Editor’s note: Due to the current security situation, events listed below may be postponed or canceled. Check before booking, and stay safe.
FRIDAY, MAY 3
Join a three-hour guided walking tour of Lifta, a former Arab village near Jerusalem made vacant during the War of Independence, and now a national park. The Hebrew-language tour will explore the rich history of the area, from those who came with Saladin to fight the Crusaders to the Hagana fighters who protected the nascent Jewish state there.
The tour begins at the Kraft Stadium parking lot. NIS 125 per person; 9 a.m. to noon. Register online at eventbuzz.co.il/lp/event/lifta.
SATURDAY, MAY 4
Visit the Train Theater (Hakaron) at 11 a.m. to enjoy the performance Tiny Ocean by Liat Shabtai and Maayan Resnick. This internationally acclaimed puppet show in Hebrew, set in an aquarium, is 50 minutes and is aimed at ages four and up.
The performance involves two girls who make up stories as they play in the water. With five aquariums and 62 fish, this will make quite a weekend splash. The theater space is inside Liberty Bell Park.
NIS 45 per ticket. Call (02) 561-8514 to book.
SUNDAY, MAY 5
Watch the 2016 documentary Die Kinder der Turnstunde (The Children from Sports Class) by Michael Kupczyk at Cinema By Sam Spiegel. This is a new cinema art house now offering top films.
The film follows the Jewish community of Lünen during the Holocaust, using photographs taken at that city’s Jewish school during sports classes. A family relative of those filmed will be present at the event.
This German film has Hebrew subtitles. Free admission. 9 p.m. 3 Menora St. For more, visit cinema.jsfs.co.il.
MONDAY, MAY 6
Attend a unique concert in which Olivier Messiaen’s only symphony, Turangalila-Symphonie, will be performed by the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra under conductor Vasily Petrenko.
The inspiring music offers an exploration of love and death. It was described by the conductor who commissioned it, Serge Koussevitzky, as the best composition of its kind since Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring.
The 8 p.m. concert will be roughly 90 minutes, with no intermission. Jerusalem Theatre, 20 Marcus St. NIS 260-NIS 485 per ticket. Call *3766 to book.
TUESDAY, MAY 7
Harry Potter fans will relish a chance to revisit the movies and series of books with a Hebrew lecture by Shir Reuven and Dor Saar-Man from the very well-liked podcast He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. The 7 p.m. discussion will be followed by a screening of the 2005 film Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, at the Jerusalem Cinematheque, 11 Hebron Rd.
Readers also might be interested in the Kan podcast series created in light of the Oct. 7 Hamas massacre. In it, Reuven and Saar-Man discuss how woke political culture is in deep denial about the horrors committed against Israelis by Hamas. They frame it via the prism of the fantasy world created by J. K. Rowling.
NIS 55. Call (02) 565-4333 to book.
WEDNESDAY, MAY 8
Visit the Israel Goor Theatre Archives and Museum for a 5:30 p.m. Hebrew lecture about archives, memory, and a perspective of an old-fashioned historian offered by Israel Bartel.
The lecture marks 50 years since the archives and museum were founded. Light refreshments will be served from 5 p.m. onward. The public is invited to take part in the discussion following this lecture at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Free admission. Call (02) 588-3986 or email goor1001@gmail.com to learn more.
THURSDAY, MAY 9
Attend a musical performance by Erez Lev Ari at the Yellow Submarine. The concert will include well-known hits such as “Primitives” and “To Love and Release,” adapted to electric guitar and a beating rock ‘n’ roll heart.
Doors open at 9 p.m., performance at 10 p.m. NIS 95 per ticket at pre-sale; NIS 105 at the door. 13 Harechavim St. Call (02) 679-4040 to book.
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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.
