American audiences may be unaware of the remarkable new series, The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem, which debuted on Netflix earlier this year. This award-winning TV show follows in the footsteps of other acclaimed Israeli exports like Shtisel and Fauda.

It's rare to find a documentary set in the Middle East that isn't mired in politics and discord. Rarer still is one bathed in the kind of optimism and goodwill found in Beth Elise Hawk's new film, Breaking Bread. An inside look at a three-day food festival in Haifa, Israel, pairing Israeli and Muslim Arab chefs, Breaking Bread pursues peace through the power of creating top-notch cuisine.

Sometimes the acting ends in joy and other times the results are devastating. Ultimately, the writers and actors draw us into their stories so that we cannot deny that art can elicit understanding, peace, and even deep love.

Just a month after it was announced that the Israeli star Shira Haas would portray Meir in a TV series, The Hollywood Reporter revealed this week that Oscar winner Helen Mirren would portray Israel’s only female prime minister in an upcoming biopic.

It has been almost 50 years since I met my wife Judy in Jerusalem. She came into my life like the Sabbath queen about to enter the synagogue, with everyone rising and turning toward the door to welcome her in.

Matt Adler, who speaks eight languages, detailed his experiences living in Israel in his new book. We spoke to him about his life in Israel and how his intersecting identities impacted his time there.

Even as Israelis dream of peace and work to realize that dream, culture wars are stirring Israeli society. Enter the sensational, satirical show HaYehudim Ba-im or The Jews are Coming.

What was it like to grow up in a communal children’s house on an Israeli kibbutz? Rachel Biale was born in 1952 and raised on Kibbutz Kfar Ruppin, overlooking the Jordan River. She is the author of the new memoir Growing Up Below Sea Level: A Kibbutz Childhood.

A truly captivating story, Picture of His Life asks us if a career-capping achievement can truly liberate us from a dark and difficult past.