In case you’ve been living under a rock that doesn’t subscribe to Netflix, the new series “Nobody Wants This” has been quite the hit. In the mere weeks since it was released on the streaming platform, the rom-com starring Adam Brody as charming Rabbi Noah and Kristen Bell as sex and relationship podcaster Joanne has been in the top 10 on Netflix and the source of many, many a think piece.
Many Jewish viewers have expressed a love-hate relationship with the series — the chemistry between the leads is great, but the depiction of Jewish women, almost all of whom lean into stereotypes about being overbearing and less “fun” than our gentile counterparts, is less so. And while honest depictions of interfaith relationships, and the tsuris they can sometimes cause in more traditional Jewish spaces, are a boon to the diversity of Jewish pop culture out there — especially considering the majority of non-Orthodox Jews are indeed in interfaith families — some viewers found that “Nobody Wants This” missed the mark in showing just how normalized and beautiful interfaith relationships can be.
No matter if you really wanted “Nobody Wants This” (and are counting down the days to the second season, which is officially happening) or you found yourself yelling at the screen, you may be seeking out more Jewish love stories that you can stream. If the idea of watching a Jew fall in love with another Jew gets your heart pumping, then these movies featuring Jewish romances might be for you.
“Crossing Delancey” (1988)
Rent on Apple TV or Amazon
Dubbed “the most Jewish rom-com of all time” by this very magazine, the story of Izzy, a matchmaker and the pickle man is a classic an absolute must-watch, if only for the ’80s New York vibes.
“Loving Leah” (2009)
Free on Hoopla and Tubi; for rent on Apple TV and Amazon
This is a Hallmark movie, which means you should expect all the trappings of a Hallmark movie, but its depiction of Orthodox Judaism is surprisingly well done and the cast includes Susie Essman, Natasha Lyonne, Ricki Lake, and a very young Timothée Chalamet.
“Yentl” (1983)
Free on Hoopla and Tubi; rent on Apple TV and Amazon
A rom-com “Yentl” is not, but the classic Barbra Streisand film about a young woman in turn-of-the-century Poland who just wants to be able to study Jewish text like her male counterparts is a beauty to behold, and possibly the sexiest Jewish movie of all time.
“Between the Temples” (2024)
Rent on Apple TV and Amazon
Carol Kane and Jason Schwartzmann tell a beautiful and deeply Jewish tale of redemption in this new film about a later-in-life bat mitzvah student and the cantor she reconnects with.
“The Wedding Plan” (2016)
Stream on Kanopy; rent on Apple TV and Amazon
This charming Israeli romantic comedy is a funny and heartening story of an Orthodox woman whose husband-to-be leaves her before the wedding. Instead of canceling the wedding, she decides to keep the date and venue — and find a different husband instead.
“Keep the Change” (2018)
Stream on Hoopla and Kanopy; rent on Apple TV and Amazon
This is a refreshing romantic comedy about an autistic couple who meet at a Jewish community center — and features amateur actors on the spectrum who had participated in a real JCC program.
“Shiva Baby” (2021)
Stream on Hoopla and Kanopy; rent on Apple TV and Amazon
“Shiva Baby” is more horror film than romance — not because it’s scary, but because it will make you very anxious. But it does feature a number of Jewish characters in various types of relationships with each other who all convene at the traditional gathering following a Jewish funeral.
“Funny Girl” (1968)
Stream on Amazon Prime; rent on Apple TV
The second Babs film on this list is based on the life of Jewish comedian Fanny Brice and her gambler husband Nicky Arnstein. And it’s a bagel on a plate full of onion rolls (that’s a good thing).
“Hanukkah on Rye” (2022)
Stream on Hallmark; rent on Apple TV and Amazon
Hallmark has added a handful of Hanukkah movies to its holiday slate over the years — and this one is one of the best. Yael Grobglas and Jeremy Jordan make for some yummy Jewish romance vibes in this deli-based rom-com.
“Round and Round” (2023)
Rent on Apple TV and Amazon
Hallmark also got it right with last year’s Hanukkah time loop rom-com, which takes place on the seventh night of Hanukkah and sees some genuine chemistry between its Jewish characters who meet again and again and again and again.
