South by Southwest (SXSW) is an annual conference and festival held in Austin, Texas since 1987. The 10-day event includes a film festival, concerts, workshops, a trade show, speaker panels, and many other activities, attracting tens of thousands of people. Because of the coronavirus pandemic, SXSW organizers have decided to cancel this year’s event, which was scheduled to begin this week. In the past, there has been a large Jewish presence at SXSW, not only in the number of Jewish attendees, but in terms of the specific activities taking place. Films on Jewish themes, panels on topics of interest to Jews, and Shabbat activities are among the many programs with a Jewish theme. Which of the following was a 2018 Jewish-themed SXSW event?
SXSW 2012: South by Southwest 2012 by shelbysdrummond is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0.
A. A production of the play Bar Mitzvah Boy by Mark Leiren-Young, about a non-observant Jewish man in his sixties who suddenly decides to become a bar mitzvah and his interaction with a rabbi who is not sure about her own faith.
B. A performance by the New Orleans Klezmer Allstars as part of their 25th anniversary tour.
C. A presentation of the one-man show IN BETWEEN, written and performed by Ibrahim Miari. In the show, Miari, the son of a Palestinian Muslim father and an Israeli Jewish mother, tells of his unique upbringing in two worlds, his theater and dance studies, and his work with Israeli and Palestinian students in a Canadian “Peace camp” as he struggles to reconcile his dual identities.
D. A dance performance by the Israeli Batsheva Dance Company called Venezuela, choreographed by Ohad Naharin. The piece consists of two 40-minute sections with choreography that is the same in both, but music style, lighting and cast which change.
E. A screening of the documentary movie Death Metal Grandma about a 95-year-old Holocaust survivor who became a death metal singer.