Top 5: Must see events at Manchester Jewish Museum’s Festival of Leaving

The Manchester Jewish Museum soon decamps from its historic synagogue while a new museum is built, and it marks the occasion with an exciting two-week programme of installations and performances on the theme of ‘leaving’. Here’s our top five Festival of Leaving picks…

Music: Ana Silvera
Poignant and dreamlike, haunting yet life-affirming, Ana Silvera’s new album Oracles is a collection of songs whose lyrics explore loss, love, salvation and the journey towards acceptance. Ana will be joined by Manchester’s Sacred Sounds Women’s Choir for this special concert.
Wed 7 Nov, 7.30pm, £10 (plus booking fee), manchesterjewishmuseum.com

Double bill: Bubble Schmeisis and klezmer concert
Let writer and street performer Nick Cassenbaum tell you a story or two about identity, home and getting schmeised (washed) by old men as you join him in East London’s last authentic bath house, the Canning Town Schvitz. The monologue will be followed by klezmer music from Daniel Gouly and Josh Middleton.
Thu 8 Nov, 7.30pm, £12 (plus booking fee), manchesterjewishmuseum.com

Music: Sefiroth
International collective Sefiroth reimagine a traditional Sephardic (Judeo-Spanish) repertoire of ancient songs with a contemporary aesthetic, premiering new show Adio Kerida (“Farewell, Beloved”) at Manchester Jewish Museum. The continuous, hour-long musical performance is enhanced by aspects of theatricality to tell timeless stories of love, loss and yearning for home.

Mon 12 Nov, 7pm, £10 (plus booking fee), manchesterjewishmuseum.com

Spoken word: Ode On The Road
Young Identity poets Billie Meredith and Ella Otomewo have created two brand-new pieces specially commissioned for the festival and inspired by the Museum’s collections, connecting historical stories of leaving and loss to contemporary concerns. The evening of spoken word and poetry also includes an open mic.
Wed 14 Nov, 7.30pm, £5 (plus booking fee), manchesterjewishmuseum.com

Theatre: bloominauschwitz
An explosive piece of theatre, bloominauschwitz comes to the Festival of Leaving fresh from five-star reviews at Edinburgh Festival. Mixing clownish antics with high drama, rich text and powerful imagery, it sees Leopold Bloom break free of James Joyce’s Ulysses to re-discover his Jewish roots. Followed by panel discussion.
Thu 15 Nov, 7.30pm, £12 (plus booking fee), manchesterjewishmuseum.com

Mon 5 Nov – Sun 18 Nov, Manchester Jewish Museum, 190 Cheetham Hill Road, Manchester, M8 8LW, Tel: 0161 834 9879, times and prices vary, manchesterjewishmuseum.com