Who, What & Where: Mental Health, Ozark, Tehran, No Place Like Home

APPLE TV+ : I Spy

Just when we the lighter evenings have encouraged us to get off the sofa we will be firmly back on it as the second season of Mossad spy series Tehran, which won the International Emmy for Best Drama last year, has just landed on Apple TV+. It’s as nail-biting as the first season, with twisty plot turns and new characters, one of whom is played by Glenn Close. She plays the British psychologist widow of an Iranian psychiatrist. The opening episode contains a thrilling chase scene as Mossad special agent Tamar (Niv Sultan) attempts to smuggle a captured Israeli pilot out of a Tehran prison. We also see her ‘befriend’ the son of an Iranian general and hang out with him and his friends at the gym, in chic restaurants and at clubs. This gives us a fascinating insight to how the elites live in Iran. Created by Moshe Zonder (who also wrote for Fauda), Dana Eden and Maor Kohn, and directed by Daniel Syrkin, Tehran was the first series not in English to be picked up by Apple TV+.

EXHIBITION: Fighting Talk

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There is important new exhibition at The Wiener Holocaust Library in Russell Square. Fighting Antisemitism from Dreyfus to Today has been curated partly in response to the worrying trends in contemporary antisemitism, including the rise in harassment of Jews in recent years, and the spread of conspiracy theories online during the pandemic. Antisemitism continues to pose a threat to Jews in Britain, Europe and around the world. In February 2022, the Community Security Trust (CST) released a report that recorded 2,255 anti-Jewish hate incidents reported across Britain in 2021.This is a 34% increase from 2020. Highlights of the exhibition include rare historic pamphlets refuting antisemitic ideas; valuable evidence gathered by the Library about the activities of antisemites; and photographic documentation relating to street fighting and infiltration of fascist groups in London, including at the Battle of Cable Street in the 1930s and by the 43 Group in the 1940s.

The Wiener Holocaust Library is open Monday to Friday 10am – 5pm. The exhibition runs until 9 September 2022. Entry is free

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www.wienerholocaustlibrary.org

TV: Pet presents Grandpa

Lovable 101-year-old Labrador Charlie (see April’s Life mag online) is on the back paw as his human grandpa takes a turn in the spotlight. At 92, Jules Konopinski is younger than Charlie, but lived a much harder life as he was born in Nazi Germany and left after Kristallnacht at the age of nine to live in Dalston, East London. It was there, on Ridley Road, that Jules later became a founder member of the 43 Group, who fought the post-war fascists. Knowledge of their activity brought the creators of TV drama Ridley Road to his door. Sadly the series failed to impress Jules – “It was loaded with inaccuracies” – so he was pleased to speak for himself on Channel 5’s three-part series Jay Blades: No Place Like Home. Best known as the host of BBC’s The Repair Shop (which has had its share of Jewish visitors) Blade, 52 also grew up in Hackney, but was unaware of its dark past. “He didn’t know about the antisemitism or the racism, but he was shocked to hear about it,” said Jules. After several hours chatting and a Friday night dinner invite Jules had hoped the family could attend the series premiere at the Dalston Rio, but his Zumba-teaching daughter Michele had class and Charlie, well, he was asleep. Available to watch on catch-up with the reappearance of Jules in part three, now lab Charlie has a rival for all the attention. “And he’ll be sleeping through the show,” said his mum Michele.

Jay Blades: No Place Like Home is on Tuesday 9pm Channel 5 and on catch-up

MENTAL HEALTH: Activity week

The theme of this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week (9 – 15 May) is loneliness. We all feel lonely sometimes but for those who struggle with their mental health it can be something really difficult to deal with. Jewish mental health charity Jami has a week-long series of events at head Room Café in Golders Green to combat this including an art session, a coffee gathering and a discussion group. There are also lots of online activities such as sessions on co-working, a university student webinar and a peer support group.

Visit jami.org to find out more.

NETFLIX: Inventing Julia

Impersonating Inventing Anna’s Julia Garner has become the thing on TikTok and now the Jewish actress minus her peculiar German/Russian twang is back in Ozark, the finale. Season 4, part 2 has landed on Netflix with the Jewish actress repeating her performance as Missouri wild child Ruth, who might be in for a rough time, but no spoilers here.