Jerusalem's top events for the week of July 28th
Leading the growing nation-wide trend of pitching tent cities in protest of housing prices, Jerusalem's young people have turned the city's plazas into veritable camping festivals (pictured) in recent weeks. The only logical next step is a beach party at the mall. Indeed, life goes on. And by life, we mean a slew of fun things to do every day and night, in between shouting slogans and marching. Viva la revolución!
- Seeing international superstar soprano Renee Fleming is a treat in and of itself. Seeing her with Zubin Mehta and the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra is in a total other league. Catch the one-time-only performance at the Jerusalem International Convention Center Thursday night, if you're lucky enough to snag tix. The final event of the Jerusalem Season of Culture initiative, the show is being broadcast (almost) live at hundreds of North American cinemas. But hey - we're not even in August yet, and there's plenty of summer fun ahead of us.
They've come a long way since their arak-drenched weekly Nachlaot house
jams of yesteryear. If you can't get in to Binyanei Hauma for the Fleming show, frontman Tomer Katz's local Rembetiko band
Perach Adom takes the stage at City Hall plaza this evening too, hosting bouzouki player Haim Romano and vocalist Sofia Fafzuglo.
- Why spend 45 minutes driving to the beach, when you can wait for the beach to come to you? On Friday, the Malcha Mall is transformed into a massive beach party with sand, paddleball, ice cream and well everything but the actual ocean. Rent some headphones and take part in a massive silent dance party with top-name local DJs.
The super-luxurious Mamilla Hotel hosts a weekend of culture through Saturday, a package deal that allows guests to
enjoy musical performances from a jazz trio and an a capella ensemble,
guided meditation, movie screenings, a conversation with author Eli Amir
and a two-hour walking tour. What does Zach Melul, the newly installed Mamilla chef, have up his sleeve for the festivities? Let us know if you taste anything especially noteworthy over there.
- Yeshiva University's viral Maccabeats a capella group doesn't just exist on YouTube. The boys who won the world's heart with a song about latkes takes on the stage of the Gerard Bechar Center on Saturday night.
- On Sunday, check out the works of Rodney Graham via the PhotoSynthesis exhibit at the Ticho House. And while you're there, hit up Little Jerusalem for some solid eats.
Elsewhere in the realm of art, the Musrara art school's annual end-of-the-year exhibit showcases the output of graduates in the areas of photography, new
media, new music and animation. The exhibition, featuring the best and
brightest of Jerusalem's edgy young artists, closes on Sunday.
- Monday marks the beginning of August, the beginning of the Hebrew month of Av, the start of the Nine Days of Jewish mourning and the first day of Ramadan. What do all these beginnings mean? Head to Beit Avi Chai for a fascinating presentation on the subject, and then head to HaChatzer for a Nine Days-themed dinner.
Also starting this Monday, the Youth Wing's Activity Yard at the Israel Museum gets splashed with every color of the rainbow. Kids can learn about the importance of color in works of art and try their hand at a number of activities - such as extracting color from natural sources, making paint and
repairing Japanese food according to traditional rules of color.
- On Tuesday, try out your comedy chops at Off the Wall's open mic night. But don't make it too funny - we're in the Nine Days, after all.
- Limber up those writing muscles with a literary workshop at Tmol Shilshom, Wednesday, helmed by journalist, poet and story-writer Judy Labensohn.
And check out our full events section for everything else happening around town.
