Netflix's new teen comedy You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah, starring Adam Sandler and his real-life daughters, is one of the more prominent end-of-summer treats currently featuring on the streaming behemoth.
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As the name might imply, it revolves around two bat mitzvah-age girls, navigating Jewish life in their rather conservative community. Teen shows always tell stories of adolescence, self-image, BFF fights, Jewish customs (appropriated for a relatively progressive audience, of course) and of course, the mandatory heartthrob that, as you might expect, both friends have a crush on, played by teen star Dylan Hoffman.
And how can a guy come between two best friends if he isn't an absolute darling? Hoffman is a Jewish prince with golden locks and a Star of David proudly presented on his chest.
If you want to get a feel of the vibe, think of a cross between Clueless and Mean Girls and the movies Lady Bird and Welcome to the Dollhouse. Stacy Friedman portrays Sandler's daughter Sunny, an odd bird in her high school struggling to fit in (of course she is), but she does have her outer, Y2K-street style clothing going on for her, so you can argue that rugged individualism sets her up to be the movie's "I'm not like you" protagonist.
Teen fashion is a significant part of what facilitates the more progressive, relatively open style of Judaism this movie puts up on a pedestal, which is somewhat of a stark contrast from Israel itself in 2023 - more reclusive, conservative and homophobic.
Bible lessons are taught by a female rabbi wearing a rainbow-colored kippah, Stacy Friedman reads aloud the bible portion of Ki Tissa from the book of Exodus. This fosters an increasingly-communitive vibe to the movie as it gallops from one bat mitzvah to another, each one presided over by DJ Schmuley (played by Israeli actor Ido Musseri) who weaves some pop hits together with teen-friendly trash music.
But more than anything, the movie integrates the Star of David into the mainstream as a fashion accessory that transcends the religious.
The interest evoked by the Star of David stems from its rarity in American circles, lending it a sense of the exotic. Taken at face value, it's a common symbol in the Holy Land, interspersed between our national flag, synagogues, ambulances, Judaica stores and a commonplace piece of jewelry on many people's chests.
In recent years, the Star of David has experienced a sort of renaissance among Hollywood celebrities, tattooed on David Beckham's chest (he might as well be a Hollywood celebrity) and also on the chest of a dancer in a Madonna video. Christian Bale wore it in the 2013 movie American Dream, and Kate Winslet showed it off in the 2016 movie Triple 9.
Seth Rogan had it on, in two distinct forms, in the movies The Night Before and 2009's Funny People. As an American, he could get away with wearing it in a way that makes it seem like a colorful fashion accessory, but no Israeli would be caught dead displaying it in that manner, as it stands as a much more traditional, solemn symbol of the Jewish faith.