monday/30
Middle East discussion group. A member-led, informal roundtable discussion about current events. At Commonwealth Club, 595 Market St., S.F. 5:30 p.m. Free, but registration required. www.commonwealthclub.org
tuesday/1
“Eight Days of Oil.” Big Tent Judaism presents a gourmet olive-oil tasting with explanations of Hanukkah symbols and rituals. At Williams-Sonoma, 605 Broadway, Sonoma. 4 p.m. Also Dec. 2 at 11:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. at Whole Foods, 4800 El Camino Real, Los Altos, a program of OFJCC. Free. www.bigtentjudaism.org
wednesday/2
“Confronting ISIS.” Discussion on how the United States should deal with the threat from the Islamic State terror group. Panelists include Abbas Milani, Stanford University director of Iranian studies, and Joseph Felter, research fellow at the Hoover Institution. At Commonwealth Club, 555 Post St., S.F. 7 p.m. $7-$22. www.commonwealthclub.org
thursday/3
“Jerusalem of Gold.” Hebrew teacher and translator Merav Rozenblum discusses the popular 1967 Israeli song and its fraught political history. At Jewish Community Library, 1835 Ellis St., S.F. 7 p.m. Free. www.jewishcommunitylibrary.org
sunday/6
Bringing light to the Mizrahi experience. Mizrahi Remembrance Month, normally a solemn occasion honoring Jewish refugees displaced from Arab lands and Iran in the 20th century, will have a celebratory quality this year. JIMENA joins Magain David Sephardic Congregation on the first night of Hanukkah for talks by Israeli deputy consul Ravit Baer about her Kurdish Jewish family, the exhibit “Jewish Refugees from Arab Countries” and a festive candlelighting with rapping Rabbi Simon Benzaquen.
4:30 to 7 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 6 at Magain David Sephardim Congregation, 351 Fourth Ave., S.F. Free. www.jimena.org
“But Both Their Hands Reach Out.” Hannah Seltzer discusses the ideology and father-son relationship in S. Yizhar’s book “Preliminaries.” At Congregation Netivot Shalom, 1316 University Ave., Berkeley. 10 a.m. Free. www.netivotshalom.org
“Genealogy Clinic: Brainstorming with the Mavens.” Bring questions for one-on-one guidance with experts. At Jewish Community Library, 1835 Ellis St., S.F. 12 to 2 p.m. Free, but registration encouraged. www.jewishlearningworks.org