September 5, 2008

The Olmert Monster


When I did this cartoon I thought of showing Olmert as a "Frankenstein" ...that's why he's got the bolts in his neck and the flat-top head shape. But I quickly realized that I needed to identify our out-of-control blockhead as the Golem.

The Golem was the model for Frankenstein's monster, A soulless being created by a scientist (or Rabbi). For those of you not familiar with the "the Golem" you can get the full rundown at the Jewish Virtual Library: http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/Golem.html

"The most well-known story of the golem is connected to Rabbi Judah Loew ben Bezalel, the Maharal of Prague (1513-1609). It was said that he created a golem out of clay to protect the Jewish community from Blood Libel and to help out doing physical labor, since golems are very strong. Another version says it was close to Easter, in the spring of 1580 and a Jew-hating priest was trying to incite the Christians against the Jews. So the golem protected the community during the Easter season. Both versions recall the golem running amok and threatening innocent lives, so Rabbi Loew removed the Divine Name, rendering the golem lifeless. A separate account has the golem going mad and running away" -more

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Unfortunately our Golem shows no sign of "running away"

-Dry Bones- Israel's Political Comic Strip Since 1973

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