Dayenu "Moses in the Basket", The Sentinel, 1967, NLI

This Dayenu cartoon, published in the December 14, 1967 edition of  The Chicago Sentinel, depicts baby Moses floating down the Nile River in a basket, as described in Exodus (Shmot) chapter 2. The pyramids line the distant shore of the river, and Pharaoh’s daughter crouches on the river bank and seems surprised to see floating toward her a basket containing the baby Moses, who is wearing an eye patch like Moshe Dayan’s.

The cartoon was published six months after the Six-Day War, which had been led by Minister of Defense Moshe Dayan. Moshe Dayan was seen as a hero in Israel and around the world and was known for the eye patch covering a war injury from the 1930s. The American Jewish community felt great pride in the Israeli Army and its general. The cartoon compares the biblical Moses (Moshe) to Moshe Dayan and notes the connection between Moshe Dayan who defeated the Egyptian Army and the biblical Moses who was saved by Pharaoh’s daughter. 


haggadah Section: -- Exodus Story
Source: National Library of Israel