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 13
Watch the 2000 film Pollock, about a groundbreaking moment in American art. Ed Harris, who takes on the role of action-painter Jackson Pollock, directed the film.
Shown as part of the Jerusalem Cinematheque Films for English Speakers series. Note Jeffrey Tambor’s performance as art critic Clement Greenberg, who was very important in establishing the Jackson Pollock myth.6 p.m. at 11 Hebron Rd. NIS 41 per ticket. Call (02) 565-4333 to book.
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 14
Visit “Winter Dreams,” with its dozens of huge illuminated public sculptures currently being shown at the Jerusalem Botanical Gardens. It will delight families who want to experience some fairy-tale magic this season.From 6 p.m. NIS 139 per ticket with various discounts offered upon pre-purchase. Visit www.winterdreams.co.il to learn more.
THE WINTER Dreams Festival at the Jerusalem Botanical Gardens. (credit: Rafaella Churgin Gradstein)
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 15
Consider attending a Hebrew adaptation of The Wizard of Oz performed by the Hashaa (Hour) Theater, with LA-born singer Taylor Malkov as Dorothy.
5 p.m. NIS 89 to NIS 139. Jerusalem Theatre, 20 Marcus St. Hebrew only. Call (02) 560-755 to book.MONDAY, DECEMBER 16
Attend Lyric Opera’s performance of Goplana, a Polish-language opera about the rise and fall of a fictional Slavic queen named Balladyna.
Written by Juliusz Slowacki, the work is lauded by many as one of the peaks of Polish romanticism and is usually compared to Macbeth, as it depicts someone corrupted by powers much larger than anyone can fathom. The opera is named after the nymph Goplana, who serves the same function as the witches in Shakespeare’s play.7:30 p.m. YMCA Jerusalem, 26 King David St. Tickets are sold on a “pay what you may” basis, with NIS 40 as the suggested starting price. Visit www.lyric-opera.org/?l=en# to book.
✱ Watch the 2009 horror film Jennifer’s Body, with Megan Fox in the titular role of an attractive high school flag spinner possessed by a demon that forces her to eat her friends or suffer. The movie shifts cleverly back and forth between the scary and the funny.
It is being screened as part of the Smadar Cinema’s Monday trash films, to encourage new patrons to visit the long-serving Jerusalem cinema – which boasts almost a century of activity since it opened in 1928 as the Orient Cinema.This is a wonderful addition to anyone in the capital who has a taste for the weird. 8:15 p.m. In English. 4 Lloyd George St. NIS 25 per ticket. Visit tickchak.co.il/74173 to book.
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 17
Jazz flutist Hadar Noiberg will perform with harmonica player Ariel Bart at the Yellow Submarine tonight during a free jazz evening. Before attending, it’s worth listening to the 2024 album Trio Project (Ariel Bart) or the 2015 album From the Ground Up (Hadar Noiberg) to experience the music.
9:30 p.m. show. Doors open at 9 p.m. Sitting only. Free. 13 Harekavim St.
✱ Kehillat Talpiot Hachadasha is sponsoring a Hanukkah Hessed Fair, with vendors from the North offering wine, oil, and Judaica items to benefit evacuees from the border. 36 Efrata St., 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Free admission.
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 18
Beer lovers take note: A new batch of 8.3% strong, triple-hopped double Ipa beer is offered at Biratenu Beergarden. NIS 41 for half a liter, not sold in bottles.
Made in Arad by Sheeta Brewery and offered in the capital for a limited time during winter, this is a slightly bitter, a bit fruity drink to mark the wait until light returns.
6 Hillel St. Visit www.biratenu.com/reservations to book a table.
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 19
Take the Tower of David Christmas Tour and visit Santa’s Jerusalem home. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and his eight pals are replaced by camels in Issa Anis Kassissieh’s home, famous around the world as Jerusalem Santa’s house.Having studied how to be Father Christmas at the Charles W. Howard Santa Claus School in Michigan, Kassissieh is delighted to meet children of all ages and share the joy of the holiday.
The encounter with him is the crowning moment of this two-hour tour in the Christian Quarter, which includes tasty treats and some eye-opening insights about the usually overlooked depth of Christmas and its relation to other winter holidays in world cultures.
7 p.m. NIS 90. English-language tour for ages 12 and up. Food offered is not kosher. The last Christmas tour in English is offered on Monday, December 23, at 6:30 p.m.
Call *2884 to book. Tours depart from Tzahal Square. For more info, visit www.tod.org.il/en/event/christmas-tours-en-tod/.
✱ Attend a preview of David, the Servant King, an English-language rock musical performed by a 16-woman cast. Meant for a women-only audience, the performance won so much praise after its Efrat premiere that it is now shown at the Shalva National Center.
The production was written and composed by Shlomit Koffler Weinreb, originally from Baltimore, where she was in the Ayelet HaShachar women’s band. Weinreb moved to Israel three years ago and was inspired by Rabbi Eliyahu Kitov’s 1958 work The Book of Our Heritage, the English title given by its translator, Rabbi Nachman Bulman, to Sefer Hatoda’ah.
8 p.m. 1 Shalva Rd. NIS 70 per ticket. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. To book, go to eventbuzz.co.il/lp/event/davidconcert.
Coming up
Attend Equal Voices at YMCA Jerusalem as part of this year’s Liturgical Festival, with the Jerusalem Baroque Orchestra creating a rich and diverse program for this concert. Oud player Zaher Al-Nassara will perform in a special evening that begins with liturgical poetry from the Middle Ages and ends with Balkan folk music.
Friday, December 20 at 4:30 p.m. 26 King David St. NIS 120 per ticket. Call *6119 to book. Visit liturgicalnazareth.co.il/en to learn more.
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.
