Editor’s note: Due to the ongoing security situation, events listed below may be postponed or canceled. Check before booking, and stay safe.
FRIDAY, MAY 2
Visit Shuk Cafe at Mahaneh Yehuda and chat with its owner, Barak Lev-Ran, who imports unusual coffee brands such as Kivu-region coffee beans from the Congo and Bourbon coffee from Burundi. (The plant was brought to Africa by the French from Bourbon Island, today Reunion.)
Not only will patrons get coffee beans roasted according to their unique taste, but the coffee will be matched to their drinking preferences (espresso, Turkish coffee, etc.).
Clients who miss New York can find a Black Gold package on sale (NIS 210) or try a Baghdad deal (NIS 157).
8 Ha’afarsek Street. Call 050-640-6400 to learn more. Regular business hours.
SATURDAY, MAY 3
Watch the 2021 film The Tree of Life by director Terrence Malick, starring Brad Pitt, Sean Penn, and Jessica Chastain. It is an unusual poetic film that follows a Texan family in the 1950s.
The film was booed at and applauded, often at the same screening. Those who love it describe it as bold, philosophical, and spiritual; those who don’t, politely point to its length (138 minutes) and its unusual ambition – to tell how human life is possible in the cosmos.
This is an opportunity to watch a highly personal vision on the large screen.
6 p.m. Jerusalem Cinematheque. 11 Hebron Road. NIS 42 per ticket. Call (02) 565-4333 to book.
SUNDAY, MAY 4
Art lovers might appreciate a visit to The Little Gallery at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem on Mount Scopus and explore Art at the Hebrew University, an exhibition that follows the publication of Art at HUJI: Selected Works from The Hebrew University Collection 1925-2025. The book covers 80 artworks situated in the campus.
Edited by gallery curator Michal Mor, the album showcases the 1956 ceramic tiled art wall Abraham and the Three Angels by Aharon Kahana, and the portrait of Abba Eban by American pop artist George Segal (1994), among others.
It is possible to see photographs of some of the works at the current exhibition and purchase a copy via Magnes publishing house ($56 per copy, Hebrew only). You can also take a short walk and see the works at their respective locations on campus.
The gallery is located between the Maiersdorf Faculty Club and the main library. Hours: 8:30 a.m.-8:30 p.m., Sunday to Thursday. Free. Come with a form of ID to pass security into the campus.
MONDAY, MAY 5
Watch the 2005 Israeli cult film Days of Love. Directed by Menahem Golan, the film stars Moran Atias and Maya Bouskilla in the roles of a musical agent without a heart and a simple Ashdod waitress with a heart of gold.
Usually described as a crowd-pleasing, guilty pleasure movie, it is being screened at the Smadar Cinema as part of its Monday of Contempt series.
10 p.m. NIS 30 per ticket. Hebrew only. Lev Smadar, 4 Lloyd George Street. Call 052-371-4878 to book.
TUESDAY, MAY 6
Attend an 8 p.m. performance by puppeteer Moti Brecher in the lobby of Musrara – The Naggar Multidisciplinary School of Art and Society.
In Guidance, various puppets with their personalities will emerge from his body as if they were prosthetic limbs with a gift for cracking jokes. Patrons will be guided as if in a tour of the theater and visual arts.
This performance is built on his previous show Sorer veMore, which explored biblical themes via Western art history and the life of a bible teacher in a local high school.
At 9 p.m., Gelbart (Adi Gelbart) will present Poems by Alpha. The Tel Aviv-born musician currently resides in Berlin and creates original electronic music such as Music for Living in Magazines (2022) and Banjo Tapes (2010). There should be plenty of synthesizers and groove.
These are two performances during the three-day festival, which is titled Breaking the Loop.
Learn more and book tickets via musraramix.com/2025/en/home. 22 Shivtei Israel Street, Beit Canada. Free but pre-registration is required via the site. Walking distance from the city hall light rail station. Food and drinks provided by Anthony’s Pizza.
WEDNESDAY, MAY 7
Visit the National Library and learn about the masterwork known as the Ambrosian Bible, created in 1236 over two years by scribes Ya’acov ben-Shmuel and Joseph ben-Rabbi Kalonymus, from Ulm, Germany.
Art historian Sarit Shalev-Eyni will discuss this illuminated manuscript with the audience during the Meet the Scholar series of events.
2 p.m. One hour. 1 Kaplan Street. In Hebrew. Free upon pre-registration. Seminar Room Number 1. Learn more: nli.org.il/he/visit/events/researcher-at-noon/hoker-ambrosiana
THURSDAY, MAY 8
Watch Virus at the Jerusalem Theatre as the Batsheva Dance Company performers revive this 2001 Ohad Naharin adaptation of Offending the Audience by Peter Handke. Lauded as a visually brilliant performance. “My virus is a good virus,” Naharin said, claiming that it is contagious in a good way.
8:30 p.m. 20 Marcus Street. For ages 15 and older. One hour. NIS 126 to NIS 180 per ticket. Visit batsheva.co.il/en to purchase tickets.
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.
