Hollywood’s Orthodox Jew Problem: A JITC Documentary

Since its founding in 2007, Jew in the City has been fighting to change negative perceptions about Orthodox Jews. This past March, we launched JITC Hollywood Bureau to advocate for authentic and human depictions of Jews in Hollywood. This documentary was made in collaboration with PhilmCo Media and is the first part of a three part film laying out Hollywood’s mistreatment of Jews. The first part focuses on the Orthodox Jewish community. Part two will focus on antisemitic tropes and caricatures of secular Jews, and part three will highlight the erasure of Jews of color.

The project contains interviews with prominent Jews, including TV writer Rob Kurtz and Dara Horn, award-winning author who most recently wrote “People Love Dead Jews.” Some recent examples of negative Orthodox Jewish portrayals on television came from NBC’s Nurses and Netflix’s My Unorthodox Life. “While ex-Orthodox stories could be worthy of exploration from time to time, we’re a tiny people and the overrepresentation of observance as a thing to leave sends a really clear message that the way out is the only way for the Jew to complete him or herself,” Allison Josephs, JITC’s founder, says in the documentary.

Mendy Pellin, a Chabad Hasidic comedian, takes the importance of this work to a much more serious and crucial level. He explains that the problem actually goes much deeper than just a positive portrayal on-screen — it comes down to saving Jewish lives. “It’s not just, ‘Oh it would be nice if we looked good’…no, there is death and violence that ultimately comes from othering a group of people.” The film then goes to show the uptick in antisemitism that has been on the rise recently and how dangerous it is now to be Jewish.

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Tuvia Heller says on June 15, 2022
Kala kavod for all your efforts.
What is the Torah source of Anti-semitism?
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Malka says on June 15, 2022
This is such an important video! I’m so proud of you and the work that you’re doing! Thank you!
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Bonni says on June 17, 2022
I’ve been feeling and saying this for years. So happy to know this organization exists. Netflix is the worst culprit for promoting these tropes!
Thank you!!
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Allison Josephs

Allison Josephs is the founder and executive director of Jew in the City has been involved in the field of Jewish Outreach for over twenty years and is the Partner in Torah mentor to actress Mayim Bialik. She was named one of NJOP’s Top Ten Jewish Influencers and one of the Jewish Week’s 36 under 36. Allison has been quoted or written about in numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, People Magazine, NYPost, Daily News, TMZ, The Daily Beast, and Hollywood Reporter. She has appeared on numerous television and radio networks including CBS, ABC, Fox5, TLC, Associate Press TV, and NPR; her articles have appeared in publications including The Washington Post, JTA, Jewish Week, Jerusalem Post, The Forward, and Kveller. Pearson Education, the largest textbook company in the world, produced a video segment on Allison’s life for the Judaism chapter of their textbook. She is a sought-after international lecturer whose corporate clients include Con-Edison and NYU Langone and hosts a weekly podcast on the Nachum Segal Network. She received her Bachelor of Arts from Columbia University in Philosophy and lives with her husband and four children minutes from the George Washington Bridge.