What if humanity learned, once and for all, that we are not alone? In this spoiler-filled episode of PopTorah, we dive into Steven Spielberg’s Disclosure Day, a film about revelation, secrecy, fear, and the courage to face truths that powerful people would rather keep hidden. Along the way, we discuss what extraterrestrial life might mean for faith, whether discovering we are not alone would diminish or deepen our sense of awe, and how Judaism helps us think about truth, empathy, and the moral challenge of welcoming the radically other. Disclosure Day asks not only whether we can handle the truth, but whether learning the truth about extraterrestrial life might make us more human — and why authoritarian power is so threatened by anything that turns “them” into “us.”

Rabbis Michael Knopf and Jesse Olitzky are lifelong friends, pop culture fanboys, and lovers of all things Jewish. Join them every other week for a conversation about what’s going on in pop culture from a Jewish perspective and about Judaism through the lens of pop culture.

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