Laughing at the Absurd

The first recorded laugh in Jewish history belongs not to a comedian but to a matriarch. In the Book of Genesis, Sarah, well past childbearing age, overhears a divine visitor promise that she will bear a son within the year. This promise prompts her to laugh. When her child is born, he is named Isaac, from the Hebrew 'Yitzhak', meaning 'he will laugh'.

The tradition that follows, from the Talmud's embrace of wit to modern stand-up comedy, traces back to that first involuntary cackle, illustrating that humour was built into Judaism from the very beginning.

This exhibition explores a variety of themes that are present in Jewish humour.