Before tomorrow’s Sholom Aleichem lecture by Columbia University’s Jeremy Dauber, we thought we’d point out this essay on the links between Aleichem and Mark Twain:

About a hundred years ago, in New York, Sholom Aleichem was introduced to Mark Twain as “the Jewish Mark Twain,” already famous for his timeless stories of European life, by then considered classics. “I wanted to meet you,” Mark Twain said, “because I’m told that I’m the American Sholom Aleichem.”

Tonight, Makor is screening The Goebbels Experiment, a look into the life and mind of the Nazi regime’s master propagandist, a manic-depressive failed poet but brilliant PR whiz handicapped with a short leg and paralyzed foot. Shakespearean Kenneth Branagh hams it up as the voice of the second most powerful man in the Third Reich, reading from his diary in English. Rare archival footage, such as home movies of the eerily ‘perfect’ Goebbels family, included.

Looking to make your own presents this holiday season? If you’re not up for oddball projects like macquariums or vacuum-bag dust houses, craftmaster Genevieve Sterbenz offers a hands-on workshop on beautiful handmade gifts.

Not looking to get crafty? How about spiffying up the packaging at least? Sterbenz also offers a class on unique gift wrapping. It may not be wrapping a book in ziploc sunk in a jug of water dyed opaque (as one of us did), but it’s not the Sunday paper either. 

We recently spoke with Gawker‘s Jessica Coen.

Described by the New York Times as “the national go-to spot for keeping up with the rich and scandalous, the media elite and the pop-culture trends of the moment,” Gawker is one of the most popular sites in the blogosphere. The snarky, widely read gossip blog recently entered a major distribution deal with Yahoo! as well.

On Thursday, December 15, we’ll have Jessica Coen live at the 92nd Street Y in an appearance with Forward editor-in-chief J.J. Goldberg.

After the jump, Jessica Coen discusses Gawker, getting sued by Fred Durst and all things Jewish-y.

For tomorrow night’s installment of our Reel Pieces film and interview series, we’re screening a preview of the new film Casanova and interviewing director Lasse Hallström (The Cider House Rules, What’s Eating Gilbert Grape)

The movie stars Heath Ledger, Sienna Miller, Lena Olin, Jeremy Irons and Oliver Platt. Check out the trailer. More info can be found over at all-things-Venetian blog Weird Venice.

This year, the 92nd Street Y Art Center turns 75. And next Monday, December 5, we’re celebrating with a benefit and award dinner hosted by novelist Walter Mosley, who has been taking ceramics classes here for years. Art historian Leo Steinberg will be one of our very special guests.

One of the deans of American art criticism, Steinberg is the author of a number of texts: Jasper Johns (1963), The Sexuality of Christ in Renaissance Art and in Modern Oblivion (1983) and Leonardo’s Incessant Last Supper (2001). Along the way, he’s also had a distinguished academic career.

His lectures are legendary, and luckily some of the ones he gave in the 1960s at MoMA are available online in a collection that includes everyone from Marcel Duchamp to Jack Nicholson. 

The McShwarma ad [download here]. To promote their new shwarma sandwich, McDonald’s Israel created a full-on parody of Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction. Must be seen to be believed.

And if you’re interested in taking a Hebrew class this winter or spring from one of our renowned instructors, registration begins online Thursday, December 8.

Tonight, a newly announced sneak preview over at Makor: Adam Goldberg’s I Love Your Work, featuring a Q&A with Goldberg (Saving Private Ryan, The Hebrew Hammer) afterwards.

The film stars Giovanni Ribisi, Franka Potente, Joshua Jackson, Christina Ricci and Jason Lee in a satirical look inside the lives of actors and celebrities.

Apple’s got the trailer. UPDATE: And the first ten people to email Makor Film will get free tickets. 

The New York Times Book Review just published a list of the year’s 100 notable books, based on reviews published in 2005. How many of the authors listed have stopped at the Y in the last year or so? 22 by our count, though we could be missing a few.

We hope you had a very happy Thanksgiving. After you’ve had time to recover from all that turkey, check out what we have on the agenda for next week:

· Shakespeare, 92Y Style: Actor F. Murray Abraham discusses and performs selections from A Midsummer’s Night’s Dream on Monday, November 28.

· A Conversation with the Piano Man: Billy Joel stops by for an appearance (including music) with journalist and writer Anthony DeCurtis on Tuesday, November 29.

· Jews and Exile: How did the forced expulsions of Jews and the diaspora mold Jewish identity? Elie Wiesel explores this question on Thursday, December 1.

· Bogdanovich and the Duke: Peter Bogdanovich introduces the John Wayne classic The Quiet Man as part of his signature Makor film series on Saturday, December 3.

· Sunday with Martha: Martha Stewart joins BusinessWeek EIC Stephen J. Adler for the latest installment in our Captains of Industry interview series, Sunday, December 4.

A reminder that next Wednesday, November 30, we’re having a bit of cheesy teenage nostalgia over at Makor: Bar Mitzvah Disco: The Party. The authors of new book Bar Mitzvah Disco will be stopping by for a night dedicated to all things Electric Slide, photographic sign-in board and bar/bat mitzvah-related. That includes bad ‘80s fashions, awkward pictures with relatives and the Chicken Dance.

And over on Beliefnet, there’s a list of bar mitzvah-themed TV shows. Did you know that Car 54, Where Are You? had a bar mitzvah episode?

The Daily Show’s Samantha Bee is best known for her investigations into the strange and absurd side of politics. But next Monday, November 28, she’ll be taking a break from the news to moderate True Tails from the Bronx Zoo.

Joining her, we’ll have a panel of Bronx Zoo zookeepers and storytellers for a multimedia look at the funniest and most amazing animals and incidents in the Zoo’s history. Firsthand accounts of audacious gorillas, sloths and alligators? Rare archival footage of memorable Zoo residents? Trust us, it’ll be a good time.

We’ve also got a ticket discount for Wildlife Conservation Society members.

We’ve already mentioned our Festivus Celebration at Makor on Tuesday, November 29. The Seinfeldian holiday gathering includes feats of strength, airings of grievances, aluminum poles and other George Costanza favorites all lovingly taken from author Allen Salkin’s Festivus: The Holiday for the Rest of Us.

Over in Mediabistro’s MBToolBox blog, Salkin explains how he got the book deal:

One piece of advice I’d give to others with book ideas is not to follow trends. Many people have asked me why I, an investigative reporter, put so much effort into something that seems as silly as Festivus. First, I am personally sick of books about the mafia, the Kennedys, royalty, and ex-presidents. There are many fine journalists who have spent their time on these things and I don’t feel that one more voice is going to contribute much. But from the word go, with Festivus, I felt like I was discovering a subculture that no one had ever written about before. It was gold. It was like I was writing in 1975 and had discovered punk rock and people with mohawks and no one had ever written about it before. This gave me a feeling, a sort of burning in the center of my ribcage, that is my personal signal that I’m onto something good. It’s that feeling that keeps me in journalism—that and the occasional free lunch bought by an editor.

We couldn’t make it to Alan Alda’s appearance here Sunday night but one of our readers did and sent us a wonderful recap. Now we wish we had gone:

All I can say is “WOW”!!!!! I was a star-struck fool. The staff we encountered at 92Y were all so nice and helpful!! I cant say enough good things about the staff!! The facility was beautiful. The program was fantastic! We sat up in the balcony. Alan Alda’s chair was facing right towards me. The view was great, the sound was great. I left the program about 8:50 and went to the “book signing” room. I was 5th in line! My hands were shaking so bad… I’ve yet to see if my pictures have turned out. Not only did I get my book signed and shook Mr. Alda’s hand—I even kissed him on the forehead. What an idiot I was but what a good time I had. I will never forget it!!! Thank you.

We’re always interested in your reviews and recaps of 92nd Street Y events and classes (good or bad). Email us anytime with your thoughts. You’ll hear back!

Until April 2003, hedge funds were open only to investors with at least $1 million in assets. Nowadays you can get cheaper knock-offs in the form of mutual funds that mimic hedge funds and require only a $2,000 minimum investment. Management fees are typically lower, daily withdrawals are allowed and heavier regulation makes hedged mutual funds less prone to fraud. New York-based Baron Funds was the first of its kind. And its founder, chairman and CIO, Ron Baron, will be here December 5 to discuss long-term growth investing.