Virginia Beach—Bonnie Louis Reshefsky, 78, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, November 4, 2020. He is survived by his loving wife Beth Sue Reshefsky and his children Terry (Jeffrey) Tessler, Brian (Jessica) Reshefsky, Andrew Reshefsky, his grandchildren Skylar,...
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Leonard Willard Saunders
Jupiter, Fla.—Leonard Willard Saunders, 90, originally of Norfolk, died Sunday, October 25, 2020. Affectionately called Lenny, he was the youngest of the five children, Ella Saunders Salomonsky, Lorraine Saunders Friedenberg, Thelma Saunders Steingold, and David...
Abraham Grossman, 95, fled Germany as a boy but returned as a soldier bearing Jewish insignia
When Abraham Grossman was a teenager, he fled his native Germany on what came to be known as the kindertransport, a rescue effort that brought about 10,000 Jewish children fleeing the Nazis to England. He returned just a few years later, but by then he was as a proud...

Holiday wisdom for grieving families: Embrace the healing waters
The holiday season may be difficult this year with the pandemic altering many family plans and traditions. Navigating the challenges will most likely take more patience and flexibility than usual. For those facing their first holiday season without a loved one, this...
Almost all American Jews say anti-Semitism is a problem, according to a new poll. Half of Americans don’t know what it means.
(JTA)—Nearly half of Americans don’t know what the phrase “anti-Semitism” means. That’s one takeaway from two surveys published last month by the American Jewish Committee. The surveys asked Jews and the general American public about anti-Semitism in the United...

FIDF announces formation of new mega-region
Following the expansion and restructuring of the Friends of the Israel Defense Forces’ (FIDF) executive office and welcoming Steven Weil as the new national director and CEO in mid-September, FIDF has formed the new Eastern Region. Seth Baron, who for the past seven...
Obama’s tough talk is good news for Israel— depending on what it means
WASHINGTON (JTA)—The good news for Israel in President Obama’s speech at the United Nations was his insistence that any steps Iran might take to solve the standoff over its nuclear program must be transparent and verifiable. The bad news was that Obama wasn’t clear...
Marcel Reich-Ranicki, German-Jewish author and critic
Marcel Reich-Ranicki, a German-Jewish author and literary critic sometimes referred to in Germany as the “pope of literature,” has died. The death of Reich-Ranicki, a Holocaust survivor and a spokesman for reconciliation between Jewish and non-Jewish Germans, was...
Italian cyclist Gino Bartali recognized as righteous gentile
Yad Vashem posthumously recognized the Italian cycling champion Gino Bartali as Righteous Among the Nations. The Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem said in a statement that during the German occupation of Italy beginning in September 1943, “Bartali, a devout Catholic,...
Dutch city unveils memorial for Holocaust diarist Helga Deen
(JTA)—The Jewish community of Tilburg in the Netherlands unveiled a statue commemorating Helga Deen, a teenage Jewish diarist who died in a concentration camp 70 years ago. The Liberal Jewish Community of Tilburg unveiled the monument in memory of Deen earlier this...
Beverly K. Mauro
Norfolk —Beverly K. Mauro, 83, died Thursday, September 19, 2013 in a local hospital. She was a native and lifelong resident of Norfolk and was the daughter of the late Dave and Lillie Kessel. She was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Henry (Hank) Mauro. She...
William “Bill” Abrams
Portsmouth—William “Bill” Abrams 101¾ passed away Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2013 at Beth Sholom Home in Virginia Beach where he resided during the last four years. Born in Bayonne, N. J. on January 19, 1912, to Rose Leventhal Abrams and Nathan Abrams. Bill went on to live a...
Rabbi Arthur Ruberg and Miriam Brunn Ruberg on the birth of their first grandchild Eli (pronounced eh-lee) Meir on August 12. He is the son of Adina and Ben Kozberg of Chicago, Ill. The proud great-grandfather is Albert J. Brunn of Coconut Creek, Fla. and proud uncle...
Marissa Simon for being chosen as the David Project Fellow for the 2013-2014 school year at the University of Pittsburgh. The David Project, in partnership with Hillel, created this Israel advocacy training program in which participants gain knowledge and tools...
Pam Guthrie, administrator of The Terrace at Beth Sholom Village, for being recognized as Virginia’s Assisted Living Administrator of the Year by the Virginia Health Care Association and Virginia Center for Assisted Living ( VCAL/ VHCA) at the VHCA convention and...
Family Fall Festival and Open House at the Simon Family JCC
Entertainment, shopping, eating and a great membership deal! — Sunday, Oct. 20, 11–3 pm A free fall festival at the Simon Family JCC will highlight much that the Center offers for both current and prospective members. Activities for everyone in the family include a...
Virginia Chorale opens 30th anniversary season with program of signature songs, including Israeli folk songs
Friday, Oct. 4–Sunday, Oct. 6 The 30th anniversary season of the Virginia Chorale opens with Signature Chorale, a celebration of choral masterpieces, folk songs, and motets. Featuring pieces representative of the three decades of group’s repertoire, Signature Chorale...
South African novelist Neville Frankel to speak at Book Festival
Sunday, Nov. 10 The book took 10 years to write—partially because its author is a top scoring wealth manager in the Boston area and because he is a passionate painter in his spare time. It also took so long because Bloodlines, an engrossing novel about South Africa,...
40th Anniversary of Yom Kippur War observed at Temple Israel
Sunday, Oct. 6, 6 pm A ceremony marking the 40th Anniversary of the Yom Kippur War will take place at Temple Israel to honor those who fought and memorialize those who died defending Israel, and to commemorate the miraculous (yes, in military terms, MIRACULOUS)...
Food drive at Sandler Family Campus
Through Oct. 4 Tidewater Jewish Foundation and the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s Young Adult Division are co-hosting a food drive for the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia. During September’s Hunger Action Month, Feeding America, which is a nationwide...
American Jewry and the Presidency
Sundays, 2 pm Sunday, Oct. 20, Rabbi David Dalin will speak about the political views of Jews in America before the Civil War. Rabbi Dalin, professor of history and politics at Ave Maria University in Florida is the writer, co-author and editor of 10 books on American...
New first year class of the Florence Melton School of Adult Jewish Learning
Tuesday mornings, beginning October 8 For more information, contact Miriam Brunn Ruberg, Simon Family JCC director of Jewish Life and Learning at 321-2328 or mbrunnruberg@simonfamilyj.org.
Who showed up at your sukkah?
We have a nice Sukkot holiday tradition in Judaism, the custom of symbolically inviting seven honored guests, one for each night of the holiday. This tradition is known as “ushpizin,” the Aramaic word for “guests.” Today, in creative Jewish circles, we are witnessing...
Sonya Eisenberg Lachman
Norfolk —Sonya Eisenberg Lachman, of Los Angeles, California, died August 29, 2013 in a Los Angeles nursing home. She was born in the USSR and lived in Portsmouth, Va. before moving to Los Angeles many years ago. Sonya was a former member of Chevra T’hilim...
Minette Siegel Kerr
Virginia Beach —Minette Siegel Kerr, 66, died peacefully, surrounded by family and loved ones on Monday, September 2, 2013. A native to Hampton Roads, she grew up in the Ghent area of Norfolk and graduated from Maury High School. She resided in Virginia Beach for her...
Ira Grolman
Virginia Beach —Ira Grolman, 85, passed away on August 25, 2013. He was born on July 29, 1928 to the late Alexander and Sadie Grolman in Washington, D.C. He is predeceased by his brother Norman Grolman. He is survived by his loving wife of 51 years, Phyllis Grolman;...