Film
The Forgotten Indie Film That Recreated Manhattan’s Old Jewish Enclave
Like many of Silver’s films, the 1975 indie drama about Manhattan’s old Jewish enclave has been unjustly forgotten. But you now have the perfect opportunity to discover it.
Contemporary Jewish Culture
Books
An Artist Excavates Her Family’s Pre-Holocaust Story
Sara Davidmann explores the space between what we can know about one of the darkest moments in human history and what is impossible to recover.
Art
In Malibu, a Large Hole Is Being Dug to Contain Your Grief
Cara Levine’s “Dig a Hole” is inspired by Shiva, the seven-day period of mourning in Judaism.
Film
The Three Versions of The Jazz Singer and the Sinister Bargain of Jewish Whiteness
For scholars, weighing the context of the classic film’s use of blackface is a valuable thought exercise. For a Jew, it is an exorcism.
Film
75 Years On, How Cinema Remembers the Holocaust
With those who directly experienced the events dwindling in number, films about the Holocaust must now grapple with what “Never forget” truly means.
Film
How Those Who Lived Through the Holocaust Have Testified in Film
While narratives depicting the Holocaust present fixed versions of events, testimonial films tend to be more open-ended, and pose more profound questions.
Film
How Movies Have “Witnessed” the Holocaust Over the Decades
Since cameras were first pointed at the concentration camps, filmmakers have faced challenges in how to respectfully and meaningfully depict atrocity.
Art
Williamsburg Gets Its First Hasidic Art Gallery
The lively opening of Shtetl Gallery signals shifting perceptions around Hasidic art in the local community.
Film
"Don't Fuck With the Jews" and Other Moments of Muscular Judaism on Film
Cinema’s thorny depictions of Israeli military action reflects the swift shift in Jewish identity around questions of oppression.
Art
Artworks Orbiting the Thinking of Hannah Arendt
Eight shows over the course of a year loosely explore the eight chapters of Arendt’s 1968 book, Between Past and Future."
History
On the Anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, Recalling the Hope It Offers
Amidst the destabilization and trauma we currently face, an exhibit on the brave revolt tells a conflicted story of self-empowerment.
Film
At a Shiva, a Young Woman Encounters Her Ex … and Her Sugar Daddy
Shiva Baby is a winning cringe comedy of errors and sexual entanglements.