Portsmouth—Rick (as he was known) was born in New York City in 1959 and grew up in Brooklyn, N.Y. He moved to Portsmouth, Va. in 1996. Along with his parents, he joined Gomley Chesed Synagogue. Before long, Rick’s talent for leading the evening and part of the Shabbos...
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Ilene Weingarten Goldburg
Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.—Ilene Weingarten Goldburg, 93 passed away on Thursday, June 25, 2020 at her home in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. Born in Brooklyn, New York, she was the daughter of the late Irene Stein Weingarten and Milton Weingarten. She was preceded in...
Melvin Halpern
CHESAPEAKE—Melvin Halpern, 91, passed away on July 4, 2020. Born October 23, 1928 in Brooklyn, N.Y., he was the son of the late Samuel and Celia Halpern. Melvin served in the U.S. Army and was a baseball fan. Most of all, he enjoyed spending time with his...
Sidney Marcus
PORTSMOUTH—Sidney Marcus, 98, died June 23, 2020. A native of Portsmouth, he was the widower of Vivian Trestman Marcus. He was the owner of Sidney’s Pawn Shop in Portsmouth for over 40 years and a member of Gomley Chesed Synagogue. He is survived by two loving...
Stan LEE Smolen
Virginia Beach—Stan Smolen passed away May 27, 2020 at the age of 95. He was a veteran of WWII who served his country proudly. He was a courageous 19-year-old First Lieutenant on a B17 bomber in the Army Air Corp. But most importantly, he was the patriarch of a family...
Khana S. Volkova
Norfolk—Khana S. Volkova, 96, mother of Nellie Podolskaya (of blessed memory), passed away June 27, 2020. The funeral was held at the Hebrew Cemetery on Princess Anne Road per/Temple Israel. Cremation & Funeral Services of Tidewater. Condolences may be expressed at...
Tidewater Jewish community works together to build first-ever database
“We want to work together, we want to communicate together and we want to build and strengthen our community together! We want to do it, we need to do it and the technology is there to do it, so let’s move forward and finally do it! Let us build a community data base...
Israel posters are up: Time to vote
Beginning Wednesday, Feb. 13 through Friday, March 1, community members can help a young artist become a big winner in the Israel Advocacy Poster Contest, sponsored by the Community Relations Council of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater. Last month, the CRC...
Local students lobby Representative Scott Rigell on issues important to U.S.-Israel relationship
Four of the five students who attended the AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee) High School Summit in October met to put their new skills to the test on Friday, Feb. 1. Representative Scott Rigell opened his office and engaged the students in discussion on...
Return on investment: Jewish Family Service in Budapest
This year, Tidewater is helping provide more than 1,066 Hungarian children from 586 families with comprehensive social services. Since 2007, through the generosity and vision of Tidewater’s Jaffe family and the continued support of the United Jewish Federation of...
Volunteers and donors make Super Sunday super successful
An outpouring of community support made the 2013 Super Sunday phone-a-thon one of the most successful in recent years. The annual event, held at the Sandler Family Campus of the Tidewater Jewish community on Sunday, Jan. 27, raised more than $100,000 from more than...
Virginia General Assembly members attentive to Jewish community concerns
Armed with talking points, folders filled with information, and an abundance of determination, a contingent of focused Jewish citizens took to the halls of the Virginia General Assembly building on January 22. The group of 36 who traveled by bus from Tidewater joined...
Talking about the Virginia Israel Advisory Board
When a group of Tidewater advocates traveled to Richmond for Date with the State, or Jewish Advocacy Day, last month, one of the main topics discussed with area General Assembly members was the Virginia Israel Advisory Board. The Community Relations Council of the...
Will Obama’s planned Israel visit revive Israel-Palestinian peacemaking?
WASHINGTON (JTA)—Is President Obama’s plan to visit Israel a sign that he’s ready to take another shot at Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking? The White House announced Tuesday, Feb. 5 that Obama would visit Israel in the spring, his first trip there as president. He did...
A Purimpression
Rabbi Moshe Alshich (1508– 1593) notes that Mordechai could easily have justified his decision not to bow down to Haman. The king ordered that “the king’s slaves posted at the gate (court) of the king” were to bow down to Haman. Although Mordechai was posted at the...
Fans and family of Art Modell praying for Ravens Super Bowl victory, Hall of Fame entry
NEW YORK (JTA) -- Every Sunday during the football season, a group of 30 diehard Jewish Baltimore Ravens fans suit up in purple pants, jerseys, socks, face paint and special Ravens tzitzit to watch the game together. If the game falls on a Saturday, the club gathers...
A return on investment: Baby Help in Argentina goes intergenerational
Rosana Jacofsky, a long-time teacher at the Joint Distribution Committee’s (JDC) Baby Help day care program in Buenos Aires, Argentina dedicates the majority of her time to children with physical and psychological difficulties. “We are constantly reminded that love...
Jacob Jerry Kantor: Bringing compassion to leadership
As he backs out of his driveway, Jerry Kantor stops to help a neighbor with a flat tire and asks, “Is there anything that I can do to help you?” and he really means it. With a sense of compassion, Kantor’s volunteerism focuses on the health and welfare of the elderly...
Israel Salber
Virginia Beach—Israel Salber of Beth Sholom Terrace passed away Jan. 8, 2013. A native of Capetown, South Africa, he was born April 17, 1921. He was the son of the late Charles and Minnie Goldberg Salber. He was preceded in death by his wife of 56 years, Bernice...
Dr. Edgar Herbert Rossheim
Williamsburg, Va.—Dr. Edgar Herbert Rossheim, 80, died on January 18, 2013 of respiratory failure after years of declining health. A native of Portsmouth, Va., Dr. Rossheim practiced internal medicine and cardiology for 32 years in Norfolk and Williamsburg, Va. The...
Roger Duberstein
Virginia Beach—Roger Duberstein, 59, of Open Greens Dr., died Jan. 14, 2013. He was born in Point Pleasant Beach, N.J. and is the son of Ruth Duberstein and the late Mel L. Duberstein. Besides his mother, Roger is survived by his children, Adam Duberstein and Fiancé...
From a prolific writer
The Pope’s Jews The Vatican’s Secret Plan to Save Jews from the Nazis Gordon Thomas St. Martin’s Press, 2012 314 pages, $27.99 ISBN 978-0-318-60421-9 The late Pope, John Paul II, despite his significant efforts to reach out to world Jewry, was roundly criticized for...
Jason Young
Jason Young on his Bar Mitzvah, Feb. 2 at Ohef Sholom Temple. He is the son of Jack and Norma Young and the brother of Melissa. His grandparents are Murray and Annette Sokoloff and Miriam Young
Virginia Chorale presents “Let My People Go!”
Friday, Feb. 1—Sunday, Feb. 3 Focusing on themes of freedom, “Let My People Go!” is Virginia Chorale’s third concert program this season. For “Let My People Go!” Charles Woodward, artistic director and conductor, selected songs associated with freedom movements from...
Israel Today Forum focuses on diplomacy
Wednesday, Feb. 13, 7 pm The Oxford English Dictionary defines diplomacy as: the profession, activity or skill of managing international relations, typically by a country’s representatives abroad. Wherever, whenever, and however he can, Neil Lazarus epitomizes the...
Fifth Annual Latke-Hamantashn Invitational Debate
Thursday, Feb. 21, 7:30 pm Moderated by Eric Michael Mazur, Gloria & David Furman Professor of Judaic Studies Hosted by Virginia Wesleyan College See leaders from the Tidewater Jewish community fight to settle this age-old question: “Which is better, the latke or...