This week on Jews on Film, hosts Harry and Daniel sit down with director and producer Simon Mendes (The Darkest Light, Dick Johnson Is Dead, Sabbath Queen) to talk about the Coen Brothers’ 2013 film Inside Llewyn Davis. Simon’s new documentary on Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach, winner of the Best First Feature award at the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival, takes on his musical legacy and the allegations of abuse that followed it. That makes him a natural guest for a film about a folk singer in 1961 Greenwich Village.

They discuss art vs. commerce, whether we can separate the art from the artist, and how Carlebach’s music lives on in synagogues today. Then they head into the Jewish stretches, from the Griffins to the seven-day shiva structure to the wandering Jew, and the cat. As always, they close out the episode by selecting their most Jewish scenes, debating if the movie is “good for the Jews,” and ranking the film’s “Jewishness” in terms of its cast & crew, content, and themes.

Simon Mendes:

• The Darkest Light (SFJFF film page) - https://jfi.org/sfjff-2026/film-guide/the-darkest-light
• Simone Mendes on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/simongmendes/

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Harry and Daniel welcome cartoonist and author Amy Kurzweil to talk about Spike Jonze’s Her (2013). Amy’s graphic memoir Artificial: A Love Story follows her father’s attempt to build a chatbot from her late grandfather’s writings, so she’s well placed to ask the big question: can a relationship with an operating system be real?

They dig into why the film’s utopia feels a little dystopian, why the OSs leave, and what Samantha has to do with the Golem. As always, they close out the episode by selecting their most Jewish scenes, “stretches of the pod,” debating if the movie is “good for the Jews,” and ranking the film’s “Jewishness” in terms of its cast & crew, content, and themes.

Amy Kurzweil Links:

• Website - https://www.amykurzweil.com
• Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/amykurzweil
• Artificial: A Love Story - https://bookshop.org/p/books/artificial-a-love-story-amy-kurzweil/ca42b0e11c088bdf
• Flying Couch: A Graphic Memoir - https://shop.yiddishbookcenter.org/products/flying-couch-a-graphic-memoir

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Daniel and Harry are joined by novelist Melanie Anagnos to discuss Vittorio De Sica's 1970 Oscar winner The Garden of the Finzi-Continis, about an aristocratic Jewish family in Ferrara sealing themselves off from the world — and from Italy's 1938 racial laws — behind the walls of their estate.

The trio digs into the film's tennis-club-turned-exile opening, the garden as an Edenic stand-in for both sanctuary and denial, and the bigger question the film keeps circling: who gets to decide whether you're an Italian Jew or a Jewish Italian. They also debate whether the family's insulated, aristocratic remove from the war closing in around them reads as denial or something closer to grace.

As always, they close out with some stretch-of-the-pod theories — walls, gates, and Garden of Eden symbolism included — before rating the film's Jewishness on their 1 to 5 scale.

Melanie's Links

• Check out Melanie's work
• Cherchez La Femma - Melanie's Substack
• Buy the "Nightswimming" Audiobook

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Daniel and Harry are joined by Gila Pfeffer, author of Nearly Departed, to discuss Zach Braff's 2004 indie darling Garden State, directed by and starring Braff alongside Natalie Portman and Peter Sarsgaard.

The trio debates whether the film is "actually" Jewish or just Jewish-coded, digging into Ian Holm's distant Jewish father, the humorous Doctor Cohn, and how two decades of over-prescribed lithium leave Andrew frozen in grief.

They talk through the funeral and Shiva scenes as the real emotional catalyst of the film, Portman's Sam as a defining "manic pixie dream girl," and Gila's own perspective on Jewish mourning rituals as an Orthodox writer. As always, they close out with some stretch-of-the-pod theories — mikvah bathtubs and Holocaust reparations included — before rating the film's Jewishness on their 1 to 5 scale.

Gila's Links

• Buy Gila's Book Nearly Departed
• Follow Gila on Instagram
• Subscribe to Gila's Substack



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Daniel and Harry are stuck in detention with Rachel Israel, director of The Floaters, so they figured they might as well record a podcast about the 1985 film The Breakfast Club, written and directed by John Hughes.

Together, they revisit the iconic coming-of-age classic and its five high-school stereotypes—the brain, the athlete, the basket case, the princess, and the criminal—and ask whether those labels really tell us anything about who we are. They discuss the film's surprisingly earnest exploration of identity, friendship, family and parental pressure, why its 95-minute running time feels almost radical today, and how The Breakfast Club paved the way for generations of teen movies to come.

They dig into the film's unexpected Jewish connections—from synchronized dancing and Jewish joy to the idea of detention as a kind of Shabbat or synagogue experience. They also discuss Rachel's own film The Floaters, Jewish summer camp, and the influence The Breakfast Club had on her filmmaking.

Plus, it's our favorite question: How Jewish is The Breakfast Club? The answer may involve a little creative stretching—but that's never stopped us before.

Rachel's Links

• Check out The Floaters in a city near you

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Returning guest and comedian Eli Leibowicz joins Harry and Daniel to discuss Bob Fosse's Lenny (1974), starring Dustin Hoffman as the groundbreaking—and deeply controversial—comedian Lenny Bruce. Together, they explore why Bruce remains one of the most influential figures in stand-up comedy, even decades after his death.

The conversation dives into Bruce's Jewish identity, the role of Yiddish in shaping his voice, and how Jewish humor became a vehicle for challenging authority and exposing hypocrisy. Along the way, Harry, Daniel, and Eli compare Bruce's legacy to modern comedians, debate the changing boundaries of free speech, and ask whether comedy is at its best when it entertains an audience—or unsettles one. They also discuss Dustin Hoffman's acclaimed performance, Bob Fosse's striking filmmaking, and why Lenny remains a fascinating portrait of an artist who refused to stop asking uncomfortable questions.

• “Lenny” on ImDB - https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0071746/
• “Lenny” Trailer - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TqvNOq8kGB8

Eli's Links

• Follow Eli Leibowicz on Instagram
• Eli's Website

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Daniel and Harry are (almost) back for Season 7 of the podcast!

In anticipation for the premiere in August, have a listen to an interview with Jackie Tohn, star of the new film "The Floaters", out now in limited release in theaters across the country.

They cover Jackie's experience at Jewish summer camps growing up, her four favorite Jewish films, how a long tradition of Jewish humor helped inform her acting choices in "The Floaters", and touching on how the film depicts a wide range of Jewish backgrounds and traditions.

Jackie's Links

• Follow Jackie Tohn on Instagram
• Check out The Floaters in a city near you

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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 Kilmer—who voiced both Moses and God (talk about range!).

Along the way, they unpack midrashic moments, sibling rivalry, and why this animated epic remains a Seder-season staple for so many Jewish households. Cue the plagues, and press play. This episode originally aired April 6 2025.

The Prince of Egypt on IMDb - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120794/

The Prince of Egypt Trailer - https://youtu.be/SsGcttNUi9c

Golda Guide - https://www.goldaguide.com/

Stephanie Butnick on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/sbutnick/

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