Community members visit activity and food vendor booths during Shalom Austin’s Yom HaAtzmaut celebration. Credit: Allison Teegardin.

By Alachua Haskins

Each year, the Jewish community comes together to celebrate and commemorate during what is referred to as “The Yoms” – Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Memorial Day), Yom HaZikaron (Israel’s Memorial Day) and Yom HaAtzmaut (Israel’s Independence Day). It is a special time to remember the past and look toward the future. This year, Shalom Austin was able to do that more than ever, as the Yoms coincided with the final stages of preparing to open the new Dell JCC building and the official grand opening related celebrations.

The Yoms began with commemorating Yom HaShoah with a special Holocaust remembrance event, organized and produced by community member Phil Klein. Over 500 people gathered in the newly renovated Epstein Family Community Hall to pay tribute and honor the victims of the Holocaust through musical performances, guest speakers, a candle lighting ceremony and a short video.

One week later, more than 300 community members, many of whom were Israeli-Americans, attended a Yom HaZikaron ceremony for those who lost their lives in the struggle that led to the

establishment of the state of Israel and for all military personnel who were killed while in active duty in Israel’s armed forces. Through prayers led by many Austin clergy, musical performances and moving personal tributes, everyone remembered as one community.

The Yoms concluded with a Yom HaAtzmaut celebration, sponsored by the Loewy Law Firm, to mark Israel’s 75^th anniversary. This was the largest of its kind in Austin and one of the largest gatherings ever for a single event on the Dell Jewish Community Campus. The celebration drew over 1,400 people to celebrate and participate in over 20 activities, view musical performances and films, explore local artists’ work and taste delicious food and wine from nine local vendors.

The Yom HaAtzmaut celebration was a full-community effort, put together by Shalom Austin in partnership with 15 other Jewish institutions who met regularly and often to make sure that this experience was meaningful and fun. Shalom Austin was thrilled that the first public event in the new Dell JCC building was an opportunity to celebrate the deep connection to Israel with people of all ages – birth to bubbie.

Through this celebration, the community came together in a way that will not soon be forgotten, and a way that will set the precedent for many Yom HaAztmaut celebrations to come. Shalom Austin expressed gratitude for its partners, vendors and everyone who came out to fill the new space with so much life and joy. The Meaningful Month of April was truly that: meaningful.