The Happiness Comic

Here is a comic done for The Happiness Project. Double click below for a larger viewing:

ROI Summit: Day 2

After a mere 3 hours of sleep, I somehow managed to roll out of bed with enough time to head out for a morning run. I did not explore all 50,000 acres of Kfar Maccabiah (I decided to investigate the sports club on the premises at a later time), but chose to venture off the grounds.

Well wouldn’t you know? I was SHOCKED to discover, much to my delight, that down the block there was a park unlike any other parks. I found Park Leumi, which from the outside looked like a giant golf course (yes – there was a whole lotta REAL grass growing in Israel!). Park Leumi contains such features as a giant lake, waterfalls, fountains, a hedge garden (with some giant hedges trimmed so that I could run through them), an outdoor gym, a cactus park, a path through the woods, playground, and some of the most strange and incredible looking fowl I’ve ever seen.





My run left me with little time to eat, but when I arrived at the breakfast I was greeted with THE largest buffet I’d ever seen. The hot foods included waffles, pancakes, French toast, warm cheesecake, blintzes, customized omelets, scrambled eggs, boiled eggs, with options for maple or chocolate syrup to spread over them. A wide variety of pre-made salads were there for the taking, as well as a make-your-own salad section. For the lactose tolerant there were blocks and other various consistencies of cheeses, butters, and yogurts. In case we still weren’t satisfied, there were fresh & dried fruits, pastries, cereals, and all types of hot & cold drinks still available. Mmmmm…excuse me while I take a moment to salivate.

My arteries thanked me, as I took a full plate but only had time for two bites of my French toast and salad before I was ushered off for our first “Frame the Day” session. There, we were informed that the day’s plan involved more icebreakers. Now, I previously mentioned that I am an icebreaker fanatic, but I’ll be the first to admit that 3 hours of various outdoor icebreakers left the group feeling quite pooped and at times a bit confused. Some of the better breakers included ones involving beach balls, hand-slapping games, and having a large group of people make an incredibly complex giant knot out of a very long piece long rope, without touching a designated part of the rope and without taking any of our hands off the rope at any point (this my group learned the hard way). Some less-inspiring icebreakers involved playing a game of tag and using a partner or more to help each other stand up from a sitting position on the ground while holding hands with each other for support. The latter activity wasn’t bad with just one other person, but when you have 120 people attempting to stand up at the same time while supporting each other, and then are asked to do it a second time, trust me – it ain’t as easy as it looks!

After a short break and another extravagant lunch buffet, we had our first formal meeting within our specified tracks. I’m (surprise surprise) part of the Arts & Culture track. We’d broken into tracks during the larger icebreaking session, and I must say I’d learned two of the greatest icebreakers to quickly remember a lot of new names and faces:
1) The first one, used during the outdoor session, involved tossing around a ball from one person to another. The person receiving the ball had to thank the previous person by name and then call out the name of a new person to wish him/her a good morning before passing the ball towards him/her.
2) Naomi Less, our fearless track leader, taught us a method used in drama. All 17 of us (16 Arts & Culture members + Naomi) went around in a circle and made up a movement that best represented our field of arts, while shouting our names. Naomi the rocker made a guitar strumming rocker motion and shouted, “Naomi!” The whole group then had to imitate Naomi’s motion and name. The next person continued, and the entire group repeated the new motion and name, and then repeated Naomi’s. We went through the whole group this way (my motion, of course, was pointing with both hands to a huge smile on my face while shouting “Chari!”)

Our activity for the session was to think of all the major turning points in Art & Culture history as divided per decade from 1900-today and separated by personalities, events, and Jewish history. We each needed to write three events on post-it notes and place them on a chart shaped just like a bull’s-eye. Afterwards, we divided into groups of two to discuss the patterns and reasoning behind our event choices. It wasn’t surprising that according to those in the room most major events begun to happen in the 1960’s and onward. We discussed how it was interesting that the Holocaust was not even mentioned. I’m excited about how diverse the Arts & Culture group is, and how well we all meshed together. Excited for the future track sessions!
After our session dismissed (10 minutes late…) we rushed to change into “business casual” clothing before piling onto busses and heading out to Kfar Yarok for the “Opening Ceremony: “Tel Aviv- Celebrating the Centennial” event. When we arrived, we were shocked to discover a huge circus tent, complete with people walking on stilts, a woman playing with a ring of fire, and contortionists to entertain us while we ate at the outdoor “gala” (gala = event with a lot of food). Freshly spiced pitas, mini-falafels, corn on the cobs, salads, fresh popcorn and cotton candy were some of the items on the night’s menu.


After mixing and mingling for quite a while, we were ushered inside for the formal opening ceremonies, in which guest speakers addressed the ROI 2009 community in between performances of various circus acts. Guest speakers included the inspirational Yael Arad, the first Israeli Olympic medalist (silver in judo, 1992); the enthusiastic Lynn Schusterman, Chair of the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation; Gidi Mark, International CEO of Taglit-Birthright Israel; and Eytan Schwartz, International Outreach, Tel Aviv Centennial Year Administration.

The main highlights of the night for me were:
1) Finally meeting the adorable Sarah Lefton – creator of the amazing G-dcast online Bible animations (and webmaster of The Unmasked Comics website, my project with Inbal Freund-Novick)., and Yael Arad – the main guest speaker and winner of Israel’s first ever Olympic medal (silver in judo, 1992).
2) Meeting Lynn Schusterman, who is no doubt the cutest philanthropist ever – and got some great dance moves to boot!
3) Being inspired by Yael Arad’s story. I’m from a very athletic family and I’ve had my cartooning dreams for nearly all my life, so it’s great seeing a woman who has had such success with something she was so passionate about at a young age.
4) Watching ROI-ers in a Michael Jackson dance-off!
We returned home, and I went straight back to my (still gorgeous) hotel room to do some blogging. Boy, these days are just packed – can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings, and excited for the big upcoming ROI no-cover party on Wednesday night!

ROI Summit: Day 1

It’s been a year since I first heard about the ROI Summit (formerly known as ROI 120). At the time I was a 2008 fellow at the PresenTense Institute, and had yet to be exposed to the Jewish social network of social networking conferences. I’ve since attended the 2008 KolDor Conference in Ein Gedi, but had my heart set on attending the mother of all conferences: the ROI Summit.

As luck would have it – and a decent application – I was accepted into the 2009 ROI Summit, held in the luxurious, beautiful, phenomenal, breathtaking (need I go on?) Kfar Maccabiah, a totally gorgeous hotel & country club in Ramat Gan that is home to the Israeli Maccabiah Games (aka the Israeli Olympics, held every four years, including this summer). Ironically, my sister had applied and been recently accepted to participate in this year’s Maccabiah Games for track, only an injury and lack of extended notice to gain the appropriate funds (she’d been waitlisted) prevented her from attending. Nevertheless, there is at least one Pere gal here to totally represent!

The hotel is paradise. Palm trees and various forms of incredibly pretty vegetation overflow every walking path. The food is never-ending and looks like it should be framed rather than eaten. After registering, settling into our (MAGNIFICENT) rooms (each containing two big screen TV's, two bathrooms per one bedroom room, AND complimentary gourment Max Brenner chocolates??), eating, and doing some initial schmoozing, we were all invited into the Opening Program: “Getting to Know You; Getting to Know Us”.

Thanks to my frequent traveling lately to Israel (this is my fourth time in the span of a year an a half), I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know the first three opening speakers: the Center for Leadership Initiatives (CLI) Israel Director Justin Korda, ROI Program Director Beto “Sweetest Guy in the World” Maya, and ROI Online Media Director/Blogger & Tweeter Extraordinaire Esther Kustanowitz.

After the opening remarks, Beto and Esther debuted what seemed to have been the new Maya-Kustanowitz Comedy Hour meets the "Poll the Audience" option of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. All 120 participants were asked to answer questions that appeared on two large screens that flanked the stage in front. Answers were submitted through electronic devices that looked like they were the spawn of giant calculators and the old Yahtzee hand held game my sister and I used to own. Questions ranged from the very general (polls showed that 55.7% of ROI 2009 participants were female and 44.3% male), to very personal (74.2% of participants had fasted on Yom Kippur), to very controversial (40% of participants felt comfortable being married by a female rabbi, while 40% did not, with 20% undecided). Other questions could have easily been found on the Israeli version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, such as what is Tel Aviv also known as? (Answer: The White City).

After the polling stations had closed, it was onto the traditional conference opening night icebreakers! (I must admit, these are my favorite parts of conferences! Yes, I am in fact a dork). Icebreakers on the night’s menu featured finding others with the same birthplace as our maternal grandmothers (yay Poland!), and playing the most energetic, intense, and largest game of Rock Paper Scissors I’d ever seen in my life. I’m not the first to say that a RPS tournament will TOTALLY be on my next party agenda – it was wildly fun!

After the icebreakers ended, a lavish display of dessert was offered with one of the most enticing array of sorbets I’ve seen. I’m quite proud to say that I managed to stick to my no-junk-food-except-for-ice cream-or-sorbet diet (one I’ve successfully imposed on myself since I pigged out over Passover), and avoided any chocolaty looking temptations. But the strawberry, lemon, and mango sorbets were totally worth it! =0)

I was happy to see some old friends (including PresenTense fellows Shai Davis and Erin Kopelow, The Jewish Week’s “36 Under 36” editor Tamar Snyder, and PresenTense Magazine editor-in-chief Deborah Fishman), along with friends I hadn’t quite seen in person yet (including Twitter buddy Susanne Goldstone). I retired somewhat early for the night not to sleep (Sleep?! Me?!) but to color this week’s Of Biblical Proportions strip (will be live within the next day).

Once my dropped jaw returns to my face, I’ll be able to formulate more articulate reactions to my first day at ROI other than muttering the phrase “Hoooly cow – this is amazing!” over and over again. But one thing’s for sure: it’s guaranteed to be a GREAT week ahead – one that I’ll never, ever want to forget.

P.S. I'll be sketching my way through the whole conference, so as soon as I have a scanner I will upload all of them!

JGooders Cartoons!

Among my recent commissions are an illustration and comic for www.jgooders.com - a website that "aims to increase the world of good deeds and good doers." Thanks to my various travelings around the world last year - specifically, three times to Israel for networking and fellowship related events - I met a couple of the people who now work there, and I thank them for the opportunity to once again utilize my cartooniness for good!

Enjoy, and check out their site!

A PEREfectly Purim Update!

It's been a typical weekend in the life of a Staten Islander. Y'know the kind - when one has driven through and/or stopped in ALL 5-BOROUGHS *and* NEW JERSEY. No biggie.

But here IS a biggie - a big update, that is!! All my Purim commissions are up and ready to be sent out through the internet superhighway at the speed of light.

The Orthodox Union, my biggest client at the moment, has been commissioning me for various e-cards and cartoonwork ("artwork" doesn't seem to be the appropriate term). I spent the last three weeks succumbing to my Transylvanian Vampire heritage tendencies and saw the light of day enough times to count on both hands.

But it was worth it! Here are a list of projects that y'all can now have the privilege of sending around to your most treasured friends and family. (And if you don't like 'em, bear in mind - my blood, sweat, and tears went into each and every one of these pieces. Have you no pity?!)

1) 4 E-cards:

http://community.ou.org/site/Ecard?ecard_id=1141 - My designs are listed below. Please send them to as many of your friends as possible:
D. Happy Healthy Purim!
E. Haman Hangman
K. Hats 'R Us
O. Raashan


2) Children's Activity Pages:

a. Purim "I-Spy" and Maze: http://www.ou.org/holidays/purim/purim_children
b. Purim Coloring Book pages: http://www.ou.org/holidays/purim/purim_coloring_pages

3) Purim Slideshow (as told by your Friendly Neighborhood Hamantash!
http://www.ou.org/holidays/purim/story_of_purim_narrated_by_neighborhood_hamantash


So that's all for now, folks. Got some more work that I'm gonna feature shortly on here - but in the meantime, get out your finger clickin' goodness. If you like my work - please support me! Send forth my work out from the OU website and into the e-mailbox of a friend near & dear to you!

*Hugs* and Happy Purim,

~Chari =0)

Unmasked: The True Story of why I've been MIA!

I've indulged in my Transylvania heritage and haven't left the house much in, oh, say the last MONTH or so. But with good reason - I have MANY amazing updates to share with you.

But, like my multi-vitamin, I will share the good news with you only One a Day....

Here's the biggest news:


Inbal Freund-Novick, a dear friend of mine, had approached me last year about a collaboration. The result is this: "Unmasked: The Ariella Dadon Story".

The comic has been live for barely over 24 hours, and it already has been passed around faster than a hot potato. The three-page comic tells the powerful true story of Ariella Dadon, a 28 year old woman who managed to receive a get (a Jewish divorce) from her violent, abusive husband, after struggling for many years.

When I first heard Ariella's story, I was blown away. There are so many details that I could not include - the 3-page limit was certainly a challenge. I hope to have the opportunity to tell her story in full detail - it would make a phenomenal movie as well.

The comic is to raise awareness about Agunot, women whose husbands refuse to divorce them. But the story is an inspirational one, and one that appeals to anyone who has been in an abusive relationship.

Inbal and I have already begun to receive rave reviews. Check them out:

Online Comic Breaking Chains: ‘Get’ this Empowering Tale of a Young Jewish Woman
(eJewish Philanthropy)

Jewish Divorce: What You Need to Know
(Matthue.com)

What’s new in Jewish comics?
(J. Weekly, San Francisco)

Special thanks to the amazing Sarah Lefton for helping create the website. I'll certainly keep you posted on any updates. Inbal and I hope that this comic will be just the beginning of many great things.

Please feel free to pass the comic around to your friends and family. Spread the word - we're just trying to deliver one amazing woman's story and help others in situations like hers.

Click on the image below to read the comic:

Tu B'Shvat eCards 'Tu' Send!

The Orthodox Union has once again turned to a few of us cartoonists to create fun eCards to send for the latest of Jewlidays - Tu B'Shvat, the Jewish Arbor Day! Can you guess which 3 are my designs??

Be sure to support yours truly and my pal Jordan Gorfinkel - send all your family and friends our fun and funny cartoon greetings this Tu B'Shvat!! =0)

The Day the Music Died Goes Gold

• Holly heavily influenced The Beatles.
  

My favorite Buddy Holly Song:


"Chantille Lace" - Sure to put a smile on your face:


I couldn't find a live video of "La Bamba", but check Richie Valens out. FYI: He also sang "Oh Donna" and "Come On Let's Go".

A Post OF BIBLICAL PROPORTIONS

A project of mine that is quickly gaining popularity is my weekly comic strip, Of Biblical Proportions. Conceived during one of my daily runs, it was formulated based on the various experiences and conversations from my 2008 PresenTense Institute Summer Fellowship.

The comic strip takes lines and stories from the Bible and adds a modern, humorous twist in the form of a comic strip. The idea was to launch it right after the holiday of Simchat Torah based on the weekly Torah portion, but more as a guideline to provide my strip with some structure than to create a real Jewish comic strip (hey, the Bible is the #1 book in the world - and is taught as literature in classes regardless if you are Jewish, Christian, Atheistic, Scientologistic, etc.)

Before I had a chance to draw one sketch of the strip, three friends/relatives sent me a link to the 2008 Jerusalem Post New Cartoonist Contest. I applied, and I won! Here was the winning submission:


I officially launched the strip as planned just for fun. After a mere 3 strips, the Orthodox Union (who had already approached me about some freelance opportunities for their website), offered to purchase exclusive online rights to the strip for the next year. I agreed, and every week my little strip that could is now included in their weekly e-Newsletter, which goes out to about 40,000 people.

My next step is to get the strip into newspapers. I'm planning my next move, and although I have already been approached by editors to include the strip in their papers, I'm trying to figure out what's the best way to get the strip out there so as broad an audience as possible. Suggestions and tips are welcome from all!

The whole point of the strip is what I love to do - take something that is old and wonderful, and make it new, accessible, & fun for today's generation. I immensely enjoy creating each strip, and look forward to seeing where this new path takes me.

Stay 'tooned for the strip each week - new comics are posted at www.ou.org on Wednesdays and archived on Fridays at www.obpcomics.com (where the complete archives can be found).

First Post!

So after years of delaying, procrastinating, denying, nay-saying, beating around the bush, refusing, and (insert your phrase of choice here), I decided to finally give in. That's right, I have officially joined the blog world!

What, you say? But isn't www.heyyiddlediddle.com a blog? Or what about the lovely Of Biblical Proportions site, www.obpcomics.com? They both include blog formats!

Well, I've been running all over the world lately and I felt that it was pretty darn time to keep my adoring fans (hi Mom & Dad!) up to date with my latest work, projects, and adventures I've been on. Plus, the Hey Yiddle Diddle and OBP Comics websites limit what news and contents I can post on each site.

So here you go. I'm going to kick off this post with a commission that recently made its online debut: a logo design for a new company called Gym Guyz - where they bring the gym and the trainers straight to your door! Enjoy:


That's about it for now! Stay 'tooned - I've got lots going on and would love to share it with you.

Have a SUPER Sunday,

~Chari =0)