Hannukah – lights, levivot, family, friends, tradition and a bit of nostalgia. Shmemel have been lighting up my Hannukah for a few years now with their extreme nonsense rendition of “Hannah Zelda”, Chaya Frankel’s tale of Rabbi Kalman’s Hannukah odyssey as he tries to get everything his beloved wife Hannah Zelda needs in order to finally make him the levivot (latkes) he craves.
Shmemel will be launching their new album, 2011 – 2014, at the Barby on the first night of Hannukah, December 16th (more details in this link), and I’m guessing Hannah Zelda and some other favorites will make their way into the show, along with songs from the new album. As for nostalgia, it was around Hannukah that I first met Shmemel’s Dror Waidman and Yaniv Raveh and heard the Shmemel’s origins story. Read more about that here.
The Israel Ballet will premiere their new production of a seasonal favorite: The Nutcracker. The timeless tale of Clara and her magical adventures with the Nutcracker will be presented in a new adaptation by Nina Gershman, a feast for the eyes and imagination, set to Tchaikovsky’s score. Performances will take place in Tel Aviv (Dec 18 – 20); Jerusalem (Dec 22); Petach Tikvah (Dec 21); and Haifa (Dec 23). Tickets may be purchased online via the Israel Ballet website, or call: 03-6046610.
One of my favorite writers for children is Kadya Molodovsky, who wrote in Yiddish. I’m named after a character in one of her poems. Af Al Pil is a compilation of poems originally written in Yiddish by different poets, from the title poem by Molodovsky, to others by Y.L. Peretz, Y. Katzenelson, M. Gebirtig, translated by Benny Mer, with music composed and arranged by Shahar Barbash. Recorded as a lovely album last spring, Af Al Pil will be taking its show on the road as a stage performance, with the launch show featuring Ido Mosseri and Tal Blankenstein at Tzavta on December 17th at 17:00. Tickets may be ordered online from Tzavta via this link, more info and updates on the Af Al Pil facebook page.
Opening up the treasure chest of Israeli children’s songs is a new program on Channel 1 that will focus on a different songwriter each time, beginning with Naomi Shemer (Dec 14th). Each program will feature a singer who will perform the songs, and a guest who will talk about the songwriter and her life, as well as screening of archival clips. These are the songs Israeli children grew up on, and many of them are really beautiful. One of my favorites is Miriam Yellin Shteklis, whose show will air during the week of Hannukah, on Wednesday, December 17th at 15:30, and then again on Sunday, December 21st at 18:30. The songwriter’s niece, Yael Yellin Ben-Moshe will talk about her aunt, and power singer Mika Sadeh will perform the song “The Doll Zehava.”
More music, light and inspiration from Etti Ankri, who will give an intimate, acoustic performance at the Neve Schechter Community Center (42 Shlush St. corner of 57 Eilat St) on Thursday, December 18, 2014. The event will begin at 19:00 with candle lighting by Rabbi Roberto Arbib and Sheikh Ihaab Balha. Etti Ankri is the recipient of the Schechter Institute’s Marc and Henia Liebhaber Prize for Religious Tolerance. Her performance will begin around 20:00. Admission: 30 NIS. More information can be found on the Neve Schechter website.
The south is a wonderful place to be in the Israeli winter, and Tzlilim BaMidbar (Sounds in the Desert) Festival is a wonderful celebration of music in all its diversity – with a different theme each day. The festival will take place from December 18 – 21, 2014 at Kibbutz Sde Boker. The first day will be devoted to original Israeli music, with performances by the Kfar Saba Chamber Chorus, the Habibti Ensemble, Shmemel and the Israel Sinfonietta Beer Sheva. The full program may be found on the Tzlilim BaMidbar website, and more updates on the facebook page.
Celebrate the Holiday of Holidays in Haifa, with music, art, film and more! Taking place every weekend thru December 27th, the full program (in English) may be found on the website, but some highlights are:
Free film screenings every Friday at 14:00 at Beit Hagefen (33 Hatzionut Ave). Films addressing social issues will be shown for free, and the public is invited to discuss these issues with the filmmakers and lecturers from the Social-Economic Academy.
Saturdays between 11:00 and 16:00: outdoor performances, world music, east and west, old and new. Creative workshops and a range of culture and folklore shows for children. I took note of Swing de Gitanes, gypsy swing jazz band, performing on the main stage at 38 Havadi Street at 11:00 on Saturday, December 20th, followed by guitarist/composer Michele Sjrawi performing Arabic jazz at 11:50. At Havadi 35, composer, songwriter and oud player Whisam Khsibon will be performing popular Arabic music at 11:00 and 13:00.
Where would we be without the abundant infusion of Russian culture into our great mix here? The Chemodan Festival will celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Aliyah from the former Soviet Union with music, lots of great music, on December 20th at the Barby. Read more about it on this link.
Dance your way through the holiday with these workshops for children, offered FREE at Warehouse 2 in Jaffa Port, the home of the Israeli Choreographers Association. On Sunday, December 21, choreographer Dafi Altabeb will conduct a workshop “Why Music?” on the connection between music and dance, together with dancers Noa Rosenthal and Yohai Ginton. The workshop will take place at 13:00 and 15:00 and is appropriate for ages 3 – 10. Admission is free and on a “first come” basis. The next day, Monday, December 22, Renana Raz, Tal Burshstein and Ilaya Shalit will hold a “Boogie Woogie” movement workshop for very young dancers, ages 2 – 5. The workshop will take place at 13:00 and 15:00. On both days there will be a candle lighting ceremony at 16:00. Take a peek at the “Why Music?” workshop:
Bringing some light into the conflict of this region is “JJJ: Comedy for a Change.” This unusual conference will bring together some of the funniest international minds for some hilarious brainstorming in Jerusalem on December 21 & 22. Read more about it on this link.
For a film experience that transcends all boundaries of age, ethnicity and even that troublesome divide between art and science, I really recommend seeing Big Hero 6, which is currently showing both in English and dubbed Hebrew versions. Read more about it here.
Let’s light the candles, lighten up, share the light and have some fun!
