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    Have you got it or not? London Jews argue the existence of ‘mazel’ or luck

    Mazel, or luck, can change fortunes in an instant: it is evasive, unreliable, and yet also indispensable. While some deride it as superstition, others consider it a science. In Christopher Thomas Allen’s film Schlimazeltov!, the existence of mazel remains a subject of constant debate for Jewish people in London, among them the comedian and Steve Coogan collaborator David Schneider, the economist Ronny Razin, and Rabbi Harvey Belovski.

    Director: Christopher Thomas Allen

    Producer: Andrew Hinton

    16 April 2014
    An elderly woman in a yellow bird costume with a walking stick, standing in front of a metal door with a sign in Hebrew.

    videoMood and emotion

    The 94-year-old Holocaust survivor who makes every Purim costume contest count

    10 minutes

    Two people walking past shops at night. The man wears a long coat and hat, the woman a leather jacket, miniskirt and boots.

    videoSubcultures

    Being a stand-up comedian is hard. It’s even harder when it’s against your religion

    24 minutes

    Elderly woman sitting at a table talking with a pig’s head on a plate and a tablet showing a yellow face emoji.

    videoValues and beliefs

    How a God-fearing Jewish woman found atheism – and bacon – in her later years

    9 minutes

    A young person holding a basket of colourful knitted skullcaps featuring cartoon characters, standing in a dining room with a piano.

    videoValues and beliefs

    How branded yarmulkes combine traditional Jewish values with popular culture

    12 minutes

    Two women wearing glasses laughing and gesturing with their hands, captured indoors with a blurred background.

    videoRituals and celebrations

    Delicious? Gross? The great fish dish that divides – and unites – families on Passover

    11 minutes

    A man with glasses in an office, wearing a suit and tie, holding a phone to his ear with a concerned expression.

    videoFilm and visual culture

    ‘What’s going on?’ How seeking meaning is futile in the Coen Brothers’ universe

    8 minutes

    Illustration of a boy on a swing representing the narrative arc, labelled Exposition, Rising Action, Climax, Falling Action, Denouement.

    videoCognition and intelligence

    How the dramatic arc can change our brain chemistry and spur us to action

    6 minutes

    An elderly woman with a warm smile wearing a red top, sitting indoors with framed pictures on the wall in the background.

    videoBiography and memoir

    On the train to Auschwitz, a young woman is faced with a life-shattering choice

    14 minutes

    A photo of a man with a beard beside a photo of a woman with a headband, both against a plain light background.

    videoSocial psychology

    Never judge a book by its cover. But what about people and their faces?

    12 minutes