Jewish News appreciates all who support the newspaper with generous contributions – whether in honor of or in memory of friends or loved ones or as a Friend of Jewish News.

In memory of Helen Koltun
Jean Dugan Mahr

To donate, please go to jewishnewsva.org/donate/ or send a check, 

with details of who should be notified of your contribution, to:

Jewish News

5000 Corporate Woods Drive, Suite 200, Virginia Beach, VA 23462

No matter the reason for giving, all contributions are appreciated.

Thank you!

A shining, joyful moment: Bobby turning ninety five. 

From Philly roots to Waynesboro, she grew both bright and popular,

A star whose appeal and laughter made each room feel spectacular.

At RPI she studied hard, her future wide and deep, 

Till one day on 34th Street, fate took a sudden leap. 

She spotted someone playing handball—“Who is that handsome guy?” 

Her friend replied, “You don’t know Boodie Friedman? You two will surely fly.”

He asked her out not once but twice—each time she had a previous plan,  

The third? A boat in choppy seas—she said, “no way,” to that brave young man. 

Still, he tried again, and that fourth ask would be a start,

To a love that lasted seventy years, two souls, one beating heart.

On their first date she told him straight, “You’re going to marry me,” 

He laughed—but she was right, of course, as everyone could plainly see. 

She left her path as a physical therapist and built a life instead, 

With Boodie, her beloved prince, the one she chose to wed.

Now Norfolk is her kingdom where she’s lived a life so grand, 

Three children—Alan, LynneDee, Penny—her extraordinary band. 

Each morning with her crossword and her trusty orange slice, 

Though sometimes she’ll switch to a banana—for something different and nice.

Mom emphasized education and studying with thoughtful care,

Penny became an accomplished teacher, an educator extraordinaire. 

LynneDee supported children with unique special needs, 

Alan ensured pharmacy information would not mistakenly mislead. 

She writes, creates, imagines—Temple Israel knows it well, 

Her plays brought joy and laughter and the stories she could tell. 

A friend so true and trusted, with a Yiddish lilt so sweet, 

Who loves key lime and chocolate delights—her favorite dessert treats.

Bobby’s a Mahjongg Maven through and through, a knitter with great flair, 

A reader who librarians greet with joy when she is often there. 

When weather’s fine she jokes, “I played pickleball today!” 

Her kids all know she’s teasing—but they go with it anyway.

Working at UJF with Sonny Lefcoe—witty, warm, a dear, 

Who knew he’d be her mayechutan in a later, blessed year? 

With Darryl’s dental wisdom, panache, and charms galore, 

It’s clear that Bobby’s son Alan certainly did score. 

And family wove through friendships—how life can intertwine, 

Bobby’s mechutanim, Morty and Esther—were oh so very divine. 

Allan—a mister fix-it and believe us, this is not fakery, 

He made delicious bread at Richmond’s Weiman’s Bakery. 

For Bobby, mishpocheh is the center of her life, 

Mentor, guide, role model, mother and wife. 

Grammy to her grands and greats, each one a cherished treasure— 

JD, Andrea, Lee, and Orly—names she speaks with pleasure.

As if that wasn’t enough, great love abounds much more,

Generations continue to expand—it warms Bobby to the core. 

Penny’s joys are Allie, Ross, and Grace who joined the crew, 

Then Shane, Hugh, Maya, Vera—great grand blessings, too.

At ninety five she’s thriving still, silver hair and manicured nails,  

Driving off to Wegmans and home again to check her numerous emails. 

From her perch at the Oceans, watching surf and sky unfold, 

She speaks to her heavenly prince in whispers soft and bold.

So, Mom and Grammy, on this day, with hearts that overflow, 

With all our love, all our lives—and thanks—for countless ways you glow. 

May this small Mother’s Day surprise bring joy that brightly thrives, 

For the woman we adore so much—Bobby at ninety five.

— Your Children

To help us acknowledge as many graduates as possible, please submit, along with a photo, this information by Monday, May 11:

• Name

• School

• Awards, special notes

•What’s next (college, grad school, job)

• Parents

Send to news@ujft.org with Graduate in the subject line. You will receive an email acknowledging receipt. If you don’t, please call 757-965-6132. 

 Rabbi Dr. Israel Zoberman is the founder and spiritual leader of Temple Lev Tikvah as well as Honorary Senior Rabbi Scholar at Eastern Shore Chapel, both in Virginia Beach.

 In late February, members of Tidewater’s Jewish community leadership had the opportunity to be part of a conversation about Israel, the Palestinians, and the responsibility of Jewish leadership with Ambassador Dennis Ross and Ghaith al-Omari.

Ambassador Ross is the counselor and William Davidson Distinguished Fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. He also teaches at Georgetown University’s Center for Jewish Civilization. For more than 12 years, Ambassador Ross played a leading role in shaping U.S. involvement in the Middle East peace process, dealing directly with the parties as the U.S. point man on the peace process in both the George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton administrations. 

 Ghaith al-Omari, the Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Foundation Senior Fellow in The Washington Institute’s Irwin Levy Family Program on the U.S.-Israel Strategic Relationship, is the former executive director of the American Task Force on Palestine. He served as advisor to the negotiating team during the 1999–2001 permanent-status talks in addition to holding various other positions within the Palestinian Authority.

Ross and al-Omari have spent decades navigating the hardest dimensions of Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. Today, they travel together to campuses across the country, modeling informed, principled disagreement —
demonstrating that it is possible to engage complex realities without abandoning nuance, mutual respect, or intellectual rigor. 

In this serious, candid, and policy-grounded conversation about what comes next, moderated by Jay Klebanoff, the men fielded questions on topics such as: 

• The current strategic landscape in Israel and the Palestinian arena, 

• Realistic scenarios for the months and years ahead, 

• Lessons learned from past negotiations, and 

• Strategic insights on campus trends. 

Ross and al-Omari spoke about how slogans have become substitutes for thought, and that most peace activists are not really about peace, but rather about “no Israel.”

They also highlighted the two realities on Gaza.  Israelis saw hostages and the death of soldiers, while everywhere else witnessed the death and destruction in Gaza.

 At a time when voices are often amplified by outrage, this gathering presented a new perspective and appreciation for the ability to learn from each other. 

 Jewish News appreciates all who support the newspaper with generous contributions – whether in honor of or in memory of friends or loved ones or as a Friend of Jewish News.

Friends of Jewish News

In Mench-dom of my cousin Nathan J. Segal
Mr. Steve Hornstein

In memory of Howard Bernstein

Beth Scharlop and Roger Schultz

In memory of Helen Laibstain 

Beth Scharlop and Roger Schultz

In memory of Sylvia Wagner 

Beth Scharlop and Roger Schultz

To donate, please go to jewishnewsva.org/donate/ or send a check,  with details of who should be notified of your contribution, to:

Jewish News

5000 Corporate Woods Drive, Suite 200

Virginia Beach, VA 23462

No matter the reason for giving, all contributions are appreciated.

Thank you!

Summer camp season is around the corner, and the Secure Community Network (SCN) is launching its first-ever Camp Security Initiative Webinar Series, designed for camp administrators, counselors, parents, and campers. This program is intended to provide practical guidance to help in preparations for a safe and secure summer.

Protecting Campers: Safety Guidance for Counselors, is the subject of the webinar taking place on April 22. It will offer practical instruction for counselors on situational awareness, camper supervision, and reporting suspicious activity. The session includes a live Q&A period with security professionals.

SCN also offers a list of essential safety questions for parents to ask prior to sending their children to summer camp. 

 Some of the questions are:

1. Has the camp had a Threat, Vulnerability, and Risk Assessment performed and has it developed a plan to implement identified security and safety issues?

2. How is access to the camp controlled for visitors and vendors?

3. What is the procedure for handling a missing camper?

4. How does the camp communicate emergencies to campers, staff, and families?

The complete list of questions with details, is available at securecommunitynetwork.org.   

Since launching in April 2024, SCN’s Camp Security Initiative has trained more than 5,000 camp-related individuals, conducted more than 100 site assessments, and helped secure $2.2 million in Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP) funding.

 She was pre-deceased by her husband of over 61 years, Ronald Bressler, in 2018, her parents, Arthur and Louise Halsband, and her siblings, Steven and Emily Halsband. She was born in Providence, Rhode Island, but raised in the nearby town of E. Greenwich. She lived in the Dayton area for more than 60 years after relocating from Chicago.

 She is survived by her three children, Dawn (Jack) Kaye, Kevin (Karen) Bressler, and Andy (Shellie) Bressler, nine grandchildren, Rebecca (Gregory Garbuz), Kaitlin (Brant Appel), Hannah (Daniel Grasso), Korinne (Eytan Rosenblum), Allison (Christopher Graves), Brooke, Adam, Casey, and Ava, and seven great grandchildren (Aubrie and Jasmine Bryant, Gloria and Miriam Graves, and Henry, Hallie, and Blake Appel).

 Irene was a dedicated homemaker who devoted her life to her family and community. Irene was an excellent cook who made sure her growing family had nutritious and tasty food to eat. She and Ron created a loving Jewish home, with the children getting their religious education at Temple Israel. Irene was a lifetime member of Hadassah and served, among other roles, as president of the Dayton chapter for several years. For the past seven years she was a resident at Brookdale Assisted Living in Englewood.  

 Contributions in her memory may be made to Ohio’s Hospice.

 Funeral services were held in the chapel at David’s Cemetery. Burial was in David’s Cemetery. Tobias Funeral Home, Far Hills Chapel.

 Reba was truly one of a kind.  She began working as editor of the Southeastern Virginia Jewish News in May 1978 and was also instrumental in the creation of Renewal Magazine.  Both publications won numerous state and national awards.  Her most rewarding moment, however, was the publication of the book, To Life, featuring the testimonies of Tidewater’s Holocaust survivors, rescuers, and liberators, which received two national awards.  

 Prior to her association with United Jewish Federation of Tidewater, Reba was the afternoon editor of the Ledger-Star, again the recipient of awards for writing and page design.  Reba published 10 books, one of which is in its fourth printing, The Edgar Cayce Encyclopedia of Healing. 

 She leaves behind a son, Dr. Nelson Karp, a brother, and a nephew, Mark, and her four adoring cats.  

 She was preceded in death by her husband, Edward.  

 A colleague and friend, Rabbi Israel Zoberman, noted that Reba was “devoted to the well-being of the community and will be sorely missed.”  Harry Graber, UJFT’s former executive vice president, said, “Reba’s leadership made sure that antisemitism was fought and the diverse aspects of Judaism were heightened and celebrated. She was well-respected and loved by her staff and fellow colleagues of United Jewish Federation of Tidewater.”

 Another friend and colleague, the late Hal Sacks, upon her retirement, left these words in tribute to Reba: “Here’s to Reba whose heavenly muse Gave us three decades of the Jewish News. Peace, peace oh Madame Queen, we pray you think of us each day.” 

 During these past few years as Reba’s health declined, her dear friend, Teresa Lilly, was by her side, assisted by Loquanda.         

 A funeral service was held at The Hebrew Cemetery, Chapel, in Charlotte. Interment followed in the Hebrew Cemetery. McEwen Funeral Service-Pineville Chapel.