Picks and Clicks

September 8, 2010

Sept. 9-17, 2010

By Ryan Torok

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THU | SEPT. 9

(TELEVISION)
Avery, an African American Brooklyn teen and promising track star, struggles with her “true” identity. Adopted by white Jewish lesbians, she struggles with the circumstances of her adoption and her estrangement from black culture in “Off and Running,” a documentary by Nicole Opper. When Avery writes to her birth mother, the response throws her into crisis and forces her to make sense of her identity. Thu. 9:30 p.m. KCET. pbs.org/pov.

(DANCE)
French Jewish art director Jacques Heim leads the Diavalo Dance Theater company during a program that includes John Adams’ “Fearful Symmetries,” performed by the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Thu. 8 p.m. $11.75-$139. Hollywood Bowl, 2301 N. Highland Ave., Hollywood. (323) 850-2000. hollywoodbowl.com.

SAT | SEPT 11

(FILM)
Director Vicki Abeles explores the pressures faced by American schoolchildren and their teachers in the documentary “Race to Nowhere.” Featuring commentary by psychologists Wendy Mogel (“The Blessing of a B Minus”) and Madeline Levine (“The Price of Privilege”), the film examines the pressures faced by youth and teachers today amid dropping test scores, a shrinking global economy and the expectations of parents, universities, school districts and society at large. Laemmle Sunset 5, 8000 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood. (310) 478-3836. laemmle.com.

(MUSIC)
Persian composer, vocalist and performance artist Sussan Deyhim, whose music is featured in “The Kite Runner” and “The Stoning of Soraya M.,” opens the Women of the World series with her husband/collaborator Richard Horowitz. Deyhim fuses traditional orchestrations, Western vocal technique and the mysticism of Middle Eastern music. Guest appearance by Mohsen Namjoo and Ardeshir Farah. Sat. 7:30 p.m. $57-$95. The BroadStage, 1310 11th St., Santa Monica. thebroadstage.com/womenworld.

SUN | SEPT 12

(BOOKS)
Loyola Marymount history professor Nigel Raab leads a discussion about Vladimir Jabotinsky’s “The Five: A Novel of Jewish Life in Turn-of-the-Century Odessa” during the Sunday Jewish Book & Discussion Group, the first of four sessions in the Books We Are Reading series. Sun. 2-3:30 p.m. Free. Hannon Library, Third Floor, Von der Ahe Family Suite, Loyola Marymount University, 1 LMU Drive, Los Angeles. (310) 338-4584. libguides.lmu.edu/jewishbooks.

(ISRAEL)
Pedal for Israel, a StandWithUs fundraising bike ride from West Los Angeles to Oxnard, challenges boycotts against the Jewish state. Sun. 6 a.m. Free. For the location, call (310) 836-6140, ext. 130. standwithus.org.

MON | SEPT 13

(MUSIC)
Modern folk artist Clare Burson, a Fulbright Scholar who has recorded with T Bone Burnett and performed with Alison Krauss, holds a release show for her new album, “Silver and Ash.” Each track imagines the life of Burson’s grandmother, who was born in Germany in 1919 and escaped one year before the outbreak of World War II. Burson traveled to the childhood homes of her ancestors in Germany, Latvia, Poland, Lithuania and Ukraine for the project, which also speaks to her own struggles with rupture, silence, guilt, empathy and continuity. Rounder Records, JDub Records and Six Points Fellowship for Emerging Jewish Artists cosponsor the event, which is made possible with support from The Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles. Mon. $10. 7-10 p.m. Hotel Cafe, 1623 1/2 N. Cahuenga Blvd., Los Angeles. (323) 461-2040. hotelcafe.com.

TUE | SEPT 14

(EDUCATION)
Get a taste of the Florence Melton Adult Mini-School at the Yom Kippur Learn-a-Thon, with workshops that add meaning to the holiday. Tue. Free. 7-9 p.m. Shomrei Torah Synagogue, 7353 Valley Circle Blvd., West Hills. (818) 346-6106 (RSVP strongly recommended). shomreitorahsynagogue.org.

WED | SEPT 15

(LECTURE)
The Jewish Business Leaders Roundtable hosts Rabbi Moshe Bryski of Chabad of the Conejo, who leads a discussion on current events and how they relate to Judaism. Wed. 8 a.m. Free. Bernard Milken Jewish Community Campus, 22622 Vanowen St., West Hills. (818) 464-3214.

(DEBATE)
Jewish Journal blogger Rabbi Shmuley Boteach and world-famous atheist Christopher Hitchens (“Hitch 22”) debate “Is There an Afterlife?” Boteach and Hitchens meet at the Great Hall at Cooper Union in New York, but don’t worry — you can stream the event online for $6.99. Thu. 4 p.m. shmuley.com.

FRI | SEPT 17

(THEATER)
Richard Israel directs “Merrily We Roll Along,” Stephen Sondheim’s 1981 musical, which moves backward in time, from 1967 to 1957, to reveal how Franklin Shepard, once a talented Broadway composer, abandoned his friends and songwriting to become a Hollywood producer. Based on George Kaufman’s 1934 play of the same name. Fri. Through Oct. 24. 8 p.m. (Fri. and Sat.), 2:30 p.m. (Sun.). $25 (students), $30 (seniors 60 and over), $34 (adults). Actors Co-Op, 1760 N. Gower St., Los Angeles. (323) 462-8460. actorsco-op.org.

A version of this article appeared in print.

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