Adrienne offers several programs of Yiddish-flavored laughs, tailor-made for your group. One of the most popular is "Zen Jewish Humor."

What IS Zen Jewish Humor, you ask? Ahhhh! Glad you asked!

It is the sound of one Jew kvetching. It is the essence of years of cultural thought and emotion, distilled into a short joke. It is a philosophical lesson or point, told with a laugh.

Although funny at face value, these jokes contain many subtle layers which when peeled away, invite further philosophical examination. Understanding of the Jewish experience adds many levels of meaning.

There is a certain wry, intellectual quality to this kind of humor, which is unique to the Jewish culture. Traditionally, Jews have used humor to cope with alienation, tragedy and abuse they've suffered at the hands of others. Laughing at ourselves is as steeped in the Jewish culture as chicken soup and matzo balls. In fact, usually when telling them, non-Jews sit there scratching their heads, not understanding why the Jews in the group find them wildly hilarious.

Adrienne has been collecting this kind of joke for decades and has a huge collection.

In her program, she begins with a few jokes with a similar theme, and the audience is invited to discuss the nuances of WHY these jokes are uniquely Jewish, and how they reflect the Jewish experience. She then moves on to another set of jokes, and more discussion. (It's impossible to predict the ratio of jokes to discussion. Every group is different.)

Adrienne also offers her Bubby shtick, where, dressed in a drop-dead gorgeous outfit, she tells joke, sings original songs and shmoozes the crowd as her wacky Jewish grandma character.

Another program is a lively discussion of Yiddish -- the roots and meanings of words and expressions; how and why the mamaloshen is so reflective of the Jewish mindset and experience; and fun ways to incorporate more Yiddish and Yinglish into your every day vocabulary. It's a fun both for those who don't know any Yiddish but want to learn; to those who have a fairly extensive Yiddish background. Included in this program are her original Yiddish Mad Libs, Yiddish Bingo and some other fun games. Funny prizes and gag gifts are awarded.

About Adrienne:

Adrienne is the author of "Dirty Yiddish Slang" and "Zen Jewish Humor" She is currently working on her next book, "Yiddish for Hipsters." She is the founder and owner of BubbyGram -- Jewish Grandma Singing Telegrams and the creator of BubbyGram greeting cards with Recycled Paper Greetings. Her on-line Yiddish dictionary is one of the most popular on the web, with nearly a million hits. She is a humorist, freelance writer, lecturer and college professor.

See Adrienne's press clippings, from People Magazine to the Jerusalem Post.

For more info, please EMAIL, providing a bit of info as to what you're looking for, the type of event, the demographics of the group, a date and time (if you have one in mind), a general price range...and we will do our best to custom-design a program that makes sense for your group and your budget.

Listen to Adrienne talking about Yiddish
on Andrew Poretz's Talk Radio show