Life

Scarlett Johansson interview: ‘My film represents where I am in my life now’

Hollywood’s outspoken superstar on her directorial debut Eleanor the Great and finding empathy for its main character, an elderly Jewish woman who lies about surviving the Holocaust

By James Mottram

6 min read

Scarlett Johansson's directorial debut Eleanor the Great centres an elderly Jewish woman who falsely claims to be a Holocaust survivor. (Photo: PA)

Not in the brochure: the arrival of the first group of settlers at the port of Asuncion, painted by one of them, Charles Sansom (Photo: Christies Images/Canning House)

Family history

My family were ‘farmers’ in Paraguay. Who knew?

By Mark Solomons

3 min read

Good intentions: John Irving and his new book

Books

John Irving’s latest: ‘an unapologetically Zionist heroine’

By Ben Felsenburg

3 min read

Amy Levy. (Photo: Cambridge University Library)

Literature

Oscar Wilde’s queer and Jewish female friend

By Eliana Jordan

3 min read

JC LifeDelivered Weekly

Unlock access to our community and get the latest news straight to your inbox!

All Newsletters

Christmas

Christmas Schmistmas: the top 10 Yuletide films made by Jews

By Mark Solomons

6 min read

Culture

What to see this winter, from Marty Supreme to Into the Woods

Elisa Bray on the Jewish films, plays and exhibitions not to miss

By Elisa Bray

3 min read

Christmas

How it really feels to be the only Israeli at a British Christmas dinner

After October 7 it’s lot harder for many celebrating Xmas with their non-Jewish partner and family

By Florit Shoihet

6 min read

For some Israelis, celebrating Christmas with their non Jewish families has become difficult after October 7

Israeli actors

‘Portraying October 7 was my privilege’ says Israeli actor Rotem Sela, star of Red Alert

In the Paramount+ drama Sela plays a mother who was kidnapped from her kibbutz home

By Lianne Kolirin

7 min read

Rotem Sela as Batsheva Yahalomi and Libi Atia as Yael in Red Alert ( Photo: Ran Mendelson/Green Productions, Bender Brown Productions, Keshet 12, the IEF, & Paramount+)

Health

The Jewish guide to a healthy winter

Our traditions help you cope with the cold

By Hilary Freeman

5 min read

Lifestyle

Art exhibition

Portrait of a proudly Jewish artist putting her identity on display

Painter Zoe Buckman shares her love of yiddishkeit and Leonard Cohen in her most personal collection to date

By Siam Goorwich

2 min read

London-born artist Zoë Buckman has a new solo show opening in Miami (Picture: Abbey Drucker)

Table tennis

Ping! How Jews turned the table on the game Howard Jacobson calls chess in shorts

Next week sees the the release of the film Marty Supreme inspired by a world-famous Jewish ping pong player. We look back on at the sport’s very Yiddishe history

By Elisa Bray

3 min read

Off his own bat: Timothée Chalamet as Marty Mauser in Marty Supreme

Theatre

Slam Frank, the controversial play that knows who’s in on the joke ★★★★★

The musical spoof that tauntingly reimagines Anne Frank for the ‘woke’ world is not just rage bait

By Jocelin Weiss

3 min read

Books

Goodbye to Berlin – a lost Jewish Germany is brought back to life in an epic saga

David Bennun has high praise for The Effingers, a beautifully subtle novel describing Germany’s slide into Nazism

By David Bennun

5 min read

Goodbye to Berlin – a lost Jewish Germany is brought back to life in an epic saga

Theatre

It is called Christmas Day but it is about being Jewish

Nigel Lindsay on why he’s pleased to play a Jew on the London stage amid soaring antisemitism

By John Nathan

5 min read

Theatre

This version of Roald Dahl’s BFG shows that giants can be small and pathetic ★★★★

Unlike The Witches in which Dahl was accused of having Jews in mind when he created the cabal of child-killers, Jewish theatregoers can relax with this adaptation

By John Nathan

2 min read

Not so gentle: Ellemie Shivers (as Sophie) with the gargantuan puppet (Photo: Marc Brenner)

jewish pantomime

Oh yes they have! This panto is unashamedly Jewish – and all the funnier for it ★★★★

The makers of Cinderella and the Matzo Ball deserve all the praise (naches) for conjuring up something so blissfully unapologetic at a time of Jewish erasure in the arts

By Etan Smallman

2 min read

Behind you! The Giant Prawn in the JW3 panto (Photo: Charlie Flint)

Theatre

A Dracula spoof to enjoy, but no fangs for my seat ★★★

Excellent music and the jokes come thick and fast. I just wish I could have seen what was happening centre stage!

By John Nathan

1 min read

Ciarán Dowd in Dracapella (Photo: Craig Sugden)

Film & TV

All TV

Film

Peter Hujar’s Day review: ‘a hymn to the wet process of photography’ ★★★★

By John Nathan

1 min read

The all-singing, all-dancing Limmud Festival 2025

The JC previews some of the musical highlights of the forthcoming Jewish cultural jamboree

By Ben Conway

4 min read

Marty Supreme reviews round-up: Timothée Chalamet tipped for Oscars glory with comparsions made to De Niro and Pacino

Rave reviews have been pouring in for the Jewish star’s performance as Marty Mauser in Marty Supreme

By Elisa Bray

2 min read

By Gaby Wine

OPINION: Turning the music off is not a pathway to peace

The artists blocking their music being streamed in Israel are doing more harm than good

3 min read

Travel

All Travel

A view from the top of Thermae Bath Spa on a winter morning.

Travel

High teas, hot springs and Jane Austen: Finding winter wellness in Bath

By Nicole Lampert

3 min read

My own butler? This is how to cruise...

From a deluxe Friday night dinner and spa treatments to lectures about Jewish heroes and a round of golf, Mark Silver on his sails of the unexpected

By Mark Silver

5 min read

14 fantastic Chanukah gifts to light your foodie’s festive season

Spark joy with these tasty treats and gourmet gadgets

By Victoria Prever

1 min read

The Italian spa town where the end of the line became a new beginning for Europe’s Jews

Plus, how South Tyrol could, according to a local guide, hold the secret to peace in Israel

By Jacob Jaffa

5 min read

Books

All Books

Virtuoso of Polish fiction: Bruno Schulz and the Pushkin Press edition of some his most famous stories

Books

‘He was one of the most remarkable writers who ever lived’

By David Herman

2 min read

How being Jewish shaped the career of a Seventies music superstar

This critical biography of Carole King pays close attention to her Jewishness and how, while lightly worn, it informed her life and work

By David Bennun

1 min read

So what exactly is Dan Brown’s secret? Who knows

I can’t recommend the author’s latest novel, but I have no doubt his fans will buy it in their millions

By Jenni Frazer

2 min read

How I managed to write my (very annoying) first novel

After a lifetime of trying, I have finally found my literary voice – by becoming a Jew

By Michael Kretzmer

3 min read

Music

All Music

Primal Scream perform Swastika Eyes at the Camden Roundhouse on December 8, 2025 (Image: YouTube/JohnW)

Music

London venue appalled by Primal Scream’s use of ‘antisemitic imagery’ during gig

By Jacob Jaffa

2 min read

Björk, Lorde and Paul Weller join 1,000 artists and labels to block Israelis from streaming their music

A new campaign aims to pressure music companies such as Sony, UMG and Warner to follow suit

By Jamie Shapiro

1 min read

Oi Va Voi live review: A homecoming concert with the feel of a north London Jewish wedding ★★★★

The dynamic band’s hometown performance at Islington Assembly Hall on Wednesday was a show of joyful Jewish defiance

By John Lewis

2 min read

Coldplay fans boo Israeli women, leading to ‘dehumanising’ exchange on stage with Chris Martin

Martin awkwardly described the women as ‘equal humans’, before welcoming gig-goers from Palestine

By Elisa Bray

2 min read

Sport

All Sport

Lineker was accused of antisemitism when he shared a social media post about Zionism featuring an image of a rat

Gary Lineker

Netflix condemned for Gary Lineker deal after he quit BBC over sharing post about Zionism with rat image

By Mark Wood

4 min read

Ronald Araújo ‘heads to Israel for spiritual reset’ after online abuse from Barcelona fans

The defender is a devout Christian

By Ben Conway

1 min read

Jewish football team walk off pitch after ‘big nosed’ slur

The Maccabi London Lions and Hitchin Town match was abandoned after a player allegedly made antisemitic remarks.

By Ben Conway

1 min read

Man City fan vows never to watch another game after Pep Guardiola’s ‘genocide’ comments

Jewish fan of the club says he feels ‘betrayed’ by the manager’s rhetoric on Israel

By Jamie Shapiro

2 min read

Let's Eat

All Food

Jewish food

Celebrating the spice-filled cuisine of my Bukharian Jewish ancestors

By Eliana Jordan

3 min read

An expert suggests the perfect wine pairings for Chanukah feasts

What goes best with doughnuts and other fried festive favourites?

By Jacob Betito

2 min read

Stir the pot this Mitzvah Day with a warming batch of home made soup

If you’re looking for a way to help others a big broth could be the answer

By Victoria Prever

1 min read

The traditional Jewish foods the Ozempic generation should be choosing

GLP-1’s are on the rise – here’s what to eat if you’re using one of them

By Laura Southern

3 min read