Jewish humor

Jewish humor - Quiz

1. According to a 2013 Pew Research Center survey, what percentage of American Jews rated humor as essential to their Jewish identity?

A) 33 percent
B) 25 percent
C) 42 percent
D) 50 percent

2. In the joke about the Reform Rabbi playing golf on Yom Kippur, what does God do to punish him?

A) He makes him hit a miraculous hole-in-one.
B) He strikes him with lightning.
C) He bans him from the synagogue.
D) He makes him lose his golf clubs.

3. Why is the Reform Rabbi's hole-in-one considered a punishment in the joke?

A) Because it ruined his golf game.
B) Because he was caught by the congregation.
C) Because he has no one to tell about his amazing shot.
D) Because he broke his golf club in the process.

4. In the joke about the three rabbis and the lobster, what is the Reform rabbi's response when asked about a beracha?

A) What's a beracha?
B) You must say it before eating.
C) It is forbidden to eat lobster.
D) I do not know the answer.

5. In the joke about the desert island, why did the man build two synagogues?

A) One is for holidays and one is for daily prayer.
B) One for him and one for his friends.
C) He is very religious and needs both.
D) He goes to one and refuses to step foot in the other.

6. In the joke about the schnorrer in New York, why does he want 73 cents for coffee and pie?

A) Because he does not buy retail.
B) Because he has a coupon.
C) Because he is very precise.
D) Because that is the current price.

7. How does the Rabbi in the donation joke handle the money thrown into the air?

A) He asks God to take whatever is His.
B) He gives it all to the poor.
C) He keeps what falls inside the circle.
D) He keeps all the money for himself.

8. What is the punchline of the joke about the first Starbucks in Israel?

A) They only serve kosher food.
B) The coffee is free for religious people.
C) They close on the Sabbath.
D) There is a fork in the sugar bowl.

9. What does the barber find on his doorstep after cutting Rabbi Finklestein's hair for free?

A) A dozen bagels.
B) A dozen roses.
C) A dozen rabbis.
D) A dozen gemstones.

10. In the story about the man on his deathbed, why does he not get his mother's brisket?

A) The mother says it is for the shiva.
B) There was no brisket left.
C) The brisket was burnt.
D) The mother refused to share it.

11. What does the mother tell her son after he says he got the part of a 'Jewish husband' in the school play?

A) That is a wonderful role.
B) Is the pay good?
C) Tell them you want a speaking role.
D) Are you sure you can act?

12. What is the main complaint of the mother whose son is living in Miami with a man named Miguel?

A) She does not like Miguel.
B) He is not calling her enough.
C) She does not like the weather in Miami.
D) He could not find a nice Jewish boy.

13. In the telephone conversation between Miriam and Sharon, why is Sharon disappointed about her son Reuven?

A) He is not married yet.
B) He never visits her.
C) He is not a lawyer.
D) He is the President but not a doctor.

14. Why does the man in the hospital want to be transferred?

A) Because the staff is rude.
B) Because he cannot kvetch.
C) Because the room is noisy.
D) Because the food is bad.

15. What question did the waiter ask the group of dining Jewish mothers?

A) Would you like dessert?
B) How is the food?
C) Are you ready to order?
D) Is anything all right?

16. In the joke about the old man on the train, what does he say after drinking the water?

A) I am still thirsty.
B) Thank you for the water.
C) The water was cold.
D) Oy, was I thirsty.

17. Where are the foolish Jewish residents from in Eastern European Jewish humor?

A) Chełm
B) Kraków
C) Vilnius
D) Warsaw

18. Which English folk figures are similar to the wise men of Chełm?

A) Robin Hood
B) Sherlock Holmes
C) Wise Men of Gotham
D) King Arthur

19. Which German folk figures are similar to the wise men of Chełm?

A) Brothers Grimm
B) Faust
C) Schildbürger
D) Baron Munchausen

20. Who wrote The Fools of Chełm and Their History?

A) Isaac Bashevis Singer
B) Aaron Zeitlin
C) Shlomo Simon
D) Ovsey Driz

21. What award did Isaac Bashevis Singer receive?

A) Booker Prize
B) Nobel Prize
C) Pulitzer Prize
D) National Book Award

22. What genre did Ovsey Driz use for his Chełm stories?

A) Playwriting
B) Journalism
C) Prose
D) Verse

23. Who wrote the comedy Chelmer Chachomim?

A) Allen Mandelbaum
B) Y. Y. Trunk
C) Aaron Zeitlin
D) Isaac Bashevis Singer

24. How did the court in Chełm punish the fish that slapped a resident?

A) Frying
B) Public shaming
C) Exile
D) Drowning

25. In the creation myth of Chełm, what was in the second, heavier sack?

A) Foolishness
B) Gold
C) Wisdom
D) Sin

26. What is the book by Allen Mandelbaum that treats the wise men as scholars?

A) Chelmaxioms
B) The Heroes of Chelm
C) Village of Idiots
D) The Fools of Chełm

27. When do many traditions in Jewish humor date back to?

A) 20th century
B) 19th century
C) 18th century
D) 17th century

28. Which animated film is mentioned in the text as recounting Chełm tales?

A) The Fools of Chełm
B) Chelmaxioms
C) The Wise Men of Helm
D) Village of Idiots

29. What problem were the Rabbis discussing in the synagogue attic in the assimilation joke?

A) Birds.
B) Bats.
C) Mice.
D) Squirrels.

30. What was the result of giving the squirrels a bar mitzvah?

A) They became members of the congregation.
B) They were never seen again.
C) They brought other squirrels to the synagogue.
D) They started attending services daily.

31. What does the text say Jews often mock in their own humor?

A) Their own negative stereotypes.
B) The laws of physics.
C) Other religious groups.
D) Political leaders.

32. According to the joke about converts, who are the only normal ones in the congregation?

A) The Rabbis.
B) The elderly members.
C) The choir members.
D) The converts.

33. What excuse does Joshua ben Hananiah give for the fragrant odor of the Sabbath dish?

A) The heat of the oven.
B) Garlic from the market.
C) A spice called Shabbat.
D) A secret family recipe.

34. Who requests the secret spice from Joshua ben Hananiah?

A) The community leader.
B) Caesar.
C) A student.
D) The Rabbi.

35. Which movement was associated with the emergence of modern Jewish humor in the nineteenth century?

A) Orthodoxy
B) Hasidism
C) Haskalah
D) Zionism

36. Which folk character is associated with the Sephardic tradition of Jewish humor?

A) Moshe Waldoks
B) Djoha
C) Saul Bellow
D) Rabbi Jeremiah

37. What were the jesters known as in Eastern European Jewish communities?

A) Haskalah
B) Shtoch
C) Badchens
D) Mishnah

38. What was one of the first successful radio sitcoms to feature a Jewish family?

A) The Goldbergs
B) Shiva Baby
C) Seinfeld
D) Curb Your Enthusiasm

39. Which of these is NOT listed as a famous Jewish comedian in the text?

A) Joan Rivers
B) Charlie Chaplin
C) Jerry Lewis
D) Milton Berle

40. What was Hershele Ostropoler's profession before he was a jester?

A) Innkeeper
B) Writer
C) Ritual slaughterer
D) Rabbi

41. Where was Hershele Ostropoler reportedly from?

A) Ukraine
B) Germany
C) Poland
D) Russia

42. Who authored the illustrated children's books about Hershel?

A) Rabbi Boruch
B) The Vilna Troupe
C) Trina Schart Hyman
D) Eric Kimmel

43. In the joke regarding the assassination of Tsar Alexander II, whom does the rabbi link the Jews with?

A) Chimneysweeps
B) Farmers
C) Politicians
D) Bankers

44. Which group performed a comedy about Hershele Ostropoler in 1930?

A) The Baal Shem Tov's followers
B) The Vilna Troupe
C) The Pamyat headquarters
D) A local Ukrainian theatre

45. In the joke about pork, what does the rabbi say he will do at the priest's wedding?

A) Convert to Christianity
B) Try some pork
C) Refuse to attend
D) Eat a kosher meal

46. How did the old man describe Lenin to the customs official in Moscow?

A) The man who stole his gold
B) A tyrant who ruined the country
C) The genius who thought up this worker's paradise
D) A historic enemy of the people

47. What kind of humor does the text mention is found in Israeli jokes?

A) Absurdist humor
B) Slapstick humor
C) Gallows humor
D) Political satire

48. Which of the following is cited as a Yiddish term that sounds comical to English speakers?

A) Shnook
B) Schnitzel
C) Angel
D) Boulevard

49. What is a 'shm-reduplication' construct mentioned in the text?

A) Shlemiel-shlimazel
B) Fancy-schmancy
C) Shnook-shmendrik
D) Kibbutz-schnitzel

50. What linguistic trait of Yiddish became part of Jewish comedians' verbal word play?

A) Using only Yiddish slang
B) Speaking in rhyme
C) Ending sentences with questions
D) Avoiding all English words

51. Which of these words is specifically mentioned as being considered inherently funny?

A) Midnight
B) Shlimazel
C) Sandwich
D) Boulevard

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