Ostropoler, Hershele, active 18th century

Hershel of Ostropol (Yiddish: הערשעלע אסטראפאלער, romanized: Hershele Ostropoler, Little Hersh of Ostropol; 1757–1811) is a prominent figure in Jewish humor. Hershel was a badchen from Ostropol, Crown Poland (now Ukraine), who lived in poverty and targeted the rich and powerful, both Jew and Gentile. Common folks were not safe from his shenanigans, either, but usually got off lightly. He is also remembered by Ukrainian Gentiles as something of an ethnic folk hero, who could take on establishment forces much larger than himself with nothing but his humor. Hershel was originally a shochet who, having offended some of his townspeople with his humor, left, wandered, and "found his calling" as court jester of the Baal Shem Tov's grandson. Publicity for the transition to reputation as a jokester is traced to a 1920s writer named Chaim Bloch and a book he wrote.