It’s a Wonderful Country

By Devora Greenberg
Shliha to the Conservative Movement

On January 2, 2006, The New York Times featured an article, "Satire That Spares Nothing, Not Even God and Country." The article described an Israeli phenomenon, which takes place every Friday night in the homes of 1,000,000 Israelis; it is called "Eretz Nehederet," (A Wonderful Country). No, this isn’t an activity where Israelis talk about how wonderful Israel is during the Shabbat meal, but rather, a satirical TV show which deals with current issues in Israel. Nearly 60 percent of the viewing audience tunes in to watch their leaders ridiculed and their country mocked.

In the interview with The New York Times, Executive Producer Muli Segev said, "Israelis have a need to rid themselves of stress through laughter."

When I heard that this month’s Ezine was to be about Jewish humor I thought about this article in The New York Times and wondered, "Is Israeli humor the same as Jewish humor? Or are they very different? Are they different but from the same family? And what is Jewish humor any way?"

I am not the first to ask this question. Avner Ziv, in his research on Jewish humor, writes that "Jewish humor was created by Jews, for Jews, and reflects the unique aspects of Jewish life." The concept of "Jewish humor" in itself indicates our expectation that Jews have a different kind of humor than other nations. Many scholars say that humor is what helped Jews survive. Laughing at difficult situations and getting through unbearable life conditions was done through humor; humor was a defense mechanism. What can a people do when they are in a tragic reality? When they are in a situation where they have no power or weapons to change it? One option is to distort this reality, to see the absurd within it, not to cry, but to laugh at the situation.

We find in Jewish humor not only a quick laugh, but a commentary on life, a lesson to be learned. In a Jewish joke you also find a Jewish character or stereotype.

"A Jew meets his friend on the street of their town in Russia. The weather is very cold, and they are both accordingly dressed. While walking along the street, the Jew complains for 10 minutes about all the different things that have been bothering him while his friend has his hands tucked deep in his pockets and is silent. Suddenly, the Jew stops and asks his friend, "I have been talking for 10 minutes and you haven’t said a word, no advice, you haven’t even argued back. What’s up with you today?" His friend then replies: "On a cold day like this you want me to take my hands out of my pockets?"

You find in Jewish jokes Yiddishkeit and references to the place and culture in which the Jews lived in at that time. "A man in Miami calls his son in New York and says, ‘I hate to ruin your day, but I have to tell you that your mother and I are divorcing; forty-five years of misery is enough.’ ‘Pop, what are you talking about?’ the son screams. ‘We can't stand the sight of each other any longer,’ the old man says, ‘We're sick of each other, and I'm sick of talking about this, so you call your sister in Chicago and tell her,’ and he hangs up. Frantic, the son calls his sister, who explodes on the phone. ‘Like hell they're getting divorced,’ she shouts, ‘I'll take care of this.’ She calls Miami immediately and screams at the old man, ‘You are NOT getting divorced. Don't do a single thing until I get there. I'm calling my brother back, and we'll both be there tomorrow. Until then, don't do a thing, DO YOU HEAR ME?’ and hangs up. The old man hangs up his phone, too, and turns to his wife.’Okay,’ he says, ‘they're coming for Rosh Hashanah. Now what do we tell them for Pesach?"

So let’s get back now to my original question. Is Israeli humor the same as Jewish humor? One of the writers of the TV show, "A Wonderful Country," Omri Marcus, said "Humor is more aggressive in Israel; It’s more black, more intense."

If humor is the weapon of the weak, what happens to it when they become strong? When Jews are the majority of their country, a sovereign people? When I asked friends how they defined Israeli humor, many of them thought it to be very blunt, tough, even vulgar. Not so different than the image we sometimes have of Israelis themselves.

In any case, it is no coincidence that "Eretz Nehederet" is the number one TV show in Israel. Israelis use humor to get through the week, just as Jews use humor to handle their life situations. Yes, the characters are different, the place and culture are different, but the principle is the same. Humor is the Jewish salt that softens the hardships of life.

NOTE: This month we bid farewell to Devora, who has served the Movement beautifully in the role of Shliha (emissary from Israel). She has made an incredible impact during her tenure and she’ll be missed.

[Posted 2/23/06]