Not the Israel My Parents Promised Me

by Harvey Pekar, J.T. Waldman (Illustrator), Joyce Brabner (Epilogue)

Harvey Pekar's mother was a Zionist by way of politics. His father was a Zionist by way of faith. Whether Harvey was going to daily Hebrew classes or attending Zionist picnics, he grew up a staunch supporter of the Jewish state. But soon he found himself questioning the very beliefs and ideals of his parents. In Not the Israel My Parents Promised Me , the final graphic memoir from the man who defined the genre, Pekar explores what it means to be Jewish and what Israel means to the Jews. Over the course of a single day in his hometown of Cleveland, Ohio, Pekar and the illustrator JT Waldman wrestle with the mythologies and realities surrounding the Jewish homeland. Pekar interweaves his increasing disillusionment with the modern state of Israel with a comprehensive history of the Jewish people from biblical times to the present, and the result is a personal and historical odyssey of uncommon power. Plainspoken and empathetic, Pekar had no patience for injustice and prejudice in any form, and though he comes to understand the roots of his parents' unquestioning love for Israel, he arrives at the firm belief that all peoples should be held to the same universal standards of decency, fairness, and democracy. With an epilogue written by Joyce Brabner, Not the Israel My Parents Promised Me is an essential book for fans of Harvey Pekar and anyone interested in the past and future of the Jewish state. It is bound to create important discussions and debates for years to come.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Nonfiction, History, Memoir, Politics, Religion

176 pages, Hardcover

First published July 3, 2012

About the author

Harvey Pekar was an American writer and comics creator whose groundbreaking autobiographical series American Splendor helped redefine the possibilities of graphic storytelling. Frequently called the poet laureate of Cleveland, he developed a body of work that approached everyday life with candor, humor, frustration, and philosophical reflection. Pekar’s voice became central to the evolution of comics into a medium capable of serious literary expression, and his influence extended to criticism, journalism, and popular culture through his essays, radio work, and memorable television appearances.
Pekar grew up in Cleveland, where his parents operated a small grocery store, and his early experiences shaped much of the sensibility that later defined his writing. His deep love of jazz led him into criticism, and through that world he befriended artist Robert Crumb. Their shared interest in music eventually led him to try writing comics. Pekar wrote his first scripts in the early seventies, sketching out stories with simple figures before passing them to Crumb and other underground artists who encouraged him to continue. With the first issue of American Splendor in 1976, Pekar began chronicling the small battles, anxieties, and fleeting moments that made up his daily life in Cleveland. His day job as a file clerk, his marriages, conversations with coworkers, frustrations with bureaucracy, and the struggle to make ends meet all became material for a series that often blurred the line between observation and confession. Over the years, he worked with a wide range of artists who interpreted his scripts in styles that mirrored the emotional tone of each story.
The success of American Splendor brought Pekar national attention. Collections such as The Life and Times of Harvey Pekar received strong critical praise, and his unpredictable, often confrontational appearances on late-night television became a defining part of his public persona. The 2003 film adaptation of American Splendor, in which Paul Giamatti portrayed him, earned major festival awards and introduced Pekar’s work to a wider audience. He continued to write graphic memoirs, biographies, collaborations, and cultural commentary, expanding his range while maintaining the blunt honesty that characterized his voice. Pekar’s work remains central to the development of literary comics, influencing generations of writers and artists who followed his example.

Reviews

[Bill Kerwin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Do you remember Havey Pekar—lifelong Clevelander, Veteran's Administration file clerk, and comic book writer—who appeared on Letterman a half a dozen times in the late 80's? Or perhaps you remember American Splendor (2003), the movie of his life starring Paul Giamatti and Hope Davis as the eccentric Harvey and his wife Joyce Brabner? Check out Letterman Harvey on YouTube, rent the Giamatti movie from Netflix, for they are certainly worth your while, but also check out what should be Harvey's best remembered legacy, the ground-breaking series of autobiographical anecdotes in comic book form—each astonishingly uneventful, submerged in the mundane--which Pekar produced (with various illustrators, including R, Crumb) from 1976 to 1994.

This illustrated history/autobiography is the last in the series, published after Harvey's death, and it shows us Harvey and his illustrator JT Waldman visiting various Cleveland landmarks—John T. Zubal's Antiquarian Bookstore, Gallucci's Italian Food, the Cleveland Public Library—as they discuss both Harvey's personal history and the history of Israel and how the two intertwine. Both Harvey's parents loved Israel: his father, an observant Jew, revered it as a spiritual homeland, and his mother, a socialist and an atheist, championed it it as a revolutionary nation. Harvey, torn between contrary loves, eventually comes to doubt them both, as he watches Israel progress from the war of '67 through the rise of the Orthodox Right in the '80's, culminating in what he sees as a new disturbing nationalism.

For my taste, the book had too much Israel and too little Harvey, but it was still a good historical overview, and Harvey's reflections on the meaning of Israel are always sharp and sincere. As a bonus, the book concludes with a brief epilogue by Harvey's widow Joyce, in which she adds a few remarks of her own and concludes with a moving description of Harvey's funeral as something “proudly Jewish but not nationalist” (the word “Cleveland” was substituted for “Israel” as Harvey's “place of belonging”) .

[Carla · Rating 5 out of 5]

So I'll admit that I can't give an unbiased review of this work. I worked at the Cleveland Heights Library when Harvey came in as a patron, and I was there the day he brought J.T. in for a tour. Carole? She really looks like that, and is that fabulous. And when she and J.T. go upstairs, it's to visit my graphic novel collection.

I feel that, even though this is a book about Israel, it's a very Cleveland story. The East Side is home to many Jewish families who fled Russia and Europe over the last few generations, and there's a real mix of different traditions and beliefs here. We have ultra-orthodox folk who won't let their daughters touch the Internet once they've hit puberty, and we have folk like Harvey who are culturally Jewish but no longer believe in God. I see in Harvey's book the attempt to reconcile cultural pride and unity with a global perspective on history and civil rights.

[Mariel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Harvey Pekar's widow Joyce Brabner is knelt on the ground with a memorial, in the afterward. Not the Israel My Parents Promised me was published two years after his death. It is a tombstone pulpit that reaches its voice from somewhere not quite the gut. A gizzard choking voice, maybe. Her husband's father was in the ground before they met. Both had Alzheimer's and they were strangers. She didn't know their son anymore so what was the point in meeting his girl. Brabner didn't meet his family until his mother's funeral. I don't know if she was gathered to their bosom. Something about remembering that Harvey wore a suit from the Goodwill and she a plain dress made me think not. You remember the staleness, the dullness that way. She likens Jews to Marsupials, from the same family of kangaroos and wombats and looking not the same. The pouches would be stale, I guess, collecting new faces to put on top of the forgotten old ones. I liked that she thought it important to note that the Rabbi only knew his parents from how much money they gave to Israel. It's a few pages at the end and she gives what I felt to be the heart of the story, if it had spoken from somewhere that just is. If it is all about spiritualism and togetherness then where is the support? Why does it gotta be about anything else?

Pekar tows artist JT Waldman (he's drawn in as the listener, as if the pictures of himself could be those annoying conversational indicators to steer things along. The dreaded "I sees" and "Uh huhs" and "hmmms") with him to what is the world's largest used book store. Another time I would have liked to dig around in that place. This time I was impatient with Waldman's body positioned to body check me with facts and figures. Stick figures like the writings on the wall or walk like an Egyptian artifacts from the caves of history. The owner of the cool looking bookstore interrupts the rear end viewing to ask what I had been thinking myself. I was a bit pissed off he gets the lecture about how important it is to know this stuff (well, I already did). He starts to tell why Israel had been important to him, Harvey Pekar. His Polish Holocaust survivors moved to America. A believer and a non-believer shared a passion for Zionism that their son had to live and ooze out of his pores. It was like five atomic wedgies at once when a local parent catches young Harvey distributing communist flyers upon orders from his mother. "Don't let your PARENTS catch you!" I think it was a "most importantly" don't let them catch you. You caught me, I don't know what I believe. His back is turned and it's oh brother, you don't get it. The Harvey talking is talking about why he was interested in Zionism and I see a kid who is you caught me not quite catching up in this story as it should. He is rejected by Israel for immigration in the 1960s (out of unemployment desperation) because he was a loser they couldn't want for anything. He's rejected out of hand. Kicked out of usa military for not being able to wash his own clothes right. They didn't want him, who he was told to want. Where was God? It was telling that when he is in the mandatory Hebrew school to prepare for his Bah Mitzvah he is learning the words and never what they mean. Young Harvey is kicked out of Hebrew school for causing trouble. The parents avoid the issue of own belief and hire him a private tutor to mimic the motions. He earns his father's grudging respect with a pretty recital. Pekar knows he must have been great for his father to admit any benefit. I saw a guy who still didn't what any of it meant. He had wanted to, before his father so-called saves the day.

Waldman quotes people saying that the belief in God is hand in hand with how you feel about your parents. I can see a lot in this. It seems to me that if you want someone who is always in the right you are going to likely have problems with whatever you get. So if Israel is entitled by God given right to their holy land, then why did they have to fight for it in the first place, asks Pekar. Wouldn't God have given it to them anyway? Flashback to the bible and Abraham is forced to his knees in sacrifice of his son to prove who is his daddy. Flash back to centuries of it was bad here and it wasn't so bad here while it was much, much worse here. I would have said all along that it was just wrong to persecute or willfully hurt another in the name of anything. God, no God. This person did this then back when or no. Sometimes I was caught up in the hauntings of the past. The birth of the Mishna is depicted in a mosaic figure of a hunched man with a wiseman's beard that could be a part of his robes of knowledge. He's bent to take something. His hand touches the earth. Knock on the superstition of everything. Rabbis are henceforth lifted up on the shoulders of their bent masses. Stand tall and it all depends on the man. The fountain will only pour forth from what someone decides.

People walk around in the background and they say they are so very afraid what will happen to them if Jews don't have their own country.

People say hey, but what about... But what about... Maybe this is wrong. Maybe it'll never end. Pekar now says it is wrong, it won't end but I was tired of all the talk. It's sad and it just is. The faces of Pekar and Waldman are conversational indicators to say when it is time to talk. I don't know, Pekar's face looks grave, like he is holding something in his hands. An argument with parents he can never talk to again. It had to have been more about everything that ever happened all building up to this. It started somewhere and it wasn't in 400 a.d. or in 1933. Don't you want to know someone by more than how they felt about Israel? Did they ever talk about anything else in the Pekar house? I get the feeling he's talking about this now and the conversation should be about more. Hey, you told me all of this stuff was important. Then Waldman says they are yearning for an impossible future. Where does land figure in to it? I've had this feeling before like all anyone wanted was to even the score. But what score? Do they see themselves like ghost Darth Vader, Yoda and Obi-Wan Kenobi stepping inside Luke Skywalker from time to time to guide his hand? I just slapped myself in the face.

I found a lot of it interesting (hey, I probably won't ever get sick of this stuff for good. I want to get dreamy and read about revolts in Kazakhstan and think in two people at once. Russians and what it looked beyond the pale). Pekar is right about talking about this stuff. If you believe in God, and you believe in history, do you see yourself as belonging to something else with nothing else? If you don't, then why is any of the shit that is going to happen a-okay?
But yeah, I wish MOST of the book wasn't a history lesson when I wanted to know what Israel Pekar had wanted, if he wanted one. What about that god/parent thing?

[Daniel Sevitt · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really didn't go into this looking for a fight but it's just so undercooked and trivial. Pekar was a Jew with no strong feelings about Israel. He never went there. He's fairly sure that Occupation is not a good thing and... er... that's it. I guess I was looking for something a bit meatier, but his patented brand of grumpy apathy doesn't suit the subject. Disappointing.

[Daniel Montague · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pg. 85: “I’m just tired of people saying I’m a self-hating Jew because I’m critical of Israel or make fun of old Jewish ladies.”
Pg. 156: “But what Do I know? I make comic books and write about jazz.”

As a fellow native Northern Ohioan with a curmudgeon streak I sympathize with Harvey Pekar. In saying that, this work, his final one seems like a half-bake plan to capitalize on the remaining days of his life. While the conceit might have been sensible, in form it stumbles and bumbles without many interesting opinions or ideas. Harvey looks back at the promise of a Jewish homeland that was supposed to be a haven but that has in his view been fraught with hypocrisy and fanaticism. He waxes on about how the oppressed the Jewish people in the form of Israel have become the oppressors. How they have supported and propped up authoritative regimes such as the one in South Africa during apartheid. His primary foil and confidante of his pontificating is his illustrator JT Waldman. He takes along Waldman on a self-guided tour of Cleveland visiting a library and a huge used book store. While, I found the Jewish history fascinating the incorporation of it with Harvey’s personal reflections left much to be desired. Overall, the story vacillated between telling the encompassing story of the Jewish state and the personal story of Harvey Pekar, while not doing either of them very well. Harvey’s opinions are too thin and superficial while the history of Israel, especially post-Six Day War was too narrow. I certainly do not have a problem with people or even myself talking out of my ass but I do not think it is worthy of being published and for that reason this only attains two stars.

[Andrew]

Of course this couldn’t have been published until after he died.

At the time of publication, it would be hard to believe that this wouldn’t have caused an uproar, given Harvey Pekar’s status as one of the great humanistic American writers – and specifically humanistic Jewish American writers – of the past half-century. This is a simply told story, of a boy who grows up in the shadows of the Holocaust, and slowly starts to realize that things aren’t exactly as portrayed, despite the true idealism of his parents. And it’s all told through this sort of lilting Socratic dialogue between Pekar and his illustrator, two Jewish men of different generations and seemingly different perspectives. A beautiful swan song for a great writer.

[Chazzbot · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pekar's last graphic novel is part history lesson, part conversation with a reliably irascible personality, one whose obsessions and opinions are well-known to his fans. Here, Pekar recounts the long, troubled history of the Jewish people and the state of Israel while offering his viewpoint on how Israel has painted itself into a moral and political corner. Pekar, true to form, makes no secret of his political leanings or the sense of disappointment he feels in other Jews (including his parents) who blindly support every Israeli policy decision.

What makes this text more than just a screed is the concise presentation of a history of the Jews. These passages in the book wrestle with an enormous amount of detail (in terms of both timespan and information), but manage to convey to the reader a good sense of how Israel came to be. It should be noted that this is very much a beginner's guide--readers more familiar with this history may find it too basic to be engaging. As a novice to much of this information, I found it fascinating. Unfortunately, even though Pekar's obsessive book-collecting is portrayed here, no citations or suggestions for further reading are provided, leaving the interested reader with no indication of where to go next.

JT Waldman's illustrations employ a variety of techniques to bring Pekar's monologue to life. Ranging from finely-detailed pencil work to watercolors to abstract representation, every page of this book is infused with imagery that reward close inspection. Pekar has a long history of choosing accomplished artists for his comics, and Waldman ranks among the best of Pekar's collaborators. Even if you are not interested in Pekar's views on Israel, Waldman's work here is rewarding in itself.

Pekar's widow, Joyce Brabner, provides a moving, if somewhat tangential, epilogue that offers a kind of memorial to Pekar. The epilogue doesn't tie in too directly with the subject matter of the rest of the book, but fans of Pekar will appreciate the gesture.

Both Pekar and the history of the Jews are complex subjects, and this small graphic novel cannot offer a comprehensive view of either of them. But there is enough here to keep a reader engaged in both the man and his subject, and in that regard this book is worth reading.

[Jon Nakapalau · Rating 4 out of 5]

In depth look at the perception differing groups have on Israel. I am still amazed when I talk to individuals who seem to think that the Jewish people are all the same; I would argue that this perception often adds to the misunderstanding many people have of Israel. Harvey Pekar helps you navigate this complex issue.

[Mao · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovingly made, whistle-stop tour of the history of the Jewish people and the State of Israel. A thoroughly enjoyable read!

[Just a Girl Fighting Censorship · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have to admit I was turned off right from the start. Pekar begins by asking theological/religious questions he seems to think are groundbreaking, but are nothing new. Let me be clear, my issue is not that he is an atheist Jew, but that he apparently has not put in the minimal effort to read up on these questions he uses to dismiss God and religion and in turn dismiss the Zionist movement. There are endless writings addressing these questions, so either he didn't actually seek out answers, or he is being misleading here to suggest there are no answers to these questions.

Strike two was also very early on when he notes that he has never been to Israel. Of course people have the right to their opinion, but I also have the right to place a certain value on that opinion. I think it should be obvious that the opinion of someone who lives in Israel is more valuable than someone who does not when it comes to Israeli politics. I don't care how much research you do, if you haven't even taken the time to visit and see for yourself, I'm going to place less value on that viewpoint.

I didn't find Pekar's perspective particularly groundbreaking, interesting, or insightful. I did enjoy the aspects of this book that were a look at his own life and experiences. I did like seeing the Zionist perspective from American Jews. However these parts were few and far between. A large portion of the book gave us the history of the Jewish people which I found to be very unnecessary and poorly conveyed.

Overall this was difficult to get through despite its relative brevity. It did nothing to broaden my understanding of the conflict between Israel and Palestine.

[Tom · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three books in one, really. The first is a condensed history of the Jews, from Abraham to roughly last week. And by condensed, I mean: the Cliff Notes version, or maybe the Cliff Notes of the Cliff Notes. But it's pretty good, as far as it goes, and it has the best artwork.

The second book is the story of how Harvey Pekar's thinking on Israel evolved. It's interesting and sometimes poignant, but it's built on a really annoying framing device that involves Harvey and JT Waldman (who, in a fair universe, would be credited as the primary author) wandering around Cleveland having the world's least realistic conversation.

The third book is a philosophical argument about how we, as human beings or more specifically as Jews, should think about modern Israel. It's pretty weak ... and I say that despite agreeing maybe 80% with the viewpoint presented. Unfortunately, some things are perhaps not well suited to the graphic novel medium.

[Louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Author Harvey Pekar shows how his parents presented Israel to him with idealism and sincerity. As a boy he sees his parents thrilled as Israel wins its "War of Independence". As he grows older he sees why the Palestinians call the very same war, "The Catastrophe".

The graphic and conversational formats force an economy of words that boils this complex story to its essentials. The conversational format also aids in personalizing the content.

While the comic style usually does not move me, some of the illustrations are very good. Highlights include using mosaic and Arab art to depict ancient and Muslim history respectively; the pp.62-63 representations of the diaspora; the portrait of the embassy official 93-95 smoking 1950's style; and the pp. 158-159 conversation on the current no-win dynamics taking place in a maze.

There were some things I did not know I did not know, for instance that David Ben Gurion and Moshe Dayan had both publicly acknowledged that the Arab land had been taken and that Israel had sold arms to Pinochet and Iran, all the while courting and receiving US support.

The epilogue doesn't fully fit. I wonder what Pekar would think of it.

For those who agree with Pekar, it will be re-assuring. For others it will provide an antidote to the media's unquestioned pro-Israel stance. Zionists will not like this book.

[Joel · Rating 2 out of 5]

BOY OH BOY did I want to like this more than I did!

As a 31 year old Jewish man from Ohio who was raised in exactly the kind of Zionist household that Harvey describes, I was excited to explore some of the emotional depth involved in evolving opinions of Israel in response to it's change from a leftist/Marxist dream state in the early part of the 20th century, to one increasingly controlled by right wing religious zealots as it is today.

ALAS! The vast majority of the book is a history of Israel as told by not-historian Harvey Pekar in a fairly non engaging way. The art is lovely for the most part, (though every time I see someone specifically not draw Mohammed in a book it makes me furious! THIS IS A GRAPHIC NOVEL! When you talk about Jews, YOU DRAW JEWS! When you talk about Christians, YOU DRAW CHRISTIANS! FOR GOD'S SAKE'S, WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT MOHAMMED, EFFING DRAW HIM, YOU COWARDS!!)

The artist had one day of conversation and since Harvey is dead, he went ahead and turned it into a book. I understand the motivation and impetus, but it doesn't make it a worthwhile read. Glad it was a library borrow.

[Ruz El · Rating 4 out of 5]

I believe this is the final project Pekar was working before passing away. As such it really feels like a companion to "Cleveland" in that with the two books you really get a feeling for who Harvey was as a person. That said, I preferred "Cleveland" more since this one is primarily a history of Israel as seen through Harveys' eyes. I mostly agree with his opinions, I'm not sure if some would find this scandalous or not, and it's certainly presented well.

The art is great as well. JT Waldman does a great job of utilizing different styles depending on what is being presented, all while maintaining a certain look and keeping the pages flowing. He was certainly the right man for the job.

So all in all, it's fine Pekar, and certainly worth a look. Sadly there wont be any new work coming as far as I can tell which is a shame. This book and "Cleveland" show Pekar at the top of his game and clearly not ready to stop.

[elsie ☮︎ · Rating 2 out of 5]

the story and the medium feel kind of at odds here. it’s very much an old man’s perspective on israel but packaged in a comic book; trying to capture the same appeal as maus i guess, which is probably why it feels reductive and tired. the whole “grumpy, half-sentimental, half-apathetic, old jewish guy tells a story” thing just works so much better in maus, when it’s retrospectively covering one man’s experiences during the holocaust. and while criticisms of israel can be subtle and personal, here it just undermines the urgency of an issue that, unlike ww2, is very much ongoing. also, pekar is much more focused on the shortcomings of israel as an idea than the tangible suffering of palestinians, which concerningly makes the entire topic feel more like a hypothetical than a reality.
i think that if it was packaged differently, pekar’s story would genuinely sway some older people towards being more critical of israel, but i don’t think this comic book is going to change any minds.

[Dov Zeller · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always like reading Harvey Pekar because of the conversations he opens up. It is as if he is having a dialogue with himself, his illustrators and his readers all at once while arguing with history, everyone, and his own system of beliefs. It seems he wants to believe the world is different than it is and is disappointed in general -- and waiting to hear news that people are better than they are. He does not perhaps love human-ness, yet he is profoundly curious and appreciative of times and places and ideas there is a vast fairness about his explorations. I like his collaboration with Waldman. I think they balance each other out -- they have complimentary moods of self-absorption.

[Guilherme Smee · Rating 5 out of 5]

É impossível assistir aos atos de Benjamin Netanyahu e toda a sua escalada bélica no Oriente Médio sem se comover com o número de mortos que essa guerra religiosa e identitária causa. Mas para entender as causas, mesmo que irracionais, de toda essa morte e destruição, recomendo fortemente ler Não é a Israel que Meus Pais Prometeram, de Harvey Pekar, criado por judeus marxistas e sionistas. Pekar é um grande nome dos quadrinhos undergrounds estadunidenses, mas com pouquíssimo material traduzido para o Brasil. Neste quadrinho, que funciona como um documentários sobre as guerras por Israel e o passado dos judeus, mas também como uma autobiografia de Pekar relacionada ao sionismo, entendemos como uma pessoa criada para adorar o estado de Israel passa a militar conta ele. Este quadrinho foi publicado em 2012 nos EUA e após a morte de Pekar, em 2010. A minha geração e a geração dos meus pais cresceram ouvindo notícias sobre uma inacabável guerra entre israelenses e palestinos, eu imagino o que Pekar pensaria sobre a ditadura de Netanyahu e suas ambições bélicas, étnicas e econômicas sobre o Oriente Médio e quanta revolta não sentiria. Um baita quadrinho educativo sobre como a guerra é uma coisa insensata e como nações são apenas lendas, contos imaginados por humanos.

[Gabriel Xavier · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story mix up a very interesting historical overview of Israel/jew people with an autobiography of the author. This was my first experience with him so I don’t have strong connections to enjoy but it’s still worth it to understand the pov of someone that lived through it.

[Corky · Rating 4 out of 5]

That final segment was both unexpected and deeply moving.

This graphic novel was very informative and unique in the way it weaved together a sweeping historical migration of people with Pekar's personal experience as a Jewish American. Pekar's insights were very straightforward and, in my opinion, telling of the simplicity at the root of caring about human rights regardless of differences.

[Dave · Rating 3 out of 5]

In many ways this was Not the Book My Expectations Promised Me. I think I gave it 3 stars out of sentimentality.

The book is basically a graphic portrayal of a long conversation that the illustrator had with Pekar over the course of a day (with a separate epilogue done by Pekar's widow). Were there more conversations planned that were interrupted by Pekar's illness and death? Pekar's fatigue was alluded to a couple of times in the book, and we know he was ill for a long period before his death, so that's a reasonable conclusion. Waldman went with what he had--unfortunately, that really wasn't quite enough.

What it did do well was treat the history of the state of Israel in an objective way (when I say history, I mean history--goes back to Abraham). The goals of early Zionism are portrayed sympathetically (although I think I was already biased in that direction before coming to this story). However, having a deeper understanding about a complex issue that is different from a position one might have held as a youth (I can think of so many examples from my own life) is not unique enough to sustain the theme of a whole graphic memoir.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a quick read. For his last posthumously-published book, it's a good note to end on. If you're already a pro-Palestinian Jew, you'll find yourself nodding your head a lot. I like the way Pekar blends his personal history as a child of Zionist parents with his own coming to terms with the reality of how the modern Jewish state actually operates. There's a big rift between the ideal and the reality and he doesn't pretend that it's not there. The art is fantastic - every frame seems really accurately and heartfully researched. I like that Pekar incorporates attempted interruptions to his narrative, it's so Pekar-ish - one final assertion of his personality comes through.

[Nashwa S · Rating 4 out of 5]

So this book stands at a solid four star rating for me.

It was like revisiting my modern history lessons in University; which were some of my favourite courses.

This book follows the renowned artist Harvey Pekar and his views towards the modern day Israel and the god given claim to land. It was an interesting take since Pekar never visited Israel himself. Growing up with staunch Zionist parents, the book discusses the shifts in his own beliefs and give analytical and insightful arguments about the current day state of Israel. It’s packed with information and history so I will be going through it again.

[Terry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Never read American Splendor. Good, detailed, accurate storytelling. I have learned more about Judaism in this, than I likely ever would on my own, or by casual observation. A chatty, sometimes preachy opinion piece. Beautiful art, articulate, detailed; I forgot it is a book, I feel like I am "there." Great characterization. I feel like, even though it may not be the best book, that I am watching a master at work.

[Cyndi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actually quite good. Gives a quick but telling history of Israel and of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. From the point of view of a Jew who saw the country of Israel unfold (from the US). He started off as many of us Jews do, unabashedly supporting Israel no matter what. And slowly changed as he saw the reality of what the Israeli government was doing (and the rise of the Jewish religious right-wing). Pekar died before his book could be published and his wife adds an epilogue.

[Susan Bybee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pekar makes the history and conflict about Palestine understandable. JT Waldman's artwork is mind-blowing. His illustrations fit each epoch Harvey Pekar is discussing. Beautiful epilogue by Joyce Brabner.

[Melting Uncle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Before I read this book I had very sketchy notions of what Zionism and the Israeli/Palestine thing is about. This was a really entertaining crash course. I have no idea if Harvey is right or wrong but now I know this issue is a lot more complex than I thought. R.I.P. Harvey Pekar

[Kay · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not the Israel My Parents Promised Me reads like a manic (all over the place) selective anti-Zionist piece. As I understand it, JT Waldman & Harvey Pekar met and had these conversations over one day, and when/then Harvey Pekar passed away JT Waldman took the recorded conversations from that day & made this book. And, that's where JT loses me. These conversations not only do not hold enough weight to carry as an opinion on Israel, but they also do not make up enough material to fill out a book. (There are pages of Harvey & JT talking to a librarian about books on Cleveland for another project, or driving through Cleveland, and talking about talking, etc... And how is that meaningful book filler/related to Israel??! ...The answer is, it's not, but that's what we're left with.)
That's maybe my main issue with the book.

But don't worry, I have other issues too. ;)

On Jewish History:
Harvey Pekar breaks down Jewish History in a pretty minimalistic & literally sketchy way. I can't imagine understanding any of it if I didn't already come into this book with years of Jewish History study under my belt. And because I've already got that study under my belt I can argue against the claim that after the Jews (called Israelites) returned to Israel from the Babylonian exile "The returning Jews found a mixed population, including the group called the Samaritans. The Samaritans wanted to unite with the Babylonian Jews but were rejected by them, partly because of class and ethnic differences." (Pg. 22)
The Samaritans practice Samaritanism. It's a different religion. The Samaritans believe they practice the true Jewish religion, unadulterated by the (Talmudic/Rabbinic) Judaism practiced during the Babylonian exile because they were able to stay in Israel pretty isolated during the exile. I have never read anything alluding to their desire to "unite" with the Babylonian Jews as much as they wanted to become the dominant practiced religion. Ditto with the class and ethnic differences as reasons the Babylonian Jews rejected them... I've never heard that -only that they literally practice a different religion than Halachik Judaism. The Samaritans literally built a temple on Mount Gerizim near Shechem when the Jews built a temple on Mount Zion in Jerusalem (on the site where the First Jewish Temple was built & destroyed)...
Not a very important point, but a point nonetheless that Harvey Pekar & JT Waldman are not the ones I'd go to for Jewish History lessons...

On Jewish Theology:
Harvey takes JT to a used book store where they carry out a large chunk of their conversation in this book. Before they enter Harvey asks a whole bunch of Jewish theological questions, which actually have Jewish theological answers to them. If either man had actually been interested in looking them up... Instead, they pontificate into the thin air, very proud of the depth of their questions "without answers" & leave it at that.
Harvey asks:
1. "Right, so God's chosen people had to bust their butts to take over the land that God set aside for them? That doesn't make sense. Why didn't he give the Jews Canaan without the hassle of fighting? I mean, He is omnipotent, isn't he?"
2. "And where was God during the Holocaust? That's no way to treat your chosen people."
3. "Jews don't believe in ancient Greek mythology, why do they believe in their own?"
4. "Chosen people! Chosen for what? To be murdered and hounded around the globe for thousands of years?"
(Pg. 5)

All of these questions are basic Jewish theological questions. The most learned names in Orthodoxy, Conservativism & Reform Judaism have answers for each question. And funny enough, question #2 is even answered by a Zionist response in Eim HaBanim Semeicha by Rabbi Yissachar Shlomo Teichtal!

Ok, and now we're up to it.
On Israel:

* Harvey says on Pg. 8 he's never been to Israel. Oof.
This whole rambling book is seemingly about the settlements and occupation of land after '67, and he's never even seen a settlement?! Unreal.
Sure, you can have an opinion on a place you've never been, but damn, a whole friggin book??

* Harvey & JT are sitting in the bookstore. JT asks the bookstore owner, Tom Zubal: "But if, like Harvey, you don't believe in God, what's the basis for a modern Jewish State?"
Tom: "The Holocaust."

Tom's answer begs the question: does Tom know anything about Judaism or Israel? Why is JT asking him this question at all? Why do neither Harvey or JT address the elephant in the room: That until 1948 Jews had had no right to self-determination for about 2,000 years in the diaspora.
Here's my answer: Every ethnic group on the planet has the right to self-determination. Israel is the Jewish homeland & I'm not just referring to the religion or practice of Judaism (which also has ties to land with Israel exclusive land-based commandments). The majority of Jews from around the world share genetic markers tying them to the Levant. Jews are indigenous to the area & there has been a continuous Jewish presence in the land (even if it was small at times due to ethnic cleaning & expulsions) since the times of the First Temple in Jerusalem. So, that's the basis for the Modern State of Israel. Jews are indigenous to the land & all indigenous people should have the right to self-determination. (And besides for genes, there are archeological sites of ancient Jewish synogouges scattered all over Israel prooving the point.)

*Harvey mentions that he's not an antisemite (or rather, a self-hating Jew), and yet this book is filled with antisemitic tropes.
On page 47: A younger Pekar argues (in the false defense of Jews actually) that Jews can't be prejudiced against Arabs because "they're both Semites!" Ug. The "Semitic" argument itself is actually an antisemitic dog whistle. Of course, Jews can be prejudiced against Arabs and Arabs can be prejudiced against Jews. What does speaking a Semitic language (like Hebrew or Arabic or Amharic) have to do with anything and how does it connect ethnically & culturally different peoples? -Semitic languages "are a branch of the Afroasiatic language family originating in West Asia. They are spoken by more than 330 million people across much of West Asia, and latterly also North Africa, the Horn of Africa, Malta, in small pockets in the Caucasus, etc."
Antisemitism ("Anti-semitism") is the act of Jew-hatred. The word was coined in 1879 by Wilhelm Marr, (a German antisemite) to designate the anti-Jewish campaigns underway in central Europe at that time. The hyphen was recently removed to clarify that the phrase has nothing to do with Semitic languages and is only referring to Jew-hatred. -Being an antisemite has nothing to do with Arabs or other Semitic people, and the claim that Arabs and Jews are both Semitic so someone who speaks Arabic or Tigrinya or Maltese can't be antisemitic is a ridiculous claim that gaslights the very real calling out of antisemitic behavior and language.
Even the person Pekar was arguing with asked "What about the Serbs and the Croats? They're both Slavs and speak the same language, yet they have fought each other in vicious wars."
Waldman admits, "That's a good point. What'd you say?"
And Pekar with the brilliant response: "Oh, I don't remember... I don't think we got into it much more."
Me: *EYEROLL*

On page 86 Pekar says: "Jews make awkward colonial overlords."
Israel is not a colonial state. Pekar admits only one speech bubble prior to that: "...and like other people deserve the right to self-determination...". What he fails to add is "in their own homeland." Jews are native to the land (which JT draws pages earlier). One cannot colonize the land they are indigenous to. A colonizing state would impose their language and religion on the people they colonized (think of any example of colonialism. European Pilgrims on Native Peoples in the Americas, the Dutch in South Africa, etc. etc. etc.), and Jews returning to Israel from the diaspora are just reclaiming their sovereignty. From Israel educator Hen Mazzig: "The Jewish people have not imposed their language on anyone, nor their religion, nor have they settled anywhere else as rulers or had a homeland anywhere else. Instead, the Jews had a national state that was subjected to imperial rule... the Jewish people never left the land of Israel completely." Most Israelis are People of Color. Calling Israel a colonialist state is an erasure of those people and of MENA -Middle East & North African- Jewish culture. Just because Harvey Pekar was a white American Jew doesn't mean Israel is a white country.
And that's something he would have known had he ever gone to Israel. !!!!

Harvey: "Yeah, I know I've never been to Israel. But most people haven't. That doesn't mean we're not entitled to an opinion. I read a lot. Taking in the big picture has helped me understand what's going on over there. If you look at what happened in the first half of the 20th Century, the stuff going on these days makes a lot more sense, especially with Israel." (pg. 100)

Except, not! Harvey explains Israel's history, the creation of the Modern State, and the political issues with the Settlements and Arab populations through the lens of European colonialism. That's what's majorly wrong with this book. He's never been to Israel. He doesn't understand that you can not understand Israel from a White vs. Brown perspective. Israel is a country where the Jews are POC and the Israeli Arabs, Palestinian Arabs, and neighboring Arabs are also POC.
Ritchie Torres, Democratic Congressman, (NY-15) said it well recently: 20% of the Israeli population are Arabs, and the majority of Israel’s Jewish population are Mizrahi Jews–who are from the Middle East and North Africa–as well as Sephardic Jews (who are Spanish) and Ethiopian Jews. “This is not a black and white conflict; this is a brown vs. brown conflict.”
It is American hubris that makes Pekar, and many others, think of Israel as a white European colonizing entity lording over the native Arab population.

On page 123 he says to JT: "What I didn't realize was that a lot of Israelis came from Eastern Europe, where they had been abused for centuries. They thought turnabout on gentiles was fair play." That is just a straight-up racist and antisemitic supposition.

On page 126 Pekar says: "You know, it's funny, my Hebrew teachers spoke Yiddish, the language of Eastern European Jews... With the birth of Israel, people gave up on Yiddish --they called it jargon, a hybrid language for the exiled."
Yeah, no duh. Israel isn't made up of only Eastern European exiles. Do you expect the Jerusalemite Jew whose family has been there for centuries to speak Yiddish? Or the Iraqi Jew? Or the Ethiopian Jew? Damn Pekar has such a narrow & uneducated view on Israel & Israeli Jews. (And Arabs for that matter! He doesn't differentiate at all between Israeli Arabs and Palestinian Arabs and doesn't even mention Christian Arabs at all or Druze!)

On page 43 he mentions the Deir Yassin massacre during the 1948 War of Independence and pairs it with American gangsters Bugsy Siegel and Meyer Lansky. Literally, why? What value does that add except for pulling examples of Jewish murderers together to make a blood-thirsty point? The two are unrelated; a war crime with unconfirmed casualties in Israel which is relevant to the book (and the history of the Modern State), and two American gangsters. Why?

Also, there are no sources in this book.
Pekar says "200 or more Arabs" were killed in the Deir Yassin Massacre, but "Palestinian historian Aref al-Aref counted 117 victims, seven in combat and the rest in their homes." from Henry Laurens, "La Question de Palestine", Fayard Paris 2007 vol.3 p.75.
That doesn't make the massacre better, I'm just calling out the lack of source material & the lack of relevant historical sources in this book. This book has no appendix.
If this review is going to prove anything to anyone I hope it's: don't learn about Israel from Pekar's feelings on it. Because that's what this book is. Feelings. It's not a sourced historical account of the people of Israel. It's not an ideas book on peace between two peoples that have valid claims to the same land. It's not a poli-sci non-fiction graphic novel about the region, extreme Islamist terrorist groups in Gaza and Lebanon, and where Israel fits into it all. No, this book is about Pekar's feelings about Israel as an American unaffiliated Jew, wrapped up in the '67 war where Israel won land from Egypt and Jordan and dealt with it poorly...and I still can't believe this is a published book.

Pages 84-85. JT Waldman & Harvey Pekar are driving around Cleveland.
JT: "Right, so Harvey, what are we going to do with the middle of the story? We got your childhood and the deep history of Israel covered in the beginning. And the end of the book will lead us to today. So what's at the heart of this thing? What's the core?"
HP: "Oh, I don't know. I'm just tired of people saying I'm a self-hating Jew because I'm critical of Israel or make fun of old Jewish ladies. I do not hate myself. And Jews who criticize Israel aren't necessarily mentally ill."

On page 102 JT draws an (assumedly European) Jew buying land from native Arabs in British Mandated Palestine. The Arabs look browbeaten (all of them look sad with downcast and sad eyes and are drawn with baggy clothing. The Arab woman drawn is even shielding a small boy with her body. They both have drooping heads.) and the Jews look greedy. The Jew is holding a bag of coins (A bag of coins! Like a caricature of a Jewish moneylender!) and has a greedy sneer on his face.

I'm sorry, but does this depict "Arabs, often absentee landlords who weren't crazy about them but were glad to take their money."??!
No, it doesn't. It depicts greedy Jew caricatures buying land from poor coerced Arabs. What the heck?

And on page 142 his arguments against Israel are being chased by aggressive Chassidish talking heads.


On page 153 Harvey or JT dedicates a whole page (and the next page too, 154) to Ultra-Orthodox laws regarding travel on the Sabbath/Holidays (+ marriage laws & conversions).
I personally happen to think there is a fine line between keeping a Jewish character to the state & not imposing religious restrictions on non-religious, and non-Jewsih, Israelis (and I do believe the Rabbanut has too much power regarding marriages and conversions)... But because I've been to Israel (I've actually lived in Israel) I know that intra-city buses run in Israel on Shabbat -bus travel depends on the city you are in, El Al is the only airline that doesn't fly on Shabbat, but all other airlines land and take off on Friday night/Saturday day, and private cab companies run throughout the country depending on the religious observances of the drivers.
Here is another small example of perceived Jew (religious, in this case) hatred by only including a one-sided anti-Israel argument from a person who has never even been to the country.

*Yes, criticizing Israel does not make you an antisemite. And criticizing Israel does not mean you are mentally ill. But, I read through this book, and I honestly didn't see any constructive or straightforward criticism of Israel from Pekar. He talks about disliking Israeli policy at points but doesn't name the policies. So, what's left if you take away the criticism? Just Israel hatred.
What I did see were signs of possible mental illness in the way Harvey responds and talks JT throughout (JT draws himself looking uncomfortable or visually upset in many frames), to the way he spoke to the librarian who gets them pictures on Cleveland, to the interaction with the Israeli Embassy/Immigration official in the early 60's. Harvey shares 'I knew I had psychological problems' and that he was kicked out of the US Navy, (pg. 92), and then gets mad at the Israeli official for giving him the brush off regarding his Aliyah application (Pekar thought of moving to Israel because he was unemployed with no prospects in America) and says to JT in response: "What the guy was saying was that I was a loser and Israel had no time to rehabilitate schmucks. I knew I was no prize. Also, I didn't go through the Holocaust. Israel probably had enough trouble with neurotic Americans." (pg. 94)
Honestly, the Israeli official probably saw his Navy record and saw that he was unemployed, and knew the type who wasn't cut out for the hard life of Israel in the 60's. It doesn't sound like Harvey really wanted to move to Israel as much as he wanted a job and a direction, and his response that he wasn't a Holocaust survivor is a nasty reaction to rejection. (The Holocaust was mostly an unspoken horror in Israel for decades. European refugees tried to shed their past identities and assimilate into Israeli society, ashamed of their past degradation. Also, Israel saw mass immigration in the 50's and 60's of MENA Jews, as they were oppressed, had their rights stripped, their property, land, money, businesses sized, and were massacred before they were able to flee.)

JT to Pekar: "But people will just say you're heckling from the sidelines and that your point of view is skewed and negative."
Pekar: "Find me a textbook or newscaster who isn't biased. There are plenty of other places that people can get a blow-by-blow of historical events of peace strategies. I doubt anyone wants me to rehash every detail of every failed attempt for peace over the last 30 years. That doesn't help anybody." (pg. 156)
Me! That's what I want!
I don't understand a book that can discuss the '67 war and winning Gaza from Egypt and Jewish settlers building "settlements" (towns) in Gaza, and then not truly discuss how Israel pulled out of Gaza in 2005 (and destroyed the Jewish towns and dug up the Jewish cemeteries and forcibly evacuated all the Jews and withdrew Israeli army presence) and how Hamas, a militant Islamic jihadi group immediately took over and has been bombing Israel ever since.

Continued in comments

[Immigration Art · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is fantastic. It can be summarized, for me, in one quote, on page 14, offered by co-author JT Waldman:

" . . . when you're talking about Israel, it helps to take the long view of history . . . If you accept the Bible, then God promised Abraham and his descendants a very specific piece of land that today includes not just Israel but parts of Lebanon, the Palestinian territories, and portions of Jordan, Syria, and Egypt. But if, like Harvey, you don't believe in God, what's the basis for a modern Israeli state?"

In Harvey Pekar's view, it is morally right to protest the killing of innocent Arabs by Israeli troops. To say that God, as described in the Bible, gave the Jews a right to land in the Middle East, for all time, is just ridiculous. Jews had not been living there in great numbers since the Roman Empire. The Arabs, on the other hand, had been living in Palestine for centuries, subjugated and oppressed by a long line of colonial powers. But, with the fall of the Ottoman Empire after WWI, the Arabs in Palestine figured they would FINALLY be in charge of their own country, a place where the Arabs had been living for CENTURIES.

NOPE. After WWI, the Colonial British marched in, like the keystone cops, and put the Jews in line to rule at least half of Palestine -- the Jews got in line AHEAD of the Arabs. And since that time, the Jews have sliced and diced Palestine and ruled over the Palestinians. This is unjustifiable. The Gaza Strip is essentially one big prison camp, run by Jews. The IRONY!

The Arabs are morally correct. It is inane to say, especially out loud, and then truly believe, that GOD GAVE THE LAND TO THE JEWS. REALLY? Are you kidding me? That is just simple minded. Or blind faith without reason. I'd love to see you explain this to the poor, innocent Palestinian Arab who was forcibly removed by the Jews from his ancestral home dating back centuries.

God? God set up the land records and tracks the spiritual deeds to parcels of land? Give me a break. More harm, murder, and mayhem is unleashed in the name of God than any human being should be willing to tolerate. And keep God out of my land records if you don't mind.

Religion is trouble. Big, Big, BIG trouble. And don't get me started about mixing religion with politics . . . You know what that lethal mix gets you? Corrupt theocracies (think: Iran, Israel, the Vatican . . .).

NEXT: What American settlers did to the Native American Indians is similar to what the Jews are doing to the Arabs. And we have the books to offer evidence of that!

[Konstantin Ivanovitch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great introduction to the history of Palestine. I really enjoyed the way the book contains a meta-history book within it. As the characters talk and move through a large used book store, Pekar is drawn picking up books off the shelves - the pages he views as he explains the the history are what is drawn for us as the reader of the actual book. Such a delight.

Each topic is only treated briefly but I felt like I have a foothold on where to go next to learn more about this region of the world.

[Carol Seidl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I gave this book 4 stars to average out my ratings: 5 stars for the illustration and 3 stars for the narration.

I'm awed by JT Waldman's art. The man is extraordinarily talented and he puts that talent to good use. The creativity and effort on every page are evident. Waldman's attention to detail well exceeds that of most cartoonists. There is much here to admire and linger over despite the black-and-white format.

Pekar's story, however, suffers from taking on too much. This is a short book and the graphic format means the text is exceedingly sparse. Yet, Pekar tries to summarize the history of Judaism, the history of Jewish persecution, the history of Israel, and his own upbringing by Zionist parents living in Cleveland. That's a lot to tackle and while Pekar manages to give us the gist of all of these subjects, the end result falls flat.

I guess I'd recommend the book to two sorts of people: those who study comic art, and those with extraordinarily short attention spans who know nothing about the history of Israel and want to be slightly better informed.