Editor’s note: Due to the ongoing security situation, events listed below may be postponed or canceled. Check before booking, and stay safe.
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5
Visit the YMCA’s annual Christmas Fair and enjoy gift shopping, tasty food, hot drinks, and fun for the whole family.
Not only will patrons who visit in the evening enjoy a well-lit Christmas tree, but art lovers can return on Wednesday, December 10, and enjoy the grand opening of Illuminations – When Shadows Become Light. Curated by Fadi Far, the exhibition includes works by artists such as Nasrin Abu Baker and Mays Chkerat.
Fair hours: Fridays and Saturdays, from noon to 10 p.m.; Thursdays, from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. NIS 20; free for children under age 10. Call (02) 569-2692 for details. The art exhibition opens on Wednesday, December 10, at 7 p.m.
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 6
Enjoy a musical havdalah at the First Station with the Jerusalem Oratorio Choir and the Theo-Tron Ensemble. The ensemble brings together religious and secular participants in the spirit of tolerance and diversity promoted by late Rabbi Menachem Froman.
In addition to Jewish songs, patrons will be offered tasty and warm refreshments and enjoy the perfumes that mark the end of Shabbat.
4 David Remez St. at 8 p.m. Free.
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 7
Enjoy Four Fantasies and a Monkey, a dance performance created by Yossi Berg and Oded Graf. Based on the 1968 book The Empty Space by theater director Peter Brook, it was selected to kick-start this year’s International Dance Week at MASH Dance House.
The five-day festival will end on Thursday, December 11, with Yuval Abraham’s No Man’s Land (Shetach Hefker).
The one-hour Four Fantasies and a Monkey will be performed today at 8:30 p.m. NIS 50 to NIS 65 per ticket. No Man’s Land (20 minutes long) will be performed on Thursday, December 11, at 9:30 p.m. Free. 3 Haparsa Street. Call (053) 335-8210 for more information or visit macholshalem.co.il/en.
MONDAY, DECEMBER 8
Watch Golda’s Balcony, The Film, directed by Scott Schwartz, at the Jerusalem Cinematheque. Actress Tovah Feldshuh plays Israeli prime minister Golda Meir in this solo performance, as well as 45 other characters, who together form the shape of Jewish destiny.
Based on the play by William Gibson, this film adaptation of the Broadway hit is followed by a conversation between Feldshuh and Lior Raz (of the TV series Fauda).
5 p.m. The movie and the discussion are in English. NIS 43. 11 Hebron Street. Call (02) 565-4333 to book.
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 9
Watch the remarkable opera Der Kaiser von Atlantis (The Emperor of Atlantis) by Viktor Ullmann, at the YMCA. Composed around 1943 in the Theresienstadt ghetto by Jewish musicians attempting to survive the Nazi occupation, this is a triumph of Jewish genius and human spirit against impossible odds.
The Nazis did not permit the opera to be staged, and its world premiere only took place in the 1970s. The plot is about Death, who protests against the endless wars the emperor wages by going on strike and decreeing that no one will die.
8 p.m. NIS 155. In Hebrew. 26 King David St. Call *6119 to book.
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10
Watch Petit-Beurre, a new visual theater and mime performance that honors legendary performing arts teacher Tzvika Fishzon.
Born in the former USSR, Fishzon studied under French stage actor Jacques Lecoq. From 1979, Fishzon cultivated the talents of dozens of promising actors in his years teaching at the Nissan Nativ Acting Studio. Petit-Beurre is an homage that presents some of his better-known works.
This is one of the productions shown during the Jerusalem Theatre Arts Festival, a four-day celebration ending Saturday, December 13, with Can You Beat the KGB? This innovative, immersive theater experience places the audience in a corrupt political system led by men who choose to lead their nation to an endless war as they bleed the country dry.
Petit-Beurre,’7 p.m.; also Saturday, December 13, at 9 p.m.
Can You Beat the KGB? In Hebrew, at 9 p.m. Note that the audience is required to take part in the game and be willing to drink vodka shots.
Each performances costs NIS 80 and will be held at 3 Menora Street. Call (02) 672-1133 to book.
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 11
Visit the Andalusian Court in the Mahaneh Israel neighborhood. Located in front of the David Amar Worldwide North Africa Jewish Heritage Center at 13 Hama’aravim St., this hidden gem, built in 1865, is situated in the heart of the second Jewish neighborhood built outside the Old City walls, under the guidance of Rabbi David Ben-Shimon, who also founded the Tzuf Dvash synagogue.
The name of the street (“Westerners” in English) is related to North Africa being to the west.
Free. Outdoor urban location. Open 24/7.
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.