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The center piece of a Jewish gambling game, dreidels are almost as important to Hanukkah as Hanukkiahs and latkes. Each of the four sides of the spinning top contain a specific letter: Nun, Gimel, Hei, Shin (or Po if in Israel). The letters represent the phrase: A...
The fragile yet formidable Chanukah candles We tenderly lit, daringly defy the suffocating Darkness around us and in us, Soothing and softening, we pray, all who Their magic of evoked memories of elation And trepidation with oil – dripping levivot (Potato...
If you free associate on the word “Hanukkah,” it is likely that among your first mental images will be a Hanukkiyah – maybe a craft project, the work of your own Sunday School-age hands? Or the family’s customary menorah when you were a child? Or an inheritance...
Light up the holiday by attending one or more of these community-oriented experiences. With some events geared for children and others for adults, some in Virginia Beach and others in Norfolk, plenty of options are available to celebrate Hanukkah with community. Chag...
More than 150 members of the 21-and-over Tidewater Jewish community and beyond gathered for Frozen Flames, a celebration of heritage, community, and inspiration on Saturday, Dec. 7. Held at the new Perry Glass Studio at the Chrysler Museum of Art, the event was a...
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,...
Yom Kippur begins at sundown on Friday, October 11 Fasting for 25 hours is no easy feat. Hunger pangs, headaches, and general malaise typically set-in by midday, after the last morsel of food went down at dinner the previous night. Jews who observe the Yom Kippur fast...
When gathering for the upcoming High Holiday meals with family and friends, this might be the year to veer away from a discussion of politics. Instead, consider exploring a topic that is often overlooked, but is incredibly important –philanthropy. What better...
Every year, the Jewish Family Service Food Pantry—a cornerstone of Jewish Tidewater’s support system—assembles Rosh Hashanah care packages for more than 120 seniors, many of whom live in nursing homes or are homebound. These holiday bags, filled with essentials such...
Jewish News has compiled a list of High Holiday services taking place at local synagogues for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Contact synagogues for information about babysitting, live-stream, and Zoom services. B’nai Israel Congregation...
Each year, the Jewish Community Relations Council of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater sends a five-year calendar and information about the Jewish holidays to school superintendents, principals, and business, civic, and arts leaders in Hampton Roads. A letter...
A minor Jewish holiday, Tu B’Av is celebrated as a holiday of love. This year, it begins on the evening of Sunday, August 18 and ends at nightfall on Monday, August 19. There are few gestures that say “I love you” quite like making someone a meal. But as a chef, I...
The annual Tidewater community Yom Ha'Atzmaut gathering, held this year on Sunday, May 19 on the Reba and Sam Sandler Family Campus, was a vibrant recognition of Israel’s independence. The atmosphere was electric, as close to 2,000 community members were adorned in...
Who doesn’t love a good cheesecake?!? For a group of people who are between 75 and 90% lactose intolerant, we must have a lot of chutzpah because we clearly won’t be denied our love of all things dairy. When I moved to Israel, I was actually shocked...
There is a phrase from Isaiah that I find particularly relevant these days… “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who present darkness as light and light darkness, who present bitter as sweet and sweet bitter.” (Isaiah 5:20)On Passover, we eat maror and...
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...
Passover is a uniquely Jewish holiday, with four cups of wine, matzah, 10 plagues, and the central Seder plate. Though traditions and rituals vary among families and different cultures, the Passover story, retold each year, celebrates freedom during the Exodus from...