FRIDAY, MAY 19
Enjoy a musical tour of the ancient walls of Jerusalem with a guitar-strumming Hebrew guide on Jerusalem Day. The 2.5-hour walk begins at 3 p.m. NIS 80 per ticket; call (02) 627-7550 to book. Also consider taking the night tour on Shavuot for NIS 80 per ticket on Thursday, May 25 (exact hour not listed). All tours are offered by the East Jerusalem Development Ltd.
SATURDAY, MAY 20
Watch Mozart’s Don Giovanni as reimagined by “maximalist minimalist” director Ivo van Hove. Famous for offering extremely lean, hyper-modern interpolations of classic works, this is the first time the Belgian director is working with the Metropolitan Opera.
Peter Mattei plays Don Giovanni, a man obsessed with his list of conquests; and Adam Plachetka is his servant (Leporello) in this architecture-themed production. Streamed live from the Met at 7:55 p.m. NIS 170 per ticket. Sung in Italian with English subtitles, the performance runs 196 minutes. Jerusalem Cinematheque, 11 Hebron Rd. Call (02) 565-4333 to book.
SUNDAY, MAY 21
Watch Puccini’s Turandot as performed at the Arena di Verona as directed by Franco Zeffirelli in his iconic 1987 Met production. Anna Netrebko is Turandot, the princess who kills her suitors with hard riddles. Yusif Eyvazov is Calaf, the man who will end the cycle of frigid hate. The singers are a couple in real life.
Writing for Opera Today, Michael Milenski lauded the splendor of this production. Screened after a brief lecture by Merav Barak, this is a wonderful introduction to a great opera. Hebrew lecture at 6 p.m. Opera starts at 6:30 p.m. NIS 79 per ticket. Jerusalem Theatre, 20 Marcus St. Book via (02) 560-5755. Sung in Italian with English subtitles.
MONDAY, MAY 22
Watch Four Mothers (2020), a documentary film that offers a unique look into the Four Mothers peace movement, which objected to Israel’s years-long presence in south Lebanon. Israel controlled the area between 1985 and 2000. The 8 p.m. online Hebrew screening will be followed by a 9:30 p.m. online meeting between patrons and Rachel Ben Dor, one of the movement’s founders.
Ben Dor is a Talmud scholar who wrote a book about how she and her fellow mothers were able to push this country out of a war zone in three years. Register via: en.yonatannir.com/mothers. Free, though contributions are welcome to support future screenings.
TUESDAY, MAY 23
Visit Parvin Shmueli Buchnik’s exhibition The Monster Tamer, at the 12 Agripas Gallery. It features a fusion of the artistic, colorful heritage of Persian rugs, and powerful emotional motifs of motherhood and what could be understood to be a female perspective of the world.
In one work, In the Secret of Leviathan, a female figure seems to be calming down the mighty whale by reaching out to it, in contrast to traditional ideas of fleeing from the divine will. Hours are 4:30-7:30 p.m. Free admission.
WEDNESDAY, MAY 24
Listen to prolific writer and performer Gon Ben Ari as he takes his guitar to a solo show at Mazkeka (3 Shoshan St.). This is a new direction for him following his 2021 album OCD, which explored Jewish spirituality and electronic music, and script writing for a Yiddish-language western Der Mensch. 9 p.m. NIS 70 per ticket.
THURSDAY, MAY 25
Are you a student? If so, enjoy a cup of coffee and a sandwich for NIS 30 at Baroque Bar Cafe (noon to 2 p.m.). If you are more keen on beer, the lively cafe, which opened at the beginning of May, offers NIS 20 per beer from Sunday to Tuesday from 6-8 p.m. On Friday, wine bottles are sold at a 30% discount (8-10 p.m.). Be sure to ask about upcoming musical performances. 3 Ben Sira St.
HEADS UP:
Visit the Salon Gallery at the Jerusalem Theatre, 20 Marcus St., on Sunday, May 28, to enjoy a meeting with Miriam Leibowitz at her exhibition First Fruits. Leibowitz will demonstrate her scribble-drawing technique and discuss her work at 5:30 p.m. (One-hour event, free)
Throwing a special party? Opening an art exhibition or a new bar? Bringing in a guest speaker to introduce a fascinating topic? Drop me a line at hagay_hacohen@yahoo.com and let In Jerusalem know about it. Send emails with “Jerusalem Highlights” in the subject line. Although all information is welcome, we cannot guarantee it will be featured in the column.
