Letting Go, Living Lchaim
Living Lchaim's own Tisha B'Av film goes live on July 22. Access is free, but viewers need to sign up on the site in advance to be notified when it launches.
"Letting Go" chronicles extraordinary, true stories of individuals who faced unimaginable betrayal, tragic loss, and unimaginable hardship, yet ultimately chose forgiveness and the path forward.
Watch: livinglchaim.com (free, sign up for notification)
Who should watch this: Jfeed does not recommend this for young children.
Fans of Living Lchaim's candid, conversational podcast style, and anyone who wants something meaningful for the day without paying for a subscription.
Aleph Beta's Tisha B'Av Collection
Aleph Beta's ongoing series, including material built around the theme of Tisha B'Av after October 7, pairs animated Torah study with contemporary reflection. Rabbi David Fohrman and other Aleph Beta teachers walk through how the themes of Eichah and the Churban echo into present-day Jewish grief.
Watch: alephbeta.org (subscription, with previews and trial access usually available)
Who should watch this: Viewers who want depth and text-based learning over pure narrative, and anyone who found Fohrman's style compelling in his other Torah content.
Undeniable, and the Miracle Connection
Rabbi Naftali Schiff, who recently co-authored the bestselling book Miracle: The Boys Who Escaped the Gas Chamber at Auschwitz, has also directed a companion documentary called Undeniable, built around the same story of the fifty one Hungarian Jewish teenagers pulled from a gas chamber on Simchat Torah 1944. The documentary includes testimony from Holocaust scholar Robert Jan van Pelt, who served as a key expert witness in Deborah Lipstadt's libel case against Holocaust denier David Irving.
Watch: not yet confirmed at time of writing; worth checking directly before planning around it
Who should watch this: Readers who have already picked up Miracle, and viewers specifically drawn to firsthand survivor testimony rather than reenactment or narration.
For those who prefer established titles over new releases, several films have become recurring Tisha B'Av staples.
Night and Fog (1956):
Alain Resnais's documentary offers an unflinching, historically grounded look at the camps, shot only a decade after liberation. Watch: widely available on standard streaming platforms Who should watch this: Viewers who want a serious, academically minded film rather than an emotionally softened one.
The Pianist:
Widely available on standard streaming platforms
Who should watch this: Viewers who want a narrative feature rather than a documentary.
Denial:
Dramatizes the same Lipstadt versus Irving trial referenced in Undeniable.
Watch: widely available on standard streaming platforms
Who should watch this: Viewers more interested in the fight against Holocaust denial than in survival narratives themselves.
A Note on Suitability
Several of this year's new releases, particularly those tied explicitly to October 7, are emotionally intense and are best previewed by parents before sharing with younger children.
The more text-based Aleph Beta content and the classic documentary Night and Fog are generally better suited to older teenagers and adults who can sit with heavier historical material. Families looking for something appropriate for younger children may want to lean on curated children's content from platforms such as YidFlicks rather than any of the above.
