What’s Happening: Clippers, Concerts, Movies and Ugly Sweaters

FRI DEC 7

A Motown Shabbat
The soulful sounds of Motown reverberate inside the Kehillat Israel sanctuary on Hanukkah Shabbat. Dr. Dee and the BYTHAX Gospel Ensemble along with Chris Hardin and his Motown band will be joined by Cantors Shira Fox and Sarah Fortman, and the rabbis and cantors of the Reconstructionist synagogue. 7 p.m. Free. Kehillat Israel, 16019 W. Sunset Blvd., Pacific Palisades. (310) 459-2328.

Sara Berman’s Closet
While many women might dream of a bigger closet and more clothes, Sara Berman had different tastes. After her 38-year marriage ended, the 60-year-old Berman moved from Tel Aviv into a Greenwich Village studio apartment. Drastically reducing her wardrobe, she wore only white the last 24 years of her life. Visit “Sara Berman’s Closet,” an exhibit by artists Maira Kalman and Alex Kalman. Tuesdays through Sundays, noon-5 p.m. Through March 10. Included with museum admission. $12 adults, $9 seniors, $7 kids 2-12. Skirball Cultural Center, 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles. (310) 440-4500.

SAT DEC 8

Build A Better World
At PJ Library’s monthly Build a Better World event, families spend the morning creating a variety of edible art projects. Storytime and a special mitzvah project follow. 11 a.m.–12:30 p.m. Free. Echo Park Library, 1410 W. Temple St., Los Angeles. RSVP to MFritzen@jewshla.org.

Ugly Hanukkah Sweater Party
The Ugly Hanukkah Sweater Party will be exactly as advertised, so grab an ugly holiday sweater and your cell phone camera. Snacks, drinks and a DJ. Men and women, 21 to 29 only. 7 p.m. $15. Valley Beth Shalom, 15739 Ventura Blvd., Encino. (818) 788-6000.  

Clippers Salute Jews
The Los Angeles Clippers honor their Jewish fans on Jewish Heritage Night when they host the Miami Heat. Fans who order tickets online using the promo code “JEWISH,” will receive a free Jewish Heritage T-shirt and an opportunity to watch pre-game warmups before the doors open to the general public. Ticket prices start at $19. 7:30 p.m. Staples Center, 111 Figueroa St., Los Angeles. For questions, contact Sky Regan, (213) 204-2919 or sregan@clippers.com.

“Intimate Voices” Cantors’ Concert
An all-star cantorial lineup from across Southern California, and featuring four instrumentalists, brings diverse talents to the “Cantors Concert: Intimate Voices, Music of Jewish Spirit.” Cantors include Kerith Spencer-Shapiro (University Synagogue, Brentwood), Chayim Frenkel (Kehillat Israel, Pacific Palisades), David Reinwald (Temple Beth Sholom, Santa Ana), Jennifer Bern-Vogel (Emanuel El, Redlands) and Rebekah Mirsky (B’nai Horin, Rancho Park). Juval Porat (Beth Chayim Chadashim, Mid-City) hosts. 7 p.m. hors d’oeuvres, drinks and desserts. 8 p.m. concert. $36–$100. Beth Chayim Chadashim, 6090 W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles. (323) 931-7023.

“A Serious Man”
The Coen Brothers’ 1960s-set film “A Serious Man,” about a beleaguered physics instructor (played by Michael Stuhlbarg), returns to Los Feliz nine years following its release. The instructor’s wife is leaving him for another man, his jobless brother has moved in, his bar mitzvah-age son owes money to a pot dealer, his chances for promotion are being blocked, and three rabbis are offering conflicting advice. 11:59 p.m. Tickets, $11 early bird to $63 for series. Vista Theatre, 4473 Sunset Drive, Los Angeles. (323) 660-6639.

SUN DEC 9

“The Hanukkah Monologues 2.0”
Socialize and be entertained at “The Hanukkah Monologues 2.0: Heroes, Miracles & Lights in the Dark” at Temple Beth Am. Noshing, schmoozing and live performances crafted by community members. 7–9 p.m. $18 general admission, $15 for Beth Am members. Temple Beth Am, 1039 S. La Cienega Blvd., Los Angeles. (310) 652-7353.

Ola Bilinska in Concert
Acclaimed as a vocalist across her native Poland, Ola Bilinska demonstrates how and why she is dedicated to preserving Yiddish culture as she breathes life into popular and obscure Polish melodies in concert at the Pico-Union Project. 7 p.m., doors. 8 p.m., program. Free. Reservations required at picounionproject.org/ola. Pico Union Project, 1153 Valencia St., Los Angeles. (213) 915-0084.

Jewish Camp Fair 
At its Jewish Camp Fair, Temple Isaiah hosts representatives from camps across Southern California. Over coffee and bagels, parents can inquire about a broad variety of summer camps ranging from traditional to camps specializing in such interests as art, sports, and crafts. Camp applications will be available. 9:30 a.m.– noon. Free. Temple Isaiah, 10345 W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles. (310) 277-2772.

Festival of Jewish Music
The Jewish Youth Orchestra, Kol HaEmek, cantors and other musical acts perform at the 11th annual Festival of Jewish Music at the Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center. A reception with hors d’oeuvres follows. 3 p.m. $10, children .12 and younger; $12, adults; $36, family. Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center, 1434 N. Altadena Drive, Pasadena. Tickets: jewishsgpv.org. (626) 445-0810.

“Hershel and Hanukkah Goblins”
Goblins are attempting to prevent Hanukkah but Hershel is determined to stop them in “Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins,” a klezmer music concert and singalong for all ages. Narrated by actor Fred Savage. Candle-lighting follows the concert, and sufganiyot will be served. 4–7 p.m. Free. Wilshire Boulevard Temple, 3663 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles. (213) 388-2401.

TUE DEC 11

Dialogue With an Ambassador
Ron Prosor, who has served as Israel’s permanent representative to the United Nations and as ambassador to Great Britain, speaks with Rabbi David Woznica on a range of topics, including issues that unify — and divide — Israel and the Diaspora, Israel’s relations with the United States, and the ambassador’s perspective on the countries of Europe. An AIPAC club member dinner follows the program. 6:15 p.m., registration; 7 p.m., program; 8 p.m., dinner. Tickets $18 in advance at aipac.secure.force.com; $25 at the door. Stephen S. Wise Temple, 15500 Stephen Wise Drive, Los Angeles. (888) 380-9473. For AIPAC information: socalevents@aipac.org or (323) 937-1184.

MON DEC 10

“The Catcher Was a Spy”
The story of a Major League Baseball catcher who was an American spy during World War II may sound like something out of a screenwriter’s imagination, but “The Catcher Was a Spy” is a true story based on the life of Moe Berg. The film screens at Kehillat Ma’arav. Ben Lewin, the film’s director, and Judi Levine, its co-producer, will do a Q-and-A after the screening. 7 p.m. Donation: $5. Kehilla Ma’arav, 1715 21st St., Santa Monica. (310) 829-0566.  

WED DEC 12 

Spiritual Seminar 
Assessing and responding to spiritual distress is the goal of five spiritual care and education seminars scheduled over two days at the Academy for Jewish Religion, California. Wednesday: “Finding Love in Lamentation” with Chaplain Blake Arnall (9 a.m.); “Numbering Our Days: Assessing and Responding to the Spiritual Distress of Aging” with Chaplain Muriel Dance (10:45 a.m.); “The Hebrew Bible as a Road Map for Coping With Life, Loss and Distress” with author Jacob Zighelboim (7 p.m.). Thursday: “Cancer: Journey or Pilgrimage” with Chaplain Michael Eselun (9 a.m.); “Let Us Not Forget the Caregiver” with Rabbi-Cantor Eva Robbins (10:45 a.m.). Free. Third floor, UCLA Hillel, 574 Hilgard Ave., Los Angeles. RSVP to info@ajrca.edu. UCLA parking lot No. 2, $12 daily.  (213) 884-4133.

THU DEC  13

American Divide on Israel/Palestine
Arab-American Shibley Telhami, author and Anwar Sadat professor for peace and development at the University of Maryland, delivers the eighth annual Professor Gerald B. Bubis Lecture at Valley Beth Shalom: “The American Political Divide on Israel/Palestine — What the Midterm Elections Tell Us.” Telhami’s books include “The World Through Arab Eyes” and “The Peace Puzzle.” Afterward, he speaks with Rabbi Ed Feinstein of VBS. 7:30 p.m. Free. RSVP requested at (323) 934-3480 or apnwest@peacenow.org. Valley Beth Shalom, 15739 Ventura Blvd., Encino.  

Have an event coming up? Send your information two weeks prior to the event to ryant@jewishjournal.com for consideration. For groups staging an event that requires an RSVP, please submit details about the event the week before the RSVP deadline.