Editor’s note: Due to the ongoing security situation, events listed below may be postponed or canceled. Check before booking, and stay safe.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18
Attend the noon opening of “Yerushalima,” a new art exhibition by Yoram Blumenkraz (who also curated it) at the Agripas 23 gallery. Blumenkraz is deeply engaged with the meeting points between art, education, and activism. The works here focus on his childhood in south Tel Aviv and offer a coastal look into the capital.
On display until Saturday, November 23. Free.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 19
Visit “Dreamodeldivinity,” a new exhibition by Ruth Feuerstein, curated by Ariel Hacohen, at the Art Cube Artists’ Studios. She is a poet as well as an artist, and her delicate drawings remind the viewer of sacred art and much older artworks like the 17th-century German painting Bird of Self Knowledge by an unknown master.
An album with poetry and images titled The Book of Oblivion and Redemption will be released at a special event held at the gallery on Wednesday, November 6, at 8 p.m.
Hours on Saturday are 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Monday to Thursday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Friday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Closed Sunday. Free. 26 HaOman St. Call (02) 679-7508 for more.
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 20
Attend a public reading and discussion of the poetry of Anna Akhmatova, the pen name of Anna Andreyevna Gorenko, in the Hebrew translation by Rita Kogan. The poems were published in The Glove of the Left Hand, a 2022 publication that includes works by Akhamatova, as well as by Marina Tsvetaeva, in the Hebrew translation by Sivan Beskin.
It is difficult to overstate the importance of these two poets to Russian poetry and civilization. Perhaps one story would be enough: Stalin ordered Akhmatova to be rescued from Stalingrad, since he considered her a vital asset of Russian culture.
This is one event during the three-day Songs of the Ushpizin festival (Sunday to Tuesday) at the Confederation House, 12 Emil Bota St.
2:30 p.m. One-hour Hebrew event. NIS 30 per ticket. Call (02) 439-9360 to book.
MONDAY, OCTOBER 21
Take in Festive Pulse, a concert in the Classical Series by the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra at the Jerusalem Theatre. Maestro Julian Rachlin will perform Violin Concerto No. 3 by Mozart; Symphony No. 5 by Tchaikovsky; and Festive Pulse by Israeli composer Benjamin Yusupov.
7:30 p.m. 20 Marcus St. 90 minutes, with one intermission. NIS 150 per ticket. Call (02) 561-1498 to book.
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 22
Watch The Fox and the Tree, a theater production for children directed by Moriya Ben Avot and created by Chen Lev Ari. The show is based on the 2008 book Fletcher and the Falling Leaves by Julia Rawlinson.
Fletcher is a fox. He is worried about the changes his beloved tree is going through in the fall, but the change is not as bad as Fletcher feared.
The 10:30 a.m. show is part of the two-day Sukkot mini-festival offered by Train Theater, from Monday to Tuesday. It is also possible to attend a free, 30-minute Hebrew workshop for children three years old and up on how to make decorations for the sukkah.
NIS 35 for The Fox and the Tree. The workshop is offered until 12:30 p.m. and pre-registration is required. Call (02) 561-8514 to book. Gan HaPa’amon. Visit www.traintheater.co.il/en.
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 23
Mark Simchat Torah by visiting the National Library of Israel (NLI) website and enjoy access to the Orit, the Torah written in Ge’ez that kept Jewish culture in Ethiopia alive.
Seventeen such manuscripts were scanned; the first to be made for public viewing is an 18th-century text that survived the long and risky journey from Ethiopia to Sudan, when aliyah from Ethiopia was possible. This Orit survived an attack by robbers, who decided not to take this sacred object. Link: www.nli.org.il/en/manuscripts
This is another important aspect of the larger mission of the NLI, to save Jewish and universal cultural treasures and promote public interest and awareness about them.
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 24
Watch the film Grizzly Man at the Jerusalem Cinematheque as part of a tribute to German filmmaker Werner Herzog. The 2005 documentary is about Timothy Treadwell, who very much loved bears. This is a classic Herzognean hero: obsessive, sensitive, and close to mad.
6:15 p.m. English with Hebrew subtitles. NIS 24 per ticket. 11 Hebron Rd. Call (02) 565-4333 to book.
Throwing a special event? Opening an art exhibition or a new bar? Bringing in a guest speaker to introduce a fascinating topic? Email hagay_hacohen@yahoo.com and let In Jerusalem know about it. Write “Jerusalem Highlights” in the subject line. Although all information is welcome, we cannot guarantee it will be featured in the column.
