OLD JEWS TELLING JOKES 5,000 Years of Funny Bits and Not-So-Kosher Laughs

How many Jewish mothers does it take to screw in a lightbulb? Gentiles are often surprised to learn that Jewish humor is self-deprecating—that Jews enjoy laughing at their own ethnic foibles. This volume is full of jokes of this kind, culled from public contributions to a Web site called, not surprisingly, “Old Jews Telling Jokes.” The editors have selected an amazing variety of stories, both innocent and earthy, from the site, told mostly by the contributors. Narrator/editor Sam Hoffman unfolds the others. His adenoidal delivery is weak and irritating compared to those of the old folks who benefit from a lifetime of making people laugh. Few of these gags are so esoteric as to confound the uninitiated but are likely to delight all who listen. Y.R. 2011 Audies Winner © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine [Published: FEBRUARY 2011]