Reply #17: hmmm....

[Lexingtonian]

Most of these are in-group jokes, and people who don't live around a good number of Jewish folks probably don't get the wry sarcasm and selfmocking cattiness- the assumed intimacy and massive amount of gamesmanship in Jewish complaining and conversation and put-downs (especially by relatives), really.

I think in ten or twenty years these jokes won't get anyone very upset, and twenty years ago this would have been too much of a lump to treat as anything other than political, as ethnic obloquy. The comparison would be, say, Polish jokes.

Right now I'd say it depends on context. If it's ignorance as you claim, I think you don't want to dwelve any further on topics of the kind with him- what you'll find may not be offensive, but it's not worth the disappointment that is pretty likely.