SAT JAN 19
YUVAL RON ENSEMBLE
Oscar-winning composer Yuval Ron leads “Mystical Music and Dance of the Middle East.” Uniting Arabic, Jewish and Christian performers, the concert, part of the World City series at downtown’s Music Center, features songs of Sufi origin from Turkey, Jewish prayers from Morocco, Yemen and Israel, and chants from the Christian Armenian Church accompanied by Middle Eastern stringed instruments, a whirling dervish and a belly dancer. Sat. 11 a.m., 12:30 p.m. Free. The Music Center, W.M. Keck Children’s Amphitheatre, 135 N. Grand Ave., downtown. (213) 972-4396. musiccenter.org.
“LEAVING THE LAND OF ROSES”
Featuring artwork by Iranian-Jewish artists David Abir, Krista Nassi, Tal Shochat and Marjan Vayghan, the Shulamit Gallery’s second inaugural exhibition, a satellite show of the Fowler Museum’s “Light and Shadows: The Story of Iranian Jews,” explores what it means to be forced into exile while remaining connected to the sights, sounds and scents of a remembered landscape. Sat. 6-9 p.m. Exhibition runs through March 9. Free. Shulamit Gallery, 17 N. Venice Blvd., Venice. RSVP required: (310) 281-0961. shulamitgallery.com.
SUN JAN 20
ED ASNER IN “A RADICAL FRIENDSHIP”
The unlikely friendship between Martin Luther King Jr. and Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel is the focus of this new play by American Jewish University Whizin Center instructor Jane Marla Robbins. Asner stars in this staged reading as the Polish-born Heschel, who walked arm-in-arm with King during the 1965 civil rights march from Selma to Montgomery, Ala. Sun. 4 p.m. $45. American Jewish University, 15600 Mulholland Drive, Bel Air. (310) 440-1246. ajula.edu.
TUE JAN 22
EVA SCHLOSS
Schloss, the childhood friend and stepsister of Anne Frank, appears in person to give a firsthand account of the discovery and printing of Frank’s diary as well as provide insights into Frank’s life. Much like Frank, Schloss survived the Holocaust hidden in a Dutch home before being discovered by the Nazis. A Holocaust educator based in London, Schloss is a trustee with the Anne Frank Educational Trust, U.K., and has shared her experience in the books “Eva’s Story” and “The Promise.” Tue. 6:30 p.m. Free. USC University Park Campus, Bovard Auditorium, Los Angeles. (213) 748-5884. chabadusc.com/anne.
JESSIE WARE
Drawing comparisons to sophisti-pop chanteuse Sade, this soulful British-Jewish singer-songwriter is on the rise with a Mercury Music Prize nomination for her debut album, “Devotion.” Ware performs a free show at Amoeba Music and signs copies of her latest EP, “If You’re Never Gonna Move.” The South Londoner’s Wednesday show at the El Rey Theatre is already sold out, so don’t miss your chance to see her gratis. Tue. 6 p.m. Free. Amoeba Music, 6400 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles. (323) 245-6400. amoeba.com.
WED JAN 23
MARTY KAPLAN
Kaplan, a Journal columnist and the Norman Lear Professor of Entertainment, Media and Society at the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, discusses choices made, difficulties encountered and commitments solidified as part of USC’s “What Matters to Me and Why” series, which features speakers who helped shape the university. Kaplan draws on his broad career, which has spanned academia, government, politics, the entertainment industry and journalism. Wed. Noon-12:50 p.m. Free. USC University Park Campus, Ground Zero Performance Café main hall, Los Angeles. (213) 740-6110. learcenter.org.
FRI JAN 25
CENTENNIAL CIVIL RIGHTS SYMPOSIUM
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and Bet Tzedek Legal Services gather top-notch legal experts to take on challenging topics. Erwin Chemerinsky, founding dean at the University of California, Irvine, School of Law, discusses “The Federal Courts and Civil Rights Today.” ADL legal affairs director Steven Freeman moderates a panel discussion on “Civil Rights Topics Facing Minority Communities” with civil rights attorneys Jon Davidson (Lambda Legal), Constance Rice (Advancement Project), Thomas Saenz (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund) and Karin Wang (Asian Pacific American Legal Center). Grant Specht, directing attorney at Bet Tzedek, addresses “Working With Challenging Clients: Ethics & Practical Solutions for Pro Bono Attorneys.” Fri. 8 a.m. (breakfast and registration), 8:30-noon (program). $36. Skirball Cultural Center, 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles. (310) 446-4244. regions.adl.org/pacific-southwest/events.
BRAD MELTZER
The best-selling author discusses “The Fifth Assassin,” the second entry in his Culper Ring trilogy. On the trail of a killer in Washington, D.C., who is re-creating the crimes of the four men who successfully assassinated U.S. presidents, archivist Beecher White discovers a shocking truth: All four assassins, from John Wilkes Booth to Lee Harvey Oswald, were secretly working together. Fri. 7 p.m. Free. Barnes & Noble, The Grove at Farmers Market, 189 The Grove Drive, Los Angeles. (323) 525-0270. barnesandnoble.com.
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