Originally Posted by
theprestige
I've got a book about humor in Nazi Germany. There's a whole chapter on jokes Jews would tell each other, finding humor in their grim circumstances.
Here's one example (my paraphrase, not verbatim from the book):
Two German Jews cross paths in Sub-Saharan Africa. "Shlomo!" says one. "I'm glad to see you, old friend! But what are you doing here in Africa?"
"Well," replies Shlomo. "I came here to seek my fortune. My plan is to hunt elephants and profit from the ivory trade. But what a coincidence that you are here as well! What's your story?"
"Much the same as yours," says Baruch. " I'm here in Africa to make a fortune trapping crocodiles and selling their hides. But what about Ezra?"
"Oh, Ezra! He likes to live on the wild side. He stayed in Germany!"
We all know that Jews like to make fun of each other. Can you tell me any scenario more harmless than this one, with a city nobody heard about except maybe for their centuries long anarchic carnival tradition ruthlessly mocking everything, where a street carnival group in financial troubles decided to recycle their hook-nosed figures as Jews making some jokes on stereotypes? Who exactly can make fun of Jews (if they aren't Jews) without "coming off" as "anti-semitic" if not these people?