Adam Weiner. (Dark Star Pictures)

By Stephen Silver

Here’s a roundup of Jewish and Jewish-adjacent arts events around the Philadelphia region this fall.

The Jewish comedian Rachel Feinstein is performing at Helium Comedy Club for five shows from Oct. 9 to 11. The show “invites viewers into Rachel’s delightfully chaotic life as the wife of a firefighter, a mother, and a comedian,” according to Helium’s website.

Scott Levy, the longtime professional wrestler who wrestled as Raven in the Philly-based ECW in the 1990s, is the star of a new documentary, “Nevermore: The Raven Effect.” It’s having a local premiere on Oct. 11 and 12 at PhilaMOCA, with Raven himself in attendance.

He may no longer identify as the “Hasidic reggae superstar,” but Matisyahu is still performing while dealing with Jewish themes. He’s set for a show at the Brooklyn Bowl on Oct. 15, as part of his “Ancient Child” tour.

The annual Philadelphia Film Festival, hosted at the Film Society Center and other Film Society venues, runs from Oct. 16 to 26, with Rian Johnson’s “Wake Up Dead Man” as the opening night film and Joachim Trier’s “Sentimental Value” on closing night.

Jewish comedian Jessica Kirson is performing at the Fillmore Philadelphia on Oct. 17, and will likely have some stories to tell about her appearance at the Riyadh Comedy Festival in Saudi Arabia.

Fans of “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” will know Darius de Haas as the singing voice of the character of Shy Baldwin. De Haas, also a Broadway veteran, is set to perform on Oct. 20 at the Philly Cabaret at Rittenhouse.

The National Constitution Center on Oct. 21 will host an event with its CEO, Jeffrey Rosen, and Atlantic Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Goldberg, to discuss Rosen’s new book, “The Pursuit of Liberty: How Hamilton vs. Jefferson Ignited the Lasting Battle Over Power in America.” The event, also presented by the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History, will also be streamed online.

Rabbi Angela Buchdahl, the prominent senior rabbi at Central Synagogue in New York, comes to the Weitzman on Oct. 23 for the launch of her memoir, “Heart of a Stranger.” She will discuss the book with journalist Sandee Brawarsky.

The Jewish and transgender singer Ezra Furman is performing at Union Transfer on Oct. 27.
Comedians Jamie Elman and Eli Batalion come to the Weitzman for a showing of their new film, “SWEDISHKAYT: YidLife Crisis in Stockholm,” as well as a comedy performance, on the evening of Oct. 30.

The comedy duo known as “Two Jews,” Adam and Eyal, perform at the Punch Line Philly on Nov. 6, “taking on world affairs, friendship, Jewish identity, toxic masculinity, and more,” according to Punch Line’s website.

On Nov. 7, the Philadelphia Orchestra will present a performance of Vivaldi’s “The Four Seasons,” led by violinist and leader David Kim, and cellists Priscilla Lee and Hai-Ye Ni.

Jewish singer Marc Cohn, best known for “Walking in Memphis,” will perform on Nov. 8 at the newly restored Lansdowne Theater in Delaware County, along with “Sunny Came Home” singer Shawn Colvin.

The annual Jewish Film & Media Festival, presented by Philadelphia Jewish Film and Media, is set for Nov. 12 to 23, mostly at the Weitzman. “Janis Ian: Breaking Silence,” the documentary about the folk music legend, is the opening film on Nov. 12, featuring a talkback with Ian herself and director Varda Bar-Kar. The closing film, on the 23rd, is “The Floaters,” a Jewish summer camp film starring Jewish Philadelphia native Seth Green.

Producers Becky and Shai Korman and director Rachel Israel will appear for the closing night.

Pam Nadell comes to the Weitzman Museum on Nov. 13 for an in-person program in which she will discuss her new book, “Antisemitism, An American Tradition,” with the museum’s CEO, Dan Tadmor.

The Jewish actor and comedian Paul Reiser, known for everything from “Mad About You” to “Aliens,” comes to town for a show at the Keswick Theater in Glenside on Nov. 15.
Singer Kaleb Cohen, the voice of a recent Starbucks ad, brings his musical stylings to World Cafe Live on Nov. 20.

Comedian Guy Branum, the son of a Jewish mother, brings his show to PhilaMOCA on Dec. 17, where this “middle-aged, clinically obese homosexual confronts science and God to determine if there’s any actual purpose to his existence.”

Low Cut Connie, the music project of Philadelphia-based Jewish musician Adam Weiner, plays a New Year’s Eve double header, on Dec. 30 and 31, at Ardmore Music Hall in Ardmore.

Stephen Silver is a Broomall-based freelance writer.