Jewish Film Festival brings education, community to hundreds at Magic Lantern

What started as a small event by and for Spokane’s Jewish community is readying to kick off its 22nd year on Jan. 22, arms open to everyone.

One of the largest, non-holiday-based Jewish cultural events in the region, the 2026 Spokane Jewish Film Festival is set to feature a series of six films and accompanying shorts exploring varying themes surrounding Jewish identity. Last year, there were around 450 attendees, and Jewish Family Services Director Neal Schindler said he hopes to break 500 this year.

The largest fundraiser for the Jewish Family Services group, the festival is a product of months of volunteer committees researching and curating the screening selection, Schindler said, adding that he “would humbly submit that these are good films” with both Jewish and universal themes at the forefront. All are welcome to attend.

“It’s really one of the most accessible ways to learn about Jewish life, culture – Jewish identity – because film is, by nature, a very accessible medium,” Schindler said. “Both in terms of, it’s not hard to buy a movie ticket and go see a movie but also emotionally speaking, it tends to kind of break through some barriers.”

Films range in genre. Schindler said film festivals are oft saturated with deeply serious topics, and the Spokane film committee has worked hard to ensure that films such as the romantic comedy “31 Candles” make their way onto the list.

“I really feel like you can’t go wrong,” he said. “I mean, there’s lots of different subjects and we have documentaries and narrative and lots of good shorts too.”

This year will mark the first in-person-only festival since pre-pandemic with films exclusively played live at the Magic Lantern Theater at 25 W. Main Ave. The festival experience isn’t about simply streaming the film from home, he said.

“It’s an opportunity for people to come together in person and take in the piece of cinema and then talk about it with each other,” he said. “It’s really a marvelous, magical thing.”

Though there is never pressure to chat with fellow festival-goers, doing so can be a learning experience for the general population and an in for Jewish folks to find community in the area.

“It can be very intimidating to call the temple and ask about when services are or try to go to the Hanukkah party if you’re not already a member of the community,” he said. “But the film festival, it’s downtown at the Magic Lantern. A lot of people are familiar with the venue.”

Jewish Family Services is a nonprofit organization serving all seniors and families in need in the region, regardless of religious affiliation.