Rabbi On Set

Newsletter July 7, 2025 Together, we're #keepingitsacred...

I’m consulting for a movie studio bar mitzvah scene — the tallit is draped over actors’ shoulders, a Torah is rolled out on the amud/table, Hebrew murmured in the background. It looks and sounds…almost right.

But to my trained eye I see: the prayerbook isn’t one typically used for a bar mitzvah. The blessings are slightly out of order. The kippah? Inside out.

These may sound like small things. But in Judaism, our details are the story. A black felt kippah signals something different from a crocheted one. The way a rabbi dresses, or which Torah edition they carry, can communicate an entire worldview — tradition, politics, spirituality, community.

Over the years, I’ve had the honor of consulting on scenarios just like this with writers and producers and set designers and props managers for production companies like Netflix, Paramount, and Warner Bros. I am invited into this process to help bring Jewish characters and customs to life with integrity. 

I’ve spoken with writers about how Jews might talk about abortion through biblical or rabbinic texts, how principal actors molded in the tradition of biblical characters might portray them with truth and heart, how prop masters might provide proper ritual objects on set to support the actors moving from mourning to memory, how Jewish or interfaith family dynamics play out, how rabbi/student relationships might be portrayed, and how tender ritual scenes might unfold.  

It’s not just about accuracy — though that matters. It’s about authenticity. It’s about giving Jewish scenes and stories the dimensionality they deserve. Because when representation is done right, it reflects not just who we are — but who we’ve been, who we’re becoming, and what we experience because in these idiosyncrasies is our humanity.  In these experiences is our dignity. 

More than anything, I want Jewish characters to feel real — not recycled stereotypes. I want the moment the tallit is wrapped around a couple under the chuppah to feel just as sacred on screen as it does in real life. I want grief and joy and celebration to feel honest — rooted in the vast, diverse reality of Jewish life.

This is where I bring my rabbinic training — not just on the bimah or in the hospital room or in the classroom or under the wedding canopy, but also in the writers’ room, at the rehearsal, and on set.

And here’s where it comes back to you — our community.

Because when Jewish stories are told with thoughtfulness and care, our community is better understood, more respected, and more deeply seen. And that matters — especially in a time when Jewish identity is often misunderstood, flattened, or politicized.

Whether I’m standing in front of a couple at their wedding, leading Talmud study with you, or whispering notes on a script from behind the scenes, my purpose is the same: to help all connect to what is sacred, and to represent our tradition with compassion, wisdom, and depth.

And connecting authentically with heritage is how we’re keeping it sacred.

Together, we’re #keepingitsacred…

Rabbi Heather Miller

Founder, Keeping It Sacred

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The above is an excerpt from a Keeping It Sacred newsletter. If you want to read the entire newsletter or any from our archives, please head over to: keepingitsacred.com/news 

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 Thanks for your interest, and thanks for #keepingitsacred...