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What’s Happening: Bari Weiss; Post-Election Discussion

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September 18, 2019
“Dirty Bomb”

FRI SEPT 20

“Dirty Bomb”
The award-winning short film “Dirty Bomb,” a true story of Nazi resistance about a group of concentration camp prisoners conspiring to sabotage the construction of the deadly V-2 bomb, opens today at the Laemmle Town Center in Encino. A Q&A session moderated by entertainment journalist Sandro Monetti and featuring the film’s director, Valerie McCaffery, along with cast and crew members follows the Sept. 20 screening. The film will be shown daily at 1 p.m. for one week. $7.50. Town Center 5, 17200 Ventura Blvd., Encino. (310) 478-3836. .

Camp Shabbat
School may be back in session, but Valley Beth Shalom extends the joy of summer by celebrating Camp Shabbat, featuring services on the field, a catered kosher dinner, a camp jam and Israeli dancing. Participants include song leaders Charlie Kramer from Camp Hess Kramer, Jared Stein, formerly of Camp Alonim, and Brianah Caplan from Camp Ramah along with Israeli dancing teacher Orly Star. 6:30-10 p.m. $28 for ages 13-and-older. $18 for ages 5-13. Valley Beth Shalom, 15739 Ventura Blvd., Encino. (818) 788-6000.

Trading Pulpits
A unique exchange in Woodland Hills involves Temple Aliyah Rabbi Stewart Vogel trading pulpits with the Rev. Michael Evans, pastor of neighboring St. Bernardine of Siena. Members of the two communities are invited to attend both services. Both clergymen speak on “Making Sense of Evil in Our Times: Human Nature or Societal?” Evans’ talk is Friday night during Temple Aliyah’s Bluegrass Shabbat service; Vogel’s is during Sunday afternoon Mass. Friday, 8 p.m. Sunday, 5 p.m. Temple Aliyah, 6025 Valley Circle Blvd., Woodland Hills. St. Bernardine of Siena, 24410 Calvert St., Woodland Hills. (818) 346-3545.

SAT SEPT 21

Selichot and Screening
In time for Selichot, a service of forgiveness, Congregation Kol Ami screens the award-winning film “Never Again Is Now,” about anti-Semitism, and welcomes the two filmmakers for a Q&A session. In the film, one of the filmmakers relates her parents’ story of being liberated by the Allies during the Holocaust in 1945 and her fight to keep this dark chapter of history from being repeated. Selichot services follow the screening. 7-10 p.m. Free. Congregation Kol Ami, 1200 N. La Brea, West Hollywood. (323) 606-0996.

Coastal Cleanup Day
Everyone is welcome to join volunteers from Kehillat Israel (KI) in Pacific Palisades and participate in International Coastal Cleanup Day, one of the largest volunteer events in the world. To prevent litter from polluting the ocean, KI volunteers are cleaning trash from the park, sidewalks and gutters along Temescal Canyon Boulevard. 9 a.m.-noon. Call (310) 459-2328.

“From Hatred to Zionism”
Born 30 years ago in Egypt, Hussein Aboubakr Mansour grew up hearing endless tales about “bloodthirsty Zionists.” Reclusive and skeptical, early on he began a verification project of his people’s supposed Jewish enemies. During his talk, titled “From Hatred to Zionism,” he discusses events he experienced at Cairo University, where he rejected the anti-Israel curriculum. He gained asylum in the United States in 2014 and now is an educator with StandWithUs. 7-9 p.m. Free. San Fernando Valley Arts and Cultural Center, 18312 Oxnard St., Tarzana. (818) 697-5525.

SUN SEPT 22

Walk4Friendship
Friendship Circle of Los Angeles, which provides social, educational and Jewish experiences to Jewish children with special needs, holds its annual Walk4FriendshipLA fundraiser. Participants gather at Shalhevet High School for an opening ceremony before beginning their 2K walk. When walkers return, the indie pop band Distant Cousins performs in concert. The 4½-hour event includes concessions, games, inflatables, a puppy party and a Lego party. 1:30-6 p.m. 1:30 p.m. registration. 2:45 p.m. opening ceremony. 3 p.m. walk. 4 p.m. live concert. Shalhevet High School, 910 S. Fairfax Ave. (310) 280-0955.

Bari Weiss

Bari Weiss
Bari Weiss, an editor and writer for The New York Times opinion section, has gained prominence as a respected Jewish voice on causes and responses to anti-Semitism. She brings her story — and her new book, “How to Fight Anti-Semitism” — to the Skirball Cultural Center. In conversation with Matthew Weiner, creator of the TV series “Mad Men,” Weiss explains how her book was spurred by last October’s Shabbat massacre of 11 Jews at Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life synagogue, her childhood congregation. In her book, Weiss suggests ways to address anti-Semitism politically and in the media. 7:30 p.m. $20 general admission, $36 for the Weiss book and admission. Skirball Cultural Center, 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd. (310) 440-4500.

Schmaltz

Schmaltz Concert
Featuring one musician from Los Angeles, one from New York City and two from Eastern Europe, the klezmer band Schmaltz performs at the Pacific Resident Theatre in Venice. Gathering from their far-flung origins, violinist Yvette Devereaux, Joellen Lapidus on accordion, Igor Kogan on upright bass and clarinetist Leo Chelyapov all are seasoned musicians who have embraced the quaint sounds of Eastern European Jewish folk music. The band returns next month on Oct. 13. 7:30 p.m. $20. Pacific Resident Theatre, 703 Venice Blvd., Venice. (310) 822-8392.

MON SEPT 23

“Elections in Israel: What Happened and What’s Next”
Exploring the aftermath of Israel’s second round of elections in 2019, the Israel Policy Forum (IPF), Temple Beth Am, the New Israel Fund (NIF) and IKAR hold a panel featuring David Halperin, executive director of the IPF, and Tamara Cofman Wittes, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institute. Rabbi Ephraim Pelcovits, director for Southern California and Los Angeles at the NIF, moderates the discussion. A young professionals reception follows. 7 p.m. Free. Temple Beth Am, 1039 S. La Cienega Blvd. (212) 315-1741. Register by clicking the link above.

TUE SEPT 24

“Beyond the Headlines”
A TED-style evening of inspiration in Pico-Robertson features a panel of community trailblazers reflecting on what it means to be Jewish. “Beyond the Headlines: Why We Are Optimistic About the Jewish Future” features David Suissa, publisher and editor-in-chief of the Journal; Mary Bauer, an Auschwitz-Birkenau survivor; Judea Pearl, president of the Daniel Pearl Foundation; Jacqueline Rafii, director of music for Shomrei Torah Synagogue in West Hills; and Noam Weissman, senior vice president of education at Jerusalem University. Organized by 30 Years After, a voice for America’s Iranian-American Jews. Light refreshments served. RSVP required.  7-9:30 p.m. $18. The Light House, 1026 S. Robertson Blvd. (424) 262-6613.

WED SEPT 25

Preventing Suicides
Shomrei Torah Synagogue com-memorates Suicide Prevention Month by holding a discussion with Rebecca Zeitlin, a marriage and family therapist. Parents and teens are a special focus for Zeitlin, assistant program director of the Suicide Prevention Center at Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services. She speaks about how suicide indiscriminately affects young and old, rich and poor. 7 p.m. Free. Shomrei Torah Synagogue, 7353 Valley Circle Blvd., West Hills. (818) 854-7478. RSVP at sisterhood@stsonline.org.

THU SEPT 26

Mark Schiff
Comedian-actor-writer Mark Schiff provides entertainment when the Conejo Valley chapter of Brandeis University holds its Fall Luncheon and Boutique. Schiff, a frequent Journal columnist, has toured with Jerry Seinfeld and starred on HBO and Showtime specials. All proceeds benefit medical research at Brandeis University to find cures for neurodegenerative diseases including ALS, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Reservations required. 10 a.m. $85. North Ranch Country Club, 4761 Valley Spring Drive, Westlake Village. (818) 991-2667.

Mary Leipziger, “India Through a Jewish Lens”

UCLA Hillel Art Opening
Three exhibitions highlight the fall art opening at UCLA Hillel Dortort Center for Creativity in the Arts: Donn Delson’s “Holy Land,” featuring 20 aerial photographs shot in color from an open helicopter in Israel capturing the landscapes of the historic country; Canadian photojournalist Mary Leipziger’s “India Through a Jewish Lens,” a visual diary of India’s chaotic splendor; and Lili Sigel’s meditative wall sculptures of found objects, “Mixed Media in Harmony.” 7-9 p.m. Free. Hillel at UCLA, 574 Hilgard Ave. (310) 208-3081, ext. 108.


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.

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