16 | APRIL 1 • 2021 

I

n its efforts to continue to provide 
Jewish Detroiters a way to virtually 
connect during the modern Jewish 
holidays leading up to Israel Independence 
Day, the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan 
Detroit, together with JFamily of the 
Jewish Community Center and the 
Holocaust Memorial Center in Farmington 
Hills, invite all to virtually attend “Two 
Countries. One Family — Days of Memory 
and Meaning” April 8, 13 and 18. Advance 
registration is required by going to www.
jewishdetroit.org/yom.
Yiftah Leket, senior community shaliach
(emissary) for Federation said because of 
the persistence of the pandem-
ic, most events will be virtual, 
except for a space-limited 
socially distanced hike and a 
take-home picnic in Beverly 
Park on April 18. 
 Much of the programming 
has been planned by Detroit’s 
ShinShinim — young adult Israeli ambas-
sadors who spend a gap year between high 
school and their service in the Israeli army 

as educators in Jewish communities around 
the United States. Detroit’s ShinShinim
come from the Central Galilee region 
of Israel, where several attended Camp 
Tamarack as younger children through the 
Federation’s Partnership2Gether program.
Leket hopes that the community can 
shake off Zoom fatigue and virtually 
attend these events that culminate 3:30 
p.m. Sunday, April 18, with a live concert 
from Tel Aviv by recording artist Kobi 
Oz in partnership with Milwaukee Jewish 
Federation and the Jewish Federation of 
Greater Oklahoma City.
“We wanted all these events to be inclusive 
as possible,” Leket said. “You do not have to 
be Israeli to celebrate holidays such as Yom 
HaZikaron and Yom HaAtzmaut. In the 
coming months, I along with our ShinShinim, 
hope to deepen Detroit’s Jewish community 
with Israel by having conversations about 
Israel’s complex culture and society.”

YOM HASHOAH
The events begin with a Yom HaShoah 
(Holocaust Remembrance Day) event, 

7 p.m. Thursday, April 8, on the muse-
um’s website, holocaustcenter.org, where 
one can register. It will include tributes 
from Holocaust survivors, 2G and 3G 
survivors and local clergy. The HMC 
will also have a social media campaign, 
where people can post photographs of 
themselves lighting memorial candles on 
Facebook or Instagram with the hashtag 
#HMCRemember.
HMC Director of Events Sarah 
Saltzman said while the physical presence 
of large gatherings at the 
museum is missed, having an 
online forum means that sur-
vivors and their children and 
grandchildren with Detroit 
roots who live out of town 
can participate and remem-
ber the victims. 
“
Although we are not physically together, 
we are connected by our shared commit-
ment to memorialize the victims of the 
Holocaust,” Saltzman said. “Teaching the 
lessons of the Holocaust is central to our 
organization … We must each stand up for 

OUR COMMUNITY

Federation and community partners plan 
public events for the holidays.

Federation and community partners plan 
Federation and community partners plan 
The Days of Yom

STACY GITTLEMAN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Sarah 
Saltzman

Yiftah 
Leket

IDF FACEBOOK

An IDF officer places 
new flags, each with 
a black ribbon, on the 
graves of IDF soldiers 
for Yom HaZikaron.