Two Jews are chatting as they walk to the synagogue.
"Do you remember my son? He’s always been a good Jew. Recently I sent him to Israel, to Haifa… he came back a Christian!"
The second replies:
"Unbelievable! I also sent my son to Israel, to Tel Aviv to visit my family… he came back a Christian."
When they arrive at the synagogue, they meet the rabbi and tell him the same story. The rabbi responds:
"That’s incredible! Do you remember my son? I also sent him to Israel, to my cousin, the rabbi of Jerusalem… he came back a Christian!"
At that moment, a strong beam of light bursts through the stained glass window, and the thunderous voice of God echoes in the synagogue:
"That’s incredible! Do you remember my son…"
Joke Poo: Tech Support Troubles
Three programmers are griping during their lunch break at Google.
“Remember my Javascript code? It was always so clean. I recently deployed it to the cloud on AWS… it came back written in Python!”
The second replies: “Unbelievable! I also deployed my code to the cloud, but on Azure… it came back written in Python.”
When they get back to their desks, they find their manager and tell him the same story. The manager responds: “That’s incredible! Do you remember my code? I deployed it to the cloud on Google Cloud itself… it came back written in Python!”
At that moment, the server room doors swing open and a booming, synthesized voice echoes throughout the office:
“That’s incredible! Remember my original algorithm…”
Okay, let’s break down this joke and see what comedic gold we can extract.
Joke Dissection:
- Core Premise: The joke centers on the unexpected and seemingly contagious conversion to Christianity among Jewish sons sent to Israel.
- Setup: The setup establishes a pattern: Jewish fathers send their sons to different cities in Israel (Haifa, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem), and each son returns converted to Christianity.
- Punchline: The punchline is God Himself revealing that his son (Jesus) also represents a departure from expectations and tradition, solidifying the absurd and ironic trend.
- Humor Type: Irony, absurdity, and a subtle, perhaps controversial, commentary on faith, tradition, and cultural identity.
- Key Elements:
- Jewish Identity
- Israel (Haifa, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem)
- Conversion to Christianity
- Divine Intervention/Voice of God
- Son/Father relationship
Comedic Enrichment & New Humor:
Now, let’s use those elements to create something new. I’ll aim for a witty observation and a short, related joke.
Witty Observation:
“It’s funny, sending someone to Israel to reinforce their Jewish identity and having them return a Christian is like sending your sourdough starter to San Francisco, expecting it to get more authentic, and it comes back speaking fluent French and asking for croissants.”
Explanation of the observation:
- Connects the absurdity to a less religiously sensitive subject, food, and geography.
- Uses the metaphor of sourdough, which is a cultural icon for the Bay area.
- San Francisco is the place most famously associated with sour dough, however the sourdoughs there use a specific type of bacteria which in turn is also found in some parts of France.
New Joke (building on the original):
Two angels are discussing their divine tasks. One says, “I just finished a big project. I had to inspire a bunch of conversions.” The other sighs, “Ugh, tell me about it. I’m dealing with a whole wave of them coming out of Israel. The boss is starting to get nervous about the tourism numbers.”
The first angel looks at him puzzled and ask him “But, wouldn’t Israel be happy with an influx of Christian tourist?”
“You would think so, but he wasn’t talking about tourist”
Explanation of the Joke:
- Maintains the theme of unexpected conversions in Israel.
- Adds a layer of meta-commentary about tourism and its impact.
- Suggests God is more concerned about Israel’s tourism revenue than religious purity.
- Recontextualizes the “conversion wave” as potentially economically problematic.
Did You Know (Amusing Tidbit):
“Did you know that the first Jewish Christian community in Jerusalem was actually founded before the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE? So, technically, sending your son to Jerusalem and him returning a Christian… well, he might just be a really early adopter!”
Explanation of the tidbit:
- Adds a historical wrinkle to the joke’s premise.
- Highlights the complex and sometimes overlapping early history of Judaism and Christianity.
- Subverts the “unexpected conversion” by suggesting it’s actually a return to the origins.
These additions aim to enrich the original joke by:
- Providing alternative, related humor.
- Offering context and insights that deepen the joke’s implications.
- Avoiding overly offensive or preachy tones, focusing instead on the absurdity and irony.