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10 Jewish things to do on Christmas in New York

(New York Jewish Week) — This year, Dec. 24 and 25 are the seventh and eighth nights of Hanukkah — meaning the tail-end of this eight-day Jewish festival just happens to overlap with a little-known Christian holiday called Christmas. 

Of course, the tried-and-true tradition of “Jewish Christmas” — a.k.a. “Chinese food and a movie” — is a classic for a reason, and here in NYC there’s no shortage of movie theaters (from art houses to cineplexes with stadium seating) and world-class Chinese restaurants. 

However, if you’re looking to do something a little bit different this year, you’re in luck: The confluence of Hanukkah and Christmas means that in this oh-so-very-Jewish city in which we reside, there’s a myriad of Jewish-oriented entertainment options this upcoming Christmas weekend. Keep reading for some of our top picks. 

Dec. 24

Joel Chasnoff: Christmas for the Jews

City Winery, 25 11th Ave.  

After a two-year hiatus, Jewish comedian Joel Chasnoff returns for his long-running Christmas Eve comedy show at City Winery. “Passover candy sales, El Al security guards, his short-lived stint on the Solomon Schechter basketball team and his year as a tank gunner in the Israeli army,” reads the promo copy. “If you’re a fan of Joel’s often absurd, always insightful take on Jewish life, this is the show for you!” Chasnoff will be joined by fellow comedians Talia Reese and Eli Lebowicz. Doors open at 6:00 p.m., show starts at 8:00 p.m. From $30

Comedian Joel Chasnoff (Courtesy)

 

A Very Jewish Christmas 

Gotham Comedy Club, 208 West 23rd St.

Join “some of the best Jewish comedians in the country” for a night of Christmas Eve laughs at Chelsea’s Gotham Comedy Club. Featuring Ariel Elias, Gary Vider, Neko White, Rafi Bastos and Ashley Austin Morris. Two shows: 7:00 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. $25

 

MatzoBall

Harbor NYC, 621 West 46th St.

If you want to get your drink and your dance on, there’s no shortage of Jewish-oriented dance parties on Christmas Eve. Most iconic of all is the MatzoBall, the classic Jewish singles party, which this year is at Harbor New York City, “NYC’s newest rooftop lounge and event venue.” 10:00 p.m. From $50. 

 

Hanukkah Lit

Slate, 54 West 21st St.

Hanukkah Ball

Nebula, 135 West 41st St.

+972 Events is hosting not one but two Jewish events in NYC on Christmas Eve: Hanukkah Lit at Slate, a multi-use club in Chelsea that has a games area and an indoor slide, and the Hanukkah Ball at Midtown’s Nebula. Both events start at 10:00 p.m.; tickets start at $28. Get Hanukkah Lit tickets here and Hanukkah Ball tickets here. 

 

“The Night Before Christmas” Hanukkah Party

Tao Downtown, 369 West 16th St. 

“You know it’s time to celebrate when Christmas Eve and Hanukkah overlap on a Saturday night!” reads the promo copy for The Streicker Center’s first-ever “The Night Before Christmas” party, held at Tao Downtown. This Temple Emanu-El-affilated event is for those ages 21 to 39 and will feature all-you-can-eat Asian food and “unlimited premium open bar,” plus tunes by DJ Ann Streichman and a set by rapper Kosha Dillz. From 8:00 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.; tickets $48.25.

Dec. 25

Yiddish New York

Museum of Jewish Heritage — A Living Memorial to the Holocaust, 36 Battery Place and online

Dec. 25 is the first full day of Yiddish New York — an online and in-person event at the Museum of Jewish Heritage described as “the nation’s largest festival of Yiddish music, culture and language.” Featuring concerts, workshops, performances and more, the festival runs through Dec. 29. Sunday’s program includes a puppet-making workshop for kids and a lunchtime concert by Kateryna Ostrovska. From $12.24; for tickets and information, click here

 

Music at the Museum: Celebrate Chanukah at Eldridge

Museum at Eldridge Street, 12 Eldridge St. 

Head to the Lower East Side’s Museum at Eldridge Street “for an afternoon of infectious Klezmer energy for all ages.” Sing and dance along to the sounds of the Litvakus Collective (Zisl Slepovitch, Joshua Camp, Larry Eagle, Dmitry Ishenko and Jake Shulman-Ment) as well as National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene actor and singer Maya Jacobson. While you’re there, check out the exhibit on menorahs from around the world and — bonus! — should you have a post-concert hankering for a Chinese feast, you’re smack in the middle of Manhattan’s Chinatown. Concert begins at 2:00 p.m.; tickets $27.28, with reduced prices for seniors, students and children. 

 

“A Very Jewdy Christmas”

Stand Up NY, 236 West 78th St.

Jewish comedian Judy Gold is presenting “A Very Jewdy Christmas” — two standup sets on Christmas Day at 4:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. Tickets $36, plus $18 drink minimum.

Comedian Judy Gold (Via Twitter)

 

27th Anniversary David Broza “Not Exactly Xmas Show” 

City Winery, 25 11th Ave.

Israeli superstar David Broza is doing his annual Christmas Day show — which encompasses “Broza’s signature fusion of his Israeli hits, Spanish flamenco, Cuban rhythms, American folk and rock and roll.” Plus, as in previous years, expect performances by “unannounced guests.” Doors at 6:00 p.m., concert begins at 8:00 p.m. From $65.45.


The post 10 Jewish things to do on Christmas in New York appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.

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‘The Art of the Yiddish Monologue’ and other mini-courses in Yiddish

במשך פֿונעם חודש יאַנואַר 2026 וועט ייִוואָ פֿירן די ווײַטערדיקע מיני־קורסן אויף ייִדיש:

• „די קונסט פֿונעם ייִדישן מאָנאָלאָג“, וווּ מע וועט לייענען און אַרומרעדן מאָנאָלאָגן פֿון שלום עליכם, י. לץ פּרץ, דער טונקעלער, ב. קאָוונער, משה נאַדיר, רחל ברכות און יצחק באַשעוויס. מע וועט אויל אַרומרעדן די געשיכטע פֿונעם מאָנאָלאָג אין ייִדישן טעאַטער (שיין בייקער)

• שעפֿעריש שרײַבן, וווּ  מע וועט אויפֿן סמך פֿון ליטעראַטור־מוסטערן באַטראַכטן די וויכטיקע באַשטאַנדטיילן פֿון פּראָזע — שפּראַך, סטיל, דיאַלאָג, געשטאַלט און פּייסאַזש (באָריס סאַנדלער)

• יצחק־לייבוש פּרץ און זײַנע באַציִונגען מיט די נײַ־געבוירענע ייִדישע סאָציאַליסטישע קרײַזן אין משך פֿון די 1890ער יאָרן (עדי מהלאל)

• די גרויסע אַקטריסע אסתּר רחל קאַמינסקאַ, וווּ די סטודענטן וועלן לייענען אירע זכרונות אויף ייִדיש (מיכל יאַשינסקי)

די לידער פֿון דוד האָפֿשטײן, וואָס איז מערקווירדיק צוליב זײַן צונױפֿפֿלעכט פֿון דײַטשישע, רוסישע און אוקראַיִנישע ליטעראַרישע טראַדיציעס מיט תּנכישע און מאָדערנע ייִדישע השפּעות (יודזשין אָרנשטיין)

די ייִוואָ־גדולים אין זייערע אייגענע ווערטער, וווּ מע וועט לייענען די שריפֿטן פֿון א. טשעריקאָװער, מ. װײַנרײַך, י. לעשטשינסקי, י. מאַרק, ש. ניגער, נ. פּרילוצקי, ז. קלמנאָװיטש, ז. רייזען, י. שאַצקי און נ. שטיף (דוד בראַון)

 

The post ‘The Art of the Yiddish Monologue’ and other mini-courses in Yiddish appeared first on The Forward.

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Suspect at Large in Brown University Shooting that Killed at Least Two, Injured Eight

Police vehicles stand near the site of a mass shooting reported by authorities at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, U.S., December 13, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Taylor Coester

Police in Rhode Island were searching for a suspect in a shooting at Brown University in Providence in which two people died and eight were critically wounded at the Ivy League school, officials said.

Providence Mayor Brett Smiley told a news conference that police were still searching for the shooter, who struck at Brown’s Barus & Holley engineering building, where exams were taking place at the time. Officials said police were looking for a male dressed in black and were scouring local video cameras in the area for footage to get a better description of the suspect.

Smiley said officials could not yet disclose details about the victims, including whether they were students. He lamented the shooting.

“We are a week and a half away from Christmas. And two people died today and another eight are in the hospital,” he said. “So please pray for those families.”

Brown is on College Hill in Providence, Rhode Island‘s state capital. The university has hundreds of buildings, including lecture halls, laboratories and dormitories.

President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House that he had been briefed on the situation, which he called “terrible.”

“All we can do right now is pray for the victims and for those that were very badly hurt.”

Compared to many countries, mass shootings in schools, workplaces, and places of worship are more common in the US, which has some of the most permissive gun laws in the developed world. The Gun Violence Archive, which defines mass shootings as any incident in which four or more victims have been shot, has counted 389 of them this year in the US.

Last year the US had more than 500 mass shootings, according to the archive.

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Rights Groups Condemn Re-Arrest of Nobel Laureate Mohammadi in Iran

Taghi Ramahi, husband of Narges Mohammadi, a jailed Iranian women’s rights advocate, who won the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize, poses with an undated photo of himself and his wife, during an interview at his home in Paris, France, October 6, 2023. Photo: REUTERS/Christian Hartmann

International human rights groups have condemned the re-arrest of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi in Iran, with the Nobel committee calling on Iranian authorities to immediately clarify her whereabouts.

Mohammadi’s French lawyer, Chirine Ardakani, said on X that the human rights activist was arrested on Friday after denouncing the suspicious death of lawyer Khosrow Alikordi at his memorial ceremony in the northeastern city of Mashhad.

Mashhad prosecutor Hasan Hematifar told reporters on Saturday that Mohammadi was among 39 people arrested after the ceremony.

Hematifar said she and Alikordi’s brother had made provocative remarks at the event and encouraged those present “to chant ‘norm‑breaking’ slogans” and disturb the peace, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported.

The prosecutor said Mashhad’s chief of police and another officer received knife wounds when trying to manage the scene.

CALLS FOR RELEASE

The Norwegian Nobel Committee called on Iranian authorities “to immediately clarify Mohammadi’s whereabouts, ensure her safety and integrity, and to release her without conditions.”

The European Union also called for Mohammadi’s release. “The EU urges Iranian authorities to release Ms Mohammadi, taking also into account her fragile health condition, as well as all those unjustly arrested in the exercise of their freedom of expression,” an EU spokesperson said on Saturday.

A video purportedly showing Mohammadi, 53, without the mandatory veil, standing on a car with a microphone and chanting “Long Live Iran” in front of a crowd, has gone viral on social media.

Ardakani said Mohammadi was beaten before her arrest.

Reporters Without Borders said four journalists and other participants were also arrested at the memorial for human rights lawyer Alikordi, who was found dead in his office on December 5.

Authorities gave the cause of his death as a heart attack, but rights groups have called for an investigation into his death.

The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency said the crowd also chanted “death to the dictator,” a reference to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as well as: “We fight, we die, we accept no humiliation.”

Mohammadi, who received the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize, has spent more than 10 years of her life in prison, most recently from November 2021 when she was charged with “propaganda against the state,” “acting against national security,” and membership of “illegal organizations.”

This year’s Nobel Peace Prize winner, the Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, said on Saturday that the opposition’s campaign in Venezuela was akin to that taking place in Iran.

“In Oslo this week, the world honored the power of conscience. I said to the ‘citizens of the world’ that our struggle is a long march toward freedom. That march is not Venezuelan alone. It is Iranian, it is universal,” she said on X on Saturday.

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