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 makes him lose his golf clubs.
C) He bans him from the synagogue.
D) He strikes him with lightning.

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

A) Because he has no one to tell about his amazing shot.
B) Because it ruined his golf game.
C) Because he was caught by the congregation.
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 for him and one for his friends.
B) He is very religious and needs both.
C) One is for holidays and one is for daily prayer.
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 has a coupon.
B) Because he does not buy retail.
C) Because that is the current price.
D) Because he is very precise.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 the weather in Miami.
B) He is not calling her enough.
C) She does not like Miguel.
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 is not a lawyer.
C) He never visits her.
D) He is the President but not a doctor.

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

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

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

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

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) Vilnius
B) Warsaw
C) Kraków
D) Chełm

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

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

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

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

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

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

21. What award did Isaac Bashevis Singer receive?

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

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

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

23. Who wrote the comedy Chelmer Chachomim?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

41. Where was Hershele Ostropoler reportedly from?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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