A critically acclaimed half-hour documentary short, which airs tonight on PBS, is making waves across the globe and sparking conversations about Judaism and the cosmos. Featuring Florida shliach Rabbi Zvi Konikov and highlighting the Rebbe’s unique perspective on humanity’s journey to the stars, the film brings the beauty of Yiddishkeit to the masses.

Rabbi Zvi Konikov, director of Chabad of the Space & Treasure Coasts, is interviewed for the film, titled Fiddler on the Moon. Directed by Seth Kramer, Daniel Miller, and Jeremy Newberger, the documentary explores how Jewish observance adapts to spaceflight, a place where a space station hurtles at 17,400 miles per hour, experiencing 16 sunrises and sunsets every 24 hours.

The documentary prominently includes the Rebbe and explores his broader views on space exploration, particularly following the 1969 moon landing.

As the film highlights, the historic Apollo 11 mission triggered a mini-crisis of faith for some Jews who struggled to reconcile space travel with the verse from Tehillim 115:16: “הַשָּׁמַיִם שָׁמַיִם לַה וְהָאָרֶץ נָתַן לִבְנֵי אָדָם.” The documentary showcases how the Rebbe provided the definitive Jewish perspective on this modern frontier. The Rebbe explained that not only is it permissible to fly to space, but that this scientific curiosity only increases our ability to understand the beauty of Hashem’s act of creation. The Rebbe taught that every new technological and scientific frontier brings humanity closer to the Creator and must be utilized to bring greater light into the world.

Much of the documentary focuses on the well-known story of Israeli astronaut Ilan Ramon’s STS-107 mission aboard the space shuttle Columbia.

Before his flight, Ramon consulted Rabbi Konikov, whose Chabad house is located just down the road from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. Ramon asked a groundbreaking halachic question: “How do I mark the Sabbath in space?” Drawing on halachic precedent established for Jewish soldiers stationed near the North Pole during World War II, Rabbi Konikov advised Ramon to follow the clock of his “home base”, mission control in Houston, Texas.

Furthermore, making Kiddush in a crowded space shuttle required serious adaptation. Unable to use electrical devices, light candles, or even drink from an open cup, Ramon made Kiddush using a sealed bag of grape juice, as alcohol was not permitted on board.

The documentary, which also stars astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson alongside astronauts Jeffrey Hoffman and Jessica Meir, is generating a massive Kiddush Hashem by taking these Torah perspectives to secular and international audiences.

Following a successful global festival run, screening at over 50 events from Los Angeles to London, the film has been reviewed and heavily featured in national and Israeli media outlets, including prominent, detailed coverage in publications like Space.com and Haaretz.

The widespread press coverage and critical acclaim demonstrate a unique public thirst to see how the timeless truth of Torah and halacha apply to the most modern of frontiers. The project has secured numerous accolades, including a nomination for Best Short Documentary at the Critics’ Choice Documentary Awards and Best Documentary at the Bergen International Film Festival.