Bookniks: Is Humour Good for the Jews?

We bring you some of the hottest Jewish talent on the comedy circuit for an hour of laughs, discussion and kvetching. Jonny Geller asks whether humour is good for the Jews. We also have Canadian comic Judy Batalion, multi-talented Penelope Solomon, everybody’s favourite UK-born Borshtbelt entertainer, Sol Bernstein, and dazzling Adam Bloom. This will be a night to remember.

Judy Batalion was Semi-Finalist in both the UK-wide Funny Women and Channel 5 So You Think You're Funny competitions. She hates being told the North of England does not need a female Woody Allen.

Sol Bernstein is the comic creation of Steve Jameson, himself a top comedy performer.

"One part Alf Garnett, two parts Mel Brooks and three part like nothing else you have heard." - The Guardian

Adam Bloom was 18 months old when his parents nicknamed him The Voice, and when he was 10, he told them he was going to be a comedian. By the age of 23, he was.

He was named best stand-up in the Time Out awards in 1998 . He has appeared on various stand-up and panel shows on TV, and has recorded three series of his own Radio 4 show, The Problem with Adam Bloom.

Jonny Geller is the author of Yes But Is It Good for the Jews? and the founder and director of The Judological Institute of Spiritual Mathematics (JISM) whose international headquarters are in Cockfosters. In his spare time, he is also one of the most successful literary agents in the UK.

As a stand-up comic, Penelope Solomon was a Daily Telegraph Open Mic semi-finalist. She is a very successful television comedy writer and a yiddish cabaret singer. She will appear as Sandra Jaffa, the convert.

Broadcaster and journalist Jason Solomons is one of the UK’s most influential film critics.  He is a regular contributor to BBC Radio London (Robert Elms’ Show); Radio 4’s prestigious arts programme, Front Row; Mariella Frostrup’s The Green Room plus BBC London’s television news programme.  In addition he regularly reviews films and writes features and interviews for The Guardian, The Observer and The Mail on Sunday.

We want to know which Jewish books make you laugh.

Email us - mekella@jewishbookweek.com- your favourite title and/or extract.

We’ll have a prize draw and there are some really funny books to be won.

Stop Press:

Sam Wolfson and Bryan Fogel have been so successful that Hollywood beckoned. They will be shooting the film of Jewtopia, making it impossible for them to fly to London for JBW2007.