During the last weekend of July, a reunion brought together former members of the B’nai B’rith Youth Organization who had joined the teen group in the 1970s. An international organization with a more than 80-year history, BBYO holds social and religious events, fundraisers and community service projects.
Drawing comparisons to “Brokeback Mountain,” the award-winning “Brotherhood” is a tragic love story set within the ranks of the Danish white supremacist movement. Lars, a career army officer, leaves the service when rumors of homosexual conduct surface. Recruited by a neo-Nazi group, Lars finds himself falling for a fellow skinhead, Jimmy. The unlikely pair struggle to keep their love a secret, but it isn’t long before their taboo relationship is revealed by their gay-bashing brethren. Opening in limited release, “Brotherhood” took the top prize at the 2009 International Rome Film Festival for first-time director Nicolo Donato. Laemmle Sunset 5, 8000 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood. (310) 478-3836. laemmle.com.
Director Rob Reiner adapts Wendelin Van Draanen’s young-adult romance “Flipped,” which follows neighbors Juli and Bryce from second to eighth grade, through family drama and first love. The film, opening this weekend, plays in limited release. Sat. flipped-movie.warnerbros.com.
“The Extra Man” adapts Jonathan Ames’ 1998 comic novel about Louis Ives (Paul Dano), a lonely Princeton prep school teacher who seeks a fresh start in New York when he’s forced to leave his job. After renting a room from a failed playwright (Kevin Kline), Ives is mentored in the art of being an “extra man” — a social escort for wealthy widows in Manhattan high society. Fri. Various times. Laemmle Sunset 5, West Hollywood; Playhouse 7, Pasadena; and Town Center 5, Encino. laemmle.com.
Mordechai Bayer, a 50-year-old Los Angeles-based commercial property manager, was shot and killed on Monday, July 19.
A rabbi and a professor at American Jewish University were among 63 people arrested for civil disobedience on the Sunset Strip during rush hour on Thursday , July 22. The labor protest against the Hyatt chain of hotels took place in front of the Andaz hotel near La Cienega Boulevard in West Hollywood. The Los Angeles County Sheriff Department made the arrests just before 7 p.m. at the end of a two-hour demonstration in support of hotel workers’ rights.
On July 15, the charitable arm of the international law firm Holland & Knight held an awards dinner for its annual Holocaust Remembrance Project essay contest at the Skirball Cultural Center, the program’s first culmination in Los Angeles in its 16-year history. The dinner celebrated essay submissions of 10 teens from across the country, nine of them recent high school graduates and one who will be a senior this fall.
thursday pick\n\n(MUSIC) \n\nHungarian Romani folk artists Parno Graszt — an eight-piece ensemble with strings, good vibes and innovative instruments (trash cans included) — rock the Skirball Cultural Center’s courtyard, kicking off the museum’s “Sunset Concert Series” highlighting global sounds. Thu. 8 p.m. Free. 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles. (310) 440-4500. skirball.org.
“Jewtopia,” the successful off-Broadway production, returns to Los Angeles. The comedic tale, newly updated by Bryan Fogel and Sam Wolfson, follows two 30-year-old single guys — one Jewish and hopelessly inept in love, the other a gentile seeking a Jewish woman so, absurdly, he’ll never have to decide anything for himself again. After meeting at a singles mixer, the two form a pact to help each other. Sat. Through Aug. 22. Thurs.-Sat. 8 p.m., Sat. 3 p.m., Sun. 3:30 p.m. $39.50-$49.50. Greenway Court Theater, 544 N. Fairfax Ave., Los Angeles. (800) 595-4849. jewtopiaplay.com.
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