Jerusalem highlights: March 6-12

The Orna Porat Children’s Theater is granting free access to the classic Treasure Island theater show.

Originally penned by Robert Louis Stevenson, the Hebrew-language adaptation to the stage was done by Ephraim Sidon.

Special care was taken to soften the coarse pirates for patrons young in years using comedy. For example, during a knife-fighting scene at the inn, the child characters notice the adult pirates are holding their knives up and ask if they need forks and spoons too.

Also, the Revolution Orchestra is streaming a performance of Yannets Levi’s Princess Abigail and the Factory of Emotions. It is an original Hebrew-language musical about a kingdom visited by a strange inventor who offers to rid its people of heartache by sucking all their emotions using a machine.

If Jim Hawkins is a lad seeking a treasure, Abigail is a girl (of royal birth) who seeks to reconnect her people to their true hearts.

Treasure Island and other productions can be seen via shorturl.at/vH2f7. The entire performance of PAFE can be listened to via shorturl.at/zUKJ1 for free. Hebrew subtitles are included in the theater performances.

It is also possible to join a weekly guided e-community of jazz enthusiasts who listen to albums together and discuss them (in Hebrew).

The performance can be enjoyed via short-url.org/1pX1s. Free.

Watch the film The Champion, a 2020 dramatic re-telling of the true history of Tadeusz Pietrzykowski. A Polish prisoner in Auschwitz and professional boxer before the Nazi invasion of Poland, he was given permission to compete in matches for the pleasure of his captors.

Known as The White Cloud due to his swiftness and agility, he is played in the film by Piotr Głowacki.

Note to readers, he is not to be confused with Harry Haft, a Jewish boxer and inmate of Auschwitz who survived in a similar way.

The Champion is available via VOD at the Tel Aviv Cinematheque site (with English subtitles) via short-url.org/1kQmQ. NIS 19 per ticket. It is possible to read more about Harry Haft in Reinhard Kleist’s graphic novel The Boxer ($14 via Amazon Kindle).

Patrons can also enjoy an easy-to-follow introduction to the works of Beethoven with actress Efrat Aviv as Betty Hoven, a woman who might be just a little bit too obsessed with the composer.

For more, visit www.ipo.co.il/en/the-ipo-for-kids-online/ (site is in English). Free.

Walk to the Katamon Community Center at 53 HaPalmah St. and pick up a book at one of the two free-access libraries there. One is under the sukkah in the yard, and the other is next to the supermarket.

If time allows, maybe reach out to Avia Fridlich and ask about the coffee with Holocaust survivors offered each Tuesday at 4 p.m. It is never a bad idea to spend an hour in the company of others and gain a fresh perspective.

Olim might take an interest in the Jerusalem Anglo Adult Center (1 Diskin St.), which serves similar goals.

Fridlich can be reached at (02) 545-6327. Michal Brunschwig runs the JAAC and can be reached at 054-882-7546. Free.

If you have teenagers who loves robots, consider telling them about the Prisma robotics club.

Located at 6 Chile St., the center offers various science-oriented classes during normal days – and plenty of online content today.

The young adults learn how to design and build their own robots and compete with like-minded peers at home and abroad.

The classes are usually held between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. For more, call Barak Weitzman at 052-880-5710. Visit coing.co/jlmpr/jlm_youth_prisma to inquire further (Hebrew site).

Stock up on sausages, turkey, and other cuts at the century-old Matam Chofetz Chaim Delicacy.

As this is the factory store, and people usually require sustenance to survive even tense times, its doors will likely remain open no matter what.

30 Agrippas St. Call (02) 623-2839 for more info or visit matamcc.com/home/ (English site). Online and phone delivery orders are possible.