Al's lectures on Jewish humor are designed to bring lots of laughs and smiles to audiences around the world. In the basic one hour talk, Al focuses on the evolution of Jewish humor and offers a theory as to how and when it originated and presents a "tasting menu" with 20 video clips from all of his programs.

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Of course, it all began with Jewish jokes, and we all know that there is no such thing as a new Jewish joke. So the lecture begins with a brief introduction and the telling of a few oldie but goodie Jewish jokes. You can see a portion of Al's opening monologue on the home page and by clicking the VIDEO tab.

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But then the real fun begins when Al projects about 20 video clips from the Internet, showing how Jewish humor is a whole lot more than Catskills comedy. It comes from the realization that we are a very funny people, doing funny things, and having funny things done to us, whether planned or not.

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There are 23 lectures to choose from and two multi-lecture series suitable for adult education courses.

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1. The World of Jewish Humor: A Whole Lot More than Catskills Comedy

2. Israel is a Funny Country

3, 4, 5: Jewish Traces in Unexpected Places (and Unexpected Traces

     in Jewish Places) - Parts 1, 2, and 3

6. Klezmer Komedy and Yiddishe Nachas

7. The Borscht Belt: Cradle of Jewish Humor

8. A Nosh-talgic Look at Jewish Food: Gefilte Fish, Lox, Pickles, Seltzer,            Matzo, Knishes, and Schmaltz

9. Jewish Musical Mystery Tour

10. 70 Years in the Promised Land

11, 12, 13, The Great Jewish Comedians - Parts 1, 2, and 3

14, 15: The Great Jewish Entertainers - Parts 1 and 2

16. Best Passover Humor on the Internet

17. Best Chanukah Humor on the Internet

18. Purim Parody, Satire, and Spoofs

19. Jewish Holiday Hilarity

20. Funniest Jewish Moments in Movies and Television

21. Unsung Songwriters of the Great American Songbook

22. Flash Mobs Around the World: Street Theater for the Internet Age

23. Yiddish: Its Survival in American Humor and Pop Culture

24. Saturday Night Live: The Funny Years (1975-1980)

25. Saturday Night Live: 50 Years Through a Jewish Lens

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LECTURE SERIES SUITABLE FOR ADULT EDUCATION COURSES:

Jewish Traces in Unexpected Places (3 one-hour lectures)

The Great Jewish Comedians (3 one-hour lectures)

The Great Jewish Entertainers (2 one-hour lectures)

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PRICING: The fee for a lecture varies with the location and the size of the audience. You can book a single lecture or a series, for which there are discounts.

 

Lectures in 2024 and 2025 will be presented either live in person, or via Zoom or any other virtual system that you are using.

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For details, call Al at 201-390-7535 or email at akustan@gmail.com.