Shorts: Art

Documentary on Orthodox love and marriage to screen in Bay Area

A new documentary that explores dating and mating in the Chassidic community will be screened in the Tri-Valley area next week. Filmed in Brooklyn and Manhattan, "Match & Marry" examines the ancient tradition of Orthodox matchmaking.

The film's producer, Suzannah Warlick, along with assistant producer Michael Schwartz will attend the event and take part in a post-screening discussion moderated by Rabbi and Rebbetzin Raleigh and Fruma Resnick of Chabad of the Tri-Valley.

"Match & Marry" screens 7:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 29 at the home of Larry and Karyn Lipman, 2415 Pomino Way, Pleasanton. Tickets: $10. Information: (925) 846-0700 or online at http://www.JewishTriValley.com.




Israel adapting 'Sex' for haredi

It's like "Sex and the City" — just without the Cosmos, chic clothing and premarital sex. Instead of one-night stands, there will be Shabbat dinners; rather than contraceptives, dialogue will presumably focus on abstinence.

That, in any case, is the general premise behind "Sex and the Holy City," an upcoming Israeli TV series currently finishing with its casting. The show, scheduled for broadcast next year, follows a group of young religious Jews as they look for love — and, more importantly, for spouses — under the concerned gaze of parents, clergy and their already married friends.

Beyond its name — a working title that's likely to be changed — the show has little in common with the original "Sex and the City," the HBO series that launched a thousand fashion trends and is currently being filmed for the big screen in New York.

The Israeli series, set to air on cable provider Yes, will be filmed in the coming months in Jerusalem's Katamon neighborhood. It will focus on Hodaya (Tali Sharon), a 30-something religious woman who finds herself dating a secular man. The man (Zohar Strauss), a Jerusalem archaeologist, has never had to work so hard to make himself acceptable to a woman; she, meanwhile, must balance her faith with her feelings and consider the opinions of her community. — jps