How Did Jews Come to Dominate American 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

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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
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Executive Producer:
— Barry Skolnick
Co-Executive Producer:
— Shmuel Katz
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