Jerusalem highlights January 12-18

By HAGAY HACOHEN JANUARY 12, 2024 06:49

Editor’s note: Due to the current security situation, events listed below may be postponed or canceled. Check before booking, and stay safe.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 12

Join a tour at the Bible Lands Museum with specialist Timna Elper, who will discuss 2,000-year-old Coptic fabrics in the museum’s collection. Elper will talk about what these fabrics were used for and how they will be displayed to the public during an upcoming exhibition.

The tour, in Hebrew, starts at 11 a.m. and will conclude with a noon concert of Baroque harp music performed by Sarah Shemesh. The concert is included in the admission ticket price (NIS 44). 21 Shmuel Stefan Wise St. For more information, call (02) 561-1066.

SATURDAY, JANUARY 13

Visit the Jerusalem Cinematheque and watch Nora, a 2023 documentary that follows animal rights activist Nora Lipschitz as she rescues fruit bats and other animals.

Lipschitz lives with hundreds of bats, some turkeys, and other animals. She is completely devoted to their well-being, even at the risk of her own. Directed by Matam Ben Moreh, this is an impressive, highly moving portrait of an unusually brave woman. The Hebrew film starts at 6 p.m. NIS 41 per ticket. 11 Hebron Road. Call (02) 565-4333 to book.

Jerusalem Cinematheque unveils renovated auditorium (credit: Courtesy)

SUNDAY, JANUARY 14

Visit the Four in the Neighborhood exhibition and see works by Nitzan Yulzari; Tamar Shalit-Avni; Ora Lev; Yael Sonnino-Levy; Tom Porat; and Bar Faber. The six artists explored various locations and oral histories in the Musrara neighborhood, such as the water well on Shivtai Yisrael Street. (Voices on the Water by Nitzan Yulzari) and stories about woods and wolves that once existed there (Four Trees by Ora Lev).

The exhibition speaks of four in the neighborhood and not six because Sonnino-Levy and Shalit-Avni worked together (Sisterhood) as did Porat and Faber (Mapping Community Tales), so there are four themes explored in total.

Free admission. 22 Shivtai Yisrael St., third floor. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Curated by Ayelet Hashahar Cohen. Supported by the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Artists’ Greenhouse for Excellence. Now in its second year, the program will end in 2025.

✱ Enjoy a concert with the Jerusalem Baroque Orchestra, which hosts historical keyboard instruments expert Fernando Miguel Jaloto. A world-famous Portuguese master, Jaloto will perform works by Rameu (Concerto No. 2); Bach (Concerto for Keyboard in A Major); Geminiani (Concerto Grosso Op. 2 No. 2); Carlos Seixas (Concerto for Harpsichord); and Telemann (Le Bizarre). 8 p.m. YMCA Jerusalem, 26 King David St. NIS 130 per ticket. Call (02) 671-588 to book.

MONDAY, JANUARY 15

Attend an online screening of Family Time by Nitzan Gilady. The 2010 documentary follows a Yemenite-Israeli family during a once-in-a-lifetime trip to the Grand Canyon. During the vacation, we learn about the inner tensions in the family over the homosexuality of one of its members.

The 8 p.m. screening is followed by a 9:30 p.m. virtual meeting with the director. Hebrew. This is a pay-what-you-may online event. To sign up, visit https://www.yonatannir.com/family.

TUESDAY, JANUARY 16

Visit the Tastes of Heaven – Tales of the Arab Kitchen exhibition at the Museum for Islamic Art and enjoy a guided, tour. The exhibits range from bread soup (tharid), said to be the favorite food of the prophet Muhammad, to the 850-kg. sugar palaces presented to the court of the Fatimid Caliphate in Cairo in 990 CE to mark the Eid al-Fitar meal.

The Hebrew-only tour begins at 10 a.m. and runs for 45 minutes. NIS 44 per ticket. Call (02) 566-1291 to book. 2 Palmach St.

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 17

The Hebrew University Department of Theater Studies, in collaboration with the Urban Clinic, opened a green roof to serve as an inclusive space during wartime, on the fourth floor of the Rabin Building.

Forty-five Jewish and Arab students gathered and worked together using performance studies and urban activism tools to co-build the space – no small feat during an ongoing war. The space is available to students, visitors, and those seeking a space for performances or lectures.

✱ If you feel a need to express yourself during the current war, consider visiting Feel Beit during their ongoing project No Words. Starting at 7 p.m., visitors are invited to enter 4 Naomi St. to spend time with Jewish and Arab artists working in Jerusalem and explore mutual projects.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 18

Take a guided English-language tour at the Tower of David Jerusalem Museum, at the Jaffa Gate. This is a chance to explore the rich, sacred history of the capital and enjoy the museum’s galleries, interactive screens, and a panoramic view of the Old City. 90 minutes. NIS 50. Call *2884 to book.

✱ Attend a special guest concert as the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra hosts the Israel Sinfonietta Beer Sheva. Conductor Rani Calderon and trumpet player Arik Amitay will perform the overture of La Nozze di Figaro by Mozart; Haydn’s Trumpet Concerto; and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7.

The symphony’s 1813 premiere was held during wartime as well. Back then, patrons bought tickets knowing that the money would be used to aid German-speaking soldiers wounded in the Battle of Hanau during the Napoleonic Wars. 7:30 p.m. NIS 99 per ticket. The two-hour performance has one intermission. Henry Crown Symphony Hall, Jerusalem Theatre, 5 Chopin St. Call (02) 561-1498 to reserve.

Throwing a special party? Opening an art exhibition or a new bar? Bringing in a guest speaker to introduce a fascinating topic? Drop 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.