Nightlife

Israel has long been known for the high quality of its musicians, and the recent wave of Russian immigrants has led to an even greater embarrassment of riches. Classical music lovers will discover new and remarkable artists performing everywhere, from concert halls and clubs to street corners and pedestrian malls. Be on the lookout for performances by the Rishon-le-Zion Symphony Orchestra; this group from a suburb of Tel Aviv is filled with many remarkable musicians recently arrived in the country. The Israel Museum (tel. 02/563-6321 for the box office) hosts a full program of music, dance, theater, and film performances. Its Ticho House branch holds a Friday morning series of recitals, readings, and other cultural events. The Bible Lands Museum has a Saturday evening series of classical, jazz, and folk music; wine and cheese are served before each performance. Also watch for English Theater productions listed in the Friday editions of the Jerusalem Post and Ha'aretz newspapers, with actors and audiences drawn mainly from Israel's English-speaking immigrant community. You'll sometimes find translations of topical Israeli plays and revues, which can be especially interesting to visitors. The jazz and blues scene is surprisingly excellent.

To find out what's going on in town, look in the Friday edition of the Jerusalem Post, Ha'aretz, and in the monthly Calendar of Events, which you can pick up free at Tourist Information Offices. Lectures, readings, films, concerts, and English-language and Hebrew performances will be listed. If you have a student card, bring it; at times you may be given a discount.

Note: Jerusalem's two main ticket agencies are: Klaim (tel. 02/622-2333) and Bimot (tel. 02/624-0896). Both agencies operate mostly by telephone and take major credit cards. Your hotel can also help you phone in a reservation.

Clubs & Bars--Israelis (especially Jerusalemites) are not really a drinking people -- an evening at a cafe over a meal, or wine and snacks is more the local style. The cafes on Ben Yehuda Street offer outside tables where patrons come to see and be seen. Saturday nights are teenage mob scenes. You can also try the more intimate Rivlin Street, and the neighboring Salomon Street Mall, which form the heart of the cafe/pub scene in West Jerusalem.

Of the major hotels, the cavelike bar at the American Colony in East Jerusalem is by far the most atmospheric, visited by locals and international journalists as well as travelers in the know. You can also have drinks, good food and atmosphere at the American Colony's Courtyard Cafe/Bar, set in the hotel's inner garden. In West Jerusalem, the King David Hotel's bar offers the most style. All the large hotels have bars, but with the exception of the Khan Theater, the nightclub scene barely exists outside the hotel circuit.

Films--West Jerusalem shows the latest European and American films, almost always in the original language with Hebrew subtitles. In the eastern part of the city, the films come mostly from Arab countries and are in Arabic without subtitles. The Friday Jerusalem Post carries film listings and times, but seldom the address or phone number of the cinemas.

The most prominent theater is the world-famous Cinémathèque [STST] (tel. 02/672-4131) or Israel Film Archive, which is the scene of nightly screenings of classics, the best of the current international scene, rarely shown international films, and the experimental and arcane. Films are usually in the original language, with Hebrew and (often) English subtitles. Members of the Cinémathèque get the first seats, but a half-hour before screening time tickets go on sale to the public. Besides the movie houses, there are other places that screen films, such as the Jerusalem Theater, Binyane Ha-Uma, and the Israel Museum.

The Cinémathèque is located near the railway station. Go to the traffic intersection between the railway station and Hebron Road. Walk down the slope to the northeast, toward the Old City, and soon you'll come to the Cinémathèque, built into the hillside below the Hebron Road.

Other well-known cinemas and venues for film are G. G. Gil, Jerusalem Mall, Malha (tel. 02/678-8448), and the Jerusalem Theater, 20 Marcus St. (tel. 02/560-5755).