In this article, George Jochnowitz mentions
multiple aspects of Jewish humor. It is used very subtly sometimes and in
different manners. Often times, it is also included subconsciously in works of
literature and other forms. One example given in the article of how
Judaism affects different works involved comedians. It consisted of information
about various Jewish comedians and their real names compared to their stage
names. For example, Woody Allen’s real name is Allan Stewart Konigsberg. Like
many other celebrities, he came up with a name to go by so fans would laugh
with him and not at him. I thought the idea of an audience laughing in regard
to a comedian being undignified due to their Jewish nature was a sad but a very
probable occurrence.
The article as a whole made me think of the circulating
stereotypes involving Jews and how we as a Jewish public often conform to fit
into society. We’ll change things that may have sentimental or cultural value
such as names or the way we speak publically about our beliefs. Even in the
Tanakh, a sacred text, there are instances of Jewish humor and sarcasm. It is
in our bones, our genes, and our history, and we should not have to sacrifice
certain parts of ourselves for it to be heard and respected.
I think it was interesting how you mentioned how we as a Jewish public often conform to fit into society. I think that connects nicely to what we were talking about just yesterday in class- whether or not assimilation into American culture is ruining the future of Judaism. We are conforming, and it seems to have a great cost. Jews are becoming less and less involved. Perhaps if we had more Jewish role models in the media that displayed pride in being Jewish, Jews wouldn't feel so pressured to conform.
ReplyDeleteI like how you talked about role models and famous people being afraid to fit a stereotype. Its not a good impression to put on young people who look up to them. This also means that we are being less represented in the media.
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