(NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ) -- The Rutgers Jewish Film Festival will feature 13 thought-provoking and entertaining films and dynamic discussions with filmmakers and special guests from November 5-15, 2026 at the Regal Cinema Commerce Center in North Brunswick.
With films from the United States, Israel, France and Belgium, the festival delves deeply into universal themes while also offering diverse perspectives on Jewish history, culture, and identity around the globe – from We Met at Grossinger's, a charming documentary about the iconic Catskills' resort and the women-led team that made it a cultural hotspot, to Lost in Territories, an ensemble comedy about Israelis and Palestinians finding unexpected connection amid the contentiousness of the West Bank.
Tickets are available online through the Bildner Center website. General admission tickets are $16. Sponsored by Rutgers' Allen and Joan Bildner Center for the Study of Jewish Life, the festival is made possible by a grant from the Karma Foundation. Regal Cinema Commerce Center is located at 2399 US-1 in North Brunswick, New Jersey.
Opening Day, November 5, will feature two remarkable films that celebrate sound, music and poetry. The drama The Soundman, directed by Frank Van Passel, tells the story of the blossoming romance between an aspiring sound artist and a young Jewish actress in a 1940s Belgian radio station on the brink of the German invasion. That evening, the festival will feature the New Jersey premiere of the American documentary Dust Bowls and Jewish Souls: Another Side of Woody Guthrie, which explores Guthrie's unexpected connection to Judaism. Director Steven Pressman is expected to attend. Live music by Demolition String Band.
Special NJ Premieres: The festival presents Tell Me Everything (November 10 and November 13), a stirring father-son drama from breakout Israeli filmmaker Moshe Rosenthal. Nominated this year for a record-breaking sixteen Ophir Awards (Israeli Oscars), the film went on to win 10 awards, including best picture, best director and best screenplay. Moshe Rosenthal is invited for the November 10 screening. Bookends, written by and starring Noam Ash (My Gay Roommate), will be screened on November 7 and 12. A charming queer comedy on the power of intergenerational relationships, the film is loosely inspired by Ash's own experiences and close relationship with his grandparents. Noam Ash is expected to attend the November 12 screening.
Closing Day, November 15, includes Safe Room, an American documentary on the remarkable transformation of a group of strangers into family after surviving the October 7 attack together (director Haley Geffen is expected to attend); and a special sneak preview of Double Panther, a thrilling Israeli political drama based on historical events. Set in 1970s Jerusalem, criminal-turned-informant Yaakov Elbaz is planted as a mole in Israel's growing Black Panther movement.
Additional festival speakers include Holocaust survivor and Rutgers alumna Tova Friedman who tells her life story in a new documentary (Behind Her Eyes, November 12), and director Simon Mendes, Neshama Carlebach, and Donna Zerner (The Darkest Light, November 8), whose new documentary on the legacy of the late Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach is deeply nuanced.
Thursday, November 5 at 3:15pm - The Soundman. On the brink of the German invasion of Belgium in 1940, introverted but passionate sound artist Berre begins interning at an acclaimed radio station in Brussels. There, he meets Elza, an aspiring Jewish voiceover actress who is navigating rising antisemitism. As sparks fly, their passion for radio offers a beacon of hope in dark times. Featuring uniquely breathtaking sound design, this immersive drama is a testament to the power of storytelling.
Thursday, November 5 at 7:00pm - Dust Bowls and Jewish Souls: Another Side of Woody Guthrie. When Woody Guthrie, the legendary folk songwriter behind “This Land Is Your Land,” married Jewish second wife Marjorie Greenblatt, he was introduced to an entirely new culture of traditions, struggles, and stories. Dust Bowls and Jewish Souls explores this hidden history with illuminating insight and a focus on Guthrie’s connection to his mother-in-law, renowned Yiddish poet Aliza Greenblatt.
Saturday, November 7 at 7:00pm - Bookends. After a messy breakup with his boyfriend, aspiring novelist and hopeless romantic Nate (Noam Ash) must move upstate to live with his grandparents in their Jewish retirement community. Featuring wonderful performances from F. Murray Abraham (Amadeus, The White Lotus), Caroline Aaron (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), and Charlie Barnett (Star Wars: The Acolyte), Bookends is a heartfelt queer comedy about the power of intergenerational relationships and how it’s never too late to start over. “Reminds us of the power of building strong intergenerational relationships” —Jewish Film Institute
Saturday, November 7 at 9:15pm - Double Panther. In 1970s Jerusalem, criminal nightclub owner Yaakov Elbaz is recruited by police to be an informant within Israel’s rapidly rising Black Panther movement. Though reluctant at first, Elbaz slowly begins to side with the Black Panther’s cause—civil rights for Sephardic and Mizrahi Jews--only for his double life to put it all in jeopardy. Based on historical events and starring Israeli Oscar-winner Yaakov Zada Daniel, Double Panther is a moving political thriller about collective action and social justice in the early years of Israeli statehood.
Sunday, November 8 at 12:30pm - We Met at Grossinger's Borscht. Grossinger’s Resort was the most talked about destination in the Jewish Catskills — once known as the Borscht Belt —where Jewish families could vacation, escaping rising antisemitism in the mid-1900s. Paula Eiselt’s charming documentary unearths decades of Grossinger’s history, reframing its legacy as not only a pop culture hotspot, but also a trailblazing feminist enterprise and a haven for Jewish-American identity and acceptance.
Sunday, November 8 at 3:00pm - The Darkest Light. Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach and his music left an indelible impact on the modern Jewish world, but when multiple women accused him of sexual abuse after his death in 1994, the merits of his legacy were thrown into question. Told with the participation of Carlebach’s daughter, Neshama, and several survivors, including Donna Zerner, The Darkest Light subverts traditional discourse over cancel culture and asks how one’s reverence for Carlebach’s music can coexist with a desire for justice for his victims. “A thoughtful exploration of faith and accountability” —Jewish Film Institute
Sunday, November 8 at 5:15pm - The Soundman (See November 5 at 3:15pm for info)
Tuesday, November 10 at 12:30pm - We Met at Grossinger's Borscht (See November 8 at 12:00pm for info)
Tuesday, November 10 at 3:00pm - Lost in Territories. If you thought getting along with your neighbors was hard, try living in the West Bank. Told through a series of five interconnected short stories, Lost in Territories finds humor in the contentious dynamics between Israelis and Palestinians. From misbegotten sweethearts to soldiers and checkpoints, each story finds characters caught in absurd situations that reveal there is more that connects us than separates us. Featuring a talented ensemble of actors from hit shows like Fauda and Shtisel, this audacious anthology film is a reflective look at coexistence amid chaos. “Extracts unexpected humor from the impossible” –Miami Jewish Film Festival
Tuesday, November 10 at 7:30pm - Tell Me Everything. Set in the 1980s, Moshe Rosenthal’s stirring father-son drama follows Boaz, a soon-to-be Bar Mitzvah boy, who discovers a shocking secret that threatens to tear his family apart. Tell Me Everything is a heartfelt drama from breakout Israeli filmmaker Moshe Rosenthal.
Thursday, November 12 at 12:30pm - Behind Her Eyes / My Friend Sam. Behind Her Eyes: Born in Poland in 1938, Tova Friedman was one of few children who survived the horrors of Auschwitz. Now, one of the youngest living Holocaust survivors, Friedman (a Rutgers alumna) tells her story in this exceptional short film, highlighting her social work career, her unexpected rise on TikTok, and her journey in embracing the power of empathy and understanding.
My Friend Sam: Before she was a Grammy nominee, singer-songwriter Regina Spektor was mentored as a child by husband-and-wife musicians Sonia Vargas and Samuel Marder. Since widowed, Marder is opening up about his life as a Holocaust survivor, determined to share his story with children around the world. Produced by Spektor and comedian Judd Apatow, My Friend Sam explores Marder and Spektor’s unique relationship and how music helped them both during dark times.
Thursday, November 12 at 3:00pm - Dust Bowls and Jewish Souls: Another Side of Woody Guthrie (See Thursday, November 5 at 7:00pm for info)
Thursday, November 12 at 7:30pm - Bookends (See Saturday, November 7 at 7:00pm for info)
Saturday, November 14 at 7:30pm - Lost in Territories (See Saturday, November 10 at 3:00pm for info)
Saturday, November 14 at 9:15pm - Tell Me Everything (See Saturday, November 10 at 7:30pm for info)
Sunday, November 15 at 12:30pm - Sapiro v Ford: The Jew Who Sued Henry Ford. Henry Ford was a beloved titan of American industry; he was also a vocal antisemite. When young Jewish lawyer Aaron Sapiro challenged Ford with an unprecedented libel lawsuit, it was the first time that antisemitic hate speech was challenged in an American court of law. Speaking incisively to our nation’s ongoing battle against rampant antisemitism, director Gaylen Ross’s documentary is a rousing call to action for the present and future. “This enlightening documentary tells the ultimate David and Goliath story” – New York Jewish Film Festival
Sunday, November 15 at 3:00pm - Safe Room. On October 7, Dr. Gedalya Fendel set up a makeshift hospital on the streets of southern Israel. As the roads grew increasingly unsafe, he welcomed a group of displaced survivors—a pair of grandparents, a pregnant couple, and two children whose parents were murdered—into his safe room. What followed is an inspiring story of strangers who, in the most traumatic of times, transformed into a family. “Reminds us that a safe room is not just a place — it’s the act of standing together” –The Times of Israel
Sunday, November 15 at 5:15pm - Double Panther (See November 7 at 9:15pm for info)
The Allen and Joan Bildner Center for the Study of Jewish Life connects Rutgers University with the community through public lectures, symposia, Jewish communal initiatives, cultural events and teacher training in Holocaust education.
Thursday, Oct 22, 2026
@ 7:30pm
State Theatre New Jersey
New Brunswick, NJ
There are multiple performances including:
Thursday, Oct 22, 2026
@ 2:00pm
New Brunswick Performing Arts Center (NBPAC)
New Brunswick, NJ
There are multiple performances including:
Friday, Oct 23, 2026
@ 7:00pm
New Brunswick Performing Arts Center (NBPAC)
New Brunswick, NJ
Friday, Oct 23, 2026
@ 8:00pm
State Theatre New Jersey
New Brunswick, NJ
Saturday, Oct 24, 2026
@ 7:30pm
State Theatre New Jersey
New Brunswick, NJ
