Picks and Clicks for April 29-May 7, 2010

Ring Festival L.A.’s “On Wings of Song: The Music and Soul of Felix Mendelssohn” celebrates the bicentennial of German Jewish composer Felix Mendelssohn’s birth with a lecture on his life by pianist and professor Neal Brostoff. A staged reading of scenes from writer Jacqueline Bassan’s “Mendelssohn! On Wings of Song” follows, examining the rivalry fueled by religious differences between Mendelssohn and composer Richard Wagner. Brostoff, mezzo-soprano Laurie Rubin and L.A. Philharmonic violinist Mark Kashper and cellist Barry Gold perform select works by Mendelssohn. Rabbi Edward Feinstein leads Shabbat services. Fri. 8 p.m. Free. Valley Beth Shalom, 15739 Ventura Blvd., Encino. (818) 788-6000. vbs.org.

[additional-authors]

Ryan Torok

April 28, 2010

THU | APRIL 29

(LECTURE)
Consuls general of the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungry and Polandaddress “Anti-Semitism in EuropeToday,” discussing causes, consequen-ces and solutions. Thu. 7-9 p.m. $25(advance), $36 (door). Temple Emanuel, Weinberg Auditorium, 8844 Burton Way, Beverly Hills. (310) 277-4438. brownpapertickets.com/event/105054.

SAT | MAY 1

(ART)
“Celebrating the Persian Legacy” features the artwork of six Persian Jewish artists from Los Angeles, New York and Palm Springs. Sat. Through May 20. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Free. USC Hillel Gallery, 3300 S. Hoover St., Los Angeles. (213) 747-9135. uschillel.org.

(BOOKS)
“Selected Shorts,” the long-running stage and public radio series, features actors Leonard Nimoy (“Star Trek”) and Edward Asner (“Up”), along with other performers, reading classic and new short fiction on topics around themes of home. Sat. 3 and 7 p.m. Sun. 3 p.m. $15 (students, seniors), $20 (general). Getty Center, 1200 Getty Center Drive, Los Angeles. (310) 440-7300. getty.edu.

(MUSIC)
Master violinist Itzhak Perlman performs with pianist Rohan de Silva at the Ventura Music Festival. Sat. 8 p.m. Oxnard Performing Arts Center, 800 Hobson Way, Oxnard. (805) 648-3146. venturamusicfestival.org.

(SHABBAT)
Birthright Israel NEXT holds Havdalah services and a photography hike around Lake Hollywood. Dinner will be served. Sat. 4-7 p.m. Free. Lake Hollywood Park, 3005 Lake Hollywood Drive, Los Angeles. (323) 330-9568. birthrightisrael.com.

SUN | MAY 2

(BOOKS)
Writer Lori Gottlieb (“Marry Him: The Case for Settling for Mr. Good Enough”) delivers the keynote for Hadassah Southern California’s Northern Area boutique and luncheon. Sun. 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. $75. Sheraton Universal Hotel, 333 Universal Hollywood Drive, Universal City. (818) 343-9317. southerncalifornia.hadassah.org.

(LAG B’OMER)
Head to the beach for a Lag B’Omer Bonfire Bash. Partygoers are encouraged to bring musical instruments for a jam session. Barbecued food and drinks available for purchase. Sun. 6 p.m. Free. Dockweiler Beach, 12001 Vista del Mar, Playa del Rey. (310) 277-5544. jconnectla.org.

(Music)
Rabbi Hagay Batzri and The Yuval Ron Ensemble perform a concert of stories and songs, “From Spain to Jerusalem.” Sun. 7:30 p.m. $26 (general seating), $45 (VIP seating). Kahal Joseph Congregation, 10505 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles. (310) 474-0559. kahaljoseph.org.

(COMMUNITY)
Coinciding with the 150th anniversary of the birth of Theodore Herzl, a celebration takes place commemorating the naming of “Herzl Way,” a street adjacent to Temple Emanuel. Sun. 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Free. Temple Emanuel, 8844 Burton Way, Beverly Hills (free event shuttle parking at the Beverly Center). (310) 276-9776. tebh.org.

THU | MAY 6

(FILM)
Filmmaker J. Michael Hagopian screens and discusses “The River Ran Red,” his 2008 documentary on the Armenian Genocide. Taner Akçam, a Turkish historian, former political prisoner and author of “A Shameful Act: The Armenian Genocide and the Question of Turkish Responsibility,” also lectures. Thu. 7 p.m. Free. Valley Beth Shalom, 15739 Ventura Blvd., Encino. (818) 788-6000. vbs.org.

(ISRAEL)
Multiple speakers address “Israel: Lessons of the Past, Promises for the Future,” including Journal contributor David Suissa, who discusses “Israel: The Missing Debates,” and CAMERA Regional Director Talia Shulman Gold on “Media, the Power of Words, and the Global Defamation of Israel.” Thu. 6:30 p.m. Free. West Hollywood location provided upon RSVP. (310) 855-9606. camera.org.

FRI | MAY 7

(MUSIC)
Ring Festival L.A.’s “On Wings of Song: The Music and Soul of Felix Mendelssohn” celebrates the bicentennial of German Jewish composer Felix Mendelssohn’s birth with a lecture on his life by pianist and professor Neal Brostoff. A staged reading of scenes from writer Jacqueline Bassan’s “Mendelssohn! On Wings of Song” follows, examining the rivalry fueled by religious differences between Mendelssohn and composer Richard Wagner. Brostoff, mezzo-soprano Laurie Rubin and L.A. Philharmonic violinist Mark Kashper and cellist Barry Gold perform select works by Mendelssohn. Rabbi Edward Feinstein leads Shabbat services. Fri. 8 p.m. Free. Valley Beth Shalom, 15739 Ventura Blvd., Encino. (818) 788-6000. vbs.org.