January 19, 2006

Exhibit dates: February through April 2006
Opening: Wednesday, February 15, 2006, 7:00 p.m.
The Cartoon Art Museum, 655 Mission St., San Francisco

(San Francisco, CA) – Witness the unfolding of history as over 15 of Israel’s top political cartoonists share their viewpoints of contemporary Israeli issues in a first-time U.S. exhibit of their work. This exhibit will run from February 1, 2006 through April 2006 at the Cartoon Art Museum, 655 Mission Street, San Francisco. The opening night reception with featured Israeli political cartoonist Michel Kichka is scheduled for Wednesday, February 15, 2006 at 7:00 p.m., and includes a talk, Q&A and catalog signing. The event is free and open to the public.

Israel’s complex affairs — made all the more provocative with the recent turn of events as a result of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s illness — provide prolific fodder for cartoonists. Every part of Israeli life has political overtones, making the medium of the published cartoon a perfect vehicle with which to respond to the continual contentious affairs. The artists featured in this exhibit are an impressive mix of political and social activists who bring their front-line experience to their work in a candid yet comical view of issues as they unfold. A true demonstration of democracy, the Israeli political cartoon allows artists to deal with highly sensitive issues with a mix of humor and seriousness. Appreciated for their provocative nature, these cartoons are often as effective a means of providing opinion as any political speech, newspaper article or newscast.

Michel Kichka, a native Belgian and the son of Holocaust survivors, made aliyah to Israel in 1974. His professional career as a freelance illustrator consists of editorial and political cartoons, comic strips, children's books and advertising campaigns. Currently, he serves as a senior lecturer of illustration and comic art in the Bezalel Academy's Visual Communications department. Kichka has staged solo exhibitions in Israel and overseas and has participated in numerous group exhibitions and cartoon festivals around the world.

Israel: The Cartoonists’ Diagnosis is a project of The Israel Center of the San Francisco Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco, the Peninsula, Marin and Sonoma Counties in partnership with the Cartoon Art Museum and the Contemporary Jewish Museum. For more information, contact The Israel Center, 415.512.6203, israelcenter@sfjcf.org.

The Israel Center provides a cultural bridge that connects Bay Area Jews with their counterparts in Israel. The Jewish Community Federation is the central organization for fundraising, planning, outreach and leadership development for Jewish communities in San Francisco, the Peninsula, Marin and Sonoma Counties. In FY 2004-05, the Federation’s annual campaign allocated $16.9 million to some 60 agencies providing social services, educational and cultural programs in the Bay Area, in the U.S., Israel and elsewhere in the world. In fiscal year 2005, the Federation’s Endowment Fund, with assets exceeding $1.05 million, provided more than $215 million for a variety of grants, seed projects and emergency needs. For information, call 415.777.0411 or visit www.sfjcf.org.