Humour

This is by no means an exhaustive list so do feel free to send us your recommendations: geraldine@jewishbookweek.com

Jewish Humour

Ben Eliezer

Prion Books ISBN 9781853754968 

November 2003

There have been a lot of great Jewish humourists - Woody Allen, Sid Ceasar, Groucho Marx, Mel Brooks, Marty Feldman - but is there such a thing as Jewish humour? Ben Eliezer - a great authority on the subject (he has countless commendations from relatives and friends) - thinks there is. It is the ultimate in ethnic humour - the humour of minorities everywhere. Over-anxious, seeing insults where none are intended (sometimes), obsession with identity - boasting of it or trying to hide it, the struggle to emancipate, the fight against emancipation, and, as the people of The Book an obsession with logic that goes wrong. And there are recurring characters, mostly taken from the old, vanished Yiddish-speaking world of eastern Europe - Jewish beggars (always arrogant), marriage brokers (unbelievably pushy). There are the usual obsessions with sex, mothers, money (of course) and, above all, making light of disastrous circumstances. Sigmund Freud started to make a collection of Jewish jokes but never published it. Ben Eliezer wrote two previous books - "The World's Best Jewish Jokes" and "More of the World's Best Jewish Jokes" - and he has plundered these long out-of-print books, taking the best of them, while adding new stories.

Jewtopia

Bryan Foger and Sam Wolfson

Little, Brown ISBN 0446579548

You'll kvell. You'll plotz. You'll laugh your head off.

Bryan Fogel and Sam Wolfson, two nice Jewish boys who speak to their mothers an average of 12.6 times a day, deliver the ultimate book of Jewish humour.

Filled with full kosher colour photos, quizzes and illustrations, Jewtopia includes: The Official Jewish babysitter Application, requiring a urine sample; Middle school GPA and 14 non-family references; The Jewish Nursery blueprint, complete with panic room, fireproof wallpaper and guardian ninja; The top-ten list of Jewish 'don'ts' (No. 1: Never be in perfect health); The complete timeline of Jewish expulsion and much more.

Yes, But Is It Good For the Jews?

Jonny Geller

Penguin  ISBN 9780713999594

For the first time, the secrets of the ancient art of Judology are revealed. Think of it as the third cousin of Kabbalah. Yes, but is it Good for the Jews? is a hilarious and indispensable A–Z of world history and popular culture, measuring whether a wide variety of subjects are, in fact, Good for the Jews.

We can reveal to the outside world (yes, Non-Jews are allowed to buy this book), the mathematical formula that determines whether someone or something is Good for the Jews. The Judological Institute of Spiritual Mathematics (or JISM) will show that while Guilt, Google and Star Wars are Good for the Jews, Sudoku and Colonic Irrigation are Not. In a whistlestop tour you’ll also discover just what’s right about Big Brother, what’s wrong about Madonna, what products you should avoid, and which ones you really should rush out and buy.

Bonus features include a list of top Jews to marry (Scarlet Johanssen is Jewish!), a ‘Jew or False’ quiz and ‘Ashamed of Your Name? Jews that Switched’ – which reveals the original name of Kirk Douglas, among others.

For the confused Gentile, a simple questionnaire ‘How Jew are You?’ may help. (Remember, as the first Prime Minister of Israel himself said, ‘Anyone meshugge enough to call himself a Jew, IS a Jew.’)

You can visit Jonny Geller's website and blog at www.isitgoodforthejews.com.

Jonny Geller, Director of JISM, whose international headquarters is in Cockfosters.

The Gibbon's in Decline but the Horse is Stable

Anthropoemorphic Ramblings

Maureen Lipman

Robson Books ISBN 1861059698

An Owl adored a sorceress
But loved a white witch too
Which to wed and which to bed?
To wit: which witch to woo?

From the ostracised Ostrich to the dandy Cayote they called Don Quixote, from the fetishistic Zebra to the missing Lynx, here is a delighful menagerie of irreverent, laugh-aloud animal verse from the ever-inventive pen of the wonderful Maureen Lipman. Brilliantly illustrated by Gerald Scarfe, Posy Simmonds,Mac, Jan Pienkowski  and other leading cartoonists, and with all royalties going to the International Myeloma Foundation, here is a book destined for the best-seller lists.     
 
One of Britain's best-loved actresses, Maureen Lipman is currently directing the BBC dramatisation of her late husband Jack Rosenthal's autobiography in which she appears. Her best-selling books include How Was It For You?, and Lip Reading.

101 Classic Jewish Jokes: Jewish Humor from Groucho Marx to Jerry Seinfeld

Robert Menchin

Mustang Publishing ISBN 0914457888

From the Borscht Belt shtick of Rodney Dangerfield to the urbane wit of Jerry Seinfeld, Jewish humor has had an enormous influence on modern comedy. Jokes about doctors, jokes about food, and of course, jokes about mothers - 101 classic jokes are in this book, along with several witty essays and numerous charming cartoons by Joe Kohl.

This book is a must for any fan of Jewish humor - and everyone who needs a good laugh!

The Ultimate Book of Jewish Jokes

David Minkoff

Robson ISBN 9781861058218 

March 2005

This is, quite simply, the most comprehensive collection of Jewish jokes, ever! The author has sourced over 1000 jokes and witty anecdotes that will have your sides splitting. With topics ranging from Rabbis to relationships; hairdressers to honeymoons; Bar Mitzvahs to bodybuilders; and from shopping, dating and in-laws to miracles, Viagra and chutzpah - and you don't have to be Jewish to enjoy them.

This unique book also contains jokes for children, a compatability test for dating couples, humourous quips that can be used in speeches for special occasions, and a generous sprinkling of naughtier jokes.

David Minkoff runs his own Jewish humour website, www.awordinyoureye.com. He lives in Edgware, London.