Thursday, October 23, 7:30 pm Sandler Family Campus Acclaimed author and journalist Yaakov Katz returns to Tidewater next month for a timely conversation about Israel, Hamas, and the lessons of October 7. The former editor-in-chief of The Jerusalem Post...
Month: March 2016
Archives
New Shinshinim-led Israeli youth movement group for third through fifth graders
Sundays, beginning October 19, 1-3 pm Sandler Family Campus This fall, Tidewater’s newest Shinshinim, Noga Yaniv and Yarden Lahan, are launching a brand-new Israeli youth movement inspired by the energy and spirit of the Israeli Scouts, “Tzofim.” Open to third...
Birdie Glanzer Brundage
BOCA RATON, FLORIDA - Birdie Glanzer Brundage, 95, beloved mother, grandmother, and great grandmother, passed away on September 3, 2025. Born March 28, 1930, in New York City to Dr. Joseph and Helen Weiser Glanzer, she graduated from the Birch Wathen School and...
Larry W. Dobrinsky
NORFOLK - It is with a heavy heart we announce the passing of Larry Wallis Dobrinsky, who passed away on September 7, 2025, at the age of 85. Larry was a native of Norfolk, where he graduated from Maury High School. He lived in Norfolk most of his life and only...
Safety Tips
In these trying times, advice from a security professional can go a long way to assuring personal and community safety in public, as well as, in private spaces. Here, Mike Goldsmith, SCN regional security advisor, offers a couple of easy-to-follow tips. Cybersecurity...
Christian Broadcasting Network, CBN Israel, and Regent University partner with JewBelong for Antisemitism Awareness Campaign
Campaign features three billboards in Tidewater and four billboards near Ivy League universities In response to the alarming rise in antisemitic incidents in the Commonwealth of Virginia and across the nation, the Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN), CBN Israel, and...
Attorney General Miyares publishes new Virginia Rules Resources to combat antisemitism
RICHMOND, Va. — Attorney General Jason S. Miyares announced the publication of a new Virginia Rules lesson focused on combating antisemitism. The announcement was made in August. This new module will be added to the broader Virginia Rules program, which provides...
Will federal security grants require synagogues to cooperate with ICE? Concerns are running high
Asaf Elia-Shalev(JTA) — With $274 million in federal security grants about to go up for grabs, dozens of progressive Jewish groups and several synagogues say they are boycotting the program.In an open letter launched last month, they said they can’t accept the strings...
Dr. Sara Glass inspires at UJFT’s first Pride Month event
(No Sound) United Jewish Federation of Tidewater hosted its first event marking LGBTQ+ Pride Month in partnership with Ohef Sholom Temple, Hampton Roads Pride, and the LGBT Life Center. The event, held on June 25 at The Rainbow Cactus in Virginia Beach, featured Dr....
Virtual Super Sunday…How will it work? What will be the impact?
Sunday, September 14 United Jewish Federation of Tidewater will host its first all-virtual Super Sunday on Sunday, Sept. 14. In a multi-pronged approach to fundraising, volunteers will mail, text, email, and yes, call members of the Tidewater Jewish community to talk...
On Shabbat morning in my Jerusalem synagogue, I began to see our complex world anew
Jon Polin(JTA) —When I walked into the small, ramshackle gymnasium that is our humble synagogue on Shabbat morning this past week, pictures of the 14 children from the congregation who would be starting first grade on Monday decorated the walls. It must have been one...
Why I believe in Tidewater’s Jewish tomorrow
A year ago, I became chair of Tidewater Jewish Foundation. I am extremely honored to be in this position, especially considering all of those who have previously served in this role. I only hope to fill their shoes while trying to help guide this amazing organization...
Honey’s sweetness at Rosh Hashanah
Honey is an integral ingredient for Rosh Hashanah, as Jews worldwide dip both challah and apples into this golden, syrupy liquid as part of their New Year traditions. But honey comes from a bee, an insect that stings and creates pain. Why isn’t the sweet apple enough...
Area Jewish college students celebrate and observe holidays away from home
Each year, more than 200,000 Jewish students leave home to attend institutions of higher learning in the United States and Canada. Most of these teenagers have celebrated the High Holidays with their families their entire lives – never apart from them. Still, these...
A Sephardic Rosh Hashanah
Ashkenazi traditions are so pervasive in Jewish American communities, that many – Jews and non-Jews – think that those traditions are THE Jewish ways to observe and celebrate holidays. Those of Sephardic and Mizrahi heritage would most likely disagree.In fact, a new...
A bissel of Yiddish for Rosh Hashanah
A combination of High German and Hebrew, Yiddish is a language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. Efforts are underway to keep the language alive through clubs, Youtube videos, classes, books, and performances.In Tidewater, the Yiddish Club is making a comeback....
The Art of the High Holidays: A Jewish Art Education virtual presentation
Sunday, September 21, 7 pm, $9 (half a chai*) - $36 Rosh Hashanah (Head of the Year) and Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) will come to life through 1,500 years of Jewish art with the virtual presentation, The Art of the High Holidays.Presented by Jewish Art Education,...
Tidewater’s Saul Brodsky becomes a scribe in Israel
Saul Brodsky credits his Jewish faith to his mother, Wendy Einhorn Brodsky. “My mom is genuine about her Jewish identity and practice,” he says when describing the trajectory of his Jewish journey beginning in Norfolk attending Temple Israel to studying at a yeshiva...
Bagels & Balance:A positive parenting series
Over three warm and engaging Thursday mornings this summer, the Simon Family JCC became a hub of reflection and connection for parents. Led by Rabbi Aryeh Kravetz, the “Bagels & Balance” series invited participants to explore the art of positive parents, focusing...
Amy Milligan helps make a difference for students across the country
The Israel on Campus Coalition’s (ICC) National Leadership Summit (NLS) is a three-day conference open to Jewish college students across the country, with the aim to “address today’s critical issues and inspire student leaders.”This year, the largest gathering of...
Camp JCC 2025: A summer of tremendous growth
The phrase that best describes the recently completed Camp JCC Summer 2025 is “tremendous growth.” In addition to the number of campers this past summer, “tremendous growth” refers to the growth of the Camp JCC program over the past five years.In summer 2025, more...
Pride in resilience: My experience in Israel demonstrated the importance of the work of Jewish Federations
This past June, I participated in the Jewish Federation of North America’s 2025 LGBTQ+ Pride Month mission to Israel, the first trip of its kind in nearly a decade. I joined nearly 100 LGBTQ+ Jewish leaders representing 26 Jewish Federations from across North America....
Team VB goes to Maccabi
For five hot days, July 27 - August 1, TeamVB’s four-person squad competed against delegations from across the country, plus Ukrainian, Israeli, and Canadian delegations at the JCC Maccabi–Access Games in Tucson, Arizona.Returning athletes from Tidewater joined...
New Hires
New Jewish Community Services Manager for Jewish Family Service Julie Kievit with her family: Ken, Alexandra, and Ruby. Julie Kievit Jewish Family Service of Tidewater recently announced the appointment of Julie Kievit as its new Jewish community services...
Hebrew Ladies Charity of Tidewater: Honoring a legacy
Jewish Family Service has long been the safety net of Tidewater’s Jewish community—but it all began with a group of determined women.In March 1902, the Hebrew Ladies Charity Society was formed when Fannie Brenner gathered a small group of Jewish women to create a...
Partners in Jewish Life comes to Tidewater: A night of connection and learning
Monday, October 27 • 7 pm • Sandler Family Campus United Jewish Federation of Tidewater will host its first Partners in Jewish Life program – an evening that promises to be a meaningful opportunity for Jewish community members of all backgrounds to gather in learning...
From Sinai to Seinfeld: Jews and their Jokes returns
Course begins: Monday, November 3 • 6:45 pm • online Taught by Dr. Amy K. Milligan, From Sinai to Seinfeld: Jews and Their Jokes, a Melton course presented by United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s Konikoff Center for Learning, is back by popular demand.Originally...
Artist inResidence weekend planned at Temple Israel
Saturday, November 15 at 9:30 am and 7 pm Sunday, November 16, at 10 am Get ready for a super weekend as Temple Israel hosts Jordan Gorfinkel, or “Gorf,” for its Artist in Residence weekend.Gorf, a former editor of the Batman comics series and author of the Passover...
Photographer and survivor of the Oct. 7 NOVA Musical Festival massacre to speak at ODU
Thursday, September 18 • 7 pm • Webb Center, Old Dominion University Old Dominion University’s Institute for Jewish Studies and Interfaith Understanding and ODU Hillel will welcome Shye Klein, a photographer and NOVA survivor of October 7, whose work documents the...
Read along with BeAR: One hour each week can change a child’s life
Be A Reader (BeAR) Literacy Project pairs caring adults with second graders in under-resourced schools for one-on-one reading time. For many of these children, the attention, encouragement, and joy the mentors bring during that single hour a week is more than just...
Israel’s blind spot: Underestimating Hamas A conversation with Yaakov Katz, former Jerusalem Post editor-in-chief
Thursday, October 23 • 7:30 pm • Sandler Family Campus Acclaimed author and former Jerusalem Post editor-in chief Yaakov Katz will be in town to discuss his new book, While Israel Slept. In the book, Katz delivers a gripping account of how years of complacency, flawed...
Dinner and mushroom art workshop with artist and author Bill Wurtzel
Tuesday, Sept. 16, 6 pm, Sandler Family Campus Award-winning artist Bill Wurtzel is set to share his remarkable journey from a playful breakfast to international acclaim. What began 64 years ago as a funny meal for his wife, Claire, has blossomed into seven books,...