Exhibition of ultra-Orthodox military draft cartoons vandalized ahead of Animix Festival

An exhibition of political cartoons about ultra-Orthodox military conscription was vandalized on Monday ahead of the Animix Festival at the Tel Aviv Cinematheque. A young man wearing a kippah confronted organizers and CEO Tomer Cohen, tearing down parts of the exhibit before fleeing. Police arrived after the suspect escaped. The festival opened as scheduled on Tuesday and runs until August 8.

An exhibition of political cartoons about the exemption of the ultra-Orthodox from military service was vandalized on Monday ahead of the opening of the Animix International Animation, Cartoon and Comics Festival at the Tel Aviv Cinematheque. The festival, which opened on Tuesday, traditionally addresses major social issues through animation and political cartoons. One of this year's featured exhibitions, titled "The Black Army," focuses on haredi (ultra-Orthodox) opposition to military conscription and includes works by many of Israel's leading cartoonists. According to the festival organizers, while the exhibition was being installed in the plaza outside the Tel Aviv Cinematheque on Monday, a young man wearing a kippah confronted organizers and Tel Aviv Cinematheque CEO Tomer Cohen. They said he tore down and damaged parts of the exhibition before attempting to flee. Festival staff and Cohen reportedly pursued him for about an hour while waiting for police, who arrived only after the suspect escaped in a taxi. The organizers said they worked to restore the damaged exhibition, which opened as scheduled on Tuesday and which runs until August 8. Animix artistic director Nissim (Nusko) Hezkiyahu said this was the first such incident in the festival's 26-year history, and that the act would not deter them, underscoring the importance of the exhibition. Several cartoonists drew responses to the incident.