The movie No Other Land won the Academy Award for Best Documentary. The film, made by two Israelis and two Palestinians, chronicles the experience of Palestinians living in the Masafer Yatta region of the West Bank from 2019 through 2023. The focus is on a Palestinian activist, Basel Adra, who recorded the destruction of many Palestinian homes by the Israeli military and West Bank settlers. Adra befriended a Jewish journalist, Yuval Abraham, and they worked together to tell the story of the local Palestinian community. The film has won much critical acclaim in addition to the Oscar award, while others have criticized the film. Israel Culture Minister Miki Zohar called it a “defamation of Israel” while the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel criticized the film because of the Palestinian/Israeli partnership that produced it. Miami Beach Mayor Steven Meiner called the film antisemitic and called for a cancellation of the film’s screening by a local independent movie theater which leases space from a city-owned building. Because the showing proceeded, the mayor is now trying to cancel the theater’s lease.

Miami Beach has a long Jewish history. While some Jews settled there during the Jewish immigration from Eastern Europe in the late 19th century, yellow fever and a major fire wiped out the community. But Jews began to return, and upon the death of a Jewish tourist in 1913, the 35 Jewish residents established a cemetery and a synagogue. Florida banned discrimination in real estate and hotels in 1949, leading to a huge growth of the Jewish population and the building of many hotels that attracted Jews from the North. In the 1970’s, as much as 80% of the Miami Beach population was Jewish. What was a nickname for Miami Beach which arose based on the large Jewish population?

Miami Beach, FL - panoramio by James Willamor is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

A. New York South.

B. Jerusalem on the Ocean.

C. Bubbe and Zeyde Land.

D. Shtetl by the Sea.

E. The Land Where We Go To Die.

Click here for the answer.

✡ ✡ ✡ ✡ ✡ ✡ ✡ ✡ ✡

SpaceX, the private company founded by Elon Musk, suffered a failure last week as they launched the latest model of their Starship rocket, only to see it explode less than ten minutes after liftoff. This comes on the heels of an explosion less than two months ago of their previous Starship craft. At the same time, President Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency, under Elon Musk’s leadership, is reviewing the program of NASA, including the audit of NASA contracts, reduction of the NASA workforce, and suspension of advisory committees, among other things. For example, the research group MEXAG which coordinates NASA’s study of Mercury, now has a website that only says “The MEXAG website is being reviewed in response to guidance given by NASA leadership.” NASA has also frozen all other upcoming decisions regarding their space exploration program.

NASA has worked together with Israel on projects, including Israel’s ULTRASAT space telescope, which NASA plans to launch in 2026. Israel’s space program is managed by ISA, the Israel Space Agency, which was formed in 1983. Israel is the smallest country in the world with a space agency. The agency’s goals include building satellite systems for research, developing technologies for space research, and promoting international cooperation in space research and exploration. Among the space programs operating under the ISA auspices is what program which goes by a “Jewish-style” acronym?

SpaceX Falcon9 CRS7 Explosion (19236635825) by Michael Seeley is licensed under CC BY 2.0

A. The Gyrochronological, Astronomical, Nuclear, Electromagnetic, and Dioptric Evaluatory Network (GAN EDEN).

B. The Space Hyperflight Astrophysical Military Alliance of Yisrael and Intermediary Mediators (SHAMAYIM).

C. The Spaceborne Hyperspectral Applicative Land and Ocean Mission (SHALOM).

D. The Mediterranean Terrestrial Ziggurat for Intergalactic Observation of Nebula (MT. ZION).

E. The Space Helpers for Loser Elon Musk and his Interplanetary Explosion Legacy (SHLEMIEL).

Click here for the answer.

✡ ✡ ✡ ✡ ✡ ✡ ✡ ✡ ✡

The 97th annual Academy Awards ceremony took place last night, hosted by Conan O’Brien. Many nominated movies had Jewish-related themes or plots, including A Real Pain, September 5, The Brutalist, and No Other Land (which won the Best Documentary Feature Oscar). Jewish nominees included actor Timothée Chalamet (for A Complete Unknown), composer Daniel Blumberg (for The Brutalist), Jesse Eisenberg (writing for A Real Pain), and Mikey Madison (who won the Best Actress Oscar for her role in Anora). Saturday Night Live, which has had no shortage of Jewish-themed sketches (click here to see last month’s trivia question on this topic) almost ran another Jewish-themed sketch during the Christmas/Hanukkah season last year. The sketch, based on a movie from this past year, was axed following a poor reception during the show’s dress rehearsal. What was the name of that sketch?

54316448303_5e3c746749_k (Oscar Statuette) by Tim Reckmann is licensed under CC BY 2.0

A. Defying Chanukkah.

B. A Real Pain in the Tuches.

C. Shekel Boys.

D. A Very Bobby & Woody 3D Chanukkah.

E. Anora Menorah.

Click here for the answer.

✡ ✡ ✡ ✡ ✡ ✡ ✡ ✡ ✡

President Trump appointed himself chairman of the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts and fired the Board president, David Rubenstein. He also removed board members who had been appointed by President Biden. Most analysts see this move as revenge by Trump in response to events related to the Kennedy Center in Trump’s first term. This started with television producer Norman Lear and choreographer Carmen de Lavallade who had pulled out of the 2017 Kennedy Center Honors ceremony as a protest against the president. Since Trump’s decision, other board members have resigned and many artists have canceled their performances at the Center.

The Kennedy Center was authorized by Congress and President Eisenhower in 1958 as the National Cultural Center, and was renamed after the assassination of President Kennedy. The Kennedy Center presents performances in all areas of the arts, including ballet, opera, musical theater, pop music, classical concerts and more. In addition, the Kennedy Center facilities are available for rental for private events. Among the rental options are the Main Concert Hall (2465 capacity) for $39,000, the Eisenhower Theater (1161 capacity) for $18,080, the Opera House Circles Lounge (180 capacity) for $2560, and the PT-109 Board Room (capacity 85) for $1280. What other space at the Kennedy Center is available for rental, which has a “Jewish” connection?

Kennedy Center seen from the Potomac River, June 2010 by Tom is licensed under CC BY 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

A. The Schusterman Lounge, which seats 75 and rents for $1500. This space was funded by a grant from Jewish philanthropists Charles and Lynn Schusterman of Tulsa, Oklahoma. The Schusterman Foundation is also a major funder of Birthright Israel.

B. The Israeli Lounge Concert Hall, seating 80 and renting for $1700. This space is dedicated by the State of Israel and was inaugurated by Yitchak Rabin in 1971. The facility is designed with Jerusalem stone and art panels representing the Biblical tribes of Israel.

C. The David ben-Gurion Library can be rented for small meetings, up to 25 people, for $500. The space, funded by AIPAC in honor of the Israeli Prime Minister who was in office during the presidential term of John F. Kennedy, includes shelves of book about the arts, as well as artwork, records, sheet music, and CDs.

D. The Batsheva Dance Company Dance Studio. The practice space used by dance troupes who are performing at the Kennedy Center can also be rented for $1200. The room was funded by philanthropist Baroness Bethsabee de Rothschild, founder of the Batsheva Dance Company, which was the first foreign dance troupe to perform at the Kennedy Center.

E. The Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Kosher Kitchen. The facility includes full sets of milchig (dairy) and fleishig (meat) dishes, pots, pans, and blenders. Above the fleishig blender is a sign stating “Because this is a kosher kitchen, this meat blender can only be used with baby chickens, not mice.”

Click here for the answer.

✡ ✡ ✡ ✡ ✡ ✡ ✡ ✡ ✡