Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By admin on April 12, 2017

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State police partnering with Anti-Defamation League to combat hate crimes WGN-TV CHICAGO The state of Illinois is taking new steps to combat hate crimes. Governor Bruce Rauner announced today that Illinois State Police are forming a partnership with the Anti-Defamation League. They will design a new curriculum for training law ... and more »

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State police partnering with Anti-Defamation League to combat hate crimes - WGN-TV

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Posted By simmons on April 12, 2017

Jared Kushner may be in a unique position of power as the son-in-law and senior adviser to President Donald Trump, who also appointed Kushner to head the White House Office of American Innovation and conveyed his hope even before his inauguration that Kushner could help broker peace in the Middle East. But as a prominent Jewish figure in the current administration, hes not immune to online harassment and hatred of the kind that has been lobbed at Jews on social media in recent months.

The Anti-Defamation League has analyzed what it calls an explosive growth of hateful memes and anti-Semitic conspiracy theories against Jared Kushner. The nonprofit, whose mission is to fight anti-Semitism and all forms of hate, put out a press release as well as a blog post Monday identifying an online campaign that began this past Wednesday and by Sunday had escalated to more than 300,000 mentions of hashtags such as #firekushner, #kushneratwar and #kushnerswar, some of which included anti-Semitic language.

What started as a few isolated anti-Semitic tweets suggesting that Jared Kushner should be fired because of his Jewish supremacist views has quickly metastasized into a full-blown onslaught of anti-Semitic hate speech, Jonathan A. Greenblatt, the organizations CEO, said in a statement. It shows how quickly hate speech can multiply and come to light on social media platforms, and reminds us of how much work we need to do to combat hate.

According to the ADL, the calls to fire Kushner and the full-bore assault perpetrated primarily by white supremacists and anti-Semites of various stripes began against the backdrop of Stephen Bannons removal from the National Security Council, reports of tension between Bannon and Kushner and the cruise missile strike on a Syrian air base ordered by Trump last week in response to achemical weapons attack. The campaign, the ADL writes, has all the hallmarks of classic Jewish conspiracy theories.

A brief timeline the ADL released begins with an April 5 tweet from the user @Eilliot_Kelsh (which at the time of this writing does not come up in Twitters search results), who reportedly used the hashtag #firekushner to describe a betrayal by the administration. The next day, the user @AltGrey1 began sending out a slew of tweets, making comments such as, America first #fireKushner, no more cucks in the white house #fireKushner, no more jewish wars #fireKushner #Syriahoax and Listen up @realDonaldTrump I know it's hard to hear but your son in law is a globalist cuck #fireKushner #syriahoax no WW3.

The campaign gained traction the following day, as well-known figures like Richard B. Spencer and David Duke chimed in. Spencera white nationalist and president of the National Policy Institute who led a room full of like-minded folks in cheers of Hail Trump! and Nazi salutes at a conference the week after the electionwrote in a tweet that garnered thousands of interactions: #FireKushner No one voted for Kushner. Indeed, many of us voted against people like Kushner having power.

Duke, another white nationalist leader,tweeted a series of comments including a claim that We are being brought down from within. ZIO Supremacists are the true enemy of the American peoplenot Assad, not Putin. #FireKushner. He sent out another #FireKushner tweet with a meme equating Israel with cancer and another that insisted that Ivanka needs to be removed from the White House, along with her bloodthirsty, Zionist husband! The Southern Poverty Law Center describes Duke as the most recognizable figure of the American radical right, a neo-Nazi, longtime Klan leader and now international spokesman for Holocaust denial who has nevertheless won election to Louisiana's House of Representatives and once was nearly elected governor.

The hundreds of thousands of mentions of the hashtags the ADL identifies as affiliated with the campaign do not all contain explicit anti-Semitic invective or even anti-Semitic undertones. The hashtags have also been adopted by those who would like to see Trump and his entire entourage out of the White House. One wrote, #FireKushner and Conway and Bannon and Priebus and DeVos and Gorsuch and Pence and Sessions and Tillerson and Ivanka and Miller AND TRUMP, and another tweeted, I can't believe people are debating #FireKushner or #FireBannon. They're both unqualified hired by someone who's unqualified. Fire them all. But there was an unequivocal anti-Semitic bent to some of the tweets, including those from Spencer and Duke.

In the past, Kushner has spoken out to defend his father-in-law against accusations of anti-Semitism. In July, for example, Trump tweeted a photo of Hillary Clinton against a pile of $100 bills and a six-pointed star reading, Most Corrupt Candidate Ever! garnering criticism for its blatant anti-Semitic imagery. Dana Schwartz wrote an open letter to Kushner from one of your Jewish employees in The Observer, a paper owned by Kushners publishing company (he announced in January that he would step down from his official role as publisher to take on his advisory role in the White House).

My father-in-law is not an anti-Semite. Its that simple, really. Donald Trump is not anti-Semitic and hes not a racist, Kushner wrote in his response. Despite the best efforts of his political opponents and a large swath of the media to hold Donald Trump accountable for the utterances of even the most fringe of his supporters, he added. This is not idle philosophy to me. I am the grandson of Holocaust survivors. Months later, it seems some of those fringe supporters have turned their anti-Semitic attention toward Kushner himself.

The campaign against him is just one recent example of anti-Semitism on social media platforms. In late March, the World Jewish Congress shared the initial results of a survey that found that more than 382,000 anti-Semitic posts were published on social media in 2016, indicating an average of 43.6 posts per hour or one post every 83 seconds. More than half of the instances it found came from Twitter, while others came from Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, blogs and other sources.

Last October, a report from the ADLs Task Force on Harassment and Journalism found a rise in anti-Semitic targeting of journalists tied to the rhetoric of the 2016 presidential election. Before narrowing down the numbers to focus on missives directed at journalists, it found a total of 2.6 million tweets containing language frequently found in anti-Semitic speech posted on Twitter between August 2015 and July 2016.

The spike in hate weve seen online this election cycle is extremely troubling and unlike anything we have seen in modern politics. A half century ago, the KKK burned crosses. Today, extremists are burning up Twitter, Greenblatt said in a statement in October.

The various manifestations of anti-Semitism in 2016 served as a stark and sobering reminder that hatred of Jews is not history, it is a current event, Greenblatt added in a statement that accompanied the ADLs December roundup of the top 10manifestations of anti-Semitism in 2016. The list included the threatening and harassment of Jewish journalists, the use of the echoes symbol to target Jews on Twitter, the rise of anti-Semitic incidents post-election and the rise of the so-called alt-right. The reality of the threat to Jewish communities around the world and to the state of Israel was reinforced time and again by rhetoric, incidents and violent assaults,Greenblatt said.

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Jared Kushner Targeted in Anti-Semitic Campaign Online: ADL - Newsweek

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Posted By admin on April 12, 2017

Anti-Semitic invective against Jared Kushner has shot up recently, according to a report by the Anti-Defamation League.

The ADL report, published Monday, documents a series of anti-Semitic tweets from white supremacists directed at Kushner, an Orthodox Jew and US President Donald Trumps senior adviser and son-in-law.

The tweets, sent by leading anti-Semites like David Duke and Richard Spencer, claim that Kushner is manipulating Trump and leading the United States into war for Israels benefit.

#FireKushner No one voted for Kushner, Spencer tweeted on April 7. Indeed, many of us voted against people like Kushner having power.

On Saturday, Duke tweeted, We are being brought down from within. ZIO [Zionist] Supremacists are the true enemy of the American people not Assad, not Putin. #FireKushner

This campaign of anti-Semitism has been driven by white supremacists and anti-Semites and has all the hallmarks of classic Jewish conspiracy theories, the ADL wrote in a blog post.

The tweets come in the context of a feud in the White House between Kushner and Stephen Bannon, Trumps populist chief strategist and alt-right leader who used to run the site Breitbart News, which he called the platform for the alt-right.

As Kushners stock has apparently risen in the White House, white supremacists have responded in a number of ways, from claiming Kushner is a front man for Trumps white nationalist views to smearing him as a nefarious adviser who controls Trump.

An ADL report in October found that more than 2.6 million tweets containing language frequently found in anti-Semitic speech were posted across Twitter between August 2015 and July 2016.

Kushner is the husband of Ivanka Trump, the presidents daughter. She converted to Judaism before the couple married in 2009.

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ADL: Jared Kushner a growing target of online anti-Semitism - Arutz Sheva

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Posted By simmons on April 10, 2017

Eric Ross with his father Villager Gregory Ross.

Eric Ross, associate regional director, of the Anti-Defamation League, spoke at Temple Shalom on Wednesday night. His talk, Anti-Semitism Today: a Local and Global Issue, examined the rise in anti-Semitism and hate crimes in this country particularly on college campuses and detailed what the ADL is doing to stem the flow.

The ADL, started in 1913, uses a three-prong approach that Ross called the ADL Pie: protect, investigate and educate. The education arm of the ADL is extensive and honors their mission which is To stop the defamation of the Jewish people, and to secure justice and fair treatment to all Their program A World of Difference Institute has trained 400,000 teachers which will have an impact on thirty-seven million students. The ADL is the largest non-governmental training for law enforcement in the US.

Ross said that recently there has been a big spike in anti-Semitic incidents reported to the ADL. There have been eighteen reported incidents in Florida this year. There is a dark side to the Sunshine state noted Ross. Stormfront, the second largest hate site on the web today, is operated out of West Palm Beach.

There is a growing anti-Israel movement in the country especially on college campuses. Known as the BDS movement, boycott, divestment, sanction, which is the umbrella for the many groups working to delegitimize Israel. Another alarming trend on college campuses is the increase in flyers posted by white supremacy groups.

In response to a question, Ross said This is beyond politics. It has become OK to express hate publicly especially on-line. Hate groups are emboldened.

In working to eradicate anti-Semitism Ross said you can either be reactive or proactive. The ADL is working to be proactive because that is where change can happen. For individuals looking to make a difference, Ross suggested monitoring local activity and reporting any incidents or bullying issues to the ADL. We live in a cyber world and he cautioned against engaging in rumor mills; what you read can be checked for accuracy at http://www.snopes.com. Stay informed by signing up for news and action alerts at the ADL website, http://www.ADL.org and becoming involved in the ADL.

Any groups or clubs interested in having a speaker on this topic can contact Ross at eross@adl.org. Ross spoke at Temple Shalom as part of the Israel Solidarity Committees on-going program. Next in the series is a celebration of Israel Independence on May 3. Go to http://www.templeshalomcentralfl.org for information on this event.

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Anti-Defamation League official warns of troubling rise in anti-Semitism, hate crimes - Villages-News

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Posted By admin on April 8, 2017

The future of Zionism should be focused on the self-determination of Jews and Palestinians in the Middle East, according to panelists at the event Unpacking Zionism co-sponsored by pro-Israel group J Street Georgetown and the Georgetown Israel Alliance on Wednesday night in the Intercultural Center.

The event sought to offer several Jewish perspectives on Zionism, an ideology that advocates for the existence of a Jewish nation.

The panel, moderated by J Street Georgetown Co-chair Julia Friedmann (SFS 19), included reflections on Zionism from GIA Cultural Chair Aviv Lis (COL 19), Former GIA Vice President Jonathan Muhlrad (COL 17), former GIA President Madeline Cunnings (COL 18) and J Street Georgetown Co-chair Abigail Ulman (SFS 19).

Lis said the roots of the modern political ideology of Zionism began in the early history of Judaism.

Zionism is the national liberation movement of the Jewish people, through which we realize we are not only a people, but a nation that has a homeland, Lis said. Were reminded of Zionism every year during Passover when we sing Lshana habaah byerushalayim, or Next year in Jerusalem that is not a new thing that started in 1948.

For Muhlrad, Zionism has deep personal meaning.

I think about Zionism, I think about my grandparents three of who were technically stateless persons after the Holocaust, Muhlrad said. Zionism is liberation from a history of oppression.

Lis said Judaism and Zionism are not synonymous, but for many Jews they are closely interconnected.

Zionism has a very important part in the collective Jewish play, Lis said. A lot of Holocaust survivors found their home in Israel after the war ended, some believing in God and some not. Its a part of our Jewish history.

Cunnings said her Israel-born mother raised her to see Zionism as a fact of life for Jews.

There are non-Jewish Zionists and non-Zionist Jews, Cunnings said. Obviously, yes, theyre separate for some people. For me, I cant fathom Judaism without Israel and Zionism.

Ulman, though Jewish and self-avowedly pro-Israel, said she lacks a personal and spiritual connection to Zionism.

I believe in the right of Israel to exist, and for Jews to have the right to live there, but I think Zionism has turned into something very spiritual and personal for a lot of people, and because I dont have that connection, it wouldnt be right for me to call myself a Zionist, Ulman said.

Ulman also noted some people use the Zionist label to commit hateful acts. Nevertheless, Ulman said Zionism is not inherently racist, xenophobic or hateful.

We need to recognize Zionism has been used for these destructive acts, Ulman said. In many cases, Zionism has not been this blanket good resembling Judaism. But define your own Zionism, [recognize] this happened and [create] a new vision of Zionism that is inclusive and equal.

Muhlrad said Zionism is not defined by the actions of some of its followers.

Just because there are some militant communists, that doesnt then condemn all Communism or whatever that might be, Muhlrad said. What I would say to all people who do terrible things in the name of Zionism is that they need to become better Zionists. It doesnt nullify Zionism.

Lis said it is not racist for Jews to support a Jewish homeland in the Middle East. However, he noted the importance of compassion and understanding the historical ties between Jews in the 20th century and Palestinians today.

My grandpa, living in war-ravaged Poland, yearning to live in the land of his people, is no different from a Palestinian farmer yearning to return to the olive grove his grandfather planted in Jaffa. Its the same homeland, and we need to figure out how our national aspirations can coexist, Lis said. Those destructive acts, Baruch Goldsteins massacre of Palestinians hes not a Zionist in my mind.

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Student Panel Promotes Self-Determination in Middle East - Georgetown University The Hoya

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Posted By simmons on April 8, 2017

The real problem is the tone of Ken Livingstone when giving this interpretation. Photograph: Lauren Hurley/PA

So Ken A lot of people predominantly the good people, of course, of the British left have been tweeting to tell me that Ken just stated a fact. Here is the problem with what Livingstone said. Because Ken Livingstone did not state a fact.

The statement Hitler supported Zionism is not a fact. Its an interpretation. An interpretation of a particular historical moment, in the 1930s, when the forced emigration of Jews from Germany was pushed further along by various Nazi economic incentives allowing those who fled to Palestine to get some of their stolen assets back.

That is not Adolf Hitler supporting the idea of a Jewish state (even writing that sentence looks ridiculous). It is the Nazis taking advantage of the terror and despair of fleeing refugees to get more of them to leave the country. It is just the thin edge of the wedge of Nazi horror.

The real problem, in a way, is the tone of Livingstone when giving this interpretation. Theres no sympathy. No compassion no sense of the tragedy behind this. Its just complacently presented as a deal that Hitler made with German Zionists, and therefore and this, of course, is the point, the banal, shit point a way of confirming that Zionism is bad. Through an association with the top bad thing, Hitler.

Whats weird here is I am not, as some of you may know, a Zionist. Im an atheist and I dont hold with religion being the basis for statehood. And obviously as all Jews have to say now when talking about this subject I do not support the appalling actions of the present Israeli government.

Mainly, though, I dont care that much about Israel. I think, in fact, that it is antisemitic to assume that I have to care, or think about, or have a position on Israel a country that, in the words of Morrissey, says nothing to me about my life. I dont even think its a very Jewish place. In my film The Infidel, a character describing various types of Jews says: And then Israelis Jews without angst, without guilt so not really Jews at all.

But: I do care about antisemitism. And the problem is that an awful lot of antisemites often unconsciously do conflate anti-Zionism with antisemitism. Indeed, they often just conflate Israelis with Jews. Yesterday on Twitter, a chap called Kenard told me: Ken is an irrelevance with little influence, unlike a large number of Israelis [sic] who dominate the media and have done for decades.

It seems clear what Kenard really wants to say: Jews. But because he has a vague awareness that isnt allowed any more, he just substitutes the word Israelis. Or Israelis, because he doesnt understand grammar as well as racism.

So thats the problem with Livingstones statement. The interchangeability of Zionist with the word Jew means that in saying Zionism is bad, which is what Livingstone wants to do, he emboldens Kenard, and all those like him. And, of course, he also as I have said many times reveals that sense that runs deep in the left, that the Jews dont quite fit into the category of The Oppressed, and so therefore dont deserve the same protections and sympathy as other minorities in the face of racism against them. Livingstone himself has said this in the creepingly insinuating comment that antisemitism and racism are not exactly the same thing.

Ill leave with the words of Adolf Hitler in Mein Kampf, before he went mad, according to Livingstone. So exactly in that period when he was, as we know, supporting Zionism. I may have as much of a tin ear for meaning as Livingstone has for antisemitism, but I cant, for the life of me, make this out to be as pro the idea of the creation of a Jewish state as Livingstone insists it is: While the Zionists try to make the rest of the World believe that the national consciousness of the Jew finds its satisfaction in the creation of a Palestinian state, the Jews again slyly dupe the dumb Goyim. It doesnt even enter their heads to build up a Jewish state in Palestine for the purpose of living there; all they want is a central organisation for their international world swindler, endowed with its own sovereign rights and removed from the intervention of other states: a haven for convicted scoundrels and a university for budding crooks.

My Family: Not the Sitcom is running at the Playhouse Theatre until 3 June

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Why Ken Livingstone has it so wrong over Hitler and Zionism - The Guardian

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Posted By simmons on April 8, 2017

A Novelist's Visionary Zionism Wall Street Journal (subscription) Can a novel improve society? Harriet Beecher Stowe thought so when she wrote Uncle Tom's Cabin in order to expose the evils of slavery in America. So did George Eliot when she published the last of her novels, Daniel Deronda, in 1876 to bare the ...

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A Novelist's Visionary Zionism - Wall Street Journal (subscription)

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Posted By simmons on April 8, 2017

While counterintuitive, liberal Zionists may be best able to achieve their goal of a just peace by joining forces with the BDS movement. Both groups stand to benefit enormously.

By Ahmed Rizk

Graffiti on the Israeli separation wall dividing the West Bank town of Bethlehem promotes the BDS movement, June 17, 2014. (Ryan Rodrick Beiler/Activestills.org).

The Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement (BDS) is arguably one of the most significant developments in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict since the Oslo Accords were signed nearly a quarter century ago. The Palestinian-led movement calls upon the international community to boycott, divest from, and sanction Israel until three demands are fulfilled: an end to the almost 50-year-long occupation of Palestine, full equality for Palestinian citizens of Israel, and the implementation of the right of return for Palestinian refugees. Needless to say, everything about BDS has been controversial from its inception.

Predictably, the most sustained opposition to the BDS movement has been from the State of Israel and its supporters abroad. One swath of the pro-Israel community, however, has been largely unaccounted for: so-called liberal Zionists, who support Israel but criticize its policies toward the Palestinians. While this group is ideologically diverse, what unites it is a basic belief in the justness of Zionism and a belief that Israels policies are what stand in the way of a just peace. Liberal Zionists have often criticized Israel strongly, especially in the aftermath of Israels assaults upon Gaza in the past decade.

For all that, excepting a few outliers, most liberal Zionists strongly oppose BDS, which they view as anti-Zionist, biased against Israel, and sometimes as fomenting anti-Semitism. In an oped in +972 Magazine earlier this week, however, Abe Silberstein argued that Liberal Zionists can adopt and adapt certain tactics of BDS, namely a targeted boycott only of settlements, without targeting or punishing Israel within its pre-1967 borders. But that is a minority position within a minority position.

While counterintuitive, liberal Zionists may be best able to achieve their goal of a just peace by joining forces with the BDS movement. Both groups stand to benefit enormously from such a collaboration. That said, the obstacles to such cooperation are formidable. Though BDS is a big tent movement, admitting a diversity of viewpoints regarding the ideal situation in Israel/Palestine, the most prominent BDS advocates tend to support a one-state solution and are implacable foes of Zionism.

Moreover, the BDS movement, largely incapable of inflicting significant economic damage upon Israel, tends to focus its efforts on academic and cultural boycotts, which are divisive and have sometimes led to charges of anti-Semitism. For instance, in 2015, Matisyahu, a Jewish-American recording artist, was targeted for a BDS action when he was slated to play a music festival in Spain on the basis of his ideological support for Zionism. Valid or not, the combination of anti-Zionist ideology and an atmosphere that even appears to tolerate anti-Semitism at times has led most liberal Zionists to hold the BDS movement at arms length.

Things dont have to be like this. In fact, many of the most objectionable features of the BDS movement would be ameliorated through the decisive intervention of liberal Zionists. And with the added weight of liberal Zionist voices, BDS could have a greater impact on those forces helping perpetuate the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

By providing an example of what a humane, tolerant Zionism looks like, liberal Zionists will be able to win hearts and minds, blunting the delegitimization of the State of Israel. Liberal Zionists and their allies within BDS would also be able to more effectively counter the toxic anti-Semitism that at times finds a breeding ground among BDS supporters, allowing pro-Palestinian voices to make a more effective appeal to the Jewish community and the world at large.

Finally, liberal Zionists would be able to contribute to the debate regarding the best way to achieve the goals of the BDS movement, positioning themselves to argue more effectively for the practicality and justice of a two-state solution.

The BDS movement, too, stands to gain quite a bit from allowing liberal Zionists into its ranks. The BDS movements victories are mostly of the symbolic variety. Whether the boycott of academic and cultural figures constitutes sound strategy is a question upon which reasonable people can disagree, but no one can deny that such measures aim to change the discourse around Israel/Palestine, not the material reality.

When BDS does manage to inflict tangible economic damage upon Israel, it is usually by convincing businesses to withdraw from the occupied territories, usually alighting to Israel proper so-called Zionist BDS in effect, if not in intention. The participation of liberal Zionists in the larger BDS movement would put more weight behind these scattered economic victories and temper reliance upon the boycott of academics and cultural figures in raising awareness on the issue.

Most importantly, such a union would provide aunique opportunity for building solidarity between two communities who will have to live with one another, whatever the resolution to the conflict may be. Such solidarity may be almost impossible to build in Israel/Palestine in the short term, but organizing together against the occupation in the diaspora can jumpstart some of the more difficult conversations necessary for a coexistence that is more than mere tolerance.

Ahmed Rizk is a writer based in Washington, DC. The thoughts and opinions expressed in this article do not represent those of his employers. Follow him on Twitter at @tiefeewigkeit.

For additional original analysis and breaking news, visit +972 Magazine's Facebook page or follow us on Twitter. Our newsletter features a comprehensive round-up of the week's events. Sign up here.

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Zionists for BDS? Why not? - +972 Magazine

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Posted By simmons on April 8, 2017

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Posted By admin on April 8, 2017

SHARABIhttps://youtu.be/OTTOLaBVsYkKlezmer has been a particularly malleable music. In the hands of the great mandolinist/clarinetist Andy Statman, the frenzied Old-World wedding music has been yoked to both bluegrass and free jazz, to thrilling effect. The New Orleans Klezmer All-Stars have spiced klezmer with Cajun sounds and R&B. The Klezmatics covered Woody Guthrie songs (and won a Grammy). For the last few years, Klezmatics trumpeter Frank London has been exploring the klez-Indian connection. Together with tabla player Deep Singh, he formed Sharabi, a band that takes its name from the Hindi word meaning something like ecstasy. The grooves are deep and funky, mixing traditional Jewish music and the Punjabi bhangra sound, itself a joining of Indian folk and Western pop. What defines the sound are drone-like guitar lines and Singhs insistent tabla. The effect is something like a meditative chant, with Londons trumpet dancing above the steady rhythm. Friday, April 14, 10 p.m., Monas Bar, Avenue B and 13th Street, East Village. Free. (212) 353-3780.

ISRAELI JAZZ SPOTLIGHTCurated by Israeli-American bassist Or Bareket, Cornelias monthly Israeli Jazz Spotlight showcases guitarist Nadav Remez and pianist Eden Ladin. Remez intriguingly fuses modern jazz, Jewish folk and alt rock. Jazztimes says that he has fashioned an auspicious debut of poignant melodies, rich harmonies and stirring improvisations that ring out with clarity and emotion. Ladin and his trio will play his originals, which straddle mainstream jazz, funk and fusion. Sunday, April 16, 8:30 (Remez) and 10 p.m. (Ladin), Cornelia Street Caf, 29 Cornelia St., (212) 989-9319, corneliastreetcafe.com. $20, drinks included.

THE BANDS VISITThe Bands Visit, David Yazbeks Off-Broadway adaptation of the similarly titled award-winning Israeli film starring Ronit Elkabetz, was a hit during its recent run. Now, Yazbek presents a one-night-only performance featuring the Alexandria Ceremonial Police Orchestra, the group featured in the musical. These Arab music masters will play scores from the show, classical and popular Middle Eastern pieces and songs from other Yazbeks albums. The Times described the shows music as having a transcendent harmonic shimmer that stops the heart. Also featuring the musicals stars, Katrina Lenk and Ariel Satchel. Monday, April 10, 7 p.m., 54 Below, 254 W. 54th St., (646) 476-3551, 54below.com. $55-$105.

The Bands Visit comes to 54 Below on April 10.

Theater

OSLO https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70bAEAk6OloOne of 2016s best-reviewed plays, J. T. Rogers Oslo moves to Broadway. A complex tale of political intrigue and back-door negotiations, this darkly funny play centers on the months of talks between Israel and Palestine that led to the historic 1993 Oslo Peace Accords. Directed by Tony Award-winning Barlett Sher (Fiddler on the Roof). Through June 18, Lincoln Center Theatre, 150 W. 65th St., (212) 375-3708. For the schedule and tickets visit lct.org.

HELLO, DOLLY! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GsgVIr3LNbUThe Broadway hit that became an even more famous Barbra Streisand movie is now returning to its Broadway roots. The widowed, brassy matchmaker Dolly Levi travels to Yonkers to find a match for the miserly well-known unmarried half-a-millionaire Horace Vandergelder. She convinces his niece, his nieces intended and Horaces two clerks to travel with them to New York City to find the match, and (we wont spoil the ending for you). Played on film by the legendary Barbra Streisand, this Broadway revival features the no-less-legendary Bette Midler as Dolly. Directed by four-time Tony Award-winner Jerry Zaks. Shubert Theatre, 225 W. 44th St., (212) 239-6200, hellodollyonbroadway.com. $59-$189.

IF I FORGETIn the final months before 9/11, liberal (to say the least; hes publishing a book about forgetting the Holocaust) Jewish studies Professor Michael Fischer has reunited with his two sisters to celebrate their fathers 75th birthday. Each deeply invested in their own version of family history, destructive secrets and long-held resentments bubble to the surface with biting humor and razor-sharp insight in this powerful tale of a family, and culture, at odds with itself. Through April 30, The Laura Pels Theatre, 111 W. 46th St., (212) 719-1300, roundabouttheatre.org. $79.

NOT THAT JEWISHWritten by and starring the Emmy Award-winning and Golden Globe nominated writer, actress and comedian Monica Piper, this has been lauded as a hilarious and heartfelt autobiographical tale of a Jew-ish womans life. Through April 30, New World Stages, 340 W. 50th St., (212) 239-6200, notthatjewish.com. From $49.

DAN LEVYStand-up comedian and writer Dan Levy tweeted that his show is A Jewish version of the movie Spotlight that exposes rabbis who do too much schtick during High Holidays. Levy has worked on four MTV shows including MTV Spring Break, and his own talk show for College Humor. Friday and Saturday, April 7 and 8, 8 and 10 p.m., Gotham Comedy Club, 208 W. 23rd St., (212) 367-9000, gothamcomedyclub.com, $26 + two drink minimum.

Music

ROY NATHANSON STILL LIFE WITH TROUBLEAn evening of music, spoken-word poetry and conversation with the saxophonist and Jazz Passengers co-founder Roy Nathanson, an eclectic, big-eared musician. Thursday, April 13, 7 p.m., NYUs Avery Fisher Center for Music and Media, Elmer Holmes Bobst Library, 70 Washington Square South, 7th floor. RSVP: lib-rsvp.nyu.edu.

YOTAM SILBERSTEIN & LA FAMILIA QUARTET https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5d_0zcjx4QSince his move here a decade ago, guitarist and Tel Aviv native Yotam Silberstein has released three albums and collaborated with the likes of bassist Avishai Cohen, James Moody and Roy Hargrove. About Jazz summed up Silbersteins 2009 release, Next Page, as an unadorned hollow-body guitar work [that] freely invites comparison to releases from the heyday of Blue Note Records. This gig has Vitor Goncalves on piano, Rick Rosato on bass and Daniel Dor on drums. Saturday, April 8, 9 p.m. and 10:30 p.m., Cornelia Street Caf, 29 Cornelia St., (212) 989-9319, corneliastreetcafe.com. $20, drinks included.

ISRAELI CHAMBER PROJECT https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qw6re_5mmgkThe award-winning Israeli Chamber Project joins forces with noted violist Paul Neubauer for a program of classics, including Mozarts lyrical Piano Quartet No. 2 and Richard Strauss impassioned and rarely played Piano Quartet in C minor. Saturday, April 8, 7:30 p.m., Baruch Performing Arts Center, Engelman Recital Hall, 55 Lexington Ave, (212) 352-3101. $35/$15 Student.

THE EHUD ASHERIE TRIOWith a sprightly dancing style on the keyboard (Jazz Notes), New York-based, Israeli-born jazz pianist Ehud Asherie plays a straightforward, classy jazz repertoire which All About Jazz magazine described as a wonder and more than a joy to hear. With drummer Aaron Kimmel and bassist Neal Miner. Tuesday, April 11, 7:30-10 p.m., Smalls Jazz Club, 183 W. 10th St., (646) 476-4346, smallslive.com.

ANAT FORTCombining jazz and classical elements with subtle hints of her Middle Eastern background, Israeli pianist Anat Fort has been hailed for her reflective yet probing style (New York Times) and her deceptively simple-sounding tunes, that are usually elegant and frequently exquisite (The Guardian). Along with her long-time collaborator Gary Wang on bass, Chris Cheek on saxophone and Francisco Mela on drums, she will be playing music from her latest ECM release, Birdwatching, named one of the best jazz CDs in 2016 by the NY Observer. Thursday, April 13, 8:30 and 10 p.m., Cornelia Street Caf, 29 Cornelia St., (212) 989-9319, corneliastreetcafe.com. $20, drinks included.

DANIEL MERONIsraeli-American jazz pianist and composer Daniel Meron presents music from his recently released album, Sky Begin. Merons songs are influenced by jazz, folk and world music, and shift between intimate moments and energetic improvisation. Friday, April 14, 6 p.m., Cornelia Street Caf, 29 Cornelia St., (212) 989-9319, corneliastreetcafe.com. $20, drinks included.

MUSICAL MAVERICKSIn a benefit concert for the ACLU, some of New York Citys leading musical mavericks join forces in a wild, boundary-pushing, genre-bending concert. Headliners include klezmer violinist Alicia Svigals, klezmer clarinetist David Krakauer, violin maverick Todd Reynolds and chamber jazz supergroup 9 Horses. Saturday, April 15, 7:30 p.m., Symphony Space, 2537 Broadway at 95th St., (212) 864-5400, symphonyspace.org, $42/$35 members, children and seniors.

Film

STREITS MATZO AND THE AMERICAN DREAMIn the heart of New Yorks rapidly gentrifying Lower East Side stand four tenement buildings that housed the Streits matzah factory since 1925. Their story is one of tradition, resistance and resilience a family whose commitment to their heritage and their employees is proof that the family that bakes together, stays together. A Q&A with director Neil A. Friedman will follow. Thursday, April 13, 7 p.m., Center for Jewish History, 15 W.16th St., (212) 294-8301, cjh.org. $10/$5 members, seniors and students.

GERMANS & JEWS https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fg4anJNqvgkTal Recanati, an American Jewish filmmaker, visited Germany and took a tour entitled Jewish Berlin. She was astonished to find that the Germans had dug so deeply and thoughtfully into their past, that in the 70 years since the Holocaust there was a growing, vibrant Jewish community. Through personal stories from Germans, German-Jews, American-Jews and Israelis, Germans & Jews explores Germanys transformation as a society. Sunday, April 16, 6 p.m., Leonard Nimoy Thalia at Symphony Space, 2537 Broadway at 95th St., (212) 864-5400, symphonyspace.org. $25.

13 MINUTES https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1a-rnFq1FjQDuring Hitlers anniversary speech on Nov. 8, 1939, Georg Elser (Christian Friedel) is arrested on the Swiss border for possession of suspicious objects. Just minutes later, a bomb explodes in the Munich Brgerbrukeller right behind the Fhrers lectern, killing eight people. Elser is held and cruelly questioned by the Gestappo, and from them he learns that his attempt has failed the man he wanted to kill in order to stop the bloodshed of World War II had left 13 minutes before the explosion. Lincoln Plaza Cinema, 1886 Broadway, (212) 757-0359. For tickets and show times visit lincolnplazacinema.com.

THE ZOOKEEPERS WIFE https://youtu.be/eiEfrA6MWs4The Zookeepers Wife, starring Jessica Chastain, tells the account of the keepers of the Warsaw Zoo, Antonina and Jan Zabinski, who helped save hundreds of people and animals during the German invasion. In wide release.

Exhibitions

JESSICA DE VREEZE

This photograph, shot in Luxembourg, is from Jessica De Vreezes show Portrait dAtmosphere, which focuses on cityscapes.

Photographer Jessica de Vreeze was born in Paris to parents from New York and Tunisia; she has lived in Paris, Luxembourg and New York City. She says her photos are a conversation between these cities she loves: she is drawn to the different light and movement, and plays with reflections and imagery, capturing the emotional resonance. Although her Jewish family is scattered, she has always felt anchored where she lives, which is felt in her work. Her show, Portrait dAtmosphere, is on view until April 13 and then from May 23-June 27. Luxembourg House (the stately townhouse is the former home of Irving Berlin), 17 Beekman Place (50th Street); gallery is open Monday-Friday, 9:30-6 p.m., but call ahead, (212) 888-6664, or email laurence.pierron@mae.etat.lu.

LOST SYNAGOGUES OF EUROPEThe Museum at Eldridge Street presents an exhibition of vintage postcards of Central and Eastern European synagogues from Prague-based collector Frantisek Bnyai. The postcards depict a range of Jewish architecture, culture and community that were all but destroyed during WWII. Through June 8, Museum at Eldridge Street, 12 Eldridge St., (212) 219-0302, eldridgestreet.org.

HEROES OF THE KNISHThe lowly staple gets the high-brow treatment with a month-long museum show at The City Reliquary. The chronicler-queen of the knish, Laura Silver, author of 2014s Knish: In Search of the Jewish Soul Food (Brandeis), curates the exhibition, whose aptly stuffed title is Heroes of the Knish: Making a Living and Making a Life. It features a history of the potato pie, from the Old Country to the sidewalk carts of the Lower East Side to the pricey delis of Midtown, and documents the lives of the men and women who made the crusty-chewy delicacy. Through May 7, City Reliquary Museum, 370 Metropolitan Ave., Brooklyn, cityreliquary.org. $5.

UNCOMMON THREADSOur ancestors used clothing and textiles to beautify their synagogues, their tables and themselves on Shabbat and holidays as well as important lifecycle events. Many of these were preserved, with highlights including a sumptuous 18th-century lectern cover that belonged to a former chief rabbi of Izmir, a 19th-century dress and a 1950 custom-made lace wedding gown. Through April 29, Yeshiva University Museum, 15 W. 16th St., (212) 294-8330, info@yum.cjh.org. For hours and admission rates: yumuseum.org/visit.

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

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NYC's Top Jewish Events This Week - Jewish Week

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