Mazel Tov to Milo Cristol!
We are thrilled to celebrate an incredible achievement by our own Milo Cristol, who was just named the winner of Hey Alma’s 2025 Hanukkah Movie Pitch Challenge!
Milo’s winning pitch, A Hanukkah to Remember, captured hearts with its warmth, humor, and charm. It’s a joyful rom-com rooted in Jewish life, love, and latkes. Inspired by The Muppets Take Manhattan, the story stood out among hundreds of submissions and earned top honors in Hey Alma’s seventh annual challenge.
In the article, Milo generously credits Congregation Rodeph Sholom and Rodeph Sholom School for supporting and encouraging his creativity, and we could not be prouder. Milo’s voice, imagination, and thoughtfulness are a beautiful reflection of the community we strive to nurture.
Mazel tov, Milo, on this unforgettable win. We can’t wait to see what you create next!
Here’s Milo’s winning movie plot:
“Noa Hayes had the perfect night at her family’s annual Hanukkah party. A night filled with latkes, everybody she loves and brand new faces. The issue? She doesn’t remember a single minute. All she remembers is waking up in her childhood bedroom after slipping on her parent’s icy Manhattan stoop. The past 48 hours have disappeared from her, and though the doctor says her memory will most likely come back, he can’t say when.
Determined not to let the partial memory loss ruin her first day at a new job, and with a somewhat clean bill of health, Noa heads off to her new job as an associate editor for a Jewish publishing imprint. Everything is fantastic, almost as if the accident hadn’t happened, until she’s introduced to one particular coworker: Dan Pasternak. He’s hardworking and interesting and the kindest person in the city. Well, kind to everyone except Noa. At first, she figures he’s just shy to strangers, but her coworkers are quick to let her know that it is, in fact, personal. By the end of the day, Noa is itching to figure out what Dan’s vendetta is against her. The answer? They met at the Hanukkah party, Noa stood him up on a date, and he’s pissed.
Noa never goes out on dates, so she knows the night with Dan had to be something special. In an attempt to convince Dan she is not the type of girl to fake a bout of amnesia to get out of a date, Noa pulls out all the stops. Her Bubbe’s sufganiyot? Check. A special, handpainted dreidel and homemade gelt? You got it. A doctor’s note confirming her amnesia that absolutely was not forged by her sister? Why, she would never!
But Dan has been burned before, and is turning out to be as tough to convince as their coworker Marsha’s fruitcake is tough to cut. Will Noa be able to convince Dan to give her another chance without the memories they made or will this Hanukkah romance spin out of control? Starring Alison Brie as Noa Hayes and Logan Lerman as Dan Pasternak.”
Read the full Hey Alma article here.
