Jews on Film: Exploring Jewish Stories & Themes in Cinema

Just in time for Passover, hosts Harry and Daniel are joined by Stephanie Butnick—creator of  Golda , the Jewish culture guide—for a spirited conversation about  The Prince of Egypt  (1998), DreamWorks’ dazzling and dramatic take on the Exodus story. The trio dives into the film’s stunning animation, unforgettable music, and deeply Jewish themes, while also paying tribute to the late, great Val Ki...

Harry and Daniel welcome back Pamela Lavitt, director of the Seattle Jewish Film Festival, to discuss Among Neighbors , the powerful documentary by Yoav Potash that uses animation to explore a haunting Holocaust story about survivors confronting the role their own neighbors played in wartime violence. Together, they examine how animation is reshaping Holocaust storytelling, the challenges of prese...

For their 100th (give or take) episode, Harry and Daniel celebrate a major milestone by revisiting where it all began—with their very first guest, Yuli Masinovsky. Together, they keep things loose, reflective, and a little bit meta as they dive into The 99 Year Old Man , the documentary from Judd Apatow chronicling the life and legacy of Mel Brooks. Along the way, the trio looks back on four years...

Harry and Daniel are joined by writer Leigh Stein , author of the novel If You’re Seeing This, It’s Meant for You , to unpack the ambition, anxiety, and Jewish bravado pulsing through Marty Supreme , directed by Josh Safdie . Rather than simply treating the film as a sports drama, the conversation zeroes in on Marty as a driven artist figure — obsessive, self-mythologizing, hungry for greatness, a...

Harry and Daniel dive into the swashbuckling fairy tale classic The Princess Bride with filmmaker and special guest Michael Lukk Litwak, director of Molli and Max in the Future . Directed by Rob Reiner and written by legendary screenwriter William Goldman (adapting his own novel), The Princess Bride is a story of fencing, fighting, torture, revenge, giants, monsters, chases, escapes, true love—and...

Daniel and Harry welcome Nabil Ayers - music industry entrepreneur, podcaster, musician, and author to discuss Martin Scorsese's 1985 dark comedy "After Hours" starring Griffin Dunne, Rosanna Arquette, and Linda Fiorentino. They discuss SoHo in the 1980s, Scorsese’s exploration of temptation and punishment, how this film fits into the "Yuppie Nightmare" canon of films alongside...

This week, Daniel and Harry are joined by Temim Fruchter, author of "City of Laughter" out now! They discuss the classic 1989 film "When Harry Met Sally..." starring Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan directed by the late Rob Reiner. First, they touch on why the film has sustained as one of the best Rom-Coms, pointing to the improvisation and natural conversations that drive the film's...

Harry and Daniel are joined by special guest Tanya Singer to explore Liev Schreiber’s 2005 film Everything is Illuminated . Starring Elijah Wood as a young Jewish American traveling to Ukraine in search of his grandfather’s past, the film blends absurd humor with profound reflections on memory, trauma, and the long shadow of the Holocaust. Together, the group discusses the film’s road-trip structu...

Harry and Daniel settle in with a nice luke warm bowl of shark soup and are once again joined by author Shawn Levy to delve into Noah Baumbach’s “ The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected)” , a darkly comic portrait of a fractured Jewish family in New York. With standout performances from Adam Sandler, Ben Stiller, Dustin Hoffman, and Emma Thompson, the film explores themes of sibling rivalry, par...

Daniel and Harry step away from their latest Capitol Pictures assignment—something about a wrestling picture?—to dive into the Coen Brothers’ Barton Fink . They are joined by actor, writer, director, and novelist Tim Blake Nelson , whose new book Super Hero adds an extra layer to their exploration of creativity, identity, and the strange, sticky world of Hollywood. Together, they unpack the film’s...

Harry and Daniel are joined by caricature artist Robin Schwartzman to revisit Don Bluth and Steven Spielberg’s animated classic An American Tail , the story of Fievel Mousekewitz and his family’s journey from Russia to America. Beneath its colorful animation and unforgettable songs lies a deeply Jewish immigration story, echoing themes of displacement, perseverance, and hope. The hosts explore the...

🧳 A tale of immigrants, Yiddish, and the struggle between Old World traditions and New World dreams. Jason Diamond, author of Kaplan's Plot , join Harry and Daniel to revisit Joan Micklin Silver’s 1975 classic Hester Street , a groundbreaking portrayal of Jewish immigrants in turn-of-the-century New York. Starring Carol Kane in an Oscar-nominated performance, the film captures the tensions be...

Harry and Daniel are joined by podcaster & writer Julie Klausner to tackle Adaptation , Spike Jonze’s wildly inventive collaboration with screenwriter Charlie Kaufman. Starring Nicolas Cage in a dual role as Kaufman and his fictional twin brother, the film bends narrative form to explore writer’s block, creativity, and self-doubt. The hosts discuss Kaufman’s uniquely Jewish lens on storytellin...

Daniel and Harry are once again joined by actor & comedian Gil Ozeri to discuss the 1987 classic, Spaceballs. Join them as they uncover the ways Mel Brooks brings his Jewish voice and humor to this parody of Star Wars and the classic tropes it inspired. Listen in as they talk about the power of the Schwartz, the Druish princess Vespa, and the all powerful (and very Jewish) Yogurt! Spaceballs o...

Daniel and Harry are back for Season Five of the podcast! In this premiere episode, they welcome back writer Michael Schulman to talk about Tim Burton's 1985 classic, "Pee Wee's Big Adventure" . They cover the excellent documentary film, "Paul Reubens as Himself" before heading out hitchhiking on the road to uncover what the film has to say about being an outsider, wanderin...

Daniel and Harry drop in to let you know what to expect on this season of Jews on Film!

Cartoonist and editor Sammy Harkham, author of the recent and critically acclaimed graphic novel  Blood of the Virgin , joins hosts Harry and Daniel to discuss the 1973 cult classic horror film, Messiah of Evil, co-directed by Willard Huyck and Gloria Katz. A 70s era stylized West Coast horror, the movie has acquired a cult following and is credited as one of the conceptual forbearers of the moder...

Writer and critic Matthew Specktor, author of the new novel The Golden Hour , joins hosts Harry and Daniel to discuss Joseph Losey’s haunting 1976 film Mr. Klein . Set in Nazi-occupied France during the lead-up to the infamous Vel d’Hiv roundup of Jews, the film follows Alain Delon as an art dealer who becomes ensnared in a chilling case of mistaken identity with another man who may be Jewish—and...

Just in time for Passover, hosts Harry and Daniel are joined by Stephanie Butnick—creator of Golda , the Jewish culture guide—for a spirited conversation about The Prince of Egypt (1998), DreamWorks’ dazzling and dramatic take on the Exodus story. The trio dives into the film’s stunning animation, unforgettable music, and deeply Jewish themes, while also paying tribute to the late, great Val Kilme...

Daniel and Harry welcome director Sandi Dubowski to talk about his new documentary film, Sabbath Queen . They discuss what it was like to film Amichai Lau-Lavie and his life over the course of 21 years and how does someone know when a film is finished? In addition they cover the depictions of the various expressions of Judaism onscreen and how Amichai sought to create his own path after wrestling...

Daniel and Harry welcome back DIrector of the Seattle Jewish Film Festival Pamela Lavitt to chat about the festival and Jewish cinema at large. She shares memories of exciting and notable moments from its 30 year history and talk about this year's slate of films and events. Then the group discusses how audiences are looking for Jewish joy and unique in-person experiences in cinema. Check out t...

In this special bonus episode of Jews on Film , hosts Harry and Daniel sit down with director Lisa D’Apolito to discuss her new documentary, Shari & Lamb Chop . The film explores the life and legacy of Shari Lewis, the beloved puppeteer, children’s entertainer, and creator of the iconic Lamb Chop. Lisa shares insights into Lewis’s groundbreaking career, her impact on generations of viewers, an...

Harry and Daniel are joined by special guest Richard Bernstein, author of Only in America , to explore the groundbreaking yet controversial 1927 film The Jazz Singer . As the first feature-length "talkie," The Jazz Singer revolutionized Hollywood, but its themes of assimilation, the American Dream, and generational conflict remain just as compelling today. The conversation delves into Al J...

Daniel & Harry catch up with director & co-writer Daniel Robbins to talk about his new film, Bad Shabbos. They talk about the origins of the film, authentically portraying a Shabbat meal on the Upper West Side, and discuss working with the film's incredible cast. Finally, they pitch a few stretches to him about aspects of the film and manage to get the answers straight from the source!...

In this special episode, Harry and Daniel brush off their tuxedos and gather their past episode show notes to discuss some of the current year's Academy Award picks. Then they move on to the eagerly anticipated "Oyscars" and highlight Jewish excellence in cinema in categories like "Best Onscreen Food", The Most Coded Jewish Non-Explicitly-Jewish Character, The Favorite “Stretch...