METROPOLITAN NEW YORK
September 11 Commemorations
‘Shabbat of Remembrance’: At the Village Temple’s “Shabbat of Remembrance,” composer Danny Ashkenasi discusses his creative response to the events of September 11, 2001, culminating in his composition “The Book of Job,” weaving biblical text with accounts of the experiences of New Yorkers. After performing featured selections at the Reform services, the composer chats with attendees at a reception. Services are preceded by a reception for those interested in Temple membership. Village Temple, 33 E. 12th St.; Sept. 12, reception 6:30 p.m., services 7:30 p.m., reception 9 p.m.; free. (212-674-2340 or www.villagetemple.org)
For the Record: The Museum of the City of New York hosts a day of September 11-inspired events, including a screening of the HBO documentary “In Memoriam: New York City, 9/11/01” — in which former mayor Rudolph Giuliani and his staff map out that day’s trajectory — and a talk with photographer Joel Meyerowitz about his nine-month project documenting the rescue and recovery efforts at Ground Zero, which is on display at the museum. Also, architect Michael Sorkin discusses his new book, “Starting from Zero: Meditations on Reconstructing New York,” with anthropologist Setha Low. The Museum of the City of New York, Sept. 11, film 1 p.m. and 3 p.m., discussion 4 p.m., Meyerowitz 6 p.m., Sorkin 7 p.m.; free. (212-534-1672 or www.mcny.org)
After Paradise: Playwright Israel Horovitz introduces the screening of the 2002 film version of his play about the impact September 11 had on him, his family and New York City, “3 Weeks After Paradise.” Horovitz answers audience questions following the screening. Proceeds go to the City University of New York Graduate Center’s “3 Weeks After Paradise” Scholarship Fund. CUNY Grad Center, 365 Fifth Ave.; Sept. 11, 6:30 p.m.; $10. (212-817-8215 or http://web.gc.cuny.edu)
Being Reborn: New York authors Erica Jong and Frank McCourt read from their work; Dwana Adiaha Smallwood of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater performs Ailey’s solo “Cry,” and an ensemble performs selections from Olivier Messiaen’s “Quartet for the End of Time” and Mozart’s Clarinet Quintet in A Major with Israeli soloist Alexander Fiterstein. 92nd Street Y, 1395 Lexington Ave.; Sept. 11, 7:30 p.m.; free, reservations recommended. (212-415-5500 or www.92Y.org)
Lectures and Discussions
Holiday Roundup: Drisha Institute for Jewish Education, a center for women’s advanced study of classical Jewish texts, opens its doors to women and men for “The Stanley Rudoff Memorial High Holiday Lecture.” In preparation for atoning on Yom Kippur, Rabbi Joshua Rudoff talks about “Shoes and Teshuvah: Rhyme or Reason.” And in getting ready for Rosh Hashana, Rabbi Dov Linzer discusses “The Symbolic and Halakhic Nature of the Mitzvah of Shofar.” A knowledge of Hebrew is not required. Drisha Institute for Jewish Education, the Jewish Center, 131 W. 86th St.; Sept. 14, Rudoff 4:30 p.m.-5:30 p.m., Linzer 5:45 p.m.-6:45 p.m.; free. (212-595-0307 or www.drisha.org)
One Side of Two Worlds: Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch, a Reform rabbi who wrote a book called “One People, Two Worlds” with Rabbi Yosef Reinman, an ultra-Orthodox rabbi, about the issues that divide them, discusses the principles of Judaism. After the book was banned within the ultra-Orthodox community, Reinman scaled back his 17-city book tour. Makor, 35 W. 67th St.; Sept. 15, noon-1 p.m.; $15. (212-601-1000 or www.makor.org); Central Queens YM & YWHA, 67-09 108th St., Forest Hills; Sept. 16, 1:30 p.m.; $3. (718-268-5011 or [email protected])
Calling Civil War Buffs: Civil War historian Bud Livingston discusses “American Jewry and the Civil War” at a monthly meeting of the Jewish Historical Society of New York. Jewish trivia tidbits offered up include stories about senators, a general and a Confederate as well as an order issued by General Ulysses S. Grant to expel Jews from their homes. Central Synagogue Community House, 123 E. 55th St.; Sept. 14, 2 p.m.; $5. (212-415-5544)
Child Abuse: Brian Leggiere, a psychologist, speaks on “Child Abuse in Jewish Families: How the Jewish Community is Facing This Important Issue” at a meeting of the Lillian Wald Nurses Council of the New York Chapter of Hadassah. Leggiere discloses the extent of child abuse in the Jewish community and gives an update on the existing programs dealing with it. Proceeds go to the newly opened clinical master’s degree program at the Hadassah Hebrew University School of Nursing. A kosher dairy dinner is served. New York Chapter of Hadassah, 575 Lexington Ave.; Sept. 16, registration 6:15p.m.-6:30 p.m., program 6:30 p.m.-8 p.m.; $18, $12 with reservations. (212-751-7050)
Conference
On Your Terms: For “Lishmah: A Day of Traditional and Untraditional Learning,” scores of leading rabbis, writers, musicians, activists, storytellers and scholars of all denominations — please visit www.lishmah.org for a complete list — convene for lectures, discussions, performances and workshops that reflect the many perspectives Jewish texts and traditions inspire. Skirball Center for Adult Jewish Education, 10 E. 66th St.; Sept. 14, 9 a.m.-7 p.m.; $25, $18 in advance. (866-2LISHMA or www.lishmah.org)
‘Canciónes Sephardi’: The Los Angeles Jewish Symphony opens its 10th-anniversary concert season with Tel Aviv-Los Angeles composer Yuval Ron’s “Canciónes Sephardi — A Celebration of Sephardic Music,” featuring Yair Dalal on oud, Avi Agababa on percussion, dancer Or Nili Azulay, Adam del Monte on flamenco guitar, Yemenite vocalist Maya Haddi and Houston vocalist Isabelle Ganz. The concert highlights Sephardic and Mizrachi (Eastern) traditions and includes works by American composer-conductor David Eaton and Israeli composer Noam Sheriff. International Cultural Center, 4357 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles; Sept. 14, 7 p.m.; $18, $25, $36. (310-478-9311 or www.lajewish- symphony.com)
‘Bible by the Bay’: “Bible by the Bay” is an interdenominational daylong celebration of the heritage of the Bible with an emphasis on justice and compassion. At 1 p.m., there are educational workshops and a “Biblical Fair” with activities for children. In “The Bible in Word and Song,” an evening concert, Bay Area personalities and performers sing or read their favorite biblical passages; the lineup includes Senator Barbara Boxer, poet Marcia Falk and Rabbi Michael Lerner. Osher Marin Jewish Community Center, 200 N. San Pedro Road, San Rafael; Sept. 14, 1 p.m.-9 p.m.; workshops $20, $15 students, children’s fair $5, evening event $15, $10 students. (415-444-8000 or www.marinjcc.org)
ILLINOIS
Polish Priest: Father Romuald-Jakub Weksler-Waszkinel, a professor at Catholic University in Lublin, Poland, was 35 when he discovered that his mother was a Jewish woman who during the Holocaust had asked a Catholic woman to raise him. The priest, who has dedicated himself to improving Catholic-Jewish relations in Poland and throughout the world, shares his story. Chicago Cultural Center, Claudia Cassidy Theater, 78 E. Washington St.; Sept. 15, 6 p.m.-8:30 p.m.; free. (312-742-5320 or www.cityofchicago.org/tour/culturalcenter)
NORTH CAROLINA
Arts Alive: The fifth annual Jewish Community Cultural Festival provides Charlotteans with the opportunity to immerse themselves in more than 50 events, including films, music, art, literature, food and lectures. The two-month-long festival kicks off with a screening of the controversial “Relentless: The Struggle for Peace in Israel” (2002) and the Luski Family Concert singing show tunes by Jewish composers. Speakers in the lineup include New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman and famed attorney Alan Dershowitz. The festival is held in conjunction with the Levine Museum of the New South’s exhibit “A Portion of the People: 300 Years of Southern Jewish Experience.” Charlotte, please call or visit Web site for complete listings; Sept. 7-Dec. 14. (704-944-6725 or www.charlottejewishfestival.org)
WASHINGTON, D.C.
Courtroom Win: Holocaust scholar Deborah Lipstadt discusses her British courtroom victory over David Irving in “Denial on Trial: Defending the History of the Holocaust in a British Courtroom,” the Monna and Otto Winmann Annual Lecture. Irving sued Lisptadt for libel after she referred to him as a Holocaust denier in her book “Denying the Holocaust.” United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Helena Rubenstein Auditorium, 100 Raoul Wallenberg Place, S.W.; Sept. 10, 7 p.m.-8:30 p.m.; free. (202-488-6162 or www.ushmm.org)
WISCONSIN
All in the Family: “Generation to Generation” features roughly 30 watercolor paintings by artist Barbara Kohl-Spiro and her 9-year-old granddaughter, Samantha Kohl. The intergenerational mission, the younger Kohl said, is to create “art and joy to add goodness to the world.” Harry & Rose Samson Family Jewish Community Center, 6255 N. Santa Monica Blvd., Milwaukee; reception Sept. 7, 1 p.m.-3 p.m., exhibit Sept. 7-Oct. 9, Mon.-Fri. 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; free. (414-967-8235 or www.jccmilwaukee.org)
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