One of the most distinct characteristics of American Jewish culture is the strong sense of humor, often self-deprecating if not ironic or even mordant, that seems omnipresent wherever Jewish-Americans gather. This humor is also evident in American literature and mass media. Jewish ethnic humor has become a concept in itself, especially in the "Borscht Belt" of the lower Catskill Mountains, countless editions of "Jewish mother jokebooks," or its personification by generations of Jewish-American stand-up comedians.

Time Magazine reported in 1978 (02 Oct, Analyzing Jewish Comics) that while less than 3% of the U.S. population is Jewish, nearly 80% of U.S. comedians are Jewish. Among the better-known names are the Marx Brothers, Jack Benny, Milton Berle, Mel Brooks, Lenny Bruce, Jerry Lewis, Jonathan Winters, Billy Crystal, Joan Rivers, Rodney Dangerfield and Jerry Seinfeld, to mention only a few.

Often the humor pokes fun at stereotypically Jewish foods, names, religious practices or other cultural markers. Examples can be heard in the "Matzah number 5" takeoff by "Louis Bagel" and his group (MP3), with its references to toasted bagels and lox, corned beef on rye, chopped liver, knishes, gefilte fish, whitefish and herring, matzah bread, yarmukes, Hanukkah, Bar Mitzvahs, "Ester and Stan" moving to Miami and such like, in addition to dropping in the odd Yiddish loan word.

These further examples are from Haikus for Jews (For You, A Little Wisdom), © David M. Bader (Harmony Books [a division of Random House publishers], 201 East 50th Street, New York, 1999).

In the ice sculpture reflected bar-mitzvah guests nosh on chopped liver. The same kimono the top geishas are wearing — got it at Loehmann's. Scrabble anarchy after putzhead is placed on a triple-word score. Seven-foot Jews in the NBA slam-dunking — my alarm clock rings. Harry Houdini — amazing escape from his real name, Erich Weiss.

BLT on toast — the rabbi takes his first bite, then the lightning bolt. Our youngest daughter, our most precious jewel. Hence, the name Tiffany. Testing the warm milk on her wrist, she beams — nice, but her son is forty. Monarch butterfly, I know your name used to be Caterpillarstein. My nature journal — today, saw some trees and birds. I should know the names?

Further information on American Jewish humor may be found in (among other works) Lawrence J. Epstein's The Haunted Smile: The Story of Jewish Comedians in America (New York: Public Affairs, 2001) and Shawn Levy's King of Comedy: The Life and Art of Jerry Lewis (New York: St. Martin's Press, 1997).