TALKS

THE GREAT DEBATE Cultural critics Dinesh D’Souza and Christopher Hitchens respond to the inquiry “Is Christianity the Problem?” during a debate presented by the King’s College, Cicero’s Podium, and the New York Society for Ethical Culture. Mr. Hitchens is a columnist at Vanity Fair magazine and the author of “God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything” (Twelve Books, Hachette), in which he describes religion as “violent, irrational, intolerant, allied to racism and tribalism and bigotry … .” Mr. D’Souza is the author of “What’s So Great About Christianity?” (Regnery), a defense of Christianity. Tonight, 7:30 p.m., New York Society for Ethical Culture, 64th Street at Central Park West, 800-526-7022, free.

ART

WELL-DESERVED RELIEF Eli Bornstein, a Milwaukee native born in 1922, is considered a pioneer of the Structurist Relief movement, which sprang from the constructivist movements of painting and sculpture that developed between 1915 and 1922 in Russia and the Netherlands. Bornstein’s work features colorful planes of enameled aluminum that seem to defy dimensions, with small pieces rising or jutting into the foreground. Selections include “Double Plane Structurist Relief No. 12” (Summer Growth Series, 1974–77). Through Saturday, November 24, Tuesday–Saturday, 10 a.m.–5:30 p.m., Forum Gallery, 745 Fifth Ave., between 57th and 58th streets, 5th floor, 212-355-4545, free.

‘TIL DEATH “I Am As You Will Be: The Skeleton in Art,” a group exhibit featuring more than 30 works, is on view at Cheim & Read. Among the highlights is artist Alice Neel’s “Natura Morte” (1964–65). The art of such varied figures as Damien Hirst, Jenny Holzer, and Jean-Michel Basquiat is also featured. The pieces are an examination of the long history of the skeleton’s artistic representation, and are emblematic of human nature’s ongoing and invested interest in mortality. The show is curated in part by scholar Xavier Tricot.

Through Saturday, November 3, Tuesday–Saturday, 10 a.m.–6 p.m., Cheim & Read, 547 W. 25th St., 212-242-7727, free.

OPERA

SILLS REMEMBERED The New York City Opera pays tribute to the late Beverly Sills during its opening matinee production of Jules Massenet’s “Cendrillon.” The American soprano, born Belle Silverman, attained international acclaim with City Opera. As a second act, Sills became general manager of the opera company, followed by a stint as chairman of Lincoln Center, and then of the Metropolitan Opera, before retiring in 2005. She died on July 2. The memorial service is hosted by mezzo-soprano Joyce Castle, and includes reminiscences by the chairman of City Opera, Susan Baker. A brief musical tribute follows the “Cendrillon” (a version of the Cinderella fairy tale), after which audience members are invited to a toast on the promenade of the New York State Theater.

Saturday, 1:30 p.m., New York City Opera, New York State Theater, 20 Lincoln Center Plz., between 63rd Street and Columbus Avenue, 212-721-6500, $16–$130.

READINGS

SEPTEMBER RAIN Authors Rick Moody and Helen Schulman read from and discuss the themes of their recent work as part of the Reading Series presented by the Creative Writing Program of New York University. Mr. Moody is author of the 1994 novel “The Ice Storm” (Little, Brown and Company), which was later adapted into a film by director Ang Lee. He reads “Right Livelihoods: Three Novellas” (Little, Brown), which pits its wayward characters against conspiracies sometimes entirely imagined, in stories heavily influenced by the attacks on September 11, 2001. Ms. Schulman reads from “A Day at the Beach” (Houghton Mifflin), which depicts 24 harrowing hours in the life of a family of artists on a September day in 2001.

Thursday, 7 p.m., New York University, Bobst Library, Fales library room, 70 Washington Square So. at LaGuardia Place, 212-998-8850, free.

WHO AM I? The Jewish Book Council hosts a panel discussion that explores how Jewish identity permeates the literature and lives of authors Rudy Delson (“Maynard and Jennica”); Yael Goldstein (“Overture”), and Cynthia Kaplan, the author of “Leave the Building Quickly: True Stories.” The president of the council, Lawrence Krule, introduces the panelists, author Liel Liebovitz serves as moderator. Tomorrow, 7 p.m., Strand Bookstore, 828 Broadway at 12th Street, 212-473-1452, free.

TALKS

EVERYTHING THAT RISES Journalists Adrian Nicole LeBlanc and Lawrence Weschler discuss their work during a wide-ranging talk. Mr. Weschler, a staff writer for more than 20 years at the New Yorker, is the director of the New York Institute for the Humanities at New York University. He is the author of “Everything That Rises: A Book of Convergences” (McSweeney’s). Ms. LeBlanc spent 10 years researching “Random Family: Love, Drugs, Trouble and Coming of Age in the Bronx” (HarperPerennial), about the struggles of an extended family. She is a recipient of the MacArthur “genius” award. Tonight, 7 p.m., Strand Bookstore, 828 Broadway at 12th Street, 212-473-1452, free.

GANGS OF NEW YORK During the 19th and 20th centuries, city schoolchildren brushed shoulders with fellow students of varied ethnicity, part of a wave of immigration to New York. Some of these children grew up and became important economic and political figures. The Museum of the City of New York takes a look at the development of three of these communities in “Ethnic Power in New and Old New York: The Irish, the Jews, and the Italians,” a discussion about how successive groups of immigrants and their descendants affected the political, financial, and social scopes of the city in the 20th century. Participants include a former newspaper columnist and author of the novel “North River” (Little, Brown), Pete Hamill; Mayor Koch, and a former chancellor of schools, Frank Macchiarola. The moderator of the discussion is Joshua Zeitz, the author of “White Ethnic New York: Jews, Catholics, and the Shaping of Postwar Politics” (University of North Carolina Press). Wednesday, 6:30 p.m., New York Academy of Medicine, 1216 Fifth Ave., between 102nd and 103rd streets, 212-534-1672 ext. 3395, $9 general, $5 students, seniors, and members.

HEDGING BETS The Aish MBA Community is a group of Jewish businessmen and students who aim to explore their heritage while advancing their business acumen, and developing opportunities in Israel that link members to the people and the high-tech market of that country. During the group’s monthly lecture, the chairman of a $4 billion hedge fund, Warren Lichtenstein, of Steel Partners, addresses the group with the managing director of Aish, Rabbi Adam Jacobs. Wednesday, 7:30 p.m., Aish New York, 313 W. 83rd St., between West End Avenue and Riverside Drive, 212-579-1388, $10 in advance, $20 at the doors.

THEATER

OFFICE SPACE The lives of a receptionist, Beverly, and her coworkers, are changed when the handsome Mr. Dart comes to town, in “The Receptionist.” The play is written by Adam Bock and directed by Joe Mantello, the director of Broadway’s “Wicked.” Among the featured cast members is Jayne Houdyshell, who was nominated for a Tony award last year for her role as Ann Kron in Lisa Kron’s Public Theater production of the 2004 comedy “Well.” Through Sunday, December 23, New York City Center, 131 W. 55th St., between 6th and 7th avenues, 212-581-1212, $75.

ART

JOURNEY TO THE PAST For its latest exhibit, “Collecting Treasures of the Past VI,” the Blumka Gallery partnered with the Munich-based Kuntshandlung Böhler Gallery, selecting 55 singular objects from the galleries’ collections, including a late-12th-century tazza, or risen plate, which depicts a hunter brandishing a sword while on a horse. The Blumka Gallery has been open in New York since 1938. The focus is on medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque art. Highlights of the show include “Saint John the Baptist,” above, created during the first quarter of the 17th century and attributed to the German artist Hans Degler. Through Friday, November 2, Monday–Friday, 10 a.m.–6 p.m., Blumka Gallery, 209 E. 72nd St. at Third Avenue, 212-734-3222, free.

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