Editor’s note: Due to the ongoing security situation, events listed below may be postponed or canceled. Check before booking, and stay safe.
FRIDAY, APRIL 18
Visit Adraba Books (5 Ben-Maimon Street) and pick up two new Hebrew books for the weekend. In A Miniature Sovereignty ($27, a 30% discount at the store), historian Yfaat Weiss explores the unique history of Mount Scopus, the only (tiny) part of Jerusalem to ever actually be under total UN control between 1948 and 1967.
Check out Five Revolutionaries of Rather Minor Impact by Yaniv Zach. A collector of Israeli ephemera, Zach writes about people like Jerusalem lawyer Nasib Bey Abkarious, who fell in love with Lea Tenenboim and built a lovely home for her in 1930s Rehavia. Known ever since as Villa Lea, the house was the home of Haile Selassie and Moshe Dayan, among others.
The books tell the mostly forgotten stories of people who decided to defend the rights of convicted murderers, rabid anti-communists, peace activists, and much more.
Friday, 9 a.m. until noon; Sunday to Thursday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Call (02) 567-1266 for more.
SATURDAY, APRIL 19
Visit the Jerusalem Cinematheque to watch The Grand Illusion. This 1937 black-and-white film by Jean Renoir is screened in homage to the first program selected by the Jerusalem cinema half a century ago.
The film is about three Frenchmen – a nobleman, a worker, and a Jewish banker – who are captured by the Germans during WW I. This humanistic film is regarded as one of the greatest movies ever made. It was outlawed by the Nazis.
4 p.m. French with Hebrew subtitles. Two hours. 11 Hebron Road. Call (02) 565-4333 to book.
SUNDAY, APRIL 20
Enjoy the Mimouna celebration at the Center for Middle Eastern Classical Music (3 Menora Street) and partake in this North African Jewish tradition when leavened foods are back on the table right after Passover. Take part in making muffuletta (Moroccan flatbread) and enjoy music performed by the center’s students.
Those who want to explore some of the musical richness of Morocco before visiting the country may enjoy the 2005 album Ecstatic Music of the Jemaa El Fna. Named after the famous Marrakesh public square (the name means “Rendezvous of the Dead”) where the recordings were held, this Sublime Frequencies label production is worth listening to online at shorturl.at/9sMNB.
7:15 p.m. Free.
MONDAY, APRIL 21
Dig into some Jewish food at Yagen’s House of Cholent (12 Ezra Street). The portions are hot and generous and tasty, and the prices are very reasonable.
This is a haredi establishment, so some effort might be required to push your way past the yeshiva students and grab a seat, or a fresh Viznitz challah, and relish the food on your plate. Chopped liver, soft drinks, and beer are also offered.
Regular business hours. For home deliveries, call 052-713-1576.
TUESDAY, APRIL 22
Watch the film The Pianist, the 2002 Roman Polanski masterpiece, starring Adrien Brody as Polish-Jewish pianist Wladyslaw Szpilman.
The biographical film explores the musical success of Szpilman, who performed on Polish Radio; his survival in the Warsaw Ghetto under Nazi occupation; and his struggle to rebuild his life under the socialist regime after the war ended.
8 p.m., Cinema by Sam Spiegel, 3 Menora Street. NIS 35. 148 minutes. The film is mostly in English, with some Polish, German, Yiddish, and Russian. Screened with Hebrew subtitles. Visit cinema.jsfs.co.il for more information.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 23
Refresh your soul with Habesha, an Ethiopian lager beer at the Queen of Sheba restaurant (2 Ya’avetz Street, upstairs). Habesha, made in the Netherlands, is based on a recipe from Addis Ababa. The menu includes Key Wet (spicy beef) and Shiro Tegabino (hummus with 20 dips).
Call 053-824-2879 to book. Regular business hours.
THURSDAY, APRIL 24
Attend a Holocaust Remembrance Day concert by the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra at the Jerusalem Theatre. The program includes the Coriolan Overture by Beethoven; Mahler’s Adagietto from Symphony No. 5; a world premiere of the cello concerto Halls of Memory by Uri Brener; and Concerto No.2 for Violin and Orchestra by Benjamin Yusupov.
8 p.m. Free upon pre-registration. Call (02) 561-1498 to book. 20 Marcus Street.
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.
