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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...
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...
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...
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....
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 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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
Kiddish is a Jewish News column celebrating little people – their first introductions, milestones, simchas, and accomplishments. Sharing these special moments and achievements with Jewish Tidewater creates a collective kvell! Noa Hanna DratchBorn January 9,...
Elections for Tidewater BBYO chapters took place on Saturday, May 10. The positions of president; vice president, programming; and vice president, membership are elected for a school-year term, while the other three positions are elected for fall and spring terms....
Kate-Lynn Cipolla has joined United Jewish Federation of Tidewater and Simon Family JCC’s full-time professional staff as assistant camp director at Camp JCC.Cipolla is a familiar face on the Sandler Family Campus, having spent more than eight years serving in a...
There is no denying that coffee and college have a legendary relationship, from fueling early-morning classes to sustaining late-night study sessions. But for college campuses, coffee and the places that serve it, are about more than just caffeine. These spaces create...
ROANOKE - Brian Jay Wishneff was born on October 16, 1952, and passed away on May 24, 2025, surrounded by loved ones. He was the son of the late Alvin Wishneff and Ruth Victor Wishneff. Brian grew up with his parents, three sisters, and one brother in Norfolk. He...
SILVER SPRING, Md. - Dr. Leonard I. Ruchelman passed away peacefully on April 27, 2025, at the age of 91 in his home in Silver Spring, Maryland. He was born on June 28, 1933, in Brooklyn, New York to Jacob and Sarah Ruchelman. Leonard is survived by his wife Diana...
Virginia Beach - Ernest Martin Lendman (Ernie), 86, passed away on May 11, 2025. Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Ernie was the son of the late Henry and Sarah Lendman. He was also preceded in death by his first wife, Sheila Ktotstein Lendman, and his brother Stephan...
VIRGINIA BEACH - Benjamin Kevin Glaser, affectionately known as Kevin, passed away unexpectedly at his home on May 15, 2025, at the age of 62. Born in Norfolk and raised in Virginia Beach, Kevin was a proud graduate of Kempsville High School, Class of 1981. He went on...
COCONUT CREEK, FLORIDA - Albert J. Brunn, 100, passed away peacefully at home on Sunday, May 18, 2025. Born in Berlin, Germany, in 1924 to Martin and Hertha Brunn, Albert’s early life was shaped by the profound upheaval of his time. As antisemitism swept through Nazi...
This year’s Lag BaOmer celebration hosted by Jewish Virginia Beach brought together more than 300 participants for an afternoon that balanced joy, depth, and community spirit — and showcased a Jewish presence that’s growing, young, and full of life. Held at Hunt Club...
Community members gathered at the Sandler Family Campus on Wednesday, April 30 to recognize Israel Remembrance Day (Yom HaZikaron) – a solemn occasion dedicated to remembering Israel’s fallen soldiers and victims of terror attacks. Leading the heartfelt ceremony were...
A combination of Beth Chaverim and Temple Emanuel women, Beach Sisterhood held its first Bunco game at Ilene Kohen’s home in April. Several guests joined Beach Sisterhood for this entertaining event. The group of 18 women had lots of fun trying to roll three dice and...
The 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day was observed in Tidewater with a special presentation by Dr. Roger and Win Loria at the MacArthur Memorial in Norfolk on May 8. United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s Holocaust Commission partnered with the MacArthur...
Students from Old Dominion University’s Hillel, led by Dr. Amy Milligan, proudly participated in the school’s annual Out of the Darkness Walk, a national movement in support of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention on Sunday, April 27. The event is part of a...
Last month, Adrianne Royes invited Tidewater’s Shinshinim, Danielle Hartman and Emily Patyuk, as well as a few friends, to spend an evening together filled with Israel culture and cuisine. “A fun time was had by all. Guests were thoroughly pampered by our Shin-chefs...
The death of any young person at the hands of a terrorist is horrific. The death of a young couple on the verge of getting engaged to be married reverberates further. The Mishnah tells us that to destroy any life is to destroy a world, but to destroy the lives of two...
Security professionals urge Jewish institutions to expand the security perimeter at their events. On Wednesday, May 21, three-armed security officers stood guard as the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington held its annual meeting in the nation’s...
Court rejected nonprofit’s efforts to delay oversight Attorney General Jason Miyares secured a court victory last month that will compel AJP Educational Foundation, also known as American Muslims for Palestine (AMP), to comply with the Attorney General’s Civil...
Wednesday, June 11, 6:30 pm, Sandler Family Campus Tidewater’s Jewish community often gathers for commemorations and celebrations. In fact, over the past several months, from Yom Hashoah to Yom Ha’Atzmaut, and for so many more occasions as well, we have gathered in...
In keeping with the ViBe’s 10-year anniversary celebrations, the Virginia Beach City Council recognized the ViBe Creative District with a Resolution at its meeting on Tuesday, May 20. The City Council thanked ViBe co-founders Andrew Fine and Laura Wood and executive...