Is anti-Semitic humor funny?

A cheap provocation or an attempt to engender a sincere discussion of how caricatures influence society? This is a question that Amitai Sandy of Dimona Comix Publishing will soon have to answer as the sponsor of an Israeli competition of anti-Semitic caricatures.

Sandy, who has been following the recent Muhammad cartoon episode with astonishment (he says it went completely out of control), decided to respond with a small provocation of his own.

“We decided to respond to riots in which people are being killed in because of caricatures,” Sandy told Ynet. “We think the easiest thing to do is to laugh at others. It's much more challenging to find your own weaknesses."

"So we decided to set a personal example. Anti-Semitism is always current, so after the Danes laughed at the Moslems and the Moslems initiated a competition of Holocaust jokes, we thought that as long as we are dealing with stereotypes, let’s test our own limits. We want caricaturists and illustrators to submit Jewish anti-Semitic caricatures. It will be good to refresh our anti-Semitic resources,” he said.

Sandy admits that the initiative is provocative. But he also says provocations "enrich" our milieu.

"It's always surprising to discover that messages that appear extreme speak to a much wider than expected audience,” he said.

'Terms have been cheapened'

Sandy claimed he has a serious message that goes beyond being provocative

“It’s forbidden to censure cartoons and stupid to burn books, newspapers, or anything, because of them. This may sound a bit left-wing, but this is who we are. Just like the settlers have used the Holocaust for their purposes hundreds of times – from Amona 'pogrom' to the 'holocaust' of Gush Katif," he said.

"The terms have been so cheapened that we see no reason not to appropriate Jewish stereotypes ourselves,” he added.

Sandy created the logo for the competition from three Nazi caricatures, one of which he says appeared in a Yiddish newspaper.

“From research we did in preparation for a competition in Bet Ariela we learned that in the history of Jewish cartoons the number of images taken directly from Der Sturmer is not negligible”, he said. "Introspective Jewish cartoons have often provided material for anti-Semitic propaganda.”

The competition, which is open to Jewish artists worldwide, was officially announced on the website and the sponsors will accept caricatures, illustrations and short comic strips that “express hatred of Jews as insolently as possible.”

According to a statement to the press, prizes will also include matza baked with the blood of Christian children.