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In ‘The Offering,’ the latest Yiddish-inflected horror movie, a Jewish spirit haunts Hasidic Brooklyn
(JTA) — British filmmaker Oliver Park isn’t Jewish, but he does have a deep appreciation for the Jewish roots of the horror genre that informed his work on “The Offering,” his feature debut as director about an ancient demon set in a Hasidic enclave in Brooklyn.
“Jewish horror stories have been around for thousands of years,” Park told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. “All of these fantastic and rich stories come from this Jewish space.”
The first horror movie franchise, he points out, centered on the Jewish Golem monster and was produced in the 1910s, years before “Nosferatu,” the well-known silent vampire film from 1922.
The legend of the Golem, said to have originated in 16th-century Prague, has been credited with inspiring “Frankenstein.”
“Having been a lifelong fan, obsessed horror nut that I am, I’ve always wanted to get into the Jewish space,” Park said.
The demon in “The Offering” is known as Abyzou. “She is this very, very old ancient demon. For all we know, she could be Lilith herself,” Park said, referring to a spirit of darkness and sexuality found in biblical and Talmudic texts.
In the film, which hits theaters and on-demand platforms on Friday (the 13th), a young man (Nick Blood) brings his pregnant, non-Jewish fiancé (Emily Weisman) to meet his long-estranged father (Allan Corduner), a Hasidic man who works at a funeral home and morgue in Brooklyn. Long-buried tensions are revealed and revisited, and there are several lines of Yiddish dialogue.
The screenwriter and producer, Hank Hoffman, is the son of a rabbi and has a background in Kabbalah, the Jewish mystical tradition. The main producer, Jonathan “Yoni” Yunger, comes from a Jewish background as well. Hoffman worked in a morgue for a time in his youth.
“Both of them immediately, their brains just exploded with ideas,” Park said. The film was in the making for about six years. He called it “a passion project, and very much their baby.”
“The Offering” was shot in early 2021, with Bulgaria standing in for Brooklyn, and the production was able to continue during a particularly nasty stage of the pandemic. Park called the script “so rich with characters, and so rich with horror, and mythology and rituals, and the occult and esotericism, and all within this beautiful Jewish community.”
Theres has been a boom in the Jewish-themed horror realm in recent years. “The Vigil,” from 2020, took as its subject matter shemira, or the Jewish ritual of watching over a dead body. “The Unborn” was a dybbuk-themed horror movie that came out in 2009 — featuring Gary Oldman as a rabbi — and in 2021, a movie called “Dybbuk” was made in India, in Hindi. That was itself a remake of a 2017 film called “Ezra,” which was made in Malayalam, an Indian language, and involved an Indian Jewish protagonist.
“I’m so excited that in the last 30 or so years, they’ve slowly trickled back through and we’re seeing more and more of them now,” Park said of Jewish-themed horror movies. “So I’m really hoping that there are many more terrifying and disturbing tales that are inspired richly in Jewish folklore.”
Lead actor Nick Blood may have a perfect name for horror — “I think I’m destined to play Dracula one day,” he said — but he described himself as not particularly an enthusiast of the genre. However, he told JTA that the director and writers’ “passion for it convinced me straight away” to star in the film.
Blood said he had some Zoom sessions with a Yiddish teacher in New York, who helped him get words and pronunciations right. Some of the spells and incantations used in the film were in Aramaic, a language with which Hoffman, the screenwriter, is familiar.
“The Offering,” which premiered at festivals last year, comes from Millennium Films, founded by the Israeli-American producer Avi Lerner. Corduner, who plays the father, was raised Jewish, as was actor Paul Kaye (who played Thoros of Myr on “Game of Thrones”), actor Daniel Ben-Zenou and several background actors in the film.
Park and Blood both said that the Coen brothers’ “A Serious Man” was frequently cited in the production of “The Offering,” and not only because of a scene in which a Kabbalah passage appears inside a dead body — much like the Hebrew passage engraved on a dental patient’s teeth in the Coens’ very Jewish movie. In the opening scene of “A Serious Man,” a possible dybbuk appears in a 19th-century shtetl.
“There was an enormous amount of inspiration taken from that film,” Park said.
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The post In ‘The Offering,’ the latest Yiddish-inflected horror movie, a Jewish spirit haunts Hasidic Brooklyn appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
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Israel Court Extends Detention of Gaza Flotilla Activists
Activist Saif Abu Keshek, a member of the Global Sumud Flotilla detained by Israel, sits at a magistrate’s court for a detention extension hearing in Ashkelon, southern Israel, May 3, 2026. REUTERS/Amir Cohen
An Israeli court has extended by two days the detention of two activists arrested aboard a Gaza-bound flotilla that was intercepted by Israeli forces in international waters near Greece, their lawyer said on Sunday.
Saif Abu Keshek, a Spanish national, and Brazilian Thiago Avila were detained by Israeli authorities late on Wednesday and brought to Israel, while more than 100 other pro-Palestinian activists aboard the boats were taken to the Greek island of Crete.
A court spokesperson confirmed that their remand had been extended until May 5.
The governments of Spain and Brazil issued a joint statement on Friday calling their detention illegal.
The activists were part of a second Global Sumud flotilla, launched in an attempt to break Israel’s blockade of Gaza by delivering humanitarian assistance. The ships had set sail from Barcelona on April 12.
Israeli authorities requested a four-day extension of their arrest on suspicion of offenses that include assisting the enemy during wartime, contact with a foreign agent, membership in and providing services to a terrorist organization, and the transfer of property for a terrorist organization, said rights group Adalah, which is assisting in the activists’ defense.
Hadeel Abu Salih, the men’s attorney, said that the two deny the allegations. Their arrest was unlawful due to a lack of jurisdiction, she told Reuters at the Ashkelon Magistrate’s Court after the hearing, adding that the mission was meant to provide aid to civilians in Gaza, not to any militant group.
Abu Salih said that Abu Keshek and Avila were subjected to violence en route to Israel and kept handcuffed and blindfolded until Thursday morning.
Asked for comment, the Israeli military referred Reuters to the Israeli foreign ministry, which said that staff were compelled to act to stop what it described as violent physical obstruction by Abu Keshek and Avila. All measures taken were lawful, it said.
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Israel Initiates Project to Counter Drone Threats in Sweeping Military Upgrade Plan
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu participates in the state memorial ceremony for the fallen of the Iron Swords War on Mount Herzl, Jerusalem on Oct. 16, 2025. Photo: Alex Kolomoisky/POOL/Pool via REUTERS
i24 News – Israel is moving forward with a new initiative to counter drone threats, as part of a broader strategy to expand military capabilities and reduce reliance on foreign defense suppliers, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.
The drone project, ordered several weeks ago, is already in development, with officials preparing to review its initial progress. While details remain limited, the effort reflects growing concern over the increasing use of unmanned aerial systems in regional conflicts.
Netanyahu framed the initiative within a wider defense doctrine centered on “strengthening and independence,” emphasizing the need for Israel to maintain a decisive military edge. He noted that Israel is acquiring two squadrons of advanced fighter jets, including the F-35 Lightning II and the F-15IA, to reinforce its air superiority.
“These aircraft strengthen Israel’s overwhelming air superiority,” he said, referencing recent military operations as evidence of that advantage. He added that Israeli pilots are capable of operating at long range if necessary.
Alongside procurement, the government is planning a major expansion of domestic defense manufacturing. Netanyahu announced that Israel will allocate an additional 350 billion shekels ($95 billion) to the defense budget over the next decade, aiming to produce more of its own armaments and reduce dependence on foreign countries.
He also pointed to future ambitions to develop advanced aircraft domestically, describing the effort as potentially transformative for Israel’s defense industry.
The drone defense program, though still in early stages, is expected to become a key component of this strategy. Netanyahu acknowledged that the project will take time to fully develop but stressed that it is actively being pursued.
Despite the evolving nature of the threats, he reiterated Israel’s long-standing objective of maintaining military superiority across all domains.
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Iran Presents US 3-Step Plan to Move from Ceasefire to End of War
Atomic symbol and USA and Iranian flags are seen in this illustration taken, September 8, 2022. Photo: REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
i24 News – Iran has reportedly submitted a new draft agreement to the United States outlining a three-stage framework aimed at de-escalating regional tensions and restructuring oversight of its nuclear program, according to reporting from Al Jazeera.
The proposal was allegedly delivered via Pakistan and combines military, maritime, and nuclear commitments with a long-term regional security vision.
The first phase calls for transforming the current ceasefire into a permanent end to hostilities within 30 days, alongside a regional non-aggression pact that would include Iran’s allies and Israel. It also proposes steps such as gradually reopening the Strait of Hormuz, easing maritime restrictions on Iran, and reducing military activity in surrounding waters.
The second phase focuses on Iran’s nuclear program. It reportedly includes a freeze on uranium enrichment for up to 15 years, followed by a return to limited enrichment at 3.6%, in line with earlier international agreements.
The draft explicitly rejects dismantling Iran’s nuclear infrastructure. It also outlines possible arrangements for existing uranium stockpiles, including export or reprocessing, and calls for a structured sanctions relief mechanism tied to compliance milestones.
The final phase envisions broader regional engagement, with Tehran proposing a strategic dialogue between Iran and Arab states to establish a comprehensive security framework across the Middle East.