Wednesday | April 14

Celebrate Israel at 73: Grab your family and gather around the TV at 7 p.m. for a virtual all-star concert in celebration of Yom Ha’Atzmaut. Performers include Rick Recht, Nefesh Mountain, David Broza, Rabbi Josh Warshawsky, Rabbi Lisa Silverstein, Chava Mirel, Laurie Akers, Shimon Smith and Josh Nelson. Register at community.jccstl.org.

Thursday | April 15

NCJWSTL lunch & learn: National Council of Jewish Women St. Louis will host Amy Narishkin for its April lunch and learn from noon to 1 p.m. Narishkin will guide participants on how to harness your cultural intelligence in order to advocate effectively at the local, state and national levels. To RSVP, contact Jen Bernstein at 314-277-9080 or email [email protected].

Drive-thru Yom Ha’Atzmaut event: See related story.

Stitching Holocaust history: To mark Holocaust Remembrance Day, join a virtual tour from 2 to 3 p.m. of the exhibition “Stitching History from the Holocaust,”as Ellie Gettinger, education director of the Jewish Museum Milwaukee, explores the life and work of Hedwig “Hedy” Strnad.

In the winter of 1939, Paul Strnad in Czechoslovakia, desperate to obtain an affidavit to escape the onslaught of Nazi Germany, wrote his cousin in Wisconsin. He sent sketches of his wife Hedy’s designs, hoping that these examples of her work would provide evidence of their financial independence and enable them to immigrate. Despite the cousin’s best efforts, both Hedwig and Paul were murdered in the Holocaust. All that remains of their story are their letter and Hedy’s sketches.

In 1997, the Strnad family donated the letter and drawings and they became integral to the permanent collection of the Jewish Museum of Milwaukee, when it opened in 2008. A visitor commented that the museum should create the dresses from Hedy’s sketches, and that is the origin of the exhibition. This program is co-sponsored with the St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum. To register for this free, online Mirowitz Center program, visit http://bit.ly/Mirowitz-registration, call 314-733-9813 or email [email protected].

AJC advocacy anywhere session: At 11 a.m., join the American Jewish Committee for “Four Generations Celebrate Israel’s Independence” RSVP at www.ajc.org/advocacy-anywhere.

Sunday | April 18

Jewish War Veterans meeting: Jewish War Veterans Post 644 meetings will take place via Zoom for the foreseeable future at 10 a.m. the third Sunday each month. For more information contact Post 644 Commander Edwin R Cohen At 636-536-3818. 

Kol Rinah night “out” with A&R Workshop Olivette: At 8 p.m., after the kids are in bed, enjoy some wine, chocolate and schmoozing while creating a beautiful wood tray. Use it as a challah tray, a cheese board, or anything you’d like. Pick up your personalized materials and treats from A&R Workshop in Olivette the week before, then join on Zoom. For more information, visit www.kolrinahstl.org/calendar or email Melissa Bellows at [email protected].  

Starting | April 18

Jewish Book Fest ‘Spring Popup’: The St. Louis Jewish Book Festival will hold a Spring Virtual Popup, featuring four nights of author presentations, from April 18-21. Headlining the event is longtime St. Louis Public Radio host and TV news anchor Don Marsh, who will discuss his latest crime novel, “The Damned and the Doomed” on Sunday, April 18.  

On April 19, a women’s night panel will feature sociologist Hilary Levey Friedman (“Here She Is: The Complicated Reign of the American Beauty Pageant”) and Janice Kaplan (“The Genius of Women: From Overlooked to Changing the World”). 

Tech writer Steven Levey(“Facebook: The Inside Story”) appears April 20 and the popup finishes with a conversation with climate activist and politician Solomon Rose-Goldstein (“The 100% Solution: A Plan for Solving Climate Change”) on April 21.

A $36 Spring Virtual Pass allows access to all four presentations. Individual tickets for each program are also available for $18 per household. Passes can be purchased by visiting stljewishbookfestival.org.

Monday | April 19

Social media safety tips: Social media is a great way to connect with friends and family. But digging into the privacy settings can be confusing, even for those who are tech-savvy. From 2 to 3 p.m., join Jessica Mirowitz, marketing manager at Purina, when she offers up some helpful tips for anyone who uses Facebook. To register for this free, online Mirowitz Center program, visit http://bit.ly/Mirowitz-registration, call 314-733-9813 or email [email protected].  

Wednesday | April 21

Sharsheret’s Breast and Ovarian Cancer Support Group via Zoom: Sharsheret Support Group via Zoom This monthly group provides support, connection and education to women in the St. Louis Jewish community who have been diagnosed with breast or ovarian cancer and are anywhere along their treatment path – before, during, or post-treatment. Facilitated by a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, this group meets from 6:15 to 7:30 p.m. on the third Wednesday via zoom until further notice. Newcomers are always welcome along with female family and friends. This program is free but pre-registration is requested to Debbi Braunstein at 314-442-3266 or [email protected]. 

Starting | April 21

St. Louis NORC event: sleep hygiene strategies: Do you have difficulty sleeping or need new strategies to sleep better? Join Hanna Metzger, occupational therapy doctoral student with St. Ambrose University and St. Louis NORC for an informational session on sleep hygiene for older adults via Zoom April 21 from 10:30 a.m. to noon or April 22 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Metzger will discuss the importance of sleep; strategies to improve sleep health; and the impact sleep has on daily activities. RSVPs are required by April 19; contact Laura Press Millner at [email protected] to receive Zoom link invite.

Thursday | April 22

Flowers and gardens in opera: Join Opera Theatre of St. Louis docents Gailya Barker and Phyllis Hyken from 2 to 3 p.m. as they explore how gardens and flowers enhance an opera’s plot and add emotional dimension to a character or scene. Their talk will include video excerpts from operas by Bernstein, Bizet, Delibes, Puccini, Verdi and Von Flotow. To register for this free, online Mirowitz Center program, visit http://bit.ly/Mirowitz-registration, call 314-733-9813 or email [email protected].

Sunday | April 25

Afternoon film program: The next film discussion in the Sandra and Mendel Rosenberg Sunday afternoon film program will be “Enemies: A Love Story.” The discussion at 1 p.m. will be led by Robert A. Cohn, film reviewer and editor–in-chief emeritus for the Jewish Light. 

The Academy Award-nominated film is available to be viewed before the discussion on Amazon for those who subscribe to the streaming service, on YouTube for a rental fee and for free on Tubi. Learn more and RSVP. Register at StlHolocaustMuseum.org/Rosenberg-Film-Series. For further information, call 314-442-3711.

Kol Rinah Women’s Group event: At 7:30 p.m. on Zoom, Phyllis Hyken will review the opera “La Voix Humaine” (The Human Voice) by Francis Poulenc. This opera will be performed at an outdoor, newly built stage of Opera Theatre of St. Louis this Spring. Hyken will talk about the origins of the opera, the composer, librettist, and the original soprano of the 1959 debut. The presentation will include excerpts and videos from past performances. For more information email [email protected].

Tuesday | April 27

Coffee talk with NCJWSTL: You’re invited to join the National Council of Jewish Women St. Louis for our virtual monthly coffee talks hosted by Susan Katzman, NCJWSTL’s immediate past president, and Lisa Gubernik, vice president of membership. We will be sipping our favorite morning beverage and enjoying each other’s company while discussing light topics. Sign up by visiting http://bit.ly/AprilCTncjwstl.

Wednesday | April 28

Wine & wisdom book club: From 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., learn and socialize with other National Council of Jewish Women St. Louis members about fiction and non-fiction books that delve into social justice topics. The next book will be “The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America” by Richard Rothstein, which will spur a discussion on housing inequality in St. Louis and beyond. Rothstein describes how the American government systematically imposed residential segregation: with racial zoning; public housing that purposefully segregated previously mixed communities; subsidies for builders to create whites-only suburbs; tax exemptions for institutions that enforced segregation; and support for violent resistance to African Americans in white neighborhoods. To RSVP or for more information, please contact Jen Bernstein at [email protected].

Local author discusses new book: From 10 to 11 a.m., join local St. Louis author and community volunteer Sheri Gantz as she premieres the release of her new book, “FLY!” and shares her inspiration for creating the manuscript. “FLY!”  is illustrated and composed in rhyme and portrays the concept of roots and wings. To register for this free, online Mirowitz Center program, visit http://bit.ly/Mirowitz-registration, call 314-733-9813 or email [email protected].

Thursday | April 29

Learn history of Nazi camp on the Meramec River: German cultural activity gatherings were frequent in depression-era St. Louis, an area with a significant German immigrant presence from the 1830s forward. Beginning in 1937, a group formed on the banks of the Meramec River associated with the German American Bund, a German-American Nazi organization. The burning of the “Deutsch Horst” camp in 1939 sparked investigation into the camp and the St. Louis area Bund and its members. Diane Everman, archivist of the St. Louis Jewish Community Archives/Holocaust Museum Archives, will discuss this fascinating chapter in local history. To register for this free, online Mirowitz Center program, visit http://bit.ly/Mirowitz-registration, call 314-733-9813 or email [email protected]. 

ONGOING

Weekly meditation on Tuesdays and Thursdays: Led by Rabbi Andrea Goldstein and other members of the Jewish Mindfulness Center’s core team, these weekly sessions offer a respite from the stresses of our daily lives. The session occur on Tuesdays from 11:30 a.m. to noon and on Thursdays from 5 to 5:30 p.m.

Each sit begins with a short teaching focusing on the weekly Torah portion, an upcoming holiday or a particular middah (Jewish value or ethical personality trait). All are welcome. No meditation experience is necessary. To register, contact Stacy at [email protected]. For more information and Zoom links, visit mindfulness.sestl.org/programs/weekly-meditation-sits.

Saturday morning bible study: Congregation Temple Israel’s Rabbi Emeritus Mark L. Shook will lead a Saturday morning bible study via Zoom from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. The program continues through May 1, 2021. The class will explore issues of race in bible. Students are asked to have a copy of the bible handy during class meetings. Interested in joining the conversation? Email Shook at [email protected].