Grandma's army

An essential ingredient for survival is a sense of humour – in particular the ability to laugh at oneself. I doubt if this was an issue which was discussed with the Tibetan Buddhists at their historic meeting with the Jewish delegation, although the Dalai Lama apparently had a ready wit. Jewish humor is unique, not only because it pokes fun at our short­comings and weaknesses, but because it reflects upon the history of our people. The following is an example illustrating the Jewish instinct of survival: “A Jew in Russia falls into a lake, and, not knowing how to swim, he frantically screams, “Help, save me!” But his calls are totally ignored by all present, including a number of soldiers standing nearby. In des­peration, the Jew yells out, “Down with the czar!” At that moment, the soldiers immediately jump in, yank the Jew out of the water, and haul him off to prison.”   To stay alive, in spite of all forms of oppression, has been one of the major concerns of the Je...