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Bevis Marks: Britain’s Most Significant Synagogue

Virtually explore four galleries dedicated to the UK’s oldest synagogue that’s still active. Bevis Marks was erected in 1701 following the resettlement of Jews in the UK in 1656. Its Wren-style interior remains unchanged, reflecting the influence of the great Portuguese synagogue in Amsterdam of 1675. The synagogue embraced a new Sephardi community, led by Rabbi Menasseh Ben Israel of Amsterdam, who acted as a Jewish ambassador to Oliver Cromwell. The services at Bevis Marks are today made up of Jews with Sephardi, Ashkenazi and Mizrahi backgrounds.

ONLINE. www.jewishmuseum.org.uk 

 

David Breuer-Weil: Golden Drawings

A virtual exhibition of illuminated drawings made in isolation by London artist David Breuer-Weil, who’s well known for his huge bronze sculptures. He started the series on day one of lockdown as a form of meditation. Executed in pencil on paper with gold leaf, the pieces reflect different aspects of the current pandemic and the human condition. The series is partly inspired by medieval apocalyptic manuscripts that were often illuminated with gold leaf to give an otherworldly sense of reality, and were often produced in periods of great upheaval. Read more about this project in the Jan 2021 issue of JR.

ONLINE. www.davidbreuerweil.com

Ben Uri

No Set Rules

An exhibition and publication that explores the limitless possibilities of working on paper by bringing together selected drawings, prints and paintings from the Philip Schlee collection by artists working in Britain between 1920 and 2004. Presenting 51 works by 37 artists, No Set Rules covers a wide range of subject matter, techniques and practice, from figuration to abstraction, exploring 100 years of expression on paper and proving, as David Hockney once observed, that “there are no set rules in drawing”.

No end date specified

Cartoons and Caricatures, 1950

This archive exhibition shows contributions from leading cartoonists and caricaturists presenting their renditions of celebrities, from Churchill to Stalin, harmonica player Larry Adler to conductor Sir Thomas Beecham.

No end date specified

Yalta 1945: Komar and Melamid

Launching the world tour of this seminal installation of Yalta 1945, Ben Uri presents the works of Vitaly Komar and Alexander Melamid, graduates of the Stroganov Institute of Arts and Design. Founders of Sots Art, merging socialist realism, politicising pop, and conceptual art, the two are amongst the Soviet Union’s most important non-conformist artists. Their rich career together until 2003, and individually since, is both a challenge to the establishment and traditional in its concepts, with cutting wit and piercing satire, in a post-Soviet and -perestroika world.

No end date specified

Internment: In Memory of Eva Aldbrook – 1925-2020

On the 80th anniversary of internment in Britain, Ben Uri celebrates the many artists who were imprisoned in the UK. The sudden and dramatic implementation of the government’s mass internment policy was a result of the ‘enemy aliens’ register, listing many of those seeking refuge in Britain from Nazi persecution. In this case, internment art was born, which saw the artists use improvised materials in their work, ranging from toothpaste, vegetable dyes and brick dust mixed with oil from sardine cans, and for pigments, twigs burnt to make charcoal sticks; wiry beard hair for brushes; and newspaper to paint and draw on. This exhibition presents 16 artists who were either interned themselves or depicted former internees.

No end date specified

Painting with an Accent: German Jewish Émigré Stories

The Ben Uri Gallery and the German Embassy have come together to mark 85 years of the November pogroms and the Kindertransport with this exhibition, capturing the events that unfolded in 1938 through moving and thought-provoking works of art. During the November pogroms, Germany’s Nazi regime unleashed on Jewish citizens the terrors that would lead to the abyss of the Holocaust and to countless emigration efforts to escape the atrocities. The Kindertransport represented a beacon of humanity in inhuman times. The legacy of the various journeys by the artists featured in this exhibition, and the future of remembrance for the next generation’s interpretation of the events, is captured to remind the audience of the importance of upholding the values of democracy, respect for human rights, and fundamental freedoms that remain at the core of Germany’s key responsibilities.

No end date specified

Motherlands – Angels – Country – Bengal: Paintings, Sculptures and Drawings by Gerry Judah

Gerry Judah’s upbringing in India, surrounded by the fantastic architecture of temples, mosques and synagogues, along with the theatrical rituals of the festivals and cultural celebrations, triggered his highly creative imagination and set the tone for his artistic career. Having worked on high-profile commissions for museums and institutions, this exhibition encompasses a number of different aspects of Judah’s career.

No end date specified

Edith Birkin: The Final Journey

At the age of 14, Edith Birkin entered Poland’s Łódź Ghetto. Three years later, she was sent to Auschwitz and survived a death march to Flossenbürg camp, before being liberated from Bergen-Belsen in 1945. Upon discovering that none of her family had survived the Holocaust, Birkin recorded her experiences in the forms of literature (Unshed Tears) and art. This exhibition showcases the latter, with pieces including Entry into the Ghetto, Why, and Liberation Day.

No end date specified

Rothenstein’s Relevance

Sir Willian Rothenstein – artist, writer, teacher and consummate networker – was also a leading British artist in the years before World War I. The themes showcased in this exhibition include Jewish subjects, portraiture and figure studies, plus work from both world wars.

No end date specified

Liberators

Twelve extraordinary female artists from the Ben Uri collection are celebrated in this exhibition, with a focus on their lives, courage and strength of character across countless endeavours undertaken during the first half of the 20th century.

No end date specified

Yiddish: The Language, People and Heritage

This online exhibition explores the Ben Uri archives, with unique pieces reflecting the prevailing cultural heritage of its founders: émigré Lazar Berson and his Yiddish speaking co-religionists; Eastern-European artisans; and businessmen fleeing pogroms in the Russian Pale of Settlement.

No end date specified

Jankel Adler: A 'Degenerate' Artist in Britain, 1940-49

This is the first museum exhibition (now available virtually) of Adler’s works in Britain since 1951. The Polish painter introduced innovative styles and techniques, particularly in printmaking. He is now considered one of the most important European modernists working in mid-century Britain. Works featured include Mother and Child, Beginning of the Revolt, and Bird and Cage.

No end date specified

Becoming Gustav Metzger: Uncovering the Early Years, 1945-1959

In 2021, the Ben Uri Research Unit in partnership with The Gustav Metzger Foundation, presented the first museum exhibition exclusively examining the formative years of refugee artist, activist and environmentalist Gustav Metzger. Now you can view this display online. Showcasing 40 drawings and paintings, the majority never previously exhibited, as well as related archival material, Metzger’s artistic journey is charted while simultaneously uncovering an intriguing episode in the artist's personal life. This small selection of his work is fragile and damaged in places due to being hidden by the artist in the attic of a relative for 45 years and discovered only in 2009.

No end date specified

David Bomberg: A Pioneer of Modernism

David Bomberg, a prominent member of the Whitechapel Boys, was initially appreciated for his chromolithography (multi-colour prints). Later in life, he and Jacob Epstein co-curated the so-called “Jewish section” at the Whitechapel Art Gallery show, 20th-Century Art: A Review of Modern Movements, before serving in World War I. His post-war disillusionment is most powerfully expressed in Ghetto Theatre (1920), following which he began focusing on portraits of friends and family, as well as a series of self-portraits. He then produced many drawings and paintings about World War II and later became a teacher at Borough Polytechnic (now South Bank University).

No end date specified

ONLINE. https://benuri.org

Exile Research Centre

A Light in Dark Times

Little is known about the history of the Laterndl (Little Lantern) theatre, which, as well as the Austrian Centre in London, supported roughly 30,000 Jewish refugees who escaped Austria between March 1938 and September 1939. The Laterndl was the first and largest German theatre run by exiles in London, reuniting those who had worked together in Vienna before the annexation, and despite very few documents surviving from the time, this exhibition contains one of the most complete set of records about the theatre in existence. These documents are presented alongside materials from other sources to tell the story of the unique theatre and includes online resources and suggestions for further reading.

No end date specified

ONLINE. www.exileresearchcentre.omeka.net

John Rylands Research Institute and Library, Manchester

The Many Faces of the Rylands’ Jewish Manuscripts

Manchester university celebrates the digital revolution by compiling 30 years of Hebrew manuscripts. The 400+ articles display exemplary literary and artistic style, spanning the 14th to 19th centuries, including an early 1400s Sephardi Haggadah and a text of Nachmanides' Commentary on the Pentateuch, containing illuminations by the Florentine artist Francesco Antonio del Cherico. The curators owe their thanks to the collections of Enriqueta Rylands, who founded the John Rylands Library in 1900, and Moses Gaster, the Haham (Chief Rabbi) of the Sephardi community in London. 

ONLINE. www.manchester.ac.uk 

 

Memory Map of the Jewish East End

Artist and writer Rachel Lichtenstein and The Bartlett research units present a new digital resource that allows you to explore former sites of Jewish memory in east London. On it you will find photographs and essays of more than 70 sites in the area, plus audio interviews with residents and testimony from the collection at Sandys Row, the oldest Ashkenazi synagogue in the capital.

ONLINE. https://jewisheastendmemorymap.org


Jewish Museum London

Jewish Britain: A History in 50 Objects

Highlights from the Jewish Museum London’s extensive collection. Each object tells a story about the history of the Jewish community in Britain, from medieval to modern times.

ONLINE. www.jewishmuseumlondon.org.uk

Surface Design Association

Material Flux

Akin to how humans manipulate the environment around them, this exhibition showcases artists that have reimagined their materials by using unexpected, recycled elements. Jewish conceptual artist Caren Garfen’s Moral Compass is featured, which addresses the unprecedented resurgence of antisemitism since the Holocaust, highlighting incidents occurring globally today.

Until 31 December

ONLINE. www.surfacedesign.org

University of Durham

Bridging Identities: The Cultural Odyssey of Kurdistani Jews

Kurdistani Jews weaved an intricate tapestry of experiences and stories during their migration to Israel, and this exhibition intertwines historical events and personal aspirations to tell their stories. See how languages and encounters adapt from one generation to the next and from one country to another.

No end date specified.

ONLINE. www.stories.durham.ac.uk

Wiener Holocaust Library

A is for Adolf: Teaching German Children Nazi Values

The four parts of this display – School, Experiences of Jewish Children, The Hitler Youth and Beyond School – portray the various ways that the Nazis tried to influence German children both at school and in other parts of life. Nazi propaganda sought to shape every aspect of young people’s thoughts through books, games and toys.

No end date specified

Berlin/London: The Lost Photographs of Gerty Simon

Before the rise of Nazism in 1930s Germany, Gertrud ‘Gerty’ Simon (pictured) was a prominent portrait photographer. From her studio in Weimar Berlin she captured major artists and political figures, including Kurt Weill, Lotte Lenya, Käthe Kollwitz and Einstein. She eventually sought refuge in Britain and rebuilt her career, adding Sir Kenneth Clark, Dame Peggy Ashcroft, Nye Bevan and more to her portfolio. Now, for the first time in 80 years, members of the public can again see her work at this exhibition of around 600 prints. Read more about Berlin/London in the April 2019 issue of JR.

No end date specified

Beware this Poison: Fighting Fascism in 1970s Britain

Dr Alfred Wiener, who founded the Wiener Holocaust Library, campaigned against Nazism and fascism in the 1920s and 30s. This online exhibition documents Holocaust propaganda, the consequences of the atrocities and fascism and anti-fascism in post-war Britain.

No end date specified

Dilemmas, Choices, Responses: Britain and the Holocaust

While Britain’s role in fighting the Nazis during World War II is well known, its response to the Holocaust is less familiar. The British government was aware of the mass murder of the Jews and the matter was discussed in Parliament, as well as in the press, but how long was it before they went to war? And did they go to save the Jews or for other reasons?

No end date specified

Fate Unknown: The Search for the Missing after the Holocaust

The complicated history of the search for the missing after the Holocaust and the impact today of fates that remain unknown are examined. The aftermath of the Holocaust caused European chaos, with millions of people either murdered or displaced and many missing, with the fates of some remaining undetermined more than 70 years.

No end date specified

Fighting Antisemitism from Dreyfus to Today

Curated partly in response to the worrying trends in contemporary antisemitism, this exhibition reveals the history of the fight against Jewish prejudice over the last century in Europe since the Dreyfus Affair in 1890s France. Unique and never-before-seen documents as well as photographs from CST (Community Security Trust) archives spotlight the stories of the individuals, organisations and campaigns resisting Jewish discrimination.

No end date specified

Holocaust Letters

How much did those persecuted during the Holocaust understand what was happening to them? This exhibition examines correspondence of the era to find out, looking at how people exchanged information across borders in defiance of censors, deportations and destruction. See how survivors and their relatives preserved letters from the wartime period and how seemingly ordinary objects became precious symbols of what was lost.

No end date specified

Jewish Resistance to the Holocaust

During the Holocaust, resistance groups launched attacks, sabotage operations and rescue missions against the Nazis. Understand the stories of incredible endurance and bravery of the Jewish people who, as the Holocaust unfolded around them, and at great risk to themselves, fought against the Nazis and their collaborators. Featuring names such as Tosia Altman, the Bielski brothers, Ruth Wiener and Anne Frank, learn about the experience of those with incredible endurance and bravery.

No end date specified

On British Soil: Victims of Nazi Persecution in the Channel Islands

During the German occupation of the Channel Islands 1940–1945, many thousands of people were persecuted, including slave labourers, political prisoners and Jews. This exhibition tells their stories, drawing upon the library’s archival collections, files recently released by The National Archives, and items belonging to the victims of Nazi persecution themselves.

No end date specified

Science and Suffering: Victims and Perpetrators of Nazi Human Experimentation

Science and Nazi ideology worked together during the Holocaust to shape a new vision for a ‘radically pure’ Europe, with scientists seizing the opportunity to advance medical research. They did this by performing cruel and often fatal experiments on thousands of Jews and other ‘undesirables’. The coerced experimentation in Nazi-dominated Europe is explored, along with the legacy of medical research under Nazism and its impact on bioethics and research today at its core.

No end date specified

Tarnschriften: Covert Resistance in the Third Reich

The Wiener Library presents the largest collection of camouflaged anti-fascist propaganda outside of Germany. Materials containing tarnschriften (hidden writings) were concealed in everyday items such as pamphlets and books. The objects display the creative approaches that anti-Nazi resistors took to defy threats of deportation, imprisonment and death by distributing messages promoting an alternative political discourse in Nazi Germany.

No end date specified

The Boy Alone in Nazi Vienna

A cache of 40 letters discovered in a UK loft, and subsequently digitised, document the prelude to an unusual experience of the Kindertransport operation from the perspective of a child. A boy in Vienna wrote to his mother, who was already in the UK, over the course of an agonising four-month separation, during which time both were working frantically towards a reunion they could not guarantee would be able to happen.

No end date specified

The Kitchener Camp

In 1939, a now derelict army base on the Kent coast was the scene of an extraordinary rescue, saving 4,000 men from the Holocaust. The Kitchener rescue, founded and run by Jewish aid organisations that had funded and coordinated the Kindertransport, was a place of refuge to those who had to leave behind their loved ones in the Third Reich. The online project brings together scattered, uncatalogued archives to rebuild the wider history of descendent families.

No end date specified

The Perfect Hideout: Jewish and Nazi Havens in Latin America

Following the Nazi accession to power in 1933, 10 percent of the German Jewish population fled the country, creating the first wave of immigrants. By late 1941, it is estimated that half a million Jews had managed to escape Nazi-occupied territory, thousands of whom eventually emigrated to South America on tourist visas. However, Nazi propaganda fuelled the already present antisemitism there and a rise in Nazis hiding in Latin America during the post-war period changed their names to conceal their former identities.

No end date specified

ONLINE. www.wienerlibrary.co.uk

BOOKS & POETRY

 

Wednesday 28 May

The Light of Learning: Hasidism in Poland on the Eve of the Holocaust

Glenn Dynner discusses his recent book, which explores how the Hasidic Jewish movement revived itself in response to the aftermath of World War I. The Light of Learning: Hasidism in Poland on the Eve of the Holocaust details how the group’s leaders responded to secularist trends and public schooling by devoting themselves to rescuing the youth with cheders (Jewish lessons), schools and world-renowned yeshivas – institutions that focus solely on the study of rabbinic literature.

6pm. FREE. ONLINE. www.ucl.ac.uk/institute-jewish-studies

Thursday 10 July

Spaces of Treblinka

In his new book, Professor Jacob Flaws (Kean University, New Jersey) argues that despite popular opinion, which states that Treblinka was an isolated Nazi-run death camp, the site of mass murder was well known to nearby townspeople. The writer and academic will discuss his findings, which incorporates testimonies from Jewish, German and Polish onlookers and survivors, with Professor Dan Stone (University of London). Flaws’ words recreate a visual of Treblinka, revealing that there were more witnesses than previously realised and that those people often experienced the sights, sounds, smells, people, bodies and train cars that came out of it.

7pm. FREE. ONLINE. www.wienerholocaustlibrary.org

AVAILABLE INDEFINITELY

Unseen: Photographs by Wolf Suschitzky, Dorothy Bohm and Neil Libbert

Three photographers, Wolf Suschitzky, Dorothy Bohm and Neil Libbert, present their responses to London, Paris and New York, photographing it without prejudice or expectation.

FREE. ONLINE. www.benuri.org

FILM & TV

 

From Tuesday 3 June

Book of Joshua: Walls of Jericho

In biblical Judaism, Joshua was instructed by Hashem to lead a procession while carrying holy texts around the fortress of Jericho for seven days. This intricately animated feature film recounts the story, where poorly armed Israelites faced the fierce soldiers of the city and managed to bring the mighty walls crashing down with their faith.

FREE. ONLINE. www.partingseasproductions.com

Available indefinitely

Solomon & Gaenor

In what may be the only time you will hear Welsh and Yiddish spoken in the same film, Solomon & Gaenor is an Oscar-nominated classic shining a rare spotlight on the little-known Welsh Jewish community. The touching and memorable love story focuses on two young people –Jewish Solomon, who hides his Orthodox heritage, and Christian Gaenor, who wants to escape her stifling family life. Both risk their families’ wrath amidst a looming miner’s strike in the background, provoking tensions and prejudices, further threatening the lovers’ happiness.

£3.99. ONLINE. https://ukjewishfilm.org

Other People’s Children

A bittersweet drama following Rachel, a single Jewish woman nearing 40, who appears content with the life that sees her falling in love with Ali and his four-year-old daughter Leila. However, their relationship, while filling Rachel with joy, only serves to remind her of her own childlessness, resurfacing feelings of regret about not becoming a parent when she had the chance. A bittersweet drama following Rachel, a single Jewish woman nearing 40, who appears content with the life that sees her falling in love with Ali and his four-year-old daughter Leila. However, their relationship, while filling Rachel with joy, only serves to remind her of her own childlessness, resurfacing feelings of regret about not becoming a parent when she had the chance.

£4.99. ONLINE. https://ukjewishfilm.org

Daughter of the Waves: Memoirs of Growing Up in Pre-War Palestine

The relaunch of Ruth Jordan’s autobiography. This poignant memoir follows her upbringing in British Mandate Palestine, as well as her career as a journalist – she was the first female news presenter on the BBC World Service Hebrew Section – and beyond. Jordan’s children, Sharon and Oran Kivity, share their mother’s journey 40 years after the book’s first launch, and speak to a former colleague of Jordan’s, the journalist, author and music expert Norman Lebrecht, to remember her life and work.

FREE. ONLINE. www.youtube.com/watch?v=411_740BUBg

Birds of Passage

Hormazd Narielwalla’s 11th ‘bookwork’ (a piece of art that folds into a book) draws comparisons between certain members of gay communities and birds, both moving from country to country seeking somewhere to live safely and comfortably. It is inspired by the artist’s own motivation for migrating to the UK from India to celebrate his sexuality and creativity. Learn more in this intimate, video exploration of the artwork presented by the Ben Uri Gallery and narrated by Dr Shaun Cole, who wrote the introduction to Birds of Passage.

FREE. ONLINE. www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuRrVGnoNCI

Servant of the People

When Jewish comedian Volodymyr Zelenskyy co-wrote and starred in Servant of the People, a comedy series about a history teacher (Zelenskyy) who finds himself elected president, little did he know that life was to imitate art. Flash forward seven years since the show first aired, and Zelenskyy is not only Ukraine's heroic leader, but a household name internationally. It's no surprise then, that Channel 4 opted to interrupt its usual schedule of Sunday night reruns to screen the first three episodes. Catch up with them now on All 4. Read our review of Servant of the People on the JR blog.

FREE. ONLINE. www.channel4.com/programmes/servant-of-the-people 

MUSIC

 

AVailable indefinitely

Alex Weiser: In a Dark Blue Night

Following his Pulitzer Prize-nominated album And All the Days Were Purple, a love letter to New York City, Alex Weiser introduces his new album, In a Dark Blue Night, comprising of two song cycles exploring the city from complementary perspectives. The first cycle features five settings of Yiddish poetry, written by newly arrived immigrants to New York over the 1800s and 1900s, and the second, told through the recorded memories of Weiser’s late grandmother, features vivid, buoyant adventures about childhood in the bustling world of Coney Island in the late 1930s and 40s. Combined, the two cycles explore a little-known chapter of New York City’s history.

£7.93. Online download. www.alexweiser.bandcamp.com

Faiths in Tune

Get a taste of Faiths in Tune, the interfaith music festival that takes place annually in various locations around the world. This playlist of 20 videos features previous performances from different years and countries.

FREE. ONLINE. www.youtube.com/CoexistinterfaithOrgplus 

Music That Survived the Nazis

There’s a common idea that music created in Nazi Germany was only for propoganda. Historian Shirli Gibson clears up this misconception with a handful of rare and newly discovered recordings that show just how varied German musical output of the period was. In the first episode, she explores the music of the Jewish Culture League, as well two Jewish record labels, Lukraphon and Semer. Part Two is focused on music-making in the concentration camps and ghettos during World War II. Gibson takes a look at the stories that influenced the creative responses in a variety of ways. 

FREE. ONLINE. www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w3ct3c7z?utm

TALKS

 

Tuesday 10 June

An Emotional History of the Holocaust

The liberation of Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in 1945 was widely documented, but little is known about the British and Canadian forces who arrived there to support the operation. They bore witness to and recorded the crimes that had taken place, but nothing could have prepared them for the sheer horrors. Academic Dr Mark Celinscak discusses the experience of the Allied soldiers and liberators, who were overwhelmed, understaffed and armed with little equipment or medicine.

6.30pm. FREE. ONLINE. www.wienerholocaustlibrary.org


Available indefinitely

The Romani Holocaust

The destruction of the Roma by the Nazi state is sparsely understood and documented. Dr Barbara Warnock, Senior Curator and Head of Education at the Wiener Holocaust Library, is featured in this documentary about the Roma Genocide, which also features a representation of the first-hand account of a Sinti survivor of Auschwitz, held in the library’s archives.

FREE. ONLINE. www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w3ct6r9x

Auld Lang Schmooze

Edinburgh Jewish Cultural Centre’s podcast kicks off with an in-depth conversation with Jewish Renaissance editor Rebecca Taylor and writer David Ian Neville, talking about JR’s Summer 2023 issue and how each edition of the magazine is planned and produced.

FREE. ONLINE. www.jcc.scot

I Belong to Glazgoy

Dr Phil Alexander pieces together the story of Isaac Hirshow, a virtuosic Russian Jewish synagogue cantor and composer, who was one of thousands of Jewish immigrants who arrived in Glasgow from Warsaw in 1922. Alexander excavates Hirshow’s story through archive, oral history, poetry, early recordings and specially performed music.

FREE. ONLINE. www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001n1x7

The Black Cantor

Thomas LaRue Jones, an African-American tenor, was known as the Black Cantor, singing Jewish music in the early decades of the 20th century. His soulful voice and perfect Yiddish pronunciation propelled him to fame, performing in synagogues and theatres across America’s East Coast and around Europe. However, after his death in 1954, LaRue Jones all but disappeared from history, leaving behind only one recording, made in 1923. Journalist Maria Margaronis unpacks the mystery of the Black Cantor’s career, looking at what drew him to the music, what his life tells us about race, faith and identity in America 100 years ago, and why he was so quickly forgotten.

FREE. ONLINE. www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0fj1ylk

The Cockney Yiddish Podcast

Historians Nadia Valman and Vivi Lachs’ new podcast explores the unknown popular Yiddish culture of London’s East End against a backdrop of stories and songs from the 1880s to the 1950s. With special guests, including broadcaster Alan Dein and actor and comedian David Schneider, the hosts journey through music halls and street markets to revive London’s old East End. There are seven episodes in the series, six in English and one in Yiddish.

FREE. ONLINE. www.cockneyyiddish.org

Jewish Quest: Between the Lines Series

This weekly podcast provides a space where Jewish conversation can be free of denominational constraints, inspiring a deep love and knowledge of Jewish learning, teaching and debate. Previous speakers include Zvi Koenigsberg, Professor Mark Leuchter, Dr Kristine Henriksen Garroway and Chazan Jaclyn Chernett.

FREE. ONLINE. https://jewishquest.org 

Anne Frank’s Stepsister: How I Survived Auschwitz 

This raw and unfiltered two-part documentary offers a rare insight into the Frank family’s experience during the Holocaust. It’s a personal account by Eva Schloss, Anne Frank’s step-sister and friend, who describes Anne humorously as ‘Miss Quack-Quack’ (a reference to her chatty personality). In the first episode, Schloss describes her life before Auschwitz and her family’s eventual capture. In part two, she focuses on her experience of the liberation of Auschwitz and her efforts to keep her brother Heinz’s memory alive.  

FREE. ONLINE. www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/w3ct1k4b 

Hardtalk: David Baddiel

BBC World Service presenter Stephen Sacker speaks to writer and comedian David Baddiel, who has a gift for finding the funny in some of the darkest corners of the human psyche. Now he is taking on modern culture, which is often toxic, and asks: is comedy becoming a victim of the culture wars? Baddiel gives as good as he gets in this frank, intelligent one-to-one interview that lives up to its name.

FREE. ONLINE. www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w3ct1n6f

London’s Holocaust Memorial Day Ceremony 2022

The capital marked Holocaust Memorial Day online again this year, featuring a moving address by Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, alongside testimonies by Holocaust survivor Steven Frank BEM and Eric Murangwa Eugene MBE, survivor of the Rwandan genocide. Violinist Emmanuel Bach opened and closed the event with renditions of Bach’s Sola Sonatas. Watch the entire live-stream of the ceremony on the Mayor’s Office London YouTube channel. 

FREE. ONLINE. www.jmi.org.uk 

 

Opera Arias Reinvented and Holocaust Survivor Rachel Levy

Celebrate the achievements of Jewish women in this two-part podcast. Hear from violinist Charlotte Maclet about the award-winning, all-female string quartet Zaïde, and Rachel Levy, who is one of seven Holocaust survivors featured in the Portraits of the Holocaust project commissioned by the Prince of Wales.

FREE. ONLINE. www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0013rn0

How Things are Done in Odessa

Odessa is living through Russia’s war against Ukraine. Despite being fiercely independent from Moscow and Kiev, its legendary past and nexus of global trade has given the city a reputation of possibility and promise. Old Odessa gave rise to a flourishing creative community, including poets, writers, musicians and comedians. Musician Alec Koypt, shipping proprietor Roman Morgenshtern, journalist Vlad Davidson, translator and JR contributor Boris Dralyuk, poets Boris and Lyudmila Kershonsky and others narrate this Odesan story.

FREE. ONLINE. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0ctvzj8

The Exchange - Breaking with Tradition

Emily and John, who share a common experience, meet for the first time, each bearing a gift for the other – an object that unlocks their story. Presenter Catherine Carr assists in the two sharing their personal experiences and uncovering the differences between them. Having both grown up in strict religious communities, religious laws governed everything from their clothes to diet, and each community maintained a degree of separation from the ‘secular’ world. John, raised within the Amish community of America, had minimal contact with the outside world. Emily grew up in London’s Chasidic Jewish community, speaking Yiddish and obeying strict laws about physical contact between the genders. Both John and Emily broke away from their lives and, together, they share the challenges of growing up with rules they found impossible to relate to their personal needs. Carr discusses the way in which they both adjusted to life on ‘the outside’, embracing new freedoms that were out of reach for so many years.

FREE. ONLINE. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m001brqg 

THEATRE

 

Available indefinitely

The End of the Night

A chance to stream Ben Brown’s phenomenal play, The End of the Night, directed by Alan Strachan and performed at Park Theatre. A singular meeting between a Jew and a Nazi during World War II is the main focus. As the war is coming to an end, Dr Felix Kersten, Himmler’s personal physiotherapist, uses his unique position of influence to facilitate a meeting between the architect of the Holocaust and Swedish Jew Norbert Masur, a member of the World Jewish Congress. Can Masur and Kersten turn Himmler’s thoughts away from the downfall of the Third Reich and towards a course of action that could save thousands of lives? It’s a joint attempt to release the last surviving Jews from concentration camps, contrary to Hitler’s orders that no Jew should outlast the regime. Read our review of The End of the Night on the JR blog and hear our interview with playwright Ben Brown on JR OutLoud.

From £20/a. ONLINE. https://originaltheatreonline.com 

Otvetka

Under the shadow of an imminent Russian attack, a woman tries to hold her shattered life together after the father of her unborn child is killed in the Donbas region by a sniper. Suddenly, her phone pings with a delighted message from a friend on the other side of the border, inviting her to a wedding. How will she respond? Written by leading Ukrainian playwright Neda Nezhdana, this explosive monodrama confronts not only the war between Russia and Ukraine, but increased unrest sparked by fake news around the world. Dedicated to Ukrainian opera singer Vasyl Slipak, who went to war as a volunteer and died in the trenches of Donbas after being shot by a sniper, Otvetka (meaning ‘answers’ and ‘retaliation’ in Ukrainian) is currently being performed in Ukraine, despite constant interruptions from air-raid sirens. This stream is part of Finborough Theatre’s new digital initiative, #FinboroughFrontier, and part of the Worldwide Ukrainian Play Reading Series, a collaboration with the Theatre of Playwrights in Kyiv to read new Ukrainian plays around the world.

FREE. ONLINE. www.youtube.com/finboroughtheatre

Until Thursday 5 June

The Thirteen Principles of Faith

Rabbi Alex Israel educates on the most fundamental questions of Jewish faith. The 16-part series looks at each ideology in depth and the first session is free. There will also be an optional post-course siyum (celebration marking the completion of a unit of Torah study) on 23 June.

8pm. £250. ONLINE. www.lsjs.ac.uk

AVAILABLE INDEFINITELY

Alex Weiser: ‘in a dark blue night’

Following his Pulitzer Prize-nominated album And All the Days Were Purple, a love letter to New York City, Alex Weiser introduces his new album, ‘in a dark blue night’, comprising two song cycles exploring the city from complementary perspectives. The first cycle features five settings of Yiddish poetry, written by newly arrived immigrants to New York over the 1800s and 1900s, and the second, told through the recorded memories of Weiser’s late grandmother, features vivid, buoyant adventures about childhood in the bustling world of Coney Island in the late 1930s and 40s. Combined, the two cycles explore a little-known chapter of New York City’s history. Read our interview with Alex Weiser in the Summer 2024 issue of JR.

£7.93. ONLINE. www.alexweiser.bandcamp.com

WORKSHOPS

LONDON

ART

 

Austrian Cultural Forum

Painting Sculpture: Sophie Barber & Franz West

Sophie Barber created a series of smalls-scale works referencing the name and art of Austrian Jewish sculptor Franz West, inspire by his pink outdoor sculptures shown at the 2019 Tate Modern retrospective. West, one of Austria’s most celebrated artists, was known for his unique aesthetic portraying both high and low reference points and privileged social interactions.

No end date specified

SW7 1PQ. 020 7225 7300. https://acflondon.org

Ben Uri

Franciszka Themerson: Stories from the Life

See the variety of techniques used by Polish Jewish artist Franciszka Themerson, who studied at Warsaw’s School of Fine Art in the 1920s before coming to London. Her earlier works, predominantly of interiors and the activities taking place within them offer rich, vibrant colour and are a stark contrast to her later pieces, which are monochromatic drawings of landscapes. Two never-before-exhibited oil paintings are shown alongside examples of Themerson’s pre- and post-war pieces. Find out more about Franciszka Themerson in the Spring 2025 issue of JR.

Until 23 May

Paula Rego

One of the most significant figurative artists of her generation, Portuguese creative Paula Rego used her provocative works to draw on childhood memories, feminist themes and political events reflecting her Portuguese roots and the broader human condition. This exhibition offers a tribute to her legacy and cements her status as a modern master.

11 June – 24 October

US to UK: The American Contribution to 20th-Century British Art

A selection of works tracing the journeys of Jewish artists from the US to the UK. This is Ben Uri’s second installation of the initiative, US: From There to Here, which uses artwork to document the contribution of migrants to British art.

17 September - 31 October

NW8 0RH. 020 7604 3991. www.benuri.org.uk

Isokon Gallery

Through a Bauhaus Lens: Edith Tudor-Hart and Isokon

See recently uncovered prints that document the historic construction and opening of Belsize Park’s Isokon Flats, Britain's first reinforced concrete residency. The images were taken by Viennese Bauhaus-trained photographer Edith Tudor-Hart who, during her time in the UK, moonlighted as a spy-handler for the Soviets. It’s thought that she worked with the Cambridge Five – and recruited one of its most famous members, Kim Philby – as when the group was exposed, she destroyed much of her work. A cache of her negatives from the 1930s has been discovered in Salzburg, however, including these Isokon photographs.

Until 26 October 2025

NW3 2XD. www.isokongallery.co.uk

JW3

Pitch Up: The Cockney Yiddish Podcast

The Jewish Museum London may have closed its physical doors, but the organisation has been hosting a series of pop-up stalls. This ‘Pitch Up’ at JW3 provides further insight into each episode of The Cockney Yiddish Podcast, a seven-part series by Nadia Valman and Vivi Lachs. See objects and images connected to themes on the podcast, including language, theatre, humour and politics. If you haven’t already heard it, stream the series at cockneyyiddish.org.

Until 11 July

NW3 6ET. www.jw3.org.uk

MCC Museum, Lord’s Cricket Ground

Cricket and the Jewish Community

This exhibition shows, for the first time, how Jewish people have contributed to the world of cricket. See clothing, artwork, books and videos exploring how Jews, who have been both on the field and behind the scenes, have not only represented their countries, but also been pivotal in the development of the sport.

No end date specified

NW8 8QN. 020 7616 8595. www.lords.org

Museum of the Home

Rooms Through Time: Real Rooms

Museum of the Home, east London’s ode to how humans have lived throughout the centuries, has renovated its long-running exhibit with seven new additions that reflect the multicultural melting pot of London’s residents. Among them, is the Delinsky family home – a 1913 tenement room portraying Shabbat dinner, with simmering lokshen soup on the stove and an oil painting on the wall. The painting was based on a well-worn photo that the donor’s great-grandmother used to carry with her and the artwork was commissioned by her husband, an art dealer who filled their home with portraits. The pair met in the UK after the great-grandmother fled antisemitic violence in Eastern Europe.

From 17 July

E2 8EA. 020 7739 9893. www.museumofthehome.org.uk

Park Lane

Visitor V

British Jewish artist David Breuer-Weil’s new installation, featuring two resin-bronze feet sticking upwards out of the ground, explores the theme of ‘outsiders’. Located opposite the Dorchester Hotel on Park Lane, Visitor V represents a person ‘crash-landed’, having arrived from a distant land and culture. This follows his 2023 sculpture SISTER, in tribute to his sibling. Read more about SISTER on the JR blog.

Until December

W1K 1QA. www.davidbreuerweil.com

Royal Academy of Art

Kiefer / Van Gogh

Vincent van Gogh had an enduring influence on painter and sculptor Anselm Kiefer, whose work often addresses post-war Germany’s reckoning with the Holocaust. See works by both artists side by side and examine traces of van Gogh’s technique in Kiefer’s pieces, which draw on history, mythology, literature, philosophy and science.

28 June-26 October

W1J 0BD. www.royalacademy.org.uk

Tate St Ives

Artist Rooms: Sol LeWitt

Influential in establishing the notion of ‘conceptual art’ in the 1960s, Jewish American artist Solomon ‘Sol’ LeWitt produced highly colourful, sprawling wall pieces. For example, Wall Drawing #1136 (2004) weaves together seven vibrant colours to create an enveloping chromatic environment.

No end date specified

TR26 1TG. www.tate.org.uk

Tower Hamlets Local History Library & Archives

The Brady Club: A Legacy for the Future

Established in 1896, The Brady Club was a Jewish youth group that enhanced the lives of largely underprivileged young people. Today, the Brady Arts and Community Centre, which is housed in the original Brady Girls Club building in central London, continues the legacy of this work but has fallen victim to funding cuts. In a bid to encourage future sponsorship, the organisation presents this exhibition featuring old club magazines, holiday albums, games, music and dressing up.

Until 21 June

E1 4DQ. www.ideastore.co.uk

Wiener Holocaust Library

The Blumenfeld Family: An International Tracing Service Case Study

Examine the background of the Blumenfeld family, the owners of one of the most famous German Jewish travelling circuses of the 20th century. The circus was kept alive through the generations since first touring in 1811. Only one member of the family is known to have survived past 1951 – Jeanette – and this exhibition is the result of her great-granddaughter’s enquiry into the International Tracing Service in 2023, which conducts research for those looking into the fates of their loved ones following the Holocaust.

Until 1 June

Traces of Belsen

After liberation in 1945, Bergen-Belsen concentration camp was left as little more than a mass grave. The Nazis destroyed all of its records and the British Army was forced to burn down barracks to eradicate disease. What remains today stands as a memorial site and museum, but certain materials were recovered in archaeological digs and from descendants of survivors. This exhibition, which marks 80 years since the end of World War II, uses photographs and documents to explore the history and post-war life of the site.

Until 10 July

WC1B 5DP. 020 7636 7247. www.wienerlibrary.co.uk

Tuesday 3 June

Photography and Resistance

Writer, academic and photographer Janina Struk discusses the use of camerawork during the Holocaust in her new book. Photography and Resistance explores why prisoners took pictures of the atrocities, how the images are interpreted and whether the engagement with said photos has honoured those who risked their lives to secure them. Following Germany’s defeat, the pictures were used as evidence in wartime trials, for example, those from Birkenau concentration camp were used to convict Rudolf Höss, the former commandant of Auschwitz.

6.30pm. FREE. Wiener Holocaust Library, WC1B 5DP. www.wienerholocaustlibrary.org

Tuesday 10 June

Home, Migration and Food!

Iraqi artist Linda Dangoor launches her second cookbook. From the Tigris to the Thames features personal memoir entries and recipes, reflecting on the idea of home and belonging. The session includes an interview, Q&A, book signing and tasters.

7.30pm. £20. ONLINE & JW3, NW3 6ET. www.jw3.org.uk

 

Wednesday 11 June

The Scattered Library

Magnus Hirschfeld was a pioneering LGBTQ+ rights activist whose Institute for Sexual Science in Berlin was raided and books burnt by the Nazis. Hans Soetaert’s new book, The Scattered Library, reports what happened in the three years before Hirschfeld died and the years that followed. Soetaert’s book is also the first biography on Karl Giese, Hirschfeld’s life partner, and Karl Fein, a Czech lawyer and fellow activist.

6.30pm. FREE. Wiener Holocaust Library, WC1B 5DP. www.wienerholocaustlibrary.org

Wednesday 11 June

Jewish Odesa

Dr Marina Sapritsky-Nahum talks about her latest book, which focuses on the complex history of Jewish communities in Odesa. She explores how Jews have shown resilience and compliance amidst conflict, adapting to a rapidly changing world despite being deeply rooted in the cosmopolitan heritage of their city. Read more about Jewish Odesa in the Spring 2025 issue of JR.

7pm. £20. JW3, NW3 6ET. www.jw3.org.uk

Monday 16 June

Olga Lengyel: Auschwitz Survivor – Interdisciplinary Explorations

A panel of academics talk about Hungarian Holocaust survivor Olga Lengyel, who wrote a memoir about her imprisonment in Auschwitz-Birkenau. The testimony she shares prompts discussion on how the remembering and telling of individuals’ experiences changes through time. Followed by light refreshments for in-person guests.

6.30pm. FREE. ONLINE & Wiener Holocaust Library, WC1B 5DP. www.wienerholocaustlibrary.org

Tuesday 17 June

Totalitarian Dreams and Real Nightmares

Historian Lyndsey Stonebridge and filmmaker Amanda Rubin discuss their books, which focus on two women who experienced totalitarianism first-hand. Rubin’s The Third Reich of Dreams gives insight into how terror and propaganda is internalised, infiltrating our dreams, while Stonebridge’s We Are Free to Change the World illuminates the life and work of German historian and philosopher Hannah Arendt. German journalist Charlotte Beradt, the subject of Rubin’s book, began recording the dreams of her and her friends shortly after Hitler came to power. She also had a connection to Arendt, for whom she worked as a translator in the 1950s and mistress to Arendt’s husband.

6.30pm. FREE. ONLINE & Wiener Holocaust Library, WC1B 5DP. www.wienerholocaustlibrary.org

 

Wednesday 25 June

The Jewish Pedlar Trope and the 20th Century

In the 1700s, a pedlar called Jacob Harris slit the throats of three people in a Sussex pub, which was, to this day, the most violent crime ever committed by a British Jew. Dr Tony Kushner discusses his new book, The Jewish Pedlar Trope and the 20th century, which uses law records, newspaper reports, songs and folktales to reconstruct the world of Jewish salespeople-turned-smugglers within the UK and internationally.

6.30pm. FREE. Wiener Holocaust Library, WC1B 5DP. www.wienerholocaustlibrary.org

BOOKS & POETRY

Wednesday 25 June

JW3 Comedy Club

Sit back and relax as Jewish (and Jew-ish) comedians take to the stage with jokes, improvisation and stand-up performances.

7.30pm. £20. JW3, NW3 6ET. www.jw3.org.uk

Saturday 5 July

Ian Stone is Looking for the Wow

Ian Stone is sick of the daily humdrum, he wants to be dazzled. He’s thought about exploring breathtaking forests, but “my ancestors wandered the desert for 40 years, I think we’ve been outdoors enough”, he stubbornly states in his press release. And spirituality is a no-go (“I’ve been harbouring a grudge against God since my mother stopped me going to see Arsenal play after my bar mitzvah”). So, what will wow this wry London comic? Join Stone as he attempts to find out.

Contact venue for price/time. Stoke Park, Guildford, GU1 1ER. www.guilfest.co.uk

Tuesday 8 July

Ian Stone is Looking for the Wow

See above for info.

7.30pm. From £16. Walthamstow Trades Hall, E17 4RQ. www.ianstonecomedian.co.uk  

Thursday 24 July

Michael Shafar: Inappropriate

The Aussie Jewish comedian is double-dipping this season. Not only is he performing last year’s sell-out show Well Worth the Chemo (9.30pm at Kick Ass Cowgate), a darkly humorous take on losing a testicle, he’s got a new set on the go. As the title suggests, Inappropriate isn’t for the faint-hearted. Shafar will be tackling the hard topics, from abortion rights to assassinating politicians to the Middle East – and this is coming from the man who compared the Queen to Hitler. You have been warned.

6pm. Prices vary. The Top Secret Comedy Club, WC2B 5PD. www.michaelshafar.com

Thursday 24 July

Tova Leigh: Honey, I'm Losing It!

What is the secret to a healthy marriage? Tova Leigh, bestselling Israeli author and comic thinks she has the answer. Her stand-up show leaves nothing to the imagination, delving into taboo topics such as c-section shelves and the death of her libido.

8pm. From £20. JW3, NW3 6ET. www.jw3.org.uk

COMEDY

Tuesday 27 – Wednesday 29 May

Sadeh Farm Spring Day Camp

Children (aged 8-11) are invited to explore Jewish tradition while immersing themselves in the beauty of nature at Sadeh Farm’s spring camp. Featuring animal feeding, educational farming sessions, games, craft activities, fire building, marshmallow toasting and riding on a zip line.

10am. £10/day. Sadeh Farm, Skeet Hill House, BR6 7QA. www.sadehfarm.co.uk

Sunday 1 June

Erev Shavuot

Bring in Shavuot, the celebration of the harvest and giving of the Torah, with a service, dinner and studying into the night (tikkun leil). Featuring keynote speaker Dame Sarah Mullally DBE, Bishop of London.

6.30pm. Price TBC. Westminster Synagogue, SW7 1BX. www.westminstersynagogue.org

Sunday 6 July

A Season to Sing

Jewish choir Alyth Choral Society presents A Season to Sing, led by Joanna Forbes L’Estrange, featuring a new version of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons and Psalm 118 by composer Julian Dawes. Refreshments provided.

7.30pm. £20. North Western Reform Synagoge, NW11 7EN. www.alythchoralsociety.wordpress.com

Sunday 14 September

Islington Torah Inauguration

Chabad Islington is celebrating the inauguration of a new Torah dedicated in memory of Jewish lawyer and human rights activist Julian Young. The scroll will be paraded through the streets in a grand procession complete with music and festivities, followed by a feast. Those who wish to write the final letters into the Torah using a quill and ink can do so for an additional cost of £180.

11am. FREE. Chabad Islington, N1 8HX. www.jewishislington.co.uk

family

Monday 9 June

Outsider. Freud

Yair Qedar’s new film spotlights psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud, looking at how his experience of being a Jew in Vienna during Hitler’s rise shaped his theories and personal life. Real life footage, surreal animation and insights from fellow psychiatrists are combined in this documentary to reveal a new angle on Freud’s legacy. This screening takes place at Freud’s final home in Hampstead, and will be followed by a Q&A with Qedar.

6.30pm. From £10. Freud Museum, NW3 5SX. www.freud.org.uk

Monday 30 June

Sleeping with the SS

Ziko, a nine-year-old orphan from Salonica, joins a group of Greek Jews hiding from the horrors of the Holocaust on Pelion Mountain. The peace is disturbed when a Nazi SS Unit, intent on deporting the Jewish people to Auschwitz, arrives to set up their headquarters and demand to lodge with them. Discover this remarkable true story in Rami Kimchi’s film, which is being shown for the first time in the UK. Followed by a Q&A with the filmmaker.

7.30pm. £16.50. JW3, NW3 6ET. www.jw3.org.uk

FILM AND TV

07_MUSIC.jpg

MUSIC

 

Thursday 29 May

Oi Va Voi

British klezmer stalwarts Oi Va Voi celebrate their new album, The Waters Edge, with a European tour. Their extensive setlist of both old and new material is packed with sounds, melodies and stories rooted in Jewish and European musical tradition.

7.30pm. From £22. Bush Hall, W12 7LJ. www.bushhallmusic.co.uk

Sunday 25 May

JMI Youth Big Band

Original compositions from the JMI Youth Big Band, a group of young musicians aged 11-19, who infuse Jewish music into jazz and other contemporary sounds. Led by composer and musician Sam Eastmond.

12.30pm. £12, £8 concs. Jamboree Kings Cross, WC1X 9HH. www.jmi.org.uk

Thursday 12 June

The Piano Player of Budapest

Jewish pianist Stephen de Bastion spent his youth in Hungary in the 1930s, living a life of fame, romance and music, before he was caught up in the Holocaust and his world collapsed. Playing his own piano, which has been in the family for over a century, his granddaughter Roxanne exposes the unimaginable horror her grandfather endured through forced labour camps. She draws on his recordings, unpublished memoirs, letters and documents and uses music to revive her family’s history.

7pm. £15. JW3, NW3 6ET. www.jw3.org.uk

 

Sunday 29 June

Celebrating Anthony Newley

West End actors take to the JW3 stage to celebrate the life and works of Jewish musician Anthony Newley, who was responsible for a slew of hits including ‘Goldfinger’ and the score for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

7.30pm. £20. JW3, NW3 6ET. www.jw3.org.uk

Sunday 6 July

A Season to Sing

Jewish choir Alyth Choral Society present A Season to Sing, led by Joanna Forbes L’Estrange. Featuring a new version of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons and Psalm 118 by composer Julian Dawes. Refreshments provided.

7.30pm. £20. North Western Reform Synagoge, NW11 7EN. www.alythchoralsociety.wordpress.com

Thursday 10 July

TamaRadah

Singer-songwriter TamaRadah uses her personal experience of immigrating to Israel from Ethiopia as a child in her music. Fusing Israeli folk music with African-Caribbean grooves, the Rimon School of Music graduate explores the heritage of Ethiopian music through her performance.

7.30pm. £16. JW3, NW3 6ET. www.jw3.org.uk

Tuesday 30 September – Wednesday 4 March

The Classical Music Series

JW3’s Classical Music Series returns for a third season, showcasing some of the best artists from around the world. The performances start with pianist Dame Imogen Cooper (30 Sep), followed by vocalist Helen Charlston, who’ll sing alongside string musicians Sergio Buchell and Jonathan Manson (30 Oct); and the third concert features a Four Hands recital by Mishka Rushdie Momen and Alasdair Beatson sharing a piano (16 Nov). The 2026 programme features the Fionacci Quartet (15 Jan), a piano trio repertoire (12 Feb) and a classical string quartet accompanied by a viola (4 Mar).

7.30pm. £33, £16.50 concs. JW3, NW3 6ET. www.jw3.org.uk  

11_TALKS.jpg

TALKS

 

Tuesday 27 May

A Quirk of History: The Logistics of Destruction in Hungary

Researchers present their findings on the 1944 deportation of Jews in Hungary, focusing on the journey intended from Debrecen to Auschwitz-Birkenau, which was diverted to Strasshof concentration camp in Vienna. The panel, consisting of historians, engineers and academics, accompanied by Agnes Kaposi, who survived that very train journey, aim to delve deeper in to the role of transportation as part of the ‘Final Solution’.

6.30pm. FREE. ONLINE & The Wiener Holocaust Library, WC1B 5DP. www.wienerholocaustlibrary.org

Wednesday 28 May

I Hope Soon to Get into a Hospital

In 1930s Britain, when the threat of war became imminent, there was a growing crisis in the recruitment and retention of nurses that coincided with the imminent threat of war. To bolster the number of healthcare workers, the government offered Jewish refugees from Nazism in the UK the chance to train as nurses. Dr Jane Brooks (University of Manchester) maps the ups and downs that many young women faced in their training and discusses their ongoing bravery and determination in carving out a new career for themselves.

6.30pm. FREE. ONLINE & Wiener Holocaust Library, WC1B 5DP. www.wienerholocaustlibrary.org

Thursday 5 June

Willy Meisl: King of Sports Journalists

Austrian Jewish sports writer Willy Meisl revolutionised his field of journalism during the Weimar Republic, critiquing whilst taking professionalism, tactics and sporting history into account. His focus shifted upon the rise of the Nazis, when he was forced into exile and started to write about radical ideology and the terror behind their reign. Authors Darren O’Bryne and Christopher Young discuss Meisl’s career with fellow writer and commentator David Bolchover.

7pm. £15. JW3, NW3 6ET. www.jw3.org.uk

Monday 9 June

Belsen Exchange Camp

Bergen-Belsen concentration camp was originally established by the Nazis as somewhere to hold people who were eligible to exchange for German war prisoners, goods and services. Professor Rainer Schulze (University of Essex) discusses this little-known information and looks at what happened to make Belsen the site of 50,000 deaths.

6.30pm. FREE. Wiener Holocaust Library, WC1B 5DP. www.wienerholocaustlibrary.org

 

Thursday 12 June

Imagining Little Paris: The Jewish Jazz Age of Interwar Kovno

American artist Aimee Birnbaum sheds light on when Kaunas was Lithuania’s capital city (1919-1940), a time when Jewish entertainers drew crowds into elegant establishments. She’ll use historical photographs, recordings and paintings to look at the flourishing café society life of the region during the interwar period. Refreshments provided.

6.30pm. FREE. Location provided upon booking. www.ucl.ac.uk/institute-jewish-studies

Tuesday 24 June

Meet the Mural

Leon Fenster’s 26-metre-long mural, which brightened the side of JW3’s nine-storey building, depicted over 150 Jewish faces from past and present. Some of those featured in the painting join the artist to discuss what it means to have been included, what the work represents, and how Jewish Londoners have contributed to the capital over the centuries.

7pm. £12. JW3, NW3 6ET. www.jw3.org.uk

Monday 30 June

Belsen in British Memory

Professors Sue Vice (University of Sheffield) and Dan Stone (University of London) explore the significance of the liberation of Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in today’s society. This talk is part of the library’s Traces of Belsen exhibition and marks 80 years since prisoners of the camp were freed.

6.30pm. FREE. Wiener Holocaust Library, WC1B 5DP. www.wienerholocaustlibrary.org

Wednesday 2 July

Europe and the Middle East

Academic Jonathan Paris examines the evolving relationship between Israel and Europe amidst the current conflict. He’ll focus on the rising levels of antisemitism in the UK and the shift in patterns of Jewish people emigrating to Israel.

2pm. £20. ONLINE & JW3, NW3 6ET. www.jw3.org.uk

 

Tuesday 8 July

A Third Annual Evening of Cricket

Drawing on his current Lord’s exhibition, Cricket and the Jewish Community, Daniel Lightman presents an evening of discussion focusing on the sport within Judaism. He’s joined by former England captain Mike Brearley OBE and Roland Butcher, who was the first black cricketer to play for England.

7.30pm. £20. JW3, NW3 6ET. www.jw3.org.uk

Wednesday 9 July

Next Stop, Finchleystrasse!

Journalist Etan Smallman explores the colourful history of north-west London’s Finchley Road, focusing on its importance for European Jews from the 1930s onwards. It was the home of various different establishments built by Jewish refugees and became a sanctuary for those displaced during World War II.

7pm. £12. ONLINE & JW3, NW3 6ET. www.jw3.org.uk

THEATRE

 

Until Saturday 31 May

Faygele

Ari Freed’s life is turned upside down when his father brands him a ‘faygele’ (derogatory Yiddish term for someone who is gay) at his bar mitzvah. Already in a state of delicate mental health, Freed battles between his faith and identity, love and duty, and past and future, as he navigates the complexities of his teens and the relationships that shape him. Read our interview with writer Shimmy Braun in the Spring 2025 issue of JR.

7.30pm (Mon-Sat), 2.30pm (Thu & Sat only). £22.25-£77.25. Marylebone Theatre, NW1 6XT. www.marylebonetheatre.com

Until Saturday 7 June

House of Games

Billy is a sex, drugs and gambling addict, and a regular at the House of Games, an illicit poker lounge. He turns to renowned psychoanalyst and author Dr Margaret Ford for help, who happens to be on the hunt for a subject matter for her next bestselling book. On her search, she finds herself deep in Chicago’s underworld and meets Mike, another charismatic gamer. Watch as a tricky game ensues, in which even the players themselves are unaware of the rules. Written by Jewish playwrights David Mamet and Jonathan Katz, and adapted from the screenplay of the same name.

7.30pm, 2.30pm (Thu & Sat only). From £15, £10 concs. Hampstead Theatre, NW3 3EU. www.my.hampsteadtheatre.com

Until Saturday 28 June

Here We Are

Tony Award-winner Joe Mantello directs this staging of Stephen Sondheim’s last musical before he died in 2021. Here We Are follows Leo and Marianne Brink, who are out to brunch. The restaurant has great reviews and they’re with great friends – what could go wrong? Read more about Here We Are in Theatre in the Spring 2025 issue of JR.

7.30pm, 2.15pm (Wed & Sat only). £25-£110. National Theatre, SE1 9PX. www.nationaltheatre.org.uk

Until Saturday 2 August

Giant

After a sold-out run at the Royal Court Theatre, Mark Rosenblatt’s debut play Giant transfers to the West End. It’s the summer of 1983 and renowned children’s author Roald Dahl is set to release his latest book, The Witches. If only the public outrage over his recent antisemitic comments would disappear. Should he make a public apology or risk his name and reputation? An unexpectedly explosive confrontation at his family home may just force him to choose. Based on real-life events, Giant deals with the problematic issues of fame and rhetoric with dark humour. Starring Golden Globe-winner John Lithgow and Olivier Award-winner Elliot Levey. Directed by Nicholas Hytner. Read more about Giant in the Summer 2024 issue of JR.

7.30pm (Mon-Sat), 2.30pm (Wed & Sat only). Prices TBC. Harold Pinter Theatre, SW1Y 4DN. www.haroldpintertheatre.co.uk

Until Sunday 28 September

Oliver!

Following its huge success at Chichester Festival Theatre last year, Lionel Bart’s musical adaptation of Charles Dickens’ novel returns. The orphaned Oliver Twist finds himself in London’s dark underworld with Fagin and his team of pickpockets, led by the Artful Dodger. With a score of well-known songs, including ‘Oom Pah Pah’ and ‘As Long as He Needs Me’, follow Oliver as he looks for happiness in Dickens’ story of the boy who asked for more.

7pm (Mon & Tues only), 7.30pm (Wed-Sat), 2.30pm (Wed & Sat only). From £65. Gielgud Theatre, W1D 6AR. www.oliverthemusical.com

Friday 23 May – Saturday 28 June

The Frogs

Award-winning American actor Nathan Lane, best known for his role in The Producers, tackles Stephen Sondheim’s lesser-known musical The Frogs. Adapted loosely from Aristophanes’ ancient Greek comedy of the same name, this new staging sees mythological characters Dionysos and Xanthias dive to the depths of Hades in order to save a divided and despairing world – if they don’t get bogged down by their own idiosyncrasies. Read more about The Frogs in the Spring 2025 issue of JR.

7pm, 2.30pm (Tue & Sat only). £10-£35. Southwark Playhouse, SE1 6BD. www.southwarkplayhouse.co.uk

Wednesday 4 June – Saturday 20 September

STOREHOUSE

Every news story, message, memory and meme ever transmitted across the internet is being meticulously catalogued by an underground collective. They believe that bringing together these ‘pieces’ of humanity will reveal a “higher, universal truth”. But there’s only so much one gargantuan warehouse can hold and the digital narratives are beginning to compete with each other. How will the collective safeguard the mission and decide what to save, rewrite or delete? This unique immersive theatre venture comes from the team behind Sage & Jester, an arts company that “questions truth” and promotes critical thinking through “stories, laughter and immersive experiences”. It was set up by Georgian Jewish former TV exec Liana Patarkatsishvili, daughter of the late business tycoon Badri Patarkatsishvili, an ardent philanthropist and founder of Georgia’s first independent broadcasting station. The irony that it’s taking place in the gargantuan warehouse that previously printed Rupert Murdoch’s The Sun, The Times and now defunct News of the World, is no accident: STOREHOUSE intends to have you questioning the role of misinformation in today’s world.

Times vary. From £27.50. Deptford Storehouse, SE8 3AA. www.sageandjester.com

Wednesday 18 June - Saturday 12 July

Who is Claude Cahun?

Explore the true story of Claude Cahun (born Lucy Schwob), a groundbreaking Jewish artist, photographer and writer whose self-portraits explored identity, gender and feminism. This intimate, five-person production tells her story, from her youth in Nantes and England, to her time in Paris with lover Marcel Moore (born Suzanne Malherbe), and final years in the Channel Islands. The couple were key members of the French Surrealist circle and playing with gender was a key part of their work. As Hitler’s power grew, the pair fled France for Jersey, believing they would be safe on British territory. On the island, they began spreading anti-Nazi resistance propaganda, for which they were arrested in 1944. Read more about Claude Cahun in the Spring 2025 issue of JR.

7.30pm (Tue-Sat), 3pm (Tue & Sat only). From £24, £19 concs. Southwark Playhouse Borough, SE1 6BD. www.southwarkplayhouse.co.uk

Saturday 24 May – Saturday 19 July

Fiddler on the Roof

Following its sold-out run at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre in the summer, Jordan Fein’s production of Fiddler on the Roof hits the Barbican stage. Travel back to the small village of Anatevka and watch as Jewish milkman Tevye navigates life with his wife Golde and five daughters. With each daughter rebelling against his strong Jewish beliefs, can Tevye embrace the unfamiliar in a changing world or will he stick to his roots? Featuring classics such as ‘If I Were A Rich Man’, ‘Matchmaker’ and ‘Sunrise, Sunset’.

7.30pm (Mon-Sat), 2.30pm (Tue, Thu & Sat only). From £25. The Barbican Centre, EC2Y 8DS. www.barbican.org.uk

Sunday 15 June

Ms MaNDy's Adventures in Wonderland

AI, animation and technology controlled by eye movements are intertwined to present visual artist Sarah Ezekiel’s drag extravaganza. Accompanied by music from Alex Herd, the show portrays the minds of both creatives, who both have MND (motor neurone disease), and the magical, imaginative world in which they live.

7.30pm. £20. JW3, NW3 6ET. www.jw3.org.uk

Thursday 3 – Saturday 5 July

Kiki and Herb are Trying!

Justin Vivian Bond and Kenny Mellman, under their alter egos Kiki and Herb, bring their darkly comic stories and tone-deaf songs to the stage. Following success in their youth, the elderly couple is now coasting through life, living off meagre government entitlements. Kiki, who has a fascination with Jewish people, has returned to her birthplace in New Jersey to unwind, while Herb, an actual Jew, lives in Tennessee. The two remain in close communication, but when their payments stop arriving and various other inconveniences hit, they’re forced to return to showbusiness, this time in London. Can the two heal the centuries-old conflict between the US and UK through their performances? They’re certainly going to try.

7.30pm. From £15. Soho Theatre Walthamstow, E17 4QH. www.sohotheatre.com

Sunday 20 July

Spitalfields: The Historic Jewish East End of London

Venture through the capital’s East End, past Bevis Marks – the UK’s oldest functioning synagogue – to the buzzing Spitalfields Market. Marc Gardiner guides participants through historic streets, including Brick Lane, where Yiddish was once the common language, and to corners of the city that boast Jewish history dating back 1,000 years.

3pm. £20. Starting point provided upon booking. www.jw3.org.uk

Sunday 1 June

Culinary Connections

From Sir Joseph Lyons, founder of the revolutionary Lyons tea shops, to Jack Cohen, whose Tesco legacy lives on, discover the burial sites of many influential foodies buried at Willesden Jewish Cemetery.

11am. £10, £8 concs. Willesden Jewish Cemetery, NW10 2JE. www.willesdenjewishcemetery.org.uk

 

Sunday 8 June

Sport at Willesden

Explore the history of those who made a difference to the world of football, horse racing, boxing and more, all of whom are laid to rest at Willesden Jewish Cemetery.

11am. £10, £8 concs. Willesden Jewish Cemetery, NW10 2JE. www.willesdenjewishcemetery.org.uk

Thursday 19 June

Royal Connections

Follow in the footsteps of British monarchs on this Westminster walk. Blue Badge guide Rachel Kolsky tells of the many and varied connections that the Jewish community has had with Britain’s royal family.

11am. £20. Starting point provided upon booking. www.jw3.org.uk

WALKS

10_WORKSHOPS.jpg

WORKSHOPS

 

until Monday 14 July

Love Love Love

Angela Gluck debunks various theories that Jews are emotionally lacking and ruled by the law of religion. This weekly workshop explores the depth of feeling within Judaism, which is based on a love of your neighbours, strangers and Hashem (God).

10.30am. £144, £18 per session. JW3, NW3 6ET. www.jw3.org.uk

Until Tuesday 22 July

Hebrew Calligraphy

Develop your skills in Hebrew calligraphy, artwork and colour with expert Vetta Alexis. Work towards creating beautiful, illuminated Hebrew letters, words, quotations and more with ink, painting and gold leaf in these weekly sessions.

Time TBC. £162. JW3, NW3 6ET. www.jw3.org.uk

until Thursday 31 July

Hebrew Language for Beginners

Whether you have Jewish heritage or simply a love for languages, discover the magic of the Hebrew dialect in this course designed specifically for beginners.

8pm. £35 per session. 15 Kidderpore Avenue, NW3 7SJ. www.spiroark.org

Thursday 5 – Thursday 26 June

World War II on Film

This four-week course, led by lecturer, writer and film studies expert Dr Julia Wagner explores the diversity within wartime filmmaking. Various works will be examined alongside discussions about how 1940s cinematography informed, influenced and persuaded audiences during World War II.

10.30am. £72. JW3, NW3 6ET. www.jw3.org.uk

Monday 9 – Monday 23 June

Fringes

Explore symbolism, clothing and identity with teachers and rabbis in weekly sessions of cross-denomination learning.

6.30pm. Price TBC. Westminster Synagogue, SW7 1BX. www.westminstersynagogue.org

Sunday 18 – Friday 23 August

Golden Peacock: Sing Yiddish

Shura Lipovsky – Yiddish singer, teacher and artistic director of Golden Peacock leads this course for singers wishing to deepen their knowledge of Yiddish music. Participants will focus on music theory, range, roots and. There will also be a communal dancing session with both Klezfest and Golden Peacock students. This is one of the only opportunities in the UK to immerse yourself in the world of Yiddish song with like-minded people from different backgrounds. Hosted by the Jewish Music Institute.

10am-6pm. £165-£260. SOAS University of London, WC1H 0XG. www.jmi.org.uk

 

Sunday 17 – Friday 22 August

Ot Azoy! Learn Yiddish

The Jewish Music Institute presents fully immersive classes in Yiddish language, song and culture for all levels and backgrounds. International Yiddish expert Dr Khayele Beer leads the course, while head of faculty Shura Lipovsky leads daily sessions in Yiddish song.

Times vary. £175-£290. SOAS University of London, WC1H 0XG. www.jmi.org.uk

Wednesday 20 – Friday 22 August

Klezfest

Celebrate the soulful and traditional Jewish music from 19th-century Eastern Europe in this three-day event. The jam-packed programme features a workshop with the Yiddish Choir, a lively jam session and lots of opportunities to learn, play, sing, dance and connect. Hosted by the Jewish Music Institute.

From 10am. £125.00–£225.00. SOAS University, Thornhaugh Street, WC1H 0XG. www.jmi.org.uk

BEDFORDSHIRE

COMEDY

Saturday 26 July

Ian Stone is Looking for the Wow

Ian Stone is sick of the daily humdrum, he wants to be dazzled. He’s thought about exploring breathtaking forests, but “my ancestors wandered the desert for 40 years, I think we’ve been outdoors enough”, he stubbornly states in his press release. And spirituality is a no-go (“I’ve been harbouring a grudge against God since my mother stopped me going to see Arsenal play after my bar mitzvah”). So, what will wow this wry London comic? Join Stone as he attempts to find out.

8pm. £16.50. The Weatherly Centre, Biggleswade, SG18 8JH. www.ianstonecomedian.co.uk

CAMBRIDGESHIRE

Saturday 7 June

Flying Days: Commemorating D-Day

Discover the pivotal part Duxford played in Operation Overlord – codename for the Battle of Normandy – which deployed 1,200 planes on top of the 5,000 naval vessels (Operation Neptune) directed towards the beaches on D-Day (6 June 1944). Activities include living history groups, which bring the story of Duxford to life and up to two hours of flying displays, plus access to the entire museum.

10am-6pm. £36. Imperial War Museum Duxford, Cambridge, CB22 4QR. www.iwm.org.uk

 

Saturday 21 & Sunday 22 June

Duxford Summer Air Show

Enjoy sky high entertainment with fast flying action. This family-friendly air show includes wing-walkers, the Team Raven aerobatic display team and a packed programme of entertainment on the ground for all ages.

10am-7.30pm. £49.50. Imperial War Museum Duxford, Cambridge, CB22 4QR. www.iwm.org.uk

FAMILY

Friday 23 May

Oi Va Voi

British klezmer stalwarts Oi Va Voi celebrate their new album, The Waters Edge, with a European tour. Their extensive setlist of both old and new material is packed with sounds, melodies and stories rooted in Jewish and European musical tradition.

7pm. £23.50. Cambridge Junction, CB1 7GX. www.junction.co.uk

MUSIC

GLOUCESTERSHIRE 

theatre

Tuesday 27 May – Saturday 14 June

Wahnfried: The Birth of the Wagner Cult

The UK premiere of Israeli composer Avner Dorman’s opera about iconic composer Richard Wagner. Wahnfried: The Birth of the Wagner Cult begins with Wagner’s death and spans four decades of family history fuelled by antisemitism, cover-ups and controversy. Find out more about the opera in the Spring 2025 issue of JR.

5pm. £75-£230. Longborough Festival Opera, Moreton-in-Marsh, GL56 0QF. www.lfo.org.uk

GREATER MANCHESTER

Manchester Jewish Museum

Modern Jewish Life

From life cycle events to festivals to the everyday, see images depicting different aspects of 21st-century Judaism from across the UK. This exhibition was curated as part of Manchester Jewish Museum’s Collecting Inclusive Stories project, an initiative that aims to tell the story of the history and heritage of Britain’s Jews.

Until 8 September

M8 8LW. 08432 080 500. www.manchesterjewishmuseum.com

ART

Thursday 22 May

I Seek a Wild Star

Ophira Adar presents a collection of poetry inspired by Manchester’s Jewish history, drawing on its 18th-century roots, World War II and beyond. She’ll touch on objects and testimonies from the archives of Manchester Jewish Museum, exploring themes of spirituality, migration, identity, longing and belonging. She will also offer personal reflections on her creative process and the narratives that aided her writing. Followed by a Q&A.

7pm. £10, £8 concs. Manchester Jewish Museum, M8 8LW. www.manchesterjewishmuseum.com

BOOKS AND POETRY

Thursday 22 May

Zach Margs

Comedian Zach Margs, whose sketches and videos regularly go viral on social media, brings his high-energy humour to the stage. His no-hold-barred perspective on Israeli life and culture comes out through amusing impersonations, including a rude Tel Aviv waiter, shawarma vendor with attitude, El Al pilot and many more.

8pm. £38. Quays Theatre, Salford, M50 3AZ. www.thelowry.com

COMEDY

Sunday 15 June

The Lost Music of Auschwitz

Prisoners of Auschwitz were forced to play music to entertain Nazi officers. However, in the face of terror, they were able to weave secret melodies into their songs in an act of resilience. Here, 80 years since the liberation of the concentration camps, composer Leo Geyer’s ensemble performs the long-forgotten works in a 60-minute concert. Geyer will share the powerful stories behind each composition, paying tribute to the creativity and enduring strength of the human spirit.

2pm. From £39.50. Quays Theatre, The Lowry, Salford, M50 3AZ. www.thelowry.com

MUSIC

HERTFORDSHIRE

Friday 11 July

Ian Stone is Looking for the Wow

Ian Stone is sick of the daily humdrum, he wants to be dazzled. He’s thought about exploring breathtaking forests, but “my ancestors wandered the desert for 40 years, I think we’ve been outdoors enough”, he stubbornly states in his press release. And spirituality is a no-go (“I’ve been harbouring a grudge against God since my mother stopped me going to see Arsenal play after my bar mitzvah”). So, what will wow this wry London comic? Join Stone as he attempts to find out.

8pm. £18. Ashlyns School, Berkhamstead, HP4 3AH. www.ianstonecomedian.co.uk

COMEDY

KENT

Saturday 13 August

Klezmer Ceilidh

Musician Ilana Cravitz leads a dance session to music performed by some of the UK’s best  klezmorim. Josh Macnaughton will be on clarinet, Phil Alexander on piano accordion and Theo Malka-Wishart will be on double bass. No previous experience or partner required.

7.30pm. From £7.50. The Sarah Thorne Theatre, Broadstairs, CT10 2JW. www.broadstairsfolkweek.org.uk

MUSIC

Tuesday 9 – Saturday 13 September

The Party Girls

The true story of the Mitford sisters is told in Jewish playwright Amy Rosenthal’s new show. The five women navigated their way through pre-war high society, chasing different paths at a time of rising fascism and political uncertainty. See their story unfold through the viewpoint of Jessica (aka Decca), as she strives to stay true to her beliefs while drifting further from her once beloved sisters, crossing continents on a romantic quest. Nancy aspires to be a celebrated writer, Diana and Unity become attracted to the dangerous, charismatic far right leaders in Britain and Germany, and Debo sets her eyes on a Duke.

7.30pm, 2.30pm (Thu & Sat only). From £18. Marlowe Theatre, Kent, CT1 2AS. www.marlowetheatre.com  

THEATRE

Wednesday 13 August

Jewish Melodies Without Words

Klezmer musician Ilana Cravitz hosts a workshop for all ages. She’ll focus on nigunim, catchy songs that are often centuries old, stemming from Jewish communities in Ukraine between 1912 and 1946.

2.30pm. £5. The Broadway Broadstairs, CT10 2AB. www.broadstairsfolkweek.org.uk

 

Wednesday 13 August

Intro to Klezmer

All ages are invited to learn traditional klezmer dance steps led by musician Ilana Cravitz,  accompanied by a live band, in preparation for the evening’s ceilidh.

5.30pm. From £5. The Sarah Thorne Theatre, Broadstairs, CT10 2JW. www.broadstairsfolkweek.org.uk

workshops

MERSEYSIDE

THEATRE

 

Monday 6 – Saturday 11 October

The Party Girls

The true story of the Mitford sisters is told in Jewish playwright Amy Rosenthal’s new show. The five women navigated their way through pre-war high society, chasing different paths at a time of rising fascism and political uncertainty. See their story unfold through the viewpoint of Jessica (aka Decca), as she strives to stay true to her beliefs while drifting further from her once beloved sisters, crossing continents on a romantic quest. Nancy aspires to be a celebrated writer, Diana and Unity become attracted to the dangerous, charismatic far right leaders in Britain and Germany, and Debo sets her eyes on a Duke.

7.30pm, 2.30pm (Thu & Sat only). From £25. Birmingham Rep, B1 2EP. www.birmingham-rep.co.uk

MIDLANDS

Sunday 6 July

Ian Stone is Looking for the Wow

Ian Stone is sick of the daily humdrum, he wants to be dazzled. He’s thought about exploring breathtaking forests, but “my ancestors wandered the desert for 40 years, I think we’ve been outdoors enough”, he stubbornly states in his press release. And spirituality is a no-go (“I’ve been harbouring a grudge against God since my mother stopped me going to see Arsenal play after my bar mitzvah”). So, what will wow this wry London comic? Join Stone as he attempts to find out.

6pm. From £8. Abbey Theatre, Nuneaton, CV11 5DB. www.ianstonecomedian.co.uk

Wednesday 23 July

Ian Stone is Looking for the Wow

See above for info.

8pm. £12. Cheyne Walk Club, Northampton, NN1 5PU. www.ianstonecomedian.co.uk

Monday 28 July

Michael Shafar: Inappropriate

The Aussie Jewish comedian is double-dipping this season. Not only is he performing last year’s sell-out show Well Worth the Chemo (9.30pm at Kick Ass Cowgate), a darkly humorous take on losing a testicle, he’s got a new set on the go. As the title suggests, Inappropriate isn’t for the faint-hearted. Shafar will be tackling the hard topics, from abortion rights to assassinating politicians to the Middle East – and this is coming from the man who compared the Queen to Hitler. You have been warned.

7pm. FREE. The Victoria, Birmingham, B1 1BN. www.michaelshafar.com

COMEDY

OXFORDSHIRE

TALKS

 

Tuesday 3 June

Touching Photographs/Prompting Postmemories

What do photographs from pre-Holocaust Europe tell us about Jewish life and how the legacies of its destruction have shaped subsequent generations? Marianne Hirsch, professor emerita of comparative literature and gender studies at Columbia University, joins multi-award-winning artist Sara Davidmann in conversation, during which they’ll discuss the effects of family photographs on their respective written and artistic works. Attendees are invited to bring one photograph and think about the stories it provokes. This event is part of Jewish Women’s Voices, a series of talks focusing on Jewish women, well-known or otherwise, exploring how they shaped global society and culture over the centuries. Read more about JWV in the Winter 2025 issue of JR.

2pm. FREE. ONLINE & The Buttery, Wolfson College, Oxford, OX2 6UD. www.oclw.web.ox.ac.uk   

SCOTLAND 

Sunday 10 August

Festival Open Day 2025

Get a taster of some of the Jewish performers and events that Edinburgh Festival Fringe (running throughout August) has to offer at this open day. Bagels, cakes and hot drinks provided.

12.30pm. £12. Location provided upon booking. www.jcc.scot

FAMILY

WALKS

 

Available indefinitely

Garnethill Refugee Trail

A self-guided walking tour that traces the lives of the hundreds of Jewish refugees who arrived in Scotland before World War II. Created by the Scottish Jewish Heritage Centre, this tour includes sites such as Scotland’s oldest synagogue and ‘the house on the hill’, where refugees would meet alongside native Glaswegians to discuss politics and culture. The trail is free and available to download or from the SJHC in person. Read more about the Garnethill Refugee Trail in the Spring issue of JR.

FREE. www.sjhc.org.uk

SOMERSET 

Wednesday 28 May

Dead on Lawn: Mysterious Death of Foreign Lady

In September 1917, the Bath Chronicle printed the above headline. The woman in question was refugee Eva Jablonski, who jumped from a window to her death after being asked for her papers by a policeman. This is just one of many stories uncovered by Christina Hilsenrath for her book, Jews in Bath: A Community and Their Burial Ground 1700-1945. In this talk, she discusses the lives of Jablonski and other Jewish women, who lived and worked in Bath between the 18th and 20th centuries. Read our interview with Christina Hilsenrath in the Spring 2025 issue of JR.

6.15pm. £10, £25 with book. Persephone Books, Bath, BA1 2EE. www.bathfringe.co.uk

BOOKS AND POETRY

Wednesday 4 June

We Feel as if We Are Sitting on a Volcano

Sculptor Ernst Barlach and painters Emil Node and Paul Klee were not Jewish but were condemned by the Nazis and their work was put on display in the 1937 Entartete Kunst (Degenerate Art) exhibition in Munich. Art historian Desanka Rowell discusses the artists’ experiences, the ties their methods had with Judaism and how their work expressed opposition to the Nazi regime.

7.30pm. £10. Museum of Bath, BA1 2RH. www.bathfringe.co.uk

TALKS

Sunday 29 June & Sunday 14 September

Bath Jewish Burial Ground Open Day

Explore one of the few remnants of the now extinct Bath Hebrew Congregation. Established in 1812 and developed in Georgian times, now all that remains are the graves of some 80 people who are buried there.

11am. FREE. Bath Jewish Burial Ground, BA2 5DD. www.bathjewishburialground.org

 

Sunday 15 June

Bath Jewish Burial Ground: Guided Tour

Find out about the lives and careers of the Jewish individuals and families who lived, worked and worshipped in Bath. This tour also features information about the history of the synagogues and cemetery.

11am & 2pm. FREE. Bath Jewish Burial Ground, BA2 5DD. www.bathjewishburialground.org

WALKS

 

SUSSEX 

Saturday 12 July

Ian Stone is Looking for the Wow

Ian Stone is sick of the daily humdrum, he wants to be dazzled. He’s thought about exploring breathtaking forests, but “my ancestors wandered the desert for 40 years, I think we’ve been outdoors enough”, he stubbornly states in his press release. And spirituality is a no-go (“I’ve been harbouring a grudge against God since my mother stopped me going to see Arsenal play after my bar mitzvah”). So, what will wow this wry London comic? Join Stone as he attempts to find out.

8pm. From £11.34. The Forge Comedy Club, Brighton, BN1 4GD. www.ianstonecomedian.co.uk

COMEDY

Saturday 31 May

Oi Va Voi

British klezmer stalwarts Oi Va Voi celebrate their new album, The Waters Edge, with a European tour. Their extensive setlist of both old and new material is packed with sounds, melodies and stories rooted in Jewish and European musical tradition.

7pm. £20.40. Patterns, Brighton, BN2 1TL. www.dice.fm 

MUSIC

Monday 14 July – Saturday 6 September

Top Hat

Based on Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers’ 1935 film of the same name, director Kathleen Marshall presents a new stage production of Top Hat. It tells the story of Jerry Travers, a Broadway sensation and renowned bachelor who transfers to London’s West End, where he meets – and becomes smitten with – model Dale Tremont. Enjoy a case of mistaken identity, irresistible tap and a score of classics by Jewish songwriter and composer Irving Berlin, including ‘Let’s Face the Music and Dance’ and ‘Puttin’ on the Ritz’.

2.30pm, 7.30pm. £15. Chichester Festival Theatre, PO19 6AP. www.cft.org.uk

THEATRE

WORCESTERSHIRE

THEATRE

 

Thursday 16 – Saturday 20 September

The Party Girls

The true story of the Mitford sisters is told in Jewish playwright Amy Rosenthal’s new show. The five women navigated their way through pre-war high society, chasing different paths at a time of rising fascism and political uncertainty. See their story unfold through the viewpoint of Jessica (aka Decca), as she strives to stay true to her beliefs while drifting further from her once beloved sisters, crossing continents on a romantic quest. Nancy aspires to be a celebrated writer, Diana and Unity become attracted to the dangerous, charismatic far right leaders in Britain and Germany, and Debo sets her eyes on a Duke.

7.30pm, 2.30pm (Thu & Sat only). From £22.96. Malvern Theatre, Malvern, WR14 3HB. www.malvern-theatres.co.uk

YORKSHIRE 

Holocaust Centre North, Huddersfield

Through Our Eyes

This is an interactive multimedia exhibition driven by survivor testimony, focusing on 16 children and young people who survived Nazi persecution across Europe in the 1930s and 1940s. See personal photos, artefacts and documents, together with an original prisoner uniform and other items from the concentration camps at Buchenwald and Mittelbau-Dora. The survivors reveal their experience of discrimination, persecution, escape, hiding, ghettos, forced labour, concentration camps and liberation.

No end date specified

HD1 3DH. 01484 471939. www.hcn.org.uk

Sunny Bank Mills, Leeds

Memorial Gestures

A group of contemporary artists present works created in response to archival Holocaust collections, survivor testimonies and objects donated to Holocaust Centre North.

6-28 June

LS28 5UJ. www.sunnybankmills.co.uk

Yorkshire Sculpture Park

William Kentridge: The Pull of Gravity

In the first exhibition of William Kentridge’s sculpture outside of South Africa, the Yorkshire Sculpture Park presents over 40 works by the Jewish artist. The Pull of Gravity takes audiences on a multisensory journey into Kentridge’s world, using a variety of materials, including metals, paper, plaster, wood and found objects. Alongside the pieces, a series of short films will be shown across 20 metres of screens that wrap around viewers, revealing an insight into Kentridge’s studio and the workings of his mind. Read more about William Kentridge’s work in the Spring 2025 issue of JR.

28 June – 19 April

WF4 4JX. www.ysp.org.uk

ART