Dear friends, Jewish humour. In the 21st century, the words often become almost synonymous. A Jewish man is shipwrecked on a desert island. Using materials from the island, he builds a whole neighbourhood including a house, and two synagogues. One day, he’s rescued. The sailors on the rescue ship ask: “Why two synagogues?” The man rolls his eyes. “This,” he says, pointing at one building, “Is my synagogue. And that,” he says, pointing at the other, “Is the one I would never set foot in!”

Even leaders get into the act. Golda Meir once said “Let me tell you the one thing I have against Moses. He took us 40 years into the desert in order to bring us to the one place in the Middle East that has no oil!” As a people, Jews are recognized for our humour. Going back centuries, we have learned to laugh and smile our way, often ruefully, through difficulty and disaster. Google Jewish jokes or Jewish humour, and you will quickly be buried in the search results. Growing up, I knew who every Jewish comedian was, because as we watched Ed Sullivan on Sunday nights, my parents would quickly observe, “He’s Jewish, you know.”

We are now in the second half-year of COVID-19. It has begun to drag for many of us, and the prospect of a winter, likely without travels, can be daunting. Just turning on a news channel can be difficult, when constantly confronted by COVID and difficult politics. Personally, I have substantially reduced my news intake. It’s just too hard on some days. Yet our local, national and international community has recognized this, and has responded. Early in COVID time, we faced the prospect of Pesach without large family-and-friend seders. As a people, we responded with “Saturday Night Seder”, a YouTube gathering of comedians and musicians to put smiles on our faces, to get through a difficult moment. Locally, our shuls have produced or provided a plethora of virtual programming to educate and put smiles on our faces. Some of these are on YouTube channels, and remain accessible, weeks or months after first broadcast.

Camp B’nai Brith of Ottawa, has “stepped up” with its CBB Steps Up program, offering to organize and host free and fun online events for community partners. We expect that more of our agencies will join into the online fun as time goes by. The Jewish Federation of Ottawa is responding as well. At Rosh Hashanah, Federation together with Federation partners across Canada celebrated with an online Rosh Hashanah party, featuring comedy, music and community members across Canada.

Now, marking the mid-point of the 2021 Annual Campaign, next Monday, October 26th, Federation is presenting “Are We There Yet? Mid-way on the Highway with YidLife Crisis.” Our co-chairs, Dr. Lyon and & Cybele Hamburg, have organized this free online event to put some smiles on our faces, and laughs in our heart. Register today here! Let there be no mistake. We need to dig in and gird ourselves for several months of on-again, off-again restrictions before life begins to return to any form of normalcy. Our community agencies and Federation will continue to respond to the situation and protect the future of our agencies and our most vulnerable. But we need to laugh. My family has always gotten through tough times with laughter. It doesn’t solve the problem, but it does make it easier to bear. I’ll leave you with this: What do we mean by Jewish humour? A Jewish joke, according to one definition, is one that no non-Jew can understand and every Jew says he has already heard.  From my family to yours, we wish you a Shabbat Shalom, laughter and good health.

Michael Polowin Chair of the Board of Directors

P.S. If you are between the ages of 24 and 40, Federation wants to hear from you! Please take a few minutes to answer this survey for young Jewish adults to help Federation understand how best to help you to engage in Jewish life. As an incentive, complete the survey by Oct. 26 to be entered into a draw for a $50 Uber Eats coupon!