FRI MAY 25
“RECONSTRUCTIONIST TOUR OF ISRAEL”
Arkady and Ella Serebryannik andMark Bregman discuss “What We Learned on Our Reconstructionist Study Tour of Israel” with University Synagogue Rabbi Arnold Rachlis. The Orange County residents met with Israeli leaders, gained insights into the state of the government as Israel turned 70 years old and observed the secular-religious divide in Israel. Interview and Shabbat services 7–8:30 p.m. University Synagogue, 3400 Michelson Drive, Irvine. (949) 553-3535. universitysynagogue.org.
“A JEWISH-MUSLIM PARTNERSHIP FOR SHABBAT AND IFTAR”
Temple Judea congregants, their Muslim guests from the Pacific Institute and Claremont School of Theology professor Philip Clayton celebrate Shabbat and iftar, the meal that breaks the fast during Ramadan. The celebration continues on Saturday morning with a conversation on how to improve the world through understanding and knowledge. 7:30 p.m. Friday, 9:30 a.m. Saturday. Friday night, adults $20, with accompanying children free. Saturday morning free. RSVP required for both sessions. Temple Judea, 5429 Lindley Ave., Tarzana. (818) 758-3800. templejudea.com.
“THE LAST SCHWARTZ”
Judaism appears to be all that the dysfunctional Schwartz family members have in common in this play, but it isn’t clear whether it will unite or further divide them. Herb Schwartz and his wife, Bonnie, remain childless after five miscarriages while Gene’s girlfriend is planning an abortion. Norma’s husband has not spoken to her since she called the cops on their son for smoking pot. Their father has died, nobody is in charge and the Schwartz family appears to be foundering. 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 3 p.m. Sundays. Through July 1. $40. $35 for groups of 10 or more. $25 for students and teachers. Edgemar Center for the Arts, 2437 Main St., Santa Monica. (310) 392-0815. wcjt.org.
“THE CHOSEN”
This acclaimed stage adaptation celebrates the 50th anniversary of Chaim Potok’s classic 1967 novel, “The Chosen.” Set in Brooklyn in 1944, this coming-of-age story follows two observant Jewish boys who come from very different homes. When Reuven is injured by Danny during a heated baseball game, a unique friendship is born. As the boys grow to manhood, they are forced to learn important lessons about each other, their fathers and themselves. The resolution is highly emotional. 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays. $40. $30 for seniors. Fountain Theatre, 5060 Fountain Ave., Los Angeles. (323) 663-1525. fountaintheatre.com.
SAT MAY 26
“NETANYAHU: A POLITICAL LIFE”
In the fifth and final presentation in Sephardic Temple Rabbi Tal Sessler’s monthly series, “Shabbat Lunch and Learn: Great Israeli Lives,” his subject is “Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: A Political Life in Progress.” Previously, Sessler spoke on “David Ben-Gurion: Statesman, Founding Father, Universal Genius,” “Menachem Begin: Survivor, Fighter Hawkish Peacemaker,” “Yitzhak Rabin: Soldier, Peacemaker, Political Martyr” and “Shimon Peres: Poet, Worldly Statesman, Pragmatic Dreamer.” After 8:30 a.m. Shabbat morning services. Free. Sephardic Temple Tifereth Israel, 10500 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles. (310) 475-7000. sephardictemple.org.
SUN MAY 27
HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR TALK
Holocaust survivor Henry Slucki, a native of Paris who came to the United States by himself as a boy, recounts the frightening experiences he and his family suffered while moving around to elude the Nazis. When the Slucki family reached Barcelona, Spain, his Polish-Jewish parents made the painful decision to send him by himself to America as part of first lady Eleanor Roosevelt’s initiative to save refugee children. After the war, Slucki moved to Los Angeles, where he grew up to be a professor of behavioral science. A Q-and-A follows
the discussion. A docent-led tour kicks off the day at 2 p.m. Discussion 3 p.m. Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust, 100 S. The Grove Drive, Los Angeles. (323) 651-3704. lamoth.org.
“ISRAELI MUSIC, THEN AND NOW”
Declaring that changes in Israeli musical tastes the past 70 years reflect the transforming nature of Israeli society, Mark Kligman, the Mickey Katz Endowed Chair in Jewish Music at UCLA, traces the evolution of the Israeli music since statehood was won in 1948. Kligman, who is also a professor of ethnomusicology at the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music, enhances his talk with audio and visual samples intended to accent Israel’s shifting musical preferences. Dinner, 6 p.m., program, 6:45 p.m. $15. Temple Ramat Zion, 17655 Devonshire St., Northridge. (818) 360-1881. trz.org.
TUE MAY 29
“THE MIRACLE-WORKING EARLY PROPHETS AND THE JEWISH
SOCIAL CONSCIENCE”
Join Rabbi Rachel Adler at Beth Chayim Chadashim (BCC) for a deep dive into the Elijah and Elisha narratives in the two books of Kings to examine questions of charisma, characterization and social ethics. Participants look at the role gender plays in these narratives and why women are often the recipients of miracles. Adler is the Ellenson Professor of Modern
Jewish Thought at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Los Angeles. Part of a series. Adler’s notes will be posted on the BCC website. 7–9 p.m. Free. Beth Chayim Chadashim, 6090 W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles. (323) 931-7023. bcc-la-org.
WED MAY 30
“BENNY GOODMAN: AHEAD OF HIS TIME”
Legendary bandleader Benny Goodman’s music comes back to life thanks to acclaimed clarinet soloist Ken Peplowski. The member of Goodman’s final ensemble performs music from Goodman’s famous 1938 Carnegie Hall concert, which elevated jazz and sparked serious conversations about race, politics and music. The UCLA Jazz Orchestra and an alumni ensemble from the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz accompany Peplowski in this celebration of a musical revolutionary and the King of Swing. A pre-concert panel discussion begins at 6 p.m. Concert 7–10 p.m. Free. Sinai Temple, 10400 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles. (310) 825-4761. RSVP at schoolofmusic.ucla.edu.
THU MAY 31
NEWGROUND IFTAR
Join NewGround: A Muslim-Jewish Partnership for Change for the organization’s annual iftar, the meal eaten by Muslims after sunset during Ramadan. NewGround describes this evening as one of the largest gatherings of Muslims and Jews in the United States. The night celebrates, supports and amplifies the work of NewGround’s 2017-18 Professional Fellows, a group of approximately 20 Jews and Muslims who have spent the past several months discussing anti-Semitism, Islamophobia and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Dinner is Halal certified. Kosher meals available upon request. Food will not be served until after 8 p.m., as this is an event that celebrates the month of Ramadan. Plan accordingly. Program begins at 7 p.m. $40. Wilshire Boulevard Temple, 3663 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles. newground.nationbuilder.com.
“HARVEY MILK” BOOK AUTHOR
To commemorate the American Library Association’s LGBT Book Month, and in conjunction with National Gay Pride Month, the Burbank Public Library welcomes Lillian Faderman to talk about her new book, “Harvey Milk: His Lives and Death.” The book explores how the progressive politician and gay icon’s activism connected to his family history and Jewish identity. 7 p.m. Free; book available for purchase and signing. Buena Vista Branch Library, 300 N. Buena Vista St., Burbank. (818) 238-5620. burbank.lib.ca.us.
“WHITE ELEPHANT ARCHIVE, SETTING NO. 3”
Award-winning multimedia artist Eduard Freudmann presents a personal, one-man production focusing on the legacy of the Holocaust from the perspective of a third-generation descendant living in Austria. In an effort to understand his family members’ silence about their Holocaust experiences, Freudmann turns to his family archive, which includes poems written by his grandfather while imprisoned in concentration camps. Freudmann’s performance conveys the impact of trauma across generations. A Q-and-A follows the performance, which is made possible by the Austrian Consulate General Los Angeles, the Future Fund of the Republic of Austria and the Federal Chancellery of Austria. 7 p.m. $15, members and full-time students, $20 general. Skirball Cultural Center, 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles. (310) 440-4500. skirball.org.
“ISRAEL AT 70: LOOKING BACK AND LOOKING AHEAD”
Professor Dan Ben-David, president and founder of the Shoresh Institution and senior faculty member of the Department of Public Policy at Tel Aviv University, discusses Israel’s history and future. In 2010, Israeli newspaper Haaretz included Ben-David on a list of the country’s 100 most influential people. 7 p.m. registration, 7:30 p.m. lecture. Free; donations accepted. Seating limited; RSVPs urged at info@beverlyhillsjc.org. Beverly Hills Hotel, 9641 Sunset Blvd., Beverly Hills. (310) 276-4246. beverlyhillsjc.org.
HAVE A DATE WITH A JEW AND A MUSLIM
Enjoy iftar, the meal eaten by Muslims after sunset during Ramadan, and conversation between Rabbi Adam Kligfeld and Haroon Moghul. Kligfeld is senior rabbi at Temple Beth Am. Moghul is the Fellow in Jewish-Muslim relations at Shalom Hartman Institute of North America. 7:15 p.m., break the fast at 7:55 p.m. RSVP by May 28 at tbala.org/iftar. Presented by the Rembaum Institute and the Shalom Hartman Institute. $15. Temple Beth Am, 1039 S. La Cienega Blvd., Los Angeles. (310) 652-7353. tbala.org.
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