Books of Jewish Interest - Comedy Series Launches Wednesday July 10 with “Sick in the Head,” Nancy Fages, Moderator

By Gail Robinson, BJI Director

Beginning Wednesday July 10th at 4:00 pm Eastern, we will be launching the 2024 Books of Jewish Interest (BJI) season’s first hybrid meeting (in person in the Bethlehem Public Library and by Zoom) to discuss Sick in the Head by Judd Apatow. 

Nancy Fages will lead a fast-paced discussion on five great Jewish comedians featured in the book:

·       Jerry Seinfeld (interview pages 3-10 / 185-198)

·       Adam Sandler (interview pages 13-26)

·       Jon Stewart (interview pages 226-223)

·       Roseanne Barr (interview pages 382-400)

·       Sarah Silverman (interview pages 409-416)

The journey of interviews with Apatow’s idols starts in Apatow’s youth with Jerry Seinfeld. From the breath and variety of comedic genres and styles within those genres, it becomes evident that more than anything, he’s a student of comedy, and the book reads as a thesis or dissertation.

 
We’re going to examine the following comedians for their relevance to this book, and their bodies of work. And, in some cases, their personal lives as they relate to comedy.  Some questions to keep in mind:

·       Were they all groundbreaking? Were they all original?

·       What makes each of them special enough to have made the “cut” so to speak and garner a valuable chapter?

·       While you were reading could you hear the comedians voice in your head, are they that memorable?

·       For each of us, can we get past someone’s politics, or socially bad behavior and still find them funny for funny’s sake?

We’re off to another exciting - and funny - summer of reading.

 RSVP if you will be attending in person or by Zoom here.

Watch for the Zoom link in BHC ShulNews.