Lior Zaltzman
Kveller
New York, United States
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Past articles by Lior:
There's a New Golem-Themed Jewish Hallmark Romance and I Adore It –
This past weekend, a particularly nasty virus had me bed-bound and in need of a good, undemanding comfort watch. So I was particularly pleased to discover that the Hallmark channel had premiered “Made For Each Other,” a Jewish rom-com, on Saturday (particularly welcome on a day that was labeled by antisemitic extremists as a “day […] → Read More
Is 'Shtisel' Leaving Netflix This March? –
“Shtisel,” the hit Israeli show about an ultra-Orthodox family with that surname, remains one of the best shows to have come out of the Holy Land, both wonderfully funny and charming, dramatic and impossibly touching. Unfortunately, if you’re in the U.S. and you’re a Netflix subscriber, your days to watch this excellent show which features […] → Read More
Paul Rudd's Secret to Looking So Young Is... Not Being a Mom –
For years, many have wondered: What is former sexiest man alive and eternal jaddy (that’s Jewish zaddy) Paul Rudd‘s secret to looking so young? Does he keep a Dorian Gray-style portrait in his dressing room (I imagine Paul Rudd has a dressing room, right??)? Was he bitten by a particularly spry radioactive spider? Did he […] → Read More
Netflix's 'You People' Is Bad Jewish Representation at a Really Terrible Time –
“You’re treating her like a Black person, not the woman I love,” Jonah Hill‘s Ezra Cohen tells his Jewish mother in the new Netflix movie “You People,” referring to his girlfriend, Amira. Unfortunately, the movie is largely guilty of doing the same thing when it comes to its minority characters. I had high hopes for […] → Read More
Barbara Walters Showed Us the Value of Being a Jewish Woman With Chutzpah –
As 2022 came to a close, we lost the woman who forever revolutionized network television news in this country: Barbara Walters. Walters, who passed away on December 30 at age 93, made the news industry a woman’s domain. She was the first female anchor of a network evening news program and the first female co-host […] → Read More
The First Look at Disney's Anne Frank Miniseries Is Here –
From book bans to movies, Anne Frank remained in the zeitgeist in 2022, and she will continue do so in 2023 with the release of a new Disney+ limited series based on the life of Otto Frank’s secretary, Mies Giep, who helped shelter the family during the war and who was the one who recovered Frank’s […] → Read More
A Carole King Biopic Is Coming — And the Casting Has Stirred a Debate –
Watching “Beautiful,” a show about the life of iconic singer-songwriter Carole King, with my Jewish mother on Broadway remains one of my fondest memories, which is why I was stoked to discover last week that the musical is getting made into a movie. Sony just announced that the biopic adaptation of “Beautiful” is going to […] → Read More
Michael Aloni Will Star in Hulu's Very Anticipated Holocaust Limited Series –
We’ve been hoping to see Michael Aloni in more English-language shows ever since he appeared in HBO’s “Scenes from a Marriage” — and our prayers, I’m happy to say, will soon be answered. Aloni is about to star in a very Jewish Hulu show, “We Were the Lucky Ones.” Based on a book of the […] → Read More
How Jewish Celebrities Celebrated Hanukkah 2022 –
Hanukkah 2022 was all sorts of epic. We got the King of England dancing the hora, the first presidential menorah, the first good Hallmark Hanukkah movie and Adam Lambert singing the Hanukkah prayers on British TV. In a year when antisemitism is on the rise, it felt like more celebrities than ever were talking, singing […] → Read More
'Hanukkah on Rye' Star Jeremy Jordan Talks Fiddler, Latkes and Jewish Representation –
This year we got a true Hanukkah miracle: a good — no, I’d say great — Hanukkah Hallmark movie called “Hanukkah on Rye.” The movie stars two very good looking Jews, “Jane the Virgin” star Yael Grobglas, who beautifully pronounce Hanukkah with that Hebrew “ch” because, yes, she’s Israeli, and musical theater sensation Jeremey Jordan. […] → Read More
I'm Glad There's More Hanukkah Merch Out There — Gnomes and All –
This year, we have a Hanukkah-themed mantle, and — I don’t know why — it’s just make me feel like… I’ve arrived. There’s a dreidel garland and a few hanukkiahs — a whale one, a wooden one for my wild toddler, a fancy battery-powered one with plexiglass candles that my oldest son constructed by hand […] → Read More
Does Henry Winkler Have a Wall Full of Seder Plates in His Home? –
Henry Winkler’s dances with his grandchildren are always a bit of a miracle. The actor, 77, who joined TikTok back in 2020, has been delighting us with original fruit songs and great moves for years. But a recent dance video is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma. Namely, it begs the question: […] → Read More
This 'Peppa Pig' Hanukkah Book Is Not a Miracle –
If you are a parent of a toddler or a young kid, you’ve probably heard the good word (though good is subjective) about “Peppa Pig.” The porcine sensation has American children speaking with a British accent — probably the best British offense against Americans in our nation’s recent history. And while my 4-year-old has not […] → Read More
Adam Sandler's Daughters Wrote His Gotham Award Acceptance Speech And We're Obsessed –
Adam Sandler is a great dad, a total mensch, an AARP Magazine cover man (whelp!) — and he is turning out to be one of the best award speech makers of our time. After wow-ing us with his truly hilarious speech at the Independent Spirit Awards back in 2020, Sandler upped the ante this week when […] → Read More
Pink Made Her Mother's Kugel Recipe on TikTok and It Warmed Our Hearts –
This Wednesday evening, my son and I sat on my bed and watched Grammy award-winning singer Pink make noodle kugel on TikTok live. It was a special night, to say the least, and even the singer herself admitted that it was probably one of the wildest things she’s ever done. For those of you not […] → Read More
Hulu's 'The Patient' Is a Surprisingly Nuanced Exploration of Jewish Parenthood –
“The Patient,” Hulu’s limited series that finished its 10-episode run last week, takes place in what we imagine is the epicenter of real American horror: a disgruntled white man’s parents’ basement. There, Alan Strauss, a Jewish therapist played by a scruffy bearded, silver-haired and utterly convincing Steve Carell, finds himself trapped by Sam (Domhall Gleeson), […] → Read More
Jimmy Kimmel's Antisemitism Sketch Is Not the Jewish Humor We Need Right Now –
After a couple of not so-great weeks for the Jews, brought on by Kanye West’s antisemitic tweets and rants, Jimmy Kimmel aired a sketch addressing the recent barrage of anti-Jewish hate. The short segment from last Wednesday’s episode of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” was a parody ad for a cure antisemitism called “Yentanyl” (a combination of […] → Read More
Jewish Celebrities Decry Kanye West's Antisemitism — Urging Jews and Allies to Join –
As American Jews, we often feel that when it comes to antisemitism, our fellow Americans have other priorities. Even when antisemitic incidents happen in this country — from synagogue shootings to politicians spouting off about Jewish space lasers — it’s rare to see a widespread public outcry of manifestations of the same hatred that has […] → Read More
Phil Rosenthal is the Most Comforting Jewish Dad on Netflix –
I want Phil Rosenthal to adopt me. I’m sure I’m not the only one who has this feeling after watching Netflix’s “Somebody Feed Phil,” whose sixth season just premiered on the streaming platform this week (along with a cookbook inspired by the show). For those of you who have never heard about the show, which, […] → Read More
This Is the Best Jewish TV Show You've Never Heard Of –
Did you know the best Jewish TV show you’ve never heard of came out in 2019? I knew it, but for some reason, writing about Amazon’s “Undone,” the animated TV show from Jewish “Bojack Horseman” creator Raphael Bob-Waksberg and “Bojack” writer Kate Purdy and directed by Hisko Hulsing, has been a difficult feat. Perhaps it’s […] → Read More