Calendar Picks and Clicks: Nov. 3-9, 2012

SAT NOV 3

Good Food Conference/Localicious

LACMA hosts provocative panel discussions exploring issues integral to building organic and sustainable food systems. On Sunday, head to the beach for Good Food’s Localicious fundraiser, featuring signature dishes prepared by 30 of L.A’.s leading chefs paired with 30 farmers from the Santa Monica Farmers Markets. Sat. Noon. $45 (includes museum admission). Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 5905 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles. (323) 857-6010. Sun. 6-9 p.m. $125. Annenberg Community Beach House, 415 Pacific Coast Highway, Santa Monica. goodfoodfestivals.com/la.

“Ripe” 

After the death of a close friend, actress-comedian Wendy Hammers undergoes a transformation. She divorces her husband and re-enters the dating world in this autobiographical one-woman show. Blending dance, humor and confession, “Ripe” recounts the previous 10 years of Hammers’ life and celebrates the wisdom she gains along the way. Sat. Through Nov. 11. 8 p.m. $25. Greenway Court Theatre, 544 N. Fairfax Ave., Los Angeles. (323) 655-7679, Ext. 100. greenwayarts.org.

SUN NOV 4

Mitzvah Day

Synagogues from the San Fernando, Conejo, Simi, Santa Clarita and Antelope valleys pitch in and help out at a combination of on-site and off-site community service projects for kids, teens and adults, including campus beautification, food drives for Thanksgiving, making Chanukah cards, packing lunches for the homeless, writing letters to U.S. military service members, decorating pot holders for women in refugee camps, hiking trail cleanups, visiting seniors and donating blood. Congregations Adat Ari El, Temple Adat Elohim, Temple Ahavat Shalom, Shomrei Torah Synagogue, Temple Aliyah, Temple Judea, Valley Beth Shalom and others participate. Sponsored by The Jewish Federation Valley Alliance. Sun. Various times and locations. Free. Visit synagogue Web sites for additional details.

MON NOV 5

Zion Ozeri

World-renowned photographer Ozeri captures the cross-cultural dimensions of contemporary Jewish life from Bukhara to Djerba, Sana to Brooklyn, Mumbai to St. Petersburg. During “Jewish Identity, Jewish Diversity Through Photography,” Ozeri addresses how his images reflect ritual, spirituality and slices of Jewish life. On Nov. 6, he leads “The Language of Photography, Spring Board to a Social Action,” a workshop that examines the intersection of social action, his Jewish identity and photography. Mon. 4-5 p.m. Free. Pepperdine University campus, Pendleton Learning Center 125. Tue. Noon-1 p.m. Free. Fireside Room, 24255 Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu. (310) 506-4164. pepperdine.edu.

Leonard Cohen 

The oft-covered singer-songwriter and Shabbat-observant JewBu is still going strong. After the release of his 12th studio album, “Old Ideas,” earlier this year, Cohen hit a career high of No. 3 on the U.S. Billboard 200. Performing songs of love, desire, hope and redemption, the 78-year-old troubadour appears tonight with his eight-piece band at downtown’s Nokia Theatre. Mon. 8 p.m. $49.50-$279.75. Nokia Theatre L.A. Live, 777 Chick Hearn Court, downtown. (213) 763-6030. nokiatheatrelalive.com.

WED NOV 7

Hélène Grimaud

Born to Jewish parents from Corsica and North Africa, the French classical pianist frequently collaborates with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra and is known for boldly reinterpreting works. Appearing at the Walt Disney Concert Hall for an imaginative recital program, the charismatic Grimaud performs Mozart’s Piano Sonata No. 8, Berg’s Piano Sonata, Opus 1, Liszt’s Piano Sonata in B minor and Bartok’s “Romanian Folk Dances.” Wed. 8 p.m. $55.50-$112.50. Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave., downtown. (323) 850-2000. laphil.com.

FRI NOV 9

Barbra Streisand

The legendary entertainer and eight-time Grammy winner brings Broadway to the Bowl for two nights, concluding a tour of the United States and Canada in support of her new album, “Release Me,” a collection of previously unreleased songs. Streisand performs crowd-pleasing hits that span her entire career, including “The Way We Were,” an homage to the late Marvin Hamlisch, and sings duets with son Jason Gould, half-sister Roslyn Kind and more. Pop-jazz trumpeter Chris Botti and Italian operatic trio ll Volo also appear. Fri. 8 p.m. Nov 11. 7:30 p.m. $70.50-$756.50. Hollywood Bowl, 2301 N. Highland Ave., Hollywood. (323) 850-2000. hollywoodbowl.com.

“Cave … A Dance for Lilith”

Theatre Dybbuk and the L.A. Cotemporary Dance Company examine the notion of the outsider and the stranger through Lilith, the primary demon figure in Jewish folklore who is said to be the first woman before Eve. Incorporating Hebrew goddess mythology, kabbalistic concepts of creation and multicultural narratives of oppression and freedom, the multidisciplinary performance features five dancers and two actors whose movements offer multiple layers of meaning. Through Nov. 18. Fri. 8:30 p.m. $20 (online), $25 (door). Diavolo Performance Space, 616 Moulton Ave., downtown. brownpapertickets.com.