Jerusalem Highlights Week of June 18-24: Brooklyn Bake Shop
Brooklyn Bake Shop serves Jewish cakes and breads that taste like home and Cinematheque is premiering "Gates of Jerusalem."
By HAGAY HACOHENSWEAT,’ A new Polish film about a fitness trainer with a massive social media following.(photo credit: ILLUSTRATIVE; UNSPLASH/ JOHN HOWARD)Friday June 18: Today is your chance to visit elderly people and brighten up their day with a special musical Kabbalat Shabbat as part of a one-day volunteering option. Meant for people between the ages of 18 to 35. Please be aware that by signing up you are taking a spot someone else could use so please reach out only if you fully intend to participate. The volunteering is according to the Health Ministry guidelines and you must wear a mask during it.A Musical Kabbalat Shabbat with the elderly. Info: www.eventbrite.com/e/jlm-kabbalat-shabat-with-the-elderly--tickets-156942139163 If you are interested in doing community work but Friday is not a good match for you there are plenty of other options all over the country via odsv.orgSunday June 20: Swedish film director Magnus von Horn relocated to Poland to make his films. His most recent one, Sweat, will be screened this evening at the Jerusalem Cinematheque after winning many awards in festivals around the world. Actress Magdalena Kolesnik plays a fitness trainer who gains a massive online following and becomes a much-loved, as well as hated, figure due to her positive attitude and attractiveness. Her fame comes at a cost.Poland does have female fitness trainers who maintain a massive following on social media, such as Ewa Chodakowska, who has more than two million followers. Von Horn hinted during a Variety interview that his film is inspired by a real trainer but did not divulge which one. Strangely, this is the second film to come out of Poland recently dealing with social media. The first was The Hater (2020) by Jan Jomasa. That film tells the story of a young man who decides to use his skills on social media to wreck the lives of others and make a career in politics. A powerful and at times shocking film, The Hater is available on Netflix.Sweat will be shown at 8:30 p.m. at the Jerusalem Cinematheque. 11 Hebron Rd., (02) 565-4333. Tickets are NIS 40.Film patrons who opt to visit the Cinematheque might enjoy taking the lift to enjoy the new “Gates of Jerusalem” exhibition by Leah Jacobson around the larger theme of the gates to the city. If you love it, why not invest in a collection of postcards based on the paintings and send a lovely object via the post office to friends and relatives abroad? Jacobson also makes personal ketubot.“Gates of Jerusalem” by Leah Jacobson will be on display until June 23. Eight postcards are NIS 75 and can be bought via: www.leahjart.com/ or by calling the artist at 052-324-6181.Monday June 21: When workers at the urban kibbutz Ramat Rahel built a water tower in 1954 they found remains going all the way back to the period of the First Temple. The result is a stunning archeological garden. Tour guide Miriam Simon offers an afternoon tour that includes the history of the place during the wars of Israel and how “from nothing, something beautiful was born.”Touring Ramat Rahel is NIS 60 per person, the meeting spot is the bus stop at the entrance to the kibbutz hotel at 5 p.m. (To get there, ride bus number 7 all the way to the last stop.) The tour is roughly two hours long. To book ahead, contact Miriam at mirsafira@yahoo.com or 054-521-6933.
Thursday June 24: US artist Laurie Anderson honored the memory of her dog Lolabelle by creating the 2015 film Heart of a Dog. The Jerusalem Dance Theater company will present today The Return of the Unicorn. Choreographed by Eyal Nahum, the performance is a dialog with Anderson and her multi-faceted career as we join her on a journey considering loving and loss. Those considering the show might do well to listen to the 1992 album by Lou Reed, Magic and Loss. Reed, who was married to Anderson, died in 2013.“There’s a little bit of magic in everything,” he sings in that album, “and there’s loss, to even things out.” Noam Rotem released a Hebrew cover version of one of the songs in that album, “Sword of Damocles,” in 2011.The Return of the Unicorn, 8:30 p.m. Beit Mezia for Theater, 18 Mesilat Yesharim St. (02) 623-0002. Tickets are NIS 60, NIS 45 for IDF soldiers/students/seniors.Brooklyn Bake Shop – This might just be the place to stop by to give yourself a break during the coming week. It’s a small but charming ultra-Orthodox bakery with a lovely choice for anyone seeking quality cakes and bread that have that old-school Jewish vibe: Kugelhof, mix pie, white fudge and the likes.Phone for orders at (02) 538-0630. Mea She’arim 15. Open daily from 9 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Friday from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.Throwing a good party? Opening an art exhibition or a new bar? Bringing in a guest speaker to introduce a fascinating topic? Why not 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. While all information is welcome, receiving such notifications is not a guarantee they will be featured in the column.
