Editor’s note: Due to the ongoing security situation, events listed below may be postponed or canceled. Check before booking, and stay safe.
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 27
Enjoy a cup of vegan hot chocolate at Café Bastet, the only LGBTQ vegan coffee shop in Jerusalem. The café is named after the ancient Egyptian deity Bastet, The gentle cat goddess was the kind aspect of Sekhmet, who was a lioness goddess of war. The coffee shop offers a nice vegan breakfast and a wide selection of cakes.
Café Bastet, 5 Heleni Hamalka Street, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 28
Visit the Baruch Bar and listen to the music of The Nocturnes, a classical guitar duo (Daniel Ayali and Yahav Kanner) that recently released an album.
8 p.m., 2 Ma’alot Nahalat Shiv’a Street. Visit thenocturnesmusic.com for more. No admission price listed.
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 29
Take a Hanukkah tour in the Old City’s Jewish Quarter and enjoy the different shapes and sizes of the hanukkiot as the walk takes you down the narrow streets.
4:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. Hebrew tour. NIS 50 per person. 2 hours long. Tours begin at Jaffa Gate. Hot tea and lighting of the Hanukkah candles is included. Call *4987 to book.
MONDAY, DECEMBER 30
Watch the play The Child Ayelet, based on the Yiddish poetry of Kadia Molodowsky. This family-oriented performance is about a girl named Ayelet who has a magical umbrella. When her parents insist that she do house chores, she opens the umbrella and the dull tasks become almost fantastical. Shown as part of the Psik Theater Hanukkah Lights Festival.
11 a.m. NIS 30 per ticket. 18 Mesilat Yesharim Street. Hebrew only. Visit psik.org.il for more (Hebrew site).
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 31
At the Jerusalem Cinematheque, watch the 2024 film A Real Pain. Written and directed by Jesse Eisenberg, the comedy drama depicts a trip to Poland taken by estranged cousins David (Eisenberg) and Benji (Kieran Culkin) in search of their family’s history. The film is funny, painful, and thought-provoking. Opening remarks will be presented by Magda Makarczuk Strehlau, director of the Warsaw Jewish Film Festival.
6:30 p.m. 11 Hebron Road. NIS 41 per ticket. Call (02) 565-4333 to book.
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 1
Watch the play Guys and Dolls, the Musical, based on the work of Damon Runyon. Set in the 1920s, the story line features a gambler, a showgirl, a missionary, and other characters who blend being sly and kind in a sort of bygone New York. This is a Beit Hillel Theater Workshop production.
7:10 p.m. English-language performance. NIS 100 per ticket. 1 Martin Buber Street, Hebrew University Mount Scopus. Visit eventer.co.il/user/guysdolls to book.
THURSDAY, JANUARY 2
Attend a concert by the Sitkovetsky Trio (Alexander Sitkovetsky, violin; Wu Qian, piano; and Isang Enders, cello) and enjoy a program that includes Ghost by Beethoven; Piano Trio No. 2 by Shostakovich; and Piano Trio No. 1 by Mendelssohn.
8 p.m. NIS 140 to NIS 155. YMCA Jerusalem. 26 King David Street. Call (02) 624-1041 to book.
Throwing a special event? Opening an art exhibition or a new bar? Bringing in a guest speaker to introduce a fascinating topic? Email hagay_hacohen@yahoo.com and let In Jerusalem know about it. Write “Jerusalem Highlights” in the subject line. Although all information is welcome, we cannot guarantee it will be featured in the column.
