Jewish Humor Quiz

Jews have long used humor as a tool for self-ridicule, fighting anti-Semitism, and even passing down traditions. And in the past few decades Jewish humor has become significant in mainstream popular culture. How much do you know about Jewish humor?

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Question 1. Which of these comedians is NOT Jewish?
 Roseanne Barr
 Jerry Seinfeld
 Bob Newhart
 Jon Stewart

 

Question 2. Which of these is an example of Jewish humor in the Middle Ages?
 The few deliberately funny passages of the Shulhan Arukh
 The "laughing cure" used to ward off the Black Plague
 Purim plays known as shpiels
 All of these

 

Question 3. Which Jewish writer produced classics of bittersweet humor?
 Mendele Mokher Seforim
 Sholem Aleichem
 I.L. Peretz
 All of these

 

Question 4. "I do not know whether there are many other instances of a people making fun to such a degree of its own character." Who said this about the Jews?
 Sigmund Freud
 Theodor Herzl
 Golda Meir
 Winston Churchill
 Theodor Reik

 

Question 5. What was The Goldbergs?
 A humorous work of fiction, written first in Yiddish
 The original name of All in the Family
 A radio show about a Jewish family, which later became a television show
 The most popular vaudeville show in history

 

Question 6. Who loosely portrayed Fanny Brice in the film Funny Girl?
 Lily Tomlin
 Edith Ann
 Barbra Streisand
 Meryl Streep
 Goldie Hawn

 

Question 7. What was the Borscht Belt?
 A Jewish comedy school in Russia
 An informal gang of Jewish comedians
 A famed restaurant theatre
 An area with several summertime resorts outside New York City

 

Question 8. Which of these is the first biblical character to laugh?
 Adam
 Eve
 Abraham
 Sarah

 

Question 9. Where and when did Jewish humor begin as a genre?
 In the shtetls, where Yiddish folk tales found humor in the often-difficult everyday lives of the people in 19th-century Eastern Europe
 In the desert, while the Jews were wandering for 40 years; they had to find some way to keep themselves entertained
 At the turn of the 20th century, as Jewish comedians poked fun at the immigrant experience and the frustrations Jews faced trying to assimilate into American society
 As Jewish peddlers travelled on the frontier, they entertained themselves and their customers by telling jokes
 In the mid-20th century, as radio shows and comedy skits became more popular

 

Question 10. What was the Borscht Belt?
 A humorous term used to describe overweight Jews
 A funny short film produced by Jerry Seinfeld
 A name given to the hotels in the Catskills where Jews vacationed
 All of these

 

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