Celebrity Jews
Spielberg wins Genesis Prize; Golden Globes, Image Awards nominees; etc.
Spielberg wins the big prize Steven Spielberg has beat out notables such as Barbra Streisand and the Bay Area’s own Marc Benioff to win this year’s…
Off the Shelf
Family histories open new windows on historical events
Books coverage is supported by a generous grant from The Milton and Sophie Meyer Fund. What makes books on family history so compelling for me is that…
Film
In ‘Leona,’ forbidden love rattles Mexico City's Orthodox Jews
At the start of the film “Leona,” an indie drama set in Mexico City, protagonist Ariela watches her close friend immerse in a mikvah, or ritual bath, with…
TV
Death, marriage and immigration in French-Israeli series ‘Possessions’
The opening moments of “Possessions,” the new French-Israeli drama now on HBO Max, present a family in crisis over their daughter’s impending marriage.…
Culture
Image Awards: Jewish nominees, from Daveed Diggs to Doja Cat
Several Jewish stars are among the nominees for the 2021 NAACP Image Awards, which celebrate Black achievement in movies, television, music and…
Parenting
A talk with my dad, screenwriter of ‘My Name Is Sara’
In this column, I usually write about my kids and my experiences as a parent, but this month I decided to interview my own father, David Himmelstein. He’s…
Film
‘The Vigil’: An ex-Hasidic man’s harrowing night with the dead
A young man has to stay up one night guarding the corpse of a stranger, having agreed to wait for the mortician. It is a dark and dreary house, and an old…
Sports
A tale of two Jewish Super Bowl linemen
Here’s a football bet you probably could’ve gotten long odds on before the season started: each Super Bowl team having a Jewish offensive lineman. Both…
TV & Film
Jewish Golden Globe nominees, from ‘Borat’ to ‘Unorthodox’
“Schitt’s Creek” is trying to pick up in the Golden Globes where it left off in the fall with its historic Emmys sweep. The show about a…