what is the definition of jewish cinema?
Jews and Judaism in Cinema
Jewish cinema has existed since the advent of filmmaking and Jews have had a tremendous impact on the film industry. But did E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial by Steven Spielberg, which was ranked “the greatest Jewish film” by Tablet Magazine in 2011, really contain Jewish themes? And is Once Upon a Time in America, which deals with Jewish mobsters in New York, a Jewish film? Is the horror film The Dybbuk, which was produced by a group of non-Jews, more Jewish or less Jewish than they are? And what about the comedy, The Mad Adventures of Rabbi Jacob, starring Louis de Funés? Is it more French or more Jewish?
There is a range of possibilities between the opposite ends of the spectrum, which together define what the term Jewish cinema means.