Pop culture

What South Park and Dante get wrong about the Hebrew Bible’s Hell - study

A new academic essay argues that the fiery underworld familiar from Dante, TV, and pop culture replaced the Hebrew Bible’s older, quieter idea of Sheol.

|ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Dante and Virgil in the Second Circle of Hell, 1823. Found in the Collection of Thorvaldsens Museum, Copenhagen. Artist Koch, Joseph Anton (1768-1839).
U.S. President Donald Trump reacts during a Cabinet meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House on March 26, 2026 in Washington, DC.

US veterans disturbed by President Trump’s 'trivialization' of war

US veterans criticized the White House for using memes to promote the Iran war, saying the approach trivializes casualties and the realities of conflict.

|ByASHER SMITH
Javier Bardem wears a pin which reads: "Palestine" on the red carpet during the Oscars arrivals at the 98th Academy Awards in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, US, March 15, 2026.

Javier Bardem speaks out for Palestine at the Oscars, while Iranian dissidents were ignored

Sporting a pro-Palestine button, Bardem was the only presenter to reference the war in Gaza, which ended in October, a contrast to previous years in which the war was widely mentioned.

|ByHANNAH BROWN
An Eretz Nehederet segment depicting an Iranian official showing AI pictures of Tel Aviv buildings swarmed by massive insects.

As Israelis feel weight of war, Eretz Nehederet finds laughter under fire

Wednesday’s Eretz Nehederet functioned as a kind of snapshot of the mood of the country, and managed, as it has in so many other times of crisis, to give people something to laugh about.

|ByHANNAH BROWN

SpongeBob, Iron Man, and Call of Duty: Inside the US meme war against Iran

Video clips regarding Operation Epic Fury, released by the White House and the Pentagon, are packed with pop culture references, pulse- pounding music, and clips from action movies.

MARCH 7, 2026ByREUTERS
Smoke rises from what US Central Command (CENTCOM) says is an Iranian drone carrier that was struck by US forces, amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, at an unknown location, in this screen grab taken from a handout video released on March 5, 2026.

Israel and Iran won’t be center stage at the 68th Grammys

Former Daily Show host Trevor Noah will host the show, and the performers and presenters are expected to include Doechii, Harry Styles, Carole King, Chappell Roan, Charli xcx, and Sabrina Carpenter.

FEBRUARY 1, 2026ByHANNAH BROWN
"Golden," from "KPop Demon Hunters" wins Best Song Written for Visual Media during the premiere ceremony of the 68th Annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, California, US, February 1, 2026.

Taylor Swift leads charts as Israel's favorite artist, album, song of 2025

The top 20 songs featured artists such as Sabrina Carpenter, Lady Gaga, K-Pop Demon Hunters, and Olivia Dean, who was also voted by Israelis as the breakout artist of 2025.

DECEMBER 31, 2025BySHIR PERETS
A general view of a Nashville area Starbucks that has been transformed into a Starbies pop up celebrating the release of Taylor Swift's new album "The Life Of A Showgirl" on October 03, 2025 in Nashville, Tennessee.

Tiferet Sigala, Yarden Cohen: Giving space, community for Jerusalem’s teen geeks

Jerusalemite of the Week: Geek Space has been a place where nerdy teenagers can get together and find the community they need.

DECEMBER 28, 2025ByAARON REICH
Tiferet Sigala (L) and Yarden Cohen.

Lorde to join 'no music for genocide' anti-Israel boycott

Lorde and over 1000 music industry professionals are geo-blocking their music, making it inaccessible for Israeli listeners.

OCTOBER 4, 2025ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Singer Lorde attends Variety's 2021 Power of Women event at the Wallis Annenberg Center in Beverly Hills, California, U.S. September 30, 2021

From Yom Kippur War to Eurovision: Israeli Special TV for the holidays

Israel’s Independence and Remembrance Days get a thoughtful TV treatment in 2025.

APRIL 30, 2025ByHANNAH BROWN
DANIEL GAD (left) and Michael Aloni in ‘The Stronghold.’

David Sassoon, the Jewish royal designer who dressed Princess Diana, dies at 92

David Sassoon, who created Princess Diana’s honeymoon going-away dress, dies at 92, leaving behind a trail of groundbreaking fashion for the British royals.

APRIL 12, 2025ByGRACE GILSON
Princess Diana dressed in a Belville Sassoon design.

Rapper Sean 'Diddy' Combs cannot be trusted if released from jail, prosecutor says

Lawyers say that Diddy has demonstrated that 'either he cannot or will not follow rules.'

NOVEMBER 22, 2024ByREUTERS
Sean 'Diddy' Combs sits during a bail hearing in federal court in the Manhattan borough of New York City, U.S., September 18, 2024 in this courtroom sketch.

My Word: Words, wars, and signs of the times

Collins dubbed "Brat" the word of the year, which established "brat summer" as an aesthetic and way of life. Clearly the global Collins wordsmiths didn't have the type of summer we had in Israel.

NOVEMBER 8, 2024ByLIAT COLLINS
THE ‘WORD of the year’ may be ‘brat’, but for Israelis, ‘katbam’ and ‘this too shall pass’ ring truer.

The legacy of Guy Fawkes: From 17th century rebellion to modern pop culture

Guy Fawkes Night remains well observed in pockets of Britain. In Ottery St Mary, Devon, locals carry flaming barrels of tar on their backs for ancient and inscrutable reasons.

NOVEMBER 6, 2024ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Guy Fawkes' Day.