Jewish humour is the long tradition of humour in Judaism dating back to the Torah and the Midrash from the ancient mid-east, but generally refers to the more recent stream of verbal, self-deprecating, crude, and often anecdotal humour originating in Eastern Europe and which took root in the United States over the last hundred years. Beginning with vaudeville, and continuing through radio, stand-up comedy, film, and television, a disproportionately high percentage of American and Russian comedians have been Jewish.
Read more about Jewish Humour: History
Famous quotes containing the words jewish and/or humour:
“Don: Why are they closed? Theyre all closed, every one of them.
Pawnbroker: Sure they are. Its Yom Kippur.
Don: Its what?
Pawnbroker: Its Yom Kippur, a Jewish holiday.
Don: It is? So what about Kellys and Gallaghers?
Pawnbroker: Theyre closed, too. Weve got an agreement. They keep closed on Yom Kippur and we dont open on St. Patricks.”
—Billy Wilder (b. 1906)
“I wish the English still possessed a shred of the old sense of humour which Puritanism, and dyspepsia, and newspaper reading, and tea-drinking have nearly extinguished.”
—Norman Douglas (18681952)