Israeli Anti-Semitic Cartoons Contest
Encyclopedia
The Israeli Anti-Semitic Cartoons Contest (Hebrew:
תחרות קריקטורות אנטישמיות ישראלית) was initiated by two Israel
i artists in response to the Muhammad cartoons controversy and the subsequent "Holocaust Cartoon Competition" by the Iran
ian newspaper Hamshahri
. Illustrator Amitai Sandy announced the contest on the website of his Tel Aviv
-based graphic arts company on February 14, 2006, stating, "We'll show the world we can do the best, sharpest, most offensive Jew hating cartoons ever published! No Iranian will beat us on our home turf!"
The Jerusalem Post reported Sandy as saying that his intention was to challenge bigotry by using humor. According to Haaretz
, within three days of the announcement of the contest Sandy was interviewed by more than thirty daily newspapers, as well as two television channels and a radio program broadcast on 450 local stations in the United States
.
On April 6, the winner was announced on the contest homepage: "Fiddler on the Roof." It depicted a fiddler on the Brooklyn Bridge
during the September 11, 2001 attacks
on the World Trade Center
.http://www.flickr.com/photos/amitai/108073817/in/set-72057594067999377/
Other common themes through the cartoons included world domination
, the myth of Jews having horns, the Holocaust (and its denial
), and the blood libel
, all of which were familiar staples or topics of antisemitism. Many of those staples were canards
as well.
Hebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
תחרות קריקטורות אנטישמיות ישראלית) was initiated by two Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i artists in response to the Muhammad cartoons controversy and the subsequent "Holocaust Cartoon Competition" by the Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
ian newspaper Hamshahri
Hamshahri
Hamshahri is a major national Iranian Persian-language newspaper published by the Municipality of Tehran, and founded by Gholamhossein Karbaschi. It is the first coloured daily newspaper in Iran and has over 60 pages of classified advertisement, and is priced at 1000 Iranian rials. Currently, the...
. Illustrator Amitai Sandy announced the contest on the website of his Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
-based graphic arts company on February 14, 2006, stating, "We'll show the world we can do the best, sharpest, most offensive Jew hating cartoons ever published! No Iranian will beat us on our home turf!"
The Jerusalem Post reported Sandy as saying that his intention was to challenge bigotry by using humor. According to Haaretz
Haaretz
Haaretz is Israel's oldest daily newspaper. It was founded in 1918 and is now published in both Hebrew and English in Berliner format. The English edition is published and sold together with the International Herald Tribune. Both Hebrew and English editions can be read on the Internet...
, within three days of the announcement of the contest Sandy was interviewed by more than thirty daily newspapers, as well as two television channels and a radio program broadcast on 450 local stations in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
On April 6, the winner was announced on the contest homepage: "Fiddler on the Roof." It depicted a fiddler on the Brooklyn Bridge
Brooklyn Bridge
The Brooklyn Bridge is one of the oldest suspension bridges in the United States. Completed in 1883, it connects the New York City boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn by spanning the East River...
during the September 11, 2001 attacks
September 11, 2001 attacks
The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...
on the World Trade Center
World Trade Center
The original World Trade Center was a complex with seven buildings featuring landmark twin towers in Lower Manhattan, New York City, United States. The complex opened on April 4, 1973, and was destroyed in 2001 during the September 11 attacks. The site is currently being rebuilt with five new...
.http://www.flickr.com/photos/amitai/108073817/in/set-72057594067999377/
Other common themes through the cartoons included world domination
Hegemony
Hegemony is an indirect form of imperial dominance in which the hegemon rules sub-ordinate states by the implied means of power rather than direct military force. In Ancient Greece , hegemony denoted the politico–military dominance of a city-state over other city-states...
, the myth of Jews having horns, the Holocaust (and its denial
Holocaust denial
Holocaust denial is the act of denying the genocide of Jews in World War II, usually referred to as the Holocaust. The key claims of Holocaust denial are: the German Nazi government had no official policy or intention of exterminating Jews, Nazi authorities did not use extermination camps and gas...
), and the blood libel
Blood libel
Blood libel is a false accusation or claim that religious minorities, usually Jews, murder children to use their blood in certain aspects of their religious rituals and holidays...
, all of which were familiar staples or topics of antisemitism. Many of those staples were canards
Antisemitic canard
An antisemitic canard is a false story inciting antisemitism. Despite being thoroughly disproved, antisemitic canards are often part of broader theories of Jewish conspiracies. According to Kenneth S. Stern,Historically, Jews have not fared well around conspiracy theories. Such ideas fuel...
as well.
External links
- Israeli group announces anti-Semitic cartoons contest!
- Cartoon competition entries as appearing on Flickr- Boomka.org the original site is now down.