Picks and Clicks: April 9-16, 2010

SUN | APRIL 11

(Yom Hashoah)
Dan Gillerman, Israel’s former U.N. ambassador, delivers the keynote during the Community-Wide Holocaust Remembrance Day at the Los Angeles Holocaust Monument in Pan Pacific Park. Pre-registration required for free transportation from the Federal Building in Westwood, the Bernard Milken Jewish Community Campus in West Hills or Valley Beth Shalom in Encino. Sun. 1:45 p.m. Free. Pan Pacific Park (north end), 7600 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles. (310) 821-9919 or (310) 280-5010.

Mount Sinai Memorial Parks and Mortuaries hosts its fifth annual Yom HaShoah commemoration with Calabasas Shul’s Rabbi Yakov Vann speaking on “Spiritual Heroism in the Holocaust.” Sun. 10 a.m. Free. Kamenir Chapel, 6150 Mount Sinai Drive, Simi Valley. (866) 717-4624. mountsinaiparks.org.

An evening of oral history and theater features Holocaust survivor John Gordon recounting his story between numbers from “Yours, Anne,” a musical inspired by the book “Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl.” Sun. 7 p.m. Free. Sinai Temple, 10400 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles. RSVP to park inside the building. (310) 481-3243. sinaitemple.org.

(FILM)
Trace the development of Israeli film from the 1930s to today with the documentary “A History of Israeli Cinema.” A post-screening discussion follows with Yaffa Weisman, a Jewish studies professor at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. Sun. 1 p.m. $6 (members, full-time students), $8 (general). Skirball Cultural Center, 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles. (310) 440-4500. skirball.org.

(SYMPOSIUM)
Join Ben-Gurion University professors David Faiman (solar energy), Tuvia Friling (Israel/Jewish studies) and Alon Monsonego (biotechnology) for a dinner reception and discussion on “Science, the Negev and Israel’s Future.” Judge Leon S. Kaplan moderates the discussion. Proceeds benefit the Ben-Gurion Research Institute. Sun. 5:30-8:30 p.m. $75. Luxe Sunset Boulevard Hotel, 11461 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles. (310) 552-3300. aabgu.org.

MON | APRIL 12

(AUTHOR)
Etgar Keret, best-selling Israeli author and filmmaker, reads excerpts from his work, screens clips from his movies and discusses writing in modern Hebrew at the James Gray Gallery. Australian author Luke Davies moderates a Q-and-A afterward at this Birthright Israel Next-sponsored event. Wine and cheese included. Mon. 7-10 p.m. Free. Bergamot Station Art Center, 2525 Michigan Ave., Building D4, Santa Monica. (310) 829-5854. losangeles.birthrightisrael.com.

(Yom Hashoah)
Not Idly By – Peter Bergson, America and the Holocaust
A documentary film by Emmy-winning documentary filmmaker and TIOH Congregant, Pierre Sauvage.  Peter Bergson was a Palestinian Jew who, after learning of the U.S. State Department’s confirmation of the mass murder of European Jewry, led a group that struggled to make saving the Jews of Europe a priority.  The film draws on two interviews the controversial Bergson gave in 1978 and forcefully gives him his posthumous say as he castigates American Jewish leaders for failing to rise to the ocasion and pressure the U.S. government to respond effectively to the slaughter. Monday, April 12, 2010 at 7:00 PM.  Temple Israel of Hollywood in commemoration of Yom HaShoah

Pierre Sauvage is a child survivor of Le Chambon, France and is a recognized expert on rescue during the Holocaust, as well as the American reaction to the crisis.

TUE | APRIL 13

(YOM HASHOAH)
Leslie Gilbert-Lurie and her mother, Rita Lurie, discuss their book, “Bending Toward the Sun: A Mother and Daughter Memoir,” with Andrea Grossman, the founder of Writers’ Bloc. The memoir explores the emotional legacy of the Holocaust and its impact on multiple generations. Tue. 7:30-9:30 p.m. Free. Temple Emanuel, 8844 Burton Way, Beverly Hills. (310) 276-9776. tebh.org.

WED | APRIL 14

(FILM)
“Making the Crooked Straight,” a documentary by director Susan Cohn Rockefeller, highlights the work of Dr. Rick Hodes. Hodes has spent the past 20 years treating poverty-stricken patients in Ethiopia suffering from tuberculosis. The film debuts on HBO. Wed. 8 p.m. makingthecrookedstraight.org.

(MUSIC)
Grammy-winning violinist Gil Shaham performs Mozart and Stravinsky during his visit to Los Angeles with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. Wed. 8 p.m. $47.75-$134.75. Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave., Los Angeles. (323) 850-2000. laphil.com.

THU | APRIL 15

(ART)
“Quiet Heroes: Over Eighty,” a photography exhibition by Barry Shaffer, captures Los Angeles’ most elderly immigrants — ages 82 to 102. Thu. Through May 2. Noon-4 p.m. (Thursday-Sunday). L.A. Artcore Brewery   Annex, 650 A S. Avenue 21, Los Angeles.  (323) 276-9320 overeighty.barryshafferphotography.com.

FRI | APRIL 16

(SINGLES)
A vegetarian Shabbat potluck offers singles a chance to mingle. The evening features Friday night services and a tribute to Golda Meir in celebration of Yom HaAtzmaut. Sponsored by Temple Isaiah of Newport Beach. Fri. 7-9 p.m. Free. R.S.V.P. for location. Private Newport Beach residence. (949) 583-1905.