Jewish Humor
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Jewish Humor
Many years ago, in what was an otherwise relatively humorless existence as a doctoral student in physics, I began collecting Jewish jokes. It started simply. I heard a joke, retold it, and exchanged jokes with friends. I then began collecting books of Jewish humor—first in Yiddish and then in other languages as well. As my collection grew, a kind of growth principle took over, like a runaway nuclear chain reaction. For every joke I told, I acquired at least two new ones in exchange. In short order, the thing was completely out of hand. I took to carrying blank scraps of paper to Jewish events in case I heard new jokes. In extreme cases, I wrote them down on the napkins. (Jewish events always include food, and physicists are adept at napkin-writing.) I began doing stand-up comedy. Sometimes, it was in the guise of a lecture on Jewish humor; other times, it was club dates with Chicago’s Maxwell Street Klezmer Band.
(Published on 2025-05-31)
Finally, I took the best of my collection and wrote a book: Our Pal God and Other Presumptions. (Artwork by Ann Mallow.)