Sussex Events — Jewish Renaissance

SUSSEX 

Towner Eastbourne

Drawing the Unspeakable

See 300 works that highlight the power of art in communicating experiences that words cannot fully capture. Themes including disaster, mental and physical illness, birth and family are portrayed by artists including David Hockney and Leon Kossoff, from galleries including Ben Uri and the British Museum. The exhibition features a written dialogue between its curators, broadcaster David Dimbleby and his daughter Liza, an artist and writer, expressing their differing perspectives. Read more about Drawing the Unspeakable in the Winter 2025 issue of JR.

Until 27 April

BN21 4JJ. 01323 434 670. www.townereastbourne.org.uk

ART

Saturday 31 May

Oi Va Voi

British klezmer stalwarts Oi Va Voi celebrate their new album, The Waters Edge, with a European tour. Their extensive setlist of both old and new material is packed with sounds, melodies and stories rooted in Jewish and European musical tradition.

7pm. £20.40. Patterns, Brighton, BN2 1TL. www.dice.fm 

MUSIC

Monday 28 April

Jonas Salk and the Polio Vaccine

Explore the career of American Jewish scientist Jonas Salk, who saved thousands of lives worldwide by developing the first successful polio vaccine. Despite his unwanted celebrity, his colleagues refused to acknowledge his work, which affected him both personally and professionally.

11am. £5. Ralli Hall, Brighton, BN3 3TH. www.rallihall.com

Monday 19 May

The Brothers Goldsmid: From Nelson to Brighton

Abraham and Benjamin Goldsmid were from one of the most influential Jewish families in 18th-century Britain. Financiers by trade, during the Napoleonic War they negotiated large government loans and provided crucial monetary support to British military campaigns. See the naval connections of the two and look at how their extended family members also left their mark in well-known locations around Brighton and Hove.

11am. £5. Ralli Hall, Brighton, BN3 3TH. www.rallihall.com

TALKS

Thursday 27 March

Disraeli: Queen Victoria’s Favourite Prime Minister

Jeff Rozelaar’s critically acclaimed play reenacts the life and legacy of one of Britain’s most influential leaders, Benjamin Disraeli. Featuring themes of identity, ambition and resilience, it charts Disraeli's rise from being a Jewish outsider to Queen Victoria's favourite prime minister.

7pm. £11.50. Brighton and Hove Jewish Community, BN3 4AD. www.bnjc.co.uk  

THEATRE