On Thursday, September 8, StandWithUs released the second issue of its comic book series, "Captain Israel." In this 12-page issue, the "superhero of our time" takes on the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement (BDS), depicted as an evil, venomous snake.
"BDS is part of a long history of anti-Semitism in Europe and the Middle East. Anti-Semitic campaigns like this date back to the Middle Ages, to Nazi Germany, and to the Arab League's boycott implemented in 1945-before the Jewish state was even reestablished, and they are still in place today. The malicious motives remain the same: singling out, marginalizing, then punishing the Jewish people with boycotts, expulsions, and, perhaps worse, denial of the right to be a normal and accepted people and nation. In the comic book, the acronym BDS stands for the 'barbaric, destructive snake,' because that is precisely what BDS is: anti-peace; anti-cooperation in the arts, sciences, and academia; and anti-Semitic. Decent people can become the prey of BDS ploys if they are uninformed. Our comic book exposes the roots and lies of BDS and offers ways to combat this campaign," explained Roz Rothstein, CEO of StandWithUs.Dedicated to Israel education, StandWithUs launched the "Captain Israel" comic book series in December 2010 to reach younger audiences and people who learn more easily with visual representations than with text. "All the facts are documented and presented in our other materials. This is just another way to learn," said Rothstein.
The first issue raised Mark Twain's profound question about how the Jewish people have survived and "what is the secret of his immortality." Captain Israel, armed with the strength of Samson and the wisdom of Solomon, symbolizes the spirit, determination, and resilience of the Jewish people. He teaches about the Jews' 3,000-year-old connection to their homeland, the history of the reborn state of Israel, and its constant search for peace with its neighbors.
The second issue addresses the challenge of BDS. Arlen Schumer, "Captain Israel" illustrator and co-writer with StandWithUs, packs history and current events into his vivid images of the anti-Israel BDS snake attempting to poison well-meaning people and promoting the campaign in churches, in universities, and to performing artists, hoping that they will adopt BDS and join this "soft war" against Israel. Captain Israel guides readers through the past history of BDS and its current forms, pointing a way to victory. His weapon is the menorah, which Captain Israel uses as the light of knowledge.
"If decent people who want peace can be misled into making the bad choice of supporting BDS, then they can also be educated to make the right choice and join together to defeat BDS," emphasized Rothstein.
The comic book details how many groups the BDS snake has tried to poison and how many have stood up against its toxins. Though BDS, activists barrage performing artists, demanding that they not appear in Israel. Many proudly came and denounced the effort, from Paul McCartney to Lydon and Elton John, who shouted to the crowds, "Ain't gonna stop me from comin'. That's what we do. We don't cherry-pick our conscience." When BDS called for boycotting stores with Israeli products, StandWithUs and the America Israel Chamber of Commerce launched the highly successful BIG campaign-"Buy Israeli Goods."
"We plan to reach a wide audience with this new comic book, and we hope that it will inspire people to marginalize destructive campaigns like BDS, which is bad for Israel, the Jewish people, the Palestinians, and for the very values BDS so ruthlessly perverts," concluded Rothstein.
