TUE | MARCH 1
ISRAEL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA
An anniversary concert features maestro Zubin Mehta and the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (IPO) performing Joseph Haydn’s Symphony No. 96 in D major, “Miracle,” and Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 5. The performance marks 50 years since Mehta, the IPO’s music director for life, first conducted the orchestra, filling in for an ailing Eugene Ormandy. Tue. 8 p.m. $56-$112. Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave., downtown. (323) 850-2000. laphil.com.
WED | MARCH 2
“IN SEARCH OF BIBLICAL LANDS”
This new exhibition at the Getty Villa features photographs taken during the 1840s and early 1900s of what is now Israel, Jordan and parts of Lebanon, Syria and Egypt. The images capture scenes of primitive villages and rough physical terrain, of what was previously known through fanciful illustrations based on artists’ sketches. Tue. Through Sept. 12. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. (Wed.-Mon.). Free. Getty Villa, 17985 Pacific Coast Highway, Pacific Palisades. (310) 440-7300. getty.edu.
“‘WEST BANK STORY’: THE ROLE OF HUMOR AND ART IN PEACE-MAKING”
The Oscar-winning musical comedy short, which parodies “West Side Story,” follows the taboo romance between David, an Israeli soldier, and Fatima, a Palestinian falafel-stand cashier. This special screening, sponsored by the Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for Israel Studies at UCLA, is followed by a Q&A with musician Yuval Ron, who wrote the music for the film, and a live performance featuring Ron, vocalist Maya Haddi and percussionist Jamie Papish. Wed. 6-8 p.m. Free. Schoenberg Music Building, Choral Room, UCLA, Los Angeles. (310) 825-9646. international.ucla.edu/israel.
FRI | MARCH 4
YESHIVA UNIVERSITY LOS ANGELES SHABBATON
Richard Joel, president of Yeshiva University, and eight other scholars from the New York-based institution highlight a weekend of Shabbat services and compelling community programs at synagogues around Los Angeles. Also appearing: YouTube sensation The Maccabeats. Fri. Through March 5. Various times, prices and locations. Visit yu.edu/lashabbaton for more information.
NATIONAL DAY OF UNPLUGGING/SHABBAT ACROSS AMERICA
Can you go 24 hours without Facebook or Twitter? Reboot’s National Day of Unplugging, the centerpiece of its Sabbath Manifesto project, encourages people to forget about their hectic schedules and relax one day each week. And if you want to make tonight extraordinary, consider attending services at a local synagogue as part of Shabbat Across America, a project of the National Jewish Outreach Program. Through March 5. For more information, visit sabbathmanifesto.org and njop.org.
SAT | MARCH 5
KUMZITZ
Bring your voice and a portable instrument (guitar, keyboard, drums) to bond with others through music — folk songs, Israeli melodies, Yiddish tunes and camp favorites — at this first-ever event organized by the Kol HaEmek Jewish Community Chorale and the Jewish Federation of the Greater San Gabriel and Pomona Valley. The evening begins with Havdalah and ends with a dessert buffet. Sat. 7-9 p.m. $5 (individuals), $10 (families). Jewish Federation of the Greater San Gabriel and Pomona Valleys, 550 S. Second Ave., Arcadia. (626) 445-0810. jewishsgpv.org.
SUN | MARCH 6
WESTSIDE JCC’S CELEBRITY STAGED PLAY READING
The Israel-Palestinian conflict threatens Joshua and Gordon’s 18-year-old friendship in playwright Michael Nathanson’s “Talk.” Directed by Alexandra More and co-starring Donald Sage Mackay and Bruce Nozick, the play centers on tension that unravels in a bar over the course of one evening when Gordon, who isn’t Jewish, introduces Joshua, who is, to his French fiancée, who is wearing a kaffiyeh she says came from “Palestine.” Sun. 2 p.m. $16 (general), $14 (members, seniors, students), $12 (senior member, student member). Westside Jewish Community Center, 5870 W. Olympic Blvd., Los Angeles. (323) 556-5225. alexandramore.com/celebrity.
“GIRLS JUST WANT TO HAVE FUN”
Former New York Times correspondent Carey Goldberg and Times contributor Beth Jones discuss “Three Wishes,” a memoir they co-wrote (with Pamela Ferdinand) about their unlikely journeys toward motherhood; novelist Jan Goldstein speaks about his latest book, “The Bride Will Keep Her Name”; and humor essayist Annie Korzen shares insights from “Bargain Junkie: Living the Good Life on the Cheap,” a how-to guide to a lavish lifestyle on the cheap. Sun. 11 a.m. $25 (includes brunch, chair massage and wine tasting). American Jewish University, 15600 Mulholland Drive, Los Angeles. (310) 476-9777. ajula.edu.
“LOVE THY NEIGHHBOR — THE STRANGER IN OUR MIDST”
The eighth annual Interfaith Symposium and Concert, organized by the Jewish Music Commission of Los Angeles, features a discussion with art historian Jeremy Glatstein; Valley Beth Shalom’s Rabbi Harold Schulweis; the Rev. Alexei Smith; Nick Strimple, a conductor and expert on Holocaust-related music; and the Rev. David Worth. Rabbi Edward Feinstein moderates. A choral and instrumental performance follows with Strimple conducting the Los Angeles Zimriyah Chorale, the Beverly Hills Presbyterian Chancel Choir and the Choral Society of Southern California. Sun. 1:30 p.m. Free. Beverly Hills Presbyterian Church, 505 N. Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills. (818) 907-7194 or (310) 271-5194. jewishmusicla.org.
“BETWEEN THE HOLY AND THE PROFANE”
Pianist and vocalist Sharon Jan Bernstein, cantor at San Francisco’s Congregation Sha’ar Zahav, performs Yiddish songs about sex, prostitutes, angels and peace. The California Institute for Yiddish Culture and Education (CIYCL) sponsors the event. Sun. 2 p.m. $12 (CIYCE members), $15 (general), free (full-time students). Institute for Jewish Education, 8339 W. Third St., Los Angeles. (310) 745-1190. yiddishinstitute.org.
GABOR MATÉ & JAMIE LEE CURTIS
Curtis, the award-winning star of “Freaky Friday,” “True Lies” and “A Fish Called Wanda,” introduces the Vancouver physician and best-selling author of “When the Body Says No” and “Scattered Minds.” Maté, whose newest book is “In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters With Addiction,” makes his first L.A. appearance at Beit T’Shuvah. Sun. 5 p.m. $25 (individuals), $45 (couples), both prices include dinner. 8831 Venice Blvd., Los Angeles. (310) 204-5200. beittshuvah.org.
THU | MARCH 10
SORAYA SARAH NAZARIAN
The sculptor and Nazarian family matriarch presents a 25-year survey of her work, in “Strength Revealed.” The exhibition, curated by Barbara Gilbert, curator emerita of the Skirball Cultural Center, explores Nazarian’s artistic progression from mastering the human form to exploring abstraction and non-objectivity. Proceeds benefit the Soraya Sarah Nazarian Artists Initiative, a program designed to assist artists with obtaining studio and exhibition space in the L.A. area. Thu. Through April 24. Free. 6-9 p.m. (exhibition opening). Gallery 817, 817 N. Hilldale Ave., West Hollywood. (323) 936-1447.
FRI | MARCH 11
“HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGER”
When a foreign worker at Jerusalem’s largest bakery is killed in a suicide bombing, the bakery is accused of indifference and sends its HR manager to the victim’s hometown in Romania to make amends. Winner of five Israeli Academy Awards, including best picture, this tragicomedy by director Eran Riklis (“Lemon Tree”) follows the HR manager as he journeys far from home and rediscovers his humanity. Fri. Laemmle’s Town Center 5, 17200 Ventura Blvd., Encino. (818) 981-9811. laemmle.com.
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