The St. Louis Jewish community will gather in April for three important dates marking Yom HaShoah, Yom HaZikaron and Yom Ha’atzmaut.

Monday, April 20 – Yom HaZikaron

A solemn community ceremony will honor the memory of Israel’s fallen soldiers and victims of terror at the 2026 Yom HaZikaron (Israel Memorial Day) event. The ceremony includes a one-minute-long siren at sunset where the audience stands silently. This replicates the same continuous steady wail signaling a missile attack alert. In Israel, during the Yom HaZikaron siren at sunset, cars and public transportation stop on the roads for one minute as the nation stands in silence.

The Yom HaZikaron ceremony begins at 7 p.m. at the Jewish Community Center Staenberg Family Complex Arts & Education Building. The event is free and open to the public. Registration is required and is available here.

Wednesday, April 22 – Yom Ha’atzmaut

Yom Ha’atzmaut is a festive, family-friendly celebration of Israel’s Independence Day. The event will feature Israeli food, music, games and cultural activities. This is an opportunity to honor Israel’s vibrant culture and history. Standup comedian Shahar Cohen will perform at this year’s event. Cohen is a familiar presence to 179,000 followers on Instagram. He is known for mining humor from the cultural clashes between Israelis and American Jews.

Yom Ha’atzmaut begins at 5:30 p.m at the Jewish Community Center’s Marilyn Fox Building in Chesterfield. The event is free and open to the public. Registration is required and is available here.

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