This cartoon printed in the Hebrew newspaper Maariv reflects the feeling in Israel in the build-up to the declaration of the State in May 1948. The newspaper was published on the morning of the expected Declaration of Independence, which took place in Tel Aviv at 4pm that same Friday afternoon of May 14.
The cartoon shows a matronly figure holding a bucket and broom with the words “Hebrew State” printed on her apron. She is depicted rolling up her sleeves, striding into a messy, chaotic room of dancing children, and announcing, “And now children, to work!” The children are dressed in various clothing: one is wearing traditional Orthodox garb, another wears a cap and an armband with a Jewish star, and another is wearing a helmet, a shirt with the symbol of a Menorah, and has a gun slung over his shoulder. Two other children are wearing shirts printed with a picture of a hammer and sickle. On the other side of the room, a man holding a book leaves the room via another door. On the untidy floor is a broken chair printed with the words, “The government of Palestine (Eretz Israel),” referring to the Mandatory government. Next to it lies a book with the title “The White Paper.” Various pieces of paper are strewn around the floor printed with the words: chaos, Cyprus, Latrun, Atlit, and Yagur. A portrait of Ernest Bevin, British foreign secretary at the time of the British Mandate, hangs haphazardly on the wall.
The children represent the various social groups within the new State of Israel through the clothes they are wearing. One of the children wears a shirt printed with a menorah, the symbol of the Jewish revisionist movement Betar. The hammer and sickle symbol represents the socialist and communist groups in Israel. Another child represents the religious Jews in Israel, while the child wearing an armband with a Jewish Star can be seen to signify the Jewish people, the Land of Israel, or the Holocaust survivors. There was a lot of tension and in-fighting between the groups at the time, and the cartoonist is implying that it is time to bring an end to the childish disagreements, to celebrate, and to work together to create a strong united country.
The overturned chair represents the end of the British Mandate, as does the man leaving the room. The book (“The White Paper”) on the floor symbolizes the British policy papers restricting Jewish immigration and settlement in Israel. Similarly, the names Cyprus and Atlit on the pieces of paper refer to the now redundant detention camps set up for illegal Jewish immigrants during the British Mandate. Other names on the papers refers to the various British restrictions that had been placed on members of the Jewish resistance. Kibbutz Yagur was a Haganah stronghold where, two years earlier, the British Mandate had conducted a raid, named Black Shabbat, in which they confiscated weapons and arrested all from the men from the Kibbutz. Latrun was a British police compound where many members of the Jewish resistance were imprisoned. At the time of publication, Latrun was also a focal point of tension between Arabs and Jews due its strategic location on the Jerusalem-Tel Aviv road. When the British left, the Arab Legion took control of the area, while the Jewish resistance attempted to conquer it. There were a number of bloody battles there, especially during May 12–18, 1948, and the Haganah failed in its attempts to capture it.
It is against this backdrop that we see the children in the cartoon celebrating. On the one hand, they are celebrating their freedom from the British – no longer will they be barred from entering their country or imprisoned for defending themselves. On the other hand, the cartoonist seems to be critical of their pre-emptive celebrations. The British have barely left (the British man is still walking out of the door), and the country is already battling for its survival and probably facing an impending war. This criticism is consistent with the words of the matron, symbolising the State of Israel, who calls: “And now children – to work”; there is no time for celebrations – there is too much to do.
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Maariv - Maariv (called at the time Yediot Maariv) is an Israeli newspaper established in February 1948 by Azriel Carlebach. It is one of three newspapers from the time period that is still in publication today. The identity of the cartoonist is unknown, but his signature אופ appears in the bottom right-hand corner of the cartoon.
