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The Jewish community came together to help residents of Aviva Pembroke enjoy the Jewish New Year and Sukkot.Jewish Family Service delivered 38 Rosh Hashanah bags filled with apples, honey, a fresh calendar, and a challah donated by Ohef Sholom Temple. Rabbi Ari...
Commentators across the political spectrum have expended countless words to describe and explain the current moment in Israel and the state of the U.S.-Israel relationship.In Tidewater last month, Michael Oren, Israel’s ambassador to the United States (2009-2013),...
Wednesday, Dec. 9, 4:30 - 6:30 pm, Sandler Family Campus Families are invited to celebrate Hanukkah at PJs Around the Menorah with PJ Library and Tidewater’s ShinShinim for an evening that brings families together through holiday traditions, hands-on activities, and...
Pack: Tuesday, Nov. 17, 5:30 – 7 pm, Sandler Family CampusDistribute: Friday, Nov. 20, 10 am – 12 pm, Sandler Family Campus This Thanksgiving, Jewish Family Service is providing holiday grocery bags to 300 local families in need. Each family will receive a frozen...
Thursday, Nov. 12, 6 - 8 pm • Simon Family JCC Calling all NextGen women (ages 22–45ish) for Mizrahi in Motion & Flower Crowns. Jackie Dratch will lead a vibrant Mizrahi dance lesson (no experience needed, just come ready to move).In addition to the dance, women...
Donations accepted through: Monday, Nov. 16Packing bags: Tuesday, Nov. 17Thanksgiving Food Giveaway: Friday, Nov. 20 As the holiday season approaches, Jewish Family Service is preparing for one of its largest annual community outreach efforts: the Thanksgiving Food...
Next Senior Shabbat Initiative: Friday November 27, Ohef Sholom Temple In August, Ohef Sholom Temple hosted its first Senior Shabbat Initiative made possible by a generous grant from Beth Sholom Village. This was the first in a series of programs designed to enable...
Join the Tidewater Shinshinim for weekly conversational Hebrew classes designed to help participants build confidence in speaking and understanding modern Hebrew. Through interactive activities, games, real-life scenarios, and cultural discussions, participants will...
This winter, while their siblings compete in the Simon Family JCC Youth Basketball League, children can take part in Siblings on the Sidelines with the Tidewater Shinshinim in The Zone on the Sandler Family Campus. Through lively Israeli games and creative activities,...
Virginia Beach – Keith Harrison Bangel, born March 23, 1952, in Portsmouth, Virginia, passed away on October 24, 2026, at the age of 74.He was the son of the late Stanley Jerome Bangel and Frances Dorf Bangel.Keith graduated from Norfolk Academy and Brown University...
Virginia Beach – Jerome L. Cohen 83, of Virginia Beach, died October 18, 2026.Born in Bronx, New York, he was the son of the late Leonard Cohen and Beulah Rosen Cohen.Jerome was educated at Granby High School and Old Dominion University, both in Norfolk. He was a past...
Boca Raton, Fla. – Adele Cutler passed away peacefully in her home on September 23, 2026.As a young girl, she lived in the Ogontz section of Philadelphia, and later in Elkins Park.With her husband, Milt, she moved to Wyncote, Blue Bell, and then Florida.Del loved to...
Virginia Beach – Ida Rebeca “Becky” Levin, born on April 9, 1962, in Cuba, passed away on October 23, 2026, in Virginia Beach at the age of 64.Becky was a devoted retail associate and sous chef who brought kindness and dedication to her work. She was deeply passionate...
Norfolk – Sandra Sukoff Nesson, 92, of Norfolk, passed away on November 1, 2026.Sandra lived an extraordinary life and is now reunited in heaven with her beloved late husband, Yale; her daughter, Melissa; her brother, Fred; and her great-grandson, Owen.Born in New...
Virginia Beach – It is with profound sadness and broken hearts that we announce the sudden passing of our beloved Ari Jaron Simon on October 23, 2026, at the age of 16.Ari was a beautiful soul with a kind heart, a deep spirit, and a genuine love for those around him....
Monday, Nov. 23, 12 - 7 pm Tuesday, Nov. 24, 8 am - 2 pmSandler Family Campus ESEK, an initiative connecting Israeli artists and small businesses with communities around the world, returns to Tidewater bringing a collection of Israeli-made products to the community...
(JTA) —PARIS – Jewish-owned shops in Marseille were set ablaze and a synagogue in Paris was vandalized as part of widespread property damage caused by riots across France October 17 and 18, according to the Jewish Community Protection Service.It is too early to assess...
(JTA) —On Oct. 27, Israelis cast their votes in a process that will determine who is prime minister and who sits in the 120-seat parliament, the Knesset. Since the country’s founding in 1948, there have been 14 prime ministers and 25 parliaments. The process from the...
This year’s UJFT Super Sunday was truly a Super Sunday unlike any other—prompting the question, “Ma nishtana ha-Super Sunday?” On a day that threatened not only bad weather but possible tornadoes, dozens of volunteers gathered at the Sandler Family Campus to make the...
On a Saturday evening in Tel Aviv, I found myself dancing along the boardwalk. Nearby, a couple in their 80s danced to the music, seemingly without a care in the world. Families strolled along the waterfront. Friends gathered. Children played. It was ordinary. It was...
For 33 years, Dr. William Feldman cared for children and families throughout Hampton Roads. But his commitment to improving lives extended well beyond his medical practice. With his wife, Mary, Feldman believed that one of the most meaningful ways to strengthen the...
Tidewater BBYO held its annual fall kickoff event on Saturday, Sept. 19. Launching what will be an incredible year, the program started with a Havdalah on the beach where everyone took the time to begin the year as a community. Next, at Beachside Social, teens spent...
Virginia Council came together for an amazing LTI (Leadership Training Institute), bringing together teens from Tidewater and Richmond to prepare for the year ahead. The event was held in Richmond on August 30. Chapter leadership boards from Tidewater’s Simcha BBG and...
The United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s 2027 Community Campaign kicked off on September 24 with a celebration at the Sandler Family Campus. It was an inspiring evening filled with personal stories and heartfelt testimonials from several of the Campaign’s...
Hunger does not always look how one might imagine. It may be a senior trying to stretch a fixed income, a parent choosing between groceries and a utility bill, or a working family facing unexpected expenses.According to the 2026 Virginia Hunger Study, 42% of Virginia...
After 33 years of devoted service as clinical director, Debbie Mayer is “retired-ish” from Jewish Family Service, marking a meaningful transition for the agency and the many children, families, and community members whose lives she has touched.Mayer will continue to...
In a powerful demonstration of community collaboration and the deeply rooted Jewish value of Kibbud Zekenim (honoring the elderly), Jewish Family Service and Beth Sholom Village Foundation have joined forces to protect and support local seniors.A grant from Beth...
Elise Melnick Simon led a vibrant, creative life as a painter, photographer, performer, and educator. The mark she left on the local community was reflected in the group that gathered last month to celebrate the opening of 60 Photographs by Elise Melnick Simon, on...
When a Virginia Beach based foundation funds a Norfolk non-profit to improve a house for a disabled man in Portsmouth, that’s regionalism. And a great story.Beth Sholom Village took the earnings from selling its skilled care nursing home and assisted living facility...
In Prime Video’s hidden-camera comedy Jury Duty Presents: Company Retreat, which began streaming in March, the founder of a family-owned hot sauce company, Doug, announces his retirement and subsequent handing over of the business to his astonishingly unprepared son,...
Every athlete eventually plays a last game, and Jack Gross, a Norfolk Academy graduate and senior at Tulane University, wants to make sure there’s a plan for what comes next.Gross is a founder and the chief operating officer of Second Half Network, a free mentorship...
It doesn’t take much to keep Joel Feldman motivated to go into work every day. His store is his sanctuary, a culmination of half a century of hard work. “When my car pulls in the parking lot, I’m excited,” he says. “Sometimes I get chills. I’ve also broken down in...