Hershel of Ostropol (Yiddish: הערשעלע אסטראפאלער, Hershele Ostropoler‎, 1757-1811) is a prominent figure in Jewish humor. Hershele was a prankster from Ostropol, 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. In 2002, a play entitled Hershele the Storyteller was performed in New York City.