Devorah Baum (that's her below) recounts the following joke in her newish (2017) book Feeling Jewish (A Book for Just About Anyone) - got to love that subtitle.
"Two Jews, Moishe and Itzhik, are walking in the forest in the Ukraine some 150 years ago. In the distance they see two local guys walking toward them. Moishe turns to Itzhik, panics and says, 'Itzhik, what shall we do? There’s two of them, and we’re all alone!' ”
I think I understand this joke, but I’m sure I don’t “get it” the way a Jewish Ukrainian would.
But I definitely don't get why it was 150 years ago. That would be 1867 - and if Wikipedia is to be believed this was one of the few times when Jews in Ukraine were comparatively safe. But maybe that's the whole point. Minefield, innit?
