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...
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It’s like living in 2 realities at the same time’: Israelis navigate normal life amid danger and anxiety
(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...
Strengthening community response through partnerships and exercises
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...
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...
Israel’s Jewish humor show offers a serious message for a dark time: We will survive
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...
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
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...
Iran attacks Israel: How we got here and what might happen next
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...
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...
Rise in antisemitism and antiZionism calls for increased advocacy and education
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...
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...
Biden: Hamas attack is moment when ‘a pure, unadulterated evil is unleashed upon the world’
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...
‘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...
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’...
Beth Sholom Village sells existing senior health care and housing campus
New name for community is Maimonides Healthcare BSV will continue as provider at new sites In response to national trends that threaten the financial viability of stand-alone skilled care nursing facilities, Beth Sholom Village (BSV) recently sold its 120-bed skilled...
2023 UJFT Biennial Meeting honored past and present leadership and volunteers
The Marty Einhorn Pavilion on the Sandler Family Campus was the setting for United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s 2023 Biennial Meeting on Wednesday, June 14. After a 30-minute reception, the meeting began at 7 pm. Nearly 150 members of Jewish Tidewater turned out...
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...
United Jewish Federation of Tidewater and Secure Community Network partner to bolster community safety and security
Mike Goldsmith, law enforcement veteran to Advise, direct and develop community security program The Secure Community Network (SCN), the official safety and security organization for the Jewish community in North America, and the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater,...
Moses Myers House: Local Treasure
Last fall, members of the Norfolk City Council discussed selling four city-owned properties in order to save the expense of maintaining them. Three of them are historic homes. One is the Moses Myers House. According to a November 29, 2022 article in the...
Five reasons to celebrate Yom Ha’Atzmaut in Tidewater
Sunday, April 30, 12–4 pm, Sandler Family Campus Celebrate Israel as she turns 75 at the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s and Simon Family JCC’s annual Yom Ha’Atzmaut celebration at the Sandler Family Campus this month. Right here in Tidewater, it’ll be...
Dear Readers: Passover
Dear Readers, When it comes to Passover, it appears I’m like most Jews world-wide because it’s my favorite Jewish holiday. As a child, I looked forward to my grandparents traveling from Philadelphia to be at our seder lead by my local grandfather. Now, I look forward...
Your Voice Matters. URGE Virginia’s Delegates and Senators to SUPPORT defining antisemitism and adding ethnicity to hate crimes protections.
Your Voice Matters. URGE Virginia’s Delegates and Senators to SUPPORT defining antisemitism and adding ethnicity to hate crimes protections. Dear Readers, On Sunday, Feb. 19, communities in Norfolk awoke to find their lawns littered with antisemitic flyers from the...