What’s Happening: Elie Wiesel, Tikkun Olam, Immigration

FRI FEB 1

Soulful Shabbat 
A soulful, mystical Shabbat at Wilshire Boulevard Temple explores the feminine aspect of God and features klezmer, Chasidic and folk-rock versions of the Lekkah Dodi prayer. A Sabbath Bride oneg follows. 6 p.m. Free. Wilshire Boulevard Temple Irmas Campus, 11661 W. Olympic Blvd., Los Angeles. (213) 388-2401.

Rescuing Holocaust Art 
Eliad Moreh-Rosenberg, senior art curator and deputy director of Yad Vashem’s Museums Division, appears during Friday night services at Kehillat Israel and discusses her efforts of retrieving from oblivion the works of artists who created art during the Holocaust, in order to make their visual testimony known to succeeding generations. 7–8:30 p.m. Free. Kehillat Israel, 16019 W. Sunset Blvd., Pacific Palisades. (310) 459-2328.

“Unorthodox” Shabbat 
The hosts of “Unorthodox,” a popular Tablet Magazine podcast examining news and culture from the Jewish world, record their show live at Adat Shalom after Kabbalat Shabbat services. Adat Shalom Rabbi Nolan Lebovitz and Cantor Dale Schatz lead services and the Tablet’s Mark Oppenheimer, Stephanie Butnick and Liel Leibovitz host the recording of the weekly podcast. Dessert served. 7 p.m. Shabbat service. 8 p.m. live podcast. Podcast tickets $36 in advance. Wristband required. No money accepted at the door. Adat Shalom, 3030 Westwood Blvd., Los Angeles. (310) 475-4985.

SAT FEB 2

Yom Limmud 2019
Yom Limmud 2019 provides an opportunity for Jews from all denominations and walks of life to come together at Leo Baeck Temple for eight hours of learning, exchanging ideas, sharing experiences, schmoozing and eating. Subjects include “Peace of Mind: The Spiritual, the Psychological, the Controversial,” “In the Beginning … Two Visions for the World and for Humanity” and “A Testament to Beauty and Survival: The Glory of Medieval Hebrew Manuscript Illumination.” 9 a.m.–5 p.m. $24 for adult temple members, $12 for children of temple members. $36 for adult guests, $18 for children of nonmembers. Leo Baeck Temple, 1300 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles. (310) 476-2861 ext. 202.  

Lev Eisha Shabbat 
Rabbi Toba August, Cindy Paley and Joy Krauthammer lead a musical and joyous Shabbat celebration at Beth Shir Shalom. The Lev Eisha Shabbat opens with breakfast and a teaching followed by musical services. 8:15 a.m. breakfast and teaching. 9:30 a.m. Shabbat services. Free. Beth Shir Shalom, 1827 California Ave., Santa Monica. (310) 575-0985.

“Songstruck”
Shomrei Torah Synagogue cantorial soloist Jackie Rafii and a cast of cantors from across Los Angeles headline “Songstruck,” a concert of music from Broadway productions, movies and opera. Joining Rafii are Sinai Temple’s Cantor Stephanie Kupfer, Senior Cantor Marcus Feldman and Rabbi Erez Sherman; Temple Ramat Zion’s Senior Cantor Daniel Feldman; Wilshire Boulevard Temple’s Cantor Lisa Peicott and Daniel Raijman; and Shomrei Torah Synagogue Cantor Ron Snow. 8–11 p.m. $150 concert package. $50 concert ticket, open seating. Shomrei Torah Synagogue, 7353 Valley Circle Blvd., West Hills. (818) 854-7650.

SUN FEB 3

Russian Tu B’Shevat
Russian-speaking Jewish families celebrate Tu B’Shevat, the birthday of the trees, at America’s Teaching Zoo at Moorpark College in Moorpark. Families enjoy Tu B’Shevat crafts, games and an animal show; learn about nature, trees and Israel; partake in seeds and flower-planting; and hold a mini Tu B’Shevat seder with kosher appetizers and symbolic fruits. They also sing special holiday songs and nosh on a birthday cake for the trees. Organized by Camp Gesher Family Programming. 10 a.m.–1 p.m. $25 per family of four, includes admission to the zoo; $5 for each additional member. America’s Teaching Zoo, 7075 Campus Road, Moorpark. (818) 455-2616. Contact elena@shalominstitute.com for more information.

“Gefilte Fish & Chips”
London-born singer-songwriter Daniel Cainer headlines “Gefilte Fish & Chips,” a performance of stories in song at the Westside Neighborhood School in Playa Vista. Cainer specializes in imaginative rhyming, wordplay, musicianship and haunting tunes. Organized by the Sholem Community, which holds secular Jewish programming. 10:30 a.m. $15 in advance, $20 at the door. No one will be turned away for lack of funds. Westside Neighborhood School, 5401 Beethoven St., Los Angeles. Enter at the rear of the building off Coral Tree Place. (310) 984-6935, (818) 760-6625.

Wiesel Tribute
Nadine Epstein, editor-in-chief and CEO of Moment magazine, delivers a multimedia presentation, “Elie Wiesel: An Extraordinary Life and Legacy,” at the Skirball Cultural Center. The program’s title draws from Epstein’s new book about the Nobel Prize winner, author and Holocaust survivor who died at 87 in 2016. Epstein highlights reflections from Wiesel’s colleagues, friends and family; including actor Ben Kingsley, violinist Itzhak Perlman and Oprah Winfrey. She then appears in conversation with one of Wiesel’s former students, journalist Sonari Glinton. A book signing follows. 11 a.m. $10. Free for Skirball members and full-time students. Skirball Cultural Center, 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles. (310) 440-4500.

Celebration of Jewish Arts 
The rich tradition of Ladino music, seldom heard these days in many corners of the Jewish community, returns when the renowned Sephardic musician, guitarist and singer Stefanie Valdez performs in “The Simcha Series: A Celebration of Jewish Arts.” 7–8:30 p.m. Free. Temple Ner Simcha, 880 Hampshire Road, Westlake Village. (818) 851-0030.

TUE FEB 5

Does Tikkun Olam Need Repair?
Although tikkun olam (repairing the world) is an ancient Jewish tradition, some Jews today argue that the current social justice movement misinterprets its intent, with potentially disturbing consequences. “Is Tikkun Olam Actually Good for the Jews?” — a discussion presented by the Sinai Temple Men’s Club — explores the role of tikkun olam in Jewish culture, featuring Sinai Temple Senior Rabbi David Wolpe, Rabbi Sharon Brous of IKAR and Jonathan Neumann, author of “To Heal the World? How the Jewish Left Corrupts Judaism and Endangers Israel.” 6:30–9 p.m. Free, with dinner provided to Sinai Temple and Men’s Club members; $10 at the door for general attendees. Sinai Temple, 10400 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles. (310) 474-1518.

“One More Shot”
A community screening of the documentary film “One More Shot” — a story of infertility, loss and one L.A. couple’s journey to build their family — is co-hosted by the Jewish Free Loan Association and Yesh Tikva (Hebrew for “There Is Hope”), a support group of Jews facing infertility. A post-screening discussion and Q-and-A moderated by Dvora Entin, a therapist specializing in maternal mental health, features the film’s producer and protagonist Maya Grobel Moskin, reproductive endocrinologist Dr. Carolyn Alexander and urologist Dr. Phillip Werthman. 7 p.m. doors open. 7:30 p.m. screening. $36 general admission, premium seating and sponsorships from $180. Laemmle Music Hall, 9036 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills. (310) 478-3836.

THU FEB 7

Wiesel Wisdom
Ariel Burger, author of “Witness: Lessons From Elie Wiesel’s Classroom,” the 2018 National Jewish Book Award winner for biography; and Na’amit Nagel, an English and Jewish literature teacher at Shalhevet High School, discuss history, memory and education through the lens of late Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel. The evening is organized by the Shalhevet Institute. 7:45–10 p.m. Free. Shalhevet High School, 910 S. Fairfax Ave., Los Angeles. (323) 930-9333.

“The ‘Me Network’”
Jewish Journal columnist and USC adjunct faculty member Dan Schnur moderates the monthly Wilshire Boulevard Temple series “What Does It All Mean?” that examines topics in psychology, social science, journalism and politics. The subject of this discussion is “The ‘Me Network:’ What the Dramatic Transformation of News Media Means for All of Us.” 7:30 p.m. Free. Wilshire Boulevard Temple Irmas Campus, 11661 W. Olympic Blvd., Los Angeles. (213) 388-2401.

“Immigration Justice and Injustice”
Feminist ethicist Allison Wolf, a philosophy professor at Simpson College in Iowa, discusses “Immigration Justice and Injustice: Why Jews Should Care” for the sixth annual Maurice Amado Foundation Lecture on Jewish Ethics, organized by the Jewish Studies Interdisciplinary Program at Cal State Northridge. Wolf, a San Fernando Valley native, explains why the Jewish community is obligated to condemn the mistreatment of people in immigration detention centers. 7:30 p.m. Free. Valley Beth Shalom, 15739 Ventura Blvd., Encino. (818) 677-4724 or jewish.studies@csun.edu.

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.