Related Blog Posts on Arts and Culture, books, Engaging Families with Young Children, Family Activities, Parenting, and PJ Library

Portrait of the Artist as a Young Jewish Man

Wes Hopper
Two films from acclaimed Jewish filmmakers have debuted during award season this year, each taking semi-autobiographical looks at troubled childhoods. Each picture delivers award-worthy performances from many well-known actors, including Anthony Hopkins and Michelle Williams as sure bets to score Oscar nominations.

4 Spooky Mystical Jewish Figures

Crystal Hill
Even though Halloween began as a pagan holiday, it now brings spooky fun to children and adults of all backgrounds, including many Jews who view it more as a traditional holiday than a religious holiday.

Holy Sparks: Celebrating 50 Years of Women in the Rabbinate

Jean Bloch Rosensaft
On June 3, 1972, Rabbi Sally Priesand was ordained by Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion as the first woman rabbi in North America. To celebrate this milestone in Jewish and American history, HUC's Dr. Bernard Heller Museum in New York partnered with The Braid's Story Archive of Women Rabbis in Los Angeles to create the exhibition "Holy Sparks," presenting 24 ground-breaking women rabbis who were "firsts" in their time.

Film Review: Babi Yar. Context Examines Ukraine’s Past as It Fights for Its Future

Wes Hopper
In Sergie Loznitsa’s new documentary film, Babi Yar. Context, the decade spanning the Nazi invasion of Ukraine through the ensuing war crimes trial is explored using only archival footage and the occasional title card. Babi Yar (Babyn Yar) is a ravine outside the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv where on September 29-30, 1941, the Nazi Regime massacred an estimated 33,771 Jewish people. The result is a stark, uncompromising exploration of war and genocide that enlists the viewer in bearing witness to one of history’s most notorious atrocities.