Theater

Engolement: Once you find your inner golem, life in the shtetl will never be the same - review

Life in the shtetl has been peaceful, but now things are changing. Now the golems face a fateful decision, caught between duty to the community and the urge to discover who else they might yet become

|ByYAEL UNTERMAN
Setting up square.
Actor Yossi Pollak.

Retired Israeli theater, film star Yossi Pollak dies aged 81

Veteran Israeli performer Yossi Pollak, who worked in film, television, theater, and directing, has died after a career spanning more than four decades.

|ByMAARIV
Directors Gabriella Lev (L) and Yael Valier explore texts with their audience through theater.

'Sarah: Text and Presence' offers a 21st-century reimagining of traditional Jewish texts

Sarah: Text and Presence, created by Gabriella Lev and Yael Valier, is the second collaboration between Theatre Company Jerusalem and Theater and Theology.

|ByYAEL UNTERMAN
John Malkovich attends the "Wild Horse Nine" Screening during the 83rd Venice International Film Festival at Sala Grande on September 03, 2026.

John Malkovich pulls out of Israel performance, says producer’s press release misquoted him

“I did not utter these phrases, and they most certainly are not approved by me, nor do they reflect my feelings." said actor John Malkovich.

|BySAGI BEN NUN

Int'l dance company arrives in Israel, proving Hora can be a state of mind

Igal Perry and New York’s Peridance Contemporary Dance Company arrive in Israel with a program spanning styles – and one deeply personal hora.

JUNE 27, 2026ByNERIA BARR
PERIDANCE OPERATES as a platform for multiple artistic languages.

Jerusalem highlights: June 26-July 2

What's new to do in Israel's capital?

JUNE 26, 2026ByHAGAY HACOHEN
‘New World, Take 2’ (see Tuesday).

A play called ‘The Zionists’ turns the post-Oct. 7 discourse into a dysfunctional family drama 

The new play is set to run through July 3 in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, and follows a family on vacation as they navigate their conflicting views on Israel in the post-Oct. 7 world.

JUNE 24, 2026ByANDREW SILOW-CARROLL/JTA
In “The Zionists, A Family Storm,” a Jewish clan’s vacation is torn apart by tensions over Israel and Palestine.

New comedy-drama Jacob’s Stepladder to premiere at Jerusalem’s Khan Theater

The play tracks a Jewish single father over 20 years as he raises his daughter alone, putting a comedy-drama spin on themes of identity and religion.

JUNE 14, 2026ByHANNAH BROWN
Playwright Art Feinglass ahead of the premiere of his new play, Jacob's Stepladder

John Lithgow wins Tony Award for portraying Roald Dahl in ‘Giant,’ about author's antisemitism

“Who knows where antisemitism or any bigotry comes from. In playing the role, I just looked for the damage,” Lithgow said during a March appearance on a New Yorker podcast.

JUNE 8, 2026ByPHILISSA CRAMER/JTA
John Lithgow stars as Roald Dahl in "Giant." Mark Rosenblatt's play moved to Broadway after a successful run on London's West End.

Jerusalem highlights: May 22-28

What's new to do in Israel's capital?

MAY 22, 2026ByHAGAY HACOHEN
Sigmund Freud (see Saturday).

'Too Jewish?' Why Jewish stories still make some audiences uncomfortable

Why Jewish stories still provoke discomfort – and why that discomfort matters

MAY 12, 2026ByRYAN CRAIG
The Rosenbergs, a middle-class Jewish family from Edgware, played by Nicholas Woodeson as the father, David Rosenberg, and Tracy-Ann Oberman as mother, Lesley Rosenberg, in Ryan Craig’s play, staged recently in a London theater.

Jerusalem highlights: May 1-7

What's new to do in Israel's capital?

MAY 1, 2026ByHAGAY HACOHEN
Maya Bloch painting

'The Devil Wears Prada 2’ reunites cast but lacks original bite - review

The big question on the minds of fans of the original film, released 20 years ago and today a cult classic, is how the sequel measures up.

MAY 1, 2026ByHANNAH BROWN
MERYL STREEP and Anne Hathaway in ‘The Devil Wears Prada 2.’

‘Leave One Day’: Low-key musical about French chef - review

"Leave One Day," the feature film directorial debut of Amelie Bonnin, includes characters who express their thoughts in a nice, low-key way.

APRIL 27, 2026ByHANNAH BROWN
Amelie Bonnin and Juliette Armanet attend the "Partir Un Jour" (Leave One Day) photocall at the 78th annual Cannes Film Festival at Palais des Festivals on May 14, 2025 in Cannes, France.