wednesday/17
“The Mendelssohns, the Piano and the Making of the Domestic Sphere.” Lecture by Stanford associate professor Adrian Daub. In conjunction with “Mendelssohn to Mendelssohn” exhibit. At the Magnes, 2121 Allston Way, Berkeley. 5 p.m. Free. www.magnes.org
“Pop-Up Exhibition: Sex, Furniture and Jewish Tradition.” Lunchtime lecture by Rachel Biale, educator-author and former J. columnist, about symbolism of furniture in talmudic texts, accompanied by items from the collection. At the Magnes, 2121 Allston Way, Berkeley. 12 p.m. Free. www.magnes.org
friday/19
“Secrecy and the CIA.” Gallery chat features Salon.com founder David Talbot discussing his book “The Devil’s Chessboard,” about the CIA’s rise to power. In conjunction with the exhibit “Chasing Justice.” At Contemporary Jewish Museum, 736 Mission St., S.F. 12:30 p.m. Included with museum admission. www.thecjm.org
wednesday/24
“Pop-Up Exhibition: Piercing the Veil of Silence.” Tomasz Tadeusz Koncewicz, Berkeley Law School visiting professor from Poland, discusses cultural restitution of Jewish assets in Eastern Europe. At the Magnes, 2121 Allston Way, Berkeley. 12 p.m. Free. www.magnes.org