[SAT DEC 1]
Lewis Black
He yells so you don’t have to. Best known for his curmudgeonly commentaries on “The Daily Show With Jon Stewart,” Black returns to SoCal with more social and political rants. Sat. 8 p.m. $39.50-$49.50. Terrace Theater, Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center, 300 E. Ocean Blvd., Long Beach. (800) 745-3000. ticketmaster.com.
[SUN DEC 2]
Sing to Save a Soul
Cantors from across Los Angeles come together for an elegant night of musical variety. Beit T’Shuvah Cantors Rachel Goldman Neubauer and Shira Fox perform alongside top cantors and Jewish talent, including Cantor Chayim Frenkel (Kehillat Israel), Cantor Marcus Feldman (Sinai Temple), Cantor Herschel Fox (Valley Beth Shalom) and Seth Ettinger, student cantor at Ojai’s K’hilat Ha’Aloneem. Proceeds support the recovery of residents at Beit T’Shuvah, a drug-and-alcohol rehabilitation center. Sun. 6:30 p.m. $25 (general), $75 (reserved seating), $100 (reserved seating and dessert reception), $200 (premier seating and dessert reception). Valley Beth Shalom, 15739 Ventura Blvd., Encino. (310) 204-5200. beittshuvah.org.
[MON DEC 3]
Jon Robin Baitz
The Pulitzer Prize finalist and L.A. native appears in person for an evening of readings and conversation at USC. One of the nation’s premier playwrights as well as a screenwriter, television producer and occasional actor, Baitz’s latest work, “Other Desert Cities,” opened last week at the Mark Taper Forum. Mon. 7-9 p.m. Free. USC, Doheny Memorial Library, Lecture Hall Room 240, 3550 Trousdale Parkway, Los Angeles. (213) 740-3252. usc.edu/calendar.
[TUE DEC 4]
David Brooks
New York Times op-ed columnist David Brooks appears in conversation with Rabbi David Woznica at Stephen S. Wise Temple. Brooks discusses the personal experiences that have shaped his values as well as how these values influence his reaction to world events. Tue. 7:30 p.m. $15. Stephen S. Wise Temple, 15500 Stephen S. Wise Drive, Los Angeles. (310) 889-2299. wisela.org.
[WED DEC 5]
“Post-Election 2012: The Challenges We Face”
The National Council of Jewish Women/Los Angeles hosts a panel discussion on how the results of the Nov. 6 election will affect us. Scheduled speakers include Bill Boyarsky, columnist for the Jewish Journal, Truthdig and L.A. Observed; former state Sen. Sheila Kuehl; Kathay Feng, executive director of California Common Cause; and Jessica Levinson, associate clinical professor at Loyola Law School. CBS/KCAL political reporter Dave Bryan moderates. Wed. Noon. Free. NCJW/LA Council House, 543 N. Fairfax Ave., Los Angeles. (323) 852-8503. ncjwla.org.
“Mapping Jewish Los Angeles”
Wonder what Jewish Los Angeles was like more than a century ago? Go back in time with Karen Wilson, Kahn Research Fellow with the UCLA Center for Jewish Studies. Her “Mapping Jewish Los Angeles,” a five-year initiative to create a multimedia digital archive of Jewish Los Angeles, will allow users to “drill down” at particular places throughout the city — for example, Pico-Robertson in the 1950s or Boyle Heights in the 1920s. Wilson shares the first exhibits of this intriguing project — examining the history of Boyle Heights, an East L.A. neighborhood where Jews were once the majority ethnic group, from 1884 to the present. Wed. 4-6 p.m. Free. UCLA Campus, Young Research Library, Los Angeles. (310) 267-5327. cjs.ucla.edu.
[FRI DEC 7]
“Who Bombed Judi Bari?”
On May 24, 1990, environmental activist Judi Bari and an eco-cohort were car-bombed on their way to a demonstration to save California’s redwood trees. Director Mary Liz Thomson’s documentary — the only film to come with a $50,000 reward, for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the bomber — chronicles the still-unsolved case, the FBI’s refusal to investigate the incident, the agency’s arrest of the victims of the bombing and the victims’ successful First Amendment lawsuit against the federal government. Fri. Various times. $11 (general), $8 (children under 12, seniors). Laemmle’s NoHo 7, 5240 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood. (310) 478-3836. laemmle.com.
Human Rights Shabbat 2012
Synagogues throughout North America commemorate the intersection of Jewish values and universal human rights as part of an initiative organized by Rabbis for Human Rights, which advocates for the rights of all people. Participating congregations and communities include American Jewish University, Beth Chayim Chadashim, Beth Shir Shalom, B’nai Horin: Children of Freedom-Los Angeles, IKAR, Kehillat Israel, Pasadena Jewish Temple & Center, Temple B’nai Hayim and Temple Israel of Hollywood. Fri. For more information, visit rhr-na.org/resources/human-rights-shabbat.html.
