"I think deep down, every good comedian is Jewish." That's the opinion of Peter Kreeft, a professor of philosophy at Boston College, who is not Jewish and who is not a humorist. In fact, most of his writings and lectures are about various aspects of Christianity. But he gets Jewish humor, and recently gave a talk on its unique characteristics, citing some examples.
In the video below he discusses irony and Socratic questioning in Jewish humor. All the comics shown in the video had Jewish upbringings.
One characteristic of Jewish humor which Kreeft doesn't cite, but which we will, is that it's very likely you've heard these jokes before. But we regard them as special treasures, to be listened to again and again, producing smiles with each telling. Here's one example:
Q: Why does a Jew always answer a question with another question?
A: Why shouldn't a Jew answer a question with a question?
We hope you'll enjoy the analysis and the jokes. Shabbat Shalom.
(A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS: THE VIDEO IS NOT VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY. YOU MUST CLICK ON THE TITLE AT THE TOP OF THE EMAIL TO REACH THE JEWISH HUMOR CENTRAL WEBSITE, FROM WHICH YOU CLICK ON THE PLAY BUTTON IN THE VIDEO IMAGE TO START THE VIDEO.)
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Please post more excerpts from Professor Kraft's lecture. Fascinating stuff.
ReplyDeleteThank you for this. It is entertaining, but lacks novel insights.
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