Hidden Identity

Movies are an interesting source for research on American-Jewish identity. There are relatively many Jewish film directors with movies featuring Jewish protagonists. This book concentrates on how Jews are represented in the movies of Sidney Lumet, Mel Brooks, and Barry Levinson, and to what extent these movies shed light on changes to American Jewish identity in the latter part of the twentieth century. As a minority, Jews are more susceptible to assimilation, as they have less to fear from anti-Semitism in modern society. However, American Jews have found several ways to keep their Jewish identity alive, even when living secular lives. The films of these three directors offer an inside image to these methods of Jewish ‘survival''. Hidden Identity offers an introduction to Jewish American history, but can also be read as a quick guide to the work of three great film directors.