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Be prepared to vote on Election Day: Tuesday, Nov. 5

Be prepared to vote on Election Day: Tuesday, Nov. 5

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...

Community commemorates October 7, 2023

Community commemorates October 7, 2023

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...

Tidewater commemorates October 7, marking one year

Tidewater commemorates October 7, marking one year

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...

Apologies amidst grief and anger

Apologies amidst grief and anger

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...

Israel: Reflections on the Past Week

Israel: Reflections on the Past Week

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...

Steve and Art Sandler: All about the community

Steve and Art Sandler: All about the community

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...

A conversation with Chef Yaniv Cohen

A conversation with Chef Yaniv Cohen

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...

Can Jews sing Dayenu while there are hostages?

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...

Torah returned to USS Harry S. Truman

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...

31st Annual Virginia Festival of Jewish Film

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...

Virginia Jewish Advocacy Day: Lobby and Meet State Leaders

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...

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...

Jewish Tidewater attends March for Israel filled with pride

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...

Area college students reflect on campus atmosphere since Oct. 7

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...

Tidewater Supports Israel: Emergency funds help Israelis in myriad ways

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...

Solidarity for Israel demonstrated at Sandler Family Campus

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...

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...

TOGETHER, we repair the world…every day

Super Sunday marks the start of UJFT’s 2024 Campaign Sunday, September 10, 10 am – 1 pm Amy Zelenka It’s that time of year – Super Sunday season. And United Jewish Federation of Tidewater is excited to follow the success of last year’s (2023) Community Campaign, which...

Summer through a Jewish lens

Lounging on the beach and ziplining through tropical forests aren’t the only ways to have fun and interesting summer days. For some in Jewish Tidewater, it’s incorporating something Jewish into a trip, camp, or activity. Here, we highlight a few such ‘Jewish Summers’...

Women draw inspiration from Julie Platt, JFNA chair

In the beautiful Rodriguez room at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Virginia Beach, more than 50 women from the Jewish community celebrated the approaching end of a very successful 2023 United Jewish Federation of Tidewater Community Campaign and witnessed the...

Changes and growth for Jewish Family Service

Jewish Family Service of Tidewater was incorporated in 1948, after having spent decades under various names. Like its name, the agency has continuously evolved to meet the ever-changing needs of the community. Through a process of strategic planning and from...