integrated into the text. Instead, the reader must flip to the end of the book to reference these notes. This is somewhat annoying. Despite this criticism, I really liked the book and found it to be very enjoyable reading.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Socrates knew what he was talking about..., January 22, 2001

By	Jennifer M. Macleod "yiddishe supermama" (Canada) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Everybody knows about Jewish confidence: "We're smart! We're chosen! We have more Nobel prizes than we deserve! We're a light unto the nations!" Those are the things we say out loud.

But, like everybody, Jews are also insecure. Among ourselves, we ask, "Are we really smart? Why does nobody like us?" And the deeper, more difficult question, "What's going to happen to us?"

Humour has always been the Jewish way of looking at these insecurities in the fresh and optimistic light a smile can shed on any painful issue. From the days of the Talmud right on up to Adam Sandler (and hopefully *beyond* -- I'd hate to think of the "Hanukkah song" as the "end-all" of Jewish humour!), we use humour to poke away at ourselves, examining the things that make us unique and also the issues that frighten us the most. Sure, this book's honesty made me squirm a little, but as Socrates once said, "So, nu? From an examined life, you don't die."

Telushkin has masterfully grouped the best Jewish jokes into categories. His illuminations are helpful but never intrusive -- this is above all else a FUNNY book. If you're wondering what makes us tick and why the funny bone is so often the way to a Jewish heart, check out Telushkin's book and be prepared to squirm a little -- and learn a lot.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Understanding Jewish collective unconscious, January 16, 2000

By	Esther Nebenzahl (Cascais Portugal) - See all my reviews

More than just a collection of Jewish jokes, this book successfully attempts to dig into the way Jewish humor reflects the idiosyncrasies of the Jewish's mind. Behind each joke the author searches its roots, the social and historical context. Enjoyable, well presented. It helps if the reader has a Jewish background, but it is quite accessible to the open-minded "goyim." Have fun!