NYC Jewish-y Events, July 20 – July 30

 

Editor’s Picks:

MY LIFE ON A DIET
Renée Taylor, the Emmy-winning writer and actress best known for her role as Fran Fine’s (“The Nanny”) food-obsessed mother, stars as her hungry self in the new Off-Broadway comedy, “My Life on a Diet.” Written by Taylor and her late husband, Joseph Bologna, the play tracks the actress’ highs and lows, both in life and on the scale, as well as personal anecdotes and weight loss tips from Hollywood legends such as Joan Crawford, Marilyn Monroe and Marlon Brando. “A few years ago, I had the pleasure to work with my friend Nora Ephron on her wonderful play, ‘Love, Loss, and What I Wore,’” Taylor explained in a release. “I told her that, as a woman who had worn every size from 4 to 18 over the years, my version of the play would be called, ‘Love, Loss and What I Ate.’” — Through Sunday, Aug. 19, Theatre at St. Clement’s, 423 W. 46th St. For tickets call (212) 239-6200 or visit MyLifeOnADietPlay.com.

FLEEING FUNDAMENTALISM
Three women — a Muslim, a Christian and a Jew — describe their lives and escapes from fundamentalist backgrounds. Yasmine Mohammed speaks about her marriage to an al-Qaeda member. Megan Phelps-Roper describes her experiences of picketing funerals with a “God Hates Fags” sign, and radio journalist Frimet Goldberger, a former chasid, discusses living in fear of the modesty police. — Tuesday, July 31, 7:30 p.m., Symphony Space, 2537 Broadway, (212) 864-5400, symphonyspace.org.

PLACING MEMORY

Two Israeli-American artists, Gal Cohen and Zac Hacmon, examine the nexus between architecture and collective memory in their multimedia exhibit, “Placing Memory.” Drawing on archival materials, Cohen uses paintings and installations to resurrect the now-demolished houses that shaped the childhood landscape of her hometown in Hadera. Fascinated by the identity-less spaces he encountered in his new home here, Hacmon uses a series of 4-by-4-inch tiles and stainless-steel grab bars to create architectural elements that negate identity. Both artists are trying to bridge between the place they came from and the place they are now. — Through Saturday, July 28, 3:30 – 7 p.m., The Clemente, 107 Suffolk St., theclementecenter.org.

Theater

TEVYE SERVED RAW
Find out what happens to the beloved characters in “Fiddler on the Roof” after the musical ends, with “Tevye Served Raw.” The show includes Sholem Aleichem’s account of what happened (“the Tevye tales they left out of the musical”), adaptations of his Tevye stories, scenes from his long-unseen Yiddish stage version and three of his newly adapted stories. —Through Aug. 14, Playroom Theatre, 151 W. 46th St., tevyeservedraw.com, (800) 838-3006.

FIDDLER IN YIDDISHDirected by Oscar- and Tony Award-winner Joel Grey, a rich Yiddish translation by the late Shraga Friedman adds new depth and dimension to the iconic musical. Presented by National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene at the Museum of Jewish Heritage. — Extended through Sept. 2, Museum of Jewish Heritage, 36 Battery Place, (866) 811-4111, mjhnyc.org.

SKINTIGHT

Joshua Harmon (“Bad Jews,” “Admissions”) is back with “Skintight,” starring Idina Menzel as Jodi Isaac, who turns to her father, a famous fashion designer, for support after her ex-husband’s engagement to a younger woman. Dad, it turns out, is wrapped up in his Greenwich Village townhouse with a 20-something guy who’s probably gay and an adult film star. Billed as a “scorching story of beauty, youth and sex.”— Through Aug. 26, Laura Pels Theater, 111 W. 46th St., roundabouttheatre.org. $119.

VITALY: AN EVENING OF WONDERS
Israel-raised magician Vitaly Beckman has wowed audiences with innovative illusions, and he is now making his NYC debut. Recommended for ages 8 and up. — Through Sept. 30, Westside Theatre, 407 W. 43rd St. (9th-10th avenues), telecharge.com. $89.

Dance

BATSHEVA – THE YOUNG ENSEMBLE

In the second week of its two-week run, the youth troupe of the acclaimed Batsheva company performs “Naharin’s Virus,” a work by the company’s leader, Ohad Naharin. An exploration into the boundaries of language, the piece is set to a soundtrack blending Palestinian folk music, classical music and recorded text from Peter Handke’s play “Offending the Audience.” — Through Sunday, July 22, The Joyce Theater, 175 Eighth Ave., (212) 242-0800,  joyce.org.

Film

RBG

At 84, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has developed a breathtaking legal legacy while becoming an unexpected pop culture icon. A documentary from Betsy West and Julie Cohen, “RBG” explores Ginsburg’s unique life, career and legacy. Co-produced by Storyville Films and CNN Films. — In wide release.

IN BETWEEN

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPiVZj8Mm7o

Three Palestinian women living in an apartment in Tel Aviv try to find a balance between traditional and modern culture. Co-presented with New Plaza Cinema. — Monday, July 23, 7 p.m., and Tuesday, July 24, 4:30 p.m. Marlene Meyerson JCC, 334 Amsterdam Ave., (646) 505-4444, jccmanhattan.org. 

YONIA FAIN: WITH PEN AND PAINTBRUSH
Sheva Zucker, executive director of the League for Yiddish, interviews writer and painter Yonia Fain, entirely in Yiddish with English subtitles, enhanced by photos and music. — Tuesday, July 26, 7 p.m., Center for Jewish History, 15 W. 16th St., (212) 294-8301, cjh.org.

Music

ITAI KRISS AND TELAVANA

Itai Kriss, “one of the most exciting new flutist-composers” in New York (Jazzwax), fuses jazz with Latin and Middle Eastern sounds. Comprised of equal parts Cubans and Israelis, his Telavana ensemble plays a mix of timba, soul, North African and Israeli music that bridges the Mideast and the Caribbean. — Friday, July 20, 7:30-10 p.m., Smalls Jazz Club, 183 W. 10th St., (646) 476-4346, smallslive.com.

DANA HERZ
Blending sounds from the Middle East with R&B, soul, jazz and American folk, the Israeli-American singer and composer has been hailed as “a beautiful force of raw, pure talent … with a voice that is completely her own” (singer/songwriter Becca Stevens). — Sunday, July 22, 7 p.m., Rockwood Music Hall, 196 Allen St., (212) 477-4155, rockwoodmusichall.com.

LIOR MILLIGER QUARTET

Lior Milliger, an Israeli-raised, New York-based saxophonist, combines avant-garde jazz, and Middle Eastern and modern classical influences. — Sunday, July 29, 8 p.m., Cornelia Street Café, 29 Cornelia St., (212) 989-9319, corneliastreetcafe.com.

CLERIC PERFORMS JOHN ZORN’S BOOK BERIAH
Cleric, the psychedelic ambient experimental rock band, performs “The Book of Beriah” by composer/saxophonist John Zorn. — Saturday, July 21, 8:30 p.m., The Stone at the New School, 55 W. 13th St., thestonenyc.com.

Talk

FIDLER AFN DAKH
“Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish” director Joel Grey, choreographer Stas Kmiec and Zalmen Mlotek, musical and artistic director of National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene discuss the journey to bring the Yiddish version to life. — Wednesday, July 25, 6:30 p.m., Museum of Jewish Heritage, 36 Battery Place, (646) 437-4202, mjhnyc.org.

Exhibitions

CHAIM SOUTINE: FLESH

This exhibition features more than 30 paintings of Chaim Soutine depicting hanging fowl, beef carcasses and rayfish. Considered one of the 20th century’s great still-life painters, Soutine created visceral, expressionist paintings of tortured animal carcasses, establishing a parallel between the animal and human, beauty and pain. The New Yorker hailed the exhibition as “potent … timely … elegantly curated.” — Through Sept. 16, Jewish Museum, 1109 Fifth Ave. (at 92nd Street), (212) 423-3200, , thejm.org.

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