Dancing, drama, utopian futures and more in Jerusalem this week

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> Dancing, drama, utopian futures and more in Jerusalem this week

Dancing, drama, utopian futures and more in Jerusalem this week

The folks over at the Lonely Planet travel guide recently picked Tel Aviv as the third best city to visit in the world in 2011, justifying their selection by pointing out some contrasts between the Big Orange and the more staid goings-on here in the Holy City. They must have forgotten to actually visit Jerusalem, or they would have realized that beaches be damned, Jerusalem has everything good to offer that Tel Aviv does, plus more - just with a version of hedonism that's slightly less conspicuous. Don't believe us, travel and culture aficionados? Well how do you like these apples?

On Thursday night, the Boogie makes its triumphant return to the Jerusalem post-clubbing scene, with a new venue. It's the best way to get groovy with all the cool Jerusalem kids.

With the sun setting so early this time of year, it seems there's almost no time to get everything done on Fridays once you actually drag yourself out of bed. Luckily, the Tower of David Museum has the perfect reason to get up in the morning: a concert of Italian music followed by a tour of the Old City's very own "Little Italy."

Jerusalem's Nisan Nativ acting school is one of the country's most dependable factories for drama talent. This Saturday night, the school puts on Valentina (pictured), about a group of people lamenting the onslaight of winter at a coffee house in the sleepy town of Chulimsk, Siberia, which did not make the Lonely Planet's top ten destinations list for 2011.

If all were right in the world, all of the 7-11s in Jerusalem would be giving out free Slurpees on Sunday. Alas, there are no 7-11s in Jerusalem (though a pretty close approximation to the Slurpee can now be found in some spots around the city), but in an ideal city, there might be one on every corner. You can imagine your ideal city (even if it doesn't involve convenience stores) and take part in the Bloomfield Science Museum's My Ideal City initiative, a project which the Jerusalem institution is sharing with sister museums in Venice, Copenhagen and Lisbon - none of which made the Lonely Planet's top ten destinations list for 2011.

Monday's a good day for laughs, so head down to the Off The Wall Comedy Basement for an open mic night Monday, plus karaoke after midnight.

There hasn't been much love lost between Israel and Turkey lately, at least on the diplomatic front. But culturally, Turks and Israelis are still on good terms, as evidenced by Tuesday night's Istiklal Trio at the Yellow Submarine, bringing the sounds of Istanbul to Jerusalem.

If we are to believe all the jib-jab from the talking heads about politics and so on, well the world is headed right for the end. But apocalyptic beliefs are nothing new, as one can learn by attending a lecture on the subject at the Bible Lands Museum on Wednesday.

Assuming the world does not end, you may want to check out our full events section for everything else happening around town.

Jerusalem City Guide

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