Women’s Rosh Chodesh Mizrahi Dance
Thursdays, October 15 and November 12, 7 – 8 pm
Simon Family JCC
Free. Registration required. Women only.

Sunday September 13, 2:30 pm, Sandler Center for the Performing Arts

The Virginia Symphony Orchestra will open its 2026/27 Season with Mahler’s Titan Symphony. Music Director Eric Jacobsen, the Macon and Joan Brock chair, will conduct a program featuring renowned pianist Jeffrey Kahane performing Heirloom Concerto for Piano and Chamber Orchestra, written by his son, composer Gabriel Kahane. 

 As a pianist, conductor, and scholar, Jeffrey Kahane’s career highlights run the gamut from concertos with the New York Philharmonic and San Francisco Symphony to recitals with Yo-Yo Ma and Joshua Bell to European tours.

 “Dedicated with love, admiration, gratitude, and awe” to his father, Gabriel Kahane wrote the piano concerto, Heirloom, infused with Austro-German musical tradition, as an aural family scrapbook that explores a series of inheritances. He grew up in a secular Jewish household where folk music, from artists such as Joni Mitchell, and classical music flowed throughout the home. 

 Gabriel Kahane’s grandmother, Hannelore, a prominent figure in his life, babysat German-Jewish composer and developer of the modern 12-tone technique Arnold Schoenberg’s children before escaping Germany in 1938. The second movement, “My Grandmother Knew Alban Berg” is inspired by the intergenerational memory, Kahane’s experience with Berg’s works, and the indirect connection to Berg, a student of Schoenberg’s. 

 Born to Jewish parents, Gustav Mahler converted to Catholicism to be the director of the Vienna Court Opera in 1897. Mahler was constantly berated by antisemitic press and political leaders throughout his career as a conductor and composer. He described himself as, “thrice homeless, as a native of Bohemia among Austrians, as an Austrian among Germans, and as a Jew throughout the world.”  

 When developing the 2026/27 season, the VSO focused this program on Rosh Hashanah. “This concert centers around the theme of legacy and new life. Mahler’s first Symphony, Titan, goes through an epic journey of life from first breath to last with all the trials and triumphs in-between,” says Jacobsen. “Kahane’s Heirloom concerto does a similar journey, but on a much more personal level by telling his family’s story and some of their most treasured memories. We wanted to lead our patrons from the Jewish community into this holiday about rebirth and celebrating new life and reflecting on the past year.” 

Tickets and information: VirginiaSymphony.org.

 Moskowitz, a widely published author and educator who grew up in Richmond and spent a year in Virginia Beach as a child, attending Hebrew Academy of Tidewater, drew on ideas from his book, Ancestral Allyship during the presentation. In the book, he connects themes of identity, responsibility, and belonging to the weekly Torah portion. His teaching at the event emphasized that allyship is not a static label, but an ongoing practice rooted in Jewish values and lived experience.

 The conversation was moderated by Deb Segaloff, who highlighted Moskowitz’s ability to bring traditional texts into contemporary discussions. “[He] chooses to focus on inclusion and the many things that unite us as people,” says Segaloff. “He gives hope to the many LGBTQ+ Jews that want to belong and be part of the community.”

 Throughout the evening, Moskowitz encouraged participants to remain open to the perspectives and experiences of others, framing that openness as a core element of both Jewish learning and allyship. The event was attended by people of all faiths and backgrounds. “It was a wonderful event,” says Alicia “Sunny” Peoples, co-chair of the Virginia Beach Arts and Humanities Commission. “As someone whose faith tradition is intersectional, I loved the conversation.”

 Moskowitz also returned to the principle that all people are created b’tzelem Elohim, in the image of God, and challenged attendees to consider what that belief means in practice. His reflections connected traditional sources with contemporary conversations around identity and community, offering a perspective that was both rooted in Jewish texts and responsive to present-day realities.

The program was held in partnership with the Jewish Book Council, Hampton Roads Pride, and the LGBT Life Center of Hampton Roads, and was funded in part by the citizens of Virginia Beach through a grant from the City of Virginia Beach Arts and Humanities Commission.

For more information about Arts + Ideas programming, contact Hunter Thomas at HThomas@UJFT.org or 757-965-6137.

Pearlman’s work will be on exhibit in the Leon Family Gallery on the second floor of the Sandler Family Campus through August. Join the artist for an opening reception in the gallery on Thursday, June 25. The exhibition is supported in part by the citizens of Virginia Beach through a grant from the City of Virginia Beach Arts and Humanities Commission. Thanks to the generosity of the artist, 100% of proceeds from art sales will benefit Arts + Ideas programming at the UJFT. For more information or to RSVP for the reception, visit JewishVA.org/Gallery or contact Hunter Thomas, UJFT director of Arts + Ideas, at HThomas@UJFT.org or 757-965-6137.

As a child in Houston, Linda attended Sunday School, became a Bar Mitzvah (he says his parents “made him,” but he’s now happy about that – especially since he’s still friends with his Bar Mitzvah Buddy), and went to synagogue with his family for all of the major holidays, and some of the minor ones, too.  

 Linda’s teen years were spent at Houston’s High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, where half of each school day concentrated on theater classes, including everything from voice lessons to learning aspects of lighting, costumes, etc.  Those classes he says, ensures he really appreciates the behind-the-scenes people, who “work many more hours than I do.”

In 2016, Linda left Houston for Chicago to attend Northwestern University, where he majored in theater. He’s one of those 2020 graduates whose graduation ceremony and festivities took place via Zoom.  

Not to be deterred, however, he’s remained in the Windy City, appearing in several productions at various theaters. Among his favorites are the Band’s Visit and Fiddler on the Roof.

“I’m obsessed with the score of the Band’s Visit,” he muses.  

Besides singing and dancing, Linda plays the piano and is a self-taught percussionist.  

The original animated version of The Lion King, he says, was “on the VHS rotation at home” when he was a toddler. He first saw the stage production when he was 12 years old once the national touring company made it to Houston. 

 Linda’s audition for the show is a story filled with mishaps that sound as if they are perfect fodder for a film about the trials of young actors.  His agent encouraged him to put together an audition tape that turned out to be good enough to get him a ‘callback’ to New York City. His trip from Chicago included being “trapped in Milwaukee” due to a cancelled flight, managing to get the last seat on “a crack-of-the-dawn” Delta flight bound for New York, taking a cab to the wrong place, and basically “feeling like a train wreck running on four hours of sleep” when he finally arrived at his audition.  “Maybe all of that helped,” he laughs, as he got the job!

And it’s a job doing what he loves that is taking him around the country to see and experience new places, such as Norfolk. (When asked if he had ever been to this city, he first responded, “Is THAT how you say it?!?) Quickly getting the pronunciation correct, he says he hopes to explore the entire area as time permits.

Feeling like he’s standing on the shoulders of Jewish humorists such as Eugene Levy and Mel Brooks, as well as those of his great grandfather who ran the synagogue in Crowley, La., Linda is appreciative of his roots. That great grandfather had a truck spray-painted orange with ‘Shalom Y’all!’ on the side.

“I think I inherited some of that humor.  He wore his Jewishness on his sleeve.”

 “There’s no way I would be where I am without the support of my parents,” he says.  “They are my biggest support system.  I try to tell them I appreciate them when I can.”

Linda says he is “Super grateful that I get to do this.  It’s so cool.”

The touring schedule for The Lion King says, “To be continued,” so Sam Linda might be on the road for a good long while.

The Lion Kingruns through Sunday, May 17
at Norfolk’s Chrysler Hall. Tickets are available
at the Scope Arena box office and at Ticketmaster.com. 

 As one of the longest‑running Jewish film festivals in the country, the Virginia Festival of Jewish Film continues its mission of engaging Jewish and non‑Jewish audiences through world‑class cinema inspired by Jewish history, culture, and values. This year’s festival featured six films screened at various venues, including Virginia Wesleyan University, Cinema Café Kemps River, Naro Expanded Cinema, Cape Henry Collegiate, and Cinema Café Pembroke Meadows. 

 Two Israeli films anchored the festival in real‑world history and urgency. 

 The Stronghold, a historical narrative set during the Yom Kippur War, followed an Israeli army company trapped in the Sinai Desert, forcing viewers to confront the human cost of war and the moral dilemmas faced under siege. Actor Michael Aloni, known for his roles on the Netflix series Shtisel and We Were the Lucky Ones attended and was interviewed following the film by Mark Robbins, festival screening committee chair.

 The following Sunday, audiences watched The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue, a documentary chronicling a harrowing, real‑life rescue mission following the October 7, 2023 attacks in Israel, preceded by a message from the film’s director and producer, who helped set the stage for the screening.

 The festival’s signature event, the Big Saturday Night Celebration of Jewish Film, featured Tatami, a political sports thriller centered on an Iranian judo champion and her coach facing an impossible choice during an international competition. The screening, followed by a dessert reception, embodied what has become a hallmark of the festival: films that spark conversation long after the credits roll.

 This film, while featuring no explicitly Jewish content and only a short scene featuring an Israeli character, was chosen by the film screening committee because of its relevance to today’s world. It is the first film to be directed by Israeli and Iranian co-directors, and highlights the strict pressures placed on Iranian citizens by the oppressive regime. It proved especially meaningful given the real-world events that quickly followed.

 Both the Road Between Us and Tatami were attended by special guests from the Embassy of Israel. Michal Ofek, director of Cultural Affairs, was joined by Efrat Hochstetler, Counselor for Public Diplomacy, who spoke before each film about how meaningful it is to see Israeli art shared in the U.S. during such a tumultuous time, and about the universality of art.

 The festival’s narrative features offered a wide emotional and geographic range. The Ring explored the lingering echoes of the Holocaust through a father and daughter’s journey to uncover their family’s past, while For the Love of a Woman wove together romance and historical mystery across decades in Israel. In The Blond Boy from the Casbah, audiences were transported to Algiers, where memories of a vibrant Jewish community unfolded through the eyes of a filmmaker reconnecting with his childhood roots. 

 Beyond the films themselves, what set the 33rd festival apart was the collective experience of watching together. In an era when films are often consumed alone on small screens, the festival reaffirmed the power of shared storytelling and the importance of gathering in community. 

 “Thank you to our wonderful community for your enthusiastic support,” says Beth Scharlop, festival co-chair. “It’s not a festival without your attendance, conversation, and feedback. It motivates us to continually improve our programming.”

Virginia Festival of Jewish Film is presented by the Alma & Howard Laderberg Virginia Festival of Jewish Film Restricted Fund of the Tidewater Jewish Foundation and funded in part by the citizens of Virginia Beach and Norfolk through grants from the City of Virginia Beach Arts and Humanities Commission and the Norfolk Arts Commission.

For information about the festival, contact Hunter Thomas, director of Arts + Ideas at the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater: HThomas@UJFT.org or 757-965-6137.

A groundbreaking exhibition showcasing works by two pioneering female artists, Architects of Being: Louise Nevelson and Esphyr Slobodkina, is on view through May 31 at Chrysler Museum of Art.  

 Organized by the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts (AMFA), this exhibition brings artists Louise Nevelson and Esphyr Slobodkina in direct dialogue for the first time. Both artists were Eastern European Jewish immigrants who worked in mid-century New York and developed distinct visual languages and identities within a male-dominated American art world. While Nevelson is known primarily as a sculptor and Slobodkina as a painter, both explored cubism, surrealism, and constructivism, with assemblage as an essential unifying theme throughout their careers.  

 Featuring 77 works, including sculptural assemblages, abstract paintings, collages, and garments they designed and wore, Architects of Being reveals the parallel journeys of women who helped transform American abstraction.

 Programming for Architects of Being invites visitors to explore the exhibition’s central theme: how identity is constructed and expressed. By examining material choices, personal style, and visual composition, these programs provide audiences with a deeper understanding of the artists’ evolving voices, creative processes, and the social and historical contexts that shaped their work.

For information about exhibitions, programs, and events, visit chrysler.org or follow the Chrysler Museum on social media @chryslermuseum.

The Chrysler Museum of Art is located at 1 Memorial Place in Norfolk. 

Louise Nevelson (American, b. Russia (now Ukraine), 1899–1988), Dawn’s Presence, 1972–1975, painted wood, Chrysler Museum of Art, Gift of Walter P. Chrysler Jr. 77.1241

Few works have transformed Holocaust storytelling as profoundly as the graphic novel Maus. When Art Spiegelman won the 1992 Pulitizer Prize, it was the first time a graphic novel earned that honor, signaling a cultural shift in the literary world, and new manner to convey memory, trauma, and history. Art Spiegelman: Disaster is my Muse is a documentary that explores the mind of Spiegelman, the artist who reshaped Holocaust literature and brought the graphic novel genre into public view.  Art Spiegelman: Disaster is my Muse, is presented by the Chrysler Museum of Art in partnership with the Virginia Festival of Jewish Film and the Holocaust Commission of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater.

 Through archival footage, interviews, and behind-the-scenes access, the documentary examines Spiegelman’s creative process, artistic influences, and the personal history that informs his work.

 Published in two volumes beginning in the 1980s, Maus recounts Spiegelman’s father’s experiences during the Holocaust, portraying Jews as mice and Nazis as cats in a stark black-and-white visual style. Its impact extended beyond literary recognition, elevating the graphic novel form and expanding public understanding of how visual storytelling can convey complex historical trauma.

 The documentary situates Maus within the broader arc of Spiegelman’s career, highlighting his experimentation in underground comics, his commentary on contemporary events, and his ongoing engagement with themes of catastrophe and memory. The film also addresses the complexities of his identity as the child of Holocaust survivors and how that generational inheritance shaped both his artistic voice and his lifelong engagement with history.

 Following the screening, the documentary’s co-directors will participate in a discussion about the making of the film and the challenges of portraying Spiegelman on screen. Known for his intellectual rigor and unflinching perspectives, Spiegelman emerges in the film as an artist deeply influenced by personal and collective trauma, yet continually pushing the boundaries of his work.

Tickets for the screening are included for all full festival pass holders. Additional information is available at Jewishva.org/Muse.  

The Virginia Festival of Jewish Film returns for its 33rd year with a fresh slate of films that spans history, suspense, and true‑life heroism—from the Yom Kippur War saga The Stronghold to the international sports thriller Tatami, the October 7th rescue chronicle The Road Between Us, and more.

As one of the nation’s longest-running Jewish film festivals, the Virginia Festival of Jewish Film, presented by Alma & Howard Laderberg, educates and engages diverse Tidewater communities, Jewish and non-Jewish alike, by presenting world-class films and creating shared experiences and connections inspired by Jewish legacy and values.

With films that cannot be seen at mainstream theaters, emotions that can only be felt in a room full of moviegoers, and the BIG Saturday Night Celebration of Jewish Film, the festival is NOT your average movie night. Tickets are limited, so purchase them ASAP at JewishVA.org/FilmFest.

The Stronghold 

Sunday, February 15• 2:30 pm

Susan S. Goode Fine and Performing Arts Center at Virginia Wesleyan University, 5817 Wesleyan Drive, Virginia Beach

Director Lior Chefetz • 113 min • Israel • 2024  Hebrew with English subtitles • Historical Narrative Feature • Not rated

Sinai Desert, Yom Kippur War, 1973. In a remote outpost, a company of Israeli soldiers are overwhelmed by a sudden Egyptian onslaught. After a week of ceaseless assaults, the survivors face imminent doom. With lives hanging by a thread, a young lieutenant and an army doctor confront a soul-shattering choice: a desperate last stand or a perilous gamble that could betray everything they stand for.

This film contains violence and themes that may be distressing to some viewers.

The Ring

Thursday, February 19 • 2:30 and 7:30 pm

Cinema Cafe Kemps River, 1220 Fordham Drive, Virginia Beach

Directors Adir Miller, Doron Paz, Yoav Paz • 122 min Israel, Hungary • 2024 • Hebrew and Hungarian with English subtitles • Narrative Feature • Not rated

Arnon Noble was saved as a baby when his mother bribed a Hungarian soldier with a precious ring to spare his life during the Holocaust. Now a devout man living in Israel, his world is shaken when his beloved mother is hospitalized. Determined to uncover the truth behind his family’s past, he embarks on an emotional journey to Budapest with his estranged daughter, searching for the ring in the hope that it might once again bring salvation.

THE BIG SATURDAY NIGHT CELEBRATION OF JEWISH FILM (Followed by a dessert reception)

Tatami

Saturday, February 21 • 7:30 pm

Kramer Family Theater at Cape Henry Collegiate,
1320 Mill Dam Road, Virginia Beach

Directors Guy Nattiv and Zar Amir Ebrahami • 105 min • Israel, Iran, Georgia • 2025 • English, Farsi with English subtitles • Narrative Feature • Not rated

In this searing political sports thriller, a female Iranian judo champion and her coach face a harrowing ultimatum in a championship match against an Israeli opponent. Set during the Judo World Championships in Tbilisi, Georgia, rising star Leila is on the brink of victory when the Iranian regime intervenes, ordering her to forfeit to avoid a potentially humiliating loss. Her coach, Maryam, joins her in an agonizing decision: withdraw under false pretenses to protect family in Iran or risk everything and defy the regime. 

 The first film ever co-directed by an Israeli and an Iranian filmmaker, Tatami pairs stark black-and-white visuals with kinetic camerawork to amplify the adrenaline of competition and expose authoritarian rule.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Awards

WINNER, Freedom of Expression Award | Venice International Film Festival, 2023

WINNER, Best Actress (Zar Amir-Ebrahimi) | Tokyo International Film Festival, 2023

This film contains scenes with brief nudity and themes that may be distressing to some viewers.

The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue

Sunday, February 22 • 2:30 pm

Kramer Family Theater at Cape Henry Collegiate,
1320 Mill Dam Road, Virginia Beach

Director Barry Avrich • 95 min • Canada • 2025 • English • Captioned • Documentary • Rated R

In a harrowing real-life story, The Road Between Us follows retired Israeli General Noam Tibon, who on October 7, 2023, received a desperate text from his son: terrorists had stormed his home, and he, his wife, and their two young daughters feared for their lives. With no time to spare, Tibon and his wife, Gali, embarked on a 10-hour mission across a country under siege to save their family. Relying only on his instincts and military training, Tibon navigated ambushes, roadblocks, and a collapsing security system in a relentless race against time.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Awards

WINNER, People’s Choice Award, Documentary | Toronto International Film Festival, 2025

This film contains scenes with brief nudity and themes that may be distressing to some viewers.

The Blond Boy from the Casbah

Monday, February 23 • 7:15 pm

Naro Expanded Cinema, 1507 Colley Avenue, Norfolk

Director Alexandre Arcady • 128 min • France • 2024 • French with English subtitles • Narrative Feature Not rated

Having emigrated to France with his family years earlier, Antoine reconnects with his roots in a neighborhood of Jews, Muslims, and Christians. Nostalgic memories flood back—school, friends, his Sephardic upbringing, and his early fascination with cinema—as he presents his new film, an account of his childhood shaped by the unrest that ultimately forced them to flee. As father and son bond over shared history, this sentimental sojourn, adapted from director Alexandre Arcady’s memoir, is brought to life on the vibrant streets of Algiers, evoking a bygone time.

For the Love of a Woman

Wednesday, February 25 • 2:30 and 7:30 pm

Cinema Cafe Pembroke Meadows, 752 Independence Boulevard, Virginia Beach

Director Guido Chiesa • 117 min • Italy • 2025 English •Narrative Feature • Not rated

Set across two eras, this evocative drama masterfully intertwines a love story with a gripping historical mystery, as a woman’s journey through 1970s Israel unearths the long-buried passions and secrets of another’s life in the same land in the 1930s.

This film contains violence and themes that may be distressing to some viewers.

BEYOND THE FESTIVAL offerings:

A Feminist Lens: The Art & Activism of Photographer

Followed by a conversation with Joan Roth and Melanie Roth Gorelick (Executive producer/writer)

Tuesday, February 3 • 7:30 pm

Sandler Family Campus, 5000 Corporate Woods Drive, Virginia Beach

Director Pamela French • 45 min • USA • 2023 English • Documentary • Not rated

An intimate portrait of internationally acclaimed photographer Joan Roth, this film focuses on five decades of Roth’s pioneering photography, in which she used her camera to advocate for homeless women in New York City, documented leaders in the U.S. Women’s Movement from the 1970s through today, and illuminated the diverse lives of Jewish women around the world. Free. RSVP at JewishVA.org/Roth

Art Spiegelman: Disaster is My Muse

Followed by a conversation with directors Molly Bernstein and Philip Dolin

Sunday, March 15 • 2 pm

Chrysler Museum of Art, 1 Memorial Place, Norfolk

Directors Molly Bernstein, Philip Dolin • 100 min USA • 2024 • English • Documentary • Rated TV-MA

This eye-opening documentary offers an intimate look at the Pulitzer Prize-winning creator of Maus, exploring how personal trauma, cultural catastrophe, and political unrest have shaped Spiegelman’s life and work. Tickets are included in the full festival pass. Standalone tickets are $8 for Chrysler Museum of Art members, $16 for non-members. Register at JewishVA.org/Muse.

Presented in partnership with the Chrysler Museum of Art and the Holocaust Commission of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater

The Details

Full Festival passes are available for $80 and include entry to all films. Festival Passes must be purchased by Sunday, February 1. Individual tickets are $45 for the BIG Saturday Night Celebration of Jewish Film and $15 for all other films. 

Kids Night Out babysitting is available at the Simon Family JCC for the BIG Saturday Night Celebration of Jewish Film. Registration is required in advance. Space is limited. Register at JewishVA.org/KNO.

The Virginia Festival of Jewish Film is presented by the Alma & Howard Laderberg Virginia Festival of Jewish Film Restricted Fund of the Tidewater Jewish Foundation and funded in part by the citizens of Virginia Beach and Norfolk through grants from the City of Virginia Beach Arts and Humanities Commission and the Norfolk Arts. 

2026 Virginia Festival of Jewish Film Screening Committee 

Anne Fleder, Arts + Ideas chair 

Neil Rose, Festival co-chair

Beth Scharlop, Festival co-chair

Mark Robbins, Screening chair

Rebecca Auerbach

Rob Copeland 

Nathan Goldin

Helen Goldsticker Sissel

Evalyn Horowitz 

Scott Levin 

Amy Levy

Pati Olizewski

Judit Roth 

Dorothy Shiloff Hughes

Gloria Siegel 

Larry Stein 

Shelly Stein