Maestro’s masterpiece
San Francisco Symphony conductor Michael Tilson Thomas had Jewish immigrant grandparents who followed a path similar to that of other Ukrainian Jews of the late 19th century who left for America. But once here, Bessie and Boris Thomashefsky made quite a name for themselves, performing on stage in Yiddish and becoming important pioneers of American Yiddish theater. Tilson Thomas honors their music and lives in “The Thomashefskys: Music and Memories of a Life in the Yiddish Theater.” The production on PBS’ “Great Performances” features musical reconstructions of the old Yiddish repertoire, projected images and dramatized stories from the Thomashefskys’ memoirs.
8 p.m. Thursday, March 29 on KQED-TV Channel 9. Also Friday, March 30 at 7 p.m. and Monday, April 2 at 10 p.m. on KQED Life. www.kqed.org
thursday/29
Aya Korem. Israeli pop-rock singer performs. At Britannia Arms, 1087 S. De Anza Blvd., San Jose. 7:30 p.m. $30-$35. www.britanniaarmscupertino.com.
saturday/31
Dan Bern. Jewish singer-songwriter performs in a benefit for Urban Adamah. At Urban Adamah, 1050 Parker St., Berkeley. 8 p.m. $25-$30. www. urbanadamah.org.
wednesday/4
“Israeli Music: A Retrospective.” Cantor Leigh Korn leads a discussion and sing-along of Israeli music. At Temple Isaiah, 3800 Mount Diablo Blvd., Lafayette. 12:45 p.m. $10-$12. www.temple-isaiah.org.