Calendar Picks and Clicks: Dec. 16-24, 2010

THU | DEC 16

(COMEDY)
Iranian American comedians Maz Jobrani and Michael perform during “An Evening of Fun and Laughter” at Nessah Synagogue. Proceeds benefit the synagogue’s preschool and teen club. Beer, wine and refreshments served. Thu. 7:30 p.m. $95 (VIP), $65 (regular), $35 (students). Nessah Synagogue, 142 S. Rexford Drive, Beverly Hills. (310) 273-2400. nessah.org.

FRI | DEC 17

(FILM)
A university secretary is drawn into espionage and a love triangle when her Polish Security Service fiancé pressures her to become the lover of a well-known Jewish professor with suspected anti-communist ties in “Little Rose.” Set against the backdrop of an anti-Semitic campaign launched by Polish communists in 1967, co-writer and director Jan Kidawa-Blonski shows how a totalitarian regime can crush the human spirit in one’s own home just as surely as on the streets. Fri. Various times. $11 (general), $8 (seniors). Laemmle’s Music Hall 3, 9036 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills. (310) 478-3836. laemmle.com.

SAT | DEC 18

(ART)
Shelley Adler, a former Jewish Journal production designer; producer Eve Brandstein; and mixed-media artist Michael Knight take part in an artists’ talk at The Artists’ Gallery in Santa Monica. After sharing their insights, you can peruse the artists’ exhibitions. Adler’s “New Work” transforms old snapshots into paintings, Brandstein’s “Word Forms” places poetic text around paintings of the human face and body, and Knight’s “Border Crossings” mixes hand drawings and monoprints to create “digiglyphs,” a term he coined. Sat. 3 p.m. Free. TAG Gallery, Bergamot Station, 2525 Michigan Ave., D-3, Santa Monica. (310) 829-9556. taggallery.net.

SUN | DEC 19

(SPORTS)
Jeanie Buss — Lakers executive vice president, daughter of team owner Jerry Buss and longtime girlfriend of coach Phil Jackson — discusses and signs copies of her recently released memoir, “Laker Girl,” for Shomrei Torah Synagogue’s Men’s Club. New York Times best-selling co-author Steve Springer, a former Los Angeles Times sportswriter and Shomrei Torah congregant, will appear with Buss. Sun. 9:45-11:45 a.m. Free. Shomrei Torah Synagogue, 7353 Valley Circle Blvd., West Hills. (818) 348-5821. shomreitorahsynagogue.org.

(HISTORY)
The Jewish veterans featured in the documentary “About Face: The Story of the Jewish Refugee Soldiers of World War II” escaped Nazi Germany for the United States and Great Britain only to return to their former home to fight fascism in the European theater. Join filmmaker Steven Karras and executive producer Michael Berenbaum, director of American Jewish University’s Sigi Ziering Institute, for a screening of the film and a discussion about Karras’ book, “The Enemy I Knew: German Jews in the Allied Military in World War II.” Sun. 4 p.m. $10. American Jewish University, 15600 Mulholland Drive, Los Angeles. (310) 440-1548. ajula.edu.

MON | DEC 20

(HISTORY)
Learn about the Shanghai Ghetto through the documents and photographs from one family who fled Austria for China during World War II. Charles Millett, who grew up in the Shanghai Ghetto, leads an in-depth exploration of his family’s collection. Mon. Noon-1 p.m. Free. Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust, 100 S. The Grove Drive, Los Angeles. (323) 651-3704. lamoth.org.

(COMEDY)
Comedian Sarah Silverman, author of the best-selling memoir “The Bedwetter,” hosts an evening of stand-up comedy with Dax Shepard, Chelsea Paretti, Jeffrey Ross and a special musical guest. Mon. 9 p.m. $25. Largo at the Coronet, 366 N. La Cienega Blvd., Los Angeles. (310) 855-0350. largo-la.com.

THU | DEC 23

(RELIGION)
“One of the biggest challenges facing a parent and a grandparent today is the uncertainty whether our children will continue to follow in the ways of Judaism, in the Derech Hashem,” said Rabbi Alan Kalinsky, Orthodox Union’s West Coast director. The 20th annual Orthodox Union West Coast Torah Convention, “Keeping Our Values for the Next Generation,” features a variety of distinguished speakers addressing values — as they relate to daily life in schools, homes, shuls and the community — at numerous local synagogues during the four-day regional event. On Thursday, a plenary discussion at Beth Jacob Congregation focuses on “Keeping Our Kids and Grandkids on the Derech.” OU President Stephen J. Savitsky speaks Friday night as part of a panel, “Defining Our Values – The Effect of Polarization in the Jewish Community,” at Congregation Mogen David. On Sunday, a closing session at Young Israel of Century City features Savitsky with Rabbi Shaul Robinson and Journal senior writer Julie Gruenbaum Fax addressing “The Future of Orthodoxy.”  Thu. Through Dec. 26. Various times and locations. (310) 229-9000, ext. 200. ouwestcoast.org.

(SINGLES)
Party like a rock star with more than 1,200 young Jewish professionals during The Ball 2010 at The Colony, which raises money for The Guardians. Thu. 8 p.m.-2 a.m. $30 (advance), $40 (door). The Colony, 1743 N. Cahuenga Blvd., Los Angeles. losangeles.letmypeoplego.com.

FRI | DEC 24

(SINGLES)
Make a love connection amid the old Tinseltown glamour of the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel as JDate and Stu and Lew Productions brings you the 17th annual Schmooz-a-Palooza. The Erev Christmas event also features an earlier three-course kosher-style Shabbat dinner at the hotel’s Public Kitchen and Bar (separate admission). Fri. 8 p.m.-2 a.m. $30 (general), $100 (VIP), $125 (VIP with table/bottle service). Dinner: 6:30 p.m. $45. Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, 7000 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles. jdate.com/schmooza.