Jewish humor

The Jewish humor is the Humor Juif S on the world and themselves.

It is frequently impresses Stéréotype S of the Jews on themselves or others on them. Also certain Jewish funny stories resemble superficially many “Jewish stories”, told by not-Jews, which are often makes of it simply anti-semites.

Humor is a tradition which goes up very far in the Jewish history, until the Torah and the Midrash, but the expression generally refers to the most recent humor containing funny stories and of autodérision come from Europe of the East.

Some old or recent topics

the Religion is a traditional source: interpretation of the rules of the Chabbat, opinions of Rabbi, incidents with the Synagog, relationships to the other religions, the subjects abound.
the Mother Jewish, described like abusive and persuaded that his/her son is the best, is a great classic, who gave place besides to a part entitled How to become a Jewish mother in 10 lessons , of Paul Fuks, according to daN Greenburg.
the money and the Commerce - well-worn topics of the jokes anti-semites - also find in Jewish humor (among those quoted by Joseph Klatzmann in Jewish humor , this simple sentence of a bitter irony: “God loves the poor and helps the rich person”).
the Antisémitisme itself is a source of jokes.

Thus this history: after the assassination of the tsar Nicolas II in Russia, a representative of the government in Ukraine threatens a rabbi: “I suppose that you know who are behind that. ” “ Ach , answers the rabbi, I do not know anything of it, but in any event the government will conclude as usual: it will be the fault of the Jews and the chimney sweepers. ” Astonished, the man of the government asks: “Why chimney sweepers? ” The rabbi answers him: “Why Jews? ”
Another example, in Germany at the beginning of the Nazism: a Jew meets in a coffee another Jew, a friend who reads the newspaper anti-semite Der Stürmer . “But how, you read this horror? ” “Of course! When I read Jewish press, there is only bad news, persecutions, anti-semitism everywhere… Whereas in this newspaper, it is written that we are the Masters of the world and control all, it is nevertheless more comforting! ”
One of most known undoubtedly: why the Violon is the favorite instrument of the Jewish musicians? Because it is easier to carry than a Piano in the event of Pogrom.

In the United States

With the the United States, its more famous representing for the French is Woody Allen, this last having become for them the image even of Jewish humor New Yorkean. Earlier in the history of the cinema, the Marx Brothers brilliantly passed from the scenes of Broadway to the big screen.

Several great writers, like Saul Bellow or Isaac Bashevis Singer, illustrated Jewish humor in the American literature.

In France

The French literature is rich known Jewish writers for their humor, and yet those, of André Maurois with Rene Goscinny while passing by Georges Perec or Jacques Lanzmann, practice a nonCommunity humor, whose topics do not refer at their origins. When Marcel Proust is given up with a humor devastator (the portrait of the Verdurin clan, the character of Périgot Joseph or the parody of the Journal of the Frères Goncourt in With the research of time lost , or its collection Pastiches and Mélanges ), it never tackles specifically Jewish subjects. The only author who escapes this rule, perhaps, is Tristan Bernard.

On scene, Jewish humor is represented by actors like Popeck, and in some of their sketches by Michel Boujenah, Élie Semoun, Gad Elmaleh and others. The incarnation even of the Jewish Mother in several films and parts is the actress Marthe Villalonga.

With the cinema, examples of Jewish humor are, in France, the Adventures of Rabbi Jacob (1973), Levy and Goliath (1987), both of Gerard Oury, and, around the Parisian district of the Sentier and the Sépharades, the Truth if I lie! (1997) and its continuation (2001). the Tango of Rashevski (2003) presents with humor the relative questions to conversion to the Judaism.

The albums of the cartoon the Cat of the rabbi of Joann Sfar, located in Algeria of the Years 1930, mark a revival of Jewish humor.

In Great Britain

The King of Schnorrers , novel of Israel Zangwill appeared in 1894, is traditional Jewish humor which puts in scene the burlesque confrontation of a philanthropist Ashkénaze and of a beggar (a " Schnorrer") sépharade also miserable as smoothie, hero who inspired as well by the characters of Singer as Mangeclous of Albert Cohen.

Freud and Jewish humor

In its book the witty remark and its relation with unconscious the , Freud studies humor in general, but analyzes a score of Jewish stories there (see their quotations in the Which I know? of Joseph Klatzmann).

See too

Random links: