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Dear Readers, The High Holidays are doing it again. . . they’re arriving early! Unlike the guest who rings the doorbell 15 minutes early without warning, the holidays don’t really sneak up on us. The first day of the Hebrew month Tishrei is where it always...
(JTA) —Jewish businessmen Bob Iger and Joshua Kushner are purchasing the NBA’s storied Los Angeles Lakers in a stunning, record-setting $12.5 billion deal. The sale comes barely a year after the team’s controlling stake was sold for $10 billion to Mark Walter,...
As the High Holidays approach and we prepare to welcome the year 5787, I find myself reflecting on the past year in our Tidewater Jewish community and all that I witness and experience. Throughout the summer, I watched children playing and relishing their time...
Temple Emanuel leadership recently welcomed Virginia Beach Chief of Police Paul Neudigate, members of his command staff, and 2nd Precinct Commander Captain James Gordon for a series of conversations focused on partnership, communication, and community safety. Joining...
Seventeen-year-old Henry Scolnick has already accomplished what many adults only hope to achieve. As the founder of Ballers Basketball, he has built far more than an adaptive sports league, he has created a community where children with unique abilities, teenage...
In recognition of her leadership in combating antisemitism and fostering a safer, more welcoming campus environment for Jewish and Zionist students, Professor Amy K. Milligan, Batten Endowed Associate Professor of Jewish Studies and Women’s and Gender Studies at Old...
(JTA) —TEL AVIV – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on August 23 posted what he described as his personal phone number and invited Israelis to contact him with their questions and problems. It was an election-season stunt that drew such a flood of...
“Unforgettable” is an appropriate way to describe Camp JCC’s 2026 summer. The season was packed with exciting field trips, spirited theme days, new campers, and an incredible staff team, including the additions of Christine Carnahan as camp manager, and Blake Sisler,...
Rosh Hashanah is a special holiday, offering observers a sense of renewal and the opportunity for a fresh start. It is a time for reflecting on the previous year and considering what to do differently in the year to come. The concept might not immediately...
The ritual of Tashlich is an all-encompassing symbolic representation of the High Holidays. This process of releasing sins into the river comes directly from the book of Micah, verse 19: “He will again have compassion upon us; He will subdue our iniquities; and Thou...
Monday, September 14, 5 - 6 pm - Sandler Family Campus Start the new year with Tidewater’s new Shinshinim, Liel Aisikowitz and Evyatar Olswang, along with PJ Library in Tidewater. Families are invited to a Rosh Hashanah Cookie and Craft Workshop, where children and...
Tuesday, September 1, 7 – 9 pm, Smartmouth Brewery United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s NextGen community gathers to kick off a month of holiday celebrations. Connect with friends, meet new people, and engage in friendly competition during a special trivia game...
Sunday, September 6, 5 – 7 pm Sandler Family Campus Get ready to celebrate a sweet New Year and prepare for Rosh Hashanah with United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s NextGen community (ages 22–45ish). The event will honor Tikkun Olam—the Jewish value of repairing the...
Rosh Hashanah arrives each year carrying questions. What did I accomplish during the year that has passed? Where did I fall short? Whom did I help? Whom did I hurt? What needs to change? But beneath all these questions lies another, more...
The JCC Maccabi Games and Access were held August 2-7 in two different host cities—Toronto and Kansas City. The Team Virginia Beach delegation went to the Games in Canada, joining more than 60 other delegations from nine countries. Eight athletes...
A new school year at Strelitz International Academy began on Monday, August 17 with the school’s faculty and staff welcoming both new and returning students to SIA for the 2026–2027 school year. In a special surprise, the Virginia Beach Police Department...
Fleischmann Lounge was filled with music as Kehillat Bet Hamidrash (KBH) congregants, friends, and community guests – ages preschool to 90 – welcomed Shabbat to celebrate their first year on the Sandler Family Campus. Member Sid Bridge led a joyful...
Tuesdays, Sept. 22 – Dec. 1, 11 am - 12:30 pm, Sandler Family Campus American history is filled with Jewish stories that helped shape the nation, yet many remain largely unknown. As the United States marks its 250th anniversary, this 10-week course invites students to...
What if the Jewish community of Tidewater spent Shabbat together? That is what is happening when PJ Library in Tidewater and the Konikoff Center for Learning of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater, in partnership with Congregation Beth El, Temple Israel,...
For many families, formal Jewish education ends after the bar or bat mitzvah party’s festivities are over. But that doesn’t mean that seventh and eighth grade students aren’t itching to make a difference and make their voices heard. Or that their parents aren’t...
Camp JCC is preparing for an incredible lineup of after school classes for the fall, including a few returning fan favorites alongside some new additions. Programs are tailored for children 3 to 10 years old. Soccer Shots returns for future soccer stars, while...
Saturday, October 10, 5 -7 pm Sandler Family Campus, Free Middle school students are invited to Game Night, an evening filled with games, laughter, friendship, and fun. Dinner will be provided. Whether challenging friends to classic favorites such as...
Thursday, September 10, 7:30 pm, CNU’s Ferguson Center for the Arts Sunday September 13, 2:30 pm, Sandler Center for the Performing Arts The Virginia Symphony Orchestra will open its 2026/27 Season with Mahler’s Titan Symphony. Music Director Eric Jacobsen, the Macon...
Norfolk – Diane Zaba Aftel, 87, of Norfolk, passed away peacefully in her home on August 15, 2026. She was born to the late Benjamin Zaba and Ruby Hillman Zaba. Diane was always very close to her late uncle, Sam Hillman, and her younger brother, Dr. Joel Zaba....
Burke, VA – Dr. Steven J. Becker, 78, died on August 9, 2026, in Burke, Virginia. Born on June 6, 1948, in Jersey City, N. J., Steven is remembered as a loving husband and father, a man with a wonderful sense of humor, and a dedicated dentist....
Virginia Beach – Barbara Rae Soroko Bowden died June 29, 2026, in her home in Virginia Beach. Born in Portsmouth, Va. She was the daughter of the late Oscar Soroko and Mildred Hilles Soroko. Barbara will be remembered for her kindness, warmth, and...
Baltimore, Md. – Lois (Cohen) Greenebaum passed away peacefully at the age of 95, surrounded her beloved family. A highly intelligent and thoughtful woman, she led her life with integrity, strong values, purpose, and wisdom. She was the definition of a...
Norfolk – Edward Legum, 97, of Norfolk, passed away peacefully on August 6, 2026, surrounded by his loving family. Born in Norfolk and raised in Berkley, Eddie was the son of the late A.J. Legum and Bessie Padrasic Legum. He graduated from Maury High School and...
Portsmouth – Jack Sanford Moscovitz, 90, a lifelong resident of Portsmouth, Va., peacefully passed away on July 1, 2026, with family by his side. Born on November 5, 1935, in Norfolk, he was the only child of Louis and Bluma Moscovitz, of blessed memory....
Lakeland, Fla. – Ruby Hainer Schwarzschild of Norfolk, passed away peacefully on August 6, 2026 in Lakeland, Fla. She was a dedicated mother, wife, grandmother, chef, artist, and beloved pillar of her community. Ruby was born in Norfolk on March 13,...
Singer, songwriter, and philanthropist Dolly Parton died Tuesday, August 25 at the age of 80. The outpouring of grief was immediate and universal. “PJ Library and the Harold Grinspoon Foundation team are sad to learn of the passing of musician, philanthropist,...
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