For many years, Israeli culture recoiled from dealing with the Holocaust from a
perspective of humour, satire or parody. The perception was that a humour-based
approach might threaten the sanctity of the Holocaust’s memory, appear disrespectful,
and/or cause pain to survivors. Official agents of Holocaust memory continue to
follow this approach, but since the 1990s, a new, unofficial path of memory has begun
taking shape. Although unconventional and revolutionary, it too seeks to remember
– albeit differently texts that combine the Holocaust with humour, satire, and parody
to form a major aspect of this new memory. Second- and third-generation Holocaust
survivors (children and grandchildren of Holocaust survivors) are, to a great extent,
responsible for these changes.1
These texts are still controversial and often ignite the anger of those who assert that the combination of Holocaust and humour denigrates
the memory of the greatest tragedy to befall the Jewish people.2
This article will focus on three texts from three different cultural fields (cinema,
literature, and poetry), created during the last two decades by second-generation
Holocaust survivors. Through analysis of these examples, the article will claim that for
some second-generation Holocaust survivor, humour is an important tool of dealing
with an issue that is seared into their souls and forms an integral part of their identities. The theories of secondary trauma, transgenerational transfer of trauma, and
humour as a defence mechanism, will support the article’s claim that those rejecting
any humoristic form of addressing the Holocaust, ignore the important role of humour
in dealing with trauma and post-trauma