Jewish humor

Now THAT's funny!

For years, brother Gideon and I served the role as token goyim at a monthly nickel-ante poker game held at a Jewish friend's home. Aside from us, the participants were Jews, and telling jokes, rather than seriously playing cards, was the order of the night — a win or loss for the evening averaged about seven bucks — and we were grateful to be exposed to a rich heritage of the best humor in the world. Now an author has published a weighty tome on the subject. It seems a bit ponderous for a book that, after all, is supposed to be funny, but what can you expect from an academic?

This is from the book:

Interviewed once on German television, the late Robin Williams was asked, “Why do you think there’s not so much comedy in Germany?”

“Did you ever think,” Williams snapped, “you killed off all the funny people?”

Leave it to a Gentile [*] to summarize the Jewish experience in seven words.

One of my favorites which, so far as I know is not included in the book, but was contributed to our poker game by Joel Kaye, the group's token younger Jew — the rest ranged from 70-85 — goes something like this:

A gentleman in the Diamond District is struck by a taxi. A policeman makes his way through the gathered crowd and, shucking his jacket, gently places it under the poor man's head as they await an ambulance.

"Are you comfortable?" the cop asks.

"Meh; I make nice living", is the reply.

Tee hee hee.

* He was, however, considered "An Honorary Jew".