For Jewish cartoonist Joann Sfar, insouciance ended on October 7
ProfileThe cartoon artist behind 'The Rabbi's Cat' went from being a mere observer of current events to an engaged author, very active on social media. He asserts his Jewish identity and shares his emotion in the face of the resurgence of antisemitism in France. His posts fuel controversy and overshadow his unwavering concern for the plight of the Palestinians.
"The Nazis forced us to wear the star, we're not going to put it back on voluntarily." For 40 years, French cartoonist Joann Sfar obeyed his father's command: no Magen David, the six-pointed star emblematic of Judaism. He had requested it as a pendant for his bar mitzvah but André Sfar had refused to give it to him. As an adult, Sfar wears rings, large silver rings featuring the chimeras of heroic fantasy: a lion, a wolf, a boar.
He waited until he turned 53, in 2024, to return to the adolescent desires he had when he was 13 and finally say "screw you" to the Nazis: Since his last birthday, he has worn a massive Magen David of about 5 centimeters in diameter, in white gold and rubies.
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