Jew in the City Sundance Panels

2026: Rethinking Jewish Representation Amid Rising Antisemitism: Leveraging Insights From Our Groundbreaking USC “Jews on Screen” Study to Advance Narrative Change

How are Jewish characters—and especially Orthodox Jews and Judaism—portrayed in TV and film today? What impact do these portrayals have on public perception of Jewish life? Drawing on groundbreaking research conducted with the Norman Lear Center at USC, this panel explores the patterns, stereotypes, and narratives shaping Jewish representation in contemporary media. The discussion examines the persistence of outdated tropes, the consequences of inauthentic portrayals, and the growing opportunity for more nuanced and authentic Jewish storytelling in Hollywood.

Featuring: Allison Josephs (founder and executive director, JITC Hollywood Bureau) and Cindy Kaplan (director, JITC Hollywood Bureau)

2024: Sects, Lies and Videotape: Debunking deadly tropes about Jews and Israel in TV, film and media

Jewish power and blood libels are millennia old tropes. Jews as “white Europeans” is a neo-Nazi canard that has shockingly been bolstered in Hollywood. This panel will explore the origin, danger, and use of these myths against Jews and Israel in TV and film and how we can dismantle them.

Featuring: Noa Tishby (actress, producer, Israeli activist), Allison Josephs (founder and executive director of Jew in the City Hollywood Bureau) and Malina Saval (Editor in Chief at Pasadena Magazine)

2023: #MeJew: Antisemitism, Authentic Representation and Jewish Identity in Hollywood

Why have Jews been left out of DEI conversations? Everyone believes Jews are vastly overrepresented in Hollywood — is that true? Why is their representation so often inauthentic, relying on caricatures at best and evil depictions at worst? How did Hollywood’s founders, escaping antisemitism, bake their complicated feelings of Judaism into so many storylines? How can we finally change the narrative so that rising Jew-hatred will be replaced with an explosion of Jewish pride?

Featuring: Allison Josephs (founder of Jew in the City Hollywood Bureau) and Malina Saval (features editor at Variety)

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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.