Jewish Jokes: Did you hear one that Paul Reiser told?
Published December 4, 2024
I was once asked by the mother of an old friend, ‘Why I publish a “Jewish Joke.’ I responded and she thought I should share my answer.
I believe as Jews, we love to laugh. I believe Jews love to laugh at themselves and laugh at the very things we as Jews, identify as being Jewish. I believe we do it out of love and not with malice. I also believe that in history, we have used humor to add levity to serious Jewish concerns such as war, antisemitism, and the historical mistreatment of our people.
Jewish humor can be difficult to define. As William Novak and Moshe Waldoks write in “The Big Book of Jewish Humor,” it is easier to describe Jewish humor in terms of what it is not than what it is. “It is not, for example, escapist. It is generally not cruel and does not attack the weak or the infirm. At the same time, it is also not polite or gentle,” they wrote.
Not everyone gets every joke or finds every joke funny. If you don’t like Jewish humor because you believe it plays into “tropes” and “stereotypes” you are certainly entitled to that feeling, but please do not read further. Again, you are entitled to not enjoy Jewish humor, just as others are entitled to enjoy it.
If you agree with this definition of why we celebrate Jewish humor, you’re invited to read on. If you have a joke, please email me at [email protected]
