Beyond the Cartoons: An Artist Opens Up About Faith, Family, and Life

A Food That Takes You Back to Your Childhood

"My mother was a musician rather than much of a cook. But to this day, her chicken soup is the best I've ever tasted."

Three Things You Would Take to a Desert Island

"A Tanach, a Leatherman multitool, and tefillin."

What's Your Guilty Pleasure?

"Gefilte fish straight from the jar. Somehow, I've managed to pass this particular love on to my daughter Talia. I'd like to take this opportunity to tell her that I love her—but please, Talia, don't eat it in front of other people."

What Helps You Recharge After a Difficult Day?

"Hugs from my children. I go around to each of them and practically force them to give me a hug," he says with a laugh. "And that recharges my batteries."

What's Something People Don't Know About You?

"When I was seventeen and a half, I was the lead singer of a band called '100 km/h.' It was pretty embarrassing, but we thought we were absolutely amazing. The band lasted a year and a half, and we even released a CD with four songs."

What's Your Greatest Fear?

"That the political left will return to power. In my view, that would open the door to the deaths of many Jews. October 7 didn't happen in a vacuum. It was the result of the Oslo Accords, through which the left handed Gaza over to the Arabs. That's where it all began."

When Was the Last Time You Cried?

"I cry during prayer every few days, when I reach a particularly deep place in my personal requests to Hashem. When prayer truly connects with your heart and soul, it shakes you to your core."

What's Something You Would Like to Improve About Yourself?

"First and foremost, I'd like to become less arrogant and speak less lashon hara. I'd also like to become better at understanding other people's perspectives and learn to completely separate a person from their opinions."

What Was Your Most Sincere Moment Speaking to Hashem?

"The most recent one I remember was just before Yom Kippur. I had a truly beautiful, heartfelt conversation with Hashem and was able to pour out my soul before Him. But I don't believe there's one single moment that's the 'most' sincere. Life is a process, and every moment stands on its own. Each one has its own unique qualities, meaning, and significance."

What's a Dream You Still Haven't Given Up On?

"I have somewhere between 100 and 150 projects waiting on the shelf. They're all still there, and they'll happen when the time is right. I haven't given up on a single one. The problem is that new ideas and projects keep joining the list. Not long ago, for example, I started working on a book. But then election season came around, and I couldn't continue working on it. So the book went back on the shelf, even though it's already 80 percent complete. But you don't give up on dreams. You just put them on hold."

What Quality Do You Admire Most in People?

"Self-awareness."

If You Could Sit Down for a Conversation With Someone Who Is No Longer Alive, Who Would It Be?

"Rabbi Akiva. Fifteen years ago, I created an entire comic book about him. As part of the process, I delved into Midrashim and stories that many people aren't familiar with, and I developed a special connection with his character. I gained profound insights from the extraordinary transformation he underwent at the age of forty, the tremendous courage he demonstrated as Bar Kochba's teacher, and his ability to envision the future. All of it was rooted in an immense love for Hashem."

How Would You Like to Be Remembered After 120 Years?

"As a good father. Everything else is nonsense."

Which of Your Creations Are You Most Proud Of?

"First and foremost, my children. Beyond that, I can't really choose just one creation. That's a difficult question for any artist. But I'll tell you about something I did recently. I participated in a competition organized by several right-wing organizations that wanted to draw attention to what they see as serious corruption in the conduct of Israel's Supreme Court. They held a hackathon dedicated to protest art.

"My creation was a judge's gavel. The head of the gavel was made from a massive 170-liter garbage bin, while the handle was constructed from a sewage pipe. A copy of Haaretz newspaper was fed into the sewage pipe from below, while court rulings appeared to spill out of the garbage bin. I won first place, and I was absolutely thrilled.

"Actually, on second thought, the creation I'm most proud of is the creative thinking course I currently teach in the world of artificial intelligence. In the age of AI, everyone can create illustrations, become a cartoonist, or generate written content with just a few words. What really matters now is the idea behind it all. That's what I teach: how to think creatively, how to develop strong ideas, and how to turn them into something genuinely original. I spent a year and a half developing the course, and we've already had our first group of graduates. They absolutely loved it."