Supporting Character Biographies


Zeyde Aryel ben Ari
 Zeyde Aryel ben Ari, or just Zeyde as most everyone in the neighborhood calls him, is a survivor of the Holocaust. He moved to the neighborhood after the war with the help of Sam's grandfather. Rumor is the two men were related and Sam will find this out in a future strip. Zeyde was a Rabbi who is now retired. The children dearly love Zeyde and he has adopted them as his own grandchildren. Zeyde is the main supporting character and is the confidante for the children and their voice of conscious. Zeyde is Yiddish for Grandfather. Aryel is Hebrew for Lion of G-d.

Rabbi Tzafeer
 Rabbi Tzafeer is the Rabbi for the Orthodox synagogue, Anshei S'Fard (Men of Spain). He and Zeyde were from the same village, however Rabbi Tzafeer's family came to the U.S. before the war. Rabbi Tzafeer is an old world Rabbi lost in a modern world. He loves the children, however, he has a hard time connecting with them on their level. Tzafeer is Hebrew for Goat.

Rabbi Dov
 Rabbi Dov is the Rabbi for the Conservative congregation, Temple Israel. His congregation is growing smaller which causes him to worry about the members and the survival of the congregation. Because of this, Rabbi Dov can be a bit grumpy at times and the children find him a little scary. Dov is Hebrew for Bear.

Rabbi Shafan
 Rabbi Shafan is the Rabbi for the Reform congregation, Temple Kol Ami, and Miriam's uncle. Temple Kol Ami is his first pulpit as a Rabbi and he is very active in the community and always seems to be in a hurry to get to the next meeting. Rabbi Shafan is engaged to Rebekah Bashan, who sometimes helps him out at the Temple office. Rabbi Shafan relates very well with the children, when they can catch him between meetings. Shafan is Hebrew for Rabbit.

Randy Farb
 Randy Farb is one of the co-creators of 4 Corners. Randy, by profession, is a librarian (not a liberian), and is a great source of Jewish knowledge. He is also the Kochleffel (Yiddish term for a person who keeps things stirred up) of the strip's story line. Randy is the author of "The Four Hannukah Owls" a childrens book about Hannukah. Randy and Mark occasionally make an appearance in the strip. Randy is not Hebrew for anything.

Mark A. Messler
 Mark A. Messler is the other half of the creative team of 4 Corners. Mark, by profession, is an engineer and the author of "Zeyde and the Hidden Mine". He is also a Para Rabbinic Fellow and is studying to be a full Rabbi. Mark is the artist and has been cartooning for various publications since the early 70's. Mark and Randy occasionally make an appearance in the strip. Mark is not Hebrew for anything.