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Jewish Humor

The Marx Brothers

The Marx Brothers

For the first ten years of sound film, there was no one anywhere who was funnier than Groucho, Chico and Harpo--three Jewish boys from New York City. They bequeathed to later comics a love of chaos, a taste for oddball mayhem, and inspired wordplay.

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What Is It?

Defining Jewish Humor

Defining Jewish Humor

Jewish humor mocks those who are powerful and pokes fun at the Jews' often-downtrodden status.

Absurdity & Language

How Jews' focus on language and texts set the stage for Jewish humor.

Laughing Through the Tears

Jewish humor as a coping mechanism.

Schlemiels & Schlemazels

Are they foolish or just unlucky?

Divine Humor

Poking fun at the Master of the Universe.

Jewish Comedians

Fanny Brice

Fanny Brice

A comedy star with a fake Yiddish accent.

Sarah Silverman

A Jewish comedian delivers bigotry with a smile.

Jon Stewart

Not your ordinary Jewish funny man (okay, maybe he is).

Joan Rivers

How a first generation Jewish American became an entertainment legend.

Lenny Bruce

Jewish and Goyish: A classic bit of American-Jewish humor.


History

Jewish Humor in America

Jewish Humor in America

From the Borscht Belt to Broadway and beyond.

Improv, Jerry Lewis, Sesame Street & Woody Allen

The late 1950s & '60s were a time of shifting winds.

Jewish Humor in the 70s and 80s

Archie Bunker, National Lampoon, Mel Brooks, Woody Allen, and Animal House.

Jewish Humor: A History

Jews have been seeing the humor in their lives for a very long time.

Jewish Humor 101

Anti-Semitism and poverty make great material for jokes.

Jokes

Jewish Jokes

Jewish Jokes

Great traditional Jewish jokes.

Sages of Chelm

How clever they are!

Schnorrers

The art of begging.

The Truth About Jewish Summer Camp

A hilarious video from College Humor's Amir Blumenfeld.

101 Classic Jewish Jokes: Jewish Humor from Marx to Seinfeld

By Robert Menchin

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