Steven Ezratty of Fair Lawn, president of Temple Beth Sholom, will discuss and sign copies of his new book, “One in a Minyan-Memoirs of a Son’s Year in Mourning,” on Wednesday, March 17, from 7 to 9 p.m., at the Fair Lawn shul. Refreshments served. For information, call (201) 797-9321.

Gilda’s Club North- ern New Jersey will host its 11th annual “Laugh Off!” grand finale on Thursday, April 8, at 7 p.m. at Bananas Comedy Club in Hasbrouck Heights. In honor of the late Gilda Radner of “Saturday Night Live,” the clubhouse’s signature comedy competition has become one of the most popular events and fundraisers for Gilda’s Club members and volunteers. Last year’s finale was sold out.

Tickets are $40 plus the purchase of one drink/menu item and are available by calling Gilda’s Club at (201) 457-1670. Proceeds benefit Gilda’s Club NNJ. Sponsorship opportunities are available. Laugh Off! is coordinated by Paterson native and comedienne Sunda Croonquist (http://www.sundalive.com). For information, call Stephanie Buonarota at (201) 457-1670 ext. 123 or www.gildasclubnnj.org

Being an outsider forms you as a writer,” says singer/songwriter Janis Ian, who spoke with The Jewish Standard this week in advance of her April 21 performance in Woodbridge.

And, says the nine-time Grammy nominee, that “outsider” status is what Jews and songwriters have in common.

Throughout her long career — she wrote her first song at age 12 — Ian’s songs have reflected that sensibility.

Her most popular single, “At Seventeen,” which reached the number one spot on the adult contemporary chart in 1975, chronicles the pain and isolation of unpopular teenagers. “Tattoo,” which appeared on her “Breaking Silence” album in 1993 and was recorded at the Schouwburg Concordia in Holland, explores the inner landscape of a Holocaust survivor who can never overcome the trauma of imprisonment.

There’s nothing more intimidating to a writer than a blank page, playwright Mark Altman ruefully explained to The Jewish Standard recently, so when he is ready to start a new theater project, looking at a printed story at least gives him a starting point.

“For many years, I’ve been adapting plays,” Altman said, starting when he was associate artistic director at the Folksbiene National Yiddish Theater. He began to read stories written by the classic Yiddish writers and turn them into dramatic pieces. Some of these went into a reading series.

“I pulled out a lot of these old chestnuts and tried to adapt them. I felt we had a chance to bring some pieces that couldn’t run for six or eight weeks, but were unusual or different,” Altman said.

The perennial question, posed in various degrees of anguish, popped up again Sunday evening after “Ajami” failed to win the golden statuette after qualifying among the five finalists chosen from entries by 65 countries.

Israeli films have been among Oscar finalists nine times, starting with “Sallah Shabati” in 1965, but have never picked up the top prize.

How come?

Rose Piper (1917-2005)—”Slow Down Freight Train, 1946-47,” an oil on canvas. Ackland Art Museum, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Ackland Fund.

“A Force for Change: African American Art and the Julius Rosenwald Fund,” is on view through July 25 at the Montclair Art Museum. This is the first exhibition to explore the artistic legacy of the Julius Rosenwald Fund, one of the largest and most influential single supporters of African American arts and letters in the 20th century. It was created in 1917 by Chicago businessman and philanthropist Julius Rosenwald (1862–1932), who made his fortune as CEO of Sears, Roebuck and Company. Rosenwald’s philosophy of giving was influenced by Rabbi Emil G. Hirsch of Chicago Sinai Congregation, who espoused the Jewish values of tzedakah and tikkun olam and insisted on giving as an obligation of privilege.

From 1928 to 1948, the Rosenwald Fund’s Fellowship Program awarded stipends to hundreds of African American artists, writers, teachers, and scholars, as well as white southerners with an interest in race relations. The exhibition explores the products of that support, featuring over 60 paintings, sculptures, and works on paper by 22 Rosenwald Fellows.

Artists include Elizabeth Catlett, Eldzier Cortor, Aaron Douglas, Jacob Lawrence, Gordon Parks, Marion Perkins, Rose Piper, Augusta Savage, and Charles White. The exhibition also presents archival footage of performances by two world-renowned dancers who were Rosenwald Fellows, Katherine Dunham and Pearl Primus, and an original short documentary film about Julius Rosenwald and the Fellowship Program. Call (973) 746-5555 or visit www.montclairartmuseum.org.

The Women’s League of Conservative Judaism Garden State Region will host Maggie Anton, author of “Rashi’s Daughters,” at Temple Beth O’r/Beth Torah in Clark on April 8 at 7:30 p.m. There will be a dessert reception and book signing. It costs $8 per person with pre-registration or $10 at the door.

To register, send your name and phone number with check payable to the Garden State Region-WLCJ by April 1 to Sharon Barkauskas, GSR treasurer, 9 Abingdon St., Morris Plains, N.J. 07950. Proceeds benefit the Garden State Region Scholarship Fund. For information, e-mail Louise Cangelosi at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or Meryl Balaban, Garden State Region president, at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).