Yuval Ron SAT MAY 4
Join Lev Eisha, an inclusive community of Jewish women seeking to be elevated by a relevant, memorable experience, for Shabbat services led by Rabbi Toba August and cantorial soloist Cindy Paley. They are joined by a musical ensemble including percussionist Joy Krauthammer, vocalists Melanie Fine, Robin Winston and Sharon Alexander and violinist Ruth Belonsky. 9:30 a.m.-noon. Beth Shir Shalom, 1827 California Ave., Santa Monica. (310) 575-0985.
Jewish Women’s Theatre stages “True Colors,” a series of funny and inspiring stories by Jews of Color, in which the performers talk about identity, fitting into the community and how it feels to be Jewish in the present sociopolitical environment. Four performances will be at The Braid. Others are in the South Bay, the San Fernando Valley and a home on the Westside. Through May 14. 8 p.m. $45. $50 at the door. The Braid, 2912 Colorado Ave., Santa Monica. (310) 315-1400.
On the Shabbat between Yom HaShoah and Yom HaZikaron and Yom HaAtzmaut, UCLA professor Judea Pearl, father of slain journalist Daniel Pearl, discusses “From the Crucible of 1948: Reflections of a Counter-Holocaust Survivor.” Born in British Mandate Palestine, Pearl and his family became international symbols of grief in 2002 when Daniel Pearl, then a reporter for The Wall Street Journal, was kidnapped and murdered by Islamic militants. 9:30 a.m., Shabbat services. Approximately 11 a.m., Pearl’s lecture, free, RVSP requested. Westwood Village Synagogue, 1148 Westwood Blvd, Westwood. (310) 824-9987.
SUN MAY 5
Teens and their parents are invited to hear inspiring and entertaining stories of Jewish connection by speakers including Disney animator and director Saul Blinkoff, television writer David Sacks, screenwriter David Weiss, musician Sam Glaser, Harvard attorney Diane Faber Veitzer and Rabbi Shlomo Seidenfeld. The speakers appear over the course of six Sundays. Call for the full schedule. 11 a.m.-noon. Free. No membership required. The Community Shul, 9100 W Pico Blvd., Los Angeles. (310) 429-7010.
Community-wide event “#knowyour-worth Day” brings teenagers together to explore tools that help them identify and understand their self-worth. Throughout the three-hour afternoon session, organized by the Advot Project, teenagers enjoy art activities, tikkun olam opportunities, an open mic, workshops, swag and food. Community service hours available. 1-4 p.m. Free. Valley Beth Shalom, 15739 Ventura Blvd., Encino. (323) 206-2448. RSVP at advotprojectorg4@gmail.com.
International musician, composer, producer and ethnomusicologist Yuval Ron is the featured artist in Temple Ner Simcha’s monthly Simcha Series that presents leading Jewish artists of the 21st century. Ron seeks to teach the deepest Jewish wisdom through both his music and his book, “Divine Attunement: Music as a Path to Wisdom,” winner of the Gold Medal Award for Best Spirituality Book at the 2015 Indie Book Awards. 7-8:30 p.m. Free. Temple Ner Simcha, 880 Hampshire Road, Westlake Village. (818) 851-0030.
In observance of Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day, young professionals, ages 22-40, of the Jewish National Fund’s JNFuture bake challah at the Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust, joined by Shoah survivors with special connections to Israel. Guest speaker Shlomi Vayzer, the Jewish National Fund’s Israel Emissary in Los Angeles, discusses JNF’s role in the founding of the State of Israel and its contemporary activities in the Jewish state. 1-3 p.m. $18 general admission, $10 JNFuture Root Society and Sabra donors. RSVP required. Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust, 100 The Grove Drive. (323) 964-1400, ext. 968.
Entertainment, religion and business and technology are spotlighted in the next “Israeli-American Exchanges” conference when Israeli and American speakers explore how their two countries have influenced each other in these three areas. In the morning, Rabbi Daniel Bouskila, international director of the Sephardic Educational Center, Chaya Gilboa of the Shalom Hartman Institute of North America, Member of Knesset Aliza Lavie, Rabbi Erez Sherman of Sinai Temple and moderator Joshua Holo, dean of
Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, share their views on religion before 10 different perspectives are heard in the afternoon on business and technology and entertainment. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. $35 general admission, $20 university faculty and young professionals 35 and under, $5 students. Pre-registration required. UCLA Covel Commons, Grand Horizon Ballroom, 10367 Bunche Hall.
(310) 825-9646.
TUE MAY 7
In conjunction with the City of West Hollywood’s Human Rights series, three Jewish organizations present the screening of “The Long Way Home,” about the rebirth of the Jewish state 71 years ago this month. The Israeli-American Civic Action Network (ICAN), Congregation Kol Ami and the Iranian American Jewish Federation (IAJF) organize the showing, which is followed by a panel discussion featuring Rabbi Denise Eger of Congregation Kol Ami, Zohreh Mizrahi of IAJF and Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion professor Yaffa Weissman, with Dillion Hosier of ICAN moderating. 6-9 p.m. West Hollywood City Council Chambers, 625 N. San Vicente Blvd., West Hollywood. RSVP required. Only one admission per RSVP. All names need to be on the list to enter. (323) 848-6460.
In contrast to the Israeli observance of Yom HaZikaron Remembrance Day, where all places of entertainment are closed and the country stops when sirens sound nationwide, the United States honors Israel’s fallen soldiers and terror victims with ceremonies such as the Yom HaZikaron Community-Wide Night of Remembrance at the Saban Theater. Jointly organized by Friends of the Israel Defense Forces, Temple of the Arts and the Consulate General of Israel, the program is in English and Hebrew. 6:45 p.m. doors open. 7:30 p.m. program. Free. The Saban Theater, 8440 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills. (323) 843-2690.
WED MAY 8
Israeli investigative journalist and attorney Ronen Bergman discusses the latest of his six books, “Rise and Kill First: The Secret History of Israel’s Targeted Assassinations,” with Sinai Temple Senior Rabbi David Wolpe. The event is co-organized by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee and Sinai Temple. “Rise and Kill First” won the National Jewish Book Award for History and HBO is developing a series based on the book. 7-9 p.m. Free. Sinai Temple, 10400 Wilshire Blvd. Register: (323) 937-1184.
Temple Beth Am’s “Israel Talks” program celebrates Israel’s birthday on Yom HaAtzmaut. Attendees hear messages of love for Israel as speakers demonstrate how that feeling can be transformed into advocacy and a new understanding of closeness with the Jewish state. Mincha and Ma’ariv start at 7 p.m., marking the transition from Yom HaZikaron, a solemn day remembering fallen Israeli soldiers, to Yom HaAtzmaut, a joyful one commemorating the birth of the Jewish state. “Israel Talks” at 8 p.m. Free. Temple Beth Am, 1039 S. La Cienega Blvd., Los Angeles. (310) 652-7353.
THU MAY 9
Nearly six decades after Simon and Garfunkel became one of America’s favorite musical acts, Art Garfunkel, 77, lights up the stage at the Saban Theater. Garfunkel was only 22 when he and Paul Simon recorded their debut album; they would record hits such as “The Sound of Silence,” “Mrs. Robinson,” “Bridge Over Troubled Water” and “Homeward Bound.” The duo split in 1970 at the peak of their popularity but continue to perform as a solo acts. Anyone under 18 must be accompanied by a paying adult. 6 p.m. doors open. 8 p.m. show. $38, $58, $68, $78. The Saban Theater, 8448 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills. (866) 448-7849.
“Golda’s Balcony,” the closing movie of the Los Angeles Jewish Film Festival, follows Golda Meir’s historic path from Russian immigrant to Midwestern schoolteacher to Israel’s fourth — and so far only — woman prime minister. In 2004, with Tovah Feldshuh playing Meir, “Golda’s Balcony” became the longest-running one-woman show in Broadway history. The film captures one of her performances. A Q&A with Feldshuh and Jewish Journal Managing Editor Kelly Hartog follows the screening. 7 p.m. doors open. 7:30 p.m. program begins. $25. Ahrya Fine Arts Theater, 8556 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills. (310) 478-3836.
Coming along at a time in America when a little harmony is needed, Ruth Broyde Sharone’s “Interfaith, The Musical” features songs such as “Let’s Make Room at the Table” and “Spiritual but Not Religious.” Musicians and vocalists include former Broadway singer Mike Stein, Chinese-American rap artist Jason Chu and Shir Zehavy, a lead vocalist for the Israel Defense Forces Orchestra. 7-9:30 p.m. $27 general, $20 student/senior. The Pico Union Project, 1153 Valencia St., Los Angeles. (213) 915-0084.
More news and opinions than at a Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.