Thursday, March 8
PURIM PARTIES
Jewish singles 45-plus are invited to a Purim seudah at the Chevra Synagogue, commencing with the Megillah reading at 4:30 p.m. Evening includes dinner, open bar and music. Registration, Iona, 482-3366.
Chabad’s Dorval Jewish Centre holds a family Purim celebration at the Pine Beach Citizens’ Association, 1510 Herron St., Dorval, at 4:30 p.m. 791-3770.
Congregation Zichron Kedoshim throws a U.S.A.-themed Purim bash from 4:30 p.m., featuring an American buffet, hamantashen baking, and Jewish trivia. Reservations, Mery,735-2113.
ART DOCUMENTARY
The Woodmans, a documentary on the short life of artist Francesca Woodman by C. Scott Wills, will be screened at the Segal Centre’s CinemaSpace at 7:30 p.m. The film, which won best New York documentary at the Tribeca Film Festival, is preceded by The Fancy, an experimental work about Woodman by Elisabeth Subrin. Repeated March 10 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets, 739-7944.
Friday, March 9
TENSIONS IN ISRAEL
Sara Saber Freedman, executive vice-president of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, speaks on “Religious Tensions Inside Israel’s Jewish Communities,” at the Cummings Jewish Centre for Seniors, 10 a.m. Joyce,342-1234, ext. 7318.
Saturday,March 10
ABOUT FRED ROSE
David Levy discusses his new book about Canadian communist Fred Rose, Stalin’s Man in Canada, on the Jewish Digest, Radio Centre-Ville 102.3FM, 8:30 a.m.
Sunday, March 11
PANYCH PLAY
Vigil by award-winning Canadian playwright Morris Panych opens at the Segal Centre, directed by Martin Faucher and co-produced with Théâtre du Rideau Vert. This comedy is said to “brilliantly tackle the rites and hypocrisies surrounding death” when a self-interested nephew rushes to his supposedly dying aunt. The play continues until April 1. Tickets, 739-7944.
The Segal is also presenting Traffik Femme by Emma Haché in English from March 10 to 15 and in French from March 17 to 24 in The Studio. This one-woman show starring Nico Lagarde conveys the tragedy of human trafficking through dance, shadow theatre and even comedy. Talkbacks with the artists take place after Thursday and Saturday performances.
DIALOGUE WORKSHOP
The Montreal Dialogue Group, co-led by Rana Alrabi and Ronit Milo, offers a workshop called InterWorldView, 2:30-5:30 p.m. at the Atwater Library, led by Patrice Brodeur, Canadian Research Chair in Islam, Pluralism and Globalization at the Université de Montréal.
Tuesday, March 13
JEWELRY MAKING
A jewelry-making class begins at the Creative Social Centre at the Chevra Synagogue, 1-3 p.m. Classes continue March 20 and 27. Registration, 488-0907.
JEWISH HERITAGE SITE
Archivists Janice Rosen and Shannon Hodge lecture on how to use the new Canadian Jewish Heritage Network (CJHN) website at the Jewish Public Library (JPL) at 7:30 p.m., co-sponsored by the Jewish Genealogical Society of Montreal. The CJHN is the online gateway to the digitized archives and genealogical resources of the JPL and the Canadian Jewish Congress Charities Committee.
LUNG CANCER
“Lung Cancer: Myths, Facts, Choices” is the next topic in the Rosalind and Morris Goodman Cancer Research Centre lecture series. McGill University scientists discuss the latest research, and a survivor offers a testimonial, 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the McIntyre Medical Building, 1200 Pine Ave. W. Registration, 398-4970.
Wednesday, March14
CUMMINGS DOINGS
Robert Markow discusses and plays music from Verdi’s operas from 1-3 p.m. at the Cummings Jewish Centre for Seniors… The documentary Chez Schwartz, about the iconic deli, will be screened at 7 p.m. at the Segal Centre’s CinemaSpace. 342-1234.
ALZHEIMER’S CONFAB
Dr. Hyman Schipperof the Jewish General Hospital’s Lady Davis Institute, and Dr. Serge Gauthier of the McGill Centre for Studies in Aging, are keynote speakers at the conference “Can Alzheimer’s Disease be Prevented?” at Hotel Ruby Foo’s at 6:30 p.m., sponsored by Alzheimer Groupe Inc. Registration, 485-7233.
…Et Cetera…
‘KOT’ COMMEMORATED
A sizeable contingent of Montrealers who are related somehow to the late Samuel Solomonovich Koteliansky (Kot, to his friends) turned out for the launch of A Russian Jew of Bloomsbury (McGill-Queen’s University Press), held at the Gelber Conference Centre. The book’s author, Galya Diment of the University of Washington, describes Koteliansky, who fled the pogroms in 1911 for London, as an influential conduit of Russian literature to the Bloomsbury crowd through his translations. He counted among his friends D.H. Lawrence, Virginia Woolf and H.G. Wells, to name a few among the tight-knit literary elite. The Montreal connection is that one or more of his sibling immigrated here.
ISRAEL IN ST. EUSTACHE
An Israeli cultural evening was held in St. Eustache Feb. 23, a collaboration between the Israeli consulate, the municipality and Deux-Montagnes MNA Benoit Charette of the Coalition Avenir Québec. The Israeli film La main de dieu was shown at the Cinéma St. Eustache, preceded by a talk on the history of Israeli cinema by Consul General Joel Lion. This 2008 comedy by Yigal Bursztyn looks at Israel’s social class distinctions. It was shown in the original Hebrew with French subtitles.
INTERCULTURAL SEDER
An intercultural model Passover seder will be held March 14 at the Musée des Réligions du Monde in Nicolet under the aegis of Roman Catholic Bishop Msgr. André Gazaille, Mayor Alain Drouin, museum president Raymond Bilodeau, and Luciano Del Negro, Quebec vice-president of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA). This event, aimed at fostering inter-community dialogue, will be led by Joseph Gabay. CIJA also recently co-hosted with publisher VLB, a launch of political analyst Eric Duhaime’s book L’Etat contre les jeunes: Comment les baby-boomers ont détourné le systéme. CIJA’s Del Negro hailed Duhaime for his staunch opposition to the Israel boycott campaign in Quebec. Journal de Montréal columnist and Montreal Economic Institute economist Nathalie Elgrably-Lévy introduced the author.
SEPHARDI IMMIGRATION
An exhibition highlighting the immigration of North African Jews to Montreal from the 1950s is on view in the Cummings House lobby until March 29. It’s mounted by the francophone committee of the Jewish Public Library, whose archives are a source of the photos and documents.