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In honor of Women’s History Month, the Tidewater Jewish community gathered at the Sandler Family Campus on Thursday, March 19 for a screening and conversation with internationally acclaimed photographer Joan Roth. The evening featured A Feminist Lens: The Art and...
For 10 days in February, audiences across Tidewater gathered in theaters not just to watch films, but to experience them together. The 33rd Virginia Festival of Jewish Film, presented by United Jewish Federation of Tidewater and the Simon Family JCC, transformed...
Thursday, March 19, 7:30 pm Sandler Family Campus Internationally acclaimed photographer Joan Roth will visit Tidewater for an evening that pairs film and conversation with a gallery exhibition spotlighting five decades of her art and activism. Originally scheduled...
Sunday, Feb. 15, 2:30 pm, Virginia Wesleyan University Michael Aloni, the Israeli actor and director best known in the United States for his roles in Shtisel, The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem, and We Were The Lucky Ones, will speak at the Virginia Festival of Jewish...
Tuesday, Feb. 3, 7:30 pm, Sandler Family Campus Internationally acclaimed photographer Joan Roth will visit Tidewater for an evening that pairs film and conversation witha new gallery exhibition spotlighting five decades of her art and activism. The program will begin...
In 1925, Fanny Goldstein, a Jewish librarian at the Boston Public Library, decided Jewish books and Jewish pride deserved celebration. She created a display of Jewish books at the West End Branch, launching the first Jewish Book Week. By 1927, Jewish communities...
Thursday, Nov. 20, 7:30 pm Sandler Family Who doesn’t love a good story and a good nosh? United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s Lee & Bernard Jaffe Family Jewish Book Festival will serve up both when Rachel Simons takes the stage at the Simon Family JCC for...
As 2025 winds down and Jewish Book Month marks its 100th year, the final stretch of Tidewater’s Jewish Book Festival offers a meaningful way to gather in community, reflect on the year behind us, and celebrate the stories that connect us. The conversation...
On a very rainy evening (some parts of Virginia Beach saw nearly a foot of rain on September 16), kids and grownups alike filled the Sandler Family Campus’ Fleischmann Lounge with joy as they played with their food with award-winning artist Bill Wurtzel. After a...
As the Tidewater Jewish community welcomes 5786 and looks ahead to marking a century of Jewish Book Month, the Lee & Bernard Jaffe Family Jewish Book Festival launches its first half with a vibrant mix of events that reflect the spirit of renewal, resilience, and...
(No Sound) United Jewish Federation of Tidewater hosted its first event marking LGBTQ+ Pride Month in partnership with Ohef Sholom Temple, Hampton Roads Pride, and the LGBT Life Center. The event, held on June 25 at The Rainbow Cactus in Virginia Beach, featured Dr....
This past June, I participated in the Jewish Federation of North America’s 2025 LGBTQ+ Pride Month mission to Israel, the first trip of its kind in nearly a decade. I joined nearly 100 LGBTQ+ Jewish leaders representing 26 Jewish Federations from across North America....
Tuesday, Sept. 16, 6 pm, Sandler Family Campus Award-winning artist Bill Wurtzel is set to share his remarkable journey from a playful breakfast to international acclaim. What began 64 years ago as a funny meal for his wife, Claire, has blossomed into seven books,...
Saved from the rubble: the story of Israel’s PhotoHouse In May 2023, the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater hosted Ben Peter, owner of Tel Aviv’s PhotoHouse and grandson of its founder Rudi Weissenstein, for Tidewater’s community celebration of Israel @ 75....
The 32nd Annual Virginia Festival of Jewish Film overcame a chilly beginning to deliver a week of outstanding films and vibrant community spirit across Virginia Beach and Norfolk.After a strong start on Sunday, Feb.16 with the Israeli film, Running on Sand, the...
Sunday, March 16, 2 pm, Wells Theater, Norfolk Virginia Stage Company will produce the cult-classic musical Little Shop of Horrors at the Wells Theatre in Norfolk, March 12 through March 30. The quirky show’s book, lyrics, and music were written by Jews – lyricist...
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...
United Jewish Federation of Tidewater and its partner, Secure Community Network, hosted three screeningsof the HBO documentary A Tree of Life: The Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooting on September 10. Each screening served a particular demographic: one for local first...
Monday, October 7 8:30 am Sandler Family Campus October 7th was a turning point in modern Jewish history, both because of the tragic depth of that day’s events and the monumental events that followed. Join United Jewish Federation of Tidewater and its Jewish Community...
James Johnson’s art career began when he was just four years old when his 14-year-old brother Kenneth, introduced him to painting. Johnson remembers his brother sitting him down and saying, “Jimmy, I got you some paints and canvas board so you can make pictures like...
In a time of unprecedented antisemitism, United Jewish Federation of Tidewater organized a workshop on combatting antisemitism in the arts. The event, held on Wednesday, May 15 at the Chrysler Museum of Art, focused on creating a more inclusive and welcoming...
Wednesday, May 15, 2 pm In honor of Jewish American Heritage Month, the Chrysler Museum of Art is hosting a special guided tour to explore the rich tapestry of Jewish culture and heritage through art. The tour is in partnership with United Jewish Federation of...
Through April 30, Leon Family Gallery at the Sandler Family Campus Linda Dayan Frimer’s book Luminous, is a complex and intriguing work that mixes memoir, spiritualism, and meditations on art and color with reflections on Judaism and her own family’s roots through...
On display May 6 - June 21, Leon Family Gallery, Sandler Family Campus To commemorate Yom HaZikaron, Israel’s Memorial Day for fallen soldiers and victims of acts of terror, and Yom Ha’Atzmaut, Israel’s Independence Day, the Leon Family Gallery at the Simon Family JCC...
The Virginia Festival of Jewish Film, presented by Alma & Howard Laderberg wrapped up on Wednesday, Feb. 28. This year’s festival, which included five feature films in addition to a special event showcasing four Israeli short films, was attended by more than 600...
After three decades, the Virginia Festival of Jewish Film, presented by Alma and Howard Laderberg, continues to evolve, bringing films that interest and excite, as well as meet the moment during times of turmoil. For the 31st annual festival, the Festival’s screening...