When the Jewish Week ended its print edition earlier this year, the weekly Everything’s Relative comic strip by Jordan B. Gorfinkel (aka “Gorf”) that had run there since 1996 was left without a home. That has changed as Jewish Link started printing the comic beginning September 10, 2020.
Jewish Link co-publisher Moshe Kinderlehrer introduces the strip to readers:
Over the past quarter century, Gorf produced a weekly strip centered around the lives of a representation of single and married Jewish characters all living together in one brownstone in an unnamed urban neighborhood (which I always assumed was the Upper West Side).
I have long hoped that The Jewish Link would some day have our own weekly and well regarded cartoon strip that would capture the full flavor and warmth of our unique community with on-target humor and occasionally, deep wisdom.
When the Jewish Week closed its print operation, I immediately went into action and emailed Gorf and asked him to consider moving his strip over to The Jewish Link. However, I had a few recommendations. I told him that I did not want to have the exact same strip and asked him to move some characters out of the brownstone and into the suburbs where his new readers and much of our community are living today. I also explained that some of the characters in the old strip were not necessarily characters to whom I and our readership could fully relate. After some back and forth and light negotiations, we agreed that while the core characters would remain, the new strip would evolve with a new focus and a new character or two, and ultimately, would be a brand new comic strip.
Therefore, it is with much happiness and excitement that I bring you on this page a brand new weekly cartoon feature to The Jewish Link (see the inaugural strip [above]).
The new Everything’s Relative (@JewishCartoon ?) can be read through Jewish Link archives.
A look through some older strips shows a mix of religion, history, and old-fashioned Jewish culture humor – some in the Harry Hershfield style.
