Srulik

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Typical Srulik, wearing a kova tembel, sandals and shorts, from the book, "What Happened", 1964]

Srulik is an illustrated character who symbolizes Israel. The character was first drawn in 1956 by the cartoonist Kariel Gardosh, known by his pen name Dosh, a Holocaust survivor who immigrated to Israel from Hungary, and appeared for many years in cartoons that were published in the newspaper "Maariv". Yosef Lapid, Dosh's colleague on the editorial board of Maariv, said that Srulik symbolizes Israel just as Marianne is the symbol of France and Uncle Sam symbolizes the United States. His name is a hypocoristic for "Yisrael" (Israel).

Srulik is generally depicted as a young man wearing a "Kova tembel" hat, "biblical sandals", and khaki shorts. Srulik is a pioneering Zionist, a lover of the land of Israel and its soil, a dedicated farmer who in time of need puts on a uniform and goes out to defend the state of Israel equipped with an Uzi machine gun. Dosh drew Srulik in cartoons on current events for Maariv, and also for various "specials" and occasions of the young state. During wartime, Srulik put on a uniform and was drafted to raise the national morale.

Many have pointed out Srulik's function as an antithesis of the antisemitic caricatures which appeared in Der Stürmer and other European and Arab journals. As against the stereotype of the weak or cunning Jew that was propagated by Joseph Goebbels, Dosh — a Holocaust survivor — drew a proud, strong and sympathetic Jewish character. The journalist Shalom Rosenfeld, editor of Maariv in 1974-1980, wrote:

External links

* [http://www.education.gov.il/merkaz/download/t-karikatora.doc שרוליק - הישראלי הנצחי] ("Srulik - The Eternal Israeli"), on the website of the Ministry of Education of Israel he icon
* [http://www.tapuz.co.il/blog/ViewEntry.asp?EntryId=1126042 Srulik maximum card from Israel]
* [http://www.tapuz.co.il/blog/ViewEntry.asp?EntryId=1126073 Another Srulik maximum card from Israel]