Editor’s note: Due to the ongoing security situation, events listed below may be postponed or canceled. Check before booking, and stay safe.
FRIDAY, JANUARY 31
Grab a cup of coffee and a baked good at the New Gallery Artists’ Studio Teddy for the morning art tour. Curated by Ella Cohen Vansover, “Mist – Ritual in Still Life” is a group exhibition with works by artists such as Leonid Balaklav, Shai Yehezkelli, and Rotem Manor.
9:30 a.m. Teddy Stadium, Gate 22. Hours: Friday, Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Tuesday, Thursday, 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. NIS 15 per ticket. Call (02) 546-8892 to book.
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 1
Attend an evening concert devoted to how Jewish violinists encountered Western classical music. Viola player Natanel Laevsky and pianist Lior Lifshitz will perform music by Johann Sebastian Bach and Robert Schumann.
8 p.m. Jerusalem Music Center, 3 Yemin Moshe Street. NIS 115 to NIS 130 per ticket. Call (02) 623-437 to book.
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 2
Listen to the free English lecture “Introducing Zionism, Messianism, and Kabbalah” by Jonnie Schnytzer at Beit Avi Chai. This is part of a wider series linking Jewish messianic ideas with the 19th-century self-liberation Jewish political movement.
Early scholars of Jewish mysticism, such as Gershom Scholem, warned readers about the destructive forces of the imagination taking the nation on a collision course with reality, as it did many times before in Jewish history.
People who claimed access to the divine, from Sabbatai Zevi and Abraham Abulafia to lesser-known persons like Shukr Kuhayl I in 19th-century Yemen, often led their followers to tragedy.
Current scholars, however, are fascinated with these imaginative structures. For example, why do plagues like COVID-19 appear? This is allegedly due to it being under the stern judgment of God in this current age, as manifested by the planet Saturn, according to the work of Rabbi Joseph ben Shalom Ashkenazi, Schnytzer explains.
The complex intellectual exploration of how diverse and rich Jewish thought can be is inspiring and fascinating. However, it might be valuable to remember the warnings of learned men from past generations regarding Kabbalah.
7 p.m. Zoom lecture. Free. Sign up via www.bac.org.il/en.
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 3
Attend “Turning Hardship into Opportunity,” a motivational talk by social innovator and fashion designer Gil Joshua Dreyfus, who shares how he dealt with two difficult life events: the death of his partner, and the discovery that two of his children have cerebral palsy.
8 p.m. Hebrew only. NIS 20 per ticket. 135 Moshe Dayan Blvd., Pisgat Ze’ev Community Center. Call (02) 643-5892 for more information.
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 4
Visit the Khan Theater and enjoy the English-language performance of The Accomplices by Bernard Weinraub. Zion Theater brings to the stage the complexities of Jewish-American reactions to the Holocaust. The play depicts president Franklin D. Roosevelt (Hank Shrier) as he refuses to allow Jewish immigrants into the US.
The play explores the efforts of Hillel Kook (Lior Berlin), a Jewish activist who advocated that European Jews be offered a way out of the Nazi regime, regardless of their views on Zionism, and Kook’s work with writer Ben Hecht (David Golinkin). An interesting evening for anyone keen on the lesser-known aspects of Zionist history.
7:30 p.m. NIS 85 per ticket. 12 Remez Street. Call (02) 630-3600 ext. 1 to book. English only.
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 5
Attend an evening with actor Dov Navon as he regales the audience with his stand-up performance at the Yellow Submarine. Famous as a theater and television actor, Navon explores his decades-long relationship with the audience in this adults-only performance.
Doors open at 8:30 p.m.; show starts at 9:30 p.m. Hebrew only. NIS 119 per ticket. 13 Harechavim Street. Call (02) 679-4040 to book.
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 6
Watch the play The World of Yesterday. Based on the 1942 German novel by Jewish-Austrian writer Stefan Zweig, the work was adapted for the stage by director Irina Gorelik and the Mikro Theater.
The Hebrew production loosely follows the plot of this highly personal work, in which Zweig describes how he met Sigmund Freud, Theodor Herzl, and other famous people of the time.
Zweig’s work is a powerful elegy for Mitteleuropa, the German-language culture that existed in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Zweig committed suicide after mailing the manuscript to his publisher.
8 p.m. Jerusalem Theatre, 20 Marcus Street. Shown with Hebrew and Russian subtitles. NIS 90 to NIS 120. Call (02) 560-5755 to reserve.
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.
