Holocaust Humour, Satire, and Parody in Israeli Culture

with Liat Steir-Livny PhD

Holocaust humour, satire, and parody are sensitive and complex issues. For many years, Israeli culture recoiled from dealing with the Holocaust from a humorous or satirical perspective. The perception was that a humorous approach might threaten the sanctity of its memory, or evoke feelings of disrespect towards the subject and hurt Holocaust survivors' feelings. But, from the 1990s, a new unofficial path of commemoration has been taking shape in tandem.

This book claims that in Israel, a unique post-traumatic society, where the trauma lives as an integral part of the present, Holocaust humour in Hebrew functions as an important defence mechanism. This book is the first comprehensive research of contemporary Holocaust humour in Israel. The innovative and intriguing analysis challenges the borders of Holocaust research and commemoration.