Micha Bar Am

Among hundreds of events taking place throughout 1998 to mark the 50th anniversary of the state of Israel is "Micha Bar-Am: Israel, a Photobiography," an exhibition on view at the Museum of Tolerance. Now 68, Bar-Am has lived in Israel since 1936 and began taking pictures as a boy. Present with his camera at dozens of Israel's historic moments, he's compiled a vast photographic chronicle of the region.

Among hundreds of events taking place throughout 1998 to mark the 50th anniversary of the state of Israel is "Micha Bar-Am: Israel, a Photobiography," an exhibition on view at the Museum of Tolerance. Now 68, Bar-Am has lived in Israel since 1936 and began taking pictures as a boy. Present with his camera at dozens of Israel's historic moments, he's compiled a vast photographic chronicle of the region.

"Marsden Hartley: American Modern"--"Adelard the Drowned, Master of the 'Phantom'," above, is among works at the Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art on the Pepperdine University campus. * "Micha Bar Am: Israel, A Photobiography"--More than 150 images by one of Israel's top photojournalists opens today at Winnick Exhibition Gallery in Simon Wiesenthal Center, Museum of Tolerance.

Today "Washington Journal": Deborah Kalb, Gannett News Service, 5 a.m. C-SPAN. "Today": Medicare and health costs; golf gear; Cirque du Soleil, 6 a.m. (4). "John McLaughlin's One on One": Discussion of the implications of the impotence drug Viagra on relationships and society, 1:30 p.m. (28). "Evans & Novak": Cardinal John O'Connor, 2:30 p.m., repeats Sunday 7 a.m. CNN. "Tony Brown's Journal": Authors Herbert Harris and George Fraser, 2:30 p.m. (28).

Jalali Sousan-Abadi's art, now showing at the Gail Michael Gallery in Studio City, is a fine example of art that is both highly detailed and not caught up in details. Although he attends to the fine points of creating scenes, and weaves ornamentation in and around the central imagery, the end result involves a more sensual, flowing quality than one might expect. It's art of deceptive expansiveness.

The Internet continues to foster an international religious renaissance connecting congregations, starting dialogues and providing information on thousands of faiths to spiritual surfers and skeptics alike. Here are two sites of interest. In what may be a virtual gathering to rival the number of Israelites at Mt. Sinai, scores of Jews are expected to come together on the Internet for the second annual Jewish Web Week.