Team Israel vs. Rest of the World

Analysis / Interpretation / Press

Team Israel vs. the Rest of the World

An original caricature by the illustrator and caricaturist "Ze'ev" for his section "Al Kol Panim" (in the Friday supplement of "HaAretz" daily newspaper), reflecting the atmosphere and balance of powers in Israel and the world in the days following the Yom Kippur war.

Prime Minister Golda Meir as a basketball coach appears in the center, dressed in sports shoes with a Star of David and a sweat suit with the State of Israel emblem. Sitting on the bench facing her are the team members: Abba Eban, Yigal Alon, Pinchas Sapir, Israel Galili, Moshe Dayan, Shimon Peres, Gad Ya'akobi, Haim Yosef Zadok, Yitzchak Rabin, Haim Bar-Lev and two more members. To the side – Dr. Yosef Burg, Moshe Kol and Menachem Begin.

On the other side are the opponents: Leonid Brezhnev, Anwar Sadat, King Hussein of Jordan and Henry Kissinger – representing the USSR, Egypt, Jordan and the USA. President of Syria Hafez-el-Assad is missing, and only his shoes and undershirt are there; on a further bench appear PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat, and the leaders of Saudi Arabia, Japan, France and England.The Referee is Kurt Waldheim, UN Secretary General during the Yom Kippur War.

The caricature is signed by all the Israeli personalities who appear in it. It is also signed by Henry Kissinger. Printed on the bottom left corner is a note by Mayor of Jerusalem Teddy Kollek, certifying that all the signatures are original and that every member of the "Israeli Team" personally signed on the illustration. The note was signed in February 1976.

"Ze'ev" (Ya'akov Farkash, 1923-2002) was one of the greatest Israeli illustrators and caricaturists and a recipient of the Israel Prize. Well known for his minimalistic illustrations, based on symbols or prominent characteristics of the figures he drew. His illustrations transmitted with excellence the nature and spirit of the figures he drew. Ze'ev was born in Budapest and started painting at a young age, even though he was color-blind. During World War II he was sent to the Buchenwald and Dachau concentration camps. He tried to immigrate to Palestine after the war but was deported to a detention camp in Cyprus. He finally arrived in Palestine in 1947 and participated in the War of Independence battle in Latroun. In 1952, with the assistance of Ephraim Kishon, Ze'ev started to work as a caricaturist for the "Ma'ariv" daily newspaper; over the years he also drew caricatures for "Devar HaShavu'a" and "HaAretz" newspapers. Ze'ev worked also for foreign newspapers and illustrated dozens of books.
Source: Kedem Auction House, Ltd.