Art from contrition and an act of faith
Royal Borough: Artist creates plaque for synagogue to show his remorse following antisemitism row
A plaque dedicated to King Charles III at Maidenhead Synagogue has been described as an act of ‘repentance’ for its designer, who was accused of antisemitism over a controversial cartoon last year.
Cartoonist Martin Rowson received criticism for his illustration of former BBC chairman Richard Sharp leaving the corporation, drawn for a May edition of The Guardian newspaper in 2023.
The newspaper pulled the cartoon after it was condemned for containing antisemitic tropes, including exaggerated features and a depiction of Mr Sharp, who is Jewish, appearing to carry a puppet of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
Mr Rowson apologised and pledged to atone for the cartoon.
Rabbi Jonathan Romain said: “If we take the idea of repentance for ourselves seriously, then it means we have to allow others to do so too.
“Martin made a mistake and we are happy to help him turn that hurt into a positive contribution.
“In the meantime: Long live the King.”
Mr Rowson apologised for the cartoon which he called ‘appalling’ and an ‘unintended blunder’.
He also asked the Jewish community for ways he could show his remorse, which led to him designing the plaque.
Writing in the Guardian in July, he said: “Over the past few weeks, clambering through the wreckage resulting from my last cartoon, I have been talking to lots of people, prominent and otherwise, from across the Jewish community both to atone and to help me understand how I could have done this terrible thing.”
Commenting on the new plaque, Mr Rowson said: “It means I can look myself in the mirror again.”
A prayer for the welfare of the reigning monarch and the country is a common feature for many synagogues in Great Britain.
The plaque at Maidenhead Synagogue continues this tradition and holds extra significance as it was unveiled in the same week that King Charles’ cancer diagnosis was made public.
Rabbi Romain said: “We did wonder whether it would be better to wait and see what his prognosis was before putting up the plaque, rather than, if
the news was bad, having to take it down again not long afterwards.
“But we decided to press
ahead as an act of faith and hope that he will continue to reign over us for many years to come.”