Virginia Beach – Ashley Brooke Coleman, age 46, passed away peacefully on February 18, 2026. She was born in Norfolk, Virginia to Barbara and Harvey Coleman. Ashley was a proud graduate of Norfolk Academy, University of Maryland, and Cumberland...
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Helen Cohen Laibstain
Norfolk – After a brief illness, Helen Laibstain, 96 years old, died Wednesday, February 18, 2026 at her home. Born March 3, 1929, Helen was the daughter of Julius and Celia Shulman Cohen. Seventy-two years ago, Helen married the love of her...
Sylvia Bernstein Wagner
Omaha, Nebraska – Sylvia Bernstein Wagner, a pioneering civic leader, accomplished actress, and champion of social progress in Omaha, Nebraska, passed away peacefully on February 20, 2026, at the age of 100. Her life was defined by principled...
Gilda Weber
Virginia Beach – Gilda Weber, aged 99, passed away peacefully on January 17, 2026, in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Born on June 5, 1926, she lived a long life devoted to her family. Gilda was born in the Bronx, N.Y., and graduated from Beth Israel...
Engagement stories filled with romance and surprise
When it’s time to propose, the days of going it alone and private are a thing of the past. It used to be that all that was necessary to become engaged was a couple in love and a ring. Family, friends, and photographers to capture the moment, are all part of today’s...
Jody’s Popcorn opens new retail store
A small factory retail store recently opened at Jody’s Gourmet Popcorn’s Norfolk manufacturing facility – making in-person purchasing of the artisan popcorn again doable for Tidewater residents. While it’s always possible to purchase the popcorn from the...
AG Miyares: Resolution reached for Jewish children allegedly subjected to antisemitic harassment
The Nysmith School for Gifted Children entered into a settlement agreement with a Jewish family who alleged their children were wrongfully expelled after they complained to the school about their 11-year-old daughter being harassed based on her Jewish religion and...
Rabbi Gershon Litt receives Birthright Israel award
Birthright Israel and Birthright Israel Foundation named Rabbi Gershon Litt the recipient of the 2025 Jeffrey R. Solomon Prize. The prestigious annual award recognizes an exceptional Jewish communal professional who has made a profound and lasting impact on the Jewish...
Ohef Sholom collects food for JFS Thanksgiving food drive
The Mitzvah committee at Ohef Sholom Temple completed its annual Thanksgiving Drive to benefit Jewish Family Service’s clients on Sunday, November 16. The temple’s Religious School classes, along with other congregant’s generosity, made it possible to fill 30...
Moral Courage Award Recipient, MAJ John W. Spencer, USA (Ret.) speaks hard truths in difficult times with Jay Klebanoff
Israel in Focus: Hamas’ War – Truth and Consequences Modern Warfare and the Fight for Truth in the Age of Misinformation Wednesday, December 3, 7:30 pm, Sandler Family Campus, Free MAJ John W. Spencer, USA (Ret.), is not only one of the world’s leading experts on...
Siblings on the Sidelines: Fun and Israeli spirit off the court
Begins Wednesday, December 10 during most JCC basketball games Children can join Siblings on the Sidelines — a fun new program led by Tidewater’s Shinshinim, Noga Yaniv and Yarden Lahan — while their siblings compete in the Simon Family JCC Youth Basketball League....
Elizabeth Murphy to discuss her book, The Faithful Harlot: During the Collapse of the Bronze Age
Thursday, December 4, 6 pm, Prince Books How and why did a beautiful “harlot” help Joshua conquer the idol-worshipping, walled Canaanite city of Jericho soon after the formerly enslaved Hebrews crossed the River Jordan? Surely a guardian angel must have been at her...
Moses Ezekiel’s Botanical Garden artist statues
Sunday, December 14, at 2 pm Chrysler Museum of Art Samantha Baskind, PhD., distinguished professor of Art History at Cleveland State University, will speak on The Remarkable Journey of Moses Ezekiel's Norfolk Botanical Garden Artist Statues. Sir Moses...
David Bruce Jorgenson
NORFOLK - David Bruce Jorgenson, age 83, departed this world on October 31, 2025. David lived a life full of love. Just before he was born, his parents – Minnesota transplants to Los Angeles – rode a train back to rural Minnesota to be surrounded by his first...
Richard Siff
PORTSMOUTH - Richard Siff, devoted husband and father, passed away on November 11, 2025. Born in Norfolk, Virginia, he was the only child of Leon and Doris Siff. Richard cultivated an early interest in electronics through amateur radio, which led to a...
David Louis Taetle
MCLEAN, VIRGINIA - David Louis Taetle, 75, passed away peacefully at home surrounded by family on November 15, 2025. Born in Washington, D.C., Mr. Taetle attended Bryant University before embarking on a long and successful career as a financial consultant to...
Be a hero in minutes. Simon Family JCC Annual Blood Drive
November 24, 2025, 11:00 AM–3:45 PM: Join the Simon Family JCC and Red Cross in the Jaffe Gymnasium, 5000 Corporate Woods Drive, Virginia Beach, for a lifesaving blood drive. Every two seconds, someone in the U.S. needs blood, and one donation can save up to...
Thank you to our supporters who recently donated to Jewish News!
Jewish News appreciates all who support the newspaper with generous contributions – whether in honor of or in memory of friends and loved ones or as a Friend of Jewish News. Friends of Jewish News Walter Fenska G-d Bless Israel Piotr and Charlotte Przyjemski Happy...
AJC responds to election of Zohran Mamdani
The day following the election of Zohran Mamdani as mayor of New York City, Ted Deutch, CEO of American Jewish Committee, distributed the following email. The world’s attention is focused on New York City with Zohran Mamdani winning the mayoral election, and I...
A letter to the nonresident children of the donors of the Tidewater Jewish community
We got your letter. Initially, my thought was that you were young firebrands who wanted to shake up the world. Then I re-read what you wrote. And I thought about it for a while. Then I thought some more. And then I concluded you are propagandistic...
Rabbi Dr. Israel Zoberman turns 80
Celebrating his 80th birthday this month, Rabbi Israel Zoberman has packed a lot into his eight decades – including living on three continents. Tidewater has been his home since 1981. Born on November 12, 1945, in Chu, Kazakhstan to Polish Holocaust survivors,...
Scolnick raises nearly $8,000 in 10 minutes
Henry Scolnick gave a speech at this year’s Annual Aid Another Gala, an event sponsored by Aid Another, an organization founded to promote and empower individuals with disabilities through dance, music, art, educational assistance, recreational activities, and sports....
Jay Kossman recognized as an ODU Alumni Association Alumni Honoree for 2025
The ODU Alumni Association celebrates distinguished and outstanding ODU graduates, as well as friends of the University, who have excelled in their professions and made lasting impacts on their communities and #MonarchNation. Honorees may be recognized as...
A Bissel of Yiddish
A combination of High German and Hebrew, Yiddish is a language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. In Tidewater, the Yiddish Club embraces Yiddish culture, language, and history with music, film, poetry, and literature at its monthly meetings. For...
Sally Segal Adler
VIRGINIA BEACH - Sally Adler was a force of nature — ahead of her time, deeply informed, and an inspiration to all who knew her. She will be remembered for her warmth, hospitality, and extraordinary culinary skills, as well as her tireless devotion to community causes...
Roger Allen Bress
NORFOLK - Roger Allen Bress, 65, passed away peacefully on October 28, 2025, surrounded by the family who adored him — a circle of love he built, nurtured, and protected his entire life. Born on February 22, 1960, to Phillip and Sondra M. Bress (Cohen), Roger filled...