Using Jewish Humor as a Tool - Rabbi Dan Bronstein on Taking Jewish Humor Seriously

From Woody Allen to Jon Stewart, humor is embedded in the modern Jewish consciousness. But, argues Rabbi Dan Bronstein, it goes back much farther than that. And if we're willing to take it seriously, we'll see that Jewish humor is no joke - it's a powerful tool to engage people, to further Jewish literacy and to enhance Jewish identity. 

In a recent PEW study, 42 percent of respondents said that humor was essential to their Jewish identity, a larger percentage than through observance or affinity with Israel. It's a major factor in keeping people engaged with contemporary Jewish life.

Rabbi Bronstein holds an MA from Brandeis University, a PhD in Jewish History from Jewish Theological Seminary in Jerusalem (JTSA), and received rabbinical ordination from Hebrew Union College. He counts Rabbi Yisroel Salanter and Groucho Marx as among his two greatest influences. 

Rabbi Bronstein expressed these ideas in an ELI Talk a few years ago.

ELI Talks works with organizations and individuals to cultivate, to raise up, and to transmit inspired Jewish ideas. Through ELI’s digital media and conversations on and offline, ELI curates a canon of new Jewish thought. This living Gemara, deeply rooted in text and tradition, serves to mirror, to energize, and to enrich the entire spectrum of Jewish observance, while acting as a beacon of discourse and civility in today’s world.

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