Film

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Collection
Sarah Brandstein Smith, 1945

Death of writer Sarah Brandstein Smith, “Queen of the shundroman"

April 29, 1968
“Sarah B. Smith is the most beloved Jewish newspaperwoman, the first who ever served as a reporter on a Jewish paper, and the one who has triumphantly overcome the misgivings of editors who mistrusted the abilities of a mere woman writer.”

Adeline Schulberg

Adeline Schulberg’s long and winding career path led her from activist to Hollywood agent and back again.
Sarah Silverman, 2007

Debut of "The Sarah Silverman Program"

February 1, 2007

“People are always introducing me as ‘Sarah Silverman, Jewish comedienne.’" 

Betty Ross

At the cutting edge of journalism for her time, Betty Ross travelled the globe in search of stories and was one of the first journalists to experiment with radio interviews.
Lily Rivlin

Lilly Rivlin

Lilly Rivlin has used her skills as a historian and documentary filmmaker to capture Jewish history in the making.
Sasha Cohen at Skating Club of Boston's Ice Chips

Sasha Cohen

Figure skater Alexandra “Sasha” Cohen won a silver medal at the 2006 Olympics and popularized the difficult I-spin, which many now call the “Sasha spin” in her honor.
Jenette Kahn

Jenette Kahn

Jenette Kahn rebranded National Periodical Publications as DC Comics, reviving the failing company as a proving ground for both experimental titles and reboots of iconic characters like Batman and Superman.

Amy Pascal

Amy Pascal has regularly been named one of the world’s most powerful women by Forbes and the Hollywood Reporter for her management of Sony Pictures’ run of commercial and critical successes from Casino Royale to The Social Network.
Lilli Palmer and Helmut Schmidt, April 1, 1982

Lilli Palmer

Actress Lilli Palmer fled Nazi Germany to make a place for herself in Hollywood, but chose to return after the war, becoming celebrated once again in her home country.
Margalit Oved, 1960

Margalit Oved

Dancer and choreographer Margalit Oved’s performances blended elements from many cultures, including the Yemen of her childhood, the Israel of her adolescence, and the Los Angeles of her adulthood.

Adele Gutman Nathan

With a lifelong passion for both theater and history, Adele Gutman Nathan made a career of creating historical pageants, leading to her crowning achievement, writing a guide for Americans to celebrate their country’s bicentennial.
Lauren Bacall

Lauren Bacall, 1924 - 2014

It seemed a fairy tale life with echoes of Isaac Bashevis Singer; fame, fortune, three children she adored, but etched with the tragedy of Bogart’s early death and a divorce from her second husband, Jason Robards.

Elaine May, 1959

Elaine May

Elaine May broke down barriers for women in comedy, first as half of the celebrated comic duo Nichols and May, then as one of the few women writer/directors in Hollywood.
Lizzy Caplan, March 24, 2014

Lizzy Caplan

Lizzy Caplan was nominated for an Emmy Award in 2014 for her portrayal of Virginia Johnson on the TV show Masters of Sex.
Alyson Hannigan, 2003

Alyson Hannigan

From her role as an unconventional flautist in American Pie to that of a lesbian witch on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, actress Alyson Hannigan has delighted in turning audience expectations on their heads.
Julianna Margulies at the 66th Emmy Awards, September 22, 2014

Julianna Margulies

Julianna Margulies has earned the most SAG awards of any woman in the Screen Actors Guild for her starring roles on ER and The Good Wife.
Rashida Jones, 2007

Rashida Jones

Rashida Jones has starred in dozens of films, but is best known for her roles on TV shows like The Office and Parks and Recreation.
Marlee Matlin, May 2009

Marlee Matlin

Marlee Matlin made history in 1986 as both the youngest actress to win an Academy Award for Best Leading Actress and the first deaf person to win the award.
Fania Marinoff, 1913

Fania Marinoff

Fania Marinoff may have been an actress of stage and screen, but she was best known as a hostess whose home became a major hub for artistic circles in New York.
Sophie Tucker, Cropped
November 19, 2014

"The Outrageous Sophie Tucker": A Film Review

Karen Davis

“I believe in tit for tat, and if that’s the case someone owes me a lot of tat.” That quote begins this fast-paced, extremely well-researched documentary about Sophie Tucker, the bawdy singer/comedian known for being “the last of the red-hot mamas.” And thanks to the producing-writing team of Lloyd and Sue Ecker, a new generation of fans will be giving Sophie lots of “tat,” just as their parents and grandparents did during her career which lasted seven decades from the 1890s thru the 1960s.

Topics: Film
Sonya Levien

Sonya Levien

Sonya Levien was one of the most prolific screenwriters of her day, crafting over seventy films ranging from the 1939 version of the Hunchback of Notre Dame to the screen adaptations of Oklahoma! and Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm.
Nora Ephron and Lena Dunham

Nora Ephron / Lena Dunham

Writer-Directors

Putting Women Onscreen and in the Director's Chair

Hedy Lamarr and Mayim Bialik, Jewish Actress/Scientists

Hedy Lamarr / Mayim Bialik

Actress-Scientists

Stars of STEM and Screen

Lena Dunham

Lena Dunham

Lena Dunham became the first woman to win a Director’s Guild Award for Outstanding Director for a Comedy Series for her HBO series Girls, for which she writes, directs, produces and plays the lead character.
Mayim Bialik

Mayim Bialik

Actress Mayim Bialik defied Hollywood stereotypes by not only playing brilliant, strong women on TV and in film, but also working as a neuroscientist in real life.
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