Southeastern Virginia: Chesapeake • Norfolk • Portsmouth • Suffolk • Virginia Beach
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On the sunny morning of Friday, May 27, a group of 50 community members gathered to commemorate the upcoming Memorial Day prior to the long weekend’s start. Hosted by the local Navy Chaplains, along with the Jewish War Veterans (Post 158), the Board of Rabbis and...
The heat of the day didn’t stop Jewish Tidewater’s volunteers from coming out on the morning of Sunday, May 22 to Mikro Kodesh Cemetery in Chesapeake. That morning, United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s Young Adult Division, together with Chabad of Tidewater and...
On the day when the shooting happens, I finally unlock what some say is the most vital part of the American dream. My husband and I have a house in the suburbs now, big trees towering above —no picket fence, but a wide expanse of green and room for the pattering of...
(New York Jewish Week)—When Alan Rosen, the third-generation owner of Junior’s Restaurant, read the headlines back in April about a 12-year-old Brooklyn boy who was shot and killed while eating in the backseat of a car, the only thing he could think was, “enough...
(JTA)—In the early 1930s, Victor Perez was on top of the world. The Tunisian Jewish boxer, who fought under the ring name “Young Perez,” became the World Flyweight Champion in 1931 and 1932 after moving from Tunis to Paris. He became a bona fide celebrity, dating...
The Simon Family JCC’s Annual Catch and Release Fishing Derby at Lake Sandler took place Sunday, May 22. The Annual Fishing Derby is the only day of the year that Lake Sandler is open to the public for fishing—and word is out that it’s a great place to “reel ‘em in.”...
Philanthropy was so intricately woven into the fabric of Reba and Sam Sandler’s family, that it should be no surprise that their children continue on their parents’ path. Perhaps one might suggest however, that equally important to their own generous gifts is that...
( JTA)—Jewish tourists from North America are likely to notice one big difference when visiting synagogues around the world. Though a plethora of symbols, such as stars of David and menorahs, may be displayed, national flags are rare inside the sanctuary. Meanwhile,...
Norfolk —Sheila Rait, 76, passed away on June 17, 2018. Sheila was born in New York on April 4, 1942 to the late Paul and Rose Marcus. She was an entrepreneur and also an avid baker. Other than her parents, Sheila was preceded in death by her loving husband of 45...
Virginia Beach —Reva Kelberg passed away on June 6, 2018. Ms. Kelberg was born April 14, 1935 in Norfolk. She settled in Virginia Beach where she and her beloved husband of 56 years, Lee Kelberg raised their two children, Sharon Kelberg Shutler and Jeffrey Kelberg....
Norfolk —Mrs. Bernice Levinson Kaplan passed away peacefully on Sunday, June 17, 2018. Bernice was born on March 9, 1919 to Julius and Lena Kirsner Levinson. She was the beloved wife of Milton H. Kaplan. A native of Norfolk, Bernice lived in West Ghent and graduated...
NEW YORK (JTA)—Anthony Bourdain was quick—and often willing—to publicly offer his own flaws. “Until 44 years of age, I never had any kind of savings account,” Bourdain said in 2017. “[I] always owed money. I’d always been selfish and completely irresponsible.” Despite...
Five years into a successful career as a sales agent with William E. Wood and Associates (now Howard Hanna) Nancy Evans was identified as suited for management. Now, after a 25-year-career of managing, negotiating, coaching, and advising an office full of successful...
Friday, July 13, 7 pm July’s second Friday of the month Shabbat service for Tidewater Chavurah will take place at the home of Rabbi Ellen Jaffe-Gill and Spencer Gill in the Bayside area of Virginia Beach. A “congregation without walls,” events are held in members’...
July Eitan Stern uses a camera to capture ordinary people in an empathetic light. Stern’s love for humanity is expressed through his focus on street photography, portraits, and compositions questioning social issues of today. His photography has received several...
Rabbi J. D. Gordon was the rabbi of B’nai Israel Congregation of Norfolk until 1947. He gave some spirited sermons in his time and published a collection of his High Holiday addresses for future rabbis to learn from and emulate. One year, Rabbi Gordon spoke about the...
When Jewish Family Service of Tidewater’s nurse’s aide Tiphaney Powell speaks about her clients, she does so with a great deal of respect, love, and admiration. After all, when your clients are two 93-year-old women and a 96-year-old man, a lot of life lessons may be...
I recently returned from leading my 38th Birthright Israel trip. Virginia-based students on this trip were from William and Mary, Christopher Newport University, and Old Dominion University. Students always ask if the trip gets old for me. After all, we go to mostly...
She speaks with a slight, but distinct, accent whose origin I had long suspected, but, given her age and all that implied, been hesitant to ask. One night at dinner, though, I posed the simple question to 95-year-old Elsie Hirsch, “Where are you from?” She looked at...
On April 20, 2006, President George W. Bush proclaimed May to be Jewish American Heritage Month (JAHM). The announcement was the crowning achievement in an effort by the Jewish Museum of Florida and South Florida Jewish community leaders. Their dedication resulted in...
Some children get overwhelmed when exposed to certain sensory experiences and react with behavior that’s not always conducive to social situations. Now, there’s a solution for these children on the Reba and Sam Sandler Family Campus. Called the Calming Cove, this new...
The Women’s Cabinet of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater recently hosted its annual spring lunch for cabinet members and others at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Virginia Beach. Featured at the event was Jewish American Philanthropist Jane Weitzman (wife of...
A heartwarming graduation ceremony for Hebrew Academy of Tidewater’s Class of 2018 took place on Tuesday, June 5. Almost all of the graduating class had attended the school since they were toddlers, so it was a bittersweet finale to their wonderful years at HAT. The...
June 25, 2018 Senior Living
In early June, I had the pleasure of joining Lawrence Steingold, Tidewater Jewish Foundation’s incoming board chair, as well as Scott Kaplan, TJF president and CEO, and Sallie Williams, United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s marketing director, along with colleagues...
NAHAL OZ, Israel (JTA)—Dani Ben David fiddles with his radio, switching between it and his cellphone as he drives through the Beeri Forest, a nature reserve located on the border of Israel and the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip. As his Jeep jolts over the dirt road, he...