Big names coming to a festival that bubbe would approve of include Etgar Keret, Shalom Auslander, Michael Pollan, and more.

In addition to being a genius, he was also a pacifist, a political rebel, and an all-around badass.

We took a look at the highlights of the Jewish Literary Festival, which runs at the D.C. JCC and other venues until October 29.

This post is brought to you by the DCJCC. The best of international cinema returns to Washington as the Washington Jewish Film Festival takes over the capital city for its 24th year, bringing 64 films from 18 countries and 40 filmmaker guests including actor and director John Turturro and legendary Israeli filmmaker Avi Nesher. The film festival takes place February 27 – March 9, 2014, and includes world, U.S. and Washington premieres of films from…

Prepare to share the shame. The Washington premiere of Mortified Nation, a comedic documentary about adults who share their most embarrassing childhood diaries, letters, poems and art… in front of total strangers, will be on Saturday, November 9, at 3 p.m., at the Washington DCJCC. The screening of the “awk-umentary” will be followed by a Q&A with the filmmakers. The screening will be presented as part of the Washington Jewish Film Festival.

Two lucky winners will each receive a pair of tickets to the Washington premiere. Enter in the form below for a chance to win! By submitting this form, you agree to be subscribed to DCist Daily. You must be a subscriber to be eligible!

JUST ANNOUNCED! Judy Blume will join for a post-screening conversation via Skype.

Judy Blume has written (so far) 28 books, sold over 85 million copies, and won more than 90 writing awards, including in 2000 the Library of Congress Living Legends award. The first of Judy Blume’s books to be translated to film, Tiger Eyes stars Willa Holland (Gossip Girl, The O.C.) as a teenager grappling with the sudden loss of her father. Crippled by grief, her mom moves the family to New Mexico to stay with her sister. Shell-shocked and culture-shocked, Davey befriends a wise, sexy Native American young man who helps her through this difficult time.

Followed by a conversation with Director Lawrence Blume.

Allen Salkin will discuss his biography of the 20-year old channel today at 7:30 p.m. at the D.C. Jewish Community Center.

Last night, the Washington Jewish Community Center (DCJCC) hosted a packed house of over two hundred people for the highly-anticipated panel discussion “hide/SPEAK: An Evening with David C. Ward of the National Portrait Gallery.” The panel also included Transformer director Victoria Reis, ARTINFO blogger Tyler Green and DCJCC Bronfman Gallery director Dafna Steinberg.

But everyone was there to hear Ward, the National Portrait Gallery historian and co-curator of Hide/Seek: Difference and Desire in American Portraiture, explain his stance on the Smithsonian’s controversial decision to pull the Wojnarowicz video and their subsequent rejection of AA Bronson’s request, made in protest, that his work be pulled from the show and returned to the National Gallery of Canada.

Put “sex” and “drugs” in your title and you’re sure to catch the attention of the young people. Say “gefilte fish” and you’re adding a touch of Jewish kitsch. Sex, Drugs, and Gefilte Fish: The Heeb Storytelling Collection, a reading taking place tonight at Chief Ike’s, sits at the “edgy end” of the DCJCC’s 2009 Jewish Literary Festival. Heeb is a humor magazine targeted to the young and Jewish, and this reading aims to…