What’s Happening in Jewish L.A. Dec. 2-7: Holiday Music Mashup, Theater Classic With a Twist

SAT DEC 2
“A NEW HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS”

The Angel City Chorale (ACC) performs its 24th annual holiday concert and singalong. The concert will feature the world premiere of “Hanukkah Lullaby,” an original piece by ACC founder and artistic director Sue Fink and ACC choir member and songwriter Denny Wynbrandt. The work explores what it means to remain resilient during difficult times. Enjoy seasonal compositions and fully orchestrated holiday classics set to contemporary pop, R&B and a cappella music. 7 p.m. Also Dec. 3. at 7 p.m. $35 (adults), $32 (seniors 60 and older), $27 (children 5–12). Immanuel Presbyterian Church, 3300 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles. (310) 943-9231. angelcitychorale.org.

HADAG NAHASH

Funky hip-hop grooves combined with flavors of rock, reggae and Middle Eastern music  separate  Hadag Nahash from the crowded Israeli music scene. The group features a full electric band, turntables, samples and lyrics about ending corruption and racism in Israeli society. It performs at American Jewish University with Mizrahi artist Hanan Ben Ari. 8 p.m. $45-$75. American Jewish University, Gindi Auditorium, 15600 Mulholland Drive, Los Angeles. (818) 483-8818. teevtix.com.

“THE MUSIC MAN”

The Jewish Women’s Repertory Company, musical theater performed exclusively by women and for women, presents Meredith Willson’s Tony-winning musical, “The Music Man.”   ,   For women only. A portion of the proceeds benefit the Jewish Family Service of Los Angeles’ Family Violence Project. 8 p.m. Also Dec. 3 at 1:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Presale: $25 (mezzanine), $30 (orchestra), $35 (center orchestra). Door: $30 (mezzanine), $35 (orchestra), $40 (center orchestra). Nate Holden Performing Arts Center, 4718 W. Washington Blvd., Los Angeles. (310) 997-0598. jewishwomenstheater.com.

SUN DEC 3
LEARN LA

Join Rabbis Hershel Schachter, Shay Schachter, Moshe Hauer, Zev Wiener, David Fohrman, Steven Pruzansky and Shlomo Einhorn as they discuss the role that Torah plays in our lives at the Orthodox Union’s West Coast Torah Convention. Also scheduled to speak at the conference are Michal Horowitz, Lou Shapiro, Charlie Harary, Geri Wiener and Racheli Luftglass. Free. 8:45 a.m. breakfast; Sessions run from 9:15 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. Baby-sitting available for children ages 1-4. Sponsored by Orthodox Union West Coast. Beth Jacob Congregation, 9030 W. Olympic Blvd., Los Angeles. (310) 229-9000, ext. 201. ou.org.

“THE GRADUATE” SCREENING AND DISCUSSION  WITH AUTHOR

American Jewish University celebrates 50 years since the release of Mike Nichols’ groundbreaking 1967 comedy, starring Dustin Hoffman as a disillusioned college graduate who is seduced by Mrs. Robinson and falls for her daughter, all to the sounds of Simon & Garfunkel. Beverly Gray, author of “Seduced by Mrs. Robinson: How ‘The Graduate’ Became the Touchstone of a Generation,” participates in a post-screening discussion. Gray’s book places the movie in a historical context, offers a look into the making of the iconic film and explains why it has had an impact on popular culture. 3 p.m. $12 (reserved), $18 (premium). American Jewish University, 15600 Mulholland Drive, Los Angeles. (310) 476-9777. wcce.aju.edu.

“1917: A TURNING POINT IN AMERICAN JEWISH HISTORY”

Hasia Diner, a professor of American-Jewish history at New York University, discusses the impact America’s entry into World War I had on American Jews, most of whom rallied to the nation’s cause. Organized by the Jewish Genealogical Society of the Conejo Valley and Ventura County. 1:30 p.m. Free. Temple Adat Elohim, 2420 E. Hillcrest Drive, Thousand Oaks. (805) 497-7101. adatelohim.org.

“A NIGHT OF MIRACLES”

The Los Angeles Jewish Symphony performs a musical mashup of old and new Hanukkah music at Wilshire Boulevard Temple’s Koreatown campus. Actors Philip Casnoff and Roxanne Hart deliver readings of stories of modern Jewish miracles. Artist Karen Hart performs her acclaimed “Judah and His Maccabees: A Hanukkah Gospel Story.” A jelly doughnut reception follows. Suitable for all ages. 4 p.m. Free (RSVP appreciated). Wilshire Boulevard Temple, Glazer Campus, 3663 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles. (213) 388-2401. wbtla.org/miracles

WORLD KINDERTRANSPORT DAY

The event marks the anniversary of the first Kindertransport arrival in England carrying children fleeing the Holocaust. Speakers will honor those who worked to make the Kindertransport possible, including Holocaust rescuer Varian Fry, as well ats volunteers who work today in refugee camps in Turkey and Greece. Light refreshments will be served. 7 p.m. Free. Colony Theater, 555 . Third St., Burbank. kindertransport.org/events.aspx.

MON DEC 4
AUTHOR LAURA ROSENZWEIG

Laura Rosenzweig will talk at Stephen Wise Temple about her book, “Hollywood’s Spies: The Undercover Surveillance of Nazis in Los Angeles,” which tells the long-untold story of American-Jewish resistance to Nazism during the 1930s and the role that Jewish Hollywood played in combatting this threat to democracy. From 1934 to 1941, Louis B. Mayer, Jack Warner and the other Jewish executives of Hollywood secretly paid private investigators to infiltrate Nazi groups operating in Los Angeles. For seven years, Hollywood’s spies infiltrated the German-American Bund and its nativist, Nazi-influenced allies, reporting on seditious plots and collusion with the German government. 7:30 p.m. $15 for Stephen Wise members, $20 nonmembers. Stephen Wise Temple, 15500 Stephen S. Wise Drive, Los Angeles. (888) 380-9473. wisela.org.

YIDDISH ZING ALONG

Yiddish folksinger Cindy Paley turns Encino into the old country as she performs old and new Yiddish folk songs at Valley Beth Shalom. Clarinetist Zinovy Soro, violinist Miamon Miller, accordionist Isaac Sadigursky and guitarist and vocalist Menachem Mirski accompany Paley. Song sheets and refreshments provided.  7 p.m. $18. Valley Beth Shalom, 15739 Ventura Blvd., Encino. (213) 389-8880. cindy-vbs.brownpapertickets.com.

TUE DEC 5
“WISH YOU WEREN’T HERE”

In a new documentary, investigative journalist Ian Halperin examines former Pink Floyd member and anti-Israel activist Roger Waters, a supporter of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel. Waters has called on artists from Radiohead to Nick Cave to participate in a cultural boycott against Israel. Borrowing its title from the Pink Floyd classic “Wish You Were Here,” the film places Waters’ actions in the context of the rise of global anti-Semitism. The filmmaker participates in a post-screening discussion and Q-and-A with entertainment industry community members, including Spirit Music Group CEO and Creative Community for Peace co-founder David Renzer, Electronic Arts Music Group executive Steve Schnur and attorney David Lande. Film producer Richard Trank moderates the panel. 7 p.m. $10. Museum of Tolerance, 9786 W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles. creativecommunityforpeace.com/wish-you-werent-here.

WED DEC 6
DIPLOMAT RON PROSOR

Ron Prosor, one of Israel’s most distinguished diplomats, talks with Rabbi David Woznica on a wide range of topics of interest to Israel and Jewish people outside of Israel: the United States and the international community; the inner workings of the world of diplomacy; and some of his most memorable moments on the world stage. Prosor served as vice president of the United Nations’ General Assembly, chair of the U.N. Human Rights Committee, Israel’s ambassador to the United Kingdom, and director-general  of Israel’s foreign ministry. Free. Registration required. 6:45 p.m. reception, 7:15 p.m. program. Stephen Wise Temple, 15500 Stephen S. Wise Drive, Los Angeles. (888) 380-9473. wisela.org.

“HOW DID BARACK OBAMA CREATE HIMSELF?”

Barack Obama was president of the United States for eight years, and the broad outlines of his story — his Hawaiian birth, his fatherless childhood, his education at elite institutions, his work as a community organizer and politician in Chicago — are now familiar elements of American history. David J. Garrow, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of “Rising Star: The Making of Barack Obama,” discusses with Warren Olney how Obama retains a remarkable mystique and can seem unknowable. Free (RSVP required). 6:30 p.m. (check-in). 7:30 p.m. National Center for the Preservation of Democracy, 111 N. Central Ave., Los Angeles. zocalopublicsquare.org.

THU DEC 7
“THE SUPREME COURT: WHAT’S NEXT? AN INSIDER’S VIEW”

George Washington University law professor Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia and a regular commentator on National Public Radio, will discuss the U.S. Supreme Court, the death of Justice Antonin Scalia, then-President Barack Obama’s nominee Merrick Garland, and the recent nomination and confirmation of Neil Gorsuch. Presented by One Day University. Registration required. $69. 7 p.m. Wilshire Ebell Theatre, 4401 W. Eighth St., Los Angeles. (800) 300-3438. onedayu.com.

RITA RUDNER AT PEPPERDINE

Stand-up comedian and best-selling author Rita Rudner often alludes to her Jewish upbringing in her act. Don’t miss an evening with the funny lady who claims to have the longest-running solo comedy show in Las Vegas history. 8 p.m. $40-$75. Smothers Theatre, Pepperdine University, 24255 Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu. (310) 506-4522. arts.pepperdine.edu/events/rita-rudner.htm.