Adath Jeshurun- Welcomes Author, Jeremy Dauber

On Saturday, December 16, 2023, at 7 pm, Adath Jeshurun will welcome Jeremy Dauber to speak about his book Mel Brooks: Disobedient Jew. Following his talk, Dr. Dauber will be available to sign copies of the book.

A spirited dive into the life and career of a performer, writer, and director who dominated twentieth-century American comedy

Mel Brooks, born Melvin Kaminsky in Brooklyn in 1926, is one of the great comic voices of the twentieth century. Having won almost every entertainment award there is, Brooks has straddled the line between outsider and insider, obedient and rebellious, throughout his career, making out-of-bounds comedy the American mainstream.

Jeremy Dauber argues that throughout Brooks’s extensive body of work—from Your Show of Shows to Blazing Saddles to Young Frankenstein to Spaceballs—the comedian has seen the most success when he found a balance between his unflagging, subversive, manic energy and the constraints imposed by comedic partners, the Hollywood system, and American cultural mores. Dauber also explores how Brooks’s American Jewish humor went from being solely for niche audiences to an essential part of the American mainstream, paving the way for generations of Jewish (and other) comedians to come.

Cost: $5.00/person – Reservations coming soon

This event is made possible by The Charles & Jean K. Erskine Fund of Congregation Adath Jeshurun and the Jewish Heritage Fund Endowment.

This event will be held at Adath Jeshurun, 2401 Woodbourne Avenue,
The talk will be held in the Sanctuary, book signing in the lobby.

For more info call: 502-458-5359