The 2025 Chicago Festival of Israeli Cinema got underway on Thursday night with the Israel Repair Fair and the Chicago premiere of The Property.

There are a number of Chicago Festival of Israeli Cinema selections playing the festival that I covered during either the Miami or Atlanta Jewish Film Festivals. The four titles that I recommend the most are Soul of a Nation, Torn, Matchmaking 2, and The Stronghold. I’ve previously reviewed Soda and Come Closer. While I’ve seen Bliss, I’m late in running my review.

All 13 feature films or documentaries that are screening during the Chicago Festival of Israeli Cinema will be streaming virtually from 6 AM on March 21 through 11:59 PM on March 31. While there’s nothing better than watching a film on the big screen, what sets the Chicago Festival of Israeli Cinema apart from so many others is that you can watch all their films from the comfort of your home.

Soul of a Nation‘s Chicago premiere couldn’t be timelier and more relevant now that Israel is on the verge of civil war once again. The film held its world premiere just over two months ago as the Opening Night selection of the 2025 Miami Jewish Film Festival. It’s a very personal film for filmmaker Jonathan Jakubowicz as he captured the State of Israel at a time when the country is on the verge of a civil war. Suffice it to say, protests are heating up once again with the firing of Shin Bet Director Ronen Bar. Soul of a Nation shows the importance of unity, even when it might seem impossible.

Torn is a film that takes a look at the grassroots campaign to raise awareness for the Israelis taken hostage in Gaza and the controversy that followed. If you’re planning to watch the film, please be advised that it contains scenes of hostage-taking, war, bombings, and civilian suffering. Torn doesn’t set out to solve Middle East peace but if there is any hope left in this world, maybe the film will remind people about their lack of empathy. When all this is over, it begs the question of if there will ever be healing. I can’t answer that because I don’t know.

Matchmaking 2 keeps the laughs (and drama) coming as the film continues the story that its predecessor started in a way that is no less hysterical. I hadn’t seen the original during its film festival run but after the Chicago Festival of Israeli Cinema selected the film, I knew I needed to watch it. I’m so glad I did because it kept me entertained from start to finish! Much like the earlier film, it’s impossible to ignore the difference in customs between Ashkenazi and Sephardic/Mizrahi Jews in Matchmaking 2. It isn’t just the spicier food, although this alone leads to more comical moments.

The Stronghold is an epic war film following a company of Israeli soldiers trapped at an outpost along the Suez Canal during the 1973 Yom Kippur War. It was first released as a feature film two months prior to the anniversary of the war. Running close to two-hours, an extended five-episode miniseries is currently in post-production. Anyone familiar with the 1973 Yom Kippur War knows that Israel was caught by surprise in the Sinai Desert. It was an intelligence failure on the same level of October 7 and ultimately led to Prime Minister Golda Meir’s resignation. The film is a reminder of the values that Jews/Israelis hold dearly: the sanctity of life and fighting to the last bullet.

The 2025 Chicago Festival of Israeli Cinema runs March 20-31, 2025, both in person and virtually.

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