The following insightful comic strip is a response to Johnny Hart's B.C. Easter strip. Author C.R. Wolchok turns Hart's manipulative device around by illustrating the birth of Nazism out of Christian Jew-hatred. The Jewish Defense League totally agrees with Wolchok's message. Moreover, this cartoon is a response to every Jew-hater who blames Jews for the death of Jesus; it is a powerful message to those who hate Jews because we will never become Christians. Be sure to read Wolchok's words posted after the cartoon for an expanded explanation of the strip's significance.
I heard about the recent controversy over the born again creator of the most popular comic strip in the world, "B.C." and his decision to draw a comic strip for Easter Sunday in which he slowly extinguishes the flames of the menorah until the image of the crucifix remains along with the curious quote from Jesus: "It is finished." I was a little curious myself about what the controversy was all over. I began by reading a few of the articles written from both sides of the issue, one of which argued that the comic should not be run since it contained an anti-Semitic message, and the other that maintained it was simply a statement about the shared linkage between Christianity and Judaism.
I was amazed to hear that Johnny Hart, the creator of B.C., is a born-again Christian who fills his comic strips with religious messages on holidays. From the moment I saw the strip, I was speechless. I am absolutly revolted by the chutzpah of Johnny Hart and his intention to send such an insulting message to an entire people. It essentially calls Judaism invalid since Jews will not accept Hart's path to God. But, alas, being somewhat of an armchair historian, and knowing the truth about the treatment of my people at the hands of those aligned against the Jewish nation, maybe it was not such a surprise that the most popular comic strip illustrator in the world would flippantly spit in the face of the entire Jewish people.
Most Americans are not aware of the recurring participation of Christians in the organized mass murder of Jews throughout history, not to mention their knowledge of the silence of the Church throughout the Holocaust. Many Christians truly believed that the Jews were getting what was coming to them. Sadly, this dangerous notion is still alive in the hearts of many Christians. I have reflected a great deal on the strip, and I have read Mr. Hart's explaination of it -- he described the piece as originating from a revelation he had when he noticed a crucifix in the shape of the menorah. I believe that symbolism is a very powerful and sometimes dangerous tool. Walter Benjamin, the brilliant German art critic who committed suicide in 1937 rather than face death at the hands of the Nazis, once stated that "any person, and object, and anything can mean absolutely anything else." The point he was making operates from the premise that it is possible to manipulate signs and symbols and juxtapose them into contexts where they take on new meaning.
The consequences can be devastating when images are manipulated into messages of intolerance. No one knew this better than Hitler. I hope you will read "A.D," my comic strip response to Johnny Hart's indignation toward my religion. Perhaps the world will really begin to appreciate why Jews were so offended by Hart.
C. R. "Wolf" Wolchok
