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Dinners and luncheons with a famed Israeli chef, Yom Ha’Atzmaut (Israel’s Independence Day), and Yom Hashoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day) were among myriad gatherings that took place throughout Jewish Tidewater just prior to this issue going to press. All were well...
Established in 2006 when President George W. Bush proclaimed May as Jewish American Heritage Month, the designated month acknowledges Jewish contributions to American culture, history, military, science, government, and more.The proclamation by President Bush was a...
Wednesday, April 23, Ohef Sholom Temple, 6:45 pm Dr. Irving Berkowitz is the keynote speaker for the community’s Yom Hashoah commemoration, which is presented each year by United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s Holocaust Commission. Dr. Berkowitz is the son of...
(JTA) — Voting is now open in an election that gives American Jews a rare chance to directly shape Israel’s future.The U.S. election for seats in the 39th World Zionist Congress will help determine the balance of power in the legislative authority of a Zionist...
The Israeli Embassy called for the lighting of buildings in orange in commemoration of the Bibas children, hoping that the illuminations would serve as a powerful gesture of remembrance and solidarity.The symbolic lightings were intended to honor the memories of Ariel...
Now in its third winter of war, the plight of Ukraine’s Jews and Jewish communities is no longer headline news. Israel, hostages, Gaza, a U.S. election, plane crashes, protests, antisemitism, wildfires, and so many other news-capturing events have diverted the world’s...
(JTA) — Hamas released four hostages on Saturday, January 25 in a choreographed ceremony in Gaza, making them the second group of captives to go free in the ceasefire that began earlier this week. The four hostages released on Saturday are Daniela Gilboa, Liri Albag,...
For the global Jewish community, the year’s beginning contained a heaviness as the war in Gaza continued to escalate, hostages were still held, and antisemitism ramped up to levels not experienced in most of our lifetimes.Campus protests, threats against synagogues,...
Thanksgiving and all its preparations and celebrations are nowover – a signal not to take a breath, but rather to focus on the next holiday: Hanukkah. Without missing a beat, it seems, congregations and schools are gearing up for a festive Hanukkah season,...
(JTA) — WASHINGTON — As midnight arrived on the East Coast, it appeared increasingly likely that Donald Trump would retake the presidency — a victory that would reshape the United States and that could change its relationship with Israel while ushering in an...
United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s Jewish Community Relations Council has compiled a toolkit to educate, engage, and inform Tidewater voters about ‘all things’ election. It offers information on how to register to vote, find the correct polling place, determine...
Around the globe, Jewish communities held ceremonies, services, and other events in commemoration of the first anniversary of October 7. In Tidewater, Governor Glenn Youngkin declared October 7 as an official state day of remembrance for victims of the horrific...
Monday, Oct. 7, 8:30 am Sandler Family Campus Hamas unleashed a vicious attack on Israel, killing more than 1,200 innocent people, taking more than 250 people as hostages, and shattering the global Jewish community’s sense of safety on Saturday, October 7, 2023. On...
At funeral, Israeli president asks for forgiveness from Goldberg-Polin family (JTA) — Israeli President Isaac Herzog apologized for Israel’s failure to free the captives held by Hamas in his comments at the funeral of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, the 23-year-old American...
(JTA) — TEL AVIV — As she read the news about a looming attack from Iran and its proxies, Adi Tamir faced a series of dilemmas: Should she go ahead with her weekend vacation on the banks of the Jordan River? Living in a town near Israel’s northern coastline — well...
Preparation is one of the key functions necessary to building a safe and secure community. This activity takes many forms. Training, facility hardening, drills, and exercises are all activities that allow for the preparation of effective response to a critical...
FIRST PERSON: A view from Israel When my mom asked my husband and me to write about our feelings and reactions to the events in the past week (June 3 – 9) in Israel (increased rocket and drone attacks by Hezbollah, raging fires across the Upper Galilee and the Golan...
Israelis have long taken pride in two things: the long arc of Jewish history, and their relentlessly dark humor in the face of unspeakable tragedy.For about a decade, the synthesis of those two qualities has been The Jews Are Coming, a sketch comedy show now in its...
The idea of a central Tidewater Jewish community campus had to start somewhere. That place might be traced to Charlotte, N.C. when a then 39-year-old Art Sandler, who was serving as president of United Jewish Federation of Tidewater, visited that community and saw...
An Israeli Chef’s Table Experience • Thursday, May 16, 7 pm • Sandler Family Campus Israeli Chef Yaniv Cohen will visit Tidewater in honor of Israel’s 76th anniversary this week.In this conversation, Cohen offers insight into his world of cuisine, passion, and...
Ben Sales(JTA) — On Saturday night, April 13, Iran fired more than 200 missiles and drones at Israel.The unprecedented attack — from Iranian soil to Israeli territory — is the most direct confrontation ever between the two longtime adversaries. It threatens to spiral...
The Passover seder gets a post-Oct. 7 rethink. (JTA) — As the American Israeli poet Marty Herskovitz thought about the upcoming Passover holiday, the prospect of singing Dayenu at the first seder since his country was attacked didn’t sit right with him.The classic...
The Truman Holocaust Torah was returned to its home aboard the USS Harry S. Truman on Sunday, March 3 after being safeguarded at Temple Israel for the past year while the ship underwent repairs.The ceremony for the Torah’s return, which took place onboard the ship at...
More than 400 Jewish leaders and professionals from 65 communities (including 10 from Tidewater) traveled to Washington, DC in January to meet with more than 190 members of Congress (or their legislative aides) to advocate for legislation that supports Israel, combats...
One of the nation’s longest-running Jewish film festivals, the Virginia Festival of Jewish Film, presented by Alma & Howard Laderberg, entertains, educates, and engages the Tidewater community by presenting world-class films, repertory cinema, and associated...
Kirk Levy Over the past three months, most of us in the Jewish community have been affected by events in Israel, rallies in the streets both here and abroad, and antisemitism on college campuses. We’ve questioned what can be done to show support for Israel and ensure...
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...
Nofar Trem United Jewish Federation of Tidewater chartered two buses to drive community members to Washington, DC to show solidarity and support for Israel on Tuesday, Nov. 14. The group from Tidewater joined nearly 300,000 Jewish allies of Israel on the National Mall...
Stephanie Peck Israel’s war with Hamas permeates campus life at colleges and universities across the nation with protests and threats upending daily life. Jewish News asked several Jewish students from Tidewater about their reactions to their school’s approach to the...
Betty Ann Levin When Israel was brutally attacked on the morning of October 7, 2023, our community not only immediately condemned Hamas and stood in solidarity with Israel, but we also responded. On Sunday, Oct. 8, the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater opened the...
Stephanie Peck Jewish Tidewater gathered in support of Israel on Tuesday, October 10, three days after the tiny nation was brutally attacked. Nearly 500 people, including many political dignitaries, attended the Community Solidarity Gathering for Israel to condemn the...
Ron Kampeas WASHINGTON (JTA) — President Joe Biden issued a forceful condemnation of Hamas, and pledged American support for Israel, as he announced that the number of American dead from the terror group’s invasion of Israel is now 14 (as of Oct. 10). As many as 20...