Yamim 2025

Our Jewish Legacy: Memory, Resilience, Hope

Three special days for our community to remember our past, honor those who gave their lives, and celebrate our future together.

Our Jewish Legacy is the unbreakable chain that links generations—ensuring that the stories, sacrifices, and triumphs of our people are never forgotten. This year, as we gather for Yom HaShoah, Yom HaZikaron, and Yom HaAtzmaut, we commit to always remembering, always honoring, and always celebrating—carrying our legacy forward with strength and purpose.

WISCONSIN’S LARGEST CELEBRATION OF ISRAEL

We celebrate Israel’s independence, achievements, and enduring spirit. At Wisconsin’s largest gathering for Israel, we come together to rejoice in what has been built and dream of what is yet to come. Together, we embrace the pride and unity of our people.

The celebration begins with the Walk for Israel. After the walk, the festivities continue at the Community Festival and Shuk, where the sights, sounds, and flavors of Israel come to life. Shop authentic Israeli products and create arts and crafts with local partner agencies. From music to hands-on activities, there’s something for everyone as we celebrate the resilience and vibrancy of our Jewish homeland.

Join us as we honor Our Jewish Legacy: Memory, Resilience, Hope—not just by looking back, but by celebrating the bright future ahead. Am Yisrael Chai!

EVENT DETAILS
Sunday, May 4 | 2 PM
Harry & Rose Samson Family JCC
and on the outside grounds of the JCC,
6255 N. Santa Monica Blvd., Whitefish Bay

Questions: AbigailS@MilwaukeeJewish.org or 414-390-5764

We honor Israel’s victims of terror and fallen soldiers of the IDF and other Israeli security services. As we pay tribute to their courage and sacrifice, we reaffirm our commitment to building a strong, secure, and peaceful future. Together, we mourn, honor, and carry forward the values they upheld.

This solemn evening will include tributes from across the Milwaukee community, each offering a unique expression of remembrance and solidarity. As we gather in remembrance, we reaffirm that their sacrifices were not in vain. Their legacy lives on in us, in our unity, and in our enduring commitment to Israel and the Jewish people.

Co-Chairs: Bobbi Rector and Tehila Cohen

EVENT DETAILS
Tuesday, April 29 | 6:30 PM
Harry & Rose Samson Family JCC – Daniel M. Soref Community Hall,
6255 N. Santa Monica Blvd., Whitefish Bay

View Livestream

Questions: AbigailS@MilwaukeeJewish.org or 414-390-5764

We remember the Six Million Jews murdered during the Shoah as well as Holocaust survivors. On the 80th anniversary of the end of WWII and the liberation of Nazi concentration camps, we come together as a community to ensure that their lives are never forgotten. 

Yom HaShoah 2025 will present a mosaic that illuminates our community’s Holocaust legacy. These Voices of the Community will include the experiences of the children and grandchildren of Holocaust survivors. Additionally, other community members will speak about their connection to the Holocaust and the significance of that legacy.

Featured Speaker: Jordan Bielsky
Jordan is an actor, writer, poet, teacher and musician. He is the grandson of Tuvia Bielski (1906 – 1987), the leader of The Bielski Brigade, a Jewish Partisan Group, which saved the lives of more than 1,200 Jews during the Holocaust, as featured in the film Defiance. This Yom HaShoah, Jordan will share his personal connection to the Holocaust, reflecting on the profound impact of his grandfather’s heroism and the importance of bearing witness and standing up for the Jewish people. Jordan was born in New York City and now resides in Los Angeles, where he is active in the Jewish Federation of Los Angeles Young Leadership program, the Community Leadership Institute. He has appeared in numerous television shows and films including Get Shorty on EPIX, How I Met Your Father on Hulu, and on the Apple+ series Sugar, opposite Colin Farrell. When he is not doing creative work or engaging in Jewish advocacy, you find him walking around his neighborhood with his dog, Moxie. 

Co-Chairs: Felicia Miller & Leo Kleiner

View Yom HaShoah livestream:

EVENT DETAILS
Sunday, April 27 | 3 PM
Harry & Rose Samson Family JCC – Daniel M. Soref Community Hall,
6255 N. Santa Monica Blvd., Whitefish Bay

Questions: MichaelM@MilwaukeeJewish.org or 414-963-2716

SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR GENEROUS 2025 YAMIM SPONSORS

Annual Yamim funds come from these generous endowment funds of the Jewish Community Foundation of the Milwaukee Jewish Federation:

Arthur & Rose Chrustowski
Yom HaShoah JCC Endowment Fund

Raye & David David
Yom HaShoah JCC Endowment Fund

Sam & Edith Kopel Family
Yom HaShoah JCC Endowment Fund

Eva & Leon Lepold Family
Yom HaShoah JCC Endowment Fund

William & Franka Neufeld
Memorial JCC Endowment for Furthering Holocaust Education

Walter W. Peltz
Memorial JCC Endowment for Furthering Holocaust Education

Luba Szlosberg
Memorial JCC Endowment Fund

Pincus & Bluma Weinstock
Yom HaShoah JCC Endowment Fund

Yom HaAtzmaut/Walk for Israel –
Schuster Metals/Atid Properties
JCC Endowment Fund

This program is proudly supported by the Israel Engagement Fund: A JCC Association of North America Program Accelerator and the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs.