Editor’s note: Due to the ongoing security situation, events listed below may be postponed or canceled. Check before booking, and stay safe.
FRIDAY, AUGUST 21
Bite into the cultural wealth of Jerusalem by ordering a sheitel doner, a Turkish kebab made from rump steak, at Steakiya.
Opened by chef Assaf Granit, this kosher eatery serves street food made from prime cuts of beef. Patrons are served 12 salads to get the meal started (including tabbouleh sh’ariya), hummus with meat (hummus bil hashwiya, NIS 44), steaks, and shishlik (shipudim) from excellent cuts of meat – from tomahawk steak to entrecote.
1 Hadekel St. Sunday to Thursday from 12 p.m. to 11 p.m.; Friday from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. Call (02) 533-3444 for more. Kosher.
SATURDAY, AUGUST 22
Visit the Jerusalem Artists’ House to attend the opening of a special exhibition, curated by Tali Ben Nun, to welcome nine new artists who joined the association this year. Among them is Yosi Davara, who, in addition to being a painter, is also a poet with some lovely lines devoted to the Musrara neighborhood and the watchmaker on Emek Refaim.
Another artist is Miriam Munk, a haredi woman who paints works that trick the eye, in an attempt to build a mental sense of inquiry in the viewer.
Noon event. 12 Shmuel Hanagid St. Free. Hours: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Visit art.org.il for more.
SUNDAY, AUGUST 23
Watch the martial arts film classic Fist of Fury (1972), filmed on location in Hong Kong. With Wei Lo as director and Bruce Lee in the leading role, this is a chance to see his genius on the Silver Screen in brilliant colors.
Screened during the Jerusalem Cinematheque’s Enter the Dojo film festival, this flick is a fantastical take on the very brutal Japanese occupation of China. Lee plays the role of martial arts student Chen Zhen who avenges the death of his master and the honor of Chinese civilization under a dehumanizing occupying army.
6 p.m. 11 Hebron Rd. Shown within the Films for English Speakers series. NIS 43. Call (02) 565-4333 to book.
MONDAY, AUGUST 24
Take in a special chamber music evening as the young graduates of the Jerusalem Music Center play “Ghost” by Ludwig van Beethoven and Piano Quintet No. 2 in A Major Op. 81 by Antonín Dvorak.
7 p.m. 3 Yemin Moshe St. NIS 85. Call (02) 623-4347 to book.
TUESDAY, AUGUST 25
Visit the Metula Poetry Festival taking place in Jerusalem and enjoy an evening with Avraham Oz. He is one of the greatest translators of William Shakespeare, Bertolt Brecht, and Harold Pinter to Hebrew, as well as a translator of poetry. Thanks to him, the poems of Isaac Rosenberg, among others, are now available in Hebrew.
Patrons will listen to him read from The Power of Beauty, a massive anthology of poems translated into Hebrew from four languages (English, French, German and Russian). On Wednesday, meet Karen Alkalay-Gut during a panel devoted to her book Here Lies: Poets and Their Graves. In this collection of essays, Alkalay-Gut describes visiting the graves of poets ranging from Allen Ginsberg to Anna Margolin.
The description of Margolin’s tombstone is heart-wrenching. The Yiddish poet asked that the inscription be: “She spent her life in vain/on rubbish, on nothing.”
Confederation House, 12 Paul Emile Botta St. 7 p.m. meeting with Oz. Wednesday, August 26, 3 p.m. panel with Alkalay-Gut. Free. In Hebrew. Call (02) 539-9360 to book. confederationhouse.org/page_18072 for more.
The festival concludes on Thursday, August 27. Drunk from the Bitter Truth: The Poems of Anna Margolin is a collection of English translations of the poet’s works ($36).
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26
Climb to the roof of the Sam Spiegel Film School, where the 1974 cult comedy Blazing Saddles will be screened. Directed by Mel Brooks, this film pokes fun at the tradition of American Western films by changing just one little thing: reimagining the town sheriff as a black man.
Cleavon Little stars as the lawman of Rock Ridge and the film is a non-stop roller-coaster ride of jokes, gags, and hoots.
8 p.m. Cinema by Sam Spiegel, 3 Menora St. In English. NIS 35. To book: cinema.jsfs.co.il
THURSDAY, AUGUST 27
Enjoy an original musical production by the Encore! Educational Theatre Company that deals with the eternal clash between young and old. The plot is simple: a hapless manager booked the same stage on the same night for two parties, one composed of upcoming actors, and the other of more established ones. The Encore Showdown is a promising and original English-language theater close to home.
Shows at 4 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Nurit Katzir Center, 4 Yitzchak Elchanan St. NIS 85. Call 054-578-9006 for more. To book: encore-etc.com/encore-youth-vs-encore-adults
Throwing a special event? Opening an art exhibition or a new bar? Bringing in a guest speaker to introduce a fascinating topic? Email hagay_hacohen@yahoo.com and let In Jerusalem know about it. Write “Jerusalem Highlights” in the subject line. Although all information is welcome, we cannot guarantee it will be featured in the column.