Jewish Jokes: Did you hear the one about Mark’s first day at work?

Jewish+Jokes%3A+Did+you+hear+the+one+about+Marks+first+day+at+work%3F

Jordan Palmer, Chief Digital Content Officer

I was recently asked by the mother of an old friend, “Why I do a “Jewish Joke of the Day.” 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.

Your Jewish Joke Of The Week

Mark Gubernik was hired as the new manager at ‘Palmer’s Kosher Leather Company Ltd’, and he was determined to whip the place into shape. On his first day, he noticed a young man leaning against a wall while everyone else was hard at work.

Approaching the young man, Mark asked, “How much money do you make a week?”

The young man replied, “I make $240 a week. Why do you want to know?”

Without hesitation, Mark handed the young man $240 and said, “Here’s your week’s pay. Now get out and don’t come back.”

Feeling proud of his decisive action, Mark turned to the other workers and asked, “Can anyone tell me what that guy even did here?”

With a chuckle, one of the workers replied, “He’s a pizza delivery.”

If you have a joke, please email me at [email protected]