METROPOLITAN NEW YORK
Music
SummerNights: The Baum-Wessel-Harris Trio perform in the final segment of the Jewish Museum’s “SummerNights” series. The evening’s entertainment includes the simultaneous screening of “Schmoozing About Show Biz,” a 1998 A&E segment titled “Hollywoodism” and the BBC’s 1990 “Next Time, Dear God, Please Choose Someone Else: Jewish Humor, American Style.” The trio features jazz flutist and composer Jamie Baum, guitarist Ken Wessel and bassist Jerome Harris. The music performances and television screenings are inspired by the museum’s current exhibition, “Entertaining America: Jews, Movies, and Broadcasting.” The Jewish Museum, 1109 Fifth Ave., music Café Weissman, screening Scheuer Auditorium; Aug. 28, 5 p.m.-9 p.m.; pay what you wish. (212-423-3200 or www.thejewishmuseum.org)
Zorn’s Birthday: Prolific composer-saxophonist player John Zorn, the man behind Tzadik records, celebrates his 50th birthday with a five-night series of improv nights at Tonic. On Sept. 1, he performs with Mike Patton on voice and electronics and Ikue Mori on drum machine and electronics. On Sept. 3, he dedicates the night to “Cobra,” the most celebrated of his “game” pieces in which Zorn guides an ensemble using cards with “rules” on style and speed. For the third performance, he expands on Jewish and jazz traditions with Bar Kokhba chamber arrangements with the Masada String Trio: Mark Feldman on violin, Erik Friedlander on cello and Greg Cohen on bass. For the last two shows, Zorn is joined by Bill Laswell and Hamid Drake, who together play music from his “Painkiller” album, which draws from jazz, hardcore funk, dub and ambient music. Tonic, 107 Norfolk St.; Patton and Mori Sept. 1, 8 p.m. and 10 p.m., “Cobra” Sept. 3, 8 p.m. and 10 p.m., Masada Sept. 4, 8 p.m. and 10 p.m., Painkiller Sept. 5-Sept. 6, 8 p.m. and 10 p.m.; Sept. 1, Sept. 3 and Sept. 4 $15, Sept 5-Sept. 6 $25, $20 in advance, plus one-drink minimum. (212-358-7501 or www.tonicnyc.com)
Middle Eastern Blend: Singer-songwriter Basya Schechter of Pharaoh’s Daughter blends Middle Eastern and Jewish influences in a show featuring solo and duet arrangements — with at least one surprise guest — on oud, sax and guitar. Schechter’s deep voice reflects the range of her music, from dark and moody to world-beat, folk-rock, chasidic and Arabic chants. Joe’s Pub, 425 Lafayette St.; Aug. 30, 7:30 p.m.; $15, $12 in advance. (212-539-8777 or www.joespub.com)
Under the Stars: “Jewish Music Under the Stars” is an evening of song with Israeli singer, guitarist and flutist Yoel Sharabi, who performs modern Israeli, classic Yemenite and popular chasidic melodies. The event is presented by the Queens Jewish Community Council and Queens Region Hadassah. Cunningham Park, Union Turnpike and 196th St, Queens; Aug. 26, 7:30 p.m.; free. (718-544-9033)
Exhibitions
Beyond Athens: “Images of the Jews of Greece: 1880-1930” traces the customs and traditions of Greek Jews through their life cycles: birth, marriage, holidays, synagogue life and, finally, departure to the New World. The exhibit features clothing, photographs, textiles, synagogue items, transit visas and other documents depicting Jewish life in Greece in the late 19th and early 20th century. Center for Jewish History, 15 W. 16th St.; Sept. 1-Dec. 31, Mon.-Thu. 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Fri. 9 a.m.-1 p.m., Sun. 11 a.m.-5 p.m.; free. (212-294-8301 or www.cjh.org)
A Pogrom Remembered: “The Kishinev Pogrom of 1903: On the Occasion of the 100th Anniversary” is an exhibition of documents, photographs, leaflets, books and posters depicting the pogrom that took place on the last day of Passover 1903, which coincided with Easter. After two days, 49 people were killed, more than 500 were injured or raped and dozens of houses, shops and synagogues were destroyed and looted. The pogrom was a turning point in modern Jewish history, demonstrating that czarist Russia could not and would not protect its Jews from harm. YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, Center for Jewish History, 15 W. 16th St.; through Dec. 31, Mon.-Thu. 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Fri. 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Sun. 11 a.m.-5 p.m.; free. (212-246-6080 or www.yivoinstitute.org)
For Families
Mitzvah Fair: The UJA-Federation of New York’s family division holds its second annual Mitzvah Fair for children ages 4 to 9, their parents and siblings. The event features mitzvah projects, arts and crafts, pizza and ice cream. Guests are asked to bring gently used summer clothes and toys to benefit children in need. The Hampton Synagogue, 154 Sunset Ave., Westhampton Beach; Aug. 26, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.; free. (212-836-1295 or [email protected], or 631-288-4572 or [email protected])
Labor Day
Israeli Folk Dance: Rikuday Dor Rishon presents the 12th annual “Shorashim: Roots of Israeli Folk Dance Labor Day Weekend,” featuring three afternoons of workshops and four nights of parties/marathons with choreographer Dani Dassa, master teacher Danny Pollock, Ayalah Goren-Kadman of Jerusalem’s Rubin Academy of Music & Dance and others. On Sunday, participants commemorate the 100th birthday of Israeli classic folk dance choreographer Rivka Sturman. Bridge for Dance, 2726 Broadway; Aug. 29-Sept. 1, parties 8 p.m., workshops 2 p.m.-4 p.m. and 4 p.m.-6 p.m., commemoration Aug. 30, 2 p.m.-4 p.m.; $10 workshops, $15 parties. (917-207-0093 or www.rikud.net)
Down Time
Hammerin’ Hank: Channel Thirteen presents the premiere of Aviva Kempner’s award-winning “The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg” (1999), featuring archival footage, movie clips and interviews with family members and sports figures about the Detroit Tigers slugger Hang Greenberg, one of major league baseball’s best-known Jewish players. Greenberg led his team to win the World Series in 1945 after returning from serving in the army in World War II. Channel Thirteen; Aug. 25, 9 p.m.-10:35 p.m. (please check local listings); free. (www.thirteen.org)
CALIFORNIA
Food Fest: Congregation Beth Israel celebrates its 16th annual “Jewish Food Festival & Crafts Faire,” featuring traditional Jewish foods: corned beef-sandwiches, kugel, blintzes, bagels, matzo ball soup, chopped liver and cabbage rolls. Baked offerings include rugelach, mandelbrot, strudel and cheesecake. Judaica artists from Israel and the United States sell their handmade wares, and Esther’s Klezmer Band performs. Plus, there’s Israeli dancing; sanctuary tours with Rabbi Greenberg, the synagogue’s spiritual leader; cooking demonstrations, and a reenactment of a Jewish wedding ceremony. Congregation Beth Israel, 5716 Carmel Valley Rd., Carmel; Aug. 24, 10:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m.; free. (831-624-2015)
Following Their Dreams: The Finegood Gallery at the Bernard Milken Jewish Community Campus hosts “Follow Your Dream,” an exhibit of the work of artists Laura Ashkanazi Avetisyan, Abe Fagenson, Hovik Kochinian, Barbara Mendes, Jerry Pollak, Michael Reinis, Simon Shegelman, Ora Tamir and Paz Winshtein. The artists’ works reflect Armenian, Sephardic and American roots, depicted on canvas, in sculpture and in 3D “Stereo” imaging. Bernard Milken Jewish Community Campus, 22622 Vanowen St., West Hills; Aug. 24-Oct. 5, Mon.-Thu. 10 a.m.-9 p.m., Fri. 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Sun. 11 a.m.-5 p.m., artists’ reception Aug. 24, 2 p.m.-4 p.m.; free. (818-464-3218)
‘Shabbat Alive’: Rabbi Arnold Rachlis and Cantor Ruti Braier lead “Shabbat Alive,” a jazz and pop service first created in South America, sponsored by the Roslyn and Joseph Baim Family Foundation. Braier is accompanied by musicians and the University Synagogue choir. Free childcare is provided. University Synagogue, 4915 Alton Pkwy., Irvine; Aug. 29, 8 p.m.; free. (949-553-3535)
French Klezmer: As part of the Skirball Cultural Center’s Zeitgeist arts festival, the octet Les Yeux Noirs, French for “The Black Eyes,” uses violins, violoncello, accordion, electric guitar, cimbalom, percussion and electronic samples for its soulful yet energetic blend of music from Hungary, Romania and the rest of Eastern Europe. Skirball Cultural Center, 2701 Sepulveda Blvd.; Aug. 28, 7:30 p.m.; free. (310-440-4500 or www.skirball.org)
MASSACHUSETTS
Labor Day: For the third annual Greater Boston Family Day and Jewish Music Festival 2003, the Shaloh House Chabad of the South Shore Area presents a day of Jewish music, carnival, hayrides, displays, a kosher food court, vendors and a raffle. A children’s stage features music by Steve Meltzer and David Polansky, a magic show by Stephen Brenner, a balloon animal show, face painting, kite making and more. Bands featured are Mizrach, Yom Hadash, Daniel Gil and Band and The Maimonides Jazz Band. Organizers expect more than 10,000 attendees. Prowse Farm, 5 Blue Hill River Road, Canton; Sept. 1, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; $7, $5 children under 12, free under 5, $30 family, free parking. (866-2-SHALOH or www.shalohhouse.com)
PENNSYLVANIA
Fabric Treasures: The “Software: Fabric Treasures of Jewish Tradition, Commemoration and Celebration” exhibit comprises the Temple Judea Museum of Reform Congregation Keneseth Israel’s entire fabric collection, including a set of Torah mantles designed and created by Belle Quitman for the synagogue’s sanctuary, and everything from homemade tallit bags to grand chupahs. The fabrics range in age from the 17th century to the present day and represent religious usage, historic commemorations, the Holocaust, family traditions, folk art and the Masonic Link, the women’s branch of the fraternal organization the Masons. Reform Congregation Keneseth Israel, 8339 Old York Rd., Elkins Park; Sept. 1-Nov. 14, Mon.-Fri., noon-4 p.m. and by appointment; free. (215-887-2027 or [email protected])
TEXAS
Holocaust Currency: “Questionable Issue: Currency of the Holocaust,” a new exhibit opening next week at the Holocaust Museum Houston, features 85 artifacts from the museum’s archival collection of currency issued at 13 Nazi concentration camps or ghettos, including Auschwitz, Dachau, Buchenwald and the Warsaw Ghetto. This is the first time some of these Holocaust artifacts have ever been on view. Holocaust Museum Houston, 5401 Caroline St.; Aug. 28-Nov. 9, Mon.-Fri. 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Sat.-Sun. noon-5 p.m.; free. (713-942-8000 or www.hmh.org)
WASHINGTON, D.C.
In Her Own Words: The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum has extended its exhibition “Anne Frank the Writer: An Unfinished Story,” which includes some of Frank’s writings — in her own hand — on display outside of the Netherlands for the first time. The exhibition includes her photo album, her last diary notebook and other writings less familiar to the public. United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, 100 Raoul Wallenberg Pl.; through Dec. 12, Mon., Wed-Sun. 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m., Tue. 10 a.m.-8 p.m. through Sept. 9; free. (202-488-0400 or www.ushmm.org)
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