How Did Jewish Americans Come to Dominate Comedy?

Everyone knows Jews are funny. But the question is, why? With a history fraught with trauma and persecution, the Jewish people have historically used humor as a “release valve,” and even as a tool of survival. Jews have used their outsider status and the distinctive characteristics of Jewish humor - self-deprecation, challenging authority, and audacity - to rise disproportionately in the American comedy scene. * Correction -- Writer: Adi Elbaz Chapters: 00:00 Intro 00:46 Humor in ancient Jewish texts? 02:42 Jewish persecution in the Diaspora 03:34 The Jewish Enlightenment and "outsider" status 05:14 Fiddler on the Roof 05:56 Sigmund Freud's theory on humor 06:34 Unpacking intergenerational trauma with comedy 06:55 So-called "chosenness" 08:45 Self-deprecation 09:42 Anti-authoritarian and audacious comedy Subscribe and turn on your notifications so you don’t miss future uploads! https://www.youtube.com/UNPACKED?sub_confirmation=1 Recommended video— The Origins of Antisemitic Stereotypes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUrDrhrNqas&list=PL-DNOnmKkUaZOfPosyBpKysZ-gbqGg78H&index=5&pp=gAQBiAQB We have merch! – http://shop.jewishunpacked.com/?utm_medium=youtube&utm_source=video-description&utm_campaign=merch Let’s connect: Website — https://www.jewishunpacked.com Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/jewishunpacked Twitter — https://twitter.com/jewishunpacked TikTok — https://www.tiktok.com/@jewishunpacked Facebook — https://www.facebook.com/jewishunpacked ----------- Image and footage credits: Zoolander Saturday Night Live Happy Gilmore Jim Carrey - Unnatural Chris Rock - Total Blackout Robin Williams - HBO's Weapons of Self Destruction Annie Hall History of the World Part 1 History of the World Part 2 The Ten Commandments The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel A Night at the Opera Modi at the Comedy Cellar Horse Feathers Rodney Dangerfield The Simpsons Hot Ones Fiddler on the Roof Goodfellas Isidor Popper Picture Alliance/Heritage Images, Fine Art Images Bernd Kortländer Pictorial Parade—Archive Photos/Getty Images The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon Netflix is a Joke Comedy Club Network I Think You Should Leave Jewish Review of Books Just for Laughs - Elon Gold Sam Morril Ahamed Weinberg - Don't Tell Comedy CNN Conan on TBS Dale C Sander Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee ----------- Executive Producer: — Barry Skolnick Co-Executive Producer: — Shmuel Katz ----------- About Explainers: From ancient Jewish traditions to the modern State of Israel, we explain it all. Diving into anything and everything related to Jewish culture, history, and even religion. Understand Jewish holidays, Israeli politics, Jewish diasporic communities, and more. Learn about Judaism in pop culture, debunking myths about Jews, and explore obscure Israeli landmarks. We’re asking questions as basic as “What is the Talmud?”, and as obscure as “How did hip-hop boost Kosher wine sales?”, and everything in between. About Unpacked: We provide nuanced insights by unpacking all things Jewish. People are complex and complicated — yet we’re constantly being pushed to oversimplify our world. At Unpacked we know that being complex makes us more interesting. Because of this, we break the world down with nuance and insight to drive your curiosity and challenge your thinking. #Jewish #comedy #joke