Rachel Neiman
June 22, 2014

Sports is often used as a metaphor for politics and there’s no better one for international politics than the World Cup. The Israeli Cartoon Museum in Holon decided to honor this year’s competition with a nostalgic look back at caricatures inspired by “Mondials” in years gone by.

Not surprisingly, the 1970 World Cup —  the only time to date that Israel’s national football team qualified for the finals — figures largely in the exhibition.

Because the games took place during Shavuot (the Feast of Weeks) holiday, Ha’aretz cartoonist Yaakov “Ze’ev” Farkash depicted the team bearing the harvest bounty in a victory dance.  

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Illustrator Shmuel Katz captured the national mood of elation and hope…

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While Ma’ariv’s Kariel “Dosh” Gardosh had his iconic Israeli “Srulik” character — perennially clad in work clothes and kova tembel cap —  comment on the regional infighting between Jordan and Syria with, “It doesn’t matter if you win or lose, it’s how you play the game”.

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Coach Emmanuel Scheffer was, for a brief and shining moment, a national hero but after Israel lost 0-2 to Uruguay, Ze’ev showed a man unable to control his team…

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And legendary Brazilian player Pele emerged as the true champion for years to come.

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To see the full Mondial 2014 exhibition online, visit the Israeli Cartoon Museum’s website.

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