LOST TIME
In 2018 she was honored with a mid-career solo exhibition at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. Now Zoya Cherkassky, under quarantine in Tel Aviv, has created compelling new works on paper that are on view online in a new exhibit on the Fort Gansevoort gallery’s website. Upon entering the exhibit, the viewer chooses among five collections, “Black Chuppah,” “Chad Gadya,” “Shabes Goy,” “Anne Frank” and “Lost Time,” all with the curator’s engrossing insights into some of the key works. — Opening Wednesday, April 8, fortgansevoort.com. Free.
Coming to you from the carriage house in Marblehead, Mass., “Ronna Glickman” (Jessica Chaffin) and her dear friend, the Emmy Award-winning Bryan Safi (“The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” “Throwing Shade”), dispense real advice to real listeners while touching on the events of the day, all the while displaying the exquisite taste and lifestyle that Ronna’s fans have come to expect, and the outrageous humor Bryan’s listeners know and love him for. Joined this week by the fabulous Nick Kroll for a special live episode. — Friday, April 17, 7:30 p.m., 92Y@Home, https://www.92y.org/event/ask-
His voice was like having warm butterscotch poured over your head,” recalls Stephen Colbert. Leonard Nimoy remembers him as “endlessly creative.” One of New York’s great Renaissance men, Isaiah Sheffer was the founder and artistic director of Symphony Space and he left an indelible mark on music, theater, television and culture across three decades in New York City. A celebration of his life and work, this documentary includes archival material, stage performances and interviews with friends and colleagues. — Airing April 18, 11 p.m. and April 19, 2 p.m., CUNY TV Specials, tv.cuny.edu/show/
THE PLOT AGAINST AMERICA — EPISODE 5
Philip Roth’s novel of the same name is the basis for this six-part series on HBO starring Winona Ryder, Zoe Kazan and John Turturro. In Roth’s reimagining of history, a working-class Jewish family in New Jersey watches the political rise of aviator-hero and xenophobic populist Charles Lindbergh as he becomes president and turns the nation toward fascism. — Episode 1 airs through April 18; Episode 2 airs through April 18; Episode 3 airs through April 6; Episode 4 airs through April 13; Episode 5 premieres Monday, April 13, 9 p.m., and airs through April 20. hbo.com. In Episode 5, Herman, Bess and Philip each struggle to accept the family’s selection for the Homestead Act and imminent relocation to Kentucky.
Ongoing:
The Tony Award-winning play follows a troupe of actors, the cast members of Sholem Asch’s “God of Vengeance,” who risked their lives and careers to perform a work in which they deeply believed, at a time when art, freedom and truth were on trial. It is a serious story told with great theatricality, and joyous songs and dances. — Airing through Nov. 17, THIRTEEN Passport, https://www.pbs.org/wnet/
VIRTUAL STREICKER
The Temple Emanu-El Streicker Center is offering free one-session online classes twice daily, from 10:30 to 11:45 a.m. and from 6:30 to 7:45 p.m., via Zoom as well as streaming on the Temple’s livestream page. Upcoming events include the musical discussion “Believe — Choosing Joy” with Neshama Carlebach. (April 14). emanuelnyc.org/streickercenter/virtual/.
FOLKSBIENE LIVE (STREAMED)!
The National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene is responding to our homebound state with livestreamed theater, American Jewish performers, workshops and other events — including a talkback with the cast of the award-winning “Fiddler on the Roof” in Yiddish. Look for offerings to entertain audiences young and old. nytf.org.
OMER AVITAL’S ‘NEW YORK PARADOX’
The new album by Omer Avital’s quintet Qantar — five expat Israelis who regularly get together to share Middle Easter-inflected jazz music and Turkish coffee — was supposed to launch April 14 at Brooklyn’s Wilson Live. But “New York Paradox” is newly available for listening and purchasing at https://smarturl.it/QantarNYParadox. Avital, a bassist and composer, is “one of the most exciting musicians to come onto the jazz scene in the last 20 years,” according to DownBeat Magazine, and The New Yorker calls him “one of the key figures in the new wave of jazz.”
REEL PIECES REMOTE: CLASSIC FILMS WITH ANNETTE INSDORF
The renowned film scholar will engage a group in live online discussions about five film masterpieces, over five Sunday evenings. With three of the films set against the backdrop of World War II, she will explore not only cinematic language but political vision and themes like complicity and guilt. In addition to the opportunity to interact with Professor Insdorf and others in the group, tuition includes a free 45-day trial membership to The Criterion Channel, where the films (+ 2,000 other titles) are streamed, and access to Insdorf’s pre-recorded introductions and lectures about the films. Sundays, March 29-April 26, 8 p.m. 92y.org. $150.
UNORTHODOX
Shira Haas (Gitti’s daughter Ruchama on “Shtisel”) stars as a chasidic Jewish woman living in an arranged marriage in Brooklyn who flees to Berlin. She is taken in by a group of musicians — until her past comes calling. The new series is based on a true story.netflix.com.
ONCE WERE BROTHERS: ROBBIE ROBERTSON AND THE BAND
A confessional, cautionary and occasionally humorous documentary film about Robbie Robertson’s young life and the creation, alongside the four other men who would become his brothers in music, of one of the most enduring groups in the history of popular music, The Band. The film explores the influence of the Canadian Mohawk family of Robertson’s mother and the colorful Jewish family of his father. — oncewerebrothers.com/watch-at-home/.
RESISTANCE
Jesse Eisenberg stars as Marcel Mangel before he became the world-famous mime Marcel Marceau. An aspiring Jewish actor, Mangel joins the French Resistance to save the lives of thousands of children orphaned at the hands of the Nazis. The new film, which is based on a true story, was scheduled to open March 27 at Quad Cinema. It is now available on Amazon Prime Video, amazon.com.
JUDA
As if the times aren’t spooky enough, this stylish Israeli supernatural horror series features hustler Juda Ben Haim, Israeli cops, French mobsters and a seductive vampire who breaks the cardinal rule of her forefathers by drinking Jewish blood. Hulu, hulu.com.
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EXPLORE THE JEWISH MUSEUM FROM HOME
Go online to listen to artists and curators, visit the exhibition “Rachel Feinstein: Maiden, Mother, Crone” in a video interview with the artist, relive talks and performances and check for children’s programming. thejewishmuseum.org.
CENTER FOR JEWISH HISTORY
From home, explore the Leo Baeck Institute and Yeshiva University Museum exhibition “Designers in Exile: Jewish Contributions to Fashion,” read about the NYPL librarian who spied on the Nazis and watch videos of events like “Stories of New York: Hamill and Haberman,” in which the legendary journalists Pete Hamill and Clyde Haberman talk about the Irish and Jewish 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. linktr.ee/centerforjewishhistory.
AUSCHWITZ. NOT LONG AGO. NOT FAR AWAY.
The largest international exhibition ever to cover the largest of the Nazi extermination camps has already been extended, and though closed now, it is set to run through Aug. 30 at the Museum of Jewish History. Until it reopens, check the museum’s site for photographs, descriptions and a short film about the landmark exhibition. mjhnyc.org.
NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AMERICAN JEWISH HISTORY
The Philadelphia museum is offering free digital resources for all ages and backgrounds. Take a virtual tour, explore the museum’s collection and relive exhibitions like “Chasing Dreams: Baseball and Becoming American,” “Leonard Bernstein: The Power of Music” and “1917: How One Year Changed the World.” nmajh.org.
NIF FILM CLUB
Watch relevant Israeli films at your own convenience and then join the New Israel Fund on Tuesdays for lively and interactive discussions on Zoom. The Film Club’s first selection was Dan Shadur’s “King Bibi: The Life and Performances of Benjamin Netanyahu.” While some of the films will need to rented from a streaming service, others will be available on a private video site. Tuesdays, 3 p.m. nif.org.
ISRAELI CULTURE IN NEW YORK
Check with the Office of Cultural Affairs team at the Israeli Consulate for announcements about Israeli culture that can be accessed online. Recent offerings have included “Idan Raichel in Your Living Room” (a special online concert), a virtual art exhibit, online gaga classes and book discussions and Israeli films available for free streaming. tinyurl.com/tg9cqt5.
92Y@HOME
During this unprecedented time, the 92Y is offering new livestreamed concerts and events, highlights from its archives, family activities and ways our community can gather together online. 92y.org/92yathome
BEIT HATFUTSOT FROM HOME
Explore online activities and visit some of the exhibits, via video clips, at Tel Aviv’s Museum of the Jewish People at Beit Hatfutsot. bh.org.il.
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