Check out the timelapse drawing video for this cartoon!
From an October 2024 article from In These Times:
U.S. Jewish Institutions Are Purging Their Staffs of Anti-Zionists
In These Times interviewed 18 Jewish professionals with 16 different Jewish organizations across the country, all of whom describe being fired, quitting under pressure, or seeing their roles disappear since October 7 for issues surrounding criticism of Israel or support for a permanent cease-fire. These stories are just a snapshot of what appears to be a growing trend across the Jewish professional world. At the time of publication, In These Times was continuing to receive tips about similar cases.
They largely tell similar stories. They care deeply about working in Jewish communities and were devastated at having to leave their positions for caring about Palestinian rights and liberation. Among their transgressions: Going to a protest, wearing a keffiyeh to work, liking an Instagram post.
These purges have been going on for years; see, for instance, this 2017 story about a student group for queer Jews, which was kicked out of Hillel for co-sponsoring an event with Jewish Voices for Peace.
In an interview, Peter Beinart said:
In a lot of American Jewish institutions, you get in more trouble if you question the legitimacy of the State of Israel than if you question the authority of the Torah, right? Which is just a very strange thing.
Hillel, which serves Jewish college students, basically has this statement of radical pluralism. It’s, like, We don’t care if you keep kosher. We don’t care if you keep Shabbat. None of that’s important. Bring your whole self. Except if you’re anti-Zionist.
As I drew this, it was becoming (even more) impossible to deny the tragedy being inflicted upon Palestinians by Israel’s government, and some organizations seem to be changing their positions to one more critical of Israeli policy. For instance, for the first time this week, two Israeli human rights organizations – B’Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights – have said Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.
So maybe things are changing, and this cartoon will soon become moot. I’d love that to happen.
I wanted to draw this cartoon in black and white.
And, at the same time, I wanted white highlights on the figures.
So I compromised by using extremely limited color. I hope you like the look!
(Update a few days later: I didn’t like the colors, and redid them three times before settling on a color approach I liked.)
For the background, I downloaded a three-dimensional model of a brownstone and picked out angles that fit with my layout for each panel, using a program called sketchup. Then I traced those images to produce the final linework. I don’t trace often – I like the results better when everything’s coming from my head, plus it’s simply more fun to draw that way – but sometimes a form is just too complicated for me to figure out the perspective on my own. (Especially if I want the same setting shown at four different angles.)
(In case you’re wondering, this is not the same thing as A.I.. – 3d models are decades old and are built by humans, not by generative iterations.)
TRANSCRIPT OF CARTOON
This cartoon has four panels, all showing the front steps of a brownstone building.
PANEL 1
A middle-aged man wearing a kippah stands on the landing atop the steps, making an expansive, welcoming gesture. A woman is standing on the steps talking to him.
MAN: Welcome to the Jewish community! All Jews are welcome!
WOMAN: Are you sure? I’m Jewish, but I don’t keep kosher.
MAN: No matter! A Jew’s a Jew.
PANEL 2
The same man is now talking to someone else, a young guy in a striped t-shirt.
YOUNG GUY: I don’t observe Shabbat. And I never had a Bar Mitzvah.
MAN: That’s no problem! Judaism is for all Jews!
PANEL 3
The same man is now talking to a young woman with curly black hair.
WOMAN: I was raised Jewish, but now I’m an atheist.
MAN: You’re still one of us!
WOMAN: And I strongly support Palestinian rights.
PANEL 4
The woman, looking dizzy, is lying on the pavement at the bottom of the stairs, her purse a few feet away. The man, off-panel, yells from the top of the stairs.
MAN: AND STAY OUT!
CHICKEN FAT WATCH
“Chicken fat” is long-hibernating cartoonist slang for funny but unimportant details in a comic.
PANEL 1: The back of the woman’s hoodie says “BAND NAME.”
PANEL 3: Tattoos on the woman’s arm say “This That Other.” There’s also a tattoo of Ignatz Mouse from Krazy Kat.
PANEL 4: There’s a rat on the sidewalk, who is wearing glasses and smoking a pipe. The woman’s tattoos now include a light bulb with a thought balloon showing a lit-up light bulb, Leela from Futurama, a razor crossing a rolling pin, and a slice of pie. On her other arm, tattoos say “Pow Zap” and there’s a tattoo of Krazy from Krazy Kat.
A newspaper lying on the sidewalk is called “Daily Backgrounder.” The top headline is “Wayward Song To Carry On: Forecasters Predict Peace When Done.” Smaller headlines says “Hidden Pigeons Emerge For Cyanide-Coated Peanuts: Bird Community Vows Revenge” and “Body Found In Chicago: Victim Looks Like Jigsaw Puzzle With Pieces Missing.” (All three headlines are references to songs I like; I suspect my younger readers will have a tougher time identifying all three songs.)
(Did you recognize all three songs? Post them in the comments. It’s possible you’ll win one hundred dollars! Although there’s no connection between posting the songs in the comments and you winning $100, it’s just two entirely unrelated things that could both happen.)
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