FRIDAY, AUGUST 18
Readers who met with puppeteer Shmuel Shohat at the Jerusalem Theatre last week and are curious to learn more about this vast artistic realm might relish a chance to view the works of another outstanding puppeteer, Egyptian artist Wael Shawky.
His 2015 production Cabaret Crusades is freely available to be viewed online. Based on the 1983 study The Crusades through Arab Eyes by Amin Maalouf, the theatrical production depicts the history of the Crusades from a new perspective. Arabic with English subtitles. See vimeo.com/148769148.
SATURDAY, AUGUST 19
Visit the Jerusalem Cinematheque to watch Hopper: An American Love at 7 p.m. Shown during the 2023 Exhibition on Screen series of films. Directed by Phil Grabsky, this English-language movie takes a deep look into the life of American painter Edward Hopper, which is intertwined with the recent extensive exhibition of his works shown at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City. NIS 41 per ticket. 11 Hebron Rd. Book via (02) 565-4333.
SUNDAY, AUGUST 20
Join an online screening of Homeboys at 8 p.m. and attend a 9:30 p.m. Hebrew discussion with directors Tamar Goren and Amir Sade. The film depicts the lives of two Israeli-raised Sudanese teenagers, Samuel and Isaac. Deported from Israel in 2012, they are living in Uganda as refugees.
Amir Sadee is an accomplished musician who usually works with Ben Maor (2021, Real Gangsters album). Maor flew to Uganda to work with Samuel and Isaac on their music. As Sadee himself sings, “Good people are like a beer in Passover/ if you look hard enough, you can find one.”
English-language film with Hebrew subtitles. Offered on a goodwill donation base. Sign up via www.yonatannir.com/homeboys.
MONDAY, AUGUST 21
Watch the Hebrew theatrical comedy Domination Games at 9 p.m. as part of the Jerusalem Comedy Festival. Written by Neama Shachar, the play depicts various characters who want to spice up their sex lives.
What happens when this game of pretense treads a little too close to pain?
A married woman asks her husband to pretend he is an Arab man; a gay man asks his partner to slap him, but the lover refuses; and what would you do if your significant other confesses to always wanting to be held as a lapdog? Well, this is the show for the daring. NIS 85 per ticket. Nisan Nativ Studio, 3 Menora St. Call (02) 673-3414 to book.
TUESDAY, AUGUST 22
Visit the Israel Museum Jerusalem to enjoy a tour of The Stutter of History, a new exhibition by German artist Thomas Demand (shown until February 10), presented by curator Nirith Nelson. The 7 p.m. tour is in Hebrew.
Demand is famous for making paper models of a specific space, for example, a control room, and offering the viewer a photograph of the space. The paper models are life-size and are often destroyed after the photograph is taken. They also contain tiny flaws, which set them apart from the truly real spaces they represent.
The photographs refer to some iconic images, for example, the barn Jackson Pollock painted while living in East Hampton (real-world photo by Hans Namuth, a 1997 work by Demand called Barn) or the 2011 work Control Room, which offers a glimpse into the Fukushima power plant during its meltdown (the power plant is real, the paper model is fake).
Demand was described by New York Times art critic Michael Kimmerlman as a “cunning artist who offers deadpan, lush hypnotic panoramas.” This tour would serve as a good introduction to Demand’s oeuvre.
The tour is included in the museum’s NIS 54 entrance fee. Those under age 17 note: You can enter the museum for free during August and enjoy this tour, for example, gratis. 11 Ruppin Road. Call (02) 670-8811 to learn more.
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 23
Ice skate during the summer at the First Station between 10 a.m. and 11 p.m. Each ticket buys a 45-minute time slot to skate and chill. NIS 65 per ticket. For ages five and up. Dress warmly. To book, call *6565.
THURSDAY, AUGUST 24
Holtzer Books is celebrating its 13th anniversary as an independent bookstore and publishing house in the capital. Everyone is welcome to the bar mitzvah festivities.
Visit at 8 p.m. for a special Hebrew meeting with the owner, Leor Holzer, and discover the new books released by the publishing house. These include the long-believed lost Hebrew translation of Risalah fi’l-‘aql (De intellectue in Latin, or an Epistle on the Intellect in English). The translation of this work by the great Muslim thinker al-Farabi into Hebrew was done in the Middle Ages (NIS 89). The great thinker was murdered by bandits from Ashkelon in 950.
Other recent publications include The Dawn of Abraham by Abraham Miguel Cardoso. This Kabbalistic work by one of the chief supporters of the false messiah Sabbatai Zvi will be of great interest to scholars (NIS 98). 91 Jaffa St. Visit holzerbooks.com for more information.
HEADS UP
Join a special Friday, August 25 summer walk in Jerusalem in the footsteps of Nachmanides, the famed Torah scholar who came to the Land of Israel in 1267 after arguing on behalf of the Jewish faith against Christianity in Spain, and winning the 1263 Disputation of Barcelona.
A highly learned man and accomplished leader, Nachmanides described the sad state of affairs of the Jewish people living in Jerusalem based on what he saw with his own eyes on his tour.
The 10 a.m. Hebrew guided walk is offered by the Tower of David Museum at NIS 70 per ticket. Call *2884 to purchase tickets.
Like al-Farabi, Nachmanides was likely murdered by Arab bandits in 1270 near Acre, since his letters stopped, and there is no more record of his activities beyond that date.
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.
