Greater Boston

Jewish history in Greater Boston 1895: The Federation of Jewish Charities of Boston is established April 25. It soon renames itself Federated Jewish Charities to indicate a broader mission, then switches to Associated Jewish Philanthropies in 1930, and becomes Combined Jewish Philanthropies in 1960. Original member organizations include the United Hebrew Benevolent Society, the Hebrew Ladies Sewing Society, and the Leopold Morse Home for the Aged and Infirm Hebrews and Orphanage.

TUESDAY: Justin Halpern ("I Suck at Girls") reads at 7 p.m. at Brookline Booksmith … Richard Russo and Kate Russo ("Interventions") read at 7 p.m. at Newtonville Books, 10 Langley Rd., Newton Centre WEDNESDAY: John Palfrey and Urs Gasser ("Interop: The Promise and Perils of Highly Interconnected Systems") read at 6 p.m. at Wasserstein Hall, 1585 Mass. Ave., Cambridge (rsvp necessary at http://www.harvard.com/event/john_palfrey_and_urs_gasser/) … Marjorie Williams ("Markets of Paris")

When the 29-year-old Charles Dickens arrived in Boston in 1842 on his first visit to America, it was early in his career. Yet his fans were legion and they mobbed him wherever he went, even showing up at the artist's studio when he sat for a portrait. Dickens wanted to see for himself if America was establishing a better society than England's. He was critical of the young nation's embrace of slavery but impressed by the living and working conditions he witnessed on a day trip to Lowell.

The worldwide casino company run by billionaire Boston native Sheldon Adelson will bypass the chance to build a casino in Massachusetts, saying the state's plan to license up to three casinos and a slot parlor is going to dilute the market, according to a spokesman. Adelson, who had spent nearly $500,000 lobbying lawmakers on the casino bill approved last November, is known for building lavish gambling resorts, some costing several billion dollars. "With multiple facilities being proposed, it didn't synch with our business model," Ron Reese, a spokesman for Adelson's...

THEATER MA RAINEY'S BLACK BOTTOM This was August Wilson's breakthrough, the drama that established him as a playwright without peer in exploring the deepest currents of the African-American experience. "Ma Rainey" is in very good hands with director Liesl Tommy and her cast, including Yvette Freeman in the title role and Jason Bowen, who is riveting as Levee, a young trumpeter with dreams. Through April 8. Presented by Huntington Theatre Company. At Boston University Theatre. 617-266-0800, www.huntingtontheatre.org NEXT TO NORMAL A powerfully moving musical about a woman riding the seesaw...

The worldwide casino company run by billionaire Boston native Sheldon Adelson will bypass the chance to build a casino in Massachusetts, saying the state's plan to license up to three casinos and a slot parlor is going to dilute the market, according to a spokesman. Adelson, who had spent nearly $500,000 lobbying lawmakers on the casino bill approved last November, is known for building lavish gambling resorts, some costing several billion dollars. "With multiple facilities being proposed, it didn't synch with our business model," Ron Reese, a spokesman for Adelson's company, Las Vegas...

TODAY Vivian Gornick ("Emma Goldman: Revolution as a Way of Life") reads at 3 p.m. at Concord Academy Chapel, 166 Main St., Concord. MONDAY Abby Stokes ("Is This Thing On?") reads at 6 p.m. at the Boston Public Library, Copley Square . . . Karina Borowicz ("The Bees Are Waiting"), Len Krisak's ("Virgil's Eclogues"), and Jennifer S. Flescher read at 7 p.m. at the Yenching Library, 2 Divinity Ave., Cambridge. TUESDAY Sven Birkerts ("The Other Walk") reads at 6:30 p.m. at the South End Library, Tremont Street at West Newton Street, Boston . . . Margot Livesey...

One of Boston's leading Jewish charities assailed yesterday a full-page ad in The New York Times that urged readers to ask why the organization is "funding bigotry and anti-Israel extremism" by two left-leaning groups. Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz also castigated the ad by the Emergency Committee for Israel, which he said quoted him without approval and distorted the funding role of Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Greater Boston. The Emergency Committee for Israel, a critic of President Obama's policy...

Robert M. Coard. By Jeremy C. Fox, Town Correspondent The Action for Boston Community Development agency has announced that it will dedicate its central office building in honor of the late Robert M. Coard, ABCD's president and CEO for more than four decades. Coard retired in 2009, after leading the organization since 1968, and died in November of that year at 82. He had suffered from heart disease. A Globe obituary quoted former Boston Mayor Raymond L. Flynn as saying, "Boston without Bob Coard is like the Public Garden without the swan boats.

The YMCA of Greater Boston had a celebration Tuesday for minority leaders who mentor local young people. Special guests at the evening festivities at the Boston Marriott Copley Place included David Wilkins, who is the newest board member for the YMCA of Greater Boston, and Wilkins's wife, Terry, as well as YMCA of Greater Boston CEO Kevin Washington, and Washington's wife, Sheila.

ON WGBH Greater Boston 7 p.m. WGBH (Channel 2) ON CHRONICLE A Tank Away 7:30 p.m. WCVB-TV (Channel 5) The Cape, North Shore, and the Berkshires. RADIO HIGHLIGHTS The Diane Rehm Show 10 a.m. WGBH-FM (89.7) Middle East expert Fawaz Gerges assesses President Obama's foreign policies and offers a new plan for the region. The Callie Crossley Show 1 p.m. WGBH-FM (89.7) Paul Reickhoff, of the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, and Coleman Nee, Mass.

ON WGBH Greater Boston 7 p.m. WGBH (Channel 2) Galería Cubana, one of the only places in the United States licensed to import Cuban art. ON CHRONICLE What's New? 7:30 p.m. WCVB-TV (Channel 5) Sushi hot dogs, frozen yogurt, Boston bars and a vertical fashion show. RADIO HIGHLIGHTS On Point With Tom Ashbrook 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. WBUR-FM (90.9) Budget battle in the US Congress. On Point With Tom Ashbrook 11 a.m. and 8 p.m. WBUR-FM (90.9)

Robert M. Coard. By Jeremy C. Fox, Town Correspondent The Action for Boston Community Development agency has announced that it will dedicate its central office building in honor of the late Robert M. Coard, ABCD's president and CEO for more than four decades. Coard retired in 2009, after leading the organization since 1968, and died in November of that year at 82. He had suffered from heart disease. A Globe obituary quoted former Boston Mayor Raymond L. Flynn as saying, "Boston without Bob Coard is like the Public Garden without the swan boats.