For the global Jewish community, the year’s beginning contained a heaviness as the war in Gaza continued to escalate, hostages were still held, and antisemitism ramped up to levels not experienced in most of our lifetimes.
Campus protests, threats against synagogues, and hateful rhetoric – stemming from politicians, celebrities, and anonymous posters – mobilized Jewish organizations such as ADL, AJC, and JCRC to lead the fights against misinformation and antisemitic acts.
Still, weddings, new babies, and graduations were celebrated, rabbis were ordained, awards were presented, art exhibits and festivals took place, and generous people donated their time and dollars to important causes. In short, in spite of political tensions and global unrest, it was another busy year for the world-wide Jewish community.
While this review of 2024 includes global, national, and statewide news, it primarily concentrates on the news of Jewish Tidewater, of which there is plenty to report – the proof of which can be seen in the very packed Jewish News issues.
JANUARY
The Norfolk Mikvah renovates an outdoor immersion pool for a keilim mikvah, designated for immersing vessels and utensils.
Eliza Prince, the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee’s senior advisor, visits Tidewater to discuss JDC’s emergency work taking place in Ukraine and Israel.
Annie Sandler is recognized by the Romanian government with Romania’s “Grand Officer of the National Order for Merit” while in Bucharest with the Joint Distribution Committee.
More than 400 Jewish leaders and professionals from 65 communities (including 10 from Tidewater) travel to Washington, D.C. to meet with members of Congress and their congressional aides to advocate for legislation that supports Israel, combats antisemitism, and helps secure Jewish communities.
FEBRUARY
A delegation from Jewish Tidewater travels to Richmond for Virginia Jewish Advocacy Day.
Jewish Family Service and Edmarc, a children’s hospice program, celebrate 25 years of Peace by Piece, a collaboration offering an emotional safe haven for kids and teens who have experienced the loss of a loved one.
Tehilla Mostofsky, Eitan Moore, Dr. Nathan Goldin, and Dr. Norman Goldin travel to Israel to volunteer.
The 31st Virginia Festival of Jewish Film begins with a special event showcasing four Israeli short films honoring the victims of October 7.
MARCH
Betty Ann Levin, CEO and executive vice president of the United Federation of Tidewater, announces that the Tidewater Supports Israel Emergency Fund raised $4.8 million to aid humanitarian, emergency, and wartime needs through the Jewish Agency for Israel.
Amy Weinstein rejoins Tidewater Jewish Foundation as its development strategist to help reshape the Foundation’s multi-generational endowment development plan.
The Truman Holocaust Torah is returned to its home aboard the USS Harry Truman after being safeguarded at Temple Israel while the ship underwent repairs.
Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares sends a letter to the University of Virginia’s Board of Visitors about concerns of a student-led referendum directly attacking Israel through the international Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions campaign (BDS).
Cookbook author Joan Nathan visits Tidewater as part of the Mickey Kramer Scholar-in-Residence Program.
Jewish News unveils a new logo and updated website.
Clay H. Barr and the Barr Foundation bequeath a collection of more than 150 Torah pointers, or yads, to The Fralin Museum of Art at The University of Virginia, marking the university’s first major gift of Judaica.
Jerry Miller receives the U.S. Naval Academy’s Distinguished Graduate Award.
Laura Gross is honored at the 60th Annual VCIC Tidewater Humanitarian Awards Dinner.
APRIL
Governor Glenn Youngkin signs bipartisan hate crime legislation aimed at safeguarding Virginians from unlawful discrimination, hate crimes, and antisemitism.
Senator Tim Kaine meets with community members on the Sandler Family Campus to discuss a host of issues, including the Israel-Hamas War.
Congresswoman Jen Kiggans visits the Sandler Family Campus after her first trip to Israel. She shares conversations with hostage families and details of her time spent at Kibbutz Nir Oz and the site of the Nova Music Festival.
The Virginia Beach School Board adopts a resolution in support of Jewish American Heritage Month, which takes place each May.
Congregation Beth El bids farewell to longtime executive director, Pam Gladstone.
Jewish Family Service of Tidewater honors Ron Kaufmann and Jody Laibstain for their service.
Rabbi Israel Zoberman celebrates 50 years in the rabbinate with numerous local, state, and federal recognitions.
MAY
Virginia Congressman Rob Wittman visits the Sandler Family Campus, addressing questions about antisemitism, protests on college campuses, and fentanyl coming from China and Mexico.
Sandler Family Campus celebrates its 20th anniversary.
Ukrainian native Jenny Kosatykh is awarded the Stein Family Scholarship after arriving in the United States nine months earlier.
The Honorable Scott Joseph Flax is sworn in as a judge of the Second Judicial Court. He is the third Jewish circuit court judge to be appointed in Virginia Beach.
Jewish American Heritage Month is celebrated at the White House. Tidewater’s Jody Wagner is among those attending who is invited by President and Dr. Biden.
JUNE
Todd and Robin Copeland’s Sam Brooke Memorial Medical IMPACT! Scholarship Fund is announced to benefit Israel Defense Forces soldiers who are leaving military service and wish to attend medical school.
VADM Herman Shelanski, USN (ret) joins nearly 100 retired U.S. military leaders in an open letter in support of Israel.
Two students visit the U.S. for one month as part of the exchange between Eastern Virginia Medical School and Azrieli Faculty of Medicine in Israel. This exchange had been on hold since COVID.
JULY
Leyla Sandler visits Israel as part of Healing Ink, an organization offering tattoos to those who have suffered harm, including victims of October 7, 2023.
The Holocaust Commission and Jewish Community Relations Council host the 16th Biennial Educators Conference which aims to provide educators with the tools and resources to combat hatred and foster understanding and empathetic classrooms.
UJFT’s Women’s Division holds its first “Girls Night Out” to encourage women to build community through a better understanding of the work of the Women’s Division and the Federation.
AUGUST
Shinshinim Emily Patyuk and Danielle Hartman join the Tidewater Jewish community.
Strelitz International Academy receives full accreditation from the Virginia Association of Independent Schools.
The 36th Annual Strelitz International Golf Tournament is a swinging success, raising more than $150,000.
Full-scale exercises take place at Ohef Sholom Temple to prepare for an effective response during a critical incident. UJFT, Ohef Sholom Temple, and the Secure Community Network participate in the simulation.
Seven members of Team Virginia Beach travel to Houston, Texas to compete in the Maccabi Games.
A Tidewater Jewish Foundation grant enables Strelitz International Academy to purchase 50 enhanced emergency first aid and Stop the Bleed kits, enhancing the school’s preparedness and response capabilities.
SEPTEMBER
Beth Sholom Village and Westminster Canterbury collaborate to open the Dozoretz Hospice House of Hampton Roads, the first freestanding inpatient hospice house in Hampton Roads.
Aryeh Litt is named the 2024 Feldman Family Medical and Health Professions Scholarship recipient.
Nearly 150 people from throughout Hampton Roads attend Jewish Family Service of Tidewater’s first Guardianship and Conservatorship Summit.
Governor Glenn Youngkin orders all flags to be flown at half-staff in memory of murdered American Israeli hostage, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who had family roots in Virginia.
Tree of Life documentary is screened at the Sandler Family Campus.
OCTOBER
Tidewater’s Jewish community commemorates the first anniversary of the October 7 Hamas attacks. Local and state dignitaries participate in the event, including Governor Glenn Youngkin, who declares October 7 as an official state day of remembrance for victims of the horrific attacks by Hamas on Israel.
The 2nd Annual Strelitz Fall Festival is held at the Sandler Family Campus. The Strelitz International Academy event is a day of food, activities, and even live animals.
Be A Reader (BeAR) Literacy Program celebrates its 25th year of continuing to ignite a love of reading with young students of Norfolk and Virginia Beach Title I schools
NOVEMBER
Donald Trump wins the 2024 election. Polls indicate Jews, who comprise approximately two percent of the U.S. population, supported Kamala Harris by somewhere between 63% and 71%, but Donald Trump won a higher percentage of Jews than he did in 2020.
Cantor Jennifer Bern-Vogel travels to Germany to present the key from her mother’s synagogue, which was destroyed on Kristallnacht, to the History Museum in Bielefeld.
The first Community Impact Day: Creating Kindness and Jewish Camp Curiosity, takes place on the Sandler Family Campus. The Mitzvah Mall shows the next generation of philanthropists and leaders the impact that even a small donation can make.
UJFT’s 2025 Women’s Philanthropy Lion Tikva Chai Lunch hosts Israeli chef,
DECEMBER
Aviva Pembroke, a retirement community managed by Beth Sholom opens and its first residents settle in.