1 November 2026 at 7.30 pm, followed by a performance at 9 pm at Chez Georges
Admittedly, for a long time now, in these pages dedicated to organised cultural events, we have been discussing musical encounters blending Andalusian, klezmer, Gypsy, jazz, Slavic, Berber and Yiddish music… All these musical journeys are not just for show! They have a very real and very present ambassador, which has been on Rue des Canettes in Paris since the 1950s: the legendary bar Chez Georges, one of the last remaining Parisian cellars in the great Saint-Germain-des-Prés district. That evening, as part of the Jazz n’Klezmer Festival organised by Laurence Haziza, the venue hosted the Babka ensemble (Marx Sisters, Yiddishokl…). The name pays homage to a time-honoured yet very fashionable pastry, as can be seen in the many Parisian establishments that sell them. In short, a few hours to savour to your heart’s content on the stage at Chez Georges, with its musicians sharing original songs in Yiddish, French or Hebrew, with a skilfully infused touch of reggae and a good dose of joie de vivre. Featuring Raphael Setty on accordion and Samuel Maquin on clarinet.
FESTIVAL JAZZ ‘N’ KLEZMER – Babka ft. Samuel Maquin – 19h30 – FESTIVAL JAZZ ‘N’ KLEZMER
4 November 2026 at 9.00 pm at the Espace Rachi
From the Land of the Rising Sun to Parisian nights under soothing moons. Welcome to this intercultural and interplanetary journey presented by the Jazz and Klezmer Festival. Organised by Laurence Haziza. Taking to the stage that evening will be cellist Mayu Shviro and pianist Yonathan Avishai, coming together to create a poetic universe where contemporary composition engages with ancestral musical traditions, striking a subtle balance between composition and improvisation. In this unique duo, jazz enables the two musicians to express their multiple identities, drawing on Azeri and Yemeni traditions alongside their Israeli heritage. With great sincerity, they share both the joys and the sorrows of their region and history.
FESTIVAL JAZZ ‘N’ KLEZMER – Mayu Shviro & Yonathan Avishai – FESTIVAL JAZZ ‘N’ KLEZMER
16 November 2026 at 8.30 pm at the Café de la Danse
One of the great things about the Jazz n’Klezmer Festival organised by Laurence Haziza is that you never know what to expect. The same goes for her Sacré Sound Festival. You’re never safe from a divine musical appearance in the form of Liraz or some other major stage presence, as was the case at this very venue last year. A highly intriguing concept is on offer this 16 November: a duel between artists and musicians, using pencils and unadorned instruments. Five musicians and their instruments (two guitars, a double bass, a violin and a clarinet) will inspire Joann Sfar’s brushstrokes. The illustrator does not know which pieces will be played, and the musicians do not know which drawings will appear. They play and sing, and Joann draws whatever comes to mind as he listens to them.
Featuring Frank Anastasio – guitar and bass, Eric Slabiak – violin, Steven Reinhardt – guitar, Yuri Shraibman – clarinet, Marcello Marella – double bass
First part: A live, on-stage interview with Joann Sfar by Laurence Haziza.
9 November 2026 at 8.30 pm at the New Morning
The phrase ‘Oi Va Voi’ might make you fear that disaster is about to strike! Quite the opposite, in fact: in this particular case, it’s an announcement, an invitation to a few moments of madness with a legendary Yiddish folk-pop band formed in England. For 26 years now, they’ve been challenging our doubts by pitting them against the wooden floorboards, where our many footsteps converge, intertwine, meet and draw closer together. This zest for life, this determination to make laughter triumph over tears, was already evident in the title of their debut album “Laughter Through Tears” (2003), a double winner at the BBC World Music Awards and ranked in the New York Times’ top 10 albums of the year. Their latest album, “The Water’s Edge”, released in 2025, returns to their unique, profound sound and carries a message of peace and humanity.
So the question remains: how could you possibly miss the concert by this band, returning to France after an 18-year absence, as part of the Jazz n’Klezmer Festival organised by Laurence Haziza!
FESTIVAL JAZZ ‘N’ KLEZMER – Oi Va Voi – FESTIVAL JAZZ ‘N’ KLEZMER
At Adath Shalom
Graines de Psaumes continues to organise cultural events at numerous venues across Paris, including this one taking place at the Gad El Shalom synagogue, which we are highlighting here. Thus, for the month of October, a talk with Roger Fajnzylberg on 5 October is scheduled, focusing on the book ‘What I Saw at Auschwitz: Alter’s Notebooks’ (at 2.30 pm), as well as an event in tribute to Jacob Kaplan (4 pm) presented by Perla Relkin. On 12 October, two events are scheduled: the first, ‘A History of the Major Pandemics that Have Shaped Humanity’, by Jean Pigeard, followed by ‘Israel: A Geopolitical Refuge’, by Henryk Paszt. Finally, on 19 October, there will be a social afternoon beginning at 2.30 pm.
18 October 2026 at 5.30 pm at the Salle Cortot
As part of its 20th-anniversary celebrations, the European Institute of Jewish Music is organising a special concert taking the audience on a journey – from the sound of the shofar to biblical cantillations and the Psalms of David; from the earliest musical notations of the Middle Ages to Baroque, Classical and contemporary Jewish music; from the music of the Mediterranean region to the shtetls of Eastern Europe; from Judeo-Spanish songs to Yiddish and Oriental songs, not forgetting klezmer… An event organised with the support of the Henriette Halphen Foundation, under the auspices of the Foundation for French Judaism.
25 October 2026 at 11.00 am
This workshop, organised by the memorial, aims to pay tribute to Serge and Beate Klarsfeld and to enable the public to learn about their life’s work. These struggles involved tracking down Nazis, seeking justice, documenting the history of persecution and helping to shape the memory of the Holocaust. This event is part of the programme marking the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Memorial to the Unknown Jewish Martyr, which became the Shoah Memorial in 2005.
Mémorial de la Shoah | Boutique en ligne
10 October 2026 at 2.30 pm at Maison de la culture yiddish – Bibliothèque Medem
This series of 10 face-to-face lessons, held once a month, is led by Clarisse Brossard. Its aim is to develop the reading skills necessary to analyse historical sources written in Yiddish, focusing on press articles, personal accounts and handwritten archives. Whilst primarily aimed at researchers and students of the Yiddish language, it is open to anyone with an enthusiasm for the subject, though it does require a certain level of proficiency. Clarisse Brossard holds a degree in international relations and is a qualified teacher of Russian. A teacher and translator, she is currently preparing a PhD at INALCO on the Yiddish education system during the era of the Ukrainian People’s Republic (1917–1920), under the joint supervision of Arnaud Bikard and Étienne Boisserie.
Lire le yiddish dans les archives et les journaux, 1/10 – programme.yiddish.paris
22 October and 22 December 2026 at 2.00 pm at the mahJ
Nathalie Skowronek, a Belgian author of numerous notable works such as Max, en apparence, La Shoah de M. Durand and Un monde sur mesure, is currently in residence at the mahJ. Her books have explored intergenerational relationships in relation to the changing nature of professions, cities and lives, as well as the silences that can sometimes become unbearable. Regarded as one of the greatest contemporary French-language authors, Nathalie Skowronek takes part in events at the museum, notably an intergenerational writing workshop. This workshop enables children, accompanied by their grandparents, to come together to write down a shared memory, to pass on a family tradition through writing, or to let their imaginations carry them towards a story they can create together…
Atelier : Deux voix, quatre mains. | Musée d’art et d’histoire du Judaïsme
From 15 October 2026 to 14 March 2027 at the mahJ
Prague, the magical city that’s done it again! Ten years on from the exhibition dedicated to the Golem, another Czech artist’s work is coming to the mahJ. That of Georges Kars, a little-known painter whose works the museum has done us the honour of showcasing. A man who bridges the two cities: whilst he spent his youth in Prague and studied in Munich, it was chiefly in Paris that he would go on to share his work. As a member of the École de Paris, he moved amongst a hive of young aspiring painters – mainly from Eastern Europe, but also from Italy – who would go on to become leading figures in contemporary painting, inspired above all by Paris, its light and its freedom in the broadest sense of the interwar years. To mark this exhibition, the mahJ has received numerous works on loan from the National Gallery in Prague and is organising a series of events to accompany this wonderful exhibition. So, take Golem steps to ruch to it!
Exposition : Georges Kars, 1880-1945. Un Bohémien à Paris | Musée d’art et d’histoire du Judaïsme
29 November 2026, at 12 noon at JEM Beaugrenelle
A must-attend literary event in Paris, this 37th edition of Jewish Culture and Book Day will, as every year, bring together numerous authors and equally enthusiastic participants. For this edition. Around forty authors will be present to share their novels, essays, biographies, stories and memoirs, in an atmosphere of dialogue and discovery. During the day. Participants will attend the presentation of the 2026 JEM First Novel Prize, which will be followed by a lecture to round off the day, dedicated to Bob Dylan to mark the 10th anniversary of his Nobel Prize in Literature. New this year: a ‘youth area’ sponsored by Anne Goscinny, and several authors holding book-signing sessions to introduce younger readers to the joys of reading.
Judaïsme En Mouvement – Association Juive Libérale
Until 30 October 2026 at the Galerie Saphir
Poetry travels through the millennia, across cultures and desires, as an expression of a powerful bond between humankind, the gods and nature… In its various forms, it enchants and soothes. One of its most distinctive expressions, the poetics of love, transcends borders and taboos to speak directly to the beloved. Found in both sacred and secular texts, this poetic tradition—which can be appreciated in particular in the Song of Songs and in works that have stood the test of time to the present day and will likely endure into the future—forms the inspiration behind this remarkable exhibition taking place at Galerie Saphir.
Poétique de l’amour | 17 September – 30 October 2026 – Overview | GALERIE SAPHIR
10 October 2026 at 3.00 pm at the Medem Centre
As part of its literary café series, the centre is hosting Véronique Teboul-Bonnet, who will be presenting her book and inviting participants to embark on a journey through 16th-century Venice – a city of palaces and the arts, but also of printing. In this novel, the author traces the extraordinary journey of a clandestine printer who, too, seeks to imprint upon her life and her pages the hopes and ambitions of a woman of her time. A literary journey through the Sephardic world and the Renaissance, paved with emotions just as one crosses Venetian bridges.
centre-medem.org/EVT/cafe-litteraire-avec-veronique-teboul-bonnet-limprimeuse-du-ghetto-de-venise/
8 October 2026 at 7.30 pm at the Goethe-Institut Toulouse
Sistanagila brings together Israeli and Iranian musicians based in Berlin. Drawing inspiration from the folk and religious traditions of klezmer, Sephardic music and Persian music, they blend classical and contemporary compositions to create a unique musical world. The audience is thus taken on a journey not only through these Israeli and Iranian musical traditions, but also into the worlds of metal, jazz, flamenco and all the other sounds that beg to be heard and shared. A wonderful challenge to the current climate, seeking to bring people together through art. Sistanagila has been enchanting German stages for many years, notably at the Berlin Philharmonie, the Laeiszhalle in Hamburg, the Prinzregententheater in Munich and the Gewandhaus in Leipzig. See you soon in Toulouse…
Association Hébraïca | culture juive | Toulouse, France
15 October at 6.30 pm at the IUMAT
The inaugural lecture of the 2026–2027 season at the Maimonides-Averroes-Thomas Aquinas University Institute pays tribute to the author and 1986 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Elie Wiesel. Ten years after his death, the IUMAT – which welcomed him twice to Montpellier (in 2003 and 2008) – is organising this event as part of a partnership with the Paris-based institute that bears his name. The event will be attended by Michaël Iancu, director of the Maimonides-Averroes-Thomas Aquinas University Institute; Sandrine Szwarc, teaching coordinator at the Elie Wiesel Institute; Alexis Lacroix, journalist; and Michaël de Saint-Chéron, journalist.
Hommage à Elie Wiesel avec M. de Saint-Chéron, A. Lacroix, S. Szwarc & M. Iancu – IUMAT
18 October 2026 at 3.00 pm at the Jewish Cultural Association of Nancy
Johanna Colette Lemler, producer of the podcast ‘Notre Haggadah’, which focuses on stories of Jewish women’s emancipation, looks back on this remarkable life. Namely that of Gliki von Hamein, a woman who led many lives: in the seventeenth century, she was a businesswoman living in Metz, a mother of 12 children and the author of one of the first autobiographical accounts written by a Jewish woman. A work written in Yiddish with the intention of passing it on to her children and, four centuries later, sharing it with the public in Nancy…
11 October 2026 at 6.30 pm at Le Village Cinema
The CCJC invites the public to a screening of Alexandre Arcady’s film, starring Benoît Poelvoorde and Kad Merad. The film tackles a subject that is both deeply moving and painful: the encounter between a famous conductor and a persistent admirer. This clash in the present brings to light a past that the protagonists thought was long gone – and of which they are unaware just how shared it is. Once again, Alexandre Arcady explores with emotion and sincerity the heavy silences and the stifled cries of the recent past in the history of France and its key figures.
Avant-première du film Fausse Note | CCJC Neuilly
18 October 2026 at 2.00 pm at the Drancy Shoah Memorial
It is always a major challenge for authors to come to terms with a painful past that is sometimes closer than one might imagine. As part of this series of cultural and historical events, the Drancy Memorial has invited authors Hervé Le Tellier and Didier Daeninckx to discuss with the public how the past can resurface in one’s life, particularly at a time and in a place one least expects. The former pays tribute to a forgotten hero of the Resistance, whilst the latter explores 1950s France in a crime novel. A second event is scheduled for the same day at 4.15 pm on the theme ‘Writing about Auschwitz’.
Mémorial de la Shoah | Boutique en ligne
11 October 2026 at the Albert Kahn Museum
Coming from a modest background, Albert Kahn made a name for himself in the world of banking, but he devoted most of his time to philanthropic projects and his gardens. The Albert Kahn Museum in Boulogne is a venue much loved by both locals and tourists alike, and hosts numerous exhibitions. It embodies a spirit of making the world a better place and a commitment to nature conservation, values championed by Albert Kahn, a great advocate for bringing peoples together. This guided tour will therefore provide a better understanding of the man, his intentions and his achievements.
Qui êtes-vous Monsieur Kahn ? – Musée Albert Kahn
From 12 October 2026 to 12 April 2027 at the Rachi European University Institute
As a cultural hub bridging the past and the future in Troyes – a city so dear to Jewish history – the Rachi European University Institute has been organising numerous cultural events, seminars, concerts and courses for many years. The seminar series dedicated to psychoanalytic approaches will feature several sessions during the 2026–2027 academic year. The aim is to explore the concept of ‘the work of culture’, as coined by Sigmund Freud, in a world torn between a desire for progress and the spectre of potentially boundless destructiveness. These seminars will highlight the need for constant evolution in the face of civilisational change.
Nos séminaires – Institut Universitaire Européen Rachi
21 October 2026 at 6.30 pm at the CIG
This event, hosted by Ilan Lew, will provide an opportunity to discuss a range of topics. Firstly, there will be a look back at the ‘Forum Générations Shoah’ event taking place in Paris from 9 to 11 October, featuring the screening of an extract from a workshop with Beate Klarsfeld. This will be followed by the presentation of stories collected through previously unpublished sources, with open discussions centred on the participants’ family narratives. This event is organised in partnership with the Cercle Martin Buber
28 October 2026 at 10.00 am at the Jewish Museum of Switzerland
The Eruv – a small string or other form of boundary marking that encircles a town – enables practising Jews to carry items on Shabbat and Jewish festivals. It has been in use in certain European towns for centuries. The workshop led by Christina Meri explores the meaning and significance of this symbol in Judaism and presents original documents. On the same day, at 6.30 pm, Rabbi Elimelech Vanzetta, Dr Roland Fried and Manuel Herz will present historical and contemporary perspectives on the Basel Eruv.
Events – Juedisches Museum Schweiz
From 9 December 2026 at the Judiska Museum
At 19 Själagårdsgatan, where Sweden’s current Jewish Museum is situated, there once stood an old synagogue, the structural remains of which can still be seen supporting the museum. This synagogue was a focal point of Jewish life for nearly a century, between 1795 and 1870. ‘Shul’, the Yiddish term often used to refer to a synagogue, actually refers to a school, as study was just as important as prayer in this place of worship. The exhibition takes visitors on a journey through this era, exploring how Swedish Jews prayed, studied, lived and worked in the nineteenth century.
Shul! The Old Town’s synagogue | Judiska museet
15 October 2026, at 6.00 pm at the Jewish Museum in Prague
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem is renowned for many reasons. Firstly, it is one of the world’s leading universities. It has several campuses, the main ones being Mount Scopus and Givat Ram. But we must not forget the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, located on Mount Scopus. The cultural event taking place on 15 October at the Jewish Museum in Prague pays tribute to those young Czechoslovak Jewish artists who, in 1939, attempted to flee Prague following the Nazi invasion in order to continue their studies in Jerusalem. Among them were Helmut Paskusz, Miriam Ellinger, Jan Zelenka and Mara London. Drawing on previously unpublished documents, this lecture explores the route they chose and the many dangers faced by these students as they sought to continue their studies and pursue their passion for art in Jerusalem.
Jewish Museum in Prague | Exhibitions, Tours & Monuments
Until 29 March 2027 at the Jewish Museum Amsterdam
At the turn of the 20th century, the art of magic enjoyed its golden age. Among these artists were many Jewish performers, both in Europe and the United States. Famous magicians such as Harry Houdini, Horace Goldin, and Alexander and Adelaide Herrmann. In this era of technological innovation, magicians drew inspiration from a variety of sources. Thus, their audience – just like the museum’s visitors – will be swept into this world to vanish, reappear and levitate. Lulled by illusions – but are they really illusions, or might they instead be reflections of our reality? Do come along to this astonishing exhibition at the Jewish Museum in Amsterdam. The museum will be celebrating a special day dedicated to Houdini on 31 October with a rich and varied programme.
Abracadabra: Mysteries from Houdini to Hans… | Jewish Cultural Quarter
30 September 2026 at 6.00 pm, Piazzetta Primo Levi 12
The Jewish community in Turin is very active in organising cultural events, particularly at the start of the 2026–2027 academic year. Among these events is the book launch of *The Ghetto of Rome: History of a Jewish Community*, written by Serena Di Nepi, a professor of history at Sapienza University of Rome. The book traces the long period, from 1555 to 1870, during which the Jews of Rome were forced to live in a ghetto. The book puts into perspective the various historical events that took place over these three centuries and the way in which Jews had to cope with discrimination, forced conversions and economic hardship. Following the unification of Italy, the ghetto was dismantled, not least because it epitomised the climate of intolerance of yesteryear.
Presentation of “Il ghetto di Roma” – Comunità ebraica di Torino
On 18 October 2026, at 3.00 pm at the Irish Jewish Museum
The museum is hosting a special event featuring a concert by Lenka Lichtenberg, who will perform a number of songs from her award-winning albums *Thieves of Dreams* and *Silent Tears, the Last Yiddish Tango*. This Yiddish musical project is based on poetry written during the Holocaust by female survivors. Among them was Lenka’s grandmother, who was deported to the Theresienstadt concentration camp. The Silent Tears project came about when Dr Paula David launched it with Holocaust survivors to help them come to terms with the trauma of what they had endured.
Silent Tears, The Last Yiddish Tango – Irish Jewish Museum
Until 1st February 2027
Following the example of the Jewish Museum of London, which is currently undergoing renovation work, the Jewish Museum of Greece is doing the same by sharing its cultural heritage with other institutions across the country. This is particularly the case with the Benaki Museum in Athens, which is showcasing Greece’s long Jewish history spanning several millennia. The museum showcases the various cultures and religions that have shaped the country, highlighting their traditional, artistic and craft-based connections. This is illustrated through motifs found on certain artefacts, as well as in shared beliefs. Among the objects on display are traditional Sephardic and Romaniote garments, as well as ritual objects dating from the seventeenth century.
“The Jewish Museum of Greece at the Benaki Museum” – Jewishmuseum
From 7 October 2026 to 28 February 2027 at the Danish Jewish Museum
This very special exhibition at the Danish Jewish Museum allows visitors to experience the powerful connection that can be forged when architecture, memory and monuments come together. Daniel Libeskind, the architect who designed this museum – which opened in 2004 – has also designed numerous other monuments around the world. Libeskind chose as the museum’s architectural theme the extraordinary courage shown by the Danish people in saving their Jewish fellow citizens during the Holocaust. Thus, this courage is celebrated both inside the museum, through the story told and the objects on display, and outside, in the very structure that houses it.
15 November 2026, at 11.00 am at the CCLJ
A relatively new event that continues to bring together numerous authors and a growing audience, eager to discover or rediscover literary works. It has now become an unmissable fixture in Brussels’ Jewish cultural calendar. The CCLJ’s Mazal Café invites you to meet and chat with authors including David Foenkinos, Geneviève Damas, Alain Berenboom, Valérie Cohen and Philippe Blasband. Among the themes at the heart of this 3rd edition are: identity(ies), memory(ies), Jewish culture(s) and citizenship. The moderators will also host talks with the authors in attendance to give you an insight into their latest work…