FRIDAY, MAY 15
Papa John’s Pizza opened a new kosher eatery at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem’s Mount Scopus campus last month (28 Yeshayahu Leibowitz St.). The opening follows a wave of the pizza parlor’s new merchandise, such as a Pizza Is Life hat, suitable for Israel’s fierce summers, and socks with pizza slices printed on them, for those who can’t get enough fast food.
Fortunately, Gold’s Gym is nearby, for those who fit all their pizza binges into a cheat day.
Check out www.papajohns.co.il for pizza, and www.goldsgym.co.il to learn more about the membership plans.
SATURDAY, MAY 16
Visit the Jerusalem Cinematheque and watch the Eurovision Song Contest finale on the silver screen, and sing along with Noam Bettan’s “Michelle.” Despite the French title and lyrics, the song is Israel’s entry in the song contest.
The organizers promise this night will be fun for all, from hardcore fans who watch all the Eurovision contests, to those simply looking for some fun pop music and a free beer.
10 p.m. (expected to end at around 2 a.m.). NIS 10, with beer included in the ticket price. 11 Hebron Road. Call (02) 565-4333 for more.
SUNDAY, MAY 17
Watch Advocate, a documentary film about Lea Tsemel. Born in Haifa to Polish Jewish parents, Tsemel has spent most of her legal career representing Palestinians. Her clients include those facing the brutality of soldiers and settlers, and suspects arrested for using violence and terror against Israelis.
The screening will be followed by a discussion with Tsemel. This is a rare opportunity to hear a Jewish radical voice speaking from experience.
8:30 p.m. Cinema by Sam Spiegel, 3 Menora St. NIS 35. In Hebrew with English subtitles. Visit cinema.jsfs.co.il to book.
MONDAY, MAY 18
Visit the Leo Baeck Institute to listen to an English-language lecture and panel discussion on the poetry of Else Lasker-Schuler. A brilliant German Jewish poet and writer, she escaped Nazi Germany and spent her final years in Jerusalem, poor and fairly unknown, except to a small number of German-speaking writers. Among them was S.Y. Agnon, who followed her coffin when she was laid to rest in 1945 on the Mount of Olives.
A monument to her in the Jerusalem Forest, by artist Horst Meister, was stolen three months after it was installed.
Come and honor the legacy of this impassioned poet, who wrote “And my soul burns up in the evening colors / Of Jerusalem” (“Shulamite”), by listening to Prof. Vivian Liska discuss “The Redemptive Rebellion of Else Lasker-Schuler.” Below is a translation of one of Lasker-Schuler’s poems.
7 p.m. In English. Free. 33 Bustenai St. Call (02) 563-3790 to learn more.
TUESDAY, MAY 19
Enjoy a concert focused on musical traditions from North Africa to Central Asia. Members of the Center for Middle Eastern Classical Music Orchestra will perform works by Iraqi oud master Naseer Shamma and Greek laouto master Sokratis Sinopoulos.
8 p.m. 3 Menora St. Free upon pre-registration. Held as part of the First Born Festival, a showcase of art school graduates. Visit bechorot.co.il for more, or call (02) 628-0779.
WEDNESDAY, MAY 20
Listen to In Festive Rhythm, a new composition by Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra’s house composer Benjamin Yusupov, performed under the baton of Julian Rachlin. The program will begin with Bach’s Concerto for Oboe and Violin in D Minor, move to the new work by Yusupov, and conclude with Mahler’s Fifth Symphony, conducted by concertmaster Janna Gandelman.
7:30 p.m. Jerusalem Theatre, 20 Marcus St. NIS 120 to NIS 160 per ticket. Call (02) 561-1498 to book.
THURSDAY, MAY 21
Have a friend visiting Jerusalem? Had a clash with a roommate and need a place to chill for a night or two? Why not camp out on the roof of the Clal Building, on the Muslala balcony?
There is a charge for an overnight stay, but it is possible to just sit on the roof and read, relax, or work on your laptop for free, from Sunday to Thursday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
97 Jaffa St. Access the location from floor 7. Visit www.muslala.org for more.
Hebrew ballad:
“The rock decays/ From which I spring / And sing my songs of God…/ Headlong I rush off from the way / And murmur deep within/ Distant, alone over the wailing stones / Toward the sea. / I have flowed so far away / From the must, the ferment / Of my blood. / And still, still the echo / In me / When to the East, awesomely / The crumbling rock of bone / My people / Cries out to God.”
(“My People” by Else Lasker-Schuler,
translated from German
by Prof. Vivian Liska)
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.