NYC Jewish-y Events, August 24 – September 3

Editor’s Picks: 

HOAXOCAUST
What roles should past horrors play in defining our worldview and politics? Is there such a thing as a contemporary Jewish identity independent of the Holocaust? Should there be? In this one-man show, writer/performer Barry Levey chronicles his fictional adventure of tracking down and interviewing Holocaust deniers, from Illinois to Iran.  — Opens Wednesday, Sept. 5, Theater at the 14th Street Y, 344 E. 14th St., (212) 780-0800, 14streety.org

OPERATION FINALE

“We’re all animals,” says Sir Ben Kingsley’s Adolf Eichmann, “some of us just have bigger teeth than others.” Chronicling Israel’s “catch and extract” operation in Argentina, which famously brought Hitler’s logistics chief to justice, the film centers on a psychological battle of wills between Kingsley’s Eichmann and Oscar Isaac’s Peter Malkin, one of the Israeli agents tasked with nabbing the Nazi. The film is set 15 years after the end of the war, when a top-secret team of Israeli agents travel to Argentina, where Eichmann has been in hiding with his family under an alias. Attempting to sneak him out of Argentina to stand trial in Israel, Malkin is forced to engage Eichmann in an intense game of cat-and-mouse. — In theaters Wednesday, Aug. 29.

BILL FRISELL AT RUSS & DAUGHTERS

The great guitarist put a sweet country twang and a gently lilting rhythm into jazz, a music that can be overly frenetic. He has channeled the sounds of Big Sur, rearranged the melodies of John Lennon and Woody Guthrie and taken listeners longingly across the wide Missouri in “Shenandoah.” Frisell, who told The Jewish Week in 2012 that he accompanied a Jewish friend to Hebrew school, even set Allen Ginsberg’s poem “Kaddish” to music. There’s no telling what he’ll come up with when he plays the Russ and Daughters Café next week as part of a series curated by his longtime collaborator John Zorn. You can bet, though, that there will be some of his signature strain of Americana on the bill. If anyone can find the lyricism in a Lower East Side appetizing shop, it’s Frisell. — Thursday, Aug. 30, 8 p.m., Russ and Daughters Café, 127 Orchard St., russanddaughterscafe.com. Free.

Theater

FIDDLER IN YIDDISH
Directed by Oscar- and Tony Award-winner Joel Grey, a rich Yiddish translation by the late Shraga Friedman adds new depth and dimension to the iconic musical, and it has gotten raves. Presented by National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene. — Extended through Oct. 25, Museum of Jewish Heritage, 36 Battery Place, (866) 811-4111, mjhnyc.org.

VITALY: AN EVENING OF WONDERS

Israel-raised magician Vitaly Beckman has wowed audiences with innovative illusions, and he is now making his NYC debut. Recommended for ages 8 and up. — Through Sept. 30, Westside Theatre, 407 W. 43rd St. (9th-10th avenues), telecharge.com. $89.

THE BAND’S VISIT
In the hit Israeli film, the Alexandria Ceremonial Police Orchestra travels to Israel from Egypt for a concert, ending up in the wrong place and bonding with local Israelis in the process. David Yazbek’s musical of the same name and based on the film recently took home 10 Tonys. — Barrymore Theatre, 243 W. 47th St., telecharge.com, thebandsvisitmusical.com.

Music

NOA FORT QUARTET

The Israeli pianist, vocalist and composer’s album “No World Between Us” was released last January and garnered fine notices. All About Jazz called it an “album of comforting originality on all fronts,” noting that “her voice, in addition to its well-rounded intonation and emotional integrity, finds equal partnership in lyrics brimming with timeless themes.”— Monday, Aug. 27, 8:30 p.m., Cornelia Street Café, 29 Cornelia St., (212) 989-9319, corneliastreetcafe.com.

ARI FOLMAN-COHEN
The eclectic bassist creates a solo bass experience that mixes improvisation and compositions, creating trance-inducing, dreamy soundscapes. — Saturday, Aug. 25, 6 p.m., Barbès, 376 Ninth St., Brooklyn, (347) 422-0248, barbesbrooklyn.com.

DIDA PELLED

The New York-based Israeli guitarist and vocalist uncovers folk music’s forgotten treasures; she explores the songs and stories behind influential yet underground female artists who wrote music that was ahead of its time, from 1950s singer-songwriter Connie Converse and self-taught American blues guitarist Elizabeth Cotten to Molly Drake, Vashti Bunyan and Norma Tanega. — Thursday, Aug. 23, 8 p.m., Barbès, 376 Ninth St., Brooklyn, (347) 422-0248, barbesbrooklyn.com.

MICHAEL ATTIAS
“Like a high-quality electronic product manufactured by the Panasonic Corporation, the career of alto saxophonist Michaël Attias has always involved being slightly ahead of his time,” writes Jazz Word’s Ken Waxman. The avant-garde Israeli-American saxophonist-composer appears at Barbès every last Tuesday of the month with various projects. — Tuesday, Aug. 28, 7 p.m., Barbès, 376 Ninth St., Brooklyn, (347) 422-0248, barbesbrooklyn.com.

ANTHONY COLEMAN
The eclectic composer and pianist is well known for his work with John Zorn and Marc Ribot, and has recorded two Tzadik albums as a leader. His ’90s Jewish music project “The Sephardic Tinge” has been reviewed as  “an excellent incorporation of traditional, ethnic music combined with an astute downtown New York sensibility.” He also recorded numerous jazz-klez interpretations with Self-haters, his duo with Roy Nathanson. — Friday, Aug. 31, 8 p.m., Barbès, 376 Ninth St., Brooklyn, (347) 422-0248, barbesbrooklyn.com.

Film

THE OSLO DIARIES

This new documentary by Israeli directors Mor Loushy and Daniel Sivan revisits the pivotal peace talks in the 1990s, with a non-traditional approach. It includes re-enactments of the meetings in Oslo, with actors impersonating the Israeli and Palestinian negotiators. Excerpts from books and diaries later written by the principal participants, also read by actors, are prominently featured, as well as interviews given by chief Palestinian negotiator Abu Ala, and Yitzhak Rabin’s second-in-command, Shimon Peres, who gave his last interviews to the filmmakers before his death in 2016. — Cinema Village, 22 E. 12th St., (212) 924-3363, cinemavillage.com.

RBG
At 84, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has developed a breathtaking legal legacy while becoming an unexpected pop culture icon. A documentary from Betsy West and Julie Cohen, “RBG” explores Ginsburg’s unique life, career and legacy. Co-produced by Storyville Films and CNN Films. — In wide release.

THE CAKEMAKER

In this tender and moving debut, Ofir Raul Graizer explores the connection formed by a gay German baker, Thomas (Tim Kalkhof), and Anat (Sarah Adler), the Israeli widow of the man whom they both loved, Oren (Roy Miller). — Through Thursday, Aug. 30, Quad Cinema, 34 W. 13th St., (212) 255-2243, quadcinema.com.

Exhibitions

CHAIM SOUTINE: FLESH
This exhibition features more than 30 paintings of Chaim Soutine depicting hanging fowl, beef carcasses and rayfish. Considered one of the 20th century’s great still-life painters, Soutine created visceral, expressionist paintings of tortured animal carcasses, establishing a parallel between the animal and human, beauty and pain. The New Yorker hailed the exhibition as “potent …  elegantly curated.” — Through Sept. 16, Jewish Museum, 1109 Fifth Ave. (at 92nd Street), (212) 423-3200, thejm.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.