Skip To Content
JEWISH. INDEPENDENT. NONPROFIT.
Join the 2% of readers!SUPPORT OUR WORK!
News

Filthy Yiddish Jokes, in Volume

NEWS ITEM: Mameloshn abounds with dirty sayings — a fact made evident in a newly re-published book, “Yiddish Sayings Mama Never Taught You.” Some believe the volume will encourage young students of the language.


Why shouldn’t Jews, like other folks,
Enjoy their share of dirty jokes?
In ev’ry culture, ev’ry clime,
One finds that humor reeks with slime.
Old Sigmund Freud discovered this,
Through keen psychoanalysis.
(His insights were in fact so shrewd,
They quickly dubbed him “filthy Jude”.)
Scant difference exists between,
Erotic stuff and the obscene.
Vulgarity, like sewage, thrives,
Wherever humans are alive.
Like noxious fumes within the gut,
Arises laughter born of smut.
Exemptions to this moral blight,
Do not apply to Yiddishkeit.
Of “purity” be disabused!
Instead, just simply be amused.
Do tales of spice equate to vice,
Or constitute “not being nice”?
Off-color jokes are nothing new,
And shouldn’t raise a cry-and-hue!
Who cares if tales from mamelush,
Release in some the prudish blush?

Are you one of our 2%?

Did you know that only 2% of Forward readers donate to support our nonprofit newsroom? That 2% make it possible for millions to read the Forward without a paywall or subscription — removing any barriers to the full and fair Jewish story.

But while the Forward is free to read, it isn’t free to produce. Big stories — like deep dives into the antisemitism data, political scoops or reporting trips to college campuses  —  take months of research and fact-checking. All while we keep you informed of what you need to know each day.

Don’t just read the Forward — invest in it. Support our work today!

— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Forward Publisher & CEO

Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

Republish This Story

Please read before republishing

We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free, unless it originated with JTA, Haaretz or another publication (as indicated on the article) and as long as you follow our guidelines.
You must comply with the following:

  • Credit the Forward
  • Retain our pixel
  • Preserve our canonical link in Google search
  • Add a noindex tag in Google search

See our full guidelines for more information, and this guide for detail about canonical URLs.

To republish, copy the HTML by clicking on the yellow button to the right; it includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to the Forward. It does not include images; to avoid copyright violations, you must add them manually, following our guidelines. Please email us at [email protected], subject line “republish,” with any questions or to let us know what stories you’re picking up.

We don't support Internet Explorer

Please use Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or Edge to view this site.