Need a laugh? Twin Cities Jewish Humor Festival opens Saturday

Opens Saturday: Jewish humor is so deeply embedded in the fabric of American entertainment that we sometimes forget the source. But you won't at this seventh annual festival, featuring stand-up comedians from around the country. Washington, D.C.-based comic Mark Matusoft teams up with Twin Cities entertainer Greg Berman to get things going Saturday with a double bill on topical subjects such as the fragile male ego. Wednesday's performance is headlined by Penny Hanuka, a so-called Dream Doctor. Hanuka is part of a team of medical professionals from Hadassah Hebrew University Hospital in Jerusalem who started in 2002 to treat patients not just with medicine but with therapeutic medical clowning. Other acts include Heather Gold, a self-described geek comic educated at Yale and Northwestern University Law School who co-hosts "The Morning Jew" podcast. Praised for her prickly, smart humor, Gold is part of a Ladies Night bill Jan. 23 headlined by Jen Kober and hosted by Sarah McPeck. The fest will have special events Jan. 24 for Global Belly Laugh Day, fostered by two Indian yoga masters, with Sarah Routman leading a "Laughter Yoga" workshop. (7:30 p.m. Sat. and Wed., Sabes Jewish Community Center, 4330 S. Cedar Lake Rd., St. Louis Park. $5-$18. 952-381-3400 or sabesjcc.org)

Rohan Preston