JW3's What's On: Winter/Spring 2023

What’s On

Tracy Ann Oberman as Shylock in The Merchant of Venice 1936

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Want to be the first in the know about all our new events and special offers? Never want to miss an Alan Howard Speaker Series event or a JW3 In Conversation With evening?

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In addition to our undying love (and helping us to make a greater impact with our programme), as a thank you for your Friendship, you’ll get 10% off most of our events, special discounts from partners, and advanced booking where possible. Because after all, that’s what Friends are for. jw3.org.uk/jw3friends

JW3 Development is a registered charity, No. 1156248.

Dear Friends,

As the nights draw in and 2022 comes to a close, I’m reflecting on the amazing experiences we’ve had at JW3 over this past year. In the first full year we’ve been able to keep the doors to our physical centre open since 2019, we’ve welcomed over 125,000 visitors back over the bridge for our full range of social, educational, recreational, cultural, family and youth programming, and to engage with our social action and volunteering opportunities. Our Gateways programme worked with over 120 vulnerable young people; our members brought in over 100 bicycles to donate to the Bike Project; and our Foodbank volunteers delivered weekly food parcels to 200 people living in food poverty across the Borough of Camden.

As we begin to build towards our 10th anniversary in September 2023, I am so proud of what our volunteers and professional team continue to achieve. And I am honoured to be part of this vibrant, inclusive community that you have helped us to create.

2023 is another year of hope and excitement, and we’re kicking off with a season of events reflective of the breadth and quality you have come to expect. Our Programming Director, William Galinsky, takes you through the variety of JW3 Journeys you could take this season (pages 1-4), so I’ll leave him to explain more.

I can’t wait to see you coming over the bridge soon, as we welcome you to another great season at JW3.

Raymond Simonson CEO, JW3

JW3’s Journeys

Amazing Stories

We all love a good story and this season is full of treats.

Join JW3 favourite Tracy AnnOberman in conversation with author Howard Jacobson and director Brigid Larmour discussing their new production Merchant of Venice 1936 (p5).

Nick Cassenbaum returns with his sell-out show Bubble Schmeisis (p11) inviting you into the world of the Canning Town Shvitz, east London’s last authentic bath house.

We’ve a daring reimagining of the Book of Esther told through a pack of playing cards in an amazing visual art project The Deck of Esther (p6).

In But What If You Die? Adam Lenson tells the story of how cancer led him to drop out of medical school and choose a life in the theatre instead (p8).

And finally, the story of the music of Paul Simon is explored in a world première from singer-songwriter David Ford in The Only Living Boy in New York (p9).

With so much to choose from throughout the season it can be difficult to know where to begin. So, we’ve created some journeys to help you find your way through our unique programme.

JW3 is the place to meet old and new friends and enjoy great nights out together.

Our sell-out Friday Night Dinners for those in their 20s-30s continue to be the place to bring your friends, or expand your social circle (p16 & 63).

We’ve also got alternative ways to celebrate and experience the Jewish calendar: Esther’s Speakeasy is an immersive theatre evening inspired by Purim (p15).

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Or mark Tu B’Shvat, the Jewish new year for trees, with an evening of folk music, story-telling and ‘wassailing’ in Wassail for the Trees (p13).

Or if you want to get creative, come and try your hand and making your own DIY Haggadah Zine (p17). And finally, you can come and sing your heart out with JW3’s Niggun singing group (p12).

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Keeping it in the Family

JW3 is all about families and this season has plenty for parents, children and even grandparents.

Zaubernacht (Magic Night) by Kurt Weill is a stunning ballet-opera for children aged 7+ – a Jewish ‘Nutcracker’ telling the story of two refugee children and their magical toys (p19).

Budding scientists and sleuths aged 6-11 will love Brainiac Detective Academy (p20).

Put on your fancy dress for Party on Purim (p24) and or get in the Pesach spirit for Sing-A-Long The Prince of Egypt (p26).

Plus, most Sundays there’s Crafternoon with Chloe (p21) and weekly family activities including Sensory Stretch & Grow (p27), and seasonal (p22-23).

Expand Your Mind

Stimulating conversation is at the heart of JW3, and our classes and courses can get you waxing lyrical on everything from history to arts to politics.

This season we’ve got your favourite teachers including Hagai Segal, William Tyler MBE, Dr Aviva Dautch, Paula Kitching and the return of our ever-popular Oxford Series (p43-44).

Plus we’ve got some amazing new teachers including historian, broadcaster, and expert on all things USA Professor Adam Smith (p47).

And critically acclaimed biographer Keiron Pim shares his secrets on how he wrote and researched his brilliant new biography of Joseph Roth, Endless Flight (p45).

Finally, if you’re looking to scratch that language itch, why not sign up for one of our Hebrew, Spanish or French courses (p59-60).

Arts & Culture

The Merchant of Venice 1936 Tracy Ann-Oberman in conversation with Howard Jacobson and Brigid Larmour

Join us for this exclusive live event, where the creatives behind the groundbreaking production, The Merchant of Venice 1936, discuss the play, its place in the British-Jewish consciousness and what it can teach us about Antisemitism of the 20th century and today.

JW3 favourite Tracy Ann-Oberman, who stars in this bold new production as Shylock, will be in conversation with Howard Jacobson, author of Shylock is My Name, and director Brigid Larmour.

Sunday 8 January, 8pm £15 In the Building £10 Online

jw3.org.uk 5

The Deck of Esther

From Beit Venezia in Venice - for centuries the focal point of Jewish life, arts and culture – comes this extraordinary new visual art commission, The Deck of Esther

An exhibition and a deck of playing cards tells the story of Purim (trans. ‘lots’) and the Jewish affinity with card games and gambling. The cards in the deck are a Book of Esther, shuffled with the words removed.

This exhibition reimagines the story and characters as playing cards, endlessly shuffling and gambling their way through the story.

Featured artists: Tilla Crowne (UK), Sophie Herxheimer (UK), Jacqueline Nicholls (UK), Mirta Kupferminc (Argentina).

Commissioned by Beit Venezia – A Home for Jewish Culture. Exhibition commissioned and produced by JW3.

From 5 February to 2 April Free Exhibition In the Building

The Deck of Esther: Artists’ Talk

Join artists Tilla Crowne, Sophie Herxheimer, Jacqueline Nicholls, Mirta Kupferminc, book designer and publisher David Zvi Kalman, and Beit Venezia founder Shaul Bassi, as they discuss the making of The Deck of Esther, Jewish culture and gambling.

Thursday 9 February, 7.30pm £10 In the Building

But What If You Die? with Adam Lenson

Merging gig, memoir and philosophical enquiry, But What If You Die? is a solo show from acclaimed director Adam Lenson about what you learn when you’re faced with your mortality just when it feels like you’re getting started.

Adam moves from Fleetwood Mac to Tetris, from lecture halls to CT scanners, through parallel universes and back and forward in time, all while asking: why are we here and how can we live more meaningfully? Followed by a Q&A.

The JW3 music programme has been kindly sponsored by The Dorset Foundation in memory of Harry Weinrebe

The Only Living Boy In New York

with David Ford and guests

Paul Simon’s back catalogue is a rich musical melting pot, bringing together cultures and stylings found in New York, possibly the most diverse city in the world. This special concert celebrates Paul Simon’s music, and tells the story of how this child of Hungarian-Jewish refugees created the most beloved songs that speak to generations of wanderers and dreamers.

Led by: David Ford Musicians: Michele Stodart, Kathryn Williams, Gary Stewart and Tom McRae.

Thursday 23 February, 7.30pm £20 In the Building £10 Online

To see our full programme, make sure you visit

Polonaise-Fantasie:

The Story of a Pianist

with Inna Faliks

This recital-monologue performance explores Inna Faliks’s immigration from Ukraine as a Jewish refugee, growing up as a concert pianist in Chicago, and pains of assimilation to a new society.

With music spanning from Bach, Chopin, Liszt, Mozart and Beethoven to Freidlin and Shchedrin, peppered with humorous, deeply personal storytelling, Faliks shares her unique life, opening up the inner word of a performer to the audience. Inna Faliks is an international concert pianist, head of the piano department at UCLA, and published writer.

Bubble Schmeisis with Nick Cassenbaum

Bubbemeises is Yiddish. It translates as a grandmother’s story; a tall story; an old wives’ tale.

Writer and street performer Nick Cassenbaum is bringing his sellout show back to JW3. Nick invites you into the warmth of the Canning Town Schvitz, East London’s last authentic bath house. Amongst the steam, ritual and live Klezmer, Nick will take you on a journey to find the place he belongs. Shlapping through summer camps, barber shops and Spurs games… will he find what he was looking for?

Bubble Schmeisis is full of intimate and personal true stories about identity, home and getting schmeised (washed) by old men.

Thursday 27 & Sunday 30 April, 8pm £20 In the Building Age 15+

To see our full programme, make sure you visit

“A gregarious performer (with) an accessible, generous, disarming production” Stage

Great Nights Outs

Niggun: Singing Jewish Melodies with Isaac Montagu

Join JW3’s new singing circle, Niggun, celebrating the rich variety of Jewish song traditions, ranging from niggunim, the wordless melodies of Chassidic communities, to pizmonim, sung poetry from across the Sephardic world. Led by choir leader, folk musician and ethnomusicologist Isaac Montagu.

Mondays 23 January, 6 & 20 February, 6 & 20 March, 7.30pm £5 per session £20 for the 5 weeks In the Building

With thanks to The Harold Hyam Wingate Foundation

Chutzpah! Celebrating National Storytelling Week

JW3’s brand-new cabaret night, Chutzpah!, returns for National Storytelling Week. Come and drink, laugh and sing along with our talented line-up of artists. There will also be a few open-mic slots for those who have the chutzpah to get up on stage. Featuring music, spoken word, comedy, live performance and of course stories, this evening of fun, imaginative performances will charm, delight and surprise.

Thursday 2 February, 8pm £10 In the Building Age 16+

To see our full programme, make sure you visit jw3.org.uk

Wassail for the Trees

An evening of folk music, storytelling, wassailing, and cider to mark Tu B’Shvat, the Jewish New Year for trees.

Wassailing is the ancient custom of visiting orchards to sing to the trees in the hope of banishing bad spirits and ensuring a good harvest the following autumn. Musicians and storytellers will draw upon this tradition to explore our relationship to nature cycles and the affinity between British and Jewish earth-based traditions.

Sunday 5 February, 7.30pm £15 In the Building

To see our full programme, make sure you visit

My Queer Mitzvah Friday Night Dinner

It’s LGBTQ+ History Month and we’re celebrating with a huge Queer Mitzvah Party meets Friday Night Dinner. Enjoy an evening of great company, delicious food and drink, and the best LGBTQ+ performers delivering speeches that will make your Bubbe cry with laughter. Whether you enjoyed a bar/bat/b’nei/they mitzvah or not, come along to celebrate with new friends and your chosen family - all are invited.

Friday 10 February, 6.30pm £20 In the Building

Misogynist Film Club

The her-larious Misogynist Film Club is back. Join the sisterhood of the moving image for a film club like no other as we ask our panellists to pick a film they can’t help but love, despite containing lazy, offensive or even downright bizarre representations of gender. Get ready for a jaw-dropping, side-splitting reconsideration of the films that shaped us.

15 February: A girl’s best friend...? 15 March: Girls just wanna have FUNdamental rights. Wednesdays 15 February &

To see our full programme, make sure you visit jw3.org.uk

Esther’s Speakeasy

Step into Esther’s Speakeasy this Purim for an evening of music, performance, card games and intrigue inspired by The Deck of Esther (p6). It’s the year after Esther has foiled Haman’s plot to destroy the Jews of the Persian Empire and we find the story’s main characters in a very different place. Velvet-voiced Vashti’s on the mic, with piano accompaniment, Achashverosh is serving at the bar, Haman is the ghost that just won’t leave, and Esther? Well, after that first book did so well, she kept on writing, and opened this place, the Speakeasy, where poets, performers, singers and storytellers delight and entertain. Grab a drink, enjoy the show and let our croupiers deal you a hand from The Deck of Esther

Thursday 2 March, 7pm £15 In the Building Age 18+

Freedom Friday Night Dinner

Raise a glass (or four!) for freedom at this special Young JW3 Friday Night Dinner, an evening of wine tasting, food, and pre-Passover liberatory celebration. Make the most of the lead-up to Pesach by eating as much challah as possible and making merry with great company. Bring your friends, meet new ones, and be part of our growing community.

Friday 17 March, 6.30pm £20 In the Building Ages 20-40

DIY Haggadah Zine Course

Make your own Haggadah Zine to spice up your Pesach Seder conversations. Each week, one of our team of artist-educators - Yael Roberts, Emily Marbach, David Hochhauser and Tilla Crowne - will share an exciting teaching and guide you to create a piece of art in response. You will leave with a unique zine-style supplement for your Haggadah and lots of new ideas and imagery to bring to the table. No previous experience required and all materials included.

Breaking Bread: An Interfaith

Moroccan Mimouna

Mimouna is a cornerstone of the Maghrebi Jewish Calendar, celebrated all over the globe, and this year, everyone’s invited! Mimouna is the night after Pesach when Jewish Moroccans would traditionally buy back their flour and invite all their neighboursMuslim, Berber and Jewish - to eat, share stories and celebrate together with them. This special Interfaith Mimouna honours and reimagines this ancient Moroccan custom with an evening of live music, art from poet and visual artist Sophie Herxheimer, and cooking with Fabienne Viner-Luzzato. The food prepared in this session is not under kosher supervision. All food and ingredients will be vegetarian.

Families

Keeping it in the Family

Zaubernacht with Atelier Armonico

Zaubernacht (Magic Night) is a short ballet-opera for children by Kurt Weill.

Written in 1922 just after the Spanish flu pandemic, it tells the story of two refugee children living in desperate circumstances after a perilous border crossing. Their mother creates an imaginary world to help them forget their desolation, bringing to life damaged toys they have brought with them.

Reminiscent of The Nutcracker, this rarely staged ballet-opera is one of the highlights of JW3’s live performance season.

The production is performed by classical music ensemble Atelier Armonico, led by conductor and artistic director Davide Levi, with six ballet dancers and a singer and has been created in collaboration with asylum seekers from Ukraine, Iran, Syria, Sudan, Ghana and Iraq.

Sunday 19 March

3pm - 4pm & 7pm - 8pm £8 per child, £15 per adult Age 7+

To see our full programme, make sure you visit

Brainiac

Israeli Family Winter Disco Boogie

Join our resident DJ at our Israeli Family Winter Disco! Get on down with your kids and boogie to the best of Israeli pop and old school kids’ party hits. We’ll have craft activities, soft play and games for the little ones. Then we’ll move on to enjoying a disco party with bubbles, lights and lots of props. Great for all under 7s and their grown-ups who don’t get to go out dancing anymore!

K’Mo B’Bayit

Tu B’Shvat with Avivit Caspi and Roi Erez

An Israeli family get-together especially for Tu B’Shvat. There will be Israeli music, songs and games plus more festival surprises. Meet with old and new friends, enjoy family time and feel right at home.

Session in Hebrew. Sunday 5 February 11am - 12noon £15 per family Ages 3-6

Tu B’Shvat Crafts for LGBTQ+ Families

with Gemma Curtis

Join artist Gemma Curtis for a special LGBTQ+ family art workshop to celebrate Tu B’Shvat, the Jewish New Year for the Trees. Kids and adults will be able to get creative, meet other like-minded families, and celebrate as a community!

This workshop is for families of children up to age 11, who have one or more parent/guardian who identify as Jewish and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, or more (LGBTQ+).

Family Disco Boogie

Get your dancing shoes and join our resident JW3 DJ at our Family Disco! Get on down with your kids and boogie to the best of pop and old school kids’ party hits. We’ll have crafts activities, soft play and games for the little ones. Then we’ll move on to enjoying a disco party with bubbles, lights and lots of props. Great for all under 7s and their grown ups who don’t get to go out dancing anymore! Sunday 19 February

Party on Purim

Experience a spectacular Purim party featuring all your Purim faves. We’ll have storytelling and puppets with Ilana Banana, grogger-making with the Junk Orchestra, hamantaschen baking with Fabienne, sing-a-longs, facepainting, costumes crafts, and so much more. So put on your best costume and get ready to have some Party on Purim fun!

Sunday 5 March 3pm - 5pm £9 per child, £10 per adult Ages 2-8

K’Mo B’Bayit Pesach

with Avivit Caspi and Roi Erez

An Israeli family get-together especially for Pesach. There will be Israeli music, songs and games plus more festival surprises. Meet with old and new friends, enjoy family time and feel right at home.

Session in Hebrew.

Sunday 26 March 11am -12noon £15 per family Ages 2-8

Make Your Own Family Haggadah Workshop

with Miki Green and Mark Greenfield

Design and make your own family Haggadah supplement in this unique art and story-sharing workshop for Pesach. Colour, paint, and create with professional illustrators to bring your family’s own exodus story to life on the page.

Sunday 26 March 2pm - 3.15pm & 4pm - 5.15pm £10 per child, £5 per adult Ages 5-11

Family Sing-A-Long The Prince of Egypt

Get out your Pesach costumes (Moses! Miriam! Pharoah! A Frog!) and join cast members from the hit West End musical, The Prince of Egypt, for a very special childfriendly sing-a-long screening of everybody’s favourite matzahthemed, family holiday movie. Get the entire family excited for the upcoming festival of Pesach through singing, dancing and lots and lots of fun.

Sunday 2 April 3pm - 5pm £9 per child, £10 per adult Ages 2-8

visit jw3.org.uk

Families

Keeping it in the Family

Early Years & Kids’ Zone

Sensory Stretch and Grow

with Chloe Kimmel

Join Chloe, our Families Programmer and Early Years expert, for a sensory adventure through the seasons of the year. All your child’s senses will be engaged in this class filled with creative play, music, movement and stretching, tummy time, visual development, lights, textures and a little bit of special Shabbat magic.

with Karen Rodrígues-Ayers Join Amazing Tots at JW3 for a developmental stay and play session for under 2s who have a disability or developmental delay. This group focuses on supporting early language and communication development through play.

Tzofim

Project ImpACT

Do you want to help make the world a better place? Can you brighten someone’s day? Join Project ImpACT and make a real difference, supporting both local and Jewish charities. DofE accredited.

For more information, contact: info@projectimpact.org.uk Places are limited.

BBYO

The Mercaz BBYO chapter for teens in years 7-12 is based at JW3 and meets every Sunday for a range of fun and thoughtprovoking activities in a welcoming atmosphere. For more info including dates, email: office@bbyo.org.uk

Sundays, 7pm - 9pm Free Years 7-12

Jewniversity Challenge

Jewniversity Challenge is the biggest (and only) Jewish inter-university quiz show, bringing together Jewish students from across the UK and Ireland. Relaunching after a brief hiatus, this year’s competition is bigger and better than ever. So come support the Union of Jewish Students’ Quiz Masters and Quiz Wizards as they tackle picture rounds, music rounds, and some mind-bogglingly niche topics.

Wednesday 25 January 7.30pm - 9pm Free Ages 18+

If you picked mostly ‘A’s:

Mazel tov! You’re A1 Ashkenazish. What you lack in dark, sultry looks you more than make up for with a cool, calm, collected view of life, and sensible jackets.

If you picked mostly ‘B’s:

Mazal bueno! You walk on the Sephardish side. You might bring the extended family on a hot date but, you certainly know how to spice things up.

Whether you feel more Ashkenazish or more Sephardish, you know you have a home at JW3. But, what you may not know is that JW3 is a charity that relies on the generosity of people like you.

So, we don’t care if you feel more Ashkenazish or more Sephardish. We’re just asking you to be a little more JW3ish.

Parenting

LGBTQ+ Young People: A Guide for Parents and Guardians with KeshetUK

Join KeshetUK and JW3 for a course providing training and education for parents and guardians looking to support LGBTQ+ children in a safe and non-judgemental space. Whether you’re a carer for a child who’s come out for years or for days, or are seeking tools to create a healthy home should a child in your family ever come out, these sessions are for you.

KeshetUK is an education and training charity working with Jewish schools, youth and young adult organisations, synagogues, and communal organisations to benefit the wellbeing of LGBTQ+ people within the Jewish community.

Babykino: Carer and Baby Cinema

Just for parents and carers accompanied by a baby under one. Enjoy special morning screenings of new releases in our state-of-theart cinema with your little ones. No need to worry about feeding or crying with our relaxed atmosphere.

Antenatal

Social Action

How To Get A Job Workshop

with Resource

Are you struggling in your job search or perhaps in need of some motivation in your current one?

This workshop is all about YOU – it’s a lively, positive-thinking workshop to help identify strengths and learn how to overcome the blocks or hurdles that might be impacting negatively on success. With 30 years of experience, join Resource as they simplify the job application process, teaching you how to have those important conversations and learn from our failures.

Feel more confident and prepared, whatever stage of the job search you’re in.

Wednesday 8 February, 10.30am

Pay what you can In the Building Social Action

Give Blood @ JW3

JW3 is hosting the NHS blood donation team. Donating blood can be done in under an hour and can potentially save a life.

To donate blood, you must book in advance through www.blood.co.uk. Slots get filled up very quickly so book in plenty of time to avoid disappointment.

Monday 3 April, 9am Free In the Building

To see our full programme, make sure you visit

Volunteer

@ JW3’s Foodbank

Are you concerned by the ongoing food poverty crisis and looking to volunteer? JW3’s Foodbank needs your help to continue our work providing over 2200 meals a week to those experiencing food insecurity in the borough of Camden.

From packing or delivering food parcels, cooking delicious meals in partnership with Feast With Us, making donations or organising a neighbourhood collection of comestibles, there are many ways for you to get involved. To join our team of amazing volunteers, please email volunteering@jw3.org.uk detailing your interest and availability.

Holocaust Memorial Day

Please join JW3 as we mark Holocaust Memorial Day with the rest of the UK. The national theme for 2023 is ‘Ordinary People’. Why did people choose the path of resistance or collaboration and why did people decide to comply? Ordinary people were victims, bystanders, perpetrators and rescuers during the Holocaust. Shining a light on the actions of ordinary people in the past can provide reflection and highlight our own roles in society today.

Friday 27 January, 10.30am Free In the Building & Online* *Booking is essential

Talks & Discussions Expand Your Mind

Current Affairs

with Paula Kitching

Start 2023 with Paula who brilliantly dissects the news of the week. Be part of the vibrant and varied conversation by deciding which newsworthy topics you’d like to discuss. Paula is an historian for a project building a digital archive on the Jewish experience of the First World War and is a regular contributor to the Historical Association magazine.

Nothing New in Europe? Israelis Look at Antisemitism Today

with Anita Haviv Horiner

Join Anita Haviv-Horiner as she discusses her recently published book Nothing New In Europe? which focuses on antisemitism through interviews with fifteen Israeli Jews living in different European countries. Anita reflects on issues including the influence of family history on their perceptions, the fine line between legitimate criticism of Israel and antisemitism, as well as on the relationship between hatred of Jews and the persecution of other minorities.

Wednesday 25 January 7pm - 8.15pm £15 Online

Annual Spiro Tribute

with Professor Eli Vakil

The Annual Spiro Tribute Lecture is sponsored by the Pears Foundation to celebrate the tremendous work of Robin (z”l) and Nitza Spiro and their contribution to Jewish cultural life in Britain over the last 40+ years. We are delighted that this year’s speaker is Professor Eli Vakil, head of the Memory and Amnesia lab at the Gonda (Goldschmied) Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center at Bar Ilan University.

Wednesday 8 February 7.30pm - 8.45pm £15 In the Building

Israel: Democracy or Anarchy with Hagai

Segal

In November 2022, Israel went to the polls yet again, remarkably for the fifth time in three years. Hagai will explore the dysfunction of the Israeli political system, what it means for day-to-day politics in the country, for peace talks, and for the future stability of the state. Hagai Segal is a leading authority on geopolitical issues, strategic risk, the Middle East and counter-terrorism.

Thursday 9 February

7.30pm - 8.30pm

£15 In the Building & Online

America: What’s Happening Now

with Jonathan Paris

What’s happening in America politically? Join expert analyst and BBC and Sky News commentator Jonathan Paris as he shines the spotlight on Middle America. He’ll explore what it is that still unifies Americans; look at the Republican influence on the former swing state of Ohio and predict how the 2024 Presidential Elections will play out.

Wednesday 1 March 2pm - 3.15pm

£15 In the Building & Online

War & Peace in the Middle East with Hagai Segal

Hagai will explore latest developments in the Middle East, including Israel-Iran tensions, Israeli-Palestinian dynamics and the latest Abraham Accord developments.

Hagai M. Segal is a leading authority on geopolitical issues, strategic risk, the Middle East and counter-terrorism.

Thursday 9 March 7.30pm - 8.30pm

£15 In the Building & Online

The Inaugural Annual Dennis Blair Lecture

And The Wall Came Tumbling Down: How Events In Berlin Ended The

Cold War

with William Tyler MBE

The unique William Tyler MBE will educate and elucidate on the history of Berlin in this special evening in memory of Dennis Blair. Dennis was a much loved JW3 member and regular Adult Education student, who is sorely missed by all.

Sponsored by the Blair Family in memory of Dennis Blair (z”l).

Wednesday 29 March

7.30pm - 8.30pm £15 In the Building

Global Politics

Since Ukraine with Hagai Segal

The war in Ukraine has dramatically highlighted the tense and dangerous nature of current geopolitics. Its impacts will be felt for years to come, and are already heightening other dynamics like US-China tensions and the Taiwan situation. Hagai will explore all this and other pertinent issues.

Thursday 30 March

7.30pm - 8.30pm

£15 In the Building & Online

LOOKING FOR YOUR NEXT MEETING SPACE?

Did you know that you can rent meeting space at JW3? Fully kitted out with the latest innovative technology to let you hold online, in person and hybrid meetings, our rooms are ready to support all your meeting hire requirements.

Just email venuehire@jw3.org.uk

Oxford Series

Oxford Series

JW3 is delighted to be partnering with the Oxford Centre for Jewish and Hebrew Studies and hosting this series showcasing the Fellows of the Oxford Centre for Hebrew and Jewish studies.

Jewish Prayer and Christian Hebraists in Pre-Expulsion England

with Prof. Judith Schlanger

Professor Judith Schlanger will examine new evidence from the collections of the Bodleian Library to show how the interest of medieval Christian scholars in Jewish liturgy helps us to identify a manuscript of a Hebrew machzor as created and read in England before the expulsion in 1290.

Monday 16 January 7.30pm - 8.30pm

£15 In the Building & Online Talks & Discussions

To see our full programme, make sure you visit

The Contradictions of Liberal British Zionists with Dr Peter Bergamin

Paul and Romana Goodman were leading figures in British Zionism. Focusing on the first twenty years of the Mandate (1920-1939), and using articles, speeches and reports by and about the Goodmans, University of Oxford lecturer Peter Bergamin traces an all-too-familiartrajectory experienced by much of Anglo-Jewry during this period.

Monday 23 January 7.30pm - 8.30pm

£15 In the Building & Online

Jewish, Kurdish, Babylonian or Israeli? with Dr Dorota Molin

A look at how the Aramaicspeaking Jews have viewed their own language and identity ever since coming to Israel in the 1950s, and how their culture was perceived by those around them— Kurdish Muslims and Christians in Iraq, and later by fellow Israelis. She will also talk about their language—Modern Aramaic—and how it differs from the language of the Talmud.

Monday 30 January 7.30pm - 8.30pm

£15 In the Building & Online

To see our full programme, make sure you visit jw3.org.uk

Unravelling History

Abraham Joshua Heschel: His Life, Work and Legacy Fifty Years On with Dr Dror Bondi

Abraham Joshua Heschel was the great Jewish-American thinker and activist, often quoted by American Presidents and Jewish Leaders all over the world. Join Dr Dror Bondi, an Israeli thinker and the Hebrew translator of Heschel’s work, as he celebrates Heschel’s 50th Yarzheit by speaking about his revival, relevance and influence today.

In partnership with New North London Synagogue.

Sunday 15 January 4pm - 5pm £12 In the Building

Joseph Roth: Researching a Life in Endless Flight with

Keiron Pim

Joseph Roth (1894-1939), author of the 20th century masterpiece

The Radetzky March, was the finest observer and chronicler of his age. In this course, Roth’s biographer, Keiron Pim, explains how researching Roth’s chaotic life story enabled him to trace his own family’s roots in a Ukrainian shtetl, exploring the themes of fractured identity, Jewishness, antisemitism, displacement and opposition to nationalism that make Roth’s story so relevant to today’s world.

Mondays 16 January - 6 February

12.30pm - 1.30pm £15 per session £56 for the 4 weeks In the Building

Graven Images: Jewish Art in the Middle Ages

with Dr Noam Yadin-Evron

From the third to the 15th centuries, Jewish communities in Europe and the Middle East decorated their holy texts, synagogues and sacred objects with images, drawing from the Biblical text to create complex iconographies aimed to intensify the experience of the believer and glorify the holy text. Art historian Noam Yadin-Evron looks at some key features that characterize the art produced by Jewish artists and communities in the Middle Ages. Thursday 2 February 7.30pm - 8.30pm

International Jewish Humanitarianism in the Age of the Great War

with Dr Jaclyn Granick

Dr Jaclyn Granick will tell the untold story of how American Jews reinvented modern humanitarianism during the Great War and rebuilt Jewish life in Jewish homelands in war’s wake, based on her 2021 US National Jewish Book Awardwinning book. Jaclyn Granick is Senior Lecturer in Modern Jewish History at Cardiff University and serves as co-investigator of the Arts and Humanities Research Council-funded Jewish Country Houses project.

Tuesday 7 February 7.30pm - 8.30pm

£15 In the Building & Online

American Civil War: The Effect on a Nation

with Prof Adam Smith

How did the American Civil War happen, how did it end and how should we understand its place in American history? Join worldrenowned speaker Professor Adam Smith (The Last Best Hope? podcast, BBC radio presenter) as he shares his passion for understanding the importance of the USA and its place in the world.

Tuesday 21 February 7.30pm - 8.30pm

£15 In the Building & Online

Jews

in

France and the French Empire during the Second World War with Dr Daniel Lee

The years of Nazi Occupation, 1940 to 1944, when France was led by an authoritarian government located in the spa town of Vichy, are the most traumatic and controversial period of modern French history. Nowhere is this controversy more evident than when examining Vichy’s role in the Holocaust. Join Dr Daniel Lee as he explores Vichy antisemitism in France and beyond.

Dr Daniel Lee is a historian of the Second World War, a senior lecturer of Modern History at Queen Mary and a regular University broadcaster on radio.

Wednesdays 22 February - 22 March*

*No class 8 March

10.30am - 11.30am £15 per session £48 for the 4 weeks

In the Building

To see our full programme, make sure you visit jw3.org.uk

Alderney: An Execution Wall and its Forensic Evidence

with Piers Secunda

Following three years of research, British artist Piers Secunda will present evidence for the first time of a German WWII execution wall on Alderney, the British Channel Island. Alderney was the site of the only German Concentration camp on British soil, making this an especially captivating presentation.

Piers’s research has been conducted with the help of forensics specialists in the UK and US, including ballistics experts from John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City, who are amongst the most internationally respected in their field. His work is on permanent display in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford

Wednesday 22 February 7.30pm - 8.30pm £15 In the Building

To see our full programme, make sure you visit

The Forgotten British Slaves in North Africa

with Jill Stern

Between 1620 and 1640, no less than 12,000 British men, women and children were held captive and enslaved in North Africa. Some were seamen, others had been seized from their homes on the coast of Britain during raids by corsairs from Algiers. This littleknown trade in slaves continued until the mid-18th century. Jill will examine this episode in our history and consider why it remains so unfamiliar to us today.

To

Jill Stern graduated with first class honours in History from King’s College London, was awarded the prestigious Pollard Prize for History and has many published articles to her credit.

Wednesday 29 March 11am - 12noon £15 In the Building & Online

Henrietta Maria: A Divisive Queen with William Tyler MBE

Wife of Charles I, Henrietta Maria supported him faithfully through The Civil War. She helped primarily by raising funds in Europe. She remained in exile during Cromwell’s rule, but returned at the Restoration of her son, Charles II. She was a divisive figure in her own time, not least because of her Catholicism, and has had mixed reviews from historians ever since. Join William for a special extended lecture as he explores both the private and public person that was Queen Henrietta Maria.

Thursday 30 March 11.30am - 3.15pm £25 In the Building & Online

To see our full programme, make sure you visit

Jewish Life

Cancel Culture and the Jewish Tradition with Angela Gluck

Cancel Culture may be in the news but it’s far from new. Across the world and through the ages, idols have been broken, monuments defaced, books burned, statues toppled and names erased. In this course, we’ll see how Jews have been affected by Cancel Culture and ask whether there is a Jewish approach to it.

Angela Gluck has worked as a teacher, trainer and consultant to schools and local authorities. She is the author of over 40 books on aspects of religion and history.

Mondays 9 January - 27 March*

*No class 13 February

10.30am - 12noon £176 for the 11 weeks In the Building

To

Limmud Live! with JW3

JW3 is delighted to be partnering with Limmud on the new Limmud Live! series. Designed to bring Limmud’s values and JW3’s mission to life, the series facilitates conversation on some of the biggest issues facing our community and society. This January, the conversation will revolve around ‘Empowerment’.

Wednesday 18 January

7pm - 9pm £15 In the Building

Death Duties: Exploring Jewish Burial

with Sally Berkovic

On a significant birthday, Sally gave herself a gift – she joined the Chevra Kadisha (Jewish Burial Society) in order to prepare bodies for a Jewish burial. Join Sally as she recounts her experiences on the Chevra Kadisha in her recent publication Death Duties. She’ll also share her journey of mourning, loss and recovery, and discuss the impact of the pandemic on mourning rites.

Sally is the CEO of the Rothschild Foundation Hanadiv Europe, a foundation that supports Jewish heritage and culture across Europe.

Thursday 2 March 8pm - 9pm £15 In the Building

To see our full programme, make sure you visit jw3.org.uk

Jewish Life

Hollywood Calling

From Berlin to Bernstein: Making America Musical with Chaim Feder

The impact of Jews on American music in the 20th century was more widespread than one might imagine. This is true of American film music, and also of song, Broadway (and Hollywood) musicals, as well as concert and ballet music. This series will explore this theme of Jews in American music through selected compositions of fifteen musicians, some of whom were household names; many of their compositions are classics. What role, if any, did the fact that they were Jews have on their achievements as musicians?

Chaim Feder has been a professional educator for over 50 years, specialising in global Jewish education.

Astaire &

Rogers:

Magic of Fred and Ginger with George McGhee

The

The most famous dance team ever in the history of the movies made ten films together over sixteen years, from Flying Down to Rio and Shall We Dance to The Barkleys of Broadway. They also had very successful solo careers so join George as he traces their steps in film and theatre.

Monday 16 January 2pm - 3.30pm

£15 In the Building & Online

Errol Flynn: A Beloved Rogue

with George McGhee

Errol Flynn was born into a middleclass family in Tasmania and went on to become one of the great lovers and swashbucklers of the silver screen. His classic films include Robin Hood, Captain Blood, The Sea Hawk, That Forsythe Woman and many others. Join George as he looks at his life which was often more colourful off-screen than on!

Monday 6 February 2pm - 3.30pm

£15 In the Building & Online

Oscar Losing Songs

with George McGhee

Although many great songs won the Oscar, many other great songs did not win. Join George as he looks at some of these excellent songs by a range of composers including George Gershwin, Cole Porter and Irving Berlin, sung by such great artistes as Johnny Mathis, Frank Sinatra, Doris Day, Debbie Reynolds, Bing Crosby and Judy Garland.

Monday 27 March 2pm - 3.30pm £15 In the Building & Online

Visual Arts & Literature

Modern Jewish Literature with Dr Aviva Dautch

Join Aviva to explore the richness of modern Jewish culture through reading Israeli, European and American literature. Aviva is a published poet and the Executive Director of Jewish Renaissance, the UK’s Jewish arts magazine.

Thursdays 12 January - 23 March*

*No class 16 February

10.30am - 12.30pm

£15 per session

£120 for the 10 weeks

In the Building

Open Art Studio:

Drawing and

Painting Classes with Michael Ajerman

Do you want to learn to paint and draw or develop your skills under expert guidance and tuition? Then this course is for you. Suitable for all levels; from beginners to experienced.

Wednesdays 25 January - 29 March*

*No class 15 February

2pm - 4.30pm

£25 per session £220 for the 10 weeks

In the Building

To see our full programme, make sure you visit

Life Writing: Shaping Your World

with Pamela Rose Cohen

Interested in Life Writing but don’t know how or where to start? This six-week course will help you memorialise your memories by gathering photos, videos, newspaper clippings, letters and journals and weaving them into a narrative.

Experienced print and TV journalist Pam Cohen will explore issues of why we write, what is memoir and how we can broaden out to open different doorways into the self. Tuesdays

Languages

Languages

JW3’s unique approach integrates language learning with history, culture, art and customs. Whether you’re a total beginner or an advanced speaker you’ll be impressed by our friendly tutors and how quickly your language skills improve.

MONDAYS

French Advanced Conversation

Patricia Zerah 10.30am - 12.30pm £198 In the Building Hebrew Beginners III (Term II) Haggit Inbar-Littas 10.30am - 12.30pm £198 In the Building

Hebrew Total Beginners Ronit First-Kavisky

New

7.15pm - 9.15pm £198 In the Building Hebrew Beginners II (Term II) Tami Dayan-Zedek 7.15pm - 9.15pm £198 Online

Hebrew Beginners III Esti Levene

7.15pm - 9.15pm £198 In the Building Hebrew Beginners III (Term II) Kimi Waxman

7.15pm - 9.15pm £198 Online

Hebrew Intermediate II (Term II) Liat Aharonovich 7.15pm - 9.15pm £198 In the Building Hebrew Beginners I Rina Wolgroh-Zolty 7.15pm - 9.15pm £198 Online

TUESDAYS

French Intermediate Patricia Zerah 10.30am - 12.30pm £198 In the Building Hebrew Very Advanced Haggit Inbar-Littas 10.30am - 12.30pm £198 Online Hebrew Not Quite Beginners (Term II)

Tami Dayan-Zedek 7.15pm - 9.15pm £198 In the Building

Hebrew Intermediate I (Term II) Ronit First-Kavisky 7.15pm - 9.15pm £198 Online Spanish ‘Casi’ Intermediate Jonathan Lopez 7.15pm - 9.15pm £198 In the Building

Running between

9 January - 30 March* (11 weeks)

*Half term from 12 - 18 February

Thanks to WZO, we are able to offer a limited number of exclusive discounts on our Hebrew courses. Call 020 7433 8988 to register for the offer. Be quick, offers are available on a first come first served basis.

WEDNESDAYS

Hebrew Intermediate III (Term II)

Haggit Inbar-Littas 10.30am - 12.30pm £198 In the Building

Hebrew Advanced I (Term III)

Rina Gurvitz 10.30am - 1pm (2.5 hours) £248 In the Building Hebrew Advanced II (Term III)

Nurit Gance 10.30am - 12.30pm £198 In the Building Hebrew Beginners II Rina Wolgroh-Zolty 7.15pm - 9.15pm £198 Online

Hebrew Intermediate III Liat Aharonovich

7.15pm - 9.15pm £198 Online Hebrew Beginners I (Term III) Tami Dayan-Zedek 7.15pm - 9.15pm £198 In the Building

Hebrew Not Quite Beginners Esti Levene 7.15pm - 9.15pm £198 In the Building Hebrew Advanced III (Term II) Nurit Gance 7.30pm - 9.30pm £198 In the Building

THURSDAYS

Hebrew Intermediate II Haggit Inbar-Littas 10.30am - 12.30pm £198 Online

Hebrew Total Beginners Matan Rosenstrauch 6.30pm - 8.30pm £198 Online

New

Hebrew Beginners III (Term II)

Ronit First-Kavisky 7.15pm - 9.15pm £198 Online Hebrew Intermediate II Liat Aharonovich 7.30pm - 9.30pm £198 In the Building

Krav Maga is widely recognised as the world’s most effective form of self-defence. Originating in Israel, it was created in the belief that we all have the right to walk in peace. Our courses will give participants the skills and experience to do just that. It is fun, quick to learn and easy to retain. It is particularly useful in practical situations, and will keep you fit. London Krav Maga was established in 1996 and is affiliated to the official Krav Maga Global (KMG) based in Netanya, Israel. We only use Israeli-trained and registered instructors using a rigorously tested syllabus.

For more information, term dates, registration and payment please visit the London Krav Maga website: www.londonkravmaga.com. Any other questions please email info@londonkravmaga.com.

Please note that all courses are booked per season and cannot be booked on a per session basis.

Women-Only Foundation

Learn how to defend yourself against common threats and attacks in all types of environments and gain the skills to fight back. This women-only foundation course is the same content as the adult foundation, taught by a female instructor with a few extras designed specifically for women. Suitable for age of 16+.

Sundays 15 January - 19 March

10.30am - 11.40am £185 for the 10 week course

Women’s Programme

For women over 16 who have completed our Foundation Course. Learn more skills to defend yourself and fight back with registered Israeli-trained instructors.

Sundays, 11.45am - 12.55pm

Introduction Class

Curious about Krav Maga? This 3 hour class will give you a taste of Krav Maga and help you decide whether it’s right for you. Suitable for age of 18+.

Last Sunday of the month 3pm - 6pm £30 per session

Adult Foundation

Our instructors give beginners the basics of the theory and practice of Krav Maga – teaching you how to defend yourself against all manner of attacks as well as how to fight back. Students will emerge stronger, fitter, faster and more confident.

Sundays 15 January - 19 March

7.20pm - 8.30pm

Tuesdays 17 January - 21 March 7pm - 8.10pm

Thursdays 19 January - 23 March 7pm - 8.10pm £185 for the 10 week course

Practitioner

& Graduate Programmes

For students who have completed our Foundation Course (or who have prior experience) the Practitioner Programme (grades 1-5) is the next step. There are seven sessions per week to choose from split by level. Fees are payable by month and depend on payment options chosen. The Graduate Programme is for students who have completed the Practitioner Programme.

Sundays to Wednesdays (all year)

Krav Maga

Young JW3

Young JW3

Events for 20s and 30s

Winter Friday Night Dinner

Banish the January blues at one of our epic Young JW3 Friday Night Dinners. Enjoy an evening of great company, delicious food and drink, and winter fun, all in a gorgeous setting. Bring your friends, meet new ones, and be part of our growing community.

Friday 20 January, 6.30pm £15 In the Building Ages 20-30

Check our Freedomthemed Young JW3 Friday Night Dinner on page 16 and raise a glass (or four!) to celebrate Passover.

Jewish Festivals 101: Purim Edition

Two incredible educators will take you on a journey exploring the festival, its rituals and how different Jewish cultures celebrate it. You’ll get the chance to ask all your questions (the more bizarre the better) and get all the answers you need to enjoy the Jewish Festival of Joy.

Sunday 26 February, 6.30pm £10 In the Building Age 18+

To see our full programme, make sure you visit

Jewish Festivals

101: Passover Edition

Two incredible educators will take you on a journey exploring the festival, its rituals and how different Jewish cultures celebrate it. You’ll get the chance to ask all your questions (the more bizarre the better) and get all the answers you need to be able to enjoy the Jewish Festival of Freedom.

Sunday 19 March, 6.30pm

£10 In the Building Ages 18 - 35

Tuesday 21 March, 7.30pm

£15 In the Building Age 35+

Sing-A-Long The Prince of Egypt

Bust out your best Pesach costume (Moses! Miriam! Pharoah! The one with the loin cloth!) and join cast members from the hit West End musical, The Prince of Egypt, at a very special Sing-A-Long screening of everybody’s favourite matzahthemed holiday movie. Get in the festival spirit at this evening of fun, drinks, and great tunes.

Sunday 2 April, 7pm £15 In the Building Age 18+

To see our full programme, make sure you visit jw3.org.uk

LGBTQ+ Community

Join our monthly get-togethers where we explore issues related to being LGBTQ+ and Jewish, check out the latest LGBTQ+ films and events, enjoy a drink with friends, and build a loving LGBTQ+ Jewish community. Tuesdays 24 January, 21 February & 28 March, 8pm

Jews of Colour Community

Aged between 20 and 40 and looking to meet other Jews of Colour in London? Join our bimonthly events for Jews of Colour, where you can enjoy a drink, connect, and create community. Email info@jw3.org.uk for more information.

Tuesdays 17 January & 28 February, 8pm £5 In the Building

Full Fat Community

Full Fat @ Young JW3 brings people together to celebrate and enjoy fatness, and build a loving vibrant fat community through a Jewish lens.

Wednesdays 25 January & 22 March, 8pm £5 In the Building

To see our full programme, make sure you visit jw3.org.uk

VISIT US

JW3: 341-351 Finchley Road, London NW3 6ET BOX OFFICE +44 (0)20 7433 8988 | JW3.ORG.UK | INFO@JW3.ORG.UK

BOX OFFICE OPENING HOURS*

Monday-Wednesday 10am-8pm Thursday & Sunday 10am-9pm Friday 10am-3pm* Saturday Closed*

BUILDING

OPENING HOURS*

Monday–Wednesday 10am–10pm Thursday & Sunday 10am–11pm Friday & Saturday Closed*

*Opening hours are subject to occasional variation – please check our website for full details.

PARKING

Paid parking is available at the O2 Centre, 400m away. Free parking on Finchley Road and adjacent side roads after 7pm (6.30pm side roads) Mondays to Saturdays and all day Sunday. JW3 is situated in a residential area. Please be considerate of our neighbours if parking locally, and ensure you leave adequate space for emergency vehicles to pass.

ACCESS

The building is accessible for people with physical impairments and limited parking for disabled visitors is available, please call in advance to reserve a space. The JW3 Cinema and Howard Hall both have a hearing loop. For further details please visit jw3.org.uk or call the Box Office.

CONCESSIONS & DISCOUNTS

Concessions are available for recipients of universal credit, pension credit, disability living allowance, full-time students in possession of NUS/ISIC cards, and companions/carers of people with disabilities. Please call the box office to book concession-rate tickets. Concessions and discounts cannot be combined.

Our bursary fund is available to those who cannot meet the full cost of a course or event. To apply, please email Ziva Ambalo in confidence at ziva@jw3.org.uk.

Only food bought at JW3 can be eaten on the premises. When we are open over Shabbat or Jewish holidays, we will run a reduced “JW3 Unplugged” programme and the Cinema will be closed. Further details available on request. Prices, dates and times are subject to change. We love JW3 and from time to time we take photos and videos in JW3 for marketing purposes. If you do not want to be included in photos or videos for these purposes please let a member of staff know.

JW3 Trust Ltd is a registered charity, No. 1117644. JW3 Development is a registered charity, No. 1156248. JW3 Trading Ltd, registered company No. 7686352 (England and Wales), is a wholly owned subsidiary of JW3 Trust Ltd.