Freud attributed to "Witz" and humor an important role for understanding Jewish cultural life and ethos. Many scholars and psychoanalysts studied Jewish humor, its technique and vibrant sources. Within clinical practice, the meaning of humorous communication was studied in its many defensive and creative aspects aimed at banishing anxiety and creating new meanings. The analogy with artistic and literary creation has encouraged some authors to discuss the presence of a "tertiary" process, distinct from primary and secondary processes. Through the analysis of some Jewish jokes, humor’s strategies are seen as a way of dealing with the challenges posed to Jewish life. Jewish humor’s strategy is complex and articulated: it does not "censor" accusations, it appears to "embrace" the accusation, making it less powerful with new meanings that make the accusation ridiculous and increase the range of knowledge, with cathartic and liberating effects. The analysis of jokes becomes a journey through Jewish history and culture.
Keywords: Jewish humor, Witz, anti-Semitism, Judaism, psychoanalysis