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A review by kevin_shepherd
Jewish Comedy: A Serious History by Jeremy Dauber
4.0
Did you ever sign up for a university course because you saw something in the semester catalog that looked interesting and fun? Say, Introduction to Cannabis? or Beekeeping? or maybe Pattern making for Dog Garments? If so, Professor Jeremy Dauber (Columbia University) has the perfect course for you.
The History of Jewish Comedy
There are a couple of qualifiers. First, this isn’t comedy about Jews, this is comedy from Jews. No antisemitic nazi sentiments. No bigoted micro-aggressions. The only deprecation allowed is self deprecation. Second, this isn’t a joke book. The jokes here are examples of era, style and approach. They are sometimes contextual, sometimes complicated, and sometimes hilarious—but not always.
Hitler visits a Gypsy Fortune Teller…
Hitler: “When will I die?”
Gypsy: “You will die on a Jewish holiday.”
Hitler: “Which Jewish Holiday?”
Gypsy: “It doesn’t matter. Any day you die will be a Jewish Holiday.”
From the Borscht Belt to Bernhard
Jewish comedy is infused with chutzpah. Its essence is essentially that of the diaspora and the diaspora impregnates and is thoroughly entrenched in most all of its various forms. It is often about being different, and about playing to those differences in a manner that renders them harmless and benign.
“The Jewish joke constitutes victory by defeat. The persecuted Jew who makes himself the butt of the joke deflects this dangerous hostility away from the persecutors onto himself. The result is not defeat or surrender but victory and greatness.”
I love Italians, they’re wonderful people. My cousin Vincenso is half Italian and half Jewish. If he can’t buy something wholesale he steals it.
May the Schwartz be with you
One of the ways Jewish comedy is frequently manifested is in the form of parody—a parody that simply presents a Jewish version of an existing trope. Philip Roth’s novella The Breast (a parody of Kafka’s Metamorphosis) and Sheryl Haft’s children’s book Goodnight Bubbala (a parody of Margaret Wise Brown’s Good Night Moon) are two literary examples. And I ask you, is Mel Brooks’ film Spaceballs (a parody of the Star Wars franchise) not simply Jews In Space?
The Providence of Comedians
“One of the primary appeals of Jewish humor is that there's always someone around that gets the joke.”
I suspect that Professor Dauber’s college courses are indeed interesting and fun. His books (I’ve now read two) certainly are. They’re also extensively researched and detailed and intense (oy vey!). 4.5 stars.
“May your child give his bar mitzvah speech on the genius of Ayn Rand.” -Old Jewish Curse
The History of Jewish Comedy
There are a couple of qualifiers. First, this isn’t comedy about Jews, this is comedy from Jews. No antisemitic nazi sentiments. No bigoted micro-aggressions. The only deprecation allowed is self deprecation. Second, this isn’t a joke book. The jokes here are examples of era, style and approach. They are sometimes contextual, sometimes complicated, and sometimes hilarious—but not always.
Hitler visits a Gypsy Fortune Teller…
Hitler: “When will I die?”
Gypsy: “You will die on a Jewish holiday.”
Hitler: “Which Jewish Holiday?”
Gypsy: “It doesn’t matter. Any day you die will be a Jewish Holiday.”
From the Borscht Belt to Bernhard
Jewish comedy is infused with chutzpah. Its essence is essentially that of the diaspora and the diaspora impregnates and is thoroughly entrenched in most all of its various forms. It is often about being different, and about playing to those differences in a manner that renders them harmless and benign.
“The Jewish joke constitutes victory by defeat. The persecuted Jew who makes himself the butt of the joke deflects this dangerous hostility away from the persecutors onto himself. The result is not defeat or surrender but victory and greatness.”
I love Italians, they’re wonderful people. My cousin Vincenso is half Italian and half Jewish. If he can’t buy something wholesale he steals it.
May the Schwartz be with you
One of the ways Jewish comedy is frequently manifested is in the form of parody—a parody that simply presents a Jewish version of an existing trope. Philip Roth’s novella The Breast (a parody of Kafka’s Metamorphosis) and Sheryl Haft’s children’s book Goodnight Bubbala (a parody of Margaret Wise Brown’s Good Night Moon) are two literary examples. And I ask you, is Mel Brooks’ film Spaceballs (a parody of the Star Wars franchise) not simply Jews In Space?
The Providence of Comedians
“One of the primary appeals of Jewish humor is that there's always someone around that gets the joke.”
I suspect that Professor Dauber’s college courses are indeed interesting and fun. His books (I’ve now read two) certainly are. They’re also extensively researched and detailed and intense (oy vey!). 4.5 stars.
“May your child give his bar mitzvah speech on the genius of Ayn Rand.” -Old Jewish Curse