The Buzz: What's Hot in the Arts

‘RE-EMERGING: THE JEWS OF NIGERIA’

The Igbo people of southeast Nigeria have long held fast to the idea that they were once actually Jewish (a lost tribe hailing from the line of the biblical Jacob?). A new documentary, “Re-emerging: The Jews of Nigeria,” traces the journey of a man named Shmuel (he was once Sam) as he examines whether the notion is true. He discovers that the practices of the Igbo are remarkably similar to the religious traditions of Judaism. The film chronicles the history of the Igbo from biblical times to the Biafran War of 1960s when over 1 million Igbo were killed.

—Quad Cinemas, 34 W. 13th St. (212) 255-2243. $8-$11.

U.S. JEWS AND THE SHOAH

What did American Jews do to help those caught in the Nazi grip? A new show at the Museum of Jewish Heritage, “Against the Odds: American Jews & the Rescue of Europe’s Refugees, 1933-1941,” tries to answer the question. The exhibit, which opens next Tuesday, explores how immigration laws limited those trying to assist, and how Jews overcame severe obstacles to do so. In conjunction with the show, the Knickerbocker Chamber Orchestra performs a concert (Sunday, 2:30 p.m.) titled “Banished Genius: Émigré Composers in America.”

—Museum of Jewish Heritage, 36 Battery Pl. (646) 437-4202. $7-$12.

SLAVIC SOUL PARTY! AT JOE’S PUB

The exclamation point is no understatement! This rollicking, brassy world-music unit combines Gypsy melodies with jazz and soul to create a fusion it calls BalkanSoul GypsyFunk. The group’s influences take it from Jewish melodies to Russian and Indian music to Duke Ellington, and its mash-up sound has created quiet a following. Next week at Joe’s Pub the ensemble will be interpreting the songs of the San Francisco-based “noise” and “art rock” band Deerhoof.

— Basia Rosenbaum

FRIED CHICKEN AND LATKES

Rain Pryor’s new one-woman show, “Fried Chicken and Latkes,” is playing at The Actors Temple. The show is based on Pryor’s life growing up both African-American and Jewish (she’s Richard Pryor’s daughter), and her experience of racism in the 1960s and ’70s. Pryor has numerous TV and stage credits, including appearances on “The Tonight Show” and in the “Billie Holiday Story”; she’s also the artistic director of Baltimore’s Strand Theater.

—The Actors’ Temple, 339 W. 47th St. (212) 245-6975. Call for ticket prices.

MY NAME IS ASHER LEV

Based on Chaim Potok’s iconic novel, the play follows a young boy determined to become a painter. Starring Ari Brand, Mark Nelson, Jenny Bacon, and Jonathan Raviv.

—Westside Theater Upstairs, 407 W. 43rd St. (212) 239-6200. $36-$79.

HEATHER KLEIN

The Center for Jewish History presents “Yiddish in the City” this weekend. The concert includes performances by soprano Heather Klein and vocalist/songwriterMiryem-Khaye Seigel. The two will be joined by Dmitri Zisl Slepovitch on piano.

—Center for Jewish History, 15 W. 16 St. (212) 294-8301. Sunday, May 19, 7 p.m. $15. cjh.org.

LITVAKUS

The Jewish roots band plays the Eldridge Street Synagogue this weekend. It’s best known for finding inspiration in the musical heritage of Belorussia and Lithuania and for its use of research when composing.

—Eldridge Street Synagogue, 12 Eldridge St. (212) 219-0888. Sun., May 19, 3 p.m., $15-$20.

METROPOLITAN KLEZMER

The acclaimed klez revival group, led by Eve Sicular, performs as part of the New York Klezmer series, which takes place Tuesdays at the Stephen Wise Free Synagogue on the Upper West Side.

—Stephen Wise Free Synagogue, 30 W. 68th St. (Columbus/Central Park West). Tuesday, May 21, 7:30 p.m. $15. http://aaronalexander.com/wp/concert-schedule.

BANISHED GENIUS

The Knickerbocker Chamber Orchestra appears at the Museum of Jewish Heritage this weekend to perform “Banished Genius: Émigré Composers in America” in honor of the opening of the museum new show, “Against the Odds,” about  The Orchestra will feature works by Kurt Weill, Arnold Schoenberg, Erich Zeisl and others who share the story of having been exiled from their homeland and taken in by America.

—Museum of Jewish Heritage, 36 Battery Pl. (646) 437-4202. Sun., May 19, 2:30 p.m., $12-$18.
 

THE JEWISH MUSEUM

“Jack Goldstein x 10,000”: The members of the ’80s Pictures Generation took their artistic cues from consumer culture and the media. Jack Goldstein, who is the subject of a new Jewish show, was one of the noted members of the group. Goldstein, who died in 2003, is known for taking iconic movie images and removing specific details to create new ways of thinking about film, as he does in his Metro-Goldwyn Mayer lion clip. The show also examines the legacy of the Pictures Generation and its impact on contemporary art. Through Sept. 29.

—The Jewish Museum, 1109 Fifth Ave. (212) 423-3200. $7.50-$12.

PAVEL WOLBERG

The Russian-reared photographer who is now based in Israel makes his New York gallery debut with shots capturing the revelry of Purim, sacred moments at a chasidic wedding and men dancing in gay clubs in Tel Aviv, according to advance billing.

—Andrea Meislin Gallery, 534 W. 24th St., (212) 627-2552. Andreameislin.com. Through June 15.

SAGMEISTER AND WALSH

The designers Stefan Sagmeister and Jessica Walsh are known for their experimental typography and striking visual imagery. Their work is by turns playful and unsettling, humanist and existential, and often expands the definition of design, embracing film, sculpture, poetry, and performance. Six Things marks the first exhibition of their newly founded design firm, Sagmeister & Walsh.

— The Jewish Museum, 1109 Fifth Ave at 92nd Street.  Through Aug. 4.

YESHIVA UNIVERSITY MUSEUM

The Civil War was, arguably, the war that assimilated the Jews. The exhibition “Passages through the Fire: Jews and the Civil War” is thought to be the most comprehensive collection of materials relating to Jews and the Civil War assembled in the last 50 years. Co-presented by YU Museum and the American Jewish Historical Society.

—Yeshiva University Museum, 15 W. 16th St. For information: http://yumuseum.tumblr.com/CivilWar or http://www.ajhs.org. Through Aug. 11.

MUSEUM OF JEWISH HERITAGE

“Hava Nagila: A Song for the People.” This new show at the Museum of Jewish Heritage traces the history and development of the iconic Jewish folk song, without which a wedding or bar-bat mitzvah just wouldn’t be the same. Coinciding with Roberta Grossman and Sophie Sartain’s new documentary, “Hava Nagila: The Movie,” the exhibit features a special film by the pair. Guests will also have the opportunity to sing along to the iconic song karaoke style. Runs through May 2013.

— Museum of Jewish Heritage-A Living Memorial to the Holocaust, 36 Battery Pl., mjhnyc.org.

HUC-JIR MUSEUM

In “The Sexuality Spectrum” contemporary artists explore issues of sexual orientation, including the evolving social and religious attitudes toward sexuality; the impact on the family, child-rearing, and life stages; and the influence of the LGBT community.

—HUC-JIR Museum, One W. Fourth St. (Broadway-Mercer). museumnyc@huc.edu. Through June 28, 2013.

BEER, ART AND REVOLUTION

A new Center for Jewish History show focuses on Jewish life in Munich since the early 19th century. “Beer, Art and Revolution” explores how influential Jews were in the creation of the city.

—Center for Jewish History, 15 W. 16th St. (212) 744-6400.

BARBARA BLOOM

The artist’s new Jewish Museum show is called “As it were … So to speak: A Museum Collection in Dialogue with Barbara Bloom.” Taking as her inspiration the idea of Talmudic scholars commenting on a passage, Bloom creates displays that feature juxtaposition and irony in the relationships between pieces in the museum’s collection. Take, for instance, the pairing of ancient Roman dice and a game board from Dreyfus-era France. Through Aug. 4.

—The Jewish Museum, 1109 Fifth Ave. (212) 423-3200. $7.50-$12.

READING THE VISUAL/VISUALIZING THE TEXT

Multimedia exhibit in various locations throughout The Jewish Theological Seminary offers five artists the opportunity to reach into the JTS collection and respond, either by creating a work of art, or pairing an item with something they had already done, in a site-specific installation. Works by Ben Rubin, Tobi Kahn, Jill Nathanson, Rachel Kanter and Danielle Durchslag. Through May 29.

—JTS, 3080 Broadway (122nd Street). For more information, go to jtsa.edu.

JEWISH LIFE IN ARAB COUNTRIES

Author and lecturer Saul Silas Fathi speaks at the JCC in Manhattan next week about his childhood in Baghdad as well as the history of Jewish life in Arab countries. Fathi will focus on events from as far back as ancient times to the creation of the State of Israel to today.

—JCC in Manhattan, 334 Amsterdam Ave. (646) 505-5708. Wed., May 22, 3 p.m., $10-$15.

TAKE US HOME

Part of the Sheba Film Festival at the JCC in Manhattan, the Aileen LeBlanc documentary “Take Us Home” tells the story of an Ethiopian family struggling to reconcile their current practice of Christianity and their Jewish heritage.

—JCC in Manhattan, 334 Amsterdam Ave. (646) 505-5708. Tue., May 21, 7:30 p.m., $9-$12.

RESCUE IN THE PHILIPPINES

A new documentary, “Rescue in the Philippines,” tells the story of how the Philippines saved 1,200 Jews during World War II. The rescue was a combined effort by the five Frieder brothers (American businessmen in Manila), Phillipines President Manuel Quezon, U.S. High Commissioner Paul McNutt, and Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower. The film will be shown this week at the Museum of Jewish Heritage followed by a conversation with co-producer Barbara Sasser.

—Museum of Jewish Heritage, 36 Battery Pl. (646) 437-4202. Wed., May 22, 7 p.m., $5-$10.

LEAH

“Leah,” a film based on the biblical story of Leah and the struggle of Ethiopian Jews to assimilate to life in Israel, screens next week at the Center for Jewish History. A discussion follows the screening.

—Center for Jewish History, 15 W. 16th St. (212) 294-8301. Wed., May 22, 7 p.m., $10-$15.