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The Jewish Education Project, an organization with the mission to inspire and empower educators to create transformative Jewish experiences, last month announced its annual Shine A Light on Antisemitism Civic Courage Award recipients—individuals across the United...
The Jewish community is taught from an early age that giving back is not optional. Values such as tikkun olam and tzedakah shape how families show up for one another and how the community strengthens Jewish life for future generations. In retirement, those same values...
Russell “Russ” Cronin recently joined Tidewater Jewish Foundation as its new chief operating officer and vice president of operations. Cronin brings strong professional expertise and a local connection to the organization’s leadership team. Raised in Virginia...
The opportunities for engagement for retirees and seniors presented by United Jewish Federation of Tidewater and the Simon Family JCC are plentiful and varied and designed to offer something for nearly everyone. The Senior Club, for example, meets once a...
A Virginia Beach native, Beth Koonan Dorsk retired as a hospice nurse in 2025. She agreed to share with Jewish News some of her reasons for retiring and how it’s working out. Jewish News: Where were you educated? Beth Koonan Dorsk: Flagler Medical Assistant...
Camp JCC wrapped up another successful Winter Camp to conclude a fun-filled 2025. More than 45 children attended the camp during the two weeks of school holiday closures, enjoying the “Camp JCC Winter Lodge,” with each day featuring a special theme, including Snow...
February 15 - 25 The Virginia Festival of Jewish Film returns for its 33rd year with a fresh slate of films that spans history, suspense, and true‑life heroism—from the Yom Kippur War saga The Stronghold to the international sports thriller Tatami, the October 7th...
An informative program, Israel in Focus: Hamas’ War – Truth and Consequences, featuring internationally respected scholar and military analyst MAJ. John W. Spencer, USA (Ret.), took place on Wednesday, Dec. 3 at the Sandler Family Campus. Presented as part of the 15th...
The spirit of Hanukkah was alive and glowing at Aviva Pembroke on Thursday, Dec. 18, as seniors and their families gathered for a celebration filled with food, laughter, and togetherness. The Hanukkah party was a collaborative effort hosted by Beth Sholom Village,...
In conjunction with Community Impact Day, and as part of Jewish Tidewater’s celebration of Jewish Book Month, community members and clergy gathered on the Sandler Family Campus to explore the importance of Jewish books, the distinction between books of a Judaic nature...
What do you do when a childhood friend asks if you want to go on an adventure with other cool Jewish women? And chocolate is involved? You say, “YES, I AM IN!” That is what I did, and it turned out to be a wonderful experience. My dear...
Tuesday, Feb. 3, 7:30 pm, Sandler Family Campus Internationally acclaimed photographer Joan Roth will visit Tidewater for an evening that pairs film and conversation witha new gallery exhibition spotlighting five decades of her art and activism. The program will begin...
Legacy 2025 L’ Dor V’Dor – From Generation to Generation Grand opening: Saturday, December 6, 6:30 pm, Sandler Family Campus Henri Matisse, Ben Shan, and Jacques Lipchitz were the names mentioned by Mia Laufer, PhD, the Irene Leach curator of European Art for the...
After experiencing vibrant and deeply moving Chaguim at Temple Emanuel, Pati, Lia, Ben, and I traveled to Buenos Aires, my hometown, to celebrate two very special occasions with our family there — my niece Martina’s Bat Mitzvah and my mother’s 75th birthday. We...
November 24, 2025, 11:00 AM–3:45 PM: Join the Simon Family JCC and Red Cross in the Jaffe Gymnasium, 5000 Corporate Woods Drive, Virginia Beach, for a lifesaving blood drive. Every two seconds, someone in the U.S. needs blood, and one donation can save up to...
Begins Friday, November 21• 10 am - 3 pm, Sandler Family Campus United Jewish Federation of Tidewater is launching a new initiative to bring community members together: Monthly Volunteer Days. Volunteers will gather once a month to take part in meaningful hands-on...
Jewish News appreciates all who support the newspaper with generous contributions – whether in honor of or in memory of friends and loved ones or as a Friend of Jewish News. Friends of Jewish News Walter Fenska G-d Bless Israel Piotr and Charlotte Przyjemski Happy...
Israel in Focus: Hamas’ War – Truth and Consequences. An evening with MAJ John W. Spencer, USA (Ret.) Wednesday, December 3, 7:30 pm, Sandler Family Campus, Free In an era where global conflicts are increasingly fought in dense urban environments, understanding the...
The day following the election of Zohran Mamdani as mayor of New York City, Ted Deutch, CEO of American Jewish Committee, distributed the following email. The world’s attention is focused on New York City with Zohran Mamdani winning the mayoral election, and I...
(JTA) — The Anti-Defamation League is launching a nationwide legal service to connect victims of antisemitism with lawyers who can take their cases on a pro-bono basis. The initiative comes as the ADL has increasingly turned to litigation as a tactic — the...
We got your letter. Initially, my thought was that you were young firebrands who wanted to shake up the world. Then I re-read what you wrote. And I thought about it for a while. Then I thought some more. And then I concluded you are propagandistic...
Four young women, with childhood roots in Jewish Tidewater, have nuptials on the mind. Now spread out across the country, three of these Virginia natives recently married, while one is still in the planning stages. Hannah Diehl Testa and her husband, Kevin...
Celebrating his 80th birthday this month, Rabbi Israel Zoberman has packed a lot into his eight decades – including living on three continents. Tidewater has been his home since 1981. Born on November 12, 1945, in Chu, Kazakhstan to Polish Holocaust survivors,...
Henry Scolnick gave a speech at this year’s Annual Aid Another Gala, an event sponsored by Aid Another, an organization founded to promote and empower individuals with disabilities through dance, music, art, educational assistance, recreational activities, and sports....
A junior at Cape Henry Collegiate, Henry Scolnick was recently named one of this year’s recipients for the Diller Teen Tikkun Olam Award. Henry is the youngest recipient in this year’s cohort. Awarded annually by The Helen Diller Family Foundation, up to 15...
The ODU Alumni Association celebrates distinguished and outstanding ODU graduates, as well as friends of the University, who have excelled in their professions and made lasting impacts on their communities and #MonarchNation. Honorees may be recognized as...
Mikelle Rappaport, founder, owner, and executive director of Golden Lifestyle Partners, knows firsthand how difficult it can be to manage transitions for seniors. As a caregiver to her grandparents, and now to her mother with dementia, Rappaport understands that...
In 1925, Fanny Goldstein, a Jewish librarian at the Boston Public Library, decided Jewish books and Jewish pride deserved celebration. She created a display of Jewish books at the West End Branch, launching the first Jewish Book Week. By 1927, Jewish communities...
Nunez Fine Jewelers, located at Hilltop in Virginia Beach, is celebrating a milestone anniversary this year. For 20 years, this family-owned business has offered personalized service, on-site repairs, and quality custom work. Pete Nunez, the store’s...
A combination of High German and Hebrew, Yiddish is a language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. In Tidewater, the Yiddish Club embraces Yiddish culture, language, and history with music, film, poetry, and literature at its monthly meetings. For...
As 2025 winds down, now is the ideal time to revisit personal charitable giving strategy. Legislative changes and shifting tax thresholds can affect how to give and how far dollars go to make a difference. “The close of the calendar year is when charitable and...
Former editor of the Jerusalem Post and senior fellow at the Jewish People’s Policy Institute, Yaakov Katz returned to Tidewater on Thursday, October 23 to discuss Israel’s Blind Spot – Understanding Hamas. The evening’s conversation was based on Katz’s recent...