Weinstein JCC Announces 2024-25 Arts + Ideas Season

The Weinstein Jewish Community Center announced its full lineup for the 2024-2025 season of Arts + Ideas, an annual celebration that brings the Richmond community together for nine months of eclectic programming in arts, culture, ideas and entertainment.

“This season features a diverse array of programs in the performing arts, visual arts and film arts that promote unity and harmony in our community,” said Leslie McGuigan, director of cultural arts for the Weinstein JCC. “There’s something in the season for everyone to enjoy, so we invite individuals and families in RVA to join us for a year of inspiration, dialogue and cultural discovery.”

Here’s the full 2024-25 Arts + Ideas lineup:

• Sept. 19 – Oct. 24: Witness & Hope photographic exhibit by members of the Richmond Jewish community who traveled to Israel post-Oct. 7, 2023, in the Sara D. November Gallery (Artists’ Talk and Reception on Sept. 19 at 7 p.m.)
• Sept. 26 at 7 p.m.: “On Tour” with Nani Vazana, celebrated Israeli-Ladino folk singer. A season-opening performance by Israeli-Ladino folk singer Nani Vazana, ranked #11 on the World Music Charts. Her concert will commemorate the one-year anniversary of the October 7 attacks in Israel.
• Oct. 31 – Jan. 3: Echoes: From Sky to Earth art exhibit by Alyse Radenovic in the Sara D. November Gallery (Artist’s Talk and Reception on Oct. 31 at 7 p.m.)
• Nov. 4 at 12:30 p.m.: VIRTUAL – Jason Bell, author of Cracking the Nazi Code
• Nov. 7 at 7:30 p.m.: Eddie Shapiro, author of Here’s to the Ladies, reflects on his conversations with Broadway luminaries interspersed with live performances by local talent, including audience favorite Desiree Roots

• Nov. 11 at 12:30 p.m.: VIRTUAL – Philip Eil, author of Prescription for Pain: How a Once Promising Doctor Became the “Pill Mill Killer”
• Nov. 12 at 11 a.m.: Richard Campbell, author of I’ Kinda Itchie: The Groups That Made the Mamas & The Papas
• Nov. 14 at 7 p.m.: Rachel Gordon Barnett & Lyssa Kligman Harvey, authors of Kugels and Collards: Stories of Foo, Family and Tradition in Jewish South Carolina (food samples included in this fun evening!)
• Nov. 17 (7 p.m.) & Nov. 18 (12:30 p.m.): Comedy Night with American Israeli comedian and author (Israel 201) Joel Chasnoff promises an evening filled with laughter and relatable humor about Jewish life; performing I’m Not Your Zavde’s Jewish Comedian
• Nov. 19 at 7 p.m.: Jewish Community Choir performs Voices in Peace
• Nov. 25 at 12:30 p.m.: Asaf Elia-Shalev, author of Israel’s Black Panthers – The Radicals Who Punctured a Nation’s Founding Myth
• Dec. 5 – 15: Jewish Family Theatre presents its 15^th Anniversary production – Fiddler on the Roof.
• Jan. 8 – 26: 16^th Annual Israeli and Jewish Film Festival
• Jan. 9 – Feb. 7: Shared Perspectives: A New Community School Exhibit in the Sara D. November Gallery (opening reception on Jan. 9 at 7 p.m.)
• Feb. 8 at 6:30 p.m.: Unity in the Community, a musical performance by the band The Afro-Semitic Experience
• Feb. 13 – April 10: Virginia with Love art exhibit by Dave Decker, Kim Hall and Mimi Murdock in the Sara D. November Gallery (Artists’ Talk and Reception on Feb. 13 at 7 p.m.)
• April 17 – May 15: Joyful Learning in Action exhibit about transforming early childhood classrooms at Weinstein JCC Preschool into vibrant hubs of creativity, exploration and discovery (opening reception on April 17 at 5:30 p.m.)
• May 1 at 7:30 p.m.: An Evening with Michael Rapaport is the season finale performance by this accomplished actor and comedian.
• May 22 – July 24: The Best of Bon Air art exhibit by the Bon Air Artists Association in the Sara D. November Gallery (Artists’ talk and reception on May 22 at 7 p.m.)

For more information about the 2024-25 season of Arts + Ideas, click here. Secure a series subscription here, or find individual tickets for each event here.