Jewish humor quotes. Funny Jewish jokes

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-09 12:01

Have you ever wondered what real Jewish humor is? What is its highlight and where did it come from? This article describes in detail all the features and history of the development of the comic type of jokes about Jews.

A bit of history and a few facts

The very concept of humor is easy to define, it is a certain category of jokes, stories and anecdotes, in which there are several characters who find themselves in a comical situation. However, Jewish humor is more than just ordinary jokes. The Russian word "chokhma" in Hebrew means "wisdom". This is no mere coincidence, because real Jewish humor is full of meaning and requires a good knowledge of Judaism. Many Jewish jokes make fun of stupid rabbis and in order to understand the essence of the joke, you need to know a lot of biblical stories.

The main characters in the most popular jokes are the legendary Jewish jokers: Herschel, Motke Chabad, Ephraim Greidinger. The prototype of Herschel did exist, he lived in the 18th century and was known as a beggar drinker and a snarky wit.

The concept of Jewish humor has changed a lot these days. The original meaning of humor has almost lostits essence. Now this kind of humor is perceived as something very light, understandable and almost always ridiculing the ignorance and naivety of ordinary Jews.

What is special about Jewish jokes

A distinctive feature of Jewish humor is self-irony and complete ridicule of all the weaknesses not only of the Jewish people, but of all mankind. Many Jewish anecdotes require a certain amount of erudition on the part of the listener regarding the history of the Jewish people. And his story is full of tragedy (after all, it was the Jews who very often became victims in the course of world history), therefore, in many jokes, in addition to the main cheerful and ridiculous load, a certain second meaning appears in which the representatives of this nationality themselves find well-aimed and witty answers and solutions to many life difficulties.

The most popular topics of Jewish jokes and anecdotes

There are a few basic themes that have come up with many different jokes. Perhaps one of the most popular can be called everyday anecdotes. They describe small stories that take place in the everyday life of an ordinary Jew. Such Jewish jokes sparkle with wit, are full of all sorts of dirty tricks and show the attitude of the Jews to their history. The Jew seems to us to be self-critical and often the object of ridicule, which in itself makes the jokes absurd.

There are other topics, but they are more specific and require knowledge of biblical texts and many other features and traditions of Jewishpeople. For example, Jews often ridicule the stupidity of uneducated rabbis, however, without crossing the boundaries of blasphemy and the Talmud. This is the subtle Jewish humor, it is full of wit, originality and keeps the wisdom and traditions of the Jewish people.

Jewish humor: quotes, aphorisms and proverbs

Let's get it right. Many Jewish jokes were very popular during the USSR, some of them were transformed, and we still use quotes from jokes. Here are the sayings that everyone has heard at least once in their life.

• Do you think I'm silent? I just don't say anything!
• God keeps us from bad women, but you need to beware of good ones yourself!
• If life isn't getting better, it's getting worse.
• - Do you have Jews in your family? - No, I'm alone!

Varieties of Jewish humor

Like any joke, the Jewish one has the peculiarity of changing and adapting to the rules of a certain country or place, as well as the people who live in it. Due to some historical factors, it happened that a large number of Jews lived in Odessa. And, of course, they were the founders of the so-called Odessa humor. The peculiarity of Odessa jokes is that they ridicule the greed of the Jews. Almost every joke very wittily emphasizes the fact that all representatives of this nationality love money, that they are all cunning and greedy.

Here are vivid examplesOdessa humor:

- Why do Jews have such big noses? - Because the air is free!

- What does love at first sight mean? It's like buying stocks without looking at the stock price!

The customs officer asks the Jew: "Where did they come from?", to which the Jew answers him "Where did they come, what are you?! Only losses…".

Dead Sea mud cosmetics. Finally, the centuries-old dream of the Jews has come true - to make money from dirt!

Odessa Humor

Odessa Jewish humor very often praises the resourcefulness and special worldview of Odessa Jews. Due to the fact that Odessa has a special dialect (a very rich, colorful and colorful language), all jokes seem even funnier, and quotes and many phrases have already become catchphrases. Odessans carefully preserve their culture and pass on from generation to generation all the famous aphorisms and anecdotes. The phrases "Humor for Odessa!", "We have something to say" also appeared here.

Let's read the best Odessa jokes, in which Rabinovich, Solomon Markovich, Sara Abramovna, Moisha and others often act as the main characters.

1. A visitor asks an Odessite:

   - You don't know how to go to Privoz?- Ha! And he also asks… How to go to Privoz? With money!

3. Roza Moiseevna believes that no husband can spoil a real Odessa woman!
4. - Oh, Sarah, today I slipped and, falling on the stairs, broke my chin.- Don't worry, Monya, you still have moretwo!
5. - I'm sorry, but where did they send you like that, why did you come here?
7. - Sarah, you can imagine - this scoundrel left me, and I was left alone with my husband.
9. - Monya, how are you?- I think the flies would like it.

10. - Hi Itzik, how are you?

    - Yes, I'm going on vacation.- With Sarah or on vacation?

12. - Forgive me for calling so late, Solomon Avraamovich.- And you are not late, Sofochka, but you are in vain!
13. - Monya, turn on the TV. What if they say that we have a good life, but we don’t know…

Modern Jewish humor

Today, many Jews joke about topics that used to be banned. For example, for another 50 years it was not customary to joke in black. Black humor involves jokes about death, illness and suffering. Here is one of the clearest examples of this hardcore kind of humor:

Cranky and whiny voice of a child: - I don't want to go around in circles all the time!

Sharp father's voice: - Quiet! If you don't shut up, I'll nail your other leg to the floor too!

As you can see, normal humor implies the absence of suffering, while black is fear and horror. In general, there is a certain secret meaning in black humor, as well as sinister forms of jokes generated by the question of the presence of evil in the world created by God.

Witty jokes about rabbinical wisdom

Many modern jokes are dedicated to the teachers of the Talmud, the rabbis. If before the jokes were mostly about complex things that can be understood only if you know the biblical texts. Right nowthere are a huge number of heretical jokes that are easily accessible and generally understandable, but they do not carry a large semantic load and are at a low level of vulgarity. Let's look at examples of how exactly these jokes reflect the Jewish worldview on many religious topics.

2. - Rebbe, is it possible to talk to the dead?- Of course, only they will not answer.

3. Rabbi Shamesu during the service:

   "Someone is snoring there. Wake him up!"Shames: "Is it fair? You put him to sleep, you have to wake him up!"

4. - Rebbe! asks Moishe. - Save my wife, she's dying!

   The Rebbe goes into the room, then comes back and says:

   - She's saved! I snatched the sword from the angel of death. Happy and grateful, Moishe returns home, but then comes back. “My wife is dead,” he says. - Well, this angel of death is a beast! - the rebbe is indignant. - He strangled her with his bare hands!

Jokes about famous Jews

Epic jokes about the most famous Jews add a special flavor to Jewish humor. The main characters of such jokes are famous personalities, academicians, composers, writers, pianists and even doctors. By the way, it should be noted that the Jews are a very talented people with inexhaustible strength of mind and a great ability to study hard. The Jews have always been a very educated, disciplined and we althy nation, so jokes about famous Jews do not make them an object of ridicule, but rather, these jokes bring out the wit and resourcefulness of the Jews.

1. One writer says to hiscolleague:

   - Since we last met, my fan base has doubled!- Congratulations! I didn't think you'd ever get married!

2. A certain lady, ordering her portrait from the famous artist Max Lieberman, anxiously asks if the picture will be similar to the original.- Don't worry, I'll paint you more similar than you are! Lieberman reassured her.
3. Famous Viennese Bovian Bela Haas complains:- I have no wife, no children - and what, it turns out, I have from life, except for sheer pleasures?