Time to reflect
As the High Holidays approach and we prepare to welcome the year 5787, I find myself reflecting on the past year in our Tidewater Jewish community and all that I witness and experience. Throughout the summer, I watched children playing and relishing their time...
Building partnerships, strengthening community safety
Temple Emanuel leadership recently welcomed Virginia Beach Chief of Police Paul Neudigate, members of his command staff, and 2nd Precinct Commander Captain James Gordon for a series of conversations focused on partnership, communication, and community safety. Joining...
Back to School at Strelitz International Academy
A new school year at Strelitz International Academy began on Monday, August 17 with the school’s faculty and staff welcoming both new and returning students to SIA for the 2026–2027 school year. In a special surprise, the Virginia Beach Police Department...
Letter from the Editor
Dear Readers, The High Holidays are doing it again. . . they’re arriving early! Unlike the guest who rings the doorbell 15 minutes early without warning, the holidays don’t really sneak up on us. The first day of the Hebrew month Tishrei is where it always...
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JTA News
California could become the first state to list ‘Jewish’ as an ethnicity
Assembly has until Aug. 31 to pass the contentious proposal into law.
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The post California could become the first state to list ‘Jewish’ as an ethnicity appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
In a forest where Jews fought the Nazis, a German military base and Lithuanian politics encroach on memory
The families of partisans might no longer be able to visit bunkers in Rūdninkai Forest, which mark the only memorial to their resistance in Lithuania.
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The post In a forest where Jews fought the Nazis, a German military base and Lithuanian politics encroach on memory appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
Abdul El-Sayed and Jamie Raskin sidestep Hasan Piker, and Israel, in Michigan campaign stops
The Senate candidate and a prominent Jewish House Democrat seek to move beyond the streamer’s latest remarks about American Jews.
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The post Abdul El-Sayed and Jamie Raskin sidestep Hasan Piker, and Israel, in Michigan campaign stops appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
Second Reform synagogue in Israel has windows broken
Ramat Hasharon mayor says the city is committed to pluralism and tolerance.
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The post Second Reform synagogue in Israel has windows broken appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
Latest News
America at 250 Spotlight:Tidewater Jewish Hero: Henry Scolnick, a community creator
Seventeen-year-old Henry Scolnick has already accomplished what many adults only hope to achieve. As the founder of Ballers Basketball, he has built far more than an adaptive sports league, he has created a community where children with unique abilities, teenage...
ODU ProfessorAmy Milligan receives award from national academic organization
In recognition of her leadership in combating antisemitism and fostering a safer, more welcoming campus environment for Jewish and Zionist students, Professor Amy K. Milligan, Batten Endowed Associate Professor of Jewish Studies and Women’s and Gender Studies at Old...
Camp JCC finishes a memorable season
“Unforgettable” is an appropriate way to describe Camp JCC’s 2026 summer. The season was packed with exciting field trips, spirited theme days, new campers, and an incredible staff team, including the additions of Christine Carnahan as camp manager, and Blake Sisler,...
Sweetness and shofars: Celebrating Rosh Hashanah with little ones
Rosh Hashanah is a special holiday, offering observers a sense of renewal and the opportunity for a fresh start. It is a time for reflecting on the previous year and considering what to do differently in the year to come. The concept might not immediately...
Reverse Tashlich: Repentance as environmental action
The ritual of Tashlich is an all-encompassing symbolic representation of the High Holidays. This process of releasing sins into the river comes directly from the book of Micah, verse 19: “He will again have compassion upon us; He will subdue our iniquities; and Thou...
When the shofar asks: Who am I?
Rosh Hashanah arrives each year carrying questions. What did I accomplish during the year that has passed? Where did I fall short? Whom did I help? Whom did I hurt? What needs to change? But beneath all these questions lies another, more...
Team Virginia Beach scores in Toronto
The JCC Maccabi Games and Access were held August 2-7 in two different host cities—Toronto and Kansas City. The Team Virginia Beach delegation went to the Games in Canada, joining more than 60 other delegations from nine countries. Eight athletes...
Dolly Parton’s Jewish connections
Singer, songwriter, and philanthropist Dolly Parton died Tuesday, August 25 at the age of 80. The outpouring of grief was immediate and universal. “PJ Library and the Harold Grinspoon Foundation team are sad to learn of the passing of musician, philanthropist,...
Other News
Jewish businessmen Joshua Kushner, Bob Iger buy Los Angeles Lakers for record $12.5b
(JTA) —Jewish businessmen Bob Iger and Joshua Kushner are purchasing the NBA’s storied Los Angeles Lakers in a stunning, record-setting $12.5 billion deal. The sale comes barely a year after the team’s controlling stake was sold for $10 billion to Mark Walter,...
‘Have a problem, call the PM,’ says Netanyahu as he gives out his number in campaign video
(JTA) —TEL AVIV – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on August 23 posted what he described as his personal phone number and invited Israelis to contact him with their questions and problems. It was an election-season stunt that drew such a flood of...
KBH celebrates first year on Sandler Family Campus
Fleischmann Lounge was filled with music as Kehillat Bet Hamidrash (KBH) congregants, friends, and community guests – ages preschool to 90 – welcomed Shabbat to celebrate their first year on the Sandler Family Campus. Member Sid Bridge led a joyful...
JFS receives grant from Beth Sholom Village Foundation to expand support for seniors
Rooted in Jewish values of dignity, compassion, and communal responsibility, caring for older adults and people with disabilities has long been central to Jewish Family Service of Tidewater’s mission. A new grant from the Beth Sholom Village Foundation will help JFS...
What’s Happening
Rosh Hashanah Craft and Cookie Workshop
Monday, September 14, 5 - 6 pm - Sandler Family Campus Start the new year with Tidewater’s new...
Jewish Trivia Night
Tuesday, September 1, 7 – 9 pm, Smartmouth Brewery United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s NextGen...
Rosh Hashanah Buzz
Sunday, September 6, 5 – 7 pm Sandler Family Campus Get ready to celebrate a sweet New Year and...
In their own words: American Jewish history through autobiography
Tuesdays, Sept. 22 – Dec. 1, 11 am - 12:30 pm, Sandler Family Campus American history is filled...
Obituaries
May the Source of Peace
send peace to all who mourn, and comfort to all who are bereaved.
Diane B. Aftel
Norfolk – Diane Zaba Aftel, 87, of Norfolk, passed away peacefully in her home on August 15, 2026. She was born to the late Benjamin Zaba and...
Dr. Steven J. Becker
Burke, VA – Dr. Steven J. Becker, 78, died on August 9, 2026, in Burke, Virginia. Born on June 6, 1948, in Jersey City, N. J., Steven is...
Barbara Rae Soroko Bowden
Virginia Beach – Barbara Rae Soroko Bowden died June 29, 2026, in her home in Virginia Beach. Born in Portsmouth, Va. She was the...
Lois (Cohen) Greenebaum
Baltimore, Md. – Lois (Cohen) Greenebaum passed away peacefully at the age of 95, surrounded her beloved family. A highly intelligent...