“Sci-Fi Rabbi” Joshua Breindel of Congregation Beth El in Sudbury, who appears in the film “Fiddler on the Moon,” will host a screening and discussion of the film on Saturday, Jan. 31, at 7 p.m. (register here to attend in person or via Zoom). 

“Fiddler on the Moon” is a documentary that investigates a mystery that has plagued scientists, theologians, and comedians for decades: Will Judaism survive in space? The film provides answers from Neil deGrasse Tyson, astronauts Jeffrey Hoffman and Jessica Meir, and a quorum of rabbis and researchers, including Dr. Sheyna Gifford, who served as a medical officer and journalist in NASA’s year-long HI-SEAS mission (Hawai’i Space Exploration Analog and Simulation), studying crew health in Mars-like conditions.

Among the questions that beg answers: How do you determine when Shabbat begins when there is no consistent daily sunset in a ship that orbits the earth every 90 minutes? And can you even light a candle in space? It’s all about finding consensus, ultimately highlighting Judaism’s history of adapting to modernity, much like the classic “Fiddler on the Roof” theme. 

“Since childhood, I’ve wondered how Jewish life could travel beyond Earth. As the ‘Sci‑Fi Rabbi,’ I was invited to bring a spiritual voice to ‘Fiddler on the Moon,’” said Rabbi Breindel, a childhood friend of Dr. Gifford. “How can we — made from the dust of the earth — not only live on other worlds, but thrive there? That’s the question at the heart of this film.” 

Rabbi Breindel also leads the online Jewish Fantasy and Sci-Fi Book Club that’s open to all.

The notion of Jews in space is not new, of course. There have been 12 American Jewish astronauts (including Judith Resnick, who was killed in the 1986 Challenger disaster) and two Israelis, including Ilan Ramon (also on the Challenger) and Eytan Meir Stibbe.

In 2018, the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research created an exhibit called “Jews in Space: Members of the Tribe in Orbit,” and there’s also “Space Midrash,” a Jewish futurism and philosophy podcast. As Kveller.com points out in “9 Jewish Astronauts Who Have Boldly Gone to Space,” “Jews in space is not just the concept of a memorable Mel Brooks sketch, or a conspiracy theory propagated by Marjorie Taylor Greene — it’s a reality.”

When Gifford went on her simulated mission, “I brought some electric candles, several dreidels, and, perhaps most importantly, my bread starter,” she said. “Making bread every Friday was something I enjoyed and something the crew was able to eat and enjoy all week. Simulated Mars was the first time in my life I made challah every week.” (The dough rise might be problematic in zero-G, however.)

What would work (at least theoretically) is lighting Shabbat candles. “NASA has done so under highly controlled conditions in order to study the effect and to plan for fire suppression. Rather than going up, the candle flame bubbles out, spherically. Rather than yellow, the flame burns more blue. It’s quite lovely and, if I may say so, rather otherworldly,” said Gifford.

“Fiddler on the Moon” won awards in 2025, including Best Documentary Short and Best Space Film at the Sci-On! Film Festival, and the Audience Award for Best Short Documentary at the Los Angeles Jewish Film Festival. It balances emotional intensity, intellectual rigor, and spiritual inspiration as a celebration of Judaism’s flexibility.

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