A Holocaust musical.
Those words really don’t go together at all, or at least they shouldn’t (although we know that the Nazis demanded such monstrosities at Terezin).

But someone decided to put them together. Not just in the privacy of his own basement, either, but in public. On stage. For an audience, made up of people who pay money to see it.

And the someone isn’t Mel Brooks, and the butts of this exercise are not the Nazis but the Jews, and the humor isn’t over-the-top outrageously brilliant but nonexistent (despite the flop sweat it wrings from its hapless actors as they attempt to wring jokes from dust-dry straw), and the scheme isn’t sublime but jaw-droppingly offensive.

As we celebrate Israel’s 63rd birthday, we marvel at the creation of a Jewish state in our lifetime and how its very existence has affected our lives as Jews here in America. The great Zionist philosophers of a century ago imagined a state that could affect Jewish life around the world, as it clearly has in such areas as religion and culture. Yet, while Israeli music and culture dominated American Jewish life for decades, Israeli cinema here was relegated to replays of such comedies as Ephraim Kishon’s “Sallah” and “The Big Dig: The Blaumilch Canal.” Serious students of cinema paid little attention to the efforts of the dozen or so creative talents who used the motion picture to tell the dramatic story of a new state’s emergence. The only place it seemed that one could see an Israeli film was at a 16mm screening in the basement of your synagogue.

Born in Haifa, Israela Margalit first made a career as a concert pianist and then switched to writing. That deep familiarity with the world of classical music informs her play “First Prize,” at the Arclight Theatre at 152 West 71st Street. With a talented cast of four, the play examines the decades-long career of Adrianna, a gifted young pianist who sacrifices a great deal to achieve her dream. Lori Prince plays Adrianna as a young woman, and Susan Ferrara, who portrays her teacher at the start, takes over the role of the mature Adrianna, along with several other characters. The other cast members, Brian Dykstra and Christopher Hirsh, also play numerous characters — businessmen, managers, boyfriends, fans, and conductors. Director Margaret Perry expertly keeps all this moving at a brisk pace, and the play zips along in an entertaining way, with Dykstra and Ferrara giving standout comic performances.

A sampling of student artwork on display at the Teaneck Library. Courtesy SSDS

Eighth-grade students at Solomon Schechter Day School of Bergen County are commemorating Yom HaShoah with artwork on display at the Teaneck Library through May 18.

In addition, the students were asked to use “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost as a mentor text to create their own poems highlighting a choice made by one of the characters from “Daniel Half Human” by David Chotjewitz, a Holocaust-themed, historical narrative. The poems are now displayed in Schechter’s first-floor hallway,

On the evening of May 2, their Shoah-themed artwork, including scrapbooks, collages, paintings and drawings, was displayed at the Teaneck Community Council’s Holocaust Remembrance Ceremony held at the Teaneck High School.

Men, women, and youngsters are invited to take part in the 11th Annual Run for Rachel to raise funds for victims of domestic violence. The event is at the Memorial Oval in Livingston Sunday, May 22. Participants can create a personal fundraising page. Go to http://www.firstgiving.com/JFSMetroWest/Event/runforrachel.

The morning includes a 5K women’s open race, a 3K walk, and a kids’ run. Registration begins at 7:30 a.m., the 5K run begins at 9:30 a.m., and the 3K walk begins at 9:40 a.m. Registration is also available online.

The event benefits the Rachel Coalition, a partnership of nine northern New Jersey organizations serving domestic violence victims. The top pledge raiser will win a Kindle.

The event includes children’s entertainment, a DJ, refreshments, goodie bags, and prize drawings. Participants can enter individually or by forming teams and asking friends and family members to sponsor them with a pledge.

Preregistration before May 15 is $22 for either the 5K run or the 3K walk, $20 for USATF members. After May 15 and on race day, the 5K run or 3K walk will be $25. The kids’ run is $7.

Musicians interested in helping form a klezmer band can contact Rabbi Ilan Glazer of Temple Beth El of North Bergen at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). Glazer, an accomplished percussionist, is the founder of the Columbia University Klezmer Band.