As the Holocaust raged and most of the world looked away, a handful of American political cartoonists tried to alert the U.S. public to the horrors of the Nazi slaughter and the need for action to rescue Jewish refugees.
Their story is told in Cartoonists Against the Holocaust, a groundbreaking new book by Rafael Medoff and Craig Yoe, which for the first time brings together more than 150 of these rare political cartoons, accompanied by historical explanations and commentary.
The book’s official launch date is May 5, 2016, which is Holocaust Memorial Day (Yom HaShoah). Review copies are available now by calling 202-434-8994 or writing to info@wymaninstitute.org
Readers will view the Kristallnacht pogrom, the voyage of the refugee ship St. Louis, the struggle over America’s refugee policy, and other landmark events of the Holocaust–through the eyes of Dr. Seuss, Herbert Block (“Herblock”), Arthur Szyk, and other legendary artists and cartoonists. Many of the cartoonists were Pulitzer Prize-winning muckrakers. Some were the targets of racist mobs. And some were Jewish refugees whose parents were trapped in Hitler Europe.
Advance praise for Cartoonists Against the Holocaust:
— The New York Times: “Excoriating the apathy that aided the Nazis, the cartoonists represented here were using their art to cajole, embarrass and pillory the politicians in Washington who failed to help save Jewish lives when they had the opportunity…blunt…sheer artistry…eloquent!”
— The Washington Post reported: “Profound…deft…affecting…Cartoonists Against the Holocaust is especially valuable…as the scores of cartoons provide the most direct, affecting window into a world turned upside down.”
ABOUT THE AUTHORS:
— Dr. Rafael Medoff is founding director of The David S. Wyman Institute for Holocaust Studies and author of 16 books about the Holocaust and Jewish history.
— Craig Yoe is an Eisner Award-winning comics historian, former creative director for Jim Henson’s Muppets and Nickelodeon, and editor of nearly 100 books in the field. USA Today has called him “the genre’s master archaeologist.”
UPCOMING & RECENT PUBLIC APPEARANCES BY THE AUTHORS:
March: Conference on Teaching the Holocaust Through Comics (Israel)
April 14: Solomon Schechter School of Nassau County (NY)
May 4: Holocaust and Human Rights Education Center (White Plains, NY)
May 5: Brooklyn College
