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What and who is Jewish at this year's Oscars?
THE BRUTALIST
One of the year’s most talked-about epics, THE BRUTALIST centers on a Hungarian Jewish architect and Holocaust survivor (Adrien Brody) who moves to a Philadelphia suburb where he works for a mysterious industrialist. Brady Corbet’s monumental project tackles Jewish themes like resilience, legacy, and tradition. THE BRUTALIST has garnered multiple nominations for its Jewish talent, including Brody for Best Actor, composer Daniel Blumberg for Best Original Score, and the film itself for Best Picture.
97th Jewish Academy Awards
A REAL PAIN
A REAL PAIN, Jesse Eisenberg’s comedy/drama about two Jewish cousins traveling through Poland, recognizes Eisenberg with a nomination for Best Original Screenplay.
OTHER NOMINATIONS
Jeremy Strong has earned a nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Roy Cohn in THE APPRENTICE.
Mikey Madison has been nominated for Best Actress for her role in ANORA, starring alongside fellow Jewish actor Mark Eydelshteyn.
97th Jewish Academy Awards
Tense and positively gripping, SEPTEMBER 5 delves into the 1972 Summer Olympics at Munich from the point of view of an American Sports broadcasting station. What starts out as ordinary sports reporting transcends to live coverage of Israeli athletes being taken hostage. SEPTEMBER 5 has earned a nomination for Best Original Screenplay.
NO OTHER LAND is a deeply compelling documentary that follows the efforts of Palestinian activist Basel Adra and Israeli journalist Yuval Abraham over five years as they capture the ongoing developments in Masafer Yatta, a region in the southern West Bank. The film offers a rare, behind-the-scenes perspective on the evolving dynamics of the region, with a focus on the relationship between Adra and Abraham. NO OTHER LAND is up for Best Documentary Feature.
JEWISH WOMEN OF HISTORY
With Women’s History Month right around the corner, let’s take a look at some notable Jewish women who have made history and headlines through their heritage.
Star of Yiddish theater and film, Molly Picon spent over 70 years delighting audiences with her comedy and dance performances, helping to usher Yiddish culture into the American mainstream.
One of America’s first successful female entrepreneurs, puppet designer Beatrice Alexander built her company from the ground up following World War I, fighting to be taken seriously in a male-dominated business landscape.
Molly Picon
Beatrice Alexander
JEWISH WOMEN OF HISTORY
Anna Soklow
Jewish dancer and choreographer Anna Sokolow believed dance could go beyond entertainment. She addressed important issues of her time, including the Great Depression, Holocaust, and youth alienation in the 1960s, moving audiences and alerting them to different perspectives.
Judy Chicago is a feminist and artist who has spent her career painting eloquent works of art depicting the cycle of life, rebirth, and how women shape the world around us.
Judy Chicago
TEVYA (1939)
TEVYA is an American Yiddish film based on Sholem Aleichem's character Tevye the Dairyman (FIDDLER ON THE ROOF), portrayed by Maurice Schwartz. The story follows the titular Tevya, a humble Jewish milkman, living with his wife, Goldie, and their daughters, each at a prime marrying age. As his daughters pursue their own paths, from his widowed daughter Tseytl to Khave, who falls in love with a gentile, Fedya, Tevya struggles to reconcile his traditional beliefs with their desires. Rediscovered in 1978 after being thought lost, TEVYA was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry in 1991, becoming the first nonEnglish language film to be deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the U.S. Library of Congress.
TEVYA is available to stream on MUBI.
Spotlight: RIKI ROSE
A Contemporary Yiddish Star
Singer and writer Riki Rose has amassed tens of thousands of followers across social media, given multiple big interviews, and become a star by getting in touch with her roots and singing in Yiddish.
Raised in the Satmar area of Bushwick, Brooklyn, she has made significant contributions to Jewish cultural representation on stage and screen. Rose has worked as a producer, director, and curator, often focusing on projects that explore the Jewish experience and address important social issues. She has been a strong advocate for the preservation of Jewish cultural heritage, contributing to numerous initiatives aimed at documenting and sharing Jewish stories. Rose’s contributions have earned her recognition in various cultural circles, making her a prominent and respected figure in the Jewish arts community.
Listen to Riki Rose on Spotify.
The WOLFENSTEIN series is a long-running video game franchise, primarily focused on alternate history scenarios involving the defeat of Nazi Germany during World War II. The series is centered on protagonist William "B.J." Blazkowicz, a Jewish-American soldier who fights against Nazi forces and their horrific plans, including the use of advanced technology and occult practices. The games explore themes of resistance, survival, and moral conflict, with Blazkowicz's Jewish heritage often playing a key role in his personal motivations and struggles. The narrative frequently delves into the horrors of Nazi ideology, the Holocaust, and the human cost of war, drawing on real-world historical events to highlight the stakes of the game's fictional universe.
Throughout the series, WOLFENSTEIN incorporates Jewish themes by positioning Blazkowicz not just as a hero but a symbol of Jewish resilience and the fight against antisemitism. The game's depiction of Nazi atrocities and its focus on the character’s Jewish background serve as a reminder of the historical context and importance of remembering the Holocaust. The franchise blends action-packed gameplay with moments of profound emotional depth, offering a unique way for players to engage with Jewish history while providing a cathartic experience of resistance against tyranny.
The most recent WOLFENSTEIN experience, WOLFENSTEIN: YOUNGBLOOD, is available to play on PC, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, and Playstation 5.
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