Calendar Picks and Clicks: Nov. 18-21, 2012

SUN NOV 18

“How the Sugihara Survivors Reached Japan”

Akira Kitade, a former Japanese tourism executive, examines a little-known aspect of Japanese-Jewish history. Diplomat Chiune Sugihara, known as the Japanese Schindler, risked his career to save approximately 6,000 Jews during the Holocaust. Kitade traces the stories of seven Jewish refugees who escaped to Japan, where everyday citizens helped them survive within the Nazi-aligned nation. Co-sponsored by the Anti-Defamation League and the Japanese American Cultural & Community Center. Sun. 2-4 p.m. Free. Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust, 100 S. The Grove Drive, Los Angeles. (323) 651-3704. lamoth.org.

Mac Miller 

YouTube clips of the Pittsburgh native effortlessly freestyling are viral classics, and his records — including debut album “Blue Slide Park” — showcase Miller’s knack for lacing his rhymes with humor. The 20-year-old rapper joins performers DJ Pauly D (“Jersey Shore”), SkyBlu of LMFAO and others tonight at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena. Sun. 7 p.m. $29.50-$89.50. Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, 3939 S. Figueroa St., Los Angeles. ticketmaster.com.

“The People vs. Moses”

Moses’ fate is in your hands. The emancipator of the Israelites is being charged with first-degree murder as well as flight to avoid prosecution during American Jewish University’s 10th annual biblical mock trial. Enter the jury box as prosecutor Laurie Levenson and defense attorney Erwin Chemerinsky argue the case before Judge Burt Pines. After the verdict, a post-trial Q-and-A with Levenson, professor of law at Loyola Law School, and Chemerinsky, founding dean at the University of California, Irvine, School of Law, share recollections of past mock biblical cases. Rabbi Ed Feinstein, senior rabbi at Valley Beth Shalom in Encino, leads a text study before the trial. Lunch served. Sun. 10 a.m-2 p.m. $45. American Jewish University, 15600 Mulholland Drive, Los Angeles. (310) 440-1246. ajula.edu.

MON NOV 19

“The Soul of the City”

Examining the role of community in transforming Los Angeles, The Jewish Federation’s inaugural community engagement salon features Father Gregory Boyle of Homeboy Industries, an Eastside gang intervention organization. Hors d’oeuvres served. Mon. 6:30 p.m. Free. Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles, 6505 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles. (323) 761-8163. jewishla.org.

“Photo Opportunity”

Sen. Richard Hartnett, a presidential candidate, and Esther Waldman, an elderly Jewish woman, discover they have more in common than they want to admit. This one-night-only reading of Joshua Metzger’s Holocaust-themed play explores how Esther’s haunting past threatens the senator’s aspirations in advance of the general election. Mon. 7 p.m. Free. Odyssey Theatre, 2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles. (310) 477-2055. odysseytheatre.com.

Lisa Randall

The theoretical physicist and Harvard University professor appears in conversation with writer-producer Lynda Obst in support of her book, “Knocking on Heaven’s Door: How Physics and Scientific Thinking Illuminate the Universe and the Modern World.” Randall discusses how we decide which scientific questions to study, how go we go about answering them and how science might radically revise our understanding of the world. Mon. 7:15 p.m. Free. Los Angeles Central Library, Mark Taper Auditorium, 630 W. Fifth St., downtown. (213) 228-7025. lfla.org.

TUE NOV 20

“Coney Island Christmas”

Pulitzer-winning playwright Donald Margulies (“Dinner With Friends”) weaves together nostalgia, music and merriment in a holiday show for people of all ages and faiths. Based on author Grace Paley’s short story “The Loudest Voice,” “Coney Island Christmas” follows Shirley Abramowitz, a young Jewish girl who — much to her immigrant parents’ chagrin — is cast as Jesus in the school’s Christmas pageant. Decades later, Shirley recounts the timeless and universal tale of what it means to be an American during the holidays. Tue. Through Dec. 30.  8 p.m. $35-$55. Geffen Playhouse, Gil Cates Theater, 10866 Le Conte Ave., Los Angeles. (310) 208-5454. geffenplayhouse.com.

WED NOV 21

Interfaith Service of Thanksgiving

A coalition of Jewish and Christian congregants working together to address the problem of hunger, the North Hollywood Interfaith Food Pantry presents Adat Ari El’s 28th annual family-friendly service of blessings. Donations of staple foods and money are welcome. A reception follows. Wed. 7:30 p.m. Free. Adat Ari El, 12020 Burbank Blvd., Valley Village. (818) 766-9426. nhifp.org, adatariel.com.