Local leader to receive prestigious award
Anyone who’s worked alongside Karen Jaffe on committee or in community leadership will confirm: Karen Jaffe is special. A much-admired leader in the Tidewater Jewish community, Jaffe has been a role model for her family, friends, and an entire generation of emerging...
“Dreidel, dreidel, dreidel, I made it out of clay…”(and glass…and paper…and felt…)
The center piece of a Jewish gambling game, dreidels are almost as important to Hanukkah as Hanukkiahs and latkes. Each of the four sides of the spinning top contain a specific letter: Nun, Gimel, Hei, Shin (or Po if in Israel). The letters represent the phrase: A...
Frozen Flames proves to be an early hot Hanukkah night
More than 150 members of the 21-and-over Tidewater Jewish community and beyond gathered for Frozen Flames, a celebration of heritage, community, and inspiration on Saturday, Dec. 7. Held at the new Perry Glass Studio at the Chrysler Museum of Art, the event was a...
Jewish Tidewater and beyond in 2024
For the global Jewish community, the year’s beginning contained a heaviness as the war in Gaza continued to escalate, hostages were still held, and antisemitism ramped up to levels not experienced in most of our lifetimes.Campus protests, threats against synagogues,...
Special Section
Check out our E-Edition
Electronic replica of our print edition
JTA News
Department of Ed resolves Title VI antisemitism complaints against 5 U of California campuses, U of Cincinnati
The civil rights agreements come as Donald Trump has suggested eliminating the Education Department, which could transfer responsibility for Title VI.
--
The post Department of Ed resolves Title VI antisemitism complaints against 5 U of California campuses, U of Cincinnati appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
Israel investigating suspected settler attack on West Bank mosque
No one was injured in the incident.
--
The post Israel investigating suspected settler attack on West Bank mosque appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
Toronto Jewish girls’ school targeted by gunfire for 3rd time this year
No one was injured in the incident, which occurred overnight.
--
The post Toronto Jewish girls’ school targeted by gunfire for 3rd time this year appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
The Jewish Sport Report: This Israeli star led Vermont to its first-ever NCAA soccer championship
Plus, Zach Hyman might be made of steel.
--
The post The Jewish Sport Report: This Israeli star led Vermont to its first-ever NCAA soccer championship appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
ADVERTISEMENT
Latest News
Giving the gift of memory: To Life honors Holocaust stories this holiday season
To Life: The Past Is Present, Holocaust Stories of Hampton Roads Survivors, Rescuers, and Liberators is a collection of stories and reflections from those who witnessed this brutal history. Published by the Holocaust Commission of the United Jewish Federation of...
Weary, yet resolute: Reflections from ‘Stand Together – an event of Unity, Strength, and Resilience’
I stood in Nationals Park on November 10, 2024, gazing across the vast expanse of empty seats. While we hoped for a crowd of tens of thousands to gather in unity, the turnout of closer to 5,000 felt like a stark reminder of the challenges we face. The energy was...
Community Impact Day:Learning, tzedakah, and community
Nearly 200 members of Tidewater’s Jewish community gathered at the Simon Family JCC for the first-ever Community Impact Day on the last Sunday of November. Partnering with 18 local non-profits and seven Jewish camps, participants raised more than $700 while fostering...
JFS makes Thanksgiving meals possible for hundreds
Cars started lining up down Corporate Woods Drive at 8 am on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, eagerly waiting for the Jewish Family Service Food Pantry to begin its Thanksgiving food distribution. Busy volunteers and staff were loading carts carrying bags of...
Another spirited Shabbat Project for Tidewater
The 2024 Tidewater Shabbat Project was once again a smashing success. The weekend began with the Travelling Chassidim leading Friday night services at B’nai Israel Congregation on Nov. 15. The synagogue came alive as everyone joined together in dance while singing the...
That’s A Wrap: Jewish Book Festival 2024
Over six weeks, the 2024 Lee & Bernard Jaffe Family Jewish Book Festival brought together bestselling authors, emerging voices, and an audience hungry for stories. The festival began with a look into history, as novelist Rachel Beanland transported attendees back...
Catholic Church of St. Stephen creates holiday cheer for thousands
For the eighth consecutive year, clients at Jewish Family Service of Tidewater have been adopted by members of the Catholic Church of St. Stephen in Chesapeake. Carol Ehrbar, who coordinates this project for St. Stephen each year, helped collect more than 3,000 gifts...
Letting go at year-end for a better beginning
As the 2024 calendar year nears the finish line, one pervasive question is: How is it possible to leave behind the stresses and anxieties of the past 12 months and approach 2025 with renewed hope and opportunity? With ongoing wars and hostilities in the Middle East...
Other News
Power of community
This past November in Washington, DC, a small group of colleagues and lay leaders from our Jewish community joined thousands of Jewish leaders from around the world at the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) General Assembly (GA).Personally, I drew much...
The Sacred Lights of Chanukah
The fragile yet formidable Chanukah candles We tenderly lit, daringly defy the suffocating Darkness around us and in us, Soothing and softening, we pray, all who Their magic of evoked memories of elation And trepidation with oil – dripping levivot (Potato...
The original Hanukkah lights
If you free associate on the word “Hanukkah,” it is likely that among your first mental images will be a Hanukkiyah – maybe a craft project, the work of your own Sunday School-age hands? Or the family’s customary menorah when you were a child? Or an inheritance...
Hanukkah happenings in Jewish Tidewater
Light up the holiday by attending one or more of these community-oriented experiences. With some events geared for children and others for adults, some in Virginia Beach and others in Norfolk, plenty of options are available to celebrate Hanukkah with community. Chag...
What’s Happening
Catholic Church of St. Stephen creates holiday cheer for thousands
For the eighth consecutive year, clients at Jewish Family Service of Tidewater have been adopted...
Virginia Jewish Advocacy Day is just over a month away. Wondering why it is important to attend?
Wednesday, January 29, 7 am – 4 pm Sandler Family Campus to Richmond Date with the State, also...
‘Knitting for Others’ helps other keep warm
Tuesdays 10 am – 12 pm Sandler Family Campus A mighty group of knitters meets every week to create...
The Great Jewish Bookshelf: January’s picks
The Great Jewish Bookshelf is ready to inspire 2025 reading journeys, starting with an exceptional...
Obituaries
May the Source of Peace
send peace to all who mourn, and comfort to all who are bereaved.
Stephen Lee Goldstein
Norfolk – Stephen Lee Goldstein, 83, passed away on Dec. 7, 2024 at home with his family by his side, after a long battle with chronic kidney...
Leslie Brown Zedd
Bethesda, Md. – Leslie Brown Zedd, born May 19, 1938, passed away peacefully on Friday, December 6, 2024, at her home. She was the daughter of the...
Lev Ayzenshtok
NORFOLK - Lev Ayzenshtok, 86, passed away peacefully on November 4, 2024. Born in Russia in 1938 to Aleksander and Riva Ayzenshtok, Lev was a...
Elizabeth I. Cohen
VIRGINIA BEACH - It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Elizabeth Ilene Ochs Cohen (Beth), who passed after a long illness on...