Month: June 2017

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Ambivalence is not leadership when Jews are targeted

Ambivalence is not leadership when Jews are targeted

The protest outside Park East Synagogue in New York was not a complicated sociological moment. It was a group of demonstrators shouting slurs, taunts, and explicitly hostile language at Jews entering a house of worship.That should be the starting point for any...

A lesson in Tikkun Olam at Jewish Family Service

A lesson in Tikkun Olam at Jewish Family Service

When you hear the phrase Tikkun Olam—healing the world—you might picture simple acts of kindness: delivering meals, visiting the sick, or donating clothes. That’s what I imagined too when I joined the Jewish Family Service board in 2020. But I quickly realized I had...

Glenn Saucier retires from role at Sandler Family Campus

Glenn Saucier retires from role at Sandler Family Campus

After serving as the facility director of the Sandler Family Campus for more than 18 years, Glenn Saucier will retire on Dec. 31, 2025.The Sandler Family Campus houses the offices of United Jewish Federation of Tidewater, Simon Family JCC, Jewish Family Service,...

Year-end decisions, opportunities, and possibilities

Year-end decisions, opportunities, and possibilities

While bidding farewell to 2025, many may have free time during these final weeks to address tasks that have been put off for the last 11 months. Whether it’s crunch time for finances, shopping for last-minute Hanukkah gifts, or making plans for New Year’s Eve, Jewish...

It’s the most wonderful time of the year….to tip!

It’s the most wonderful time of the year….to tip!

Year-end is a good time to remember those people in our lives, besides family and friends, who play a part in our daily activities. According to the Emily Post Institute, which has been weighing in on proper etiquette for five generations, during the holidays it’s...

2026 Annual Campaign on track for successful fundraising year

2026 Annual Campaign on track for successful fundraising year

United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s 2026 Annual Community Campaign kicked off in August and has been raising funds at a steady pace since. As this article goes to press, the campaign total has surpassed $4.3 million, well on its way to a $5.2 million goal.The...

Stephanie Peck says goodbye to newspaper deadlines

Stephanie Peck says goodbye to newspaper deadlines

This issue of Jewish News is Stephanie Peck’s last as assistant editor. She joined the paper in July 2023 and made the decision several months ago to step away from the hectic world of newspaper deadlines. The paper appreciates that she offered to remain at her desk...

The will to build, together

The will to build, together

As we complete another incredibly successful year at Tidewater Jewish Foundation, I am heartened by the faith, trust, and confidence that is placed in us to safeguard personal heritage ideals.This past year, we grew our assets under management by 17%; 2% better than...

Siblings on the Sidelines: Fun and Israeli spirit off the court

Begins Wednesday, December 10 during most JCC basketball games Children can join Siblings on the Sidelines — a fun new program led by Tidewater’s Shinshinim, Noga Yaniv and Yarden Lahan — while their siblings compete in the Simon Family JCC Youth Basketball League....

Moses Ezekiel’s Botanical Garden artist statues

Sunday, December 14, at 2 pm Chrysler Museum of Art Samantha Baskind, PhD., distinguished professor of Art History at Cleveland State University, will speak on The Remarkable Journey of Moses Ezekiel's Norfolk Botanical Garden Artist Statues.    Sir Moses...

David Bruce Jorgenson

NORFOLK - David Bruce Jorgenson, age 83, departed this world on October 31, 2025.  David lived a life full of love. Just before he was born, his parents – Minnesota transplants to Los Angeles – rode a train back to rural Minnesota to be surrounded by his first...

Richard Siff

PORTSMOUTH - Richard Siff, devoted husband and father, passed away on November 11, 2025.  Born in Norfolk, Virginia, he was the only child of Leon and Doris Siff. Richard cultivated an early interest in electronics through amateur radio, which led to a...

David Louis Taetle

MCLEAN, VIRGINIA - David Louis Taetle, 75, passed away peacefully at home surrounded by family on November 15, 2025. Born in Washington, D.C., Mr. Taetle attended Bryant University before embarking on a long and successful career as a financial consultant to...

 Jewish Artists of the Past

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...

From darkness to light: The unforgettable Jai Mitzvah in Buenos Aires

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...

Be a hero in minutes. Simon Family JCC Annual Blood Drive

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...

Monthly Volunteer Days launch to support Jewish Tidewater

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...

Thank you to our supporters who recently donated to Jewish News! 

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...

Modern warfare and the fight for truth in the age of misinformation

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...

AJC responds to election of Zohran Mamdani

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...

Weddings with personalized twists for these area brides

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...

Rabbi Dr. Israel Zoberman turns 80

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,...

Scolnick raises nearly $8,000 in 10 minutes 

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....