At The Table with Ari’el Stachel:
A Yemenite-Inspired Shabbat

Friday, October 16 2026
6:00 pm – 8:00 pm

Pull up a chair for a very special edition of Maine Jewish Museum’s At the Table series with Tony and GRAMMY Award-winning actor, writer, and singer Ari’el Stachel.

Ari’el’s own story spans cultures and continents. The son of a Yemenite-Israeli father and an Ashkenazi-American mother, he has spent much of his life exploring what it means to hold multiple identities at once, an experience that ultimately helped inspire his acclaimed autobiographical solo show, OTHER.

On Friday evening, we’ll leave the theater behind and gather around the Shabbat table.

MJM Executive Director — and former award-winning restaurateur and caterer — Dawn LaRochelle will prepare a Yemenite-inspired pescetarian Shabbat feast highlighting the flavors of fall, with dairy-free and gluten-free options available. Over dinner, Ari’el will join us for an intimate evening of conversation and storytelling about family and heritage, Jewish identity and belonging, his journey to Broadway, and what it means to embrace all the pieces of ourselves..

Come hungry. Come curious. Come ready for a Shabbat dinner unlike any other.

ABOUT ARI’EL STACHEL

Ari’el Stachel is a Tony® and GRAMMY® Award-winning actor, writer, and activist best known for his breakout performance in The Band’s Visit. Born to a Yemenite Israeli father and an Ashkenazi Jewish mother, his career has been shaped by code-switching, cultural erasure, and the pressure to conform — experiences that led him to create Other, his acclaimed solo show which premiered at Berkeley Rep and made its New York Off-Broadway debut in fall 2025.

A vocal advocate for mental health awareness and Jewish identity, Ari’el has been featured on MSNBC speaking about cultural belonging and continues to create space for nuance and shared humanity in his art and activism.

On screen, he stars in the upcoming feature Death Do Us Part and has appeared in Don’t Worry Darling (Warner Bros.) and A24’s Zola, with television credits including Law & Order: SVU, Billions, and The Night Agent.

Tickets

Ari’el Stachel’s Maine Jewish Museum residency and all associated programs are made possible
through the generous support of the Sam L. Cohen Foundation.