READERSVOICE.COM: What is the difference in the sense of humor of Jerusalem and New York audiences, if any?

DAVID KILIMNICK: I would call it American audiences. Young Israeli audiences are easier to open up to laughter, much of the time. American audiences have developed such a cultural scare to any humor that might be offensive, that unless everybody else agrees it is OK to laugh, you cannot laugh.

RV: What books do you read the most for your faith, and which books have you read and liked on religious themes?

DK: The Book of Our Heritage, [by Eliyahu Ki Tov] in Hebrew. It outlines and explains the months of the year and the holidays. It is a great go to book for a quick way to make a day more meaningful. I of course do the Bible study thing. I try to go over the weekly portion of the Torah, which is read in the synagogues.

RV: Which authors have you come across from Israel that you’ve liked, and magazines or anything else?

DK: I would have to say Jeff Kinney and the Hebrew version of Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Other than that, I find all these other authors to be too hifaluten and showy, with their use of correct Hebrew grammar. Other than the Torah, Judaic texts and Diary of a Wimpy Kid, I have not been able to get involved in Israeli literature. As a boy who grew up as a religious Jew, I never read Hebrew. I learn it. Anything in Hebrew, such as the Torah, I have to dissect while reading, and analyze each word. That is the Yeshiva method of study. And dissecting the Diary of a Wimpy Kid takes a very long time. Why does he always end up getting into trouble? My reading is a constant book club happening in my mind. Which is also why I read very slowly. My conversations are very boring and I fall asleep right when I start to read.

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– copyright Simon Sandall.