Israeli Cartoonist and ‘Dry Bones’ Creator Yaakov Kirschen Dies at 87
Brooklyn-born Israeli cartoonist Yaakov Kirschen, whose iconic “Dry Bones” cartoons graced newspapers for decades, died on Monday at Meir Medical Center in Kfar Saba at the age of 87 after a lengthy illness.
Kirschen, who made aliyah in 1971, began drawing his trademark cartoon “Dry Bones” in 1973—a series inspired by the biblical vision of the Valley of Dry Bones and featuring a main character named Shuldig (Yiddish for guilty or blame). The comic strip became internationally syndicated and was published in The Jerusalem Post for 50 years before Kirschen moved his work to JNS.
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A respected figure in the world of cartooning, Kirschen was a member of both the US National Cartoonists Society and the Israeli Cartoonists Society. His contributions to art and Israeli culture were widely recognized, earning him numerous awards, including the Israeli Museum of Caricature and Comics’ Golden Pencil Award and the 2014 Nefesh B’Nefesh Bonei Zion Prize.
Kirschen is survived by his wife, artist Sali Ariel.
