(openPR) - NEW YORK, December 19, 2005 – The Forward, American Jewry’s essential newspaper of record, is debuting a new, weekly cartoon strip by Ben Katchor, longtime Forward contributor and recipient of a MacArthur Genius Award, Ben Katchor.

Titled “Shoehorn Technique”, the weekly strip will lightheartedly “examine the various mechanisms that people use to move in and out of different socio-cultural circles for the sake of variety, or perhaps out of boredom,” according to Katchor.

Katchor has a passionate cult following as the Forward cartoonist. Other weekly Katchor strips published by the Forward include: “Julius Knipl, Real Estate Photographer (1988 - 1998),” “The Jew of New York (1992),” “The Cardboard Valise (1998 - 2000)” and “Hotel & Farm (2000 - 2005).”

“The Forward is a natural place for serialized cartoons," said Katchor. "It has a unique history as a newspaper that serialized fiction and, in essence, that’s what I do in comic strip form.”

ABOUT THE FORWARD (www.forward.com)
The Forward is widely regarded as American Jewry’s essential newspaper of record. Published since 1990, the English language weekly grew out of the legendary Yiddish language Jewish Daily Forward, founded in 1897. The Forward is committed to rigorous reporting and balanced, thoughtful commentary on news, politics and culture in the Jewish world. The Forward's editor, veteran journalist and author J.J. Goldberg, and his staff have enhanced the paper's reputation for incisive, hard-hitting reportage with a populist, progressive spirit that has been the paper’s hallmark since its early days. Headquartered in New York, the newspaper is owned by the Forward Association, Inc., a 501(c) (4) corporation. It is published on Fridays and is available on newsstands nationwide, as well as by subscription.

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A. Lavin Communications
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