The Power and Joy of Jewish Humor

From the Eastern European humor of Chelm and Hershel of Ostropol to the Marx brothers, the Three Stooges, Lenny Bruce, Joan Rivers, Jon Stewart, Amy Schumer, and Sarah Silverman, we Jews are a funny people. In fact, in 1978, Time Magazine estimated that 80% of professional American comics were Jewish. A 2013 Pew Survey found that nearly half of American Jews described humor as central to their Jewish identity.

The history and importance of Jewish humor has been explored in numerous articles, books, and college courses. (Freud even wrote an entirely unfunny book on the topic — Jokes and their Relation to the Unconscious.) The most common explanation for our hilarity seems to involve humor as a coping mechanism in the face of oppression and persecution. As Mel Brooks explained, “If they're laughing, how can they bludgeon you to death?”

Sholem Aleichem was a master of this type of humor, noting that “No matter how bad things get, you've got to go on living, even if it kills you.”

But humor isn't just about survival, it's all about finding your place, both in the greater society and within your own community. By laughing at themselves, Jews gained access to the majority culture. And by telling jokes about ourselves, we solidify our understanding of our community and our place within it. Here's one of my favorites:

How many Jews does it take to screw in a light bulb?
Four: One to convince others to do it, a second to donate the bulb, a third to screw it in, and a fourth to make a speech saying the entire Jewish people stands behind the new bulb.

At the end of the day, of course, humor is about joy and happiness - central Jewish values - which is why we're delighted to offer the Best Kids' Jewish Holiday Jokes as a PJ Our Way selection this month. We hope your kids enjoy jokes such as:

What did Moses say after smashing the Ten Commandments?
“It's OK. I have a backup in the cloud.”

Why was the bagel so upset?
It was schmear-itated.

Why couldn't dinosaurs build a sukkah?
Because Tyrannosaurus wrecks.