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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...
Julie Giarrana, a registered dietician who recently started offering personal nutrition services at the Simon Family JCC, originally got to the Center by responding to an ad for a substitute yoga instructor. It was Giarrana’s nutrition background, however, that caught...
Saturday, Nov. 15 and Sunday, Nov. 16 With the help of Artist in Residence Jordan Gorfinkel – “Gorf” to his many (and soon to be more) fans – Temple Israel will present a weekend in November of doing just that. And who could be more qualified to talk about...
Sunday, October 27, 7 pm, Sandler Family Campus United Jewish Federation of Tidewater invites every member of the community – every stream, and every story – to come together as one Jewish people for the inaugural Partners in Jewish Life (PJL) evening, presented by...
NORFOLK - Charlotte Cooper Corey, some knew her as ‘CHICK,” has gone ‘Home” to dance once again with her beloved husband, Donald Leigh Corey. She was 92 when she passed and often spoke of what a wonderful life she had. She was anxious to join her friends and...
PORTSMOUTH - Robert P. James, 87, passed away on August 25, 2025. Robert was born in Portsmouth, Va. He retired as a school bus driver after many years of service. He leaves to cherish his memories his only child, Nakita James, who will miss him dearly. A...
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. - Ari Lazier passed away unexpectedly on September 26, 2025. He was born in Norfolk, Va., to his loving parents, Jay and Nancy Lazier. He was 44 years old. He was a brilliant and voraciously energetic man who lived those years with...
The Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) of Greater Washington and Washington Jewish Week produced a Virginia General Election Jewish Voters’ Guide for the 2025 statewide races. This publication provides information about the candidates running for Governor,...
For more than 40 years, this annual celebration of Jewish writers, books, and ideas has brought together bold voices and fresh perspectives. From Israel and her neighbors to Jewish tradition, from comedy to cuisine, from telling history to telling YOUR story, there...
As we enter this High Holiday season of reflection and renewal together, I am reminded that these holidays invite us to pause, look inward, and reconnect—with our traditions, our communities, and with our loved ones. This year, more than ever, we are reminded of the...
The High Holiday season is a sacred time for worship, reflection, and joy. It begins on the evening of Monday, September 22. “Our synagogues will see significant numbers of congregants coming to connect with their faith and the larger Jewish community,” says Mike...
Puts out welcome mat to new congregants With music, prayer, and community spirit, Kehillat Bet Hamidrash (KBH), Kempsville Conservative Synagogue, has entered a new chapter in its nearly five-decade history On Saturday, September 6, KBH held its first Shabbat service...
This summer, I traveled to Israel for my niece’s wedding. It was a joyous occasion, full of laughter, dancing, and the kind of celebration that reminds us what it means to live fully and proudly as Jews. Surrounded by family, I felt the timeless bond that ties us to...
United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s Young Adult Division (YAD) has a new name and a new way of doing business. Now officially rebranded as Next Gen 757, this bold new identity reflects its mission, its members, and the vibrant future UJFT is helping to shape in...
Sukkot – also known as the Feast of Tabernacles or Feast of Booths – celebrates the fall harvest and commemorates the Israelites’ 40 years of wandering in the desert after their Exodus from Egypt. The week-long Jewish festival is celebrated by building, dwelling, and...
A combination of High German and Hebrew, Yiddish is a language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. In Tidewater, the Yiddish Club is embracing Yiddish culture, language, and history with music, film, poetry, and literature at its monthly meetings. For...
Jewish Tidewater celebrates Sukkot with an array of events throughout the region. All listings are open to the public. Chabad of Tidewater Community Sukkot Dinner and Dessert in the Sukkah Monday, October 6, 7:30 pm Suggested donation $18/person RSVP:...
Families of all ages gathered at the Reba and Sam Sandler Family Campus for the annual End of Summer Shabbat Dinner and Pool Party on Friday, August 22. Hosted by United Jewish Federation of Tidewater, the multigenerational event brought together more than 150...
On Sunday, September 14, I hosted a charity mini golf fundraising tournament at the Sandler Family Campus. We had 25 people show up to play and donate to Jewish Family Service. The tournament was split into three rounds. The first round was a normal round, and...
Even in retirement, Harry Graber, former executive vice president of United Jewish Federation of Tidewater, continues to be an active and beloved presence in the community. His dedication has never wavered, and he remains committed to sharing his time, talents, and...
Monday, October 6 9 am Sandler Family Campus Join Tidewater’s Shinshinim, Noga Yaniv and Yarden Lahan, in the Sandler Family Campus Sukkah for a heartfelt morning of remembrance and reflection. The program will begin with a short ceremony, honoring the memory of the...