The Jewish world was collectively up in arms this week when the Jewish Chronicle (based on a trailer) reported that Sabra, the long-awaited Israeli MCU superhero, was being turned into a Russian character. Accusations of whitewashing and erasure were screamed from virtual rooftops. I noted to a friend that turning an Israeli into a European […]
One does not have to look far to see misinformed claims that Jews are “white Europeans” and “genetically European” widely circulating. Of course, these incorrect assertions are driven by an ideological agenda. To use the words of Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, antisemitism is “a virus that mutates”. That is, antisemitism is constantly adapting to shifting zeitgeists. […]
Editor’s note: Last month, the Motion Picture Academy Museum added an exhibit on the Jewish founders of Hollywood after they had been conspicuously left out at the museum’s founding in 2021. While several reports indicate that the addition of the Jewish exhibit is steeped in antisemitism, Jews being excluded from recent museum exhibits seems to […]
Curb Your Enthusiasm just aired its series finale this week, which gives me an opportunity to discuss a question that’s been on my mind for some time: is Larry David’s representation good for the Jews? Let’s start off by stating the positive – the man is hilarious and a comedic genius. I never watched the […]
I had the privilege of seeing Harmony last night, the final week before the show closes in an unfortunately short run. The production opened in mid-October and is having its last performance on February 4. While the show was created well before October 7, 2023, it’s almost like the writer knew how deeply the themes […]
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 […]
