MUSIC
VISUAL ARTS
THEATER
FILM
LITERATURE
Roe Green, Honorary Producer
FALL & WINTER
2019-20 SEASON
CLEVELAND ISRAEL ARTS CONNECTION
Fall & Winter 2019-20 Season 2019
visual arts 4
music 10
HIGHLIGHTS
film 6
SEPTEMBER 5-16 Mandel JCC Cleveland Jewish FilmFest 6 5 “The Unorthodox” 6 7 “Redemption” 7 8 “King Bibi” 7 9 “Shoelaces” 7 10 “Golda’s Balcony, The Film” 7 11 “Rescue Bus 300” 7 12 “Stockholm” 6 15 “The Passengers” 7 15 “The Other Story” 6 15 “Tel Aviv on Fire” 7 8-9 “If I Forget”* 15 14 Shai Wosner & Orion Weiss 9 15 Growth & Change: Open House 4 15 Mediations and Serenades 9 17 Growth & Change: Open House 4 20 Leonard Bernstein: The Power of Music: Exhibition Opens* 16 OCTOBER 2 Broadway Musicals: A Jewish Legacy* 17 2-6 Chagrin Documentary FilmFest 8 3 & 6 “You Only Die Twice” 8 3 & 6 “King Bibi” 8 4 & 5 “Sustainable Nation” 8 3 “The Karpovsky Variations”* 17 12-13 Blue Skies: Irving Berlin and the American Dream* 18 15-16 “Fiddler on the Roof”* 18 27 Growth & Change: Open House 4 29 On Literature and Censorship: The Political Scandal of All the Rivers 12 30 An Informal Conversation with Dorit Rabinyan 12 30 Considering Love and Marriage: Looking Back on Persian Brides 12 NOVEMBER 3-18 Mandel JCC Cleveland Jewish Book Festival 13 6 “The Words of My Father: Love and Pain in Palestine” 13 10 “A River Could be a Tree” 13 5-24 “The Band’s Visit” 14 7 “The Value of Names”* 17 13 Revisiting Violins of Hope 5 22-24 “Cohen” 15
literature 12
DECEMBER 5 “Woman Before a Glass”* 17
2020
JANUARY 22 Rami Kleinstein 10 MARCH 1 Leonard Bernstein: The Power of Music: Exhibition Closes* 16 5-11 O Jerusalem! 10 APRIL 19 & 21 Rothschild & Sons* 18 30 Oded Zehavi Piccolo Concerto 11 MAY
2 Oded Zehavi Piccolo Concerto 11
NOVEMBER 16 Israel Philharmonic Orchestra 11
*
Jewish-themed cultural events
The artistic viewpoints reflected in these programs do not necessarily represent the positions or opinions of the Jewish Federation of Cleveland.
BECOME A PATRON OF ISRAEL ARTS & CULTURE Join our Patron Society and help ensure high-quality, thought-provoking, and emotional Israeli arts and culture continues in Cleveland. You will enjoy “Meet the Artist” receptions, name recognition in the twice yearly arts brochures and on www.jewishcleveland.org, plus the satisfaction of knowing you are helping connect Cleveland and Israel through the arts. For more information about the Cleveland Israel Arts Connection Patron Society, please contact Hedy Milgrom at hmilgrom@jcfcleve.org or 216-593-2850.
Dear Friends, The acclaimed exhibition in the Roe Green Gallery, Growth & Change: Sigalit Landau with Yotam From remains on display through the end of October (page 4.) As the exhibition examines how an artist’s interaction with her surroundings can cause dramatic transformation, so do we reflect on the growth of the Cleveland Israel Arts Connection. Over the past 10 years, we have helped identify and welcome more than 100 Israeli musicians, composers, visual artists, authors, dance companies, choreographers, actors, theater troupes and filmmakers to our community in partnership with more than 50 of Cleveland’s fine art institutions. We are also eager to develop new relationships, and 2019 brings us new partnerships with the BlueWater Chamber Orchestra and Kent State University School of Theatre and Dance. Many of these endeavors take years to come to fruition. One prime example is that of composer Oded Zehavi. He was in residence in 2015 at the Cleveland Institute of Music. And now, five years later, The Cleveland Orchestra will perform the world premiere of Zehavi’s Piccolo Concerto (page 11.) Please join us on our journey of discovery and celebration of Israel’s arts and culture by attending many of our varied programs and performances in this brochure. Warm regards,
Roe Green
Erica Hartman-Horvitz
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VISUAL ART
Sigalit Landau with Yotam From
GROWTH & CHANGE Presented by the Jewish Federation’s Cleveland Israel Arts Connection
A. Will Brown, Curator Through October 27, 2019
Roe Green Gallery, Jewish Federation of Cleveland, Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Building 25701 Science Park Drive, Beachwood Israeli artists Sigalit Landau and Yotam From work as a team to create poignant and often incisive artworks across many forms. This exhibition presents a group of works that explore powerful metaphors about the nature of being human. Of the utmost importance in this exhibition is the notion of the artist as a Bridge Builder. Landau has long engaged with the Dead Sea as a site of meaning and a place to generate new artworks. Over months of soaking in the depths of the Dead Sea, Landau and From have brought to life projects that include a series of sculptures, photographs, and numerous salt-encrusted objects. These works, which span the last few decades include rarely exhibited pieces. This exhibition looks to the diversity of Landau’s long artistic career as an exceptional part of the indelible mark she has made on the field as well as her profound orientation towards offering connections between peoples and places across, time, space, culture, and faith. Sponsored with support from the Jewish Federation’s Cleveland Israel Arts Connection and Cuyahoga Arts & Culture a program of the Jewish Federation of Cleveland
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GALLERY OPEN HOUSES
The Gallery is open on the following dates or by appointment. Sunday, September 15 @ 1 – 3 pm Tuesday, September 17 @ 6 – 8 pm Sunday, October 27 @ 1 – 3 pm • For appointments or to schedule group tours email israelarts@jcfcleve.org or call 216.593.2845. • Free and open to the community.
Photos: Daniel Levin
VISUAL ART
Revisiting
Wednesday, November 13, 2019 @ 7 pm Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage 2929 Richmond Road, Beachwood
Celebrated photographer and professor Daniel Levin captured an intimate portrait of Amnon Weinstein during the Violins of Hope project as he lovingly restored violins played by Jews in the Holocaust, reclaiming the memory of those who perished. Levin revisits the experience of photographing Amnon’s studio and how his own identity as a Jewish American artist is represented in the photography of an Israeli master luthier (violinmaker,) in addition to his other works from around the world. • For tickets and more information visit www.maltzmuseum.org or call 216-593-0575. Presented in partnership with the Jewish Federation’s Cleveland Israel Arts Connection
a program of the Jewish Federation of Cleveland
Exhibitions of Contemporary Israeli Visual Art are always on display in the Federation’s Roe Green Gallery.
a program of the Jewish Federation of Cleveland
Look for 2 new exhibitions coming in November 2019 and Spring 2020. 5
FILM
MANDEL JCC CLEVELAND JEWISH FILMFEST
September 5 – 16, 2019
Presented by the Mandel Jewish Community Center The 13th annual Cleveland Jewish Film Festival will showcase a broad selection of feature, documentary and short films with Jewish and Israeli themes. • For complete schedule and tickets visit www.mandeljcc.org/filmfest, Mandel JCC Membership Service Desk (no Saturday or Jewish holiday sales), or at the theater on day of show. • Many screenings sell out – please purchase tickets in advance! • For more information call 216-593-6278 or email filmfest@mandeljcc.org. Sponsored with support from the Jewish Federation’s Cleveland Israel Arts Connection
a program of the Jewish Federation of Cleveland
THE UNORTHODOX A film by Eliran Malka
Thursday, September 5 @ 7 pm Atlas Cinemas at Shaker Square 13116 Shaker Square, Cleveland
The story of Israel’s Shas (“TorahObservant Sephardim”) political party and its unexpected rise to power is told through founder Yaakov Cohen. Angered when his daughter is expelled from school for being Sephardic, Cohen begins a grassroots campaign to form a political party composed of Mizrahi Jews.
STOCKHOLM: Israeli TV After Avishai is found dead in his Four-Episode Binge bed, his four closest friends face a Directed by Daniel Syrkin
Thursday, September 12 @ 6:30 pm Cedar Lee Theatre 2163 Lee Road, Cleveland Heights
THE OTHER STORY A film by Avi Nesher
Sunday, September 15 @ 4 pm Cedar Lee Theatre 2163 Lee Road, Cleveland Heights
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dilemma when they consider that he is a contender for the Nobel Prize in economics. Determined to keep him in the running, they decide to hide the secret for five days.
Anat, a rebellious young woman devotes herself to an observant lifestyle and her upcoming marriage to a pop star-turnedHasid. Her divorced secular parents and grandfather scheme to foil the nuptials. Multi-layered plots converge with unexpected consequences when complications arise with this dysfunctional family.
FILM MORE FILMS OF ISRAELI INTEREST
Redemption | September 7 @ 9 pm | Cedar Lee Theatre A film by Joseph Madmony Struggling to cover costly medical bills for his cancer-stricken daughter, Menachem is an observant, widowed, deeply unhappy grocery clerk. To try to make ends meet, Menachem seeks out his old band mates to bring the band back together. Jerusalem Film Festival Audience Award Winner. King Bibi: The Life and Performances of Benjamin Netanyahu September 8 @ 7:30 pm | Cedar Lee Theatre A film by Dan Shadur Using footage from decades of TV appearances, Shadur charts Benjamin Netanyahu’s evolution from an awkward Israeli spokesperson in Washington to a polished, media-savvy politician with a keen instinct for garnering public support. Shoelaces | September 9 @ 7:30 pm | Cedar Lee Theatre A film by Jacob Goldwasser Following his wife’s death, Reuven is thrust into caring for his grown son with special needs. The transition is difficult for both as Reuven wrestles with the obligations of parenting an adult-age child, while 30-something Gadi grieves the loss of his mother. Nominated for 8 Israeli Oscars; Audience Award Winner, Atlanta Jewish Film Festival. Golda’s Balcony, The Film | September 10 @ 1 pm | Cedar Lee Theatre A film by Scott Schwartz Tovah Feldshuh’s interpretation of Golda Meir captures Meir’s journey from Russian schoolgirl to American schoolteacher to the fourth prime minister of Israel. The film was created from the recently unearthed multi-camera shoot of the play’s original 2003 off-Broadway run. Rescue Bus 300 | September 11 @ 4 pm | Cedar Lee Theatre A film by Rotem Shamir In 1984 four Palestinian terrorists hijacked a bus taking the passengers hostage and steering the bus toward Gaza. Through interviews and reenactments, the film portrays personal stories behind the hijacking and the subsequent investigation that rocked Israeli society. The Passengers | September 15 @ 10 am | Mandel JCC A film by Ryan Porush Two young Ethiopian Jews undertake a grassroots mission to the U.S. to represent their abandoned community of over 9,000 Jews remaining in Ethiopia. Their emotional journey is one of stress, homesickness, successes and failures, and personal growth. Tel Aviv on Fire | September 15 @ 7 pm | Cedar Lee Theatre A film by Sameh Zoabi Salam, a charming Palestinian living in Jerusalem, is an intern on the popular Palestinian soap opera Tel Aviv on Fire. This satire follows Salam as he struggles to balance the wants of both the Palestinian and Israeli audiences of the hit show, compromising his integrity in the process.
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FILM
CHAGRIN DOCUMENTARY FILM FESTIVAL
October 2 – 6, 2019 Various Venues, Chagrin Falls The 10th annual Documentary FilmFest will bring compelling films for five exciting days. Events include panel discussions and the opportunity to experience stories from around the world. • F or tickets, schedules and venues visit www.chagrinfilmfest.org. Sponsored with support from the Jewish Federation’s Cleveland Israel Arts Connection
a program of the Jewish Federation of Cleveland
KING BIBI A film by Dan Shadur
Thursday, October 3 @ 7:45 pm Chagrin Cinemas 8200 E Washington St., Chagrin Falls
Sunday, October 6 @ 1:15 pm South Franklin Circle 16575 S. Franklin St., Chagrin Falls
King Bibi explores Benjamin Netanyahu’s rise to power, relying solely on archival footage of his media performances over the years: from his days as a popular guest expert on American TV, through his public confession of adultery, and his mastery of the art of social media.
YOU ONLY DIE TWICE A film by Yair Lev and David Deri
Thursday, October 3 @ 5:30 pm
SUSTAINABLE NATION A film by Micah Smith
Friday, October 4 @ 11:30 am Chagrin Valley Little Theatre 40 River St., Chagrin Falls
Saturday, October 5 @ 1:00 pm Chagrin Cinemas 8200 E Washington St., Chagrin Falls
Can we solve the global water crisis? Simply, we can. Over the past few decades, Israelis have developed a unique social consciousness around water conservation, resulting in homegrown solutions now used worldwide.
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Chagrin Cinemas 8200 E Washington St., Chagrin Falls
Sunday, October 6 @ 11:15 am South Franklin Circle 16575 S. Franklin St., Chagrin Falls
Follow documentarian Yair Lev’s personal and historical journey to uncover the truth behind the man who stole his grandfather’s identity during WW2. Lev shares archival documents that peel back the layers of this mystery person. Why did he do it? What was he hiding? This ‘whodunit’ film not only contains a daunting mystery, but also evolves into a drama of survival and love.
MUSIC
SHAI WOSNER & ORION WEISS
Presented by Cleveland International Piano Competition
Saturday, September 14, 2019 @ 8 pm Reinberger Chamber Hall, Severance Hall 11001 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland
Israeli pianist Shai Wosner has attracted international recognition for his exceptional artistry, musical integrity, and creative insight. He is a recipient of Lincoln Center’s Martin E. Segal Award, an Avery Fisher Career Grant, and a Borletti-Buitoni Trust Award. Widely sought after by colleagues for his versatility and spirit of partnership, Wosner has collaborated as a chamber musician with numerous artists. Orion Weiss is an Ohio native hailing from Lyndhurst, a suburb of Cleveland – where he studied at the Cleveland Institute of Music. One of the most sought-after soloists in his generation of young American musicians, Weiss has performed with major American orchestras. His deeply felt and exceptionally crafted performances go far beyond his technical mastery and have won
Shai Wosner
Orion Weiss
him worldwide acclaim. Weiss’ impressive list of awards includes the Gilmore Young Artist Award, an Avery Fisher Career Grant, the Gina Bachauer Scholarship at The Juilliard School and the Mieczyslaw Munz Scholarship. • Tickets available at clevelandorchestra.com or 216-231-1111. • Use code “JFED” for ticket discounts. Sponsored with support from the Jewish Federation’s Cleveland Israel Arts Connection
a program of the Jewish Federation of Cleveland
MEDITATIONS AND SERENADES Daniel Meyer, Artistic Director and Conductor Amitai Vardi, clarinet soloist, Kathy Sebo, guest artist Presented by BlueWater Chamber Orchestra
Sunday, September 15, 2019 @ 3 pm The Temple-Tifereth Israel 26000 Shaker Blvd, Beachwood
We celebrate the profound contribution of Jewish musicality in this evocative afternoon performance. Israeli-American musician Amitai Vardi shares his masterful command of the clarinet with “The Klezmer’s Wedding,” Srul Irving Glick’s portrait of Hebraic life. Also on the program is “Meditations on Ecclesiastes” by Norman Dello Joio, an invigorating interpretation of Old Testament verses. Rounding out the concert is Dvorak’s “Serenade for Strings” with its richness and soul played from the heart by the soaring BlueWater Chamber Orchestra. •T ickets available at https://www.bluewaterorchestra.com/tickets/or 440-781-6215. • Use code “JFED” for ticket discounts. Sponsored with support from the Stanley I. and Honnie R. Busch Memorial Endowment and the Jewish Federation’s Cleveland Israel Arts Connection
a program of the Jewish Federation of Cleveland
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MUSIC
RAMI - INTIMATE & LIVE WITH THE PIANO Presented by Siegal Lifelong Learning Program at CWRU
Wednesday, January 22, 2020 @ 7 pm Maltz Performing Arts Center 1855 Ansel Rd, Cleveland
Rami Kleinstein is one of Israel’s most renowned pop superstars, known for his beautiful love songs, soothing voice and delicate piano-playing. A native New Yorker, Rami moved to Israel with his family in 1970 at age 8. He aptly and cleverly weaves his songs together with rich anecdotes laced with a poignant, delicate humor, that give the audience insight into his life as well as tidbits of Israeli history. Rami’s piano playing is stellar, as is his soulful and captivating voice. Rami’s piano concert is an intimate performance featuring a selection of original songs from Rami’s enormous personal repertoire. He is a triple platinum and gold album award winner and many of his songs became the foundation of Israeli culture. • For tickets visit www.case.edu/maltzcenter. • Use code “JFED” for ticket discounts. Sponsored with support from the Jewish Federation’s Cleveland Israel Arts Connection a program of the Jewish Federation of Cleveland
“The place where brothers and strangers are one…” ~ Jalal al-Din Rumi, 13th-c. Persian poet
O JERUSALEM!
CROSSROADS OF THREE FAITHS Presented by Apollo’s Fire
March 5 – 11, 2020
Various Venues, including The Temple-Tifereth Israel, Beachwood Premiered last year to sold-out crowds, Jeannette Sorrell’s evocation of Old Jerusalem blends music and poetry from the Jewish, Christian, Arab, and Armenian quarters of the Old City. Medieval harp, oud, and exotic percussion blend with Arabic love songs and Sephardic ballads. The performers, including musicians of Jewish, Palestinian, Persian, Muslim, and Christian backgrounds, join in celebration of brotherhood and sisterhood. Tel Aviv native, Daphna Mor, returns as a featured performer on recorders and ney. • For tickets and venue information, visit www.apollosfire.org or call 216-360-0012. • Use code “JFED” for ticket discounts.
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View of Damascus Gate with Camel Drivers, Jerusalem, c.1844 (oil on board), Caffi, Ippolito (1809-66) / Galleria Internazionale d’Arte Moderna, Ca’ Pesaro, Venice, Italy / © Mondadori Electa / Bridgeman Images
MUSIC
ZEHAVI PICCOLO CONCERTO WORLD PREMIERE Thursday, April 30, 2020 @ 7:30 pm Saturday, May 2, 2020 @ 8 pm
Oded Zehavi, composer Mary Kay Fink, piccolo Matthias Pintscher, conductor Presented by The Cleveland Orchestra
Oded Zehavi’s music runs the gamut from atonality to neoromanticism and has won international accolades from both audiences and critics for its appealing and emotional content. His tonal language draws from music traditions of the Middle East (Jewish and Arabic), European art song and contemporary techniques, exploring the fusion of western and ethnic musical heritages. Zehavi’s first concerto for piccolo and orchestra will be premiered by The Cleveland Orchestra in Severance Hall: a commission by its principal piccolo Mary Kay Fink and Music Director Franz Welser-Möst. A Jerusalem native, Zehavi is well versed in a wide variety of musical styles (pop/rock arrangements, soundtracks, electronic, chamber and orchestral music) and is renowned for his vocal scores and textual affinity for classics of Hebrew literature. He is the recipient of numerous prizes and residencies, most recently the 2015 Schusterman Visiting Artist Residency (Case Western Reserve
Severance Hall 11001 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland
University and Cleveland Institute of Music, Ohio, USA) as well as the 2014 Prime Minister’s Prize for Composition. Zehavi began piano studies at an early age, and during his teen years worked as an arranger and programmer for the Israel Broadcasting Authority. He served as a tank commander during the First Lebanon War, an experience which profoundly affected his world view and musical direction. Zehavi is Professor of Music at Haifa University, where he founded the Department of Music in 1995. He resides in Tel Aviv with his wife and two children. • For tickets visit www.clevelandorchestra.com or call 216-231-1111. • Use code “JFED” for ticket discounts. Sponsored with support from the Jewish Federation of Cleveland and the Cleveland Israel Arts Connection a program of the Jewish Federation of Cleveland
Music Director, CityMusic Cleveland CityMusic Cleveland recently appointed Amit Peled as Music Director beginning with the 2019-20 season. Peled will conduct two, five concert series. Raised on a kibbutz in Israel, Amit Peled began playing the cello at age 10. A virtuoso on the cello, Peled also found a home on the podium, winning conducting competitions at Yale University and New England Conservatory, planting a seed in his heart for what has become a combined love of sharing music with the public from the conducting podium as well as from the soloist riser.
LOOKING AHEAD
AMIT PELED
ISRAEL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA November 16, 2020
The Israel Philharmonic Orchestra returns to Severance Hall in 2020 under the direction of Music Director Designate Lehav Shani, successor to Maestro Zubin Mehta. • Tickets will be on sale in 2020.
• For more information, visit www.citymusiccleveland.org. 11
LITERATURE d le l u i ed Apr h sc m Re fro
DORIT RABINYAN, Visiting Author
Presented by Siegal Lifelong Learning Program at CWRU Dorit Rabinyan was born in Israel to an Iranian-Jewish family. She is the recipient Itzhak Vinner Prize, the ACUM Award, The Prime Minister’s Prize and the Jewish Wingate Quarterly Award (London). Her first two novels Persian Brides and A Strand of a Thousand Pearls were both international best sellers and translated into fifteen languages. In 2014 Rabinyan published her third novel, All The Rivers, an immediate best seller in Israel. Named one of the ten best books of the year by Ha’aretz newspaper the novel was also awarded the prestigious Bernstein Award for Literature. Sponsored with support from the Jewish Federation’s Cleveland Israel Arts Connection
a program of the Jewish Federation of Cleveland
ON LITERATURE AND CENSORSHIP: THE POLITICAL SCANDAL OF ALL THE RIVERS Tuesday, October 29, 2019 @ 7 pm Siegal Lifelong Learning Landmark Centre 25700 Science Park Drive, Beachwood
A love story and a war story, All the Rivers is a modern tale of love between an Israeli woman and a Palestinian man. Bestselling author Dorit Rabinyan explores the forces that bind us and divide us, juggling places, times, seasons, cultures, and art forms. Rabinyan also speaks about finding herself at the center of a political scandal when her book was banned by Israel’s ministry of education from being taught at high schools.
AN INFORMAL HEBREW CONVERSATION Wednesday, October 30, 2019 @ 8 – 9:30 am Siegal Lifelong Learning Landmark Centre 25700 Science Park Drive, Beachwood
Please join us for an informal conversation in Hebrew and a light breakfast, with bestselling author, Dorit Rabinyan. Registration is required.
CONSIDERING LOVE AND MARRIAGE: LOOKING BACK ON PERSIAN BRIDES Wednesday, October 30, 2019 @ 10 am Siegal Lifelong Learning Landmark Centre 25700 Science Park Drive, Beachwood
When she was only 21 year’s old, Israeli bestselling author Dorit Rabinyan wrote her acclaimed novel, Persian Brides, which takes her readers into a fable of bittersweet desires – fulfilled and denied. Now, 25 years later, Rabinyan looks back on her youth and on the conscious and unconscious powers that informed her earlier work.
• For tickets and more information, visit www.case.edu/lifelonglearning or call 216-368-2091.
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LITERATURE
MANDEL JCC CLEVELAND JEWISH BOOK FESTIVAL November 3 - 18, 2019
Presented by the Mandel Jewish Community Center
The 20th annual Cleveland Jewish Book Festival will showcase a broad selection of fiction and non-fiction books and authors with Israeli and Jewish themes. • For tickets and full schedule, visit www.mandeljcc.org/bookfest or Mandel JCC Membership Desk (no Saturday sales.) • For more information, contact ideas@mandeljcc.org or call 216-831-0700 x1348.
THE WORDS OF MY FATHER: LOVE AND PAIN IN PALESTINE
A RIVER COULD BE A TREE
Wednesday, November 6, 2019 @ 7:30 pm
Suburban Temple – Kol Ami 22401 Chagrin Boulevard, Beachwood
by Yousef Bashir Location TBD
After suffering a near catastrophic injury during the Second Intifada, Bashir traveled to Israel to receive medical attention which helped him save his life. After leaving Gaza, Bashir became an outspoken activist for peace and “The Words of My Father” is a powerful tale of moral awakening and a fraught, ferocious, and profound relationship between a son and his father, and two nations at odds with each other. Yousef Bashir is a Palestinian American from the Gaza strip. Bashir holds a BA in International Affairs and an MA is Coexistence and Conflict from Brandeis University.
by Angela Himsel
Sunday, November 10, 2019 @ 7:30 pm
The seventh of eleven children, Angela great up in southern Indiana in an apocalyptic, doomsday Christian faith. Attempting to understand the church’s strict tenets, she went to Israel in college. Instead of strengthening her Christian faith, her time in Israel made her question Christianity itself and she ultimately converted to Judaism. Angela Himsel’s writing has appeared in The New York Times, the Jewish Week, the Forward, and elsewhere. Her memoir is listed as one of the 23 Best New Memoirs by bookauthority.org.
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THE BAND’S VISIT
“A masterpiece of small but powerful moments!” – Billboard
Presented by Playhouse Square
November 5 – 24, 2019 Connor Palace, Playhouse Square 1615 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland
“One of the most ravishing musicals you will ever be seduced by.” - The New York Times
In an Israeli desert town where every day feels the same, something different is suddenly in the air. Dina, the local café owner, had long resigned her desires for romance to daydreaming about exotic films and music from her youth. When a band of Egyptian musicians shows up lost at her café, she and her fellow locals take them in for the night. Under the spell of the night sky, their lives intertwine in unexpected ways, and this once sleepy town begins to wake up. The Band’s Visit rejoices in the way music makes us laugh, makes us cry, and ultimately, brings us together. The Band’s Visit is the winner of 10 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, making it one of the most Tony-winning musicals in history. And now it’s also a Grammy Award® winner for Best Musical Theater Album. • For tickets visit http://www.playhousesquare.org/ or call 800-801-7407. • Use code “JFED” for ticket discount.
Classic and contemporary Israeli drama is coming to two of Cleveland’s foremost theaters in 2020.
a program of the Jewish Federation of Cleveland
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Award-winning Israeli film actor Sasson Gabay will reprise the role of “Tewfiq,” the role he created in the 2007 film of The Band’s Visit and most recently played on Broadway. Gabay was born in Baghdad in 1947 to a Jewish family, immigrated to Israel at the age of three, and grew up in Haifa. Gabay is one of the most prominent and leading actors in Israeli theatre, television and cinema, and has had an exceptionally remarkable career for over forty years.
To be among the first to know, sign-up for the Cleveland Israel Arts Connection e-newsletter by visiting: https://www.jewishcleveland.org/email_signup/ and like “Jewish Cleveland” on Facebook.
Photo: Matthew Murphy, 2017
THEATER AND DANCE
THEATER AND DANCE
COHEN
Part of “Dance ‘19 Dynamic Fusion” Presented by Kent State University School of Theatre and Dance
Friday & Saturday, November 22 & 23, 2019 @ 7:30 pm Sunday, November 24, 2019 @ 2:30 pm Roe Green Center for the School of Theatre and Dance Center for the Performing Arts 1325 Theatre Drive, Kent “Cohen” is a work of music, theatre, and dance that pays tribute to an iconic international artist whose message and influence is felt internationally. Leonard Cohen’s work embodied a spiritual, sensual and at times political exploration of the human experience. Cohen completes a trilogy of ballets, choreographed by Jeffrey Marc Rockland, that explore themes of Jewish identity and assimilation. A celebration of the work of Leonard Cohen and his connection to Israel and her people, the ballet’s second movement, set to Hallelujah, is dedicated to the victims of the May 4th, 1970 Kent State tragedy, where three of the four students killed were Jewish. DID YOU KNOW: Leonard Cohen’s song “Hallelujah” is played at 2 am on IDF radio every day.
This new choreographic work involves collaboration with singer/songwriter Batsheva Capek, who received approval directly from Leonard Cohen for her translation of his song “Hallelujah” into Hebrew and for her translation of “Dance Me to the End of Song” into Yiddish. Additionally, renown Israeli clarinetist Amitai Vardi will be featured in a work where music and dance wrap around the poetic verses Cohen so eloquently left us. • F or tickets visit https://www.kent.edu/theatredance/buy-tickets or call 330-672-2787. Sponsored with support from the Jewish Federation’s Cleveland Israel Arts Connection a program of the Jewish Federation of Cleveland
staged reading of
IF I FORGET
Written by Steven Levenson Directed by Brian Zoldessy Presented by Interplay Jewish Theatre
Sunday, September 8, 2019 @ 2 pm Monday, September 9, 2019 @ 7 pm Dobama Theatre 2340 Lee Road, Cleveland Heights
In months leading up to 9/11, the Fischer family gathers to celebrate dad’s 75th birthday. But his grown children clash over everything from their brother’s controversial work in Jewish Studies to the mounting pressures of eldercare. As they struggle to find personal and political common ground, old secrets and resentments bubble to the surface. Steven Levenson, book author of “Dear Evan Hansen,” tells a bitterly funny, powerful, insightful tale of a family and a culture at odds with itself. • Reservations required. Donations at the door. • For information, contact interplayjewishtheatre@gmail.com or call 216-393-PLAY. 15
© Courtesy of The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. FriedmanAbeles, Billy Rose Theatre Collection. Astor, Lenox, and Tilden Foundations.
LEONARD BERNSTEIN: THE POWER OF MUSIC
Presented by Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage
September 20, 2019 – March 1, 2020
Paul de Hueck, courtesy the Leonard Bernstein Office, Inc.
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Courtesy of The Leonard Bernstein Office, Inc.
Leonard Bernstein Collection, Music Division, Library of Congress.
Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage 2929 Richmond Road, Beachwood
“Leonard Bernstein: The Power of Music” is the first large-scale museum exhibition to illustrate Leonard Bernstein’s life, Jewish identity, and social activism. Audiences may be familiar with many of Bernstein’s works, notably “West Side Story,” but not necessarily with how he responded to the political and social crises of his day. Visitors will find an individual who expressed the restlessness, anxiety, fear, and hope of an American Jew living through World War II and the Holocaust, Vietnam, and turbulent social change – what Bernstein referred to as his “search for a solution to the 20th-century crisis of faith.” The Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage is a proud beneficiary of the Jewish Federation of Cleveland.
HIGHLIGHTS • F or a complete schedule of activities and tickets, visit www.maltzmuseum.org or call 216-593-0575.
“BROADWAY MUSICALS: A JEWISH LEGACY” A documentary by Michael Kantor Presented by Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage
Wednesday, October 2, 2019 @ 6:30 pm Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage 2929 Richmond Road, Beachwood
Narrated by Cleveland’s own Joel Grey, “Broadway Musicals: A Jewish Legacy “examines the role of Jewish composers and lyricists in the creation of the modern American musical. The film showcases the work of legends such as Leonard Bernstein, Irving Berlin, Jerome Kern, George and Ira Gershwin, Lorenz Hart, Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II, and Stephen Sondheim. A talk-back with Bill Rudman of The Musical Theater Project follows. • For tickets and more information visit www.maltzmuseum.org or call 216-593-0575.
STUDY THEATER SCRIPTS: PLAY DISCUSSION GROUP with Faye Sholiton
Presented by InterPlay Jewish Theatre and Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage 2929 Richmond Road, Beachwood Join Interplay Jewish Theater’s Faye Sholiton and be part of a script reading club at the Maltz Museum. Participants are given scripts to read, each exploring a theme of the Leonard Bernstein exhibit. Participants will come together to discuss how the playwrights have addressed these themes from Bernstein’s life. • For tickets and more information visit www.maltzmuseum.org or call 216-593-0575.
THE KARPOVSKY VARIATIONS by Adam Kraar
Thursday, October 3, 2019 @ 1 pm Adam Kraar explores art as the expression of an immigrant’s identity. Set mostly in airport lounges, it features a young woman trying to reconnect her scattered family by recapturing the elusive notes of her father’s clarinet. When all else is gone, there is still one tie to her immigrant roots.
THE VALUE OF NAMES by Jeffrey Sweet
Thursday, November 7, 2019 @ 1 pm Jeffrey Sweet looks at how artists function during times of social change. In the 1950s, the McCarthy/HUAC hearings forced artists to betray each other, derailing friendships and ending careers. “The Value of Names” is a contemporary classic about the lifelong impact of demagoguery.
WOMAN BEFORE A GLASS by Lanie Robertson
Thursday, December 5, 2019 @ 1 pm In Lanie Robertson’s one-woman show, we look at the use of privilege to effect change. We meet the iconic, glorious and irrepressible Peggy Guggenheim, the woman who used her privilege to save contemporary art from Nazi destruction. A Jew herself, also on the endangered list, she was having none of it.
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BLUE SKIES: IRVING BERLIN AND THE AMERICAN DREAM
ROTHSCHILD & SONS In Concert Musical
Presented by The Musical Theater Project in a co-production with Kent State University
Presented by The Musical Theater Project in a co-production with Cleveland Jazz Orchestra
Saturday, October 12, 2019 @ 8 pm Ohio Theatre, Playhouse Square 1511 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland
Sunday, October 13, 2019 @ 3 pm Fairmount Temple 23737 Fairmount Blvd, Beachwood,
Although the story is a rags-to-riches tale, it is so much more. At the age of five, this son of a cantor saw his house burned to the ground in Czarist Russia. But over the next 96 years the immigrant became, in his daughter’s words, the “quintessential American.” In fact, Irving Berlin celebrated two of our country’s major holidays with “White Christmas” and “Easter Parade,” and the nation itself with “God Bless America.” Hosted by Bill Rudman and Paul Ferguson and featuring members of Cleveland Jazz Orchestra, the Joe Hunter Trio, Vince Mastro, Treva Offutt and Michael Shirtz • For tickets to the October 12 performance, visit www.PlayhouseSquare.org or call 216-241-6000. • For tickets to the October 13 performance, visit www.musicaltheaterproject.org or call 800-838-3006. • Use code “JFED” for ticket discounts.
Sunday, April 19, 2020 @ 2 pm Kent State University
Tuesday, April 21, 2020 @ 7 pm Fairmount Temple 23737 Fairmount Blvd, Beachwood,
It’s a true story: how Mayer Rothschild and his sons break out of the Frankfurt ghetto in late 18th-century Europe and create a financial dynasty that exists to this day. “The Rothschilds” was the last musical with a score by “Fiddler on the Roof” songwriters Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick. Both musicals are about Jewish families facing oppression, but as Harnick tells us, “In Fiddler, Tevye’s people were resigned to their poverty; the Rothschilds were determined to conquer theirs.” Directed by Terri Kent; Musical direction by Jen Korecki; Musical supervision by Nancy Maier; and featuring members of Kent State University’s Musical Theater Program. • For tickets to the April 19 performance, visit www.Kent.edu/theatredance or call 330-672-2787. • For tickets to the April 21 performance, visit www.musicaltheaterproject.org or call 800-838-3006. • Use code “JFED” for ticket discounts.
FIDDLER ON THE ROOF
Presented by Playhouse Square in partnership with the University of Akron
October 15 – 16, 2019 @ 7:30 pm E.J. Thomas Performing Arts Hall 198 Hill Street Akron
Tony®-winning director Bartlett Sher and the team behind “South Pacific,” “The King and I” and 2017 Tony-winning Best Play “Oslo,” bring a fresh and authentic vision to this beloved theatrical masterpiece from Tony winner Joseph Stein and Pulitzer Prize winners Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick. The original production won ten Tony Awards, including a special Tony for becoming the longest-running Broadway musical of all time. You’ll be there when the sun rises on this new production, with stunning movement and dance from acclaimed Israeli 18
choreographer Hofesh Shechter, based on the original staging by Jerome Robbins. A wonderful cast and a lavish orchestra tell this heartwarming story of fathers and daughters, husbands and wives, and the timeless traditions that define faith and family. • For tickets and more information, visit www.uakron.edu/ej or call 330-253-2488.
CLEVELAND ISRAEL ARTS CONNECTION The Cleveland Israel Arts Connection is a program of the Jewish Federation of Cleveland, connecting our community with the most dynamic 21st century cultural experiences that Israel has to offer. Working in partnership with Northeast Ohio’s leading arts organizations, we strive to identify, enhance, promote, and create unique and engaging Israeli cultural opportunities. J. David Heller, Board Chair Erika B. Rudin-Luria, President
CLEVELAND ISRAEL ARTS CONNECTION ADVISORY GROUP Roe Green and Erica Hartman-Horvitz, Co-Chairs Edna Akrish Leslye Arian Ziona Austrian Eric Baer Samantha Baskind Zeda Blau Richard Bogomolny Amy Budish Rebecca Carmi Reneé Chelm Joanne Cohen Deena Epstein Natalie Epstein Marc Freimuth Mady Friedman Barbara Galvin Peter Galvin Matthew Garson Jay Geller Valerie Geller Jane Glaubinger Florence Goodman Rochelle Gross Rebecca Heller Stephen H. Hoffman Joan Horvitz Sara Hurand Bob Immerman Susan Immerman Bob Jackson Roseanne Kadis Sue Koletsky Susan Krantz Karen Krause
Lisa Kurzner Rachel Lappen Daniel Levin Karen Levinsky Toby Lewis Irwin Lowenstein Linda M. Olejko Debbe Deutch Rabinowitz Deborah Ratner Barbara Robinson Sharon Rosenbaum Bill Rudman Linda Sandhaus Nancy Schwartz-Katz Charna E. Sherman Anita Siegal Scott Sill Marjorie Simon Margaret Singerman Ivan Soclof Marilyn Soclof Cathy Stamler Marla Comet-Stark Robert Stark Barbara Tannenbaum Richard Uria Herb Wainer Susan Wasserman Penni Weinberg Elie Weiss Judith Weiss Trudy Wiesenberger Ruth Wolfson
STAFF Hedy P. Milgrom, Senior Development Officer Israel Wiener, Israeli Arts & Culture Consultant Debra S. Yasinow, Director, Cleveland Israel Arts Connection
The Jewish Federation’s 2019-20 Cleveland Israel Arts Connection is brought to you by these generous individuals and foundations:
Roe Green, Honorary Producer STAR PATRONS Roe Green Foundation Richard Horvitz & Erica Hartman-Horvitz Robert & Susan Immerman Karen & Alan M. Krause PLATINUM PATRONS Drs. Jane Glaubinger & Eric Baer Toby Devan Lewis GOLD PATRONS Stanley I. and Honnie R. Busch Memorial Endowment Richard Bogomolny & Patricia Kozerefski Harley & Rochelle Gross David and Inez Myers Foundation Robert & Eileen Sill Family Foundation Sara Hurand & Elie Weiss Abe z”l & Idelle Wolf SILVER PATRONS Zeda W. Blau Linda M. Sandhaus, M.D. Rebecca & Irad Carmi Charna E. Sherman Marc Freimuth Michael & Anita Siegal Family Barbara & Peter Galvin Foundation Florence Goodman Marjorie Simon Amy & Steve Hoffman Margaret Singerman Jewish Arts Endowment Fund Herb & Jody Wainer Roseanne Kadis Susan Wasserman Hedy & Michael Milgrom Judith Weiss Barbara Robinson Trudy & Steve Wiesenberger Sharon & Bruce Rosenbaum FRIENDS The Edna & Yair Akrish Family Leslye Arian Deena & Richard Epstein Jonathan Freilich Debra S. Yasinow
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NON-PROFIT U.S. POSTAGE PAID CLEVELAND, OHIO PERMIT NO. 581
Jewish Federation of Cleveland Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Building 25701 Science Park Drive Cleveland, Ohio 44122
The Jewish Federation’s 2019-20 Cleveland Israel Arts Connection is brought to you by these generous Sponsors:
Roe Green, Honorary Producer PLATINUM SPONSOR
GOLD SPONSORS
The Leonard Krieger Fund of the
SILVER SPONSOR
BRONZE SPONSORS