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Harry Mansbach, of blessed memory, believed that opportunity carried responsibility. His daughter, Sally Herman, remembers a father who understood how much circumstance could shape a person’s path. She says he believed those who had been fortunate had a responsibility...
Where Rosh Hashanah brings sweetness and celebration, Yom Kippur asks something different — stillness, honesty, and the harder work of reflection. For young children, that’s a tricky needle to thread. Three local families share how they’ve made it meaningful. Jennie...
Sukkot, which literally translates to “booths” or “huts,” is akin to a fall harvest festival. It’s a holiday that celebrates all God gives, both in terms of crops and shelter. Eating, dwelling, and even sleeping in the sukkah commemorates the time of Jews living in...
There is something about Yom Kippur that makes time feel different. Perhaps it is the haunting melody of Kol Nidrei, or the fasting, or simply the knowledge that Jews around the world are standing before the same ancient questions: Who have I become? What have I taken...
Conservative Jews like me who have read from the Torah for years either memorize the words, vowels, and musical notes…or trope…or just manage to get through typically a handful of sentences from an eighth of a third of the sedrah or weekly portion (the triennial cycle...
Families gathered at the Sandler Family Campus on Friday, August 21 for United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s and PJ Library’s annual End-of-Summer Shabbat.The celebration was originally planned as a pool party, but unexpected weather required a change of plans....
Two dozen or so women gathered to immerse themselves in Mizrahi culture on the evening of Sunday, August 23. The event was led by Jackie Dratch, creator of the Mizrahi Dance Archive, and organized by NextGen757, a community group for young Jewish adults ages 21 -...
It was another beautiful evening at the beach on Saturday, August 29, when 68 people (but who is counting) gathered in our backyard to celebrate Havdalah together.Known for separating the Shabbat from the ordinary weekdays, Havdalah is a joyful service and a great...
Monday, October 19, 11 AM- 12:30 PM • Sandler Family Campus Dr. Louise B. Lubin Join Jewish Family Service for its Senior Speaker Series featuring Dr. Louise B. Lubin, Ph.D., presenting Decades of Memories: Honoring the Loss of Our Peers and Friends.Dr. Lubin, a...
Thursday, October 8, 12 pm • Sandler Family Campus Sharpen the pencils, stack the books, and get ready: BeAR is heading back to school.The Be A Reader (BeAR) Literacy Project’s annual kickoff of the school year is part reunion, part training, part eating, and a whole...
Monday, October 12, 1 –3 pm • Sandler Family Campus Jewish Family Service invites caregivers and individuals living with dementia to join its monthly Dementia Café. Held on the second Monday of every month, the Dementia Café provides a welcoming, supportive...
For one weekend, the diverse Jewish Tidewater becomes one. The Community Shabbaton is a chance to step away from the busyness of everyday life and experience the joy of Shabbat alongside neighbors from across the community. Participants of all ages, backgrounds, and...
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...
Tuesdays, Sept. 22 – Dec. 1, 11 am - 12:30 pm, Sandler Family Campus American history is filled with Jewish stories that helped shape the nation, yet many remain largely unknown. As the United States marks its 250th anniversary, this 10-week course invites students to...
What if the Jewish community of Tidewater spent Shabbat together? That is what is happening when PJ Library in Tidewater and the Konikoff Center for Learning of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater, in partnership with Congregation Beth El, Temple Israel,...
For many families, formal Jewish education ends after the bar or bat mitzvah party’s festivities are over. But that doesn’t mean that seventh and eighth grade students aren’t itching to make a difference and make their voices heard. Or that their parents aren’t...
Camp JCC is preparing for an incredible lineup of after school classes for the fall, including a few returning fan favorites alongside some new additions. Programs are tailored for children 3 to 10 years old. Soccer Shots returns for future soccer stars, while...
Saturday, October 10, 5 -7 pm Sandler Family Campus, Free Middle school students are invited to Game Night, an evening filled with games, laughter, friendship, and fun. Dinner will be provided. Whether challenging friends to classic favorites such as...
Thursday, September 10, 7:30 pm, CNU’s Ferguson Center for the Arts Sunday September 13, 2:30 pm, Sandler Center for the Performing Arts The Virginia Symphony Orchestra will open its 2026/27 Season with Mahler’s Titan Symphony. Music Director Eric Jacobsen, the Macon...
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 Ruby Hillman Zaba. Diane was always very close to her late uncle, Sam Hillman, and her younger brother, Dr. Joel Zaba....
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 remembered as a loving husband and father, a man with a wonderful sense of humor, and a dedicated dentist....
Virginia Beach – Barbara Rae Soroko Bowden died June 29, 2026, in her home in Virginia Beach. Born in Portsmouth, Va. She was the daughter of the late Oscar Soroko and Mildred Hilles Soroko. Barbara will be remembered for her kindness, warmth, and...
Baltimore, Md. – Lois (Cohen) Greenebaum passed away peacefully at the age of 95, surrounded her beloved family. A highly intelligent and thoughtful woman, she led her life with integrity, strong values, purpose, and wisdom. She was the definition of a...
Norfolk – Edward Legum, 97, of Norfolk, passed away peacefully on August 6, 2026, surrounded by his loving family. Born in Norfolk and raised in Berkley, Eddie was the son of the late A.J. Legum and Bessie Padrasic Legum. He graduated from Maury High School and...
Portsmouth – Jack Sanford Moscovitz, 90, a lifelong resident of Portsmouth, Va., peacefully passed away on July 1, 2026, with family by his side. Born on November 5, 1935, in Norfolk, he was the only child of Louis and Bluma Moscovitz, of blessed memory....
Lakeland, Fla. – Ruby Hainer Schwarzschild of Norfolk, passed away peacefully on August 6, 2026 in Lakeland, Fla. She was a dedicated mother, wife, grandmother, chef, artist, and beloved pillar of her community. Ruby was born in Norfolk on March 13,...
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,...
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 of...
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...
Among the various organizations and programs receiving recent gifts from the Rose Frances Glasser and Bernard Glasser Philanthropic Fund, was Jewish News. The distributions were determined by the late couple’s family. “My mother was a very astute businesswoman...
My friend, the historian Niall Ferguson, recently posted something remarkable on social media. Reflecting on the resurgence of antisemitism, Holocaust denial, and what he called the “anti-history” engulfing much of the world, Ferguson reached a painful...
Vice Admiral Herman Shelanski, USN (Retired) I joined the United States Navy in 1980 to protect the very freedoms that allowed me to live and pray as my Jewish ancestors did. Growing up with the heavy knowledge of the Holocaust, hearing on the news the persecution of...