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Giving the gift of memory: To Life honors Holocaust stories this holiday season
To Life: The Past Is Present, Holocaust Stories of Hampton Roads Survivors, Rescuers, and Liberators is a collection of stories and reflections from those who witnessed this brutal history. Published by the Holocaust Commission of the United Jewish Federation of...
Weary, yet resolute: Reflections from ‘Stand Together – an event of Unity, Strength, and Resilience’
I stood in Nationals Park on November 10, 2024, gazing across the vast expanse of empty seats. While we hoped for a crowd of tens of thousands to gather in unity, the turnout of closer to 5,000 felt like a stark reminder of the challenges we face. The energy was...
Power of community
This past November in Washington, DC, a small group of colleagues and lay leaders from our Jewish community joined thousands of Jewish leaders from around the world at the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) General Assembly (GA).Personally, I drew much...
Local leader to receive prestigious award
Anyone who’s worked alongside Karen Jaffe on committee or in community leadership will confirm: Karen Jaffe is special. A much-admired leader in the Tidewater Jewish community, Jaffe has been a role model for her family, friends, and an entire generation of emerging...
The Sacred Lights of Chanukah
The fragile yet formidable Chanukah candles We tenderly lit, daringly defy the suffocating Darkness around us and in us, Soothing and softening, we pray, all who Their magic of evoked memories of elation And trepidation with oil – dripping levivot (Potato...
The original Hanukkah lights
If you free associate on the word “Hanukkah,” it is likely that among your first mental images will be a Hanukkiyah – maybe a craft project, the work of your own Sunday School-age hands? Or the family’s customary menorah when you were a child? Or an inheritance...
Hanukkah happenings in Jewish Tidewater
Light up the holiday by attending one or more of these community-oriented experiences. With some events geared for children and others for adults, some in Virginia Beach and others in Norfolk, plenty of options are available to celebrate Hanukkah with community. Chag...
Nobody Wants This vs Transmitzvah: Love, values, and identity in two contrasting works
Love may be a universal theme, but the way it is portrayed can vary profoundly from one work to another. This is evident in the series Nobody Wants This and the film Transmitzvah. Both productions, available on Netflix, revolve around dilemmas involving Judaism,...
Community Impact Day:Learning, tzedakah, and community
Nearly 200 members of Tidewater’s Jewish community gathered at the Simon Family JCC for the first-ever Community Impact Day on the last Sunday of November. Partnering with 18 local non-profits and seven Jewish camps, participants raised more than $700 while fostering...
JFS makes Thanksgiving meals possible for hundreds
Cars started lining up down Corporate Woods Drive at 8 am on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, eagerly waiting for the Jewish Family Service Food Pantry to begin its Thanksgiving food distribution. Busy volunteers and staff were loading carts carrying bags of...
Another spirited Shabbat Project for Tidewater
The 2024 Tidewater Shabbat Project was once again a smashing success. The weekend began with the Travelling Chassidim leading Friday night services at B’nai Israel Congregation on Nov. 15. The synagogue came alive as everyone joined together in dance while singing the...
That’s A Wrap: Jewish Book Festival 2024
Over six weeks, the 2024 Lee & Bernard Jaffe Family Jewish Book Festival brought together bestselling authors, emerging voices, and an audience hungry for stories. The festival began with a look into history, as novelist Rachel Beanland transported attendees back...
Catholic Church of St. Stephen creates holiday cheer for thousands
For the eighth consecutive year, clients at Jewish Family Service of Tidewater have been adopted by members of the Catholic Church of St. Stephen in Chesapeake. Carol Ehrbar, who coordinates this project for St. Stephen each year, helped collect more than 3,000 gifts...
Virginia Jewish Advocacy Day is just over a month away. Wondering why it is important to attend?
Wednesday, January 29, 7 am – 4 pm Sandler Family Campus to Richmond Date with the State, also known as Virginia Jewish Advocacy Day, provides an opportunity for the statewide Jewish community to come together to raise awareness around topics of importance such as...
‘Knitting for Others’ helps other keep warm
Tuesdays 10 am – 12 pm Sandler Family Campus A mighty group of knitters meets every week to create beautiful blankets, scarfs, and hats to donate to Jewish Family Service to be distributed to those who need an extra bit of warmth. The group welcomes knitters of all...
The Great Jewish Bookshelf: January’s picks
The Great Jewish Bookshelf is ready to inspire 2025 reading journeys, starting with an exceptional lineup for January. Beginning Jan. 1, subscribers will choose their first book from a selection of titles that touch on Jewish identity, history, and imagination....
Hanukkah stamp has an updated look
The United States Postal Service’s new Hanukkah stamp celebrates the holiday with an image of a hanukkiah, the nine-branch candelabra used on Hanukkah. Designed by art director and stamp designer Antonio Alcalá, the image was created in ink; the irregular lines of the...
An unfiltered look with Israeli photographer and IDF Reservist Shahar Dekel
Tuesday, January 14, 7:30 pm, Sandler Family Campus On the morning of October 7, Shahar Dekel and his now wife were fortunate to be away from their home in Kibbutz Nahal Oz. Many of their friends and neighbors, however, were not so fortunate and instead were killed or...
Summer jobs, internships, and full-time careers for young adults to get a boost from UJFT’s new program
Career exploration workshop: Wednesday, January 15, Sandler Family Campus Summer employment workshop: Wednesday, February 19, Sandler Family Campus Interested in the Hampton Roads job market or in returning home for a career opportunity? Through a new...
Knowledge is key
Jewish News continues to gather and present some basic facts to equip readers with the confidence needed to engage in conversation about Israel and antisemitism. • Israel’s government is a parliamentary democracy and has three branches: executive, legislative,...
Letting go at year-end for a better beginning
As the 2024 calendar year nears the finish line, one pervasive question is: How is it possible to leave behind the stresses and anxieties of the past 12 months and approach 2025 with renewed hope and opportunity? With ongoing wars and hostilities in the Middle East...
Looking back and looking forward
Year end is fast approaching, and with it comes an opportunity to look back and assess… Did I do all I wanted to do over the past 12 months? Did I accomplish my goals? Stick with my New Year’s resolutions? Make the world better in some small way? Year end...
Janet Porter Kramer and Kathryn Kramer
One unique aspect about this mother- daughter realtor duo – Janet Kramer and Kathryn Kramer – is their succession into real estate. Kathryn Kramer entered the field first and encouraged her mom to pivot from a career in architecture to selling homes. ...
Maximize 2024 tax benefits with smart year-end giving
As the end of the year approaches, individuals and families are considering ways to maximize the financial benefits of their charitable giving. Tidewater Jewish Foundation offers guidance to help donors make informed decisions that align with their financial goals...
Nadiv members tour USS Eisenhower
More than a young men’s fundraising group for United Jewish Federation of Tidewater, Nadiv is a place to network, socialize, and learn about each other’s professional lives. On Friday, November 8, 12 Nadiv members toured the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower. Jonathan Beha, a...
Philanthropy can start young
Some say it’s never too early to learn about generosity and tzedakah. That seems to be a prevailing philosophy for Alyson Gross and Michael Yaary, parents of two-year-old Asher. Instead of gifts for his recent birthday party, the Strelitz International Academy...
Seniors Club plans its annual holiday party
Wednesday, December 18, 12 pm YNOT PIZZA Landstown Commons Open to all JCC Seniors Club members and gamers, the Seniors Club annual holiday party includes a White Elephant Gift exchange (up to $10), for which all attendees should bring a gift. The Seniors Club...
Square Up for Maccabi Team Virginia Beach
In preparation for the 2025 JCC Maccabi Games in Tucson, Arizona, Team Virginia Beach is holding a fundraiser. . . Square Up for Maccabi. The 50/50 football square fundraiser involves no skill, talent, or knowledge of football, but it is an opportunity to win up to...
Increase your understanding of modern Jewish art
Sunday, Dec. 15, 2 pm, Chrysler Museum A renowned expert from Georgetown University, Ori Soltes, PhD, will offer a survey of 20th-century modern Jewish painting for the initial program of the Tidewater Jewish Visual Arts Advisory Board. The board was recently created...
79% of Jews voted for Kamala Harris, according to largest preliminary exit poll
(JTA) — The first rule of exit polls is to be careful about interpreting early exit polls, which aren’t always accurate. The second rule is that, for now at least, they represent the best information we have about the question occupying Jews of all political...