Yom HaZikaron and Yom HaAtzmaut this year in Milwaukee will include a group visit from Israel, comprised of several women from a Gaza envelope kibbutz.
“We want them to get to know the Milwaukee community. We believe that it’s a two-way connection,” said Noa Gerassi, community shlicha (emissary). “Not only do we want to help them, we want them to get to know us, get to know our challenges, our strength and pride. They’re going to have a role at each of those two events.”
The events are organized by Milwaukee Jewish Federation, the Harry & Rose Samson Family JCC and Nathan and Esther Pelz Holocaust Education Resource Center.
Yom HaAtzmaut is Israel’s Independence Day, set locally for April 26. Yom HaZikaron honors Israel’s victims of terror and fallen soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces, held locally this year on April 20. Visitors from the Gaza-envelope kibbutz, Yad Mordechai, will hold a post-Yom Hazikaron ceremony gathering, “Remembering2Gether,” at the JCC for those who would like to stay and hear their stories.
The visit from Yad Mordechai is one more step in a continuing relationship with the local Jewish community, after the Jewish Agency for Israel paired kibbutzim with different American communities. Yad Mordechai is paired with Milwaukee, through the Community2Gether program.
On the map, Kibbutz Yad Mordechai is a point that sits eerily just above the Gaza strip, infamously a major area of tragedy in Israel during the attacks of Oct 7. It is less than three miles from the Gaza border and about 20 miles from the site of the Nova music festival. On Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas militants attempted to infiltrate Yad Mordechai, but the kibbutz’s local security squad, border police and Israeli special forces fought them off in and around the area, killing dozens of attackers and preventing them from entering the community or carrying out a massacre.
Residents sheltered in place and were later evacuated; while the kibbutz itself was spared mass casualties, there was heavy fighting at nearby junctions and rocket and mortar fire caused damage, including to the kibbutz museum.
Now, the kibbutz is receiving support from the Milwaukee Jewish Federation’s Israel Emergency Fund. The goal is to rebuild resilience and strengthen the community, and to form connections. Campers from the kibbutz have attended The Steve and Shari Sadek Family Camp Interlaken JCC for two summers and are expected to also attend next summer. Multiple delegations from Wisconsin have visited the kibbutz and been hosted there, and the connections are ongoing. More delegations from Milwaukee will visit Yad Mordechai during their time in Israel, said Susie Rosengarten, associate director of the Israel Center of Milwaukee Jewish Federation.
“During times like this, that we experience more like negativity around our identities, it’s really important to understand these connections that we have between Jews around the world, and not only Milwaukee and Israel,” Gerassi said.
“It’s a source of strength and not only challenges,” she said, acknowledging that sometimes Jews in the diaspora are experiencing difficulties because they are linked to Israel, or because they support Israel.
“We might be 0.2% (of the total population) in the world, but we are a big family of 0.2% in the world,” she said. Meeting fellow Jews from elsewhere is enriching for our big family, she said. That’s part of what the visit to Milwaukee will be for.
“We want people to have the chance to get inspired and get strengthened.”
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About our visitors
Visitors from Yad Mordechai to Milwaukee for Yom HaZikaron and Yom HaAtzmaut events:
- Sivan Chen joined Yad Mordechai just before the Oct. 7 attacks, but has only become more invested in the community since.
- NICU nurse Ofer Hemo has several generations of family history tying her to Yad Mordechai.
- Ziv Eldan Harrari is not only an attorney, but also Head of the Kibbutz Emergency Team.
- Although Shani Rieger moved to Yad Mordechai only just before Oct. 7, she is still determined to raise her three children there.
- Maya Derfner Shifman coordinates the Milwaukee-Yad Mordechai partnership. Along with her many other kibbutz leadership positions, Maya is the mother of two children.
- Kibbutz-born Gili Degani is a respiratory intensive care nurse and mother of three. She comes from four generations of family dedicated to defending Israel.
- During her time sheltering in a nearby hotel following Oct. 7, Shuli Schneider supported her fellow kibbutz members by facilitating performances and events to boost morale. She is a mother to three and works as a School Administrative Secretary in the kibbutz’s high school.
- Special to the Chronicle/Helena Birbrower
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Hed: Annual Israel events
Mark your calendar! These events are brought to you by Milwaukee Jewish Federation, the JCC, and others in the community.
Yom HaZikaron
What: Israel’s Day of Remembrance honoring victims of terror and fallen soldiers of the IDF and Israeli security services.
When: Monday, April 20 at 6:30 p.m.
Where: Harry & Rose Samson Family JCC, Daniel M. Soref Community Hall, 6255 N. Santa Monica Blvd., Whitefish Bay
Also: Visitors from Kibbutz Yad Mordechai will hold “Remembering2Gether” event after the ceremony.
Yom HaAtzmaut
What: Celebration of Israel’s independence, achievements, and community spirit.
When: Sunday, April 26 at 2 p.m.
Where: Harry & Rose Samson Family JCC, 6255 N. Santa Monica Blvd., Whitefish Bay
More info: https://www.milwaukeejewish.org/yamim
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