VIRGINIA BEACH – Rhoda Klein Sheintoch, 96, passed away July 8, 2023, in Virginia Beach, Virginia surrounded by her loved ones. Born in Newark, New Jersey December 14, 1926, she was predeceased by her beloved husband of almost 69 years, Dr. Martin Sheintoch and her...
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Phyllis (Aftel) Weiss
NORFOLK –Phyllis (Aftel) Weiss, loving mother and devoted MeeMaw, passed away on June 18, 2023, at the age of 77. She was the light of her family’s life. Phyllis was born on April 15, 1946, and lived a full life, filled with love, joy, and laughter. She was preceded...
Brian B. Zittrain
MECHANICSVILLE – Brian B.Zittrain, of Mechanicsville, formerly of Virginia Beach, passed away June 22, 2023. He was preceded in death by his parents, Sam and Fannie Zittrain; and stepson, Ryan Bowles. Brian is survived by his wife, Betty Zittrain; stepchildren, Monta...
Sheldon Harnick, the lyricist who made Jewish longing universal in Fiddler on the Roof
(JTA) – The moment when Sheldon Harnick realized that his new musical might be something special came when he sang the lyrics he had just composed for a new song: Sunrise, Sunset. He was sitting in the basement studio of his friend and collaborator, the composer Jerry...
Alan Arkin, Jewish actor with uncommon versatility
(JTA) — Alan Arkin knew he was going to be an actor from the age of five. “Every film I saw, every play, every piece of music fed an unquenchable need to turn myself into something other than what I was,” he wrote in his 2011 memoir, An Improvised Life. What he was...
Mazel Tov!
Rachel and David Abraham are excited to announce the engagement of their daughter Anne Louise to Alex Brandon Peljovich. Anne attended James Madison University and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Biotechnology. She is employed by the American Association for...
Israel’s 74th celebration is a day to remember in Tidewater
Thousands of people visited the Reba and Sam Sandler Family Campus of the Tidewater Jewish Community for a celebration of Yom Ha’Atzmaut on Sunday, May 1. The Israel Independence Day celebration was the first large-scale in-person event for the holiday since before...
Rabbi Sender Haber to leave B’nai Israel
Many communities have a rabbi. In the times of the Talmud, that term was deemed somewhat narrow for the many responsibilities devolved on the community leader. Another term was needed and coined: Mara D’asra, literally ‘leader of the community.’ Such a leader is Rabbi...
Survivors Room honors area survivors
An active Holocaust Commission has been part of United Jewish Federation of Tidewater for more than 30 years. Among its numerous programs and projects, the Commission established a Speakers’ Bureau comprised of local Holocaust survivors. Escorted by Commission...
75 years of Jewish News
Dear Readers, My first connections with Jewish News took place in the mid-1970s when, as an active teen in Tidewater’s Jewish community, my name and photo would sporadically appear on its pages. As I renewed my activity in the community as a young adult, I’d find my...
Jewish News editors make certain the paper evolves
In the paper’s 75-year history, surprisingly few have served as editor. In fact, many of the first editions list no editor at all, but rather the executive of the Norfolk Jewish Community Council (in one instance Sydney S. Abzug) and in others, just editorial boards,...
UJFT Society of Professionals host offshore wind panel discussion
Panel moderator Joel Rubin may have summed it up best, when he said, “The wind is definitely blowing in the right direction…” for the region’s new offshore wind farm, whose turbines will soon be generating power to light up area homes, power area businesses, and...
Donors and philanthropic accomplishments celebrated at 2022 Simon Family Legacy Celebration
Tidewater Jewish Foundation celebrated donors, community milestones, and philanthropic accomplishments at the 2022 Simon Family Legacy Celebration on Sunday, May 17 at the Sandler Family Campus. The first in-person event in three years, the celebration highlighted the...
Yom Hashoah Commemoration returns to the community
This year’s Yom Hashoah Commemoration, honoring the victims and survivors of the Holocaust, as well as liberators and righteous gentiles, was the first in-person gathering for the purpose since 2019. After cancelling the public commemoration in 2020 and having a...
National Council of Jewish Women creates outlet for Jews to donate to abortion funds
(JTA)—In the 1920s, the National Council of Jewish Women helped establish the first 10 birth control clinics in the United States, which later became Planned Parenthood clinics. Now, with the right to abortion under threat, the group is partnering with the National...
In her first talk as antisemitism monitor, Deborah Lipstadt decries those who do not take it seriously
WASHINGTON (JTA)—Antisemitism is often not taken seriously until it becomes deadly, said Deborah Lipstadt, the Holocaust scholar whose nomination to be the State Department’s antisemitism monitor was delayed as she tangled with Republican senators who were peeved at...
What you need to know about the antisemitic ideology behind the Buffalo shooting
(JTA)—The man charged with killing 10 people at a Buffalo, New York, supermarket Saturday, May 14, allegedly was motivated by a conspiracy theory that has spurred recent deadly attacks on Jews, among others. An online manifesto attributed to Payton Gendron, 18,...
Run, Roll, or Stroll a success
Jewish Family Service of Tidewater hosted its 18th annual Run, Roll, or Stroll race day event on Sunday, May 1. After two years of postponing due to COVID, this year’s Run, Roll, or Stroll came back in a big way with a record turn-out, with more than 350 people...
New and improved—Jewish Federation of North America’s Washington Conference 2022
Earlier this month, Jewish Federations of North America relaunched the biennial Washington Conference. The original incarnation ran from the late 1970’s through 2004. JFNA hosted the event once again for a group of more than 450 community members from across North...
Hal Sacks Jewish News Archives preserves community’s past for the future
Hal Sacks was a man of many words and a visionary. An author of two books and the Jewish News Book Review editor for more than 30 years, among his many activities within Tidewater’s Jewish community, Sacks spent several years on a personal mission to benefit the...
Role models wanted
“Why fit in when you were born to stand out? “Today you are you! That is truer than true! There is no one alive who is you-er than you!” Dr. Seuss, quoted above, must have known exactly what it means to work at Camp JCC. Staff members are hired because of WHO they...
National Senior Health + Fitness Day
Wednesday, May 25, 9 am–2 pm Simon Family JCC The 29th annual celebration of National Senior Health + Fitness Day will include group fitness classes, raffles, games, prizes, and featured speakers. Free and open to the public, registration is not required. For more...
Carwash for Team Virginia Beach
Sunday, June 12, 1–3 pm, Sandler Family Campus A fundraiser car wash to benefit #TeamVB that is going to San Diego, Calif. this summer for the JCC Maccabi Games, will take place on Sunday, June 2. The #TeamVB delegation is comprised of seven local teens. At the...
Local art and Judaica collector offers a unique experience to tour museum exhibit
Friday, June 10, 10 am, Chrysler Museum of Art Clay Barr will conduct a special tour of The Guiding Hand: The Barr Foundation Collection of Torah Pointers, now on exhibit at the Chrysler Museum of Art, through United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s Konikoff Center...
Pool opens Memorial Day weekend at Sandler Family Campus
Saturday, May 28 The Simon Family JCC is planning a full outdoor summer at the Metzger Outdoor Aquatics Center—enjoying its first near-normal season since 2020—when the pool opens on Memorial Day weekend. The pool’s opening also signals the re-start of the Swordfish...
Elie Wiesel Visual Arts Competition on display
Throughout May, Sandler Family Campus Winners of the Elie Wiesel Visual Arts Competition from local and national schools in the Junior and Senior divisions, as well as other works of art selected for judging, are currently on display in the Cardo of the Sandler Family...