Itinerary Shalom

The 17th Annual Jewish Artisans Festival returning to Temple Isaiah this weekend is just one of many opportunities to celebrate Jewish culture in L.A.

Friday

Laemmle’s Theatres’ three-week Jewish Film Series begins with “A Life Apart: Hasidism in America.” Narrated by actors Sarah Jessica Parker and Leonard Nimoy, this documentary tells the story of the creation of post-Holocaust communities in the U.S. and presents the tensions and confusions that Hasidic Jews experienced when they arrived in postwar America. Co-produced, written and directed by Menachem Daum. Friday at 5:15, 7:30 and 9:45 p.m. Call for other times and dates. Ends Nov. 27. $5-$8. Music Hall Theatre, 9036 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills. Park on Doheny at the WGA parking lot for $2. (310) 274-6869.

Not too far away is Magic Carpet, a wonderful place to sample Yemenite Sephardic cuisine. 8566 W. Pico, (one block west of La Cienega), (310) 652-8507. Open Sundays through Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.; Fridays, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Closed Saturdays.

Saturday Evening

The Festival of Jewish Artisans will feature the exhibit and sale of works by 30 artists, including calligraphers, weavers, ceramicists, jewelers, paper cutters, Talit makers, glass workers, ketubah makers and silversmiths. The festivities begin at 8 p.m. with an artists’ reception and a cabaret show titled “Israel Sings at 50! A Musical Journey.” Created by the Center for Jewish Culture and Creativity, the show will recap the history of Israel in story and song. Refreshments will be served. Temple Isaiah, 10345 W. Pico Blvd. $12. (310) 277-2772 for reservations.

Sunday

The West Coast Jewish Theatre inaugurates its Sunday Morning Bagel Series at 11 a.m. with coffee, bagels and a reading of “Nobody’s Gilgul,” a new comedy written by Lois Roisman. In the play, a reincarnated soul comes back to Earth to bond with a young female lawyer and bring justice to the victims of an ecological disaster. Yes, it’s a comedy. Wooden-O Theatre, 2207 Federal Ave., just south of Olympic Boulevard. (310) 828-1296.

The Festival of Jewish Artisans continues at Temple Isaiah, noon to 5 p.m., when artists will be on hand to share their techniques. Starting at 12:30 p.m., there will be a drop-in holiday art workshop, “Making a Family Heirloom,” for children. Admission $3.

My Jewish Discovery Place Children’s Museum has interactive exhibits for children ages 3 to 7 and their families to explore Jewish culture, plus other family programs. The dynamic children’s recording artist Craig Taubman (“Rock ‘n’ Toontown”) will present new songs in “My Newish Jewish Discovery Tape” Family Concert at 10:30 a.m. Doors open at 10 a.m. Westside Jewish Community Center, 5870 W. Olympic Blvd., (213) 857-0072, $12 in advance, $14 at the door. Also on Sunday, children can create a family heirloom for Hanukkah in a “Jewish Family Clay House” art workshop, 1 to 4 p.m. Call for registration $25. Museum hours: Tuesday to Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Sunday, 12:30 to 5 p.m. Admission $3-$2.

Or go to the Museum of Tolerance’s “And I Can Still See Their Faces: Images of Polish Jews,” a moving collection of portraits of Polish Jews who died during the Holocaust. The Warsaw-based Shalom Foundation launched an appeal in 1994 for prewar photographs and documents that resulted in more than 7,000 photographs, letters, postcards and diaries, 456 of which are represented in the exhibit. 9786 W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles, (310) 553-8403. Ends Feb. 15. Museum hours: Mondays through Thursdays, 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.; Fridays, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; Sundays, 10:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Closed on Saturdays. Admission $5-$8.