Editor’s note: Due to the ongoing security situation, events listed below may be postponed or canceled. Check before booking, and stay safe.
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 20
Watch the film The Apprentice at the Jerusalem Cinematheque. Directed by Ali Abbasi, the film depicts the 15-year relationship between lawyer Roy Cohn (Jeremy Strong) and Donald Trump (Sebastian Stan). Regarded by many as a period that shaped Trump, who was recently reelected to serve as the US’s 47th president, this movie is intended to give viewers a fuller understanding of his life and personality.
6 p.m. 11 Hebron Rd. NIS 41 per ticket. Call (02) 565-4333 to book.
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 21
Did you know that Mazkeka is open on Saturday mornings? Come get your morning cup of Joe starting from 10 a.m. Continue with a scoop of ice cream with fermented raspberry coulis (NIS 12) and consider booking a ticket to the Friday, December 27, performance of Kashaiof, now on tour promoting their album Days.
3 Shoshan St. The Friday performance begins at 9 p.m. NIS 50 at the door; NIS 40 at pre-booking. Visit kashaiof.bandcamp.com to learn more.
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 22
Put on your dancing shoes and come to the swing dance classes offered at the Lev Ha’ir Community Center in Nahlaot. Taught by Or Kedar, the Swing Wings Dance School offers a 6:45 p.m. class for advanced students, an 8 p.m. class for beginners (free for first-timers), and a 9:15 p.m. party for anyone who wants to join.
6 Ha’erez St. Top floor of the center. Monthly passes are offered at NIS 200 for each group (advanced or beginners). A party-only subscription is NIS 80.
MONDAY, DECEMBER 23
Readers who want to pick up a new language or practice one they hardly use are welcome to visit JerusaLang. This language-exchange evening takes place at The Garage, a vintage store and social activism space in the former President Hotel.
8:30 p.m. at 3 Ahad Ha’am St. Free.
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 24
Can anything good come out of Nazareth? (John 1:46). Come and see at the YMCA annual Christmas Concert. Pianist Nizar Elkhater, opera singer Nour Darwish, and conductor Itay Berckovitch offer a wide selection of sacred holiday music, beginning with Mozart’s Alleluia and ending with Ziad Rahbani’s “Oh Virgin Mary” (“Ya Miriam El Bekr”) and Hugh Martin’s “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.”
At 8 p.m., festive church bells will ring outside the YMCA. The performance begins at 8:30 p.m.
26 King David St. NIS 140 per ticket. All proceeds will support orphans. Call *6119 to book or visit liturgicalnazareth.co.il/en.
✱ Get a few laughs with stand-up comedian Eli Lebowicz at his pre-Hanukkah comedy special. This English-language, one-man performance places at the Pelech Girls’ High School auditorium in Baka.
8 p.m. 31 Yehuda St. $27.45 per ticket. Visit www.elicomedy.com to book.
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 25
Visit the opening of the In Print festival, a holiday celebration of art books and prints at Hansen House. The 5:30 p.m. opening includes doughnuts, wine, and the lighting of the first candle of Hanukkah.
Learn more about Hansen House’s history by joining a free guided walk in Hebrew, on Friday, December 27, at 10 a.m. The tour will explore how a former hospital for lepers became a thriving art and media center.
14 Gedalyahu Alon St. Call (02) 579-3702 for more information. Free.
✱ Join the Sophie Udin Na’amat Chapter for a pre-Hanukkah celebration and enjoy the delicious doughnuts and drinks as a selection of holiday songs are led by cantor Evan Cohen of the Har-El Congregation in Jerusalem.
1 p.m. English-speaking event. NIS 25. All proceeds go to charity. Meshanot Center, corner of Jabotinsky and Shalom Aleichem streets. For more information and registration, call Anna Lerner at 055-662-4732.
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 26
Attend First Born, a comprehensive festival that features recent graduates of various art schools in the capital. The program includes a 7 p.m. public performance of music from Al-Andalus (Southern Spain, the land ruled by Muslims from 711 to 1492) at the entrance to the School of Visual Theater.
At 9 p.m., enjoy a performance by Tamar Shawki and the 16-member Jerusalem Maqam Group. From the Arabic word for “ascent” – also “location” and “place” – the Maqam musical universe encompasses not just Arab music but also Turkish and Persian musical cultures. The performance is held in the hall of the Center for Middle Eastern Classical Music.
Theater lovers might want to attend the 8 p.m. performance of The Lamenters by Hanoch Levin. Directed by Efim Rinenberg, Nissan Nativ acting studio graduates will perform this Hebrew play, the last one that Levin wrote, in the school’s theater hall.
11 Bezalel St. Free. Visit bechorot.co.il/category/thursday for more.
LOOKING AHEAD...
MONDAY, DECEMBER 30
Want to capture the best of the year ahead? Take an English-language photography workshop with Rebecca Kowalsky on the sixth night of Hanukkah and master your smartphone camera.
5 p.m. For more information, call 054-593-2049 or email rebecca.kowalsky@gmail.com with CLUB in the subject line to receive more info or join the Traveling Photography Club.
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.
