San Diego International Jewish Film Festival

February 13-23, 2020
11 Days! 5 Venues! 41 Films! 13 Countries! Experience the best of Jewish film at the largest cultural arts event in San Diego!
Learn More and Get Tickets

Kevin Nealon: An Evening of Stand-up Comedy

Saturday, February 29, 2020 | 8:00pm
David & Dorothea Garfield Theatre
Lawrence Family JCC

As one of the longest-running cast members on NBC’s Saturday Night Live (1986-1995), Kevin Nealon created some of the show’s most memorable characters, including ‘The Subliminal Man’ and ‘Hans and Franz.’ Nealon’s recurring role as an anchor on ‘Weekend Update’ helped make the sketch a show staple. Nealon sets himself apart from other comedic performers with his unique sense of humor, dry wit and likeable demeanor. He has received critical acclaim for his role in the Showtime series, Weeds, and is currently seen as one of the stars on the CBS-TV comedy series Man With A Plan.

Seating: Reserved | Seat Map C
Tickets: Standard $38 | JCC Members $33
Premium $52 | Premium JCC Members $47
Premium + Meet-and-Greet following the performance $65
Premium JCC Members + Meet-and-Greet following the performance $55

Kevin Nealon: An Evening of Stand-up Comedy Add to Cart

Jewish Poets-Jewish Voices

The Samuel & Rebecca Astor Judaica Library
Lawrence Family JCC

For our 2019-2020 season, three local poets will be featured at each program, followed by a half hour of open mic. The evening will conclude with a reception. There is no charge for these programs, although donations are welcome.

Price: FREE

Jewish Poets of the Past
Tuesday, March 3, 2020 Add to Cart

Jewish Poets-Jewish Voices
Tuesday, May 5, 2020 Add to Cart

Blue Like Me: The Art of Siona Benjamin
A Lecture with Film Screening

Wednesday, March 11, 2020 | 7:00pm
David & Dorothea Garfield Theatre
Lawrence Family JCC

Blue Like Me is a documentary that profiles Indian-American artist Siona Benjamin. Raised in the small Bene Israel Jewish community in Mumbai, India, Benjamin’s art fuses world religions with Eastern myths and Western pop culture to create vibrant new worlds. Blue Like Me travels with Siona to Mumbai, revisiting the Bene Israel Jews portrayed in her recent Fulbright project. A lecture with Siona Benjamin will follow the screening.

Seating: General Admission | Seat Map A
Tickets: Standard $18 | JCC Members $15

Blue Like Me: The Art of Siona Benjamin
A Lecture with Film Screening Add to Cart

Jacob Goldberg

Monday, March 16 - Wednesday, March 18, 2020 | 7:00 pm
David & Dorothea Garfield Theatre
Lawrence Family JCC

Professor Jacob Goldberg--a former senior advisor to Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak--presents an annual three-day lecture series centered on the current political landscape in the ever-changing Middle East. The author of The Foreign Policy of Saudi Arabia, Goldberg has also been published in The New York Times and The Washington Post.

Seating: General Admission | Seat Map A
Tickets: Standard $28 | JCC Members $23
Series 3-pack $63 | JCC Members $52

Jacob Goldberg-Monday Add to Cart

Jacob Goldberg-Tuesday Add to Cart

Jacob Goldberg-Wednesday Add to Cart

Koresh Dance Company Presents: La Danse
A new dance production inspired by Matisse’s famous painting “La Danse”

Wednesday, March 25, 2020 | 7:30 pm
David & Dorothea Garfield Theatre
Lawrence Family JCC

Koresh Dance Company was founded in 1991 by Israeli-born choreographer and artistic director Ronen (Roni) Koresh. Known for its engaging performance and technically superb dancers, the company performs critically acclaimed works at its biannual Philadelphia seasons, as well as in touring performances around the country. This production is a tender, joyful, passionate and humorous interpretation of Matisse’s three permutations of the painting, starting with “the joy of life” followed by the two versions of “La Danse.” They are danced to original music by John Levis and poetry by Karl Mullen.

“The most exciting dance experience I’ve ever seen in Philadelphia—and my life. … this, with its outstanding lighting and technically-honed music, was an experience I wholeheartedly advocate for anyone even slightly interested in dance.”
-Philadelphia Weekly

Seating: Reserved | Seat Map B
Tickets: Standard $38 | JCC Members $33 | Premium $52 | Premium JCC Members $47

Koresh Dance Company Presents: La Danse
A new dance production inspired by Matisse’s famous painting “La Danse” Add to Cart

Merima Kljuco The Sarajevo Haggadah: Music of the Book

Thurday, March 26, 2020 | 7:30pm
David & Dorothea Garfield Theatre
Lawrence Family JCC

Bosnian-born composer-performer Merima Kljuco's multimedia work for accordion, piano, and video traces the dramatic story of one of Jewish culture's most treasured manuscripts. Using the musical traditions of Spain, Italy, Austria, and Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kljuco illustrates and illuminates the Haggadah's travels from medieval Spain to 20th-century Bosnia, where it was hidden from the Nazis by a Muslim Imam during World War II, to its restoration by the National Museum in Sarajevo after the 1992-95 war. Inspired by People of the Book, the historical novel by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Geraldine Brooks, Kljuco creatively interprets this miraculous artifact as a universal symbol of exile, return, and co-existence. Featuring Merima Kljuco (accordion) and Danny Holt (piano).
"Powerful music. An incredible story. Haunting images...Oozing from its every measure were palpable senses of the book's beauty and value and of the loss and human tragedies it has witnessed over half a millennium." -The Cleveland Plain Dealer

Seating: Reserved | Seat Map B
Tickets: Standard $38 | JCC Members $33 | Premium $52 | Premium JCC Members $47

Merima Kljuco The Sarajevo Haggadah: Music of the Book Add to Cart

Bob Mankoff

Thursday, April 2, 2020 | 7:00 pm

Lawrence Family JCC

In HAVE I GOT A CARTOON FOR YOU! The Moment Magazine Book of Jewish Cartoons ,, Mankoff gathers his favorite Jewish cartoons – from his own collection as well as from 27 of the best cartoonists in America including Lars Kenseth, Amy Kurzweil and Robert Leighton. In the introduction to this entertaining collection, he shows how his Jewish heritage helped him to become a successful cartoonist, examines the place of cartoons in the vibrant history of Jewish humor, and plumbs Jewish thought, wisdom, and shtick for humorous insights. The book also features a foreword by the award-winning New Yorker cartoonist Roz Chast, as well as some of her cartoons.

Seating: General Admission | Seat Map A
Tickets: Standard $18 | JCC Members $15

Bob Mankoff Add to Cart

Fred Hersch: A Solo Piano Concert
In Memory of Loraine Stern

Monday, April 13, 2020 | 7:30pm
David & Dorothea Garfield Theatre
Lawrence Family JCC

A select member of jazz’s piano pantheon, Fred Hersch is a pervasively influential creative force who has shaped the music’s course over more than three decades. He has been proclaimed “the most arrestingly innovative pianist in jazz over the last decade” by Vanity Fair, “an elegant force of musical invention” by The Los Angeles Times, and “a living legend” by The New Yorker. A 14-time Grammy nominee, Hersch has remained committed to exploring the possibilities and limits of solo piano improvisation. A solo performance by Hersch is an elegant, pensive and playful invitation to explore the possibilities of both the instrument and the song.
“When it comes to the art of solo piano in jazz, there are currently two classes of performers: Fred Hersch and everybody else.” -Dan Bilawsky, All About Jazz

Seating: Reserved | Seat Map B
Tickets: Standard $38 | JCC Members $33 | Premium $52 | Premium JCC Members $47

Fred Hersch: A Solo Piano Concert
In Memory of Loraine Stern Add to Cart

Sandglass Theater Residency | Babylon (Journeys of Refugees)

Saturday, April 18, 2020 | 8:00pm
David & Dorothea Garfield Theatre
Lawrence Family JCC

For almost 40 years, Vermont’s acclaimed Sandglass Theater has been dedicated to the arts of theater and puppetry as a means of exploring contemporary issues, inspiring dialogue, and sparking wonder. The company visits with a series of programs focused around refugees. This action-packed, high energy production is Sandglass’ response to the worldwide refugee crisis. The work examines the relationship of refugees to their homelands, and the conflicts that exist within the American communities to which they have fled. Working with the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, Sandglass interviewed asylum-seekers to gain insight into their plight and the challenges of resettlement. Using puppets, moving panoramic scrolls, and original four-part choral songs, Babylon tells the stories of seven refugees at a metaphorical hearing about their need for asylum. Their stories intertwine: one of the refugees is a ghost; another is a voiceless caterpillar. The others come from Syria, Afghanistan, El Salvador, and Burundi. Babylon blends first-hand testimony with imaginary figures to give us a perspective on how we respond to the enormity of this crisis.

This project received support from the California Arts Council; WESTAF (the Western States Arts Federation); and the NEA (National Endowment for the Arts). It is also funded in part by the New England Foundation for the Arts’ National Theater Project, with lead funding from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

Seating: Reserved | Seat Map B
Tickets: Standard $38 | JCC Members $33
Premium $52 | Premium JCC Members $47

Sandglass Theater Residency | Babylon (Journeys of Refugees) Add to Cart

Sandglass Theater Residency | Don’t Rock the Boat: A Performance for Young Audiences

Sunday, April 19, 2020 | 11:00am
Astor Judaica Library
Lawrence Family JCC

For almost 40 years, Vermont’s acclaimed Sandglass Theater has been dedicated to the arts of theater and puppetry as means of exploring contemporary issues, inspiring dialogue, and sparking wonder. The company visits with a series of programs focused around refugees.
Don't Rock the Boat is a puppet show for young audiences exploring themes of refugees, inclusion and respectful curiosity. A man in a boat, alone at sea writing poems and observing his routines, finds his boat filling with new characters seeking shelter and a safer environment. They have fled war, fire and flood. As the man’s life changes to accommodate the newcomers, he meets conflict within himself about what they bring him that he didn't have before, what brought them to this situation, and what his responsibility towards these newcomers is. The piece gets young audiences thinking about what it means to be displaced and have to relocate, and it presents different attitudes and ideas about accepting someone who comes from another country or culture or who speaks a different language. Appropriate for ages 6 - 12.

This project received support from the California Arts Council; WESTAF (the Western States Arts Federation); and the NEA (National Endowment for the Arts). It is also funded in part by the New England Foundation for the Arts’ National Theater Project, with lead funding from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

Seating: General Admission | Seat Map A | The Samuel and Rebecca Astor Judaica Library at the JCC
Tickets: Standard $15 | JCC Members $10

Sandglass Theater Residency | Don’t Rock the Boat: A Performance for Young Audiences Add to Cart

Sandglass Theater Residency | Interactive Community Workshop Exclusively for High School Students

Monday, April 20, 2020 | 7:00pm
Teen Lounge
Lawrence Family JCC

For almost 40 years, Vermont’s acclaimed Sandglass Theater has been dedicated to the arts of theater and puppetry as a means of exploring contemporary issues, inspiring dialogue, and sparking wonder. The company visits with a series of programs focused around refugees. What does it take to get someone to safety? Join Sandglass Theater artists for an interactive workshop and discussion designed to engage audiences in the real-life stories and global political circumstances that inspired Babylon (Journeys of Refugees). Using an interactive board game format, cast members take participants through life in a refugee camp and the process of being granted refugee status. To portray the refugee experience and its inherent dangers, unfairness, and bureaucracy, Sandglass performers play the roles of border guards, smugglers, medical officers, and immigration interviewers who directly confront participants. Participants will experience the hopes, fears, discrimination, and occasional luck of people fleeing war and violence. Following the simulation, participants will engage in community dialogue about their experience.
Space is limited! Register today with Jason Lobenstein, Teen Director, jasonl@lfjcc.org.

This project received support from the California Arts Council; WESTAF (the Western States Arts Federation); and the NEA (National Endowment for the Arts). It is also funded in part by the New England Foundation for the Arts’ National Theater Project, with lead funding from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

Seating: General Admission | Seat Map A | JCC Teen Lounge
Tickets: Standard $15 | CC Members $10

Sandglass Theater Residency | Interactive Community Workshop Exclusively for High School Students Add to Cart

Marc Cohn & Band in Concert

Thursday, April 23, 2020 | 7:30 pm
David & Dorothea Garfield Theatre
Lawrence Family JCC

After winning a Grammy for his soulful ballad “Walking in Memphis,” Marc Cohn solidified his place as one of this generation’s most compelling singer-songwriters, combining the precision of a brilliant tunesmith with the passion of a great soul man. Rooted in the rich ground of American rhythm and blues, soul and gospel, and possessed of a deft storyteller’s pen, he weaves vivid, detailed, often drawn-from-life tales that evoke some of our most universal human feelings: love, hope, faith, joy, heartbreak.

"One of the honest, emotional voices we need in this decade" -TIME magazine

"Marc is one of the most soulful, talented artists I know. I love his songs, he's an incredible singer, and I marvel at his ability to mesmerize every audience he plays for." -Bonnie Raitt

“Cohn has one of rock’s most soulful croons – a rich, immediately recognizable tenor that makes these songs his own.” -Rolling Stone

Seating: Reserved | Seat Map B
Tickets: Standard $38 | JCC Members $33
Premium $52 | Premium JCC Members $47

Marc Cohn & Band in Concert Add to Cart

Etgar Keret
Fly Already: Stories

Wedneday, May 13, 2020 | 7:00pm
David & Dorothea Garfield Theatre
Lawrence Family JCC

There’s no one like Etgar Keret. Beloved and renowned for his surreal, delightful short stories and his Cannes-winning work as a film director, the Israeli writer was just awarded the Sapir Prize, Israel’s most prestigious literary honor. Conspicuously diverging from the pioneers-and-politics narrative that is central to Israel’s literary style, Keret instead tells stories of love, loss and everyday neuroses. In Fly Already, his brilliant new collection, Keret's characters grapple with parenthood and family, war and games, marijuana and cake, memory and love. These stories never go to the expected place, but always surprise, entertain, and move. Book signing to follow.

“Etgar Keret is a genius…”-New York Times

“A brilliant writer…completely unlike any writer I know. The voice of the next generation.”
-Salman Rushdie

Presented in partnership with the Murray Galinson San Diego-Israel Initiative

Seating: Reserved | Seat Map B
Tickets: Standard $28 | JCC Members $25 | Premium $38 | Premium JCC Members $35 | Students & Faculty: FREE
Please call Guest Services to RSVP at 858-362-1348. Must show valid I.D. at the door.

Etgar Keret
Fly Already: Stories Add to Cart

Add: Fly Already: Stories by Etgar Keret Add to Cart

Liaisons2020: Re-Imagining Sondheim from the Piano Anthony de Mare, pianist

Thursday, May 21, 2020 | 7:30pm
David & Dorothea Garfield Theatre
Lawrence Family JCC

In celebration of Stephen Sondheim’s 90th birthday and following on the success of his widely acclaimed Liaisons, concert pianist and new-music champion Anthony de Mare brings Liaisons2020 to the stage. The brilliant songs of Sondheim find a second life as beguiling instrumentals in de Mare's concert and commissioning project. More than 45 prominent composers such as Steve Reich, Meredith Monk, Nico Muhly, Ethan Iverson, and Wynton Marsalis each re-imagine a favorite Sondheim song as a work for solo piano. The result is a set of fully realized works that use their original themes as springboards for invention and showcase de Mare's formidable talents at the keyboard.

"Not just inventive piano arrangements of the songs but new compositions written in the composers' own styles... It was fascinating to hear how [each] composer approached the song... I loved it." -The New York Times

"To hear composers take my work and take it seriously... it’s a thrill." -Stephen Sondheim

Seating: Reserved | Seat Map B
Tickets: Standard $38 | JCC Members $33 | Premium $52 | Premium JCC Members $47

Liaisons2020: Re-Imagining Sondheim from the Piano Anthony de Mare, pianist Add to Cart

Laurie Berkner in Concert

Sunday, May 31, 2020 | 11:00 am
David & Dorothea Garfield Theatre
Lawrence Family JCC

Children’s music icon Laurie Berkner brings her signature blend of whimsical lyrics and indie folk pop melodies to the Garfield Theatre in a solo show. Laurie’s hit songs like “We Are the Dinosaurs” and “Victor Vito” are featured on children’s networks Nick Jr. and Sprout, in Off-Broadway children’s musicals, and in children’s books. Be sure to catch the artist People magazine calls “the queen of children’s music” and the New York Times has dubbed “the Adele of the preschool crowd.” For children ages 2 and older. Children ages 15 and under are eligible for child prices.

"One of the most popular children's performers in America ... her music is distinctive because it speaks to kids without talking down to them, charming youngsters without boring grown-ups." -The Wall Street Journal

"Laurie Berkner is like a goddess to these children." -NPR's All Things Considered

Seating: Reserved | Seat Map B
JCC Member Tickets In advance: Child $15 (ages 15 & under) | Adult $25
Premium $45 includes artist meet-and-greet after the performance
JCC Member Tickets At the door: Child $20 (ages 15 & under) | Adult $30
Premium $50 includes artist meet-and-greet after the performance
Standard Tickets In advance: Child $20 (ages 15 & under) | Adult $30
Premium $50 includes artist meet-and-greet after the performance
Standard Tickets At the door: Child $25 (ages 15 & under) | Adult $35
Premium $55 includes artist meet-and-greet after the performance

Laurie Berkner in Concert Add to Cart

7th Annual 5-Minute Play Festival

Monday, June 8, 2020 | 7:00pm
Rehearsal Room
Lawrence Family JCC

Join us for the 7th Annual 5-Minute Play Festival, a staged reading series. You'll get a taste of comedies, tragedies and everything in between as professional San Diego actors transform scripts into theater, showcasing fresh, new playwrights that speak to Jewish identity, cultural experiences and values. This is an evening of laughter, inspiration and thought-provoking questions.
General Admission

Seating: General Admission | Seat Map A | JCC Rehearsal Room
Tickets: Standard $18 | JCC Members $15

7th Annual 5-Minute Play Festival Add to Cart