Out & about: Top 10 things to do

The Voca People is an Israel-based ensemble that performs vocal theater, combining a cappella and beat-box vocals to reproduce the sounds of an entire orchestra.

By COMPILEDSHAWN RODGERS
Voca People 521 (photo credit: Courtesy)
Voca People 521
(photo credit: Courtesy)
1. FILM
SARAH’S KEY
In modern-day Paris, a journalist (Kristen Scott Thomas) finds her life becoming entwined with that of a young girl whose family had been torn apart during the notorious Vel’ d’Hiv Round-up in 1942.
At selected cinemas throughout the country.
2. MUSIC
SABRA SOUNDS
Jerusalem-based rocker Tamar Eisenman’s brand of self-titled “hip rock” has been raising plenty of eyebrows – and moving just as many hips – since her first major label CD Gymnasium was released two years ago on NMC. Mixing hip-hop production sensibilities with a sensitive singer-songwriter ethic and a not-so-hidden female punk side, the 30-year-old Eisenman, who released an indie debut EP in 2003 and a first fullfledged solo album in 2005, has been performing since she was a child. Catch Eisenman as she rocks the house at Jerusalem’s Yellow Submarine. NIS 50/60.
Tonight, 10 p.m., 13 Harechavim Street, Jerusalem. (02) 679-4040.
3. TOUR DE FORCE
Following his European tour, which included concerts and major music festivals, and after sharing the stage with Robert Plant and Bob Dylan, Asaf Avidan will perform in the courtyard of the Tower of David in Jerusalem with new songs from the soon-to-be-released album and new arrangements of previous material. Joining Avidan will be Karni Postel, Avishai Cohen, Asaf Roth, and Shlomi Shaban. NIS 90.
Tomorrow, 4 p.m. (gates open at 2 p.m.), www.towerofdavid.org.il
4. KIDS
FUN DOWN UNDER
Spend some quality time in the company of several types of kangaroos, an assortment of cockatoos, flying foxes, laughing kookaburra, wallabies and emus, to name a few, as Gan Garoo Park Australia offers a wide variety of activities for the kiddies. Included will be the traditional music and stories of Australia’s native Aborigines, as well as a lesson in how to throw a boomerang.
10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Kibbutz Nir David (04) 648-8060 or www.nirtours.co.il
5. DANCE
IT TAKES TWO...
Forever Tango presents the history of the dramatic and alluring tango from its origins in the Rio de la Plata region of Argentina in the late 19th century. Now in Israel for the first time, the Forever Tango show features 14 dancers, a vocalist and an 11-piece orchestra. The dances, performed to both traditional and original music, were developed by Luis Brava, who worked with each pair of dancers to highlight their individual style.
Runs Wednesday through September 13 throughout the country, www.tkts.co.il
6. EXHIBIT
BLOW YOUR HORN
The new exhibition “Sound the Shofar – a Witness to History” traces the shofar from animal horn to icon. Included in the display are shofarot from around the world, each marking a pivotal event in history, a poignant personal story or the quest for religious freedom. Together they tell the story of the Jewish people across generations.
Also on display for the first time is the shofar blown on June 7, 1967, by Rabbi Shlomo Goren at the Western Wall, which has become a symbol of the unification of Jerusalem.
Ongoing at the Bible Lands Museum, Jerusalem. www.blmj.org.il
7. MIXED BAG
A FEAST FOR THE SENSES
Want to learn the ins and outs of shopping in Jerusalem’s Mahaneh Yehuda market? Take a one-hour walk with itinerant shopper Sybil Kaplan, food writer and cookbook author. Bring some bags, take notes and stay on to wander through the shuk on your own. In Hebrew.
Monday, 9:15 a.m. Meet on Agrippas Street by the entrance of the closed shuk (next to the flower vendor). To pre-register, call (02) 566-1181.
8. KIDS
OPERATIC ENCHANTMENT
Celebrating its 10th anniversary, the popular Opera Hour for Kids series will be presenting both old and new productions of opera classics in Hebrew by young members of the Opera Studio.
First up is Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro. This hour-long Hebrew version of Pierre Beaumarchais’s witty yet profound tale of love, betrayal and forgiveness is directed by Niv Hoffman.
September 13 at 5 p.m., Tel Aviv Opera House. (03) 692-7777 or www.israelopera.co.il.
9. MUSIC
HARMONIES FROM OUTER SPACE
The Voca People is an Israel-based ensemble that performs vocal theater, combining a cappella and beat-box vocals to reproduce the sounds of an entire orchestra. Join these eight friendly aliens from the planet Voca in rhythmic, vocal adaptations of nearly 70 hits, from classical music and popular tunes to movie soundtracks.

Next Thursday, 8 p.m., Art Garden of the Israel Museum, Jerusalem.www.imj.org.il
10. FESTIVAL
PLATFORM FOR PLAYWRIGHTS
Beit Lessin’s annual Setting the Stage (Pot’him Bama) Festival introduces local playwrights to the public with staged readings and productions. Overall, there are four full productions and nine staged readings. The productions, all in Hebrew, include Silence Out Loud by Andrea Boav and The Peace Syndrome written and directed by Torge Keubler. The staged readings range from a comedy of errors called Kushan by Nissim Zohar to Shlomzion, an allegorical biblical drama by Gadi Zedaka.

Runs September 15 through 17, as well as September 22 through 24 at ZOA House, 1 Daniel Frisch Street, Tel Aviv. (03) 695-9341.