Articles
about local concerts, plays, books and movies, exclusive interviews and blog
posts that bring some Jewish perspective to pop culture.
What’s Jewish about fun-in-the-sun favorites
Explore a new book compiling historical and contemporary Israeli poetry.
A new historical romance novel explores deep issues and their resolution.
A new memoir reveals never-before-told stories of the Chicago Bulls from their former team doctor, Michael Lewis.
Check out this new book to get a fresh take on modern Judaism.
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Explore an art exhibition this weekend at a modern, young gallery encouraged for all.
Great Jewish children’s books are released every year. But sometimes it’s great to revisit some old friends.
A new local podcast goes looking for Judaism in the panels of comic books.
New documentary guarantees you a seat on the Team Israel bandwagon
A new documentary highlights Israelis’ role in sustainable water solutions
Marc Luban and Kenneth Lyonswright -- are two of the winners of the Jewish Stars talent contest held by Jewish Rock Radio.
Jewish-themed movies that are upbeat, optimistic and romantic.
Indeed, the hype is legit and, probably like many of you, I'm hooked.
A list of 25 Christmas songs written by Jews, told in the form of a song, of course.
Memorable modern TV moments celebrating the Festival of Lights
Meet Jessica Kirzane, the new Yiddish lecturer at UChicago.
Scrolling through the documentary offerings on Netflix, I began to feel that there were a lot of them on one subject: The Holocaust.
Rebekah Frumpkin's first published novel, 'The Comedown,' is earning critical acclaim.
The director of 2018’s Best Foreign Language Film Oscar dives into Orthodox Judaism in his latest film
How
seeing the parody king perform his original music brought me sweet validation.
Israel’s submission to the Academy Awards is an unabashed and core-cutting examination of guilt, grief and human flaws.
Here are some movies that you'd think would be Jewish in theme or content but are far from it.
Year after year I am reminded that, especially compared to Christmas, there is a sad lack of Jewish holiday movies, which brings me to thinking there is even more so a lack of Jewish-themed movies.
It’s time to play everyone’s favorite game -- is that person Jewish?
Daniel Radcliffe playing an Israeli surviving in the Bolivian jungle? You have this Jewish movie-lover’s attention.
Last time, we examined words and terms with “Jew” in them, but there are many more things that sound as if they could be Jewish, yet aren’t.
Menashe, a new independent Yiddish-language film, is a touching -- and in many ways groundbreaking -- portrait of a 30-something Hasidic single father in Brooklyn.
In the wee hours of the morn on February 21, 2017, I finally completed my epic journey through Stephen King’s The Dark Tower series -- and all the novels, novellas and stories that weave through it.
Not everything that sounds Jewish is Jewish.
To me, Gal Gadot represents something more than just being Jewish.
In many cases a high honor, prize or award in that field is named for a Jewish pioneer in that area.
The Israeli film, featuring a knockout lead performance, opens in Chicago on May 19
Storytelling and collaboration to bring our community closer
The Fourth Annual JCC Chicago Jewish Film Festival opens March 9 and includes an Academy Award nominee and an exclusive special showing of a star-studded film prior to its national debut.
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Local artist Chai Wolfman’s painting collection “Grounded in Hope” is on display at Uncommon Ground in Edgewater through Feb. 6
The first event I attended post-election that didn’t involve me eating my feelings was “Israel Story Live.”
Re-watching Gilmore Girls in anticipation of the Netflix revival has reminded me how “Jewish” this show actually is.
A look at the comedy duo’s Chicago connections and Jewish humor.
The story behind Israel Story, a podcast with live shows in Chicago on Nov. 15 and 16
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Film fans take note: The 11th Chicago Festival of Israeli Cinema kicks off today, Tuesday, Nov. 1, and runs through Nov. 13.
There's no quality I admire more than courage, people who have the chutzpah to stand up for what they believe in, what they know to be right, no matter how much external forces try to sway them in the other direction.
I am talking, of course, of the greatest Gene Wilder movie you (probably) have never seen, Start The Revolution Without Me.
A Jewish, Queer woman trying to track her own family tree as it grows out of control around her. That’s the premise of a new play I Do Today, which premiered last week at Chicago’s Greenhouse Theater Center.
How should a Jewish person in today’s America
react when confronted with Nazism? Film is one way we have wrestled with and
explored this question.
An interview with my friend during his three-day wait to see ‘Hamilton’ in New York
It’s not every day I get to see the most influential Jew I’ve never met.
Yes, it’s a list, not a joke.
Rather than make you look through all 21 webpages of McSweeney’s lists for the Jewish ones, I went and did that for you.
A Splintered Soul brings a unique interpretation to the traditional Holocaust stories shared on stage.
After Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg became a mother for the first time, she found herself trying to make sense of this profound life-changing experience that we call parenthood.
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Jack Yonover is quite an impressive and articulate eighth grader. Two years ago, Yonover, who is allergic to pistachios and cashews, came up with the idea to make a documentary for his bar mitzvah project reflecting on the fears and frustrations of living with food allergies.
Life. Not the cereal, or the “Game of,” but the one we all live in. That life. It’s a tough one, and sometimes, a little escape is in order.
Raiders of the Lost Ark, in which Indiana Jones went after the Ark of the Covenant, currently has an
8.5 on imdb.com. It's the highest rating of any film in the franchise, with
The Last Crusade
-- in which Indy pursued the Holy Grail -- at an
8.3. The other two films don't rate anywhere near that high.
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