To Be Or Not To Be... Funny

Alan Zweibel

Alan Zweibel, one of the original SNL writers, went to Hebrew school with my big brother, and somehow they have managed to stay in touch. Because of that connection, I became a fan of Alan's work, read his books, gone to hear him speak, and thought he was pretty funny even as a grown up. And then he wrote a piece for AIRMAIL, a seriously interesting "lively digital digest;" they live up to their own hype. 

Zweibel's exceptional essay on Jewish humor in the face of October 7th tackles the issue head on. Often asked why he thought Jews have been prominent in the world of comedy, he posits:

Humor is a mindset—a coping mechanism, if you will—that has enabled us to survive the persecution we’ve withstood through the centuries. A deflection of sorts from the horrors of pogroms, expulsions from so many countries, the Holocaust, and the more subtle gentlemen’s agreements that tacitly made it impossible for a Jewish family to move into certain communities. As my friend Rob Reiner said when asked what was at the root of Jewish comedy: “Fear.”

I have long believed fear is the baseline. When my husband complained to my dad about Jewish comedians, saying "There's a huge difference between laughing with us and at us," my dad replied, "any laughter buys us time to get out." Reiner just says it another way. They each are touching one end of the same nerve. Distraction is a powerful tool, to a point. And if we can make 'em laugh.....

But these days, it's hard to be distracted, much less intentionally funny, let alone laugh. The exponential rise of antisemitism not just in these here United States, but world wide, is terrifying. It's not the words, but the knowledge that we've lived this before....in Shushan, in Spain, in England, in Portugal, and, of course in Germany. Even after the Holocaust we saw it in Poland, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Egypt at the birth of the State of Israel. 

Rabbi Heschel with Dr. King in Selma

Obviously, this is not new, in fact, it's been growing steadily. From the marchers in Charlottesville chanting will "Jews will not replace us!"  in August of 2017, to the Women's March in January of 2017, right up to the UN Women ignoring condemnation of the use of rape by Hamas is only a thin slice of virulent populist antisemitism. Hey! Ava Duvernay  even removed Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel from the movie Selma rather than show a Jew with Dr. King.  In recent months, the bravado that comes with confidence that they will be neither stopped nor held accountable for their action has spurred the antisemites to come out of their closet, especially on college campuses.

But something happened on October 7th that we'd not seen since the 30s and 40s: the wholesale murder of Jews for being Jews. Rape, genital mutilation, beheaded, burning, and shooting of civiian men, women, and children becomes the commodity of war. Hamas filmed their operatives hunting Jews in the kibbutzim. (Watch it if you dare)

Communities with whom Jews have stood with on the front lines of civil rights, equal rights, and racism are not merely silent; they condone the actions of Hamas. They call them freedom fighters not understanding what their version of freedom means. They shout about From the River To The Sea, not grokking what they're shouting about. But it doesn't much matter because they are actively setting up for an open season on Jews.

How can one be funny after that? Zweibel isn't alone in his confrontation of fear:

Then came October 7—when the fear became present. When the unheeded warnings relegated to the past visited us with an unannounced vengeance. When the 78-year-old vow made after the liberation of Auschwitz of “Never again!” came rushing forward, and we realized that “again” was now.

I grew up in an assimilated time when a lot of my Jewish friends were admitted to Ivy League schools, people of all religions were using the word “schmuck,” and Sandy Koufax was nationally applauded for refusing to pitch the opening game of the 1965 World Series because it fell on Yom Kippur.

It was also the day I found it impossible to focus on my work. As if it would be blasphemous to even look for anything funny when such savagery was rendered upon so many who were doing nothing more than enjoying their lives.

I wondered the same thing every time I laughed at a joke. How can I be so callow as to laugh in the face of the enormity of hate?  I did not, nor do I now, have an answer. And yes, I feel guilty each time I smile about something else. Yet, I know as Jews, we will ultimately find humor buried in the rubble. Already I've seen Israeli videos mocking those on campus who support Hamas. Harsh to the point of being cruel, those videos are meant to be laughed at....but with a well-honed razor's edge. 

I am certain someone will complain about my even posting this video, but frankly, I don't care if I upset anyone. 

And although I don't always like what Bill Maher says, his New Rule segment last Friday on the conflict is fact-based, blunt, and spot on. There are even a few Maher-ian inappropriate jokes, but hey! It's Bill Maher. Still, the segment is worth watching:

The fears we are experiencing are very real. Videos shot and released by Hamas demonstrate they are serious about their claims of wiping Israel and Jews off the map. Do we take them at their word that this is their goal? We must, and at the same time understand that should a ceasefire or a truce be set in place, it will not last and we will be under attack again. 

Eventually, not long in the future, there will be grim jokes about October 7th. We will laugh because that is what we do when we face our fears. We cannot be afraid and we cannot let them think we are afraid. Like every other time they tried to kill us, we will survive. We will remember the dead,  but we will choose to remember them as they were....alive. We will laugh with our dead because that's the only way we will be able to move forward with giant holes in our hearts. In our community heart. In the heart of Am Yisrael....the People of Israel. 

Italian author and Holocaust survivor Primo Levi wrote:

“Monsters exist, but they are too few in numbers to be truly dangerous. More dangerous are … the functionaries ready to believe and act without asking questions.”

I have believed that for a long time. The monster might set the stage, but it is his/her cabal that carries out the terror. It gives the monster plausible deniability in the court of public opinion, and allows the monster to go forward. Hamas leadership relies on that scenario as they take their jihad forward. Think I'm making this up? Read The Doctrine of Hamas. Pay close attention to the section called The Movement. 

Zweibel closes his essay in a way that speaks to and for many of us. 

I also wait. Frightened to think where all this will lead. Frightened that we have a grandson who will soon be applying to colleges. Frightened as my grandparents were when they said, “If it happened, it can happen again.” And silently wondering when I’ll feel comfortable enough to be funny again.

But right now. At this moment. It's just too fucking hard to laugh. Maybe later.

The Wifely Person's Tip o'the Week

We may have endless differences amongst ourselves,

but in the end, we are a single community.

Or so they tell us. 

עם ישראל חי

AM YISRAEL CHAI!

The people of Israel Live!