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On October 20, Jesse Shepperd celebrated her 105th birthday surrounded by family, friends, and the people who are lucky enough to know her.Her birthday brought together generations of family, including her son and daughter, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren,...
A Virginia Beach Lost Tribe riding member, Mike Jaffe participated in this past summer’s JMA Ride to Remember to Cleveland.This was Jaffe’s “10th or 11th Ride to Remember,” he says.The 250 members of the Jewish Motorcyclist Alliance who participated in the ride to...
When I first proposed the idea of a dementia café to our community, people asked various questions. Mainly, “What is this?”Dementia Cafés began in the Netherlands in 1997 when Dr. Bere Miesen, a clinical psychologist, opened the first one at Leiden University. He...
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,...
(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...
A produce farm grabs the attention of many drivers traveling from Tidewater to the Outer Banks – and not because of its beautiful tomatoes or peppers. Lining the approach to the property, a striking row of Israeli flags wave proudly in the wind, catching the eye of...
For nearly 30 years, the Holocaust Commission’s White Rose Project has helped connect students with stories that educate, inspire, and encourage reflection. Each fall, the project donates Holocaust-related books to every middle and high school library throughout...
Books are packed, supplies are ready, and excitement is in the air because BeAR is heading back to school.The annual Be A Reader Literacy Project’s kickoff luncheon was a wonderful success, bringing together familiar faces, brand new mentors, lots of laughter and, of...
Three years after the atrocities of October 7, 2023, members of the Tidewater Jewish community gathered not simply to recall a date, but to honor lives, bear witness to loss, and reaffirm their enduring connection to Israel and the Jewish people.Surrounding the...
Members of United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s Center for Active Living, a group for older adults offering fitness, lifelong learning, and cultural programming, spent the morning of Tuesday, October 13 at the Chrysler Museum of Art. Attendees enjoyed a...