NYC Jewish-y Events, June 7 – 19

Editors Picks: 

EGG ROLLS, EGG CREAMS AND EMPANADAS
Paying homage to the Jewish, Chinese and Puerto Rican communities of the Lower East Side, the Museum at Eldridge Street presents its annual cross-cultural block party. On tap is the rock-klez band Litvakus, known for its raw, rootsy takes on Jewish music from Belarus (1:30-2:15 p.m. on the outdoor stage, 3-3:45 p.m. indoors) cantorial singing by Sarah Myerson (12-12:45 p.m., indoors) and Chinese Folk Music by the EastRiver Ensemble (1-1:45 indoors). Activities include Hebrew and Chinese scribal art, yarmulke making, Puerto Rican mask making, hands-on dumpling-, kreplach- and empanada-making demonstrations, live demos by Jewish and Chinese paper cutting artists. And, of course, there’ll be kosher egg rolls, egg creams and empanadas galore. — Sunday, June 16, 12-4 p.m., outside/inside the Museum at Eldridge Street, 12 Eldridge St., (212) 219-0302, eldridgestreet.org/festival/

THE NEW YORK CANTORS

The Folksbiene showcases three high-octane cantors — Azi Schwartz of Park Avenue Synagogue, Lincoln Square’s Yaakov (Yanky) Lemmer and Netanel Hershtik of the Hamptons Synagogue — at Central Park’s SummerStage. The cantors will be accompanied by a 16-piece orchestra, conducted by Zalmen Mlotek, the Folksbiene’s artistic director. Special guests include chasidic singer Shulem Lemmer, who just inked a major record deal; avant-klez trumpeter Frank London, who’ll perform the premiere of his new klezmer concerto for trumpet; guest conductor Andrew Kurtz, musical director of the Fort Myer’s Symphony Orchestra. N.Y. Board of Rabbis’ chair Rabbi Joseph Potasnik will emcee. — Wednesday, June 12, 6 p.m. seating, 7 p.m. concert, SummerStage in Central Park, East 72nd Street (near Fifth Avenue.) Seating is on a first-come, first served basis.

THE EHUD ASHERIE TRIO
For a relatively young pianist (he’s 39), New York-based and Israeli-born pianist Ehud Asherie is something of an old soul. His tastes run to pre-bebop giants like Fats Waller and James P. Johnson yet he is a thoroughly modern player too. He brings his trio, with Paul Gill on bass and Charles Goold on drums, into the intimate confines of Smalls, one of the city’s best listening rooms. The New Yorker called Asherie “a passionate craftsman joyfully at ease with pre-swing idioms.” — Sunday, June 16, 7:30- 10 p.m., Smalls Jazz Club, 183 W. 10th St., (646) 476-4346, smallslive.com.

Special Event

MUSEUM MILE FESTIVAL
Take in the staggering cultural offerings, for free, from the Met on 82nd and Fifth to the Guggenheim on 88th to The Jewish Museum on 92nd to the Museum of the City of New York on 103rd (there are eight museums in all). On view at the JM is “Leonard Cohen: A Crack in Everything.” Steven Bernstein’s Sexmob (presented with Bang on a Can) performs in front of the venue. — Tuesday, June 11, 6-9 p.m., Fifth Avenue between 82nd and 110th St., museummilefestival.org.

TIKKUN LIEL SHAVUOT: STAY THE NIGHT
The JCC’s annual Tikkun Leil Shavuot features all-night programming. Headliners include NASA astrophysicist David Spergel and Rabbi Jeremy Kalmanofsky on Creation and cosmology; Bret Stephens, Peter Beinart and others on Israel; author Ruby Namdar on Amos Oz. — Saturday-Sunday, June 8-9, 10 p.m.-5 a.m., Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan, 334 Amsterdam Ave., (646) 505-4444, jccmanhattan.org.

Theater

LONG LOST

The works of Donald Margulies, “a poet of strained friendships and family relations” (The Times), don’t always focus on Jewish topics. But as the Pulitzer-winning playwright (“Dinner with Friends,” “Collected Stories,” “Time Stands Still”) draws upon his own upbringing as a Jewish-Greek immigrant, a certain Jewish vibe inevitably seeps in. His new work follows the long-overdue reunion between two middle-aged, estranged Jewish brothers. When troubled Billy appears out of the blue in his brother David’s Wall Street office, the drama begins. Can family bonds smooth over past rifts? — In previews; opens Tuesday, June 4, Manhattan Theatre Club, 13 W. 55th St., manhattantheatreclub.com.

WHEN BLOOD RAN RED
This Folksbiene production in development tracks the friendships between African-American actor and civil rights activist Paul Robeson and leading Soviet Jews after World War II. — Sunday, June 16, 2 and 6 p.m., Museum of Jewish Heritage, 36 Battery Place, (646) 437-4202, mjhnyc.org.

PRIMO LEVI READING
Writers, performers and scholars gather for a full-length reading of Levi’s seminal memoir, “If This Is A Man.” Representing the city’s diversity, the book will be read in many of the 40 languages in which it was translated, with English subtitles projected. — Wednesday, June 12, noon-8 p.m., New York Public Library Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, Wachenheim Trustees Room, 476 Fifth Ave., nypl.org.

ALL MY SONS
Arthur Miller’s searing play about a manufacturer who knowingly supplies shoddy parts for WWII airplanes. Starring Annette Bening and Tracy Letts. — Through June 23, Roundabout’s American Airlines Theatre, (212) 719-1300, roundabouttheatre.org.

FIDDLER, OFF BROADWAY
“Fiddler on the Roof” (A Fidler Afn Kakh) in Yiddish, the unexpected runaway hit that both delighted and choked up audiences at the Museum of Jewish History, is now Off-Broadway. Directed by the acclaimed Joel Grey, a rich Yiddish translation by the late Shraga Friedman adds new depth to the iconic musical. With English and Russian supertitles. — Stage 42, 422 W. 42nd St., (212) 239-6200, telecharge.com.

Film

AVI NESHER
The leading Israeli director gets a mini-retrospective, including the 2004 dramady “Turn Left at the End of the World,” an immigrant love story (4 p.m.); and the 1984 “Rage And Glory (Za’am V’tehilah”), about a Stern Gang hitman (6 p.m.). Both films will be followed by a Q&A with Nesher. Part of the Israel Film Center Festival. — Friday, June 7, Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan, 334 Amsterdam Ave., (646) 505-4444, jccmanhattan.org.

TEL AVIV ON FIRE
A young Palestinian writer gets a job on a popular soap opera after a chance meeting with an Israeli soldier. His career is on the rise until the soldier and the show’s financial backers disagree about the show’s ending. Followed by Q&A with writer Dan Kleinman. Part of the Israel Film Center Festival. — Wednesday, June 12, 6-9 p.m., Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan, 334 Amsterdam Ave., (646) 505-4444, jccmanhattan.org.

THE REPORTS ON SARAH AND SALEEM

Sarah is an Israeli who runs a café in West Jerusalem. Saleem is a Palestinian from east Jerusalem who works as a delivery man. Their love affair, fraught with sociopolitical pressure, could tear apart their unsuspecting families. The two are trapped in a web of deceit. — Tuesday, June 11, 6:15 p.m., Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan, 334 Amsterdam Ave., (646) 505-4444, jccmanhattan.org.

Music

URI GURVICH RESIDENCY

The Israeli-born alto saxophonist and composer Uri Gurvich makes music that blends Middle Eastern and Hebraic folk melodies with the musical traditions of all of Gurvich’s bandmates: pianist Leo Genovese and vocalist Bernardo Palombo, both Argentinian; Bulgarian bassist Peter Slavov; and Cuban drummer Francisco Mela. In his latest CD, “Kinship,” Gurvich “manages to find common ground on which to unite his group and bring every musical aspect in play together,” says AllAboutJazz. For his four-day residency at The Stone, Gurvich teams with an eclectic crew of ethno-jazz players. — Tuesday-Saturday, June 4-8, 8:30 p.m., The Stone at the New School, 55 W. 13th St., thestonenyc.com.

OR BAREKET TRIO
Israeli-American-Argentinian bassist Or Bareket, 33, celebrates the release of his second CD as a leader, “33.” Born in Jerusalem and raised in Buenos Aires and Tel Aviv, Bareket’s music is informed by Mediterranean, South American and North African rhythms and harmonies, while remaining rooted in modern jazz. — Monday, June 10, 7:30-10 p.m., Smalls Jazz Club, 183 W. 10th St., (646) 476-4346, smallslive.com.

YIDDISH FLAVORS OF LOVE
For their annual summer gala, The Jewish People’s Philharmonic Chorus delivers a medley of songs about flirtation, seduction and passion, all in Yiddish of course. — Sunday, June 16, 3 p.m., Merkin Concert Hall, 129 W. 67^th St., thejppc.org/concerts.html

Talk

JESSE EISENBERG AT THE Y
The Oscar-nominated actor and director returns to 92Y to discuss with Thane Rosenbaum his newest play, “Happy Talk,” starring Susan Sarandon, now playing Off Broadway. — Tuesday, June 11, 7:30 p.m., 92nd Street Y, 1395 Lexington Ave., 92y.org.

Exhibitions

AUSCHWITZ
The most comprehensive exhibition dedicated to the history of Auschwitz to date, this groundbreaking presentation brings together more than 700 original objects and 400 photographs from over 20 institutions and museums around the world to explore the history of Auschwitz and its role in the Holocaust. — Through Jan. 3, 2020, Museum of Jewish Heritage, 36 Battery Place, (646) 437-4202, mjhnyc.org.

CITY OF WORKERS, CITY OF STRUGGLE: HOW LABOR MOVEMENTS CHANGED NEW YORK
From Samuel Gompers to A. Philip Randolph, this new show traces the social, political and economic story of labor through rare documents, artifacts and footage, and considers the future of labor in the city. Jewish contributions to the movement figure heavily. — Through Jan. 5, 2020. Museum of the City of New York, 1220 Fifth Ave. (at 103rd Street), mcny.org.

LEONARD COHEN: A CRACK IN EVERYTHING
This show celebrates the singer-songwriter’s powerful legacy through mixed-media works, including a video projection showcasing Cohen’s own drawings and a multimedia gallery where visitors can hear Cohen’s songs covered by other musicians. —Through Sept. 8, The Jewish Museum, 1109 Fifth Ave., (212) 423-3200, thejewishmuseum.org.

To publish events, submit them to jewishweekcalendar@gmail.com two weeks or more in advance. We cannot guarantee inclusion due to space limitations. Since scheduling changes may occur, we recommend contacting the venue before heading out to an event.