Virtual Theatre

Theater J is proud to be the exclusive North American home for filmed productions from many of Israel's leading theater companies. From classic tales to contemporary stories, moving dramas to amusing comedies, our Israeli Theater Collection showcases the country's vibrant, diverse, and growing theater scene. 

Streaming runs until June 30, 2021. These productions were filmed pre-COVID and represent some of the breadth and diversity in both content and aesthetics of contemporary Israeli theater. 

Pricing & Policies:  Tickets cost $15 plus fees. All first time renters must create a FREE Eventive account. Once you rent a film, you have 72 hours to watch it.

Learn more about how to watch the Collection here.

GESHER THEATER'S THE DYBBUK 
By Gur Kuren
2019 | Hebrew and English with English subtitles | 105 minutes

From Gesher Theater, one of Israel’s most prominent and award-winning theaters since its founding by Russian immigrants to Tel Aviv in 1991, comes a new take on an old story. Hanan, a poor Yeshiva student deeply involved in Kabbalah, dies suddenly after learning that his beloved Lea is pledged to another man. His troubled soul–stuck between two worlds, neither dead nor alive–cannot find peace. Lea is chased by his image. Madness ensues. Is it a sickness? It is love? It is a dybbuk? This new version, written by Gesher Theater’s Dramaturg Roy Chen, combines comedy and tragedy, mysticism and psychology, danger and love, in a captivating production, richly envisioned for the Israeli stage, which will leave you spellbound.

Learn more and purchase tickets here. 

WHISTLE, MY MOTHER WAS MENGELE'S SECRETARY 
By Ya'acov Buchan | Directed by Hanna Vazana-Grunwald | Adapted and Performed by Hadar Galron 
2019 | English with English subtitles | 64 minutes

Tammy is the only child of two Auschwitz survivors. Born after the war, Tammy has spent her life in the shadow of her parent’s past—she wasn’t allowed to cry or even to complain, so instead she whistled. When a stranger begins to open locked doors to her soul, Tammy, now 45, suddenly begins living for the very first time. Whistle, My Mother Was Mengele’s Secretary is a one-woman show exploring the pain of the second generation of survivors and exposes the invisible yet deep wounds of the Holocaust. A semi-autobiographical play written by Ya’acov Buchan and performed by Hadar Galron, don’t miss this moving story about a woman overcoming all obstacles in the attempt to find love. 

Learn more and purchase tickets here. 

ENSEMBLE ASPAMIA'S REVOLUTIONARIES' WIVES
By Yossefa Even-Shoshan and Dalia Shimko | Directed by Dalia Shimko
2018 | Hebrew with English subtitles | 80 minutes

Founded in 2003, Ensemble Aspamia brings their unique theatrical language to stage adaptations of monumental literary works, performances furthering Modern Hebrew poetry, original Israeli plays, and classics clad in modern garb. Based in Tel Aviv and bringing together professional artists from all levels of Israeli theater, the Ensemble takes their genre defining, postmodern, multi-disciplinary work all over Israeli. Who hasn’t heard of Sigmund Freud, Karl Marx and Socrates? But who has heard of Martha Freud, Jenny Marx, and Xantippe? Everyone knows the expression “behind every successful man there is a woman”. But what does it really mean to “stand behind” a man who is a genius? What prices are paid by the woman who stands behind a man? Why, in fact, does she stand behind him instead of beside him? And why does she disappear from the stage of history when he becomes famous? Yossefa Even-Shoshan and Dalia Shimko’s Revolutionaries` Wives creates an imaginary, although plausible, history that rounds out the narratives of the ‘geniuses’ who changed the world and the women who changed them. 

Learn more and purchase tickets here. 

HAIFA THEATER'S THE RAIN AND THE WIND 
Directed & Adapted by Howard Rypp
2016 | Hebrew and English with English subtitles | 60 minutes

Founded as Canada’s first professional Jewish theater in 1978, Nephesh Theatre, now based in Tel Aviv, produce plays in repertory throughout Israel in Hebrew and English. Their works reflect a plurality of beliefs and emphasize common bonds between different communities within Israeli society. Three actors inhabit Robert Zimmerman, better known as Bob Dylan, at various points of the singer-songwriters storied career, from his folk roots to his explorations of rock and country. Asthey trace his voice’s journey through decades, they are joined by dancers from Israel’s Sheketak Group who give his poetry and music vital physical expression through movement. Adapted and directed by Nephesh Theatre founder Howard Rypp, and coproduced with Haifa Theatre, The Rain and the Wind is a family-friendly, multi-media dance theatre performance based upon the life and songs of one of America’s most enduring and insightful artists.

Learn more and purchase tickets here. 

NEPHESH THEATRE'S IT SOUNDS BETTER IN AMHARIC  
Performed & Written by Yossi Vassa 
2019 | Hebrew and English with English subtitles | 60 minutes

Founded as Canada’s first professional Jewish theater in 1978, Nephesh Theatre, now based in Tel Aviv, produce plays in repertory throughout Israel in Hebrew and English. Their works reflect a plurality of beliefs and emphasize common bonds between different communities within Israeli society. At age eight and a half, Yossi Vassa, born Anda Argi, left his village in northern Ethiopia with his parents, brothers, and grandmother for a year-long trek to Israel, by foot, by donkey, and by plane as part of Operation Moses. In his intimate, touching, and funny one-man show, Vassa blends memoir, stand-up, and incisive social observations to share the pains and opportunities of immigration, integration, and identity, particularly as a Black Jew in Israel. Covering dating, education, immigration, television programming, choosing a new name, and more, It Sounds Better in Amharic is a humorous search for a harmony amongst differences as well as commonalities. 

Learn more and purchase tickets here. 

THE CAMERI THEATRE'S DON'T FIGHT 
By Gur Kuren
2019 | Hebrew and English with English subtitles | 105 minutes

Founded in 1944 in Tel Aviv, The Cameri Theatre is one of Israel’s leading theaters. Committed to producing new Israeli plays about contemporary social issues and the daily experiences of its audience, TheCameri has performed around the world as well as hosted internationally renowned artists in Tel Aviv. Growing up, Ayelet, Gur, and Sela were told never to fight. Now adults who’ve taken very different paths in life—one a divorced teacher, another a successful actor, and the last a penniless spiritualist—the three cannot help themselves. But when the reading of their late father’s will reveals a mysterious claimant to their inheritance, including their childhood home, can the siblings overcome four decades of petty spats to reclaim what they think is theirs? Packed with laughs, punches, and reluctant hugs, Don’t Fight is both a comedy about sibling rivalries and a touching play about who you keep beside you as you find yourself. That is, if you don’t fight every second along the way.

Learn more and purchase tickets here. 

JAFFA THEATRE'S THE YELLOW WIND
Based on The Yellow Wind by David Grossman | Adapted and Directed by Ilan Ronen 
2019 | English subtitles 

During the 20th anniversary of the Six Day War, the Israeli magazine Koteret Rashit (Headline) commissioned author David Grossman to spend seven weeksin the West Bank. The stories that he gathered in his travels to refugee camps, courts, Jewish settlements, cities, and villages were published in his best-selling book, The Yellow Wind. This new stage version—adapted and directed by the acclaimed Israeli artist Illan Ronen—combines powerful testimonial stories from the book, still relevant over 30 years after Grossman collected them, an interview with the writer himself, and an excerpt from his 2018Israeli-Palestinian Memorial Day speech. It paints a vivid, true, and often shocking portrait of life under occupation for West Bank residents during this critical time period in history. A co-production of Jaffa Theatre and Tzavta Theatre, this play premiered in July 2019 as part of Jaffa Fest, an international theater festival, and has been seen across the globe. It was presented as part of the 2020 ISRADRAMA Exposure Fest, sponsored by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Culture, and the Hanoch Levin Institute of Israeli Drama.

Learn more and purchase tickets here. 

RUTI TAMIR THEATER AND MIME'S FOUR FABLES AND A QUEEN
Written, Directed, and Performed by Ruti Tamir
2012 | English | 60 minutes

Deep in the forest, the Queen Judge presides over the Animal Court. But when she loses her reflection in her mirror one day, she simply cannot do anything until Lion, Mouse, Fox, and Crow help her find it! Will the Queen Judge ever see herself in the mirror again? Will the animals stop bickering long enough to help? All the answers—and more—await! Written, directed, and performed by Ruti Tamir, this multi-awarded performance has travelled all over the world. Most enjoyed by children ages 6+, Four Fables and a Queen bewitches theater lovers of all ages with its combination of classic fables, rhyming text, and virtuosic mime. Actress, mime, and director Tamir has an unparalleled career spanning dance, theater, pantomime, and physical theater across the USA, Europe, and Israel. Based in Israel since 1996, she has performed in, directed, choreographed, or created dozens of acclaimed theatrical productions, in addition to her television and film work and teaching mime and physical theater to actors and dancers.

Learn more and purchase tickets here.