Jewish Tidewater gathered on Thursday, May 29 to celebrate Jewish learning across the lifespan. Bringing together clergy, educators, and organizational leaders from across denominations and institutions, the evening was a powerful display of unity and a shared commitment to Jewish education.
Rabbi Shlomo Eisenberg of B’nai Israel Congregation opened with a D’var Torah centered on Shavuot and the giving of the Torah, emphasizing how the Jewish people became the “people of the book,” continually returning to study, reflect, and seek meaning in the sacred texts.
The event also spotlighted the growing reach of United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s Konikoff Center for Learning. Over the past year, 138 adults participated in multi-week classes, hands-on workshops, and discussions rooted in Jewish values, history, and identity.
Alene Jo Kaufman, chair of the Jewish Innovation Steering committee and longtime educator, spoke about her personal journey. “To learn is to stretch oneself… To teach, though, is a sacred responsibility.” After years of participating in nearly every Konikoff Center class, Kaufman recently taught her first Melton course. “We come for the learning, and we stay for the community.”
Keynote speaker and devoted learner Zibby Robertson reinforced this theme. “One important aspect of being Jewish is to be a lifelong learner. As a Jew by choice, every class I take is a new adventure to learn more. I encourage even the lifelong Jews here to continue taking classes and learning, because there is always so much more to learn.”
Children were also part of the evening, an intentional reminder that Jewish learning doesn’t end with a bar or bat mitzvah. Instead, it continues through life, inviting curiosity, critical thinking, and a connection to timeless values.
Local synagogues and day schools shared a glimpse into the learning shaping the next generation of Jewish leaders.
“At Strelitz International Academy, our learners are not just students in the classrooms,” said Ally St. Pierre, admissions and marketing manager. “They are thinkers, questioners, creators, and future leaders.”
Rabbi Aryeh Kravetz, Head of School at Toras Chaim, shared, “Students are going home ready to read a siddur, open a Chumash, and navigate the Talmud… With a strong partnership between the school, the home, and the shul, we are ‘all in’ to inspire lifelong learning.”
At BINA High School, Jewish and general studies go hand in hand. Head of School Aviva Harpaz reflected, “From Trigonometry to Earth Science, from Torah to leadership, BINA girls are prepared to be leaders in any professional field and in their communities.”
“We are so lucky to have the luxury to freely practice, to teach and inspire,” said Sarah Davis, Temple Emanuel’s Religious School director. “We must not take that opportunity for granted. We must give our children every opportunity to be loved and cherished by our community, to raise them with knowledge and pride so they never apologize for who they are—so they never feel like they have to shrink.”
“Our job as educators is to encourage our students to be curious; to ask questions, to develop their own thoughts and feel safe to express them,” said Sharon Serbin, director of education at Congregation Beth El and the Patricia Sarah Ashkenazi Religious School. “At PSARS this past year, we started studying Jewish people around the world. We want them to know that almost anywhere they go in the world, they can find a Jewish community and be welcomed.”
Ohef Sholom Temple’s director of Lifelong Learning, Alyson Morrissey, acknowledged the donors who make this work possible. “To every donor who chooses to invest in Jewish education—you are helping strengthen the future of our people, one learner at a time. Jewish learning is alive and well here.”
As the evening closed with celebratory ice cream sundaes, one message was clear: from early childhood to adulthood, Jewish learning in Tidewater is vibrant, expanding, and rooted in community.
