Why are Jewish Mothers the basis of so many jokes?
About 70 years ago, Jewish mothers were revered. Our image started to tarnish, turning us into a Jewish joke when first generation American sons were eager to fly from the tight Jewish community in America and grab a piece of the Gentile pie. (Adding to this later was feminism, and some media backlash.) The Jewish son often knocked heads with his European mama. Many sons, in particular, felt resentful, frustrated, and ashamed. So, they turned their kvetching into tragic-comedy, in the mode of Portnoy. It was these sons who honed their humor in the Catskills, and moved on to TV, books, theater. Molly Goldberg was respected in the fifties. Then came the vanilla families – the Cleavers, Ozzie and Harriet. When Nancy Walker showed up as Rhoda’s mom, I believe the change in TV truly started. The portrayal, while funny, was miles apart from the loving fixer we saw in Molly Goldberg. Also, Jewish women are funny. Jewish funny. And we’re verbal. Like a good tsibeleh (onion) we Jews are a compl
