Don't think of it as losing a Jewish Robot ...

Think of it as gaining a Jewish Robot Princess (JRP). Inspired by Malya's LG EnV2 mobile ringtone.

Illustration, animation, and musical adaptation of "Ringtone 15" by William Levin

Robots Independence Day

It would be a Happy Israel Independence Day if robots had emotions. Since we do not, I hope you at least find this video fascinating.

Another Jewish holiday?

Check out my new animated cartoon short for Judaica Beautiful.

Dinner with Mr. Israel

When he patted my back in greeting, my back ached. When I patted his back in return, my hand ached.  Such casualties are to be expected when befriending the magnitude of power that is Mr. Israel.

My old friend Ephraim Kivelevitz returned from Israel to spend Passover with his family in New York, but not before hitting the outdoor gyms of Venice Beach for some hardcore power training with some fellow professional bodybuilders.  California, says Ephraim, understands and respects his devotion to bodybuilding.  Israel does not.

"They don't treat us seriously," lamented Ephraim over a tilapia pita sandwich (hold the pita, too many carbs) at Murray's Falafel & Grill, a glatt kosher restaurant near Stuyvesant Town in Manhattan. Rather than give support, onlookers in the Israeli gyms will often heckle and get all up in his grill.  I find this hard to believe, since this allegedly occurs while Ephraim is deadlifting the equivalent of a medium-sized sedan.

Having won the Mr. Israel 2009 competition, Ephraim plans to start competing internationally, to qualify for his pro card from the IFBB.  According to Ephraim, the pro card will open new windows of opportunity, ranging from sponsorship to commanding higher fees for private personal training sessions.

Until then, if you see Ephraim working out at your local gym, just stay clear, or you might make him angry.  And you wouldn't like him when he's angry.

Interview with Web Designer Magazine

Friend and Flash guru Nicolas Da Silva, creator of online comic Dread and Alive, and FlashTV, the Flash animation forum where I got my start promoting my cartoons, conducted an interview with me for the April 2010 issue of Web Designer Magazine. If you can't find the printed publication, here's a scan of the article found on page 113, in which I discuss the origin of my JewishRobot.com website and its graphic design.  Click on the image on the left to view the entire article.

188th Crybaby Cartoon

In January 2010 I met Joel Chasnoff, standup comedian and fellow presenter at the Limmud NY 2010 Conference. A few weeks later, we produced an animated cartoon trailer for his new book, The 188th Crybaby Brigade, a coming-of-age story about his year-long experience as an American soldier in the Israeli Army.  This selection from the book is narrated by Joel Chasnoff himself, and features background music provided by Shir Yaakov of Darshan.