Andrew Lapin (JTA) — Norman Lear, the Jewish TV pioneer behind iconic comedies of the 1970s and 1980s that helped bring social commentary and Black characters into the mainstream, died at 101 on Dec. 5. The decorated creator of All In The Family, The Jeffersons,...
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Building community through a new partnership: Ohef Sholom Temple presents Melton’s Love, Loss, and Wisdom Course
Thursdays, starting February 1 • 7 pm, online • JewishVA.org/Melton Staff report Ohef Sholom Temple has a robust adult education program led by Alyson Morrissey, director of Lifelong Learning. The programming includes speakers, artists, films, Torah study, Hebrew,...
Jewish Tidewater and beyond in 2023
Stephanie Peck and Terri Denison Last year, the introduction to this section began “Jewish-related news made more mainstream headlines in 2022 than most of us could ever recall.” With Israel at war, the 400% uptick in antisemitism, comments by Elon Musk, etc., 2023...
Shine Hanukkah’s lights on supporting Israel and Jewish communities at home and around the globe
Betty Ann Levin With Jewish communities around the world, we are sharing our Hanukkah lightings with friends, family, and our community. This Hanukkah, United Jewish Federation of Tidewater is again joining with myriad other Jewish and non-Jewish organizations to...
‘Coffee and Chat with Art’ informs employees at LM Sandler and Sons
Terri Denison The attack on Israel by Hamas on October 7 prompted many of the employees at LM Sandler & Sons to ask Art Sandler what they could do to help Israel and the Jewish community. They also asked questions about the war, Israel, and antisemitism. Most of...
Chesapeake’s Mayor West delivers statement against antisemitism
Stephanie Peck At Chesapeake’s City Council meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 28, Mayor Rick West read a statement unequivocally condemning the recent rise in antisemitism and standing in solidarity with those affected by antisemitism. Before his remarks, Mayor West noted that...
Richard Jerrold (Dicky) Flax
RICHMOND - Richard Jerrold (Dicky) Flax died on October 9, 2023. Dicky was predeceased by the love of his life, Evelyn Flax, and his daughter-in law, Paula Carl. Born April 3, 1927, Dicky attended Lehigh University and graduated from the University of Richmond. He...
Clayton “Clay” Harris Morrison
VIRGINA BEACH - Clayton Harris Morrison, 27, passed away on September 27. Clayton was born in Norfolk, Virginia, and was the son of Dr. Sanford Neil Morrison and Stephanie Cohen Morrison. Clayton was an avid fisherman, loved boating, and was an exceptional baseball...
Marilyn Joy Schwartz
NORFOLK - Marilyn Joy Schwartz, 97, passed away on Sunday, September 24. She is the mother of Mindy Schwartz Katz (Jeff) and grandmother of Carly and Jana. Burial was in New Jersey.
Dianne Feinstein, long-serving Jewish senator from California
Ron Kampeas (JTA) — Dianne Feinstein, the long-serving Jewish senator from California who rose to national prominence when she appeared before cameras with her hands stained with the blood of a murdered colleague, has died. Feinstein, who had recently faced criticism...
‘It was utter chaos’: Families and survivors describe the horrors of Hamas’ invasion
(JTA) — Yoni Asher’s voice was steady but his urgency was unmistakable. “I ask anyone coming to Efrat Katz’s home to tell me they are there, I have not heard from them for four hours,” he said on Israel’s government-run Kan radio. “Them” for Asher was his...
Praying for a better future during the High Holidays
Naomi Sedek As Yom Kippur approaches, many of us in the Jewish community prepare for a day of fasting, prayer, and reflection. But beyond these rituals lies an essential message that intersects profoundly with the work we do at Tidewater Jewish Foundation: the...
Moroccan Jews and Israelis reportedly all safe in devastating quake
Philissa Cramer, Eliyahu Freedman (JTA) — Jews and Jewish sites appear to have largely been spared following the devastating earthquake that struck Morocco late Friday, Sept. 8, killing more than 2,600 people, injuring thousands more, and plunging some of the poorest...
5784 will enter on a solid foundation in Tidewater
Betty Ann Levin It is strange preparing for the new year while it still feels like the middle of summer outside, but like all things, that will soon change. I will be grateful for the cooler weather as we embark on 5784, a year which will continue to bring change to...
Unetaneh Tokef, the High Holidays’ roll call of ruin, is heartbreakingly real for the Ukrainian Jews I’ve gotten to know
Alex Weisler (JTA) — A catalog of calamities is central to the liturgy of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. We Jews are asked to imagine ourselves perched on the precipice of life and death. Nothing frames it as starkly as Unetaneh Tokef, the roll call of ruin enumerating...
Five-year calendar highlights Jewish holidays
Stephanie Peck Each summer, the Jewish Community Relations Council of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater submits a five-year, Jewish holiday calendar to area school districts, arts leaders, elected officials, and similar public and private institutions which...
Nadiv begins a new year of programming, networking, and philanthropy
Todd Holcomb Members of Nadiv, United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s Young Adult Division men’s giving circle, gathered at the Downtown Norfolk home of Jeff Chernitzer on Wednesday, Sept. 6 to kick off a new year of philanthropy, networking, and community service...
Strelitz International Academy is back to school
Ally St. Pierre A reimagined entryway with a beautiful IB®-themed mural and new toddler classrooms helped contribute to the excitement as Strelitz International Academy welcomed the new school year with open arms and smiling faces on Monday, August 21. Three days...
High Holidays Special Section
High Holidays 5784 September 2023
Sukkot activities abound in Tidewater
Jewish News staff report Sukkot begins at sundown on Sept. 29, five days after observing Yom Kippur. During this Jewish autumn festival, many families, congregations, and schools build a sukkah, a temporary structure with three walls and an organic roof that provides...
Be a Reader literacy project celebrates 24 years of cultivating the love of reading
Robin Ford For nearly a quarter of a century, the Be a Reader Literacy Project has transformed students’ lives in Norfolk and Virginia Beach Title I schools by igniting their passion for reading. As it enters its 24th year of operation, the project stands as a shining...
Super Sunday brings community together and ignites the 2024 campaign
Elana McGovern The theme of this year’s United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s Super Sunday Community Phone-a-Thon and Campaign Kickoff could not have been more fitting: “Today, Tomorrow, Always.” This was on the minds of almost 60 volunteers who manned the phones at...
A new YLC director for a new year
Elana McGovern joins United Jewish Federation of Tidewater as director of Young Leadership Campaign Amy Zelenka Throughout her professional career, Elana McGovern has worked in non-profits and philanthropy, consistently centering her work on the essential Jewish value...
End of Summer Shabbat features prayers, splashes, and friendship
Nofar Trem Children, grandparents, and everyone in between, joined PJ Library in Tidewater and UJFT’s Young Adult Division on Friday, August 25 at the Sandler Family Campus for a celebratory End of Summer Shabbat. Swimming with friends and family, adult deep-water...
Recycling Reusables
Staff Report The Simon Family JCC is partnering with Lynnhaven River Now (LRNOW) to collect and distribute reusable bags. This program will help Virginia Beach residents reduce plastic bag pollution and prepare for a future when grocery stores, convenience stores, and...
Linda Fulcher
VIRGINIA BEACH – Linda Fulcher, beloved wife, mother, and grandmother, passed away on August 30. Linda is survived by Bob, her husband of 39 years, daughter, Sheri, grandchildren, Madison and Griffin, daughter, Krissy (Dan), and step-daughter Kristen. She was...