As Israel gears up to celebrate its 70th year of independence, the tiny Israeli Museum of Caricature and Comics in Holon is digging into its archives to offer a pen-and-paper celebration for the anniversary. A retrospective exhibition of the themes, challenges and complex motifs of Israeli life — encompassing topics as diverse as politics, religion and favorite national pastimes — goes on display March 28, featuring the drawings and designs that have marked seven decades of Israeli statehood.

At the family-friendly museum, Israeli society is shown through the eyes of its caricaturists. Israel is a nation where everyday existence is infused with politics, making it a rich canvas for cartoonists, and its legendary artists — including Dudu Geva, Avi Katz and Friedel Stern — have all made history in their country by interpreting the complications of the Jewish state and translating them into comic art.

As the nation marks its milestone birthday in the spring, it finds itself engulfed by the conflict with the Palestinians and populated by secular and religious communities. Despite the tensions in Israel, the Israeli Museum of Caricature and Comics is one of the few places in the world to offer a spotlight on Israeli comic artists. Even the Israeli press, which is rife with competing print dailies and political magazines, has been cutting comics from its pages for decades.

“Cartoons started as a very political [item], a very respectable [item] in the newspapers here,” Galit Gaon, who served as curator at the museum for several years, told Al-Monitor. She recently left her post and established a graduate course in curatorial studies at Shenkar College of Engineering and Design. “It slowly turned into something smaller, I think because our politicians lack the ability to be really honest about themselves and have a sense of humor about it.”