NYC Jewish-y Events, August 30 – September 15

Editors Picks: 

GOD SHOULD NOT HAVE CHOSEN US
Written and performed by a dozen young Jewish comics, this sketch show — think Jewish “SNL” — maps the Jewish millennial experience here. It features short parodies about “Fiddler,” Jewish parents, dating outside The Tribe, Jewish geography and more. Created in the aftermath of the Tree of Life Synagogue attack, “my personal goal was to do something that celebrates our Jewishness in a fun way,” Zoe Yellen, the show’s 20-something producer, told us. — Sunday, Sept. 8, 8 p.m., The Peoples Improv Theater, 123 E. 24th St., thepit-nyc.com. $15 online/$20 door.

HOW TO KEEP YOUR HUSBAND
It’s an off-off-beat interdisciplinary pop-up fashion show/art installation/dessert reception. And it’s also a “retro Tupperware party gone wild,” according to advance billing. The oddball event demonstrates Israeli ingenuity as it educates women about “how to keep your husband.” Curated by Amanda Mehl, an Israeli-American-Brazilian contemporary artist and fashion designer, the show takes place in an intimate apartment setting, where Mehl produces dystopian art installations in the bedrooms. To complement the domestic theme, stylish desserts will be catered by Chula Galvez, a Brooklyn-based dessert artist from Buenos Aires, who creates for restaurants such as Dimes, Rosarito and Shelter. — Wednesday, Sept. 4, 7 p.m., 114 W. 14th St., amehlnyc.com. RSVP to rsvp.amehl@gmail.com.

EUREKA DAY

Like Joshua Harmon’s “Admissions” before it, Jonathan Spector’s “Eureka Day” mines a white-hot school issue and brings it to the stage. The setting is — where else? — Berkeley (though it might as well be liberal Jewish Park Slope or charedi Brooklyn), and a mumps outbreak is raging at the private Eureka Day School. Which leads to a heated debate over — what else? — vaccinations, which at the progressive, inclusion-valued and ultra-PC school are more of a personal than health matter. It’s a deadly serious culture war issue played, partially, for laughs. Berkleyside.com called it “Laugh-out-loud funny, yet with an intelligent and introspective perspective.” — Through Saturday, Sept. 21, Walkerspace, 46 Walker St., in Soho, coltcoeur.org.

Theater

THE LAST JEW OF BOYLE HEIGHTS
Set in the industrial east side of Los Angeles, in what was once a heavily Jewish area, three Holocaust survivors meet on a factory floor amid talk of deportations, poor wages and fading memories. Written and directed by Steve Greenstein (“Voices From the Holy and Not So Holy”). — Extended Through August, Sundays at 7:30 p.m., Actors’ Temple Theatre, 339 W. 47th St., actorstempletheatre.com.

YIDDISH FIDDLER

“Fiddler on the Roof” (A Fidler Afn Kakh) in Yiddish continues its Off-Broadway run. 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, broadway.com.

Film

TEL AVIV ON FIRE

Palestinian director Sameh Zoabi’s “Tel Aviv on Fire” turns the Mideast conflict into a satire about the perils of producing a soap opera. — At least through Thursday, Aug. 29, Landmark 57 West, 657 W. 57th St., landmarktheatres.com.

FIDDLER: A MIRACLE OF MIRACLES

 

“Fiddler: A Miracle of Miracles” is the first in-depth documentary to track the musical’s origin story and reasons for its long-lasting success, revealing why the story of Tevye is reborn again and again as a global cultural touchstone. Featuring Lin-Manuel Miranda, Sheldon Harnick, Hal Prince, Austin Pendleton, Joanna Merlin, Danny Burstein, Itzhak Perlman, Charles Isherwood, Harvey Fierstein and more. — Landmark 57 West, 657 W. 57th St., landmarktheatres.com, and Quad Cinema, 34 W. 13th St., quadcinema.com.

Music

EMMET COHEN TRIO

At 26, jazz pianist Emmet Cohen’s playing is a mature melding of musicality, technique and concept. DownBeat observed that his “nimble touch, measured stride and warm harmonic vocabulary indicate he’s above any convoluted technical showmanship.” In his recent CD, “The Element,” Cohen “makes a brash and bold musical statement on his debut as leader… [he is] musically mature beyond his years,” according to All About Jazz magazine. With special guest, the great tenor saxophonist George Coleman. — Sunday, Sept. 15, 7:30 p.m., Joe’s Pub, 425 Lafayette St., (212) 539-8778, publictheater.org.

Talk

THE GREATEST YIDDISH WRITER YOU’VE NEVER HEARD OF
Jacob Dinezon was one of the most successful Yiddish writers of the late-1800s. Friend and adviser to almost every major Jewish writer of his day, Dinezon played a central role in Warsaw’s Yiddish literary circle until his death in 1919. His heart-rending works portrayed difficult issues confronting Jewish communities in the Russian Empire: arranged marriages, rigid gender roles, corporal punishment and assimilation. But by the turn of the 21st century, he was all but forgotten. Scott Hilton Davis, an Emmy-winning filmmaker and author, shares his 16-year journey to uncover facts about Dinezon’s life and restore his place in the Yiddish canon.— Tuesday, Sept. 3, 7 p.m., YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, 15 W. 16th St., yivo.org/dinezon.

HAMILL AND HABERMAN
They are two scribes — an Irish bard and a Jewish bard — that perhaps only New York City could have produced. Tabloid legend and novelist Pete Hamill sits down with acclaimed Times reporter Clyde Haberman (the father, it must be said, of The Times’ White House scoopster Maggie Haberman) to talk about the Irish and Jewish New York neighborhoods they came from, the immigrant experience then and now, the tabloid that launched their careers and the ever-changing city that continues to inspire. — Sunday, Sept. 8, 3 p.m., Center for Jewish History, 15 W. 16th St., (212) 294-8301, cjh.org.

DESIRE, ENVY AND THE JEWISH-CHRISTIAN BORDERZONE
Are the borders between religions any more secure than those between nations? Working with major Jewish modernist writers such as Sholem Asch and Henry Roth, University of Utah’s Maeera Shreiber questions and examines our assumptions about religious differences and explores the high-voltage emotional consequences of trafficking in that volatile space of interfaith encounters she calls the “Jewish-Christian Borderzone.” — Monday, Sept. 9, 6:30 p.m., Center for Jewish History, 15 W. 16th St., cjh.org. $5 general/free for students.

Exhibitions

THE COLMAR TREASURE: A MEDIEVAL JEWISH LEGACY

A cache of jeweled rings, brooches and coins, hidden in a wall of a house in Colmar, France, tells the story of a Jewish family and community, which were scapegoated and put to death when the plague struck the region in 1348-49. Now on loan from the Musée de Cluny, Paris, the treasure will be displayed alongside works from The Met Cloisters, underscoring the prominence of the Jewish minority community in the tumultuous 14th century, and the perils it faced. — Through Jan. 12, 2020, The Met Cloisters, Fort Tryon Park, (212) 923-3700, metmuseum.org.

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.

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.