Monday, February 09, 2009

JOKES...

...and the old Jews that tell them.

Almost simultaneously, my friends Irwin and Erica sent me this link to a site, the title of which is completely self-explanatory: Old Jews Telling Jokes.

It’s hysterical.

Old Jews telling jokes? Hell, I grew up with my Dad - Eli, hizzownself - telling all manner of funny stories and jokes... a few of which you can see here.

And, let’s face it - most of us, regardless of our ethnicity or religion, are used to old Jews telling jokes. Young ones, too. Shelley Berman, Sam Levenson, Henny Youngman, Milton Berle, Jack Benny, the Marx Brothers, the Three Stooges, George Burns, Jerry Stiller, Rodney Dangerfield, Jerry Seinfeld, Alan King, Robert Klein, Woody Allen... they all represent just the tip of the Ice-Berg. Back in the day, Jews gravitated to comedy as a kind of self defense - if I make you laugh, maybe you won’t kill me - and were also driven to the entertainment field because more respectable businesses were once closed to them. Now, they just do it because they’re good at it.

OK, so here are a couple of jokes that you probably will just not get if you’re not Jewish... and if you are Jewish, you may just throw up a little. Enjoy.

Q: How do you catch a Jewfish?

A: With Bait Yisrael.

Q: Is there a blessing for Cornelius Vanderbilt?

A: Yes: Kaddish d’Robberbaron.

Q: Where do Israeli sheep go when they die?

A: To Olam ha-Baaaa.

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