What’s Happening: Greenblatt & Wolpe, Pre-Holiday Reflections

FRI SEPT 6

Rick Recht
Rick Recht, one of the busiest touring artists in the world of Jewish music, performs at Temple Aliyah’s “Back to Shul Family Shabbat.” A favorite of Jewish campers, Recht, who gives hundreds of performances every year, entertains Shabbat guests. The evening begins with dinner and concludes with a Shabbat service. 5:15 p.m. family dinner. 6:15 p.m. song session. 6:30 p.m. service. $23 grown-ups, $13 children. Temple Aliyah, 6025 Valley Circle Blvd., Woodland Hills. (818) 346-3545.

Services in the Round
A contemplative Shabbat at Kol Tikvah offers services with live music in the intimacy of staging in the round. The highlight of the evening is a special program with human rights attorney Ann Strimov Durbin, director of advocacy and grantmaking at Jewish World Watch. The air conditioning is on for the late-summer outing in the West Valley. Services are led by Rabbi Jon Hanish and Cantor Noa Shaashua. Coffee and sweet treats available. 6:30 p.m. Kol Tikvah, 20400 Ventura Blvd., Woodland Hills. (818) 348-0670.

Barry Manilow
Jewish singer-songwriter Barry Manilow, who produced a string of hits in the 1970s, starting with “Mandy” in 1975, returns to the Hollywood Bowl for two nights. Born Barry Alan Pincus 76 years ago in Brooklyn, he adopted his mother’s maiden name for the stage. Influenced by sentimental music of the 1930s and ’40s, Manilow’s repertoire includes “Can’t Smile Without You,” “Copacabana” and “Could It Be Magic.” He will perform with the Los Angeles Philharmonic orchestra. Singer Lorna Luft opens the program with songs from her Broadway career. 8 p.m. Sept. 6 and 7. Tickets start at $57. (800) 440-5739.

SAT SEPT 7

“Guilty Parties” and Mourning Shabbat
Shabbat morning service with Lev Eisha and Jewish Women’s Theatre (JWT) integrates prayer and song with JWT’s performance of “Guilty Parties,” which is focused on the theme of forgiveness. The Shabbat kicks off Lev Eisha’s 20th year. During Kiddush, new friends get acquainted with the spiritual community of hundreds of women in the Los Angeles area and old friends catch up with one another. 9:30 a.m. Free. Temple Beth Shir Shalom, 1827 California Ave., Santa Monica. (310) 575-0985.  

Art Beyond Borders
In preparation for a giant weaving to be installed at the United States-Mexico border, the Hammer Museum holds “Family Day: Art Beyond Borders.” Families are encouraged to contribute to the weaving. All ages are welcome, and the afternoon activities of art, music and performance — including the Bob Baker Marionette Theater — are recommended for ages 5 and up. Families can help artist Ashley Hunt make a map of how families are being separated at the border. 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Free. Hammer Museum, 10899 Wilshire Boulevard, Westwood. (310) 443-7000.

SUN SEPT 8

Wendy Hammers
When actress-comedian Wendy Hammers reached middle age, she determined she needed to make massive changes in her life. What triggered the upheaval and how she adjusted are at the heart of “Ripe,” Hammers’ performance at American Jewish University’s Shapiro Synagogue. Her message: The time to celebrate life is now. 4 p.m. $25. American Jewish University, 15600 Mulholland Dr., Los Angeles. (310) 440-1572.

High Holidays Discovery Concert
The choirs and orchestra members from the High Holidays Discovery Concert are doing double duty, performing first at Young Israel of North Beverly Hills and later in the day at Valley Beth Shalom (VBS). Familiar melodies and prayers heard and recited during the High Holy Days make up the concert selections. Performers include the Yavneh Boys Choir, Rinat Shlomo Choir, the UCLA Chamber Orchestra, Cantor Netanel Baram and Mark Kligman, professor of ethnomusicology and musicology at UCLA. At VBS, the cast also includes Cantors Herschel Fox and Phil Baron. Young Israel concert: Noon. $18 general admission, $35 premier seats. RSVP requested. Young Israel of North Beverly Hills, 9261 Alden Drive, Beverly Hills. (310) 276-7650. yinbh.org. VBS: 4 p.m. $18. RSVP requested. Valley Beth Shalom, 15739 Ventura Blvd., Encino. (818) 788-6000.

Jewish Meditation Retreat
With the High Holy Days at hand, it’s a good time to tune into ourselves. Join Metivta, a center for contemplative Judaism, for a daylong meditation retreat. The seven-hour program includes silent sitting, walking meditation, Jewish chanting and a discussion with
Norman Fischer about his new book, “The World Could Be Otherwise: Imagination and the Bodhisattva Path.” 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. $85, includes vegetarian lunch. Santa Monica Synagogue, 1448 8th St., Santa Monica. (310) 288-9474.

Sharsheret Benefit
Celebrating three years of changing the lives of Los Angeles-area women and families living with breast and ovarian cancer, national nonprofit Sharsheret holds its annual benefit in a Beverly Hills garden. The evening features wine tasting, dinner stations, storytelling and a silent auction. Kosher dietary laws observed. 6:30 p.m. $150. Garden of the Greer home. Address provided with RSVP. (310) 409-2330.

Distant Cousins and More
Westside congregation Kehillat Ma’arav holds “KM Rocks the Block,” featuring a concert by indie pop band Distant Cousins. The family-friendly event also features carnival games, including Dunk the Rabbi, plentiful food and a raffle. 2-5 p.m. $10, $15 at the door. Kids 12-and-under free. Admission includes the concert plus credit toward food and amusement. Kehillat Ma’arav, 1715 21st St., Santa Monica. (310) 829-0566.

TUE SEPT 10 

“Run. Hide. Fight”
The Los Angeles Police Department leads a demonstration at Shomrei Torah Synagogue on steps to be taken during an active shooter event. The presenters focus on law enforcement’s nationwide “Run. Hide. Fight.” protection strategy. 8-10 p.m. Free. Shomrei Torah Synagogue, 7353 Valley Circle Blvd., West Hills. (818) 854-7650.

WED SEPT 11

“What to Do With the Rest of Your Life”
With less than three weeks to go before the High Holy Days, Valley Beth Shalom Senior Rabbi Ed Feinstein asks his community to begin reflecting on how each person is going to answer this central question: “What To Do With the Rest of Your Life — Preparing for a New Year.” Feinstein explores both obvious options and less-evident ones. While repentance may be the main purpose of the holidays, the challenge is to commit fewer mistakes in the coming year. 7:30-9 p.m. Free. Sher-Lopaty Chapel. Valley Beth Shalom, 15739 Ventura Blvd., Encino. (818) 788-6000.

New Insights About Auschwitz
Untold stories of heroism keep coming out nearly 75 years after the end of the Holocaust. The latest comes courtesy of reporter-author Jack Fairweather, who has uncovered the many secrets of the courageous albeit little-known Witold Pilecki in his new book, “The Volunteer, One Man, an Underground Army, and the Secret Mission to Destroy Auschwitz.” In conversation with Michael Berenbaum at American Jewish University, Fairweather explains how Pilecki, during the three years he was imprisoned at Auschwitz, clandestinely sought to undermine the Nazis and inform the Allies of the emergency. A meet-the-author session and book sale follow. 7:30 p.m. $15. Shapiro Memorial Synagogue, American Jewish University, 15600 Mulholland Drive, Los Angeles. (310) 440-1572.

Greenblatt, Wolpe at Sinai
Anti-Defamation League National Director and CEO Jonathan Greenblatt, who was a former special assistant to President Barack Obama, sits down for a conversation with Sinai Temple Senior Rabbi David Wolpe. Greenblatt is expected to cover a wide range of topics and share unique insights, especially on the matter of increasing anti-Semitism around the world. 7:30-9 p.m. Free for members. $25 general. Sinai Temple, 10400 Wilshire Blvd. (310) 481-3228.

“A Life for Football”
The 2014 film “A Life for Football” screens at the Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust. It tells the dramatic life story of Kurt Landauer, president of the FC Bayern Munich club, who was forced out by the Nazis in 1933 because he was Jewish. He wound up being imprisoned in Dachau. Landauer, however, returned to Munich after World War II to find his old team in shambles and then successfully rebuilt the squad. A post-screening Q-and-A session features Alan Rothenberg, former president of the U.S. Soccer Federation; Erit Yellen, a writer, producer and consultant on sports and social change content; and soccer coach Justin Greenberg. Los Angeles Times soccer writer Kevin Baxter moderates the discussion. Consul General of Germany in Los Angeles Stefan Schneider introduces the film, which is in German with English subtitles. 7 p.m. Free. L.A. Museum of the Holocaust, 100 S. The Grove Drive. (323) 651-3704.

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