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Yiddish was the first language Harriet Meier ever spoke. Born in Germany to Polish Holocaust survivors who met in a displaced persons camp after World War II, Meier grew up hearing the language at home and among her parents’ friends. English eventually...
“Let’s gather. Let’s offer. Let’s receive. Let’s ground.” This is how Jennifer Lenay, Simon Family JCC fitness instructor, guides students through gentle, breath-synced movement in Flowing Waters, an aquatic take on traditional tai chi. Held...
The new Center for Active Living is being launched by United Jewish Federation of Tidewater and Simon Family JCC. The program is made possible through a grant from Beth Sholom Village and support from the Joseph Fleischmann Memorial Fund of the Tidewater Jewish...
When people think about volunteering, they often focus on the difference they can make for someone else. What I have learned through the Jewish Community Relations Council of the United Jewish Federation’s Be A Reader Literacy Project (BeAR) is that the volunteers...
The JCC Senior Club took a trip to the Edgar Cayce A.R.E. Center at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront on Wednesday, June 17. Boarding a charter bus, the 30 participants first stopped at the Session Café located in the original hospital building at the top of...
Rabbi Mike Moskowitz brought a thoughtful approach to allyship as a spiritual practice during a June 10 program at the Sandler Family Campus. Presented by United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s Arts + Ideas and Konikoff Center for Learning, the event was part of...
United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s celebration of Jewish American Heritage Month (JAHM) unfolded this year as a wide-ranging exploration of art, identity, history, and belonging. It also marked the kickoff of the Outstanding Jewish Americans in Tidewater...
Shavuot celebrates receiving the Torah, but for United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s NextGen community, it also became an opportunity to strengthen relationships, deepen Jewish learning, and explore what it means to grow together. Through two gatherings, one...
The first week of Camp JCC set the tone for another unforgettable summer, as campers reunited with old friends, welcomed new ones, and embraced traditions that make camp feel like home. Centered around the Jewish value of chaverut (friendship), the week’s activities...
Tuesday, July 21 – Wednesday, July 22 As educators prepare for the coming school year, one goal remains essential: creating classrooms where every student feels safe, respected, and able to learn. The 2026 Tidewater Inclusive Educators’ Conference offers a powerful...
Norfolk – Gil Binder, beloved husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, life partner, uncle, mentor, and friend, passed away peacefully at the age of 95. Gil spent his early years on the Peninsula graduating from Newport News High School and later moved...
Virginia Beach – Judith Pearl Goodman passed away on June 6, 2026, at the age of 84. She was a resident of Virginia Beach. Mrs. Goodman was preceded in death by her parents, Charles Goodman and Hilda Deluty Goodman, and her brother, George Goodman. She...
During BBYO’s Rush Week, both Simcha BBG and OD AZA were able to host successful programs. Rush Week is when BBYO chapters host events that are targeted towards new members, in an attempt to attract more people to get involved and join. On...
At this year’s Yom Hashoah commemoration on April 13, Megan Zuckerman and Elyse Cardon, Holocaust Commission co-chairs, reminded the community that memory is not just something to hold onto, but something that commands action, asking each person to reflect on their...
Members of Women’s Philanthropy of United Jewish Federation of Tidewater convened for its sixth meeting of the year – this time at the Chrysler Museum of Art. Blending community leadership with cultural enrichment, it was an afternoon marked by inspiration and...
An opportunity to recognize the many people who give their time to help others, the Jewish Family Service volunteer luncheon was held on Friday, April 17, at the Sandler Family Campus. This year’s theme was travel, which made the room feel fun and...
Another successful spring break camp took place last month at Camp JCC. Students from Strelitz International Academy and local public schools participated in sports, nature walks, Israeli culture, and arts and crafts. Each day featured specific themes:...
With summer just ahead, Pop-Up Shabbat dinners are bringing renewed energy and excitement to Jewish young adults and families across Tidewater. Coordinated by United Jewish Federation of Tidewater, this initiative creates warm, welcoming spaces where community members...
Each May, Jewish American Heritage Month invites communities across the nation to pause, reflect, and celebrate the many ways Jewish Americans have shaped, and continue to shape, the nation’s cultural, civic, and artistic life. Established by presidential proclamation...
(JTA) — One year ago, Michael Tilson Thomas lifted his baton to conduct a concert in San Francisco that he said would be his last. The scion of Yiddish theater and luminary of contemporary classical music had been diagnosed with a recurrence of brain cancer, and...
(JTA) — Adriano Goldschmied became known as the “godfather of denim” for elevating jeans from casual wear to a luxury staple. His own father’s story was equally riveting. Goldschmied, who died April 5 at 82, following a battle with cancer in a hospital in...
Graduation season is almost here, and Jewish News wants to celebrate Jewish Tidewater’s students as the Class of 2026 graduates from high school, college, and graduate schools. To help us acknowledge as many graduates as possible, please submit, along with a photo,...
Under My Grandpa’s Tallit (Prayer Shawl), a poem by Rabbi Israel Zoberman, was inserted in the Congressional Record by Congresswoman Jen Kiggans in honor of International Holocaust Remembrance Day. Rabbi Dr. Israel Zoberman is the founder and spiritual...
Howard Roesen and Tom Purcell, Simon Family JCC’s Wellness director, ran the Boston Marathon on Monday, April 20. It was Roesen’s first Boston Marathon and Purcell’s third. Both avid runners have completed a lot of marathons over their years of friendship,...
For more than two years since October 7, the Jewish world has continued to grapple with grief, anger, fear, and deep internal division. Conversations about Israel and the Palestinians have strained relationships, fractured communities, and tested leadership at every...
Supporters of Jewish News help keep local Jewish journalism alive at a time when it feels as if it is disappearing almost everywhere else. Jewish News appreciates all who support the newspaper with generous contributions – whether in honor of or in memory...
This month holds many holidays for Israel and the Jewish people. The biggest and most important being Pesach, our redemption from Egypt, Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Memorial Day, and Yom Ha'Atzmaut, Israel Independence Day, commemorating the founding of the State of...
1936 - 2026 Reba Karp held the distinction of sitting in the editor’s chair at United Jewish Federation of Tidewater, editing this, and other publications, longer than anyone else. Reba passed away on March 17 after providing this community with more than three...
It was just a day after the twin horrors of March 12 – the attack on Temple Israel synagogue in West Bloomfield, Mich. and the murder of an ROTC professor in class at Old Dominion University here in Norfolk – when I attended Friday night services in the Sinai Chapel...
I will begin this article with a disclaimer: I am not a writer. And I’ll go one step further and admit that I have no idea how to start this article or how to title it. But despite all that, here I go – jumping in with both feet! In early March, I joined 17...
As this article goes to press, the 2026 United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s Community Campaign is very near $5.1 million and on track to hit a record goal of $5.2 million. In a time that continues to see rising antisemitism and threats to Jewish...
Probate is the court-supervised legal process of validating a deceased person’s will, settling their debts, and distributing their assets to beneficiaries. It can be, but not necessarily, a confusing procedure, and therefore something to consider when making estate...