This Dayenu cartoon, published in the December 14, 1967 edition of The Chicago Sentinel, depicts baby Moses floating down the Nile River in a basket, as described in Exodus (Shmot) chapter 2. The pyramids line the distant shore of the river, and Pharaoh’s daughter crouches on the river bank and seems surprised to see floating toward her a basket containing the baby Moses, who is wearing an eye patch like Moshe Dayan’s.
The cartoon was published six months after the Six-Day War, which had been led by Minister of Defense Moshe Dayan. Moshe Dayan was seen as a hero in Israel and around the world and was known for the eye patch covering a war injury from the 1930s. The American Jewish community felt great pride in the Israeli Army and its general. The cartoon compares the biblical Moses (Moshe) to Moshe Dayan and notes the connection between Moshe Dayan who defeated the Egyptian Army and the biblical Moses who was saved by Pharaoh’s daughter.
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Moshe Dayan – (1915–1981) Moshe Dayan was an Israeli military leader and politician. At the age of fourteen, he volunteered for the Haganah, a paramilitary force that operated during the time of the British Mandate. Later, he served as a guide in the British Army and then joined the Jewish Settlement Police, protecting Jewish settlements from Arab riots. During his Haganah activities, Dayan was arrested and sentenced to ten years in prison. He was imprisoned in Acre Prison for two years, after which Chaim Weizmann, a prominent Zionist leader and later the president of the State of Israel, interceded, and Dayan was released. Dayan was a member of the Palmach, the Haganah’s elite fighting force. In a joint effort with the Allies, the Palmach participated in the Syria-Lebanon Campaign of 1941 during which Dayan lost his left eye. After his injury, Dayan wore an eye patch which became his most distinctive feature. Upon the establishment of Israel, Dayan joined the IDF and was appointed military commander of Jerusalem and later commander of the Southern and then the Northern Command. In 1953, at the age of thirty-eight, he became the IDF chief of staff. After his army service, Dayan joined the Mapai party and was appointed defense minister a short time before the outbreak of the Six-Day War. The public saw him as the person responsible for Israel’s swift and triumphant victory over the Arab states. However, Dayan was, subsequently, much criticised for his role in the Yom Kippur War and was held responsible for the lack of preparedness, resulting in his resignation. In 1977, Dayan joined the new Likud government led by Menachem Begin and played an important part in negotiating the peace treaty with Egypt. Dayan was also famous for his passion for archaeology.
Dayenu – “Dayenu” was a weekly cartoon that appeared in Jewish newspapers in the 1950s and 1960s. The cartoon was signed by Henry Leonard, a pseudonym used to represent two people: Rabbi Henry Rabin and the artist Leonard Prikitin. The cartoon, titled “Dayenu” (meaning enough) from the Haggadah was intended to be humorous, sometimes even poking fun at the US Jewish communities at the time. At its peak, “Dayenu” appeared in 50 Jewish newspapers and was later collected in four books.
