Coming events, May 2019 | Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle

Coming events, May 2019

Thursday, May 2

Film: ‘God on Trial’

“God on Trial” (England) (2008). A group of Auschwitz prisoners form a rabbinical court to debate whether God has broken his covenant with the Jews and how God can allow his people to suffer such misery and atrocities. This filmed television play is based on a true story that Elie Wiesel witnessed in the camps. In English, French, Polish and Hebrew. 1 hr. 26 min.Suitable for age 13 to adult.Discussion leader: Rabbi Ron Shapiro. Co-sponsored by the Nathan and Esther Pelz Holocaust Education Resource Center. May 2, 7 p.m. Free and open to the community at the Harry & Rose Samson Family Jewish Community Center, 6255 N. Santa Monica Blvd., Whitefish Bay. 414-964-4444.

Sunday, May 5

The Bach Chamber Choir

Join with the Bach Chamber Choir for a spring concert as they celebrate the centennial year of Leonard Bernstein’s birth. Pieces to be presented include well-loved selections from his musicals West Side Story and 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, his opera Candide, and his incidental music to The Lark, a French play about Joan of Arc.  May 5, 3 p.m. Congregation Shalom, 7630 N. Santa Monica Blvd., Fox Point. Tickets: $17 in advance, $18 at the door, $10 for students, $1 discount for seniors. For tickets and information, call 414-319-9816.

Human trafficking

“Human Trafficking: It Happens Here.” Sunday, May 5, 10:30 a.m.–noon. Congregation Beth Israel Ner Tamid at 6880 N. Green Bay Ave., Glendale. 414-352-7310. Join an informative program sponsored by CBINT’s Men’s Club, Sisterhood and Social Action Committee. Presented by the Redeem and Restore Center, human trafficking prevention and intervention, and the restoration of women and girls who have been manipulated and trapped in the sex trafficking industry.  The Social Action Committee will also be collecting new and slightly used purses to donate to Fresh Start Learning for battered women. For more information, contact CBINT at

Yom HaShoah

Survivor to speak at commemoration. See story, page 12

Tuesday, May 7

Hospice care seminar

Ovation Communities hosts its “Ahead of Your Time: Care Planning for Later Life” seminar this spring. May 7, 4-5:15 p.m. This session, on hospice care, is with Dr. Katherine Recka, MD, assistant professor of medicine at the Medical College of Wisconsin, Division of Hematology and Oncology, specializing in hospice and palliative medicine. Free and open to the public at Ovation Jewish Home, 1414 N. Prospect Ave. Participants can RSVP at Ovation.org/Foundation.

Yom HaZikaron

Local Israeli Memorial Day commemoration. See story, page 27.

Wednesday, May 8

Armed resistance

“Don’t Ever Say the End is Near and Hope is Gone: Jewish Armed Resistance During the Holocaust.” May 8, 11:45 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. Jewish Museum Milwaukee, a program of Milwaukee Jewish Federation, 1360 N. Prospect Ave. Conversation on the heroism and perseverance of Jewish resistance fighters — in the ghettos, camps, in partisan units and in a variety of underground organizations — who chose to respond to the Nazi Final Solution plan by resorting to armed resistance. Dr. Shay Pilnik, executive director of the Nathan and Esther Pelz Holocaust Education Resource Center, will explore the topic. JewishMuseumMilwaukee.org. Museum members $3. Non-members $5.

Documentary: ‘Fireflies’

See “Fireflies” at the Harry & Rose Samson Family Jewish Community Center, 6255 N. Santa Monica Blvd., Whitefish Bay, May 8 at 7 p.m. Open to the community at no charge. It’s about how one man’s tank was hit by Egyptian forces and then disappeared during the Yom Kippur War, plus his brother’s search for him, both physically and spiritually. 

Thursday, May 9

KidShare 2019

Now celebrating its 30th anniversary, KidShare: Milwaukee’s Finest Culinary Event will bring together over 30 of Milwaukee’s best restaurants, chefs, bakers and caterers on May 9 from 6-10 p.m. at The Pfister Hotel, 424 E. Wisconsin Ave., Milwaukee. Proceeds from the event will benefit scholarships for the programs of the Harry & Rose Samson Family Jewish Community Center in Whitefish Bay. New for 2019, the theme of “Perfect Pairings” invites KidShare’s talented culinary participants to create unique menu items that celebrate a JCC program area, like early childhood education, camping or after-school programs. At KidShare, guests will also nibble and nosh on a myriad of savory and sweet food offerings from popular eateries like Carnevor, Lake Park Bistro, The Cheel and Mila’s European Bakery, as well as a number of new event participants, such as Birch + Butcher, Char’d, Fauntleroy, Fresh Fin Poké, and Giggly Champagne and Wine Bar at Saint Kate the Arts Hotel. The evening also includes a silent auction, as well as a raffle with a wide variety of themed prizes. Programs benefiting from the event include Gan Ami Early Childhood Education and KidsCenter Before and After School Care, among others. Individual tickets for the event are $225 and may be purchased online at JccMilwaukee.EJoinMe.org/Tickets or by calling Micki Seinfeld, JCC director of special events, at 414-967-8235 or meseinfeld@jccmilwaukee.org

Jewish American films

University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Professor Rachel Baum will speak about Jewish American films and television at 7 p.m. on May 9 at Congregation Emanu-El of Waukesha, 830 W. Moreland Blvd. The program, which was rescheduled from February because of bad weather, is free and open to the public. Baum will show clips from current movies and television shows, and analyze what they say about Jewish identity now and in the future. She has researched Holocaust literature and film, post-Holocaust emotions and women in the Holocaust.

Wednesday, May 15

Happy hour for young adults

Happy Hour with Young Leadership Division of Milwaukee Jewish Federation.Meet up with other Jewish young adults for a fun and casual happy hour on May 15, 5:30-7:30 p.m. at Blue Bat Kitchen & Tequilaria, 249 N. Water St. This is a free event with one free drink; receive an additional drink ticket if you register for the YLD River Boat Cruise. RSVPs are encouraged at MilwaukeeJewish.org/YLD.

Sunday, May 19

Lake Park’s Annual Brunch

Lake Park Synagogue, Milwaukee, will host its annual brunch May 19 from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Installation of Rabbi Dinin. Guest speaker Rabbi Dov Linzer, president and rosh yeshiva of Yeshivat Chovevei Torah. Rabbi Linzer will discuss “What is Modern Orthodoxy?” 414-962-5508.

Congregation Sinai Sinaifest!

Family, food, activities and games for students to play during the morning. You may even get to pie one (or more) of them in the face! May 19, 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Congregation Sinai, 8223 N. Port Washington Road, Fox Point, 414-352-2970.

Walk for Israel

Yom HaAtzmaut, the Israeli Independence Day, and its Walk for Israel. See story, page 26.

Tuesday, May 21

ED Talk: Kids and tech

Milwaukee Jewish Day School’s “ED Talk: Helping Our Kids Navigate the Strong Pull of Technology.” Clinical psychologist Dr. Michael Mazius will present recent findings on the pros and cons of technology as it shapes us and our children. Additionally, Mazius will describe new, important and seemingly counterintuitive ways in which we can assist our children and adolescents in developing self-control, a keener sense of time, balance and good judgment when technology takes center stage. May 21, 6:30-8 p.m. MJDS beit midrash at 6401 N. Santa Monica Blvd., Whitefish Bay. 414-964-1499. For more information, contact Head of School Aaron Lippman, ALippman@Mjds.org. Babysitting is available. Contact Cheryl Siegel-Gajewski, Csiegel-Gajewski@Mjds.org, to reserve your spot.

Wednesday, May 22

Chorale founders return

Milwaukee Jewish Community Chorale concert. See story, page 3.

Thursday, May 23

Women’s Philanthropy with Rosenzweig

“From Baby Boomers to Millennials: Trends, Attitudes and the Impact on Our Jewish Community” will be the topic of Milwaukee Jewish Federation President & CEO Miryam Rosenzweig’s presentation as guest speaker at Women’s Philanthropy of MJF’s Annual Meeting. Lunch will be served (dietary laws observed). Co-chairs: Michele Berman and Jill Zimmerman. May 23, 11:15 a.m.-1:30 p.m. at Congregation Shalom, 7630 N. Santa Monica Blvd. Price is $40. RSVP by May 16 at MilwaukeeJewish.org/WPAM.

Jewish museum ‘StorySlam’

“StorySlam: Untold Stories of Resistance with Ex Fabula” at Jewish Museum Milwaukee. Everyone loves a story. Enjoy the evening while being entertained, engaged and emboldened by Milwaukeeans sharing their stories. Inspired by the fortitude of Jewish Partisan Faye Schulman, community members will share their personal story of “Untold Stories of Resistance.” For this noncompetitive curated StorySlam, storytellers are selected from our “Untold Stories of Resistance Workshop,” where each teller works with an Ex Fabula storytelling coach to prepare their true story on the theme of resistance. Audience members can also participate in the storytelling by submitting UltraShorts, which are brief, true personal stories written on slips of paper and read onstage by the Ex Fabula emcee. May 23, 7 p.m. Jewish Museum Milwaukee, a program of the Milwaukee Jewish Federation, is at 1360 N. Prospect Ave. 414-390-5730. JewishMuseumMilwaukee.org.

Sunday, May 26

RUACH children’s opera

See page 25.

Wednesday, May 29

Speaker: Dana Margolis

Dana Margolis, senior lecturer for Hebrew studies at University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee will speak on “Sefirat HaOmer (Counting the Omer): It’s Not Too Late to Make it Count.” May 29 at 7:45 p.m. at Congregation Anshe Sfard Kehillat Torah, 6717 N. Green Bay Ave, Glendale. This is a timely topic for the period between Passover and Shavuot. The lecture is free and open to the community. 414-228-9296. Asktshul.com

The son of Hamas

“The Son of Hamas: The Voice of Truth, a Hope for Peace,” featuring Mosab Hassan Yousef, informant for Israel’s Shin Bet. At the Jewish National Fund’s Annual Breakfast for Israel. May 29, 8-9 a.m. Program registration begins at 7:30 a.m. Mosab Hassan Yousef, aka “The Green Prince,” is the oldest son of Sheikh Hassan Yousef, a founding member of Hamas. He assisted his father for years, but became disillusioned with Hamas’ tactics while in prison and became a spy for Israel. The information he supplied prevented dozens of suicide attacks and assassinations of Israelis and assisted Israel in hunting down many militants, including the incarceration of his own father. In 2010, he published his autobiography, titled “Son of Hamas.” The Wisconsin Club’s Country Club, 6200 Good Hope Road, Milwaukee. RSVP by May 16 at Jnf.org/wibfi. No cost to attend. Vaad certified catering. Jnf.org. 800-JNF-0099.

Thursday, May 30

Community Read book author

Milwaukee Jewish Federation’s 2018-19 Community Read book selection is “Letters to My Palestinian Neighbor” by Yossi Klein Halevi. See the author in town on May 30, 7-9 p.m at Congregation Emanu-El B’ne Jeshurun, 2020 W. Brown Deer Road. Learn more about the Community Read and RSVP for the free event at MilwaukeeJewish.org/Read.

Sunday, June 2

Rabbi Soloveichik visit

See page 25.

Mound Zion meeting

The Annual Meeting of Mound Zion Cemetery will be at 11 a.m. on June 2 at the Harry & Rose Samson Family Jewish Community Center, 6255 N. Santa Monica Blvd., Whitefish Bay. For more information, contact Stanley Teplin at 262-242-3845.

Wednesday, June 19

Tikkun Ha-Ir fundraiser

Tikkun Ha-Ir of Milwaukee’s The Art of Giving Fundraiser is set for 6-8 p.m., June 19. Bring your family and friends for an evening of delicious food and creativity. $54 per person; under 18 free. Come design, buy and view local art! Held at the Harry & Rose Samson Family Jewish Community Center, 6255 N. Santa Monica Blvd. in Whitefish Bay. More information: 414-501-3618 or Thi-Milwaukee.org.

Monday, July 1

Jewish Experience of Madison

Jewish Experience of Madison will be holding its eighth annual Golf Classic on July 1. At the River Club with a “Shotgun Start” at 1 p.m. For more information contact Rocky Anton at 414-708-6353 or at JemUwOffice@Gmail.com

Ongoing Health & Support

Alzheimer’s & Dementia

Social engagement opportunities, support options and other information at Alz.org/sewi/helping_you.

Alcoholics Anonymous

An international fellowship of men and women who have had a drinking problem. Meetings are held at multiple times and locations around the city, including 7 p.m. Monday night, Chabad-Lubavitch, 3901 N. Lake Drive, Milwaukee. To find other meeting times and locations, call 414-771-9119, the local office of Alcoholics Anonymous or go to AAMilwaukee.com

Breast cancer support

Breast cancer patients, their families and friends are matched with professionally trained breast cancer survivors and co-survivors. All connections are personalized and based on similar diagnoses, treatment plans and circumstances. Services are free and begin with a phone conversation. ABCD: After Breast Cancer Diagnosis supports both patients and survivors. To receive ABCD support, call 414-977-1780 or visit AbcdBreastCancerSupport.org.   

Friendship House Fellowship

A support group for Jewish men and women in recovery from addiction to alcohol or other substances. Requirements for membership are participation in a 12-step program (such as AA or Narcotics Anonymous) and a desire to recover. Meetings are Tuesday, 6:30 p.m. at The Shul, 3901 N. Lake Drive in Milwaukee.

Jewish Family Services

Outpatient mental health services to people dealing with personal and mental health issues. Contact 414-390-5800. JFS is located at 1300 N. Jackson St., Milwaukee.

Jewish Grief Group

The Jewish Grief Group, under the auspices of Jewish Family Services, is open to all. Wednesdays, 12-1 p.m. It rotates among local synagogues. Call Jewish Family Services, 414-390-5800, to register.

NAMI – mental health

NAMI-Wisconsin resources and connecting points available at NamiGrm.org and NamiWisconsin.org.

North Shore Al-Anon

North Shore Al-Anon no longer holds weekly meetings, but if interested contact Gerald Melnick at MelnickGerald@gmail.com.

SPARK! memory loss program

SPARK! is a program for people experiencing memory loss and their care partners. Jewish Museum Milwaukee holds SPARK! events at 10 a.m. on the first Friday of each month in partnership with Ovation Communities. Jewish Museum Milwaukee is a program of the Milwaukee Jewish Federation. 414-390-5730. JewishMuseumMilwaukee.org.