(Not) All Jews Are Welcome
August 5th, 2025 Barry Posted in Social Justice | No Comments »
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.)
