Jewish vs. Goyish — Holiday Edition

By Anna Goldenberg November 26, 2013

Some jokes just never get old.

Take the famous routine by the Jewish comedian Lenny Bruce (1925 – 1966), for example, in which he explains the differences between Jewish and Goyish:

“Eddie Cantor is Goyish… Ray Charles is very Jewish… The Army is Goyish, the Navy is Goyish, the Marine corps is Goyish. The Air Force is Jewish.”

The half-century old satire has since been copied and reinterpreted countless times. Just in time for Hanukkah dinner recitals, Oakland-based comedian Josh Healey’s latest skit “Jewish vs. Goyish! (the remix)” is now available on YouTube, produced by Dan Wolf for 3200Stories, the digital outlet of the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco.

“Following every rule in the Old Testament is Goyish. Loving thy neighbor is Goyish. Getting thy neighbor a good deal at the car dealership is Jewish.”

What else is Jewish? Find out:

Anna Goldenberg was the Forward’s culture fellow.

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

The coming year promises to be filled with more complex and historic developments. We are entering an era where independent, fact-based Jewish journalism will be more important than ever. We need to be ready for whatever 2025 will bring, and with your help, we can be.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO