JEWISH IDENTITY IN WORLD CINEMA (ONLINE)

This course explores the pluralism of Jewish identity in cinema from the global diaspora outside of Israel, with particular attention to the Global South.  The material will complement a previous class on Jewish identity in American and European cinema and will similarly begin with The Jazz Singer (1927) to ground the conversation on Jewish identity in film. However, we will then move into new material from North America, Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America.

Core questions guiding our analysis of these movies include: What does it mean to be Jewish? Is Judaism a religious, ethnic, or cultural identity? How do Jews navigate their dual Jewish and national identities? Are there political associations with Jewish identity? How are Jewish gender identities or stereotypes similar or different across the diaspora? Are these Jewish films?

The course is given in collaboration with Paideia – The European Institute for Jewish Studies in Sweden. 

Course Structure

Each class will begin with an introduction by the teacher, followed by a film screening and class discussion. 

Prior Knowledge

The course is given in English.

No prior knowledge about the subject is needed.

To apply for this course, you need basic computer skills and knowledge of how to use the digital platform Zoom. 

Course Material

Course material is included in the cost for this course.

About the Teacher

Zoe Kelly-Nacht holds a Ph.D. in Religious Thought from Boston University, an M.Div. from Harvard Divinity School, and a B.A. from Barnard College, Columbia University. She specializes in the intersections of religion, literature, and film. Her dissertation examines the life, films, and manuscript Devotional Cinema by American Jewish Buddhist experimental filmmaker Nathaniel Dorsky. Zoe grew up in New York City and, prior to moving to Stockholm, taught religious studies courses at Hunter College, City University of New York, and Marymount Manhattan College. She now lives in Stockholm with her partner and two small children. 

Photo: From Movies: Chalom (elcinema.com), A Summer i La Goulette (Prime Video), Mazal Tov (courtesy of Cinecolor and Rollingstone Espanol).