THE previous column was a review of "Hammer and Tickle," the history of Communism, the tyranny that was laughed out of existence. This week I'm reviewing the "Encyclopedia of Jewish Humor; from Biblical times to the modern age" compiled by Henry D. Spalding, Jonathan David publishers, 1969.

Sarah laughed and named Isaac "laughter." Ever since, the Jews have entertained themselves and others with jokes, right through Russian pogroms and other disasters. Google Jewish comedians and you will find 300 of them. The jokes followed victories as well as tragedies.

After the Six Day War of 1967, they called their foes "the Mets, with guns." Nasser was called "public enema #1." The Egyptians were practical about it; after the first day of the war, the Cairo Hilton began taking reservations for Bar Mitzvahs. Frank Sinatra said, "I'm going to go to Israel to see the pyramids."

The Soviets sent 200 tanks to Syria, equipped with backup lights and curb feelers.

Nasser complained to the United Nations that the war was unfair; "Israel has over two million Jews and we don't have any." David Schwartz, in the California Jewish Voice, said that Moshe Dayan's real name was Genghis Cohen. Nasser had told his chiefs of staff to study Russia's strategy against Napoleon. So when the war broke out, they lured the Israelis deep into Egyptian territory and waited for snow.

One Jewish soldier painted graffiti on a burned-out Egyptian tank: "Oil and chicken soup don't mix."

P.S. Some of these jokes could be applied to the Six Weeks war in Iran. It wasn't Allahu Akbar. Allah was sleeping on a Norwegian cruise ship. The Ayatollah was in for a shock: "What do you mean virgins? There ain't no virgins down here."

PPS: The Revolutionary Guards aren't even going to get a participation trophy down there. They get the Darwin Award.