Ruth Wisse

A riveting portrait of the great writer whose stories became the basis of the Broadway musical Fiddler on the Roof. Sholem Aleichem: Laughing in the Darkness tells the tale of the rebellious genius who created an entirely new literature. Plumbing the depths of a Jewish world locked in crisis and on the cusp of profound change, he captured that world with brilliant humor. Sholem Aleichem was not just a witness to the creation of a new modern Jewish identity, but one of the very men who forged it.

Attempting to better understand her grandfather Avrom Sutzkever, Israeli actress Hadas Kalderon travels to Lithuania, using her grandfather’s diary to trace his early life in Vilna and his survival of the Holocaust.

Through incisive conversations with key experts in history, archaeology, international law, political science and media, Body and Soul – The State of the Jewish Nation not only shows the undeniable historical connection between the Jewish People and the Land of Israel, but also succeeds in debunking the propaganda, myths and misinformation that have become deeply entrenched in public discourse.