Beyond Anne Frank: The Jew in Dutch Cinema

Can films reveal what a nation really believes about itself? For decades, Dutch cinema told one story about its Jews. Then, slowly, that story began to change. This week, Dr. Eyal Boers, head of Film and Television at Ariel University, takes us on a fascinating journey through more than a century of Dutch cinema, showing how films have reflected—and shaped—the Netherlands' evolving relationship with its Jewish community, the Holocaust, national identity, and Israel. Why did Jewish characters move from being outsiders to symbols of national guilt? Why does Anne Frank loom so large over Dutch filmmaking? And what does today's portrayal of Israelis reveal about contemporary Europe? It's a conversation about cinema—but even more, it's about memory, identity, and the stories societies tell themselves. Check out Dr. Boers book, The Jew in Dutch Cinema: Images, Stereotypes and National Identity.