Since its humble beginnings in 1975, when a Jewish writer and producer from Toronto named Lorne Michaels (born Abraham Lipowitz) launched a comedy variety series originally called “NBC’s Saturday Night,” “Saturday Night Live” has, of course, become a linchpin of comedy television.
Over the course of its five decades of broadcasting from NBC’s Studio 8H, “SNL” has spotlighted the work of numerous Jewish cast members and writers, including Gilda Radner, Laraine Newman, Andy Kaufman, Larry David, Billy Crystal, Maya Rudolph, Adam Sandler and Andy Samberg, just to name a few.
“SNL” also, of course, gave us some legendary Jewish characters and pop-culture phenomena, such as Hanukkah Harry (a Jewish, Santa-like character played by Jon Lovitz), Sandler’s now-iconic “Hanukkah Song” and Vanessa Bayer’s Jacob the Bar Mitzvah Boy.
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the iconic sketch comedy show, “SNL” will air a three-hour anniversary special on Sunday, Feb. 16 at 8 p.m, featuring Pete Davidson, Newman, Rudolph, Samberg, Sandler and many more.
In honor of this golden anniversary, the New York Jewish Week’s hard-working reporters dug deep into the “SNL” archives — and we mean deep — to find some of the kookiest, funniest, weirdest and, sometimes, cringiest moments relevant to the Jews in the show’s half-century of airtime.
Keep scrolling for our chronological list of the most Jewish moments on “Saturday Night Live,” from Mike Myers’ “Coffee Talk” sketches — inspired by his Jewish mother-in-law at the time — to Eddie Murphy’s impersonation of Jewish ghost haunting his Long Island home.
1. “Royal Deluxe II”
S3E1 (Sept. 23, 1977)
“Introducing the 1978 Royal Deluxe II,” intones Dan Aykroyd in this parody of a car commercial in the first episode of SNL’s third season. “A luxury name, and a luxury ride, at a middle-range price.” To prove that the car delivers the “finest, smoothest ride in the world,” Aykroyd heads to Temple Beth Shalom in Little Neck, New York to pick up a rabbi, who performs a circumcision on an 8-day-old boy from the backseat of the vehicle as it moves along a bumpy road at 40 MPH. “A beautiful baby,” proclaims the rabbi, “and a beautiful car.”
2. “Farbers Chanukah”
S3E7 (Dec. 10, 1977)
Long before Adam Sandler sang the “The Hanukkah Song” (spoiler alert — that’s no. 17 on our list), in a time before special Hanukkah episodes and authentic representation of Jews on TV, Gilda Radner lit the Hanukkah candles during an “SNL” sketch — which, some claim, was the first time a menorah had been lit on national television. It may not be the funniest sketch on this list, but Radner visibly tearing up as she recites the blessing makes this one of the most touching.
3. “Jewess Jeans”
S5E11 (Feb. 16, 1980)
A parody on Jordache jeans commercials of the late 1970s, you don’t have to be Jewish to wear these “Jewess Jeans.” “But,” as Radner’s Rhonda Weiss character says, “it wouldn’t hurt.”
4. Monologue: Eddie Murphy’s impression of a Jewish ghost
S8E9 (Dec. 11, 1982)
Host and cast member Eddie Murphy does a pitch-perfect impression of a ghost of an old Jewish man who haunts Murphy’s new Long Island home, calling him racial slurs in Yiddish. Years later, in his classic 1988 film “Coming to America,” Murphy puts on the voice again, this time playing a Jewish barbershop customer named Saul.
5. “Time to Reflect with Rabbi Karloff”
S8E11 (Jan. 29, 1983)
Rick Moranis, in an excellent yeshivish accent, has less than five minutes to explain how the Torah was originally supposed to be written — as a monthly series, with extensive sections on home repair. Those in the know might even recognize that much of the Torah really does go deep into home repair-esque instructions — the construction of the Tabernacle is explained in the Book of Exodus. This sketch also makes good use of an explicitly Jewish version of Groucho glasses that really only works because Moranis is a member of the tribe.
6. “St. Patrick’s Day Wrap-Up” Cold Open
S9E15 (Mar. 17, 1984)
In 1984, Purim and St. Patrick’s Day fell on the same date, and this cold open — featuring Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Brad Hall dressed up as Queen Esther and King Ahashverosh — sends up both holidays’ drunken stereotypes. As a bonus, Jewish then-mayor Ed Koch makes an appearance.
7. “The Rabbi”
S10E4 (Nov. 3, 1984)
Billy Crystal plays an impatient rabbi advising a congregant (Martin Short) on his marital problems. While the Jewish texts cited in this sketch are certainly inaccurate, the rabbi’s office is decorated with some Chagall prints. Nice work, set designers!
8. “Mazeltov”
S10E17 (Apr. 13, 1985)
At his Brooklyn bar mitzvah in 1930, little Howard announces to his parents that he doesn’t want to go to law school — he wants to become a sports announcer. This results in a fight between his parents; dad is played by legendary sports broadcaster Howard Cosell. (“What are you going to talk about, the pigskin on Roshashune?” Cosell asks.) In this Borscht Belt humor-inspired sketch, the bar mitzvah boy and his mother (played by, yes, Billy Crystal) have similarly absurd prosthetic noses, which, by today’s standards, is a big no-no. Thankfully, by the end of this sketch, Howard’s parents make up — with a little PDA: “That’s more tongue than’s on some of the plates!” Crystal says. (Take a close look at who’s in the hora at the beginning, and you might notice a pre-white haired Larry David!)
9. “Baycrest Jewish Retirement Home”
S12E5 (Nov. 22, 1986)
Here, a recurring character duo, the Sweeney Sisters (Jan Hooks and Nora Dunn), sing a medley of popular Jewish tunes to residents of a Jewish retirement home, including “Fiddler on the Roof,” “Hava Nagila” and “Bei Mir Bist Du Schön.” With an appearance from that evening’s musical guest, Paul Simon, and host Robin Williams.
10. “Jew Not a Jew”
S14E1 (Oct. 8 1988)
In this game show-style sketch hosted by Tom Hanks, two non-Jewish families attempt to identify whether celebrities are Jewish or not. The sketch even takes a quick stab at explaining matrilineal descent, but counts a Jew as anyone with any Jewish lineage at all. A controversial sketch at the time, cast member Al Franken later defended it. “Jew not a Jew” took on the long-time tradition of trying to identify whether someone is Jewish, perhaps best popularized by Lenny Bruce’s “Jewish and goyish.” For those who follow our sister brand, Hey Alma, on Instagram, you might recognize the format in their weekly “Jew or not Jew” quiz.
11. “Hanukkah Harry Saves Christmas”
S15E9 (Dec. 16, 1989)
When Santa Claus gets too sick to deliver gifts one Christmas, he calls his friend Hanukkah Harry to fill in. Hanukkah Harry, played by Jon Lovitz, is basically the same guy but in a blue hat, with a team of flying camels instead of reindeer. Hanukkah Harry arrives at the home of siblings, children Scott (Mike Myers) and Christine (Victoria Jackson), where he presents them with their underwhelming gifts — socks, slacks, a dreidel and gelt. IRL, Hanukkah Harry became a pop-culture phenomenon, and the character later reappeared in “Hanukkah Harry Saves Easter.”
12. “Crown Heights”
S15E12 (Feb. 10, 1990)
This 1990 sketch about the dynamics between the Black and Jewish communities of Crown Heights has everything — seltzer, Quincy Jones as an Al Sharpton-styled reverend, Al Franken, a Muppets joke, Jon Lovitz dressed as a Conservative rabbi, rappers rapping about how it was actually the Italians — not the Jews — who killed Jesus. Presciently, this sketch predates the Crown Heights riots of 1991.
13. “Sabra Shopping Network”
S16E13 (Feb. 17, 1990)
Tom Hanks, wearing way too much bronzer, does a terrible impression of an Israeli accent as a TV sales guy, “Uri,” who pitches off-brand tech products to viewers. When a sale is made, a High Holiday-accurate shofar button is sounded. As an added treat, this is Adam Sandler’s first on-air appearance on Saturday Night Live. (But that’s not all: A follow-up “Price is Right” edition of this sketch aired in 1992.)
14. “Kaufman’s Big And Tall, And Short And Small Sephardic Jew Men’s Clothing Store”
S17E11 (Jan. 18, 1992)
This sketch mostly works thanks to the Long Island accents Chevy Chase and Rob Schneider put on as Enrique and Hal Kaufman, two Sephardic brothers who are, respectively, big and tall, and short and small. Don’t be fooled by the name of the store, though — it’s open to all. And there’s a free, very classy gift with purchase!
15. “Passover Seder”
S17E18 (April 18, 1992)
Jerry Seinfeld makes an appearance at a Passover seder as an obnoxious Elijah the prophet, criticizing everything on the table, from the Manischewitz to the matzah balls.
16. “Coffee Talk: Linda Richman Talks Yom Kippur”
S19E1 (Sep. 25, 1993)
Mike Myers’ recurring character, based on his real-life mother-in-law, brought the faux-ish Yiddish word “verklempt” to American audiences with this rendition of his legendary character, Linda Richman.
17. “Adam Sandler’s Hanukkah Song”
S20E7 (Dec. 3, 1994)
“When I was a kid, this time of year always made me feel a little left out,” Adam Sandler explains, holding his acoustic guitar while sitting next to Norm Macdonald during the “Weekend Update” segment. “Because in school there were so many Christmas songs and all us Jewish kids had was the song ‘Dreidel Dreidel Dreidel.’” Enter: “The Hanukkah Song.” Sandler’s lyrics, which exhausted just about every possible rhyme with “Hanukkah” in the English language, drew huge laughs from the live audience. And, as we all know, the song took on a life of its own, remaining relevant for so long that kids these days need annotated lyrics to understand some of the celebrity references.
18. “Chanukah Hymns”
S24E9 (Dec. 12, 1998)
A jab at the late-night commercials for holiday albums, this sketch, featuring Alec Baldwin, pokes fun at the incongruity of happy-sounding Jewish song titles with extraordinarily minor key melodies. Stick around for Alec Baldwin repeatedly saying “ch.”
19. “Mary Katherine & Lenny”
S25E1 (Oct. 2, 1999)
Mary Katherine Gallagher (Molly Shannon) falls in love with Lenny Schwartzmann (Jerry Seinfeld), “the Jewish Michael Jordan”.
20. “And So This Is Chanukah”
S25E7 (Dec. 4, 1999)
A parody on the star-studded holiday album commercials of the 1990s, “And So This Is Chanukah” features Hanukkah twists on Christmas songs with impressions from Tracy Morgan as Lou Bega, Christina Ricci as Britney Spears, Molly Shannon as Tori Amos, plus a few always-relevant jokes about antisemitic tropes in the music industry.
21. “Christmastime for the Jews”
S31E9 (Dec. 17, 2005)
This sketch, which demonstrates what Christmas in New York City is like for Jews, mimics the style of Rankin/Bass Animated Entertainment cartoons, which brought us the classic Christmas shows “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” and “Frosty the Snowman.” With a catchy vocal performance by Darlene Love á la The Ronettes, the Christmastime Jews “can finally see ‘King Kong’ without waiting in line” and “eat in Chinatown and drink their sweet-ass wine.”
22. “Immigrant Tale”
S34E21 (May 9, 2009)
On a ship bound for the New World, Justin Timberlake and Andy Samberg play their own great-great-grandfathers: the Irish Cornelius Timberlake and the Jewish Moishe Samberg (origin unknown), who collectively decide that their great-great-grandsons will become famous by singing — though Moishe’s descendant will get by more on charisma than his voice.
23. Monologue: “Jewish Willy Wonka”
S37E3 (Oct. 8, 2011)
Host Ben Stiller’s monologue is interrupted by Jewish Willy Wonka (Samberg), who leads Stiller into a magical world of Jewish foods, like pickles and matzah ball soup. “It’s every taste you’ve ever dreamed of,” Jewish Wonka explains, “from salty to fishy!”
24. Weekend Update: Stefon on Halloween’s Hottest Tips
S38E12 (Oct. 20, 2012)
Of the many “Weekend Update” appearances made by Stefon (Bill Hader), the flamboyant NYC scenester, this visit features probably the most Jewish of his impossibly esoteric recommendations. Here, Stefon describes the city’s hottest Halloween party — held at a club “located in an abandoned whitefish factory in Little Israel” — that will have everything, including Jewish Dracula, better known as Sidney Applebaum.
25. Weekend Update: Jacob the Bar Mitzvah Boy
S39E2 (Oct. 5, 2013)
With a mop of curly brown hair, a Yankees kippah and an awkward smile that never quite shuts, Jacob the Bar Mitzvah Boy (Vanessa Bayer) is Seth Meyers’ podiatrist’s son. In his appearances on “Weekend Update,” Jacob prefers to stick to his rehearsed speeches rather than engage in organic conversation with Meyers. And thank goodness, as those conversations could have robbed us of some of Jacob’s comedic gems. For example, his take on the biblical creation story: “On the third through sixth days, God created many more things, such as the Sun, the moon, the fish and the birds, land animals and, finally, humans — which may or may not include my brother Ethan!”
26. One Man Show
S37E10 (Dec. 17, 2011)
When the hottest play in town is sold out, where do you go? This sketch has an idea for you: Head to the Off-Off-Broadway one-man show starring Tommy Palmese (Fred Armisen), titled, “Half Jewish, Half Italian, Completely Neurotic!”
27. Monologue: Drake’s Bar Mitzvah
S39E11 (Jan. 18, 2014)
“Having a Jewish mother and a Black father made for a very interesting bar mitzvah experience,” Drake says during the monologue of his first episode as SNL’s host. But instead of just telling us about his bar mitzvah, he shows us: In a sketch, Drake appears in a kippah and 1999 attire as the two sides of his family meet for the first time. We also see the origin story of his stage name: “As a man, I’d like to announce that I will now be called Drake,” he says during his speech. His Jewish mother (Bayer) darts into frame and whispers in her son’s ear. He adds: “I’m sorry — Dracob.”
28. Weekend Update: Garth and Kat Sing Hanukkah Songs
S40E10 (Dec. 20, 2014)
Celebrated songwriters and recurring Weekend Update guests Garth and Kat (Fred Armisen and Kristen Wiig) promote their new Hanukkah album (which they definitely aren’t coming up with on the spot), titled, “Hanukkah Is One of the Only Things that You’re Sure to Know — and Don’t We All!” Check out their highly rehearsed performances of songs like “Simon’s Dreidel” and “Menorah in the Window.”
29. “Bern Your Enthusiasm”
S41E12 (Feb. 6, 2016)
In this spoof of “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” Jewish Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders (played by Sanders’ real-life distant cousin, Larry David) just can’t stay out of his own way on Election Day. Whether it’s shaking a potential voter’s hand right after she coughs, or popping a supporter’s shoulder into place after it was dislocated in an accident, there are some places that Sanders simply refuses to go — even if it’ll cost him some decisive votes.
30. “Steam Ship”
S41E12 (Feb. 6, 2016)
Finally: Proof that Larry David and Sen. Bernie Sanders are, in fact, two different people.
31. Gal Gadot Monologue
S43E2 (Oct. 7, 2017)
Israeli actress Gal Gadot speaks Hebrew to Israeli viewers in her monologue, and complains about how the cast and crew was convinced that all she does is eat hummus.
32. “A Kamala Harris Unity Seder”
S46E15 (Mar. 27, 2021)
Playing then-Vice President Kamala Harris, “Tonight we ask the Four Questions,” Maya Rudolph says. “How’s school? Did you eat? When are you giving me grandchildren? And what’s with that haircut?” Then things really get going when Harris brings out her “semitic smokeshow” husband Doug Emhoff (Martin Short), along with a series of politicians as their guests.
33. “Subway Churro”
S47E13 (Feb. 26, 2022)
At last, the Jews finally got a John Mulaney musical sketch. As with former “SNL” writer John Mulaney’s prior ventures into Broadway parody, “Bodega Bathroom,” “Airport Sushi” and “Diner Lobster,” this sketch asks the question: “What would happen if you ate a churro from the subway?” Turns out, a musical medley, featuring “If I Were a Mole Man” (a parody of Fiddler’s “If I Were a Rich Man”), performed by the Hasidic employees at B&H Photo and Video. “Subway Churro” is New York at its finest and grimiest.
34. “Jewish Elvis”
S48E9 (Dec. 17, 2022)
Adorned in a blue jumpsuit with a big Star of David necklace — and even bigger ones on his belt — Jewish Elvis (Sarah Sherman) commands the attention of a retirement home audience of increasingly excited grandmothers. “Oh, gross!” Jewish Elvis says in a thick New York accent, picking up a pair of panties flung by one particularly excited bubbe. “I think your everything bagel’s got a little too much cream cheese on it, you know what I’m saying?”
35. “Oscars Red Carpet” Cold Open
S48E15 (Mar. 11, 2023)
In this sendup of Oscars red carpet coverage, Sherman plays Michelle Williams’ “Jewish acting coach for ‘The Fabelmans,’” director Steven Spielberg’s semi-autobiographical film. “For a goyim, she was ah-mazing,” Sherman says in her Yiddish-accented interview.
36. “College Presidents” Cold Open
S49E7 (Dec. 9, 2023)
As the Israel-Hamas war in the wake of the Oct. 7 attacks escalated tensions at American universities, in this cold open “SNL” tackles the real-life congressional hearings of three college presidents about antisemitism on their campuses. In particular, this sketch pokes fun at the presidents’ use of the word “context” in response to a question about whether calls for the genocide of Jews constitutes harassment. Reactions to this sketch were, shall we say, mixed.
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