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Tidewater BBYO had its spring kickoff at Surge Adventure Park, a multi-adventure trampoline park, ninja course, and arcade in Virginia Beach on Saturday, Feb 8. Eighteen teens attended the event, connecting with Jewish friends over pizza and an afternoon of fun. Henry...
The Temple Israel Men’s Club met on Sunday, February 9 for the annual Worldwide Wrap, a program of the Federation of Jewish Men’s Club. The 12 members who attended included a few who have never put on tefillin and a pre–Bat Mitzvah young lady. After everyone had a...
The Square Up for Maccabi football pool fundraiser raised more than $3,500 this year for the Team Virginia Beach delegation of the JCC Maccabi program.Using the last digit of each team’s cumulative score at the end of each quarter, winners were determined based on the...
The holiday of Purim begins this year on Thursday, March 13.Plenty of opportunities exist in Tidewater to participate in Purim festivities to commemorate Haman’s failed plot to destroy the Jews of Persia.The reading of the Megillah, Purim Carnivals, Purim Parties, and...
Sunday, March 9, 1 - 4 pm Sandler Family Campus PJ Library in Tidewater’s annual Purim celebration, Operation Hamantaschen – a day of baking hamantaschen and preparing a mitzvah project – offers three time slots this year (1 pm, 2 pm, and 3 pm), to make the cookies...
Sunday, March 16, 2 pm, Wells Theater, Norfolk Virginia Stage Company will produce the cult-classic musical Little Shop of Horrors at the Wells Theatre in Norfolk, March 12 through March 30. The quirky show’s book, lyrics, and music were written by Jews – lyricist...
Sunday, March 30, 1 pm, Temple Israel Temple Israel has been busy scheduling creative programming, including movies, lectures, and guest Shabbat speakers. The season’s highlight will be the congregation’s annual fundraiser – honoring the synagogue’s past presidents...
Monday, March 17, 5 pm, Simon Family JCC Golda Meir is remembered for many accomplishments – from playing a pivotal role in the founding of the State of Israel to becoming its first, and only, female Prime Minister.In Israel, her legacy now extends to a popular ice...
Saturday, April 26, 5 – 9 pm Sandler Family Campus The last Kids Night Out of the school year will be a special Supreme Pool Party Edition.With lots of beach balls, noodles, and dive toys, this Kids Night Out is sure to end the year with a splash! Kids will hang out...
From a tidy and unassuming office on the second floor of his office building in Virginia Beach, John Feigenbaum, a local Jewish community member, sits on a raised chair before his elevated computer screen and sets the pricing used by coin dealers throughout the United...
VIRGINIA BEACH - Abby Jane Buchberg, 74, passed away peacefully on February 22, 2025.Born to Benjamin and Alma Wilgard on January 21, 1951, in Norfolk, Va., Abby grew up in Portsmouth before moving to Atlanta, Ga. There she met the love of her life, Stephan Andrew...
NORFOLK - Leonard S. (Lenny) Frieden, born in Norfolk, Virginia, on March 31, 1927, passed away peacefully on February 24, 2025, at the age of 97.He was predeceased by his parents, Anna and Samuel Frieden; his sister, Yetta Bornstein; and his two brothers, Joseph...
Editor’s note: The release of hostages held in Gaza is a developing story. At press time, the number of hostages remaining in Gaza is 79, of whom 23 are set for release during the current ceasefire; 35 are thought to be living. These three articles are just a sample...
Now in its third winter of war, the plight of Ukraine’s Jews and Jewish communities is no longer headline news. Israel, hostages, Gaza, a U.S. election, plane crashes, protests, antisemitism, wildfires, and so many other news-capturing events have diverted the world’s...
As the year begins, many people are recommitting to the charities they hold dear – whether as donors, volunteers, board members, or a combination of roles.In Tidewater, and across the nation, hundreds of thousands of charities contribute to meaningful causes every...
A philanthropic journey is personal and often begins with a simple conversation.For Norfolk native Ellen Rostov Hundley, this journey has been a natural extension of the values instilled by her family and her commitment to community – all culminating in a legacy of...
The dichotomy I recently experienced during my first trip to Israel is a testament to the emotional complexities of the country. Organized by the iCenter in partnership with the JCCA, this journey brought 24 JCC professionals together for a Mifgash (Encounter) that...
A shared meal can lead to a good laugh, a lifelong romance, or a future business venture – and sometimes, all those things and more. ❦ For these eight couples, first dates that included peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, COVID dating, and dancing at the top of...
Baking is a science that requires the precise chemistry of all ingredients. One misstep and a decadent dessert devolves into a tragic mess, a puffy souffle deflates into a cavernous hollow, or a delicate confection becomes a misshapen blob. ❦ David Leon, Joel Nied,...
Charlie’s Middle Eastern Cuisine opened in Norfolk’s Ghent neighborhood in November. The intimate and friendly kosher restaurant is supervised under the Vaad HaKasharus of Tidewater.Yogev Kremisi, the restaurant’s owner, also owns Dream the La Cream, an ice cream...
Traditions are so important for children – giving them a sense of belonging to something special that becomes part of their identity. Lighting the menorah at Hanukkah, for example, is one such tradition.For 32 years, the Jewish Family Service Chanukah Gift Program has...
One of the nation’s longest-running Jewish film festivals, the Virginia Festival of Jewish Film, presented by Alma & Howard Laderberg, entertains, educates, and engages the Tidewater community by presenting world-class films, repertory cinema, and programs that...
“Stunning” was the most frequent word heard as Beth Sholom Village and its friends in the Jewish community celebrated the official opening of Aviva Pembroke with development partner Pembroke Square Associates inside the seven-story structure off Constitution Drive in...
The final installment of the What We Carry film series, featuring the remarkable story of Colonel Edward Shames, premiered at the Sandler Family Campus on Monday, January 27. Held on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, the event drew an engaged audience to honor...
On a very chilly Sunday morning last month, Mona Flax, president-elect of United Jewish Federation of Tidewater, Jodi Klebanoff, past UJFT Women’s Philanthropy chair, Amy Zelenka, UJFT chief development officer, and I travelled to the 2025 International Lion of Judah...
The JCC Seniors Club members had an incredible time at last month’s meeting. ‘Patsy Cline’ was back in the building and had everyone singing along and tapping their feet to her timeless tunes.Members also got a sneak peek of this year’s Virginia Festival of Jewish...
Nearly 200 people gathered for a powerful and emotional conversation with Shahar Dekel, a photographer and IDF reservist soldier, and Jay Klebanoff, a former United Jewish Federation of Tidewater president, on Tuesday, Jan. 14. Held at the Sandler Family Campus, the...
In a significant step toward greater inclusivity and accessibility, United Jewish Federation of Tidewater, located on the Reba and Sam Sandler Family Campus, recently installed 13 new ADA-compliant doors. This initiative was made possible through the generous support...
Off to an exciting start, the Great Jewish Bookshelf is engaging readers throughout Tidewater with powerful stories and new ideas. Even though the year is already underway, there’s still time to register for the subscription program. Late registrants can also select...
Students who seek loans for higher education may now apply to JELF – Jewish Education Loan Fund. The deadline is April 30, 2025.JELF offers 0% interest loans for full-time students from Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia (excluding metro...
Nadiv, United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s young Jewish men’s fundraising division, is planning two fun community events this spring.All proceeds support scholarships for Camp JCC in summer 2025. The group’s goal is to raise $25,000 between both events. March...
The Jewish New Year of the Trees, Tu B’Shevat starts on Wednesday, Feb. 12. In the 17th century, Kabbalists created a ritual for the holiday that is similar to a Passover seder. Several options to participate in a modern version of the Tu B’Shevat seder are listed...