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Move over Purim. . . Hanukkah is staking its own claim on fun as a Jewish holiday that embraces a bit of silliness and play. From a banana shaped menorah – a Banorah – to Dinokkah the Hanukkah inflatable lighted dinosaur – which stands at six feet tall and...
At Strelitz International Academy, the fall season is filled with excitement and meaning as students celebrate the holidays from Rosh Hashanah through Simchat Torah. The spirit of the holidays continues to shine at SIA as the community eagerly anticipates the SIA Fall...
The annual United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s 2026 Lion–Tikva–Chai Luncheon is an opportunity to thank and celebrate the leading donors and volunteers of the Federation’s Women’s Division. This year’s lunch welcomed more than 70 women and featured an amazing...
The Cardo at the Sandler Family Camps was a whir of activity during the afternoon of Sunday, November 9. Roughly 40 volunteers – adults and children alike – busily prepared Thanksgiving meal kits for 350 families in need this holiday season. Jewish Family...
On Tuesday, October 28, alongside Aaron Shames, I had the pleasure of moderating an event for the Lee & Bernard Jaffe Family Jewish Book Festival showcasing the book Tiny Pep Talks. It was such a fun and uplifting experience! The evening was filled with laughter,...
The Mitzvah committee at Ohef Sholom Temple completed its annual Thanksgiving Drive to benefit Jewish Family Service’s clients on Sunday, November 16. The temple’s Religious School classes, along with other congregant’s generosity, made it possible to fill 30...
Families gathered at Red Wing Park for a PJ Library Pumpkin Pop-Up on Sunday, Nov. 2. Parents and children spent the afternoon enjoying each other’s company and connecting with families who live nearby. Designed with local families in mind, the pop-up offered an...
Saturday, December 6, and Sunday, December 7 Temple Israel “When we are gone, who will tell our stories?” That’s a compelling question that the survivors of the Holocaust ask, as do the liberators and the Righteous Among the Nations of WWII. Now their children, the...
December 22, 2025 - January 2, 2026 Sandler Family Campus Although the chill is here and summer may seem far away, Camp JCC fun is right around the corner with the return of Camp JCC Winter Camp. Taking place over the winter break for local school districts,...
Israel in Focus: Hamas’ War – Truth and Consequences Modern Warfare and the Fight for Truth in the Age of Misinformation Wednesday, December 3, 7:30 pm, Sandler Family Campus, Free MAJ John W. Spencer, USA (Ret.), is not only one of the world’s leading experts on...
A Story for Everything: An Evening of Stories, Laughter, and Inspiration Thursday, December 11, 7:30 pm, Sandler Family Campus What makes a moment memorable? What turns an ordinary experience into something that connects, teaches, or inspires? This December, host of...
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....
Camp JCC is not just an excellent summer camp, it is a place where children, teens, and young adults connect, build community, learn, play, and grow with each other throughout the year. The skills, friendships, memories, and joy of Camp JCC are not limited to two...
This Sukkot, Jewish Family Service celebrated the holiday’s spirit of gratitude and community by launching its “Fill the Sukkah” Food Drive — an initiative that combined tradition with tzedakah. Instead of decorating a traditional sukkah this year, JFS invited...
The online world can be confusing and scary for people of all ages. That is why on Wednesday, Sept. 17, Secure Community Network’s Regional Security Advisor for Tidewater, Mike Goldsmith, spoke with the JCC Senior’s Club about recognizing common scams. Protecting...
Sunday, November 2, 4 - 7 pm Rabbi Rosalin Mandelberg has been weaving her unique and essential thread in Jewish Tidewater’s tapestry with steadfast grace and love for more than 20 years. As senior rabbi at Ohef Sholom Temple, she has led with wisdom, devotion, and...
Program launches November 1 Jewish Family Service helps local Jewish families of all ages. Many of these families are single parents coping with financial challenges. Here is one such story, written on behalf of a JFS client: A young mother approached JFS for...
Saturday, November 8, 7 pm Congregation Beth El will celebrate 175 years of Jewish life in Tidewater with an evening featuring music, food, drinks, and highlights of the past 175 years – as well as insights into the future. This evening is for celebrating...
As 2025 winds down and Jewish Book Month marks its 100th year, the final stretch of Tidewater’s Jewish Book Festival offers a meaningful way to gather in community, reflect on the year behind us, and celebrate the stories that connect us. The conversation...
Sunday, January 11 Ohef Sholom Temple Jewish Family Service will host a special luncheon to celebrate the remarkable legacy of the Hebrew Ladies Society of Tidewater. Established in 1902, this pioneering group of women laid the foundation for what would later become...
Friday, November 21 10 am – 12 pmSandler Family Campus Jewish Family Service will host its annual Thanksgiving Drive the Friday prior to the holiday, offering people in need to pick up a free Thanksgiving meal through its drive-up pantry. To volunteer to help...
Tuesdays, 10 am -12 pm Sandler Family Campus Every other Thursday 10 – 12 pm, Aviva A combined knitting and crocheting group, Knots for Kindness is open to beginners and experienced makers alike. All are welcome. All projects — scarves, lap blankets, and full-sized...
Sunday, November 23, 10 am - 12 pm Sandler Family Campus Members of the Tidewater community will come together next month for Community Impact Day, a morning dedicated to learning, giving, and strengthening community connections. Now in its second year, the event will...
VIRGINIA BEACH - Lawrence Edward “Larry” Bress passed away peacefully on October 9, 2025, in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Born in Norfolk on November 26, 1942, to Lewis and Bertha Bress, Larry was a devoted husband, father, grandfather, and brother whose warmth,...
NORFOLK - With profound sadness, we announce that Bettie Minette Cooper, age 87, died on October 14, 2025. Minette was born on December 23, 1937, in New York City, N.Y. to Louis Leyens Switzer and Bettie Kleisdorf Switzer. She was raised in a family that valued music,...
VIRGINIA BEACH - Marsha Hirschler, 80, passed away at her home surrounded by family, on October 7, 2025. She was preceded in death by her father, Jack Thornton, Sr., mother, Ruth Thornton, and brother, Jack Thornton, II. Born in West Virginia, Marsha grew up in...
NORFOLK - Samuel Sandler, 59, passed away peacefully on October 6, 2025, surrounded by the love of his family. Born on December 7, 1966, to Jack and Jacqueline Sandler, Samuel grew up in a home filled with warmth, humor, and strong family values. He will be remembered...
VIRGINIA BEACH - With profound sadness and deep love, we announce the passing of George Walter Stein on October 7, 2025, at the age of 83. George was a devoted and loving husband, father, grandfather, and valued friend to many. George is preceded in death by his...
In sanctuaries across the nation, in fact, across the globe, rabbis and cantors spent much of the recent High Holidays speaking about the rifts – the competing views – that exist within their congregations concerning Israel, Gaza, and the political divides in the...
Editor: Ever since Oct.7, 2023 this country (and around the world) has seen a strong upsurge in antisemitism. Much of this originates with right-wing white supremacists and the left Muslim pro-Palestinian sectors. But a large contingent also comes from...
JTA) — On the second anniversary of the Hamas massacre, Israelis grappled with how to mark the date which overlapped with the first day of Sukkot, when Jewish tradition requires festivity. The government postponed official remembrances until the day after the Simchat...
When students in more than 300 Tidewater schools opened their library doors this fall, they found something new on the shelves: stories that reflect the richness of Jewish life and history. Thanks to the Konikoff Center for Learning of United Jewish Federation of...