Happening

The Cabaret Performer from Manchester’s Orthodox Community

A new short film is in the works to share the groundbreaking story of Avril Eventhal, a housewife-turned-cabaret performer who resided in an Orthodox Jewish community in North Manchester, UK. Raised in an observant family, she boldly took to the stage under the name Avril A, performing for an adoring audience of local queer folks who continue to laud her as a cabaret icon. The film, produced by Joanne Rosen- thal and edited by Danielle Durchslag, will feature rare clips of Avril A’s performances, archival interviews, and highlight her electrifying impact on Manchester’s queer community in the 1980s and 90s. Learn more at bit.ly/AvrilA.

“Seeking Joy”

At the Dr. Bernard Heller Museum at Hebrew Union College in New York City, a new exhibit is bursting with delight. Rooted in Judaism’s encouragement to “choose life” in times of uncertainty and hardship, the art on display centers joy, celebration, and community. The goal is to “lighten our hearts as a source of strength, empathy, and faith in a peaceful future.” Works include richly colored mixed media collage from Marlene D’Orazio Adler, delicate jewelry mosaic by Carin Greenspan, vivid paintings by Malcah Zeldis, and many others. Plan your visit at bit.ly/HUCJoy.

Menopause on Display

The Vagina Museum in London has a long-awaited new exhibit opening this October entitled Menopause: What’s Changed? The museum cites a study that found “almost 80% of menopausal women had felt unsupported, and almost half hadn’t been to the doctor about menopause symptoms.” The museum seeks to end menopause stigma through an exploration of the evolution of social and medical understanding and interpretations of menopause, from individual experience to the LGBT+ community to folks experiencing early menopause. Learn more at vaginamuseum.co.uk.

LISTENING IN

“A Pod for all the Yentas”

Hosted by comedians Raye Schiller and Antonia Lassar, Yenta! is a go-to Jewish feminist podcast for frank conversations—and gossip—about dating, Judaism, sex, queerness, and the comedy world. Featured guests have included comedian Bri Giger on nonmonogamy and auditioning for SNL, writer and actress Avital Ash on her new show, bisexuality, and a queer hot take on the she-lo asani isha prayer, and therapist and writer Dr. Sara Glass on leaving the Hasidic community, coming out, and her new memoir Kissing Girls on Shabbat. Listen wherever you get podcasts or watch the recordings at bit.ly/YentaPod.

The Bridging Connections Podcast

Looking for an audible hub for learning about Jewish organizations? Bridges 613—“a concierge for your individualized and relatable Jewish experience”—has created a series that explores Jewish life and community through the many organizations and leaders in the Jewish world, Hosted by Bridges 613 founder and Executive Director Elizabeth Gos- sage, each episode features a special guest from a different Jewish space, from the Jewish Initiative for Animals to Secular Synagogue to the Gender Equity in Hiring Project, and many others. Listen wherever you get podcasts.

The OMfG Podcast

Frequent Lilith contributor Rabbi Jen Gubitz, and Rabbi Jodie Gordon of Hevreh of Southern Berkshire in Great Barrington, MA, co-host a podcast “Where the stories of our lives meet the wisdom of Jewish tradition…with a dose of laughter.” “OMfG: Jewish Wisdom for Unprecedented Times” ranges from their sobering “Israel Episode” to the playfully titled episode about Elul and “Rabbi” Taylor Swift. The hosts reflect on the mingling of Jewish tradition and history with current events and the cultural zeitgeist. Listen wherever you get podcasts.

Fidl Afire

Renowned violinist and founder of the grammy-winning Klezmatics, Alicia Svigals, has a new album, a long-anticipated sequel to her 1997 Klezmer album Fidl. Fidl Afire is a “giant sonic pivot from the fiddles and cymbaloms of her first album.” Simultaneously soulful and celebratory, Svigals plays in a traditional style against an expert assortment of bass, drums, accordion, trumpet, and trombone—and every song is intended to make you dance! Listen wherever you stream music.

“A Tikkun Olam Story”

As we enter a new year on the Jewish calendar, kids (and children’s book-loving adults!) can find renewed inspiration for tikkun olam (repairing the world) through the lyrical words and vibrant illustrations in One Small Spark (Penguin Random House $18.99), a new picture book by author Ruth Spiro and illustrator Victoria Tentler-Krylov. The story follows a young girl as she learns what it means—and how good it feels—to make positive change for her community. Find a copy wherever you get books.

Anne Frank Meets Gen Z

From Reboot Studios, The Anne Frank Gift Shop is a darkly comedic short film spot- lighting the controversy of a design company whose attempt to revitalize the Anne Frank House gift shop through appealing to Gen Z causes a dispute over “collective trauma, the Holocaust and tote bags.” Written by Mickey Rapkin and starring Ari Graynor (you might recognize her from The Sopranos or Whip It), the film was Oscar shortlisted for Best Live Action Short in 2023. Learn more at bit.ly/AnneFrankGiftShop.

The Jewish Comics Experience in D.C.
The Lillian and Albert Small Capital Jewish Museum has a new exhibit opening this November all about comic book superheroes and their Jewish origins! Find unexpected Jewish connections to characters from Spider-Man to Señorita Rio, along with special editions of cartoons in Yiddish and Hebrew; peruse rare original copies of treasured comic books; dress up as a superhero and draw original comic book pages. JewCE: The Jewish Comics Experience will be on view through March 2025. Find out more at bit.ly/JewCE.

Women Rabbis Tell Their Stories

Jewish storytelling organization The Braid has a Story Archive of Women Rabbis in partnership with the Jewish Women’s Archive. Since 2011, they have been building this digital collection of feminist pioneers who have “broken through the stained-glass ceiling and are changing Judaism forever.” The archive now has 185 interviews from rabbis across the globe, from Sally Priesand, the first ordained woman rabbi in the U.S., to dozens of lesser known but equally inspir- ing names—75 interviews are available to the public at jwa.org/rabbis.

Barbie is Back…Again!

A new exhibit at New York City’s Museum of Art and Design is celebrating 65 years of Barbie through March 2025! Barbie: A Cultural Icon explores the doll’s robust history impact on fashion, popular culture, and social change. Visitors can take in Barbie’s iconic wardrobe, from her 22 original outfits to more contemporary iterations of Barbie dolls, their clothing, and their unique characteristics. The exhibition also features interactive elements, such as a life-size Barbie Corvette. For some Jewish context, read Lilith’s 1994 interview with Mattel founder, Ruth Handler.

View the Oregon Holocaust Memorial from Home
The Oregon Holocaust Memorial is laid out along a path through the lush greenery of Portland’s Washington Park, but you don’t have to travel to the Pacific Northwest to visit it—a digital tour of this reflective and educational memorial, created by local Holocaust survivors in 1994, is available online. Click through the slides and find 360-degree images and pop-up windows which explain the significance of a memo- rial wall, small sculptures such as a bronze cast of a violin left behind in a Jewish ghetto by someone when deported to a concentration camp, and areas designed to represent a Jewish ghetto’s town square and a railroad track. All descriptions are also available as audio recordings. Find the tour and a teacher’s guide at bit.ly/ OregonHolocaustMemorial.

Open Palms

Enjoy a celebration of Hamsa art at the Laurie M. Tisch Gallery at the Marlene Meyerson JCC in New York City! To some, the Hamsa is a symbol of protection—to others, of fortune or fertility. Often hung decoratively or worn as an amulet (or displayed on the cover of Lilith’s summer 2021 issue!), iconic and varied images of open-palmed hands bearing intricate designs, colors, and inscriptions hold centuries of spiritual and cultural significance in Judaism and Islam, which viewers can learn about at the gallery through December 18, 2024. Plan your visit at mmjccm.org.

Compiled by Arielle Silver-Willner