Schlemiel is a Yiddish term meaning "incompetent person" or "fool". It is a common archetype in Jewish humor, and so-called "schlemiel jokes" depict the schlemiel falling into unfortunate situations.
Meaning
The inept schlemiel is often presented alongside the unlucky schlimazel. A Yiddish saying explains that "a schlemiel is somebody who often spills his soup and a schlimazel is the person it lands on". The schlemiel is similar to the schmuck but, as stated in a 2010 essay in The Forward, a schmuck can improve himself while a schlemiel is "irredeemably what they are". While the etymology of the term is unknown, one popular theory is that it comes from the Hebrew term shelo mo'il, meaning "useless". Another theory is that the word is derived from the name Shelumiel, an Israeli chieftain. Others claim that the term originated with the character Peter Schlemihl, the main character of a novella by Adelbert von Chamisso. According to Harvard University literature professor Ruth Wisse, the schlemiel as a type emerges in the Yiddish literature of the period of Jewish emancipation.
The theme song "Making Our Dreams Come True" in the opening montage in the sitcomLaverne & Shirley was preceded with the title characters chanting, "Schlemiel! Schlimazel! Hasenpfeffer Incorporated!"
In a 1944 essay, Hannah Arendt argues that Charlie Chaplin'sTramp character is a schlemiel whose only comfort is "the kindness and humanity of casual acquaintances".
Many of Woody Allen's films feature Allen portraying a schlemiel type, particularly in his relations with women.
Larry David's character on the HBO seriesCurb Your Enthusiasm serves as a modern schlemiel, encountering "problems that affect contemporary middle- to upper-class American Jews".
In the sitcom Seinfeld, George Costanza "follows the pattern of the classic schlemiel", with Jerry Seinfeld's character serving as his schlimazel.
The 1995 Israeli-European animated featureThe Real Shlemielcenters of a village of schlemiels, with its rabbi even taking it as a given name.
In "Park Safety", a 2010 episode of the NBC sitcom Parks and Recreation, Ron Swanson states that his clumsy coworker Jerry "is both the schlemiel and the schlimazel".
