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Thursday, July 17, 5:30 pm, Sandler Family Campus A vibrant group of Israeli teens who bring the spirit of Israel to life through music, dance, and storytelling, the Tzofim Friendship Caravan returns to Tidewater for a community concert next month.The Tzofim...
(New York Jewish Week) — New Yorker Helena Weinstock Weinrauch, a Holocaust survivor known for taking up ballroom dancing in her late 80s, died at her home on the Upper West Side on Sunday, May 25. She was just one week shy of her 101st birthday.The cause was likely...
VIRGINIA BEACH - Bernice Peters Jacobs, “Nici,” age 97, passed away on May 28, 2025. She was a loving mother, grandmother, and proud great-grandmother.Bernice was born in Richmond, Virginia, to parents, Robert S. Peters and Ida Coplan Peters. Bernice was preceded in...
VIRGINIA BEACH - Suzanne Snyder Jacobson, 89, passed away peacefully at home on June 1, 2025.Suzanne was predeceased by her devoted husband of 64 years, Jack Burt Jacobson, of blessed memory. Suzanne is survived by her four daughters, Maryann Jacobson (Angela), Carol...
Richmond – Bea Rueben Linas, 104, of Richmond, passed away peacefully on May 28, 2025.Born on April 2, 1921, Bea was known for her sharp sense of humor and her love of fashion. She was never without her meticulously curated jewelry or her signature lipstick. She was a...
PORTSMOUTH - David Blaine Sears was born on March 19, 1963, and departed this life May 22, 2025. He was the son of Ronald Sears and Diane (Sears) Ruben.David was born in Portsmouth, Va., and left with his parents to Norfolk, Va., where he attended Hebrew Academy and...
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...
I’ve been trying—unsuccessfully—to get Naomi Limor Sedek, president and CEO of the Tidewater Jewish Foundation, to listen to this song for weeks now. Man Smart, Woman Smarter, by Grateful Dead, has always made me smile, not just because of its catchy tune, but because...
A small group of “exhausted-from-Passover-prepping” YAD women took time out on a Thursday evening to come together, swap advice, share stories, and create beautiful kosher for Passover dessert charcuterie boards.Combining classic sweets such as jelly rings, chocolate...
Earlier this month, Erica Reisner Ausch, with the assistance of her daughter, Linda Ausch, made Matzah Ball Soup with her grandson, Leo Woodward, and his family: Erika Woodward, and Ausch’s great grandchildren, Wells and Bridget Woodward. L’dor V’dor. Aunty Linda...
Eastern Region’s BBYO teens gathered for the annual Spring Cultural Convention at Camp Thunderbird in Lake Wylie, S.C. earlier this month. Eastern Region is comprised of three councils: Virginia Council (all of Virginia excluding Northern Virginia), North Carolina...
More than 60 active adults gathered for a meaningful Model Passover Seder on Tuesday, April 9. Led by Rabbi David Bockman of Congregation Beth El with Dave Flagler, Simon Family JCC’s camp director, on guitar, the event took place at the Sandler Family Campus. The...
It started with a simple question during a meeting of United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s Innovation Steering Committee: If children have the privilege of receiving Jewish-themed books monthly through PJ Library, why shouldn’t adults have their own version? PJ...
Wednesday, May 15, 7 pm Sandler Family Campus Jewish Family Service and NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) are partnering to bring something special to Tidewater—a screening of the film Orchestrating Change, about mental health and music.The film tells the...
Tuesday, May 13, 6 pm • Sandler Family Campus The first-ever Nadiv Poker Night is set for launch.Registrations are coming in as poker players prepare for a large-scale tournament in the Fleder Multipurpose Room on the Sandler Family Campus.Nadiv’s signature event of...
(JTA) — Almost all of the Holocaust survivors alive today will be dead in 15 years, a new projection by a leading organization advocating for their compensation finds.While the timeline is something of an actuarial inevitability — the Holocaust ended 80 years ago,...
Six-week course begins Tuesday June 17, 6:45 pm, online The Konikoff Center for Learning of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater is hosting a six-week course this summer, Understanding Zionism: The Return to the Jewish Homeland. The course will offer an in-depth...
Wednesday, May 21 - Wednesday, July 2 • Virginia Beach Public Library TCC Joint-Use Library As the world continues to grapple with the complexities of history and its ongoing impact on society, the Virginia Beach Public Library, at the TCC Joint-Use Library is set to...
The Jewish Museum and Cultural Center - JMCC (formerly Chevra T’Helim synagogue), United Jewish Federation of Tidewater, and the Chrysler Museum, are collaborating to present a special series of events. A three-year project, L’Dor v’Dor (from Generation to...
Sunday, May 4, 10:30 am, Sandler Family Campus Jewish Family Service of Tidewater, in partnership with Embrace Counseling, is busy preparing for the 21st Annual Run, Roll, Stroll on the Sandler Family Campus. This year’s event promises to be more fun and exciting than...
Friday, May 23, 8:30 am, Jewish War Veterans Flagpole, Sandler Family Campus Memorial Day’s origins lie in the aftermath of the Civil War, a conflict that claimed more American lives than any other. The immense loss overwhelmed the nation, leading to the establishment...
NORFOLK - Ellen Manassee, a sharp, independent woman with a deep appreciation for the arts and culture, passed away peacefully on April 10, 2025, at Harbor’s Edge, where she had lived for the past 18 years. She was 90 years old.Born in the Bronx, Ellen carried her New...
NORFOLK - Rebecca “Betty” Sacks, age 84, passed away peacefully at home on April 6, 2025.She is survived by her loving children, David (Kathy) Sacks, Steven Sacks, and Elisa (Chris) Luck; sister-in-law, Maryann Sacks; and nephew, Jonathan Sacks. She was preceded in...
(JTA) — Pope Francis, who significantly advanced the Catholic Church’s relationship with Jews by actively promoting dialogue, reconciliation, and a strong stance against antisemitism — relations that were tested after the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war — died...
Survey after survey reports that fewer adults and even fewer young people are aware of the Holocaust, or at least of its scale. In fact, denying the Holocaust or its enormity continues to gain followers and receive prominent placement on the national stage. With books...
Voting is underway in an election that gives American Jews an opportunity to directly shape Israel’s future.The U.S. election for seats in the 39th World Zionist Congress will help determine the balance of power in the legislative authority of a Zionist organization...
Grace Gilson(JTA) — When she was five years old, Kitty Saks’ home in Vienna was commandeered by the Nazis, leading her family to flee to Brussels, where she was hidden in a convent until the Allies liberated Belgium. Twenty-seven members of her family were killed in...