Editor’s note: Due to Operation Roaring Lion, this week’s column will mostly offer highlights that can be enjoyed from the relative safety of the nearest bomb shelter. Follow the instructions of the IDF Home Front Command, and stay safe.
FRIDAY, APRIL 10
Pre-order your deck of Bitul Torah, a tongue-in-cheek party game focused on the humor of observant English-speaking Jews living in Israel. A nonprofit community project, the game contains 180 black prompt cards and 440 white response ones. Patrons can submit their own pitches.
NIS 86 per deck. A Hebrew version is also offered. Visit bitultorah.com to make your pledge.
SATURDAY, APRIL 11
Few are able to plow through The Jewish War by Josephus, which begins with the sacking of the Temple by the Roman Empire and ends with the last Sicarii perishing.
Adapted to the stage by the Mikro Theater, the fringe group that generally works from the Jerusalem Theatre, viewers now have a chance to enjoy a highly accessible dramatic unfolding of this shared history. Directed by Irina Gorelik, this 2019 production is in Hebrew.
To view, visit: youtube.com/watch?v=R2ZGAnGXa38
SUNDAY, APRIL 12
Visit the Rashuta Gallery and explore the works of Ilana Hoffmann in her new exhibition, Absence. Curated by Jenny Aharon, the exhibition is an attempt to solidify what is missing.
33 Aharon Rabinovich St. The gallery has a bomb shelter. Free. Call ahead to confirm that the gallery will be open during your planned visit (050-728-4234). On exhibit until Friday, May 1. The gallery is part of the Rashot HaRabim network, whose goal is to foster tolerance in the capital.
MONDAY, APRIL 13
Watch From Darkness to Light, an English-language performance by Gabriella Lev, who presents a very moving personal production on how her mother survived the Holocaust.
7:50 p.m. Beit Mazia, 18 Mesilat Yesharim St. NIS 90. After the one-hour show, patrons are invited to stay and discuss the production with its creator. To book, call (02) 624-4586
TUESDAY, APRIL 14
Listen to Eleanor Reissa, who was born to a Yiddish-speaking family of Holocaust survivors. She fell in love with the stage after watching a performance of a play by Fernando Arrabal. Today, she is devoted to promoting Yiddish culture.
In this podcast, aptly called The Shmooze, she speaks with the Yiddish Book Center’s Lisa Newman, director of public programs.
To hear episode 115, visit yiddishbookcenter.org/language-literature-culture/the-shmooze.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15
Have a drink at Fishenzon Bar, a venue that always opens in the afternoon and promises to be a safe spot for anyone who needs one.
Behind the beer tap is San Francisco native Dan Vered, who made aliyah in the 1980s to enlist in the IDF and built an inspiring life in Israel. Crabbie’s Original Ginger Beer, British gluten-free beer, and strong (6%) Herzl beer are also offered.
12 Shamai St. Remember to drink responsibly.
✱ Visit Habotke Shel Moshiko (“Moshiko’s bodega”) and enjoy the Botke wrap, filled with goat cheese, antipasto, and pesto. Moshiko Doyno grew up in the Katamonim neighborhood and fought and died in Operation Protective Edge (Tzuk Eitan) in 2014. The small, intimate eatery is operated by his mother, Rohama.
26 Antigonus St. Kosher. Standard business hours.
THURSDAY, APRIL 16
Join an online English-language discussion about how to remember the Holocaust in the age of the artificial image, thanks to the Leo Baeck Institute.
Berit Zimmerling will discuss “virtual witnessing” with moderator Daniel Mahla. There will be a special focus on the novel attempt to generate speaking holograms of Holocaust survivors who will be able to communicate with future generations even after the original survivors are no longer living.
Readers who want some perspectives on the phenomenon might enjoy reading an outstanding article by Jewish American author Dara Horn in The Atlantic. She describes her unease with this method in her article “Is Holocaust Education Making Antisemitism Worse?”
6 p.m. In English. Free. Register via shorturl.at/5Q3y3.
Throwing a special event? Opening an art exhibition or a new bar? Bringing in a guest speaker to introduce a fascinating topic? Email hagay_hacohen@yahoo.com and let In Jerusalem know about it. Write “Jerusalem Highlights” in the subject line. Although all information is welcome, we cannot guarantee it will be featured in the column.