1922 introduced American audiences to the stage comedy Abie's Irish Rose, the story of a Jewish boy in love with a Catholic girl, much to the consternation of both their families. The play ran for years, and it also inspired radio shows, movies, and countless spin-off comedies capitalizing on the theme of what happens when "worlds collide" among Jewish and Gentile communities. Fast-forward a century to the era of Hallmark Hanukkah movies, including "Love, Lights, Hanukkah," "Double Holiday," "Hanukkah on Rye," and most recently, "Round and Round," and "Hanukkah on the Rocks." How do these modern-day romantic comedies echo the "worlds collide" messages of the past and where do they break new ground? How has American popular culture represented Jewish American identity through these narratives? What stories can't be told and why? Please join the conversation!

Heather S. Nathans is a professor in the Tufts University Department of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies and is also the Nathan and Alice Gantcher Professor in Judaic Studies. Her publications include Early American Theatre from the Revolution to Thomas Jefferson (2003); Slavery and Sentiment on the American Stage, 1787-1861 (2009); and the award-winning Hideous Characters and Beautiful Pagans: Performing Jewish Identity on the Antebellum American Stage (2017).

She has received numerous fellowships, including ones from the Guggenheim Foundation, the Mellon Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies at the University of Pennsylvania.