Coming events, April 2022 | Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle

Coming events, April 2022 

Friday, April 1  

Hillel Milwaukee Shabbat  

Join Hillel Milwaukee for its second annual Cream City Community Shabbat that celebrates the students and young adults of Hillel Milwaukee with the rest of the Milwaukee Jewish community. The program will include awards, Shabbat blessings, and a performance by Jewish bluegrass/Americana band, Nefesh Mountai. Community members can join virtually, and students can attend in-person. April 1 at 6 p.m. Hillel Milwaukee, 3053 N. Stowell Ave. More details at Hillelmke.org.  

Sunday, April 3  

CEEBJ Variety Show  

Congregation Emanu-El B’ne Jeshurun will present its 8th Annual Variety Show, rescheduled from January. April 3 at 11:30 a.m. More details at CEEBJ.org.  

Sobibor project 

The Nathan and Esther Pelz Holocaust Education Resource Center will bring a “sneak peek” of a documentary-in-progress about the Sobibor Documentation Project with filmmaker Gary Hochman. After a prisoner revolt in 1943, the Nazi death camp, Sobibor, was destroyed to hide the evidence of the Holocaust. An international archeological team began excavations in 2008 to uncover what the Nazis attempted to conceal. Journalist and filmmaker Gary Hochman will join the audience for a discussion about why investigating Sobibor is so important to Holocaust education. April 3 at 6 p.m. Marcus North Shore Cinema, 11700 N. Port Washington Rd. No virtual viewing or recording option. Learn more at HolocaustCenterMilwaukee.org. 

Ability open gym 

The JCC’s Center for Inclusion and Special Needs is partnering with The Ability Center for an Ability Open Gym where all kinds of sports will be adapted from wheelchair basketball to sitting volleyball and goalball to tennis. April 3 from 1-3 p.m. Free and open to the public with advance registration. Register at JCCMilwaukee.org/Community/Ability-Center-Open-Gym. Contact Sarah McCutcheon, special needs coordinator, at SMcCutcheon@JCCMilwaukee.org or Renee Hundt, director of special needs and inclusion, at RHundt@JCCMilwaukee.org with questions. 

Monday, April 4 

Israelis in Wisconsin 

All seven of Wisconsin’s shlichim (four from Milwaukee and three from Madison) will meet at Anshe Sfard Kehillat Torah to share personal stories and discuss what it means to bring Israel to Wisconsin and the challenges of doing so. This event is a collaboration of Anshe Sfard Kehillat Torah, Congregation Beth Israel Ner Tamid and the Israel Center of the Milwaukee Jewish Federation. April 4 at 5:30 p.m. Israeli dinner will be served. Space is limited. Register to attend by emailing Milwaukee Community Shaliach Uria Roth at UriaR@MilwaukeeJewish.org. 

Tuesday, April 5 

Passover horseradish 

Taste & Tradition is celebrating Passover. Join Harry & Rose Samson Family JCC President and CEO, Mark Shapiro who will share his family recipe for chrain (homemade horseradish). Shapiro is known for his unique flavors of chrain, so be prepared to try something new with your gefilte fish this year. April 5 at 5 p.m. JCC Member $10. Community participants $15. Key ingredients available for curbside pickup. More information at JCCMilwaukee.org/Programs/Art-Ideas. 

Wednesday, April 6 

JNF Virtual Breakfast 

The Jewish National Fund will hold a virtual breakfast event featuring guest speaker Gil Hoffman, chief political correspondent and analyst for The Jerusalem Post. Hoffman will provide a behind the scenes look at the intrigue in the Israeli political arena. April 6 from 8-9 a.m. Free and virtual. Register at JNF.org/BFIMidwest. 

Thursday, April 7 

World wars tour 

Join the Harry & Rose Samson Family JCC’s Tapestry Arts & Ideas for a morning exploring two museum exhibits during private, docent-led tours that examine how the world changed during World War I and World War II – a period that caused great change especially for the Jewish community. The event will feature Jewish Museum Milwaukee’s current exhibit “Then They Came for Me: Incarceration of Japanese Americans During WWII and the Demise of Civil Liberties” and the Charles Allis Museum’s exhibitDressing the Abbey,” a costume exhibition that looks at the turbulence and changes of life in England during WWI. Members $24. Patrons $20. Community members $28. April 7 at 9:30 a.m. Contact JCC Arts & Culture Director, Reva Fox at RFox@JCCMilwaukee.org for more information. JCCMilwaukee.org. 

Community antisemitism 

Kenosha has seen a proliferation of antisemitic fliers posted around the city. Over nine community organizations will come together at Carthage College to take action against antisemitism. Guest speakers include David Goldenberg of Anti-Defamation League – Midwest Region, Rabbi Dena Feingold of Kenosha Beth Hillel Temple, Kai Gardner Mishlove and Allison Hayden of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Milwaukee Jewish Federation, and Samantha Abramson of the Nathan and Esther Pelz Holocaust Education Resource Center. April 7 at 7 p.m. Carthage College, Todd Wehr Center (Room Jockey B), 2001 Alford Park Drive, Kenosha. This event will also be live streamed at Live.carthage.edu. 

Friday, April 8 

Joint Reform Shabbat 

The Metropolitan Council of Reform Congregations, a group of five reform synagogues in southeastern Wisconsin, will gather for a shared Shabbat celebration featuring guest speaker Rabbi Dena A. Feingold of Beth Hillel Temple in Kenosha who will present “Communal Tzara’at: Living, Working and Healing in an Afflicted Community.” This event will be held virtually at Congregation Sinai. For more information, contact Congregation Sinai at 414-352-2970.  

Sunday, April 10 

Exodus experience 

Congregation Beth Israel Ner Tamid will hold an interactive, experiential, carnival-style Passover event for kids and families. Families will be able to meet Moses, cross the Red Sea, make their own matza, collect manna in the desert and more. April 10 from 9:30-11:30 a.m. Members and nonmembers are welcome. Free. For more information, contact Beata Abraham at BeataA@CBINTMilwaukee.org. 

Music2Gether 

Partnership2Gether, a program that builds relationships between Milwaukeeans and people living in Sovev Kinneret, Israel, invites you to an afternoon of music that features musicians from Milwaukee and Israel including Milwaukee’s own Aaron Bergtrom. This concert will be virtual. April 10 at 12 p.m. For more information, visit MilwaukeeJewish.org/IsraelinMilwaukee. 

Teen inclusion training 

The Inclusion Teen Training program will hold its final training session. This program educates and supports 8th-12th graders who work with children and peers with disabilities. Teens learn how to assist in settings like synagogue schools, Friendship Circle of Wisconsin, camps, and youth groups to create an inclusive environment. April 10 from 4-6 p.m. Friendship Circle of Wisconsin, 8649 N. Port Washington Road. Contact co-facilitators Jennifer Saber, MJF kosher inclusion specialist, and Leah Stein, co-director of Friendship Circle of Wisconsin, at JenniferS@MilwaukeeJewish.org or RLeahStein@gmail.com. Fcwi.org/itt. 

Tuesday, April 12 

‘Setsuko’s Secret’ 

Join the Jewish Museum Milwaukee for a conversation about the book “Setsuko’s Secret: Heart Mountain and the Legacy of the Japanese American Incarceration.” Author Shirley Ann Higuchi, chair of the Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation, will share her transformational journey into uncovering her family’s history and learning about the Japanese American incarceration during World War II. Higuchi will be joined by Ray Locker, editorial consultant for the Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation, and former incarceree, Kathleen Saito Yuille. April 12 at 7 p.m. Members $5. Nonmembers $10. Programs@JewishMuseumMilwaukee.org. 414-390-5730. JewishMuseumMilwaukee.org.  

Tuesday, April 19 

Conversation starters 

The Jewish Museum Milwaukee will feature Ellen Eisenberg, professor of history, as part of its interview series via Facebook Live. Eisenberg will share her research about the responses of Jewish Americans on the West Coast during the wave of incarceration that affected their Japanese American neighbors. April 19 at 2 p.m. at Facebook.com/JewishMuseumMKE.  

Meet an Ethiopian teen 

Temple Beth El in Madison invites you to deepen your connection and understanding of Israel by meeting Brhan, an Ethiopian teen, who will talk about her life in Ethiopia and now in Israel. This virtual presentation will include a film, live music and a Q&A session. April 19 at 6:30 p.m. Visit TBEMadison.org/Event/IsraelStoriesBrhan to register. 

Wednesday, April 20 

Japanese Latin Americans 

Cosponsored by the Japanese American Citizens League-Wisconsin Chapter and the Jewish Museum Milwaukee, the UW-Milwaukee Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies will host a program that tells the stories of Japanese Latin American populations during the Japanese American incarceration during World War II. This program is a compliment to Jewish Museum Milwaukee’s newest exhibit “Then They Came for Me: Incarceration of Japanese Americans during WWII and the Demise of Civil Liberties.” This program will feature Natasha Varner of the Densho Foundation. Learn more about how to register by calling the Jewish Museum Milwaukee at 414-390-5730 or emailing Programs@JewishMilwaukeeMilwaukee.org. 

Sunday, April 24 

Mimouna Celebration 

The Israel Center and the Jewish Community Relations Council of the Milwaukee Jewish Federation will gather with Congregation Shalom for a Mimouna celebration. Mimouna is a traditional Moroccan celebration held the day after Passover that celebrates the return of eating hametz. This event will feature food and live music and is open to all ages. The Milwaukee interfaith community is welcome to attend. April 24 from 2-4 p.m. Congregation Shalom, 7630 N. Santa Monica Blvd. For more information, visit MilwaukeeJewish.org/Mimouna. 

Monday, April 25 

Entertainment for older adults 

KOACH at the Harry & Rose Samson Family JCC, a social club for adults 55+, will bring pianist Fredrick Moyer to the JCC for an afternoon of entertainment. KOACH is a partnership between the JCC and five Milwaukee synagogues including Congregation Beth Israel Ner Tamid, Congregation Emanu-El B’ne Jeshurun, Congregation Shalom, Congregation Sinai and Temple Menorah. April 25 at 1 p.m. Harry & Rose Samson Family JCC, 6255 N. Santa Monica Blvd. For information and reservations, call the KOACH hotline at (414) 967-8258 or email Rachel Pressman at RPressman@JCCMilwaukee.org. 

Wednesday, April 27 

Yom HaShoah 

The community-wide Yom HaShoah Commemoration will return to an in-person event in 2022. The commemoration will remember the Six Million who perished in the Shoah and the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising and all resistance. Guest speaker will be Pinchas Gutter, who lived in the Warsaw Ghetto with his family until they were discovered and deported to a concentration camp. Only Pinchas survived. Pinchas will reflect on what was lost during the Holocaust and why preserving Holocaust survivor testimonies are so important. April 27 at 6 p.m. Daniel M. Soref Community Hall at the Harry & Rose Samson Family JCC. Learn more and register to attend at MilwaukeeJewish.org/Yamim.  

Thursday, April 28 

MJDS gala 

MJDS Bright Futures Gala. Milwaukee Jewish Day School will recognize Susan A. Lubar and highlight the MJDS Class of 2000 at its annual fundraiser and awards dinner, formerly known as Pay It Forward. April 28 at 6:30 p.m. Saint Kate – The Arts Hotel, 139 E. Kilbourn Ave. Learn more at MJDS.org.  

Tuesday, May 3 

Yom HaZikaron 

Join the Milwaukee Jewish community in honoring Israel’s victims of terror and fallen soldiers and veterans of the Israel Defense Forces and other Israeli security services.  Guest speaker will be Shulamit “Shuli” Mualem-Rafaeli who is an Israeli nurse and past member of the Knesset. In 1997, her husband Moshe was one of 73 Israeli soldiers killed in what is known as the “helicopter disaster.” After his death, she served as deputy and acting chairman of the IDF Widows and Orphans organization. May 3 at 6 p.m. Daniel M. Soref Community Hall at the Harry & Rose Samson Family JCC. Learn more and register to attend at MilwaukeeJewish.org/Yamim. 

Wednesday, May 4 

Memorial to Independence  

Milwaukee Community Shaliach Uria Roth will hold a reflective discussion on the sharp transition from Yom HaZikaron (memorial) to Yom HaAtzmaut (independence). Open to all. May 4 at 7 p.m. Congregation Beth Israel Ner Tamid, 6880 N. Green Bay Ave. Learn how to attend by emailing Uria Roth at UriaR@MilwaukeeJewish.org. 

Thursday, May 5 

KidShare 

KidShare, the Harry & Rose Samson Family JCC’s signature fundraiser, will return to an in-person event. This annual fundraiser is dedicated to making sure no one is denied any of the JCC’s social services because of a lack of funds. May 5 at 7 p.m. The Pfister Hotel, 424 E. Wisconsin Ave. More information is available at JCCMilwaukee.org.