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Twelve Beth El congregants, led by Rabbi Yoni Warren, Rabbi Jacob Herber USCG, and Admiral Herm Shelanski, Ret., were treated to a special morning minyon aboard the USS Harry S. Truman on Thursday, Oct. 30.Some may recall when the Truman was commissioned in 1998. Now,...
Just in time for Thanksgiving, the BeAR Literacy Project partnered with Southern Packing Corporation to donate 16 turkeys to the Norfolk Federation of Teachers. The turkeys were set aside for retired school employees, including teachers, bus drivers, cafeteria...
Eighteen teens from Tidewater BBYO attended Eastern Region’s annual L’Dor V’Dor Convention outside Asheville, North Carolina. The convention, which took place in mid-November, was Eastern Region BBYO’s largest gathering since the start of COVID, with more than 180...
New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth R. Hyman was a featured speaker of the Lee and Benard Jaffe Family Jewish Book Festival on Thursday, Nov. 6 at the Sandler Family Campus.Hyman shared the story behind her new book, The Girl Bandits of the Warsaw Ghetto,...
This Thanksgiving season, Jewish Family Service of Tidewater extends heartfelt gratitude to the many volunteers who stepped forward to ensure that individuals and families in the community did not go without a holiday meal. Thanks to the generosity and dedication of...
Nearly 250 members of Jewish Tidewater gathered at the Simon Family JCC for this year’s Community Impact Day on Sunday, Nov. 23. Students from Congregation Beth El, Ohef Sholom Temple, and Temple Emanuel attended Religious School at the event instead of their usual...
At Strelitz International Academy, the fall season is filled with excitement and meaning as students celebrate the holidays from Rosh Hashanah through Simchat Torah. The spirit of the holidays continues to shine at SIA as the community eagerly anticipates the SIA Fall...
The annual United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s 2026 Lion–Tikva–Chai Luncheon is an opportunity to thank and celebrate the leading donors and volunteers of the Federation’s Women’s Division. This year’s lunch welcomed more than 70 women and featured an amazing...
The Cardo at the Sandler Family Camps was a whir of activity during the afternoon of Sunday, November 9. Roughly 40 volunteers – adults and children alike – busily prepared Thanksgiving meal kits for 350 families in need this holiday season. Jewish Family...
On Tuesday, October 28, alongside Aaron Shames, I had the pleasure of moderating an event for the Lee & Bernard Jaffe Family Jewish Book Festival showcasing the book Tiny Pep Talks. It was such a fun and uplifting experience! The evening was filled with laughter,...
The Mitzvah committee at Ohef Sholom Temple completed its annual Thanksgiving Drive to benefit Jewish Family Service’s clients on Sunday, November 16. The temple’s Religious School classes, along with other congregant’s generosity, made it possible to fill 30...
Families gathered at Red Wing Park for a PJ Library Pumpkin Pop-Up on Sunday, Nov. 2. Parents and children spent the afternoon enjoying each other’s company and connecting with families who live nearby. Designed with local families in mind, the pop-up offered an...
Last month, Adrianne Royes invited Tidewater’s Shinshinim, Danielle Hartman and Emily Patyuk, as well as a few friends, to spend an evening together filled with Israel culture and cuisine. “A fun time was had by all. Guests were thoroughly pampered by our Shin-chefs...
Falling on the 82nd anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising, this year’s Yom Hashoah community commemoration reminded Tidewater’s Jewish community of how important it is to remember those who perished in the Holocaust and honor those who survived. More than 350...
Tidewater’s Yom Ha’Atzmaut community celebration marking Israel’s 77th Independence Day, took place Sunday, May 4 at the Reba and Sam Sandler Family Campus. Hosted by United Jewish Federation of Tidewater and Simon Family JCC, the afternoon was filled with engaging...
The Marty Einhorn Pavilion at the Sandler Family Campus was filled with laughter, conversation, and the unmistakable sense of unity on Thursday, May 1 for the second annual Israeli Chef’s Table Experience. Hosted by United Jewish Federation of Tidewater and presented...
On a glorious spring Sunday morning, 10 young moms came together for a fun brunch and flower arranging workshop.Hostess Bo Lepchitz and her sister, Sunny, provided a plethora of floral options and the ladies “went to town.” Everyone created a beautiful centerpiece to...
Young area adults with United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s Young Adult Division gathered at Hank’s Filling Station on Tuesday, April 22 for a Happy Hour to celebrate the end of the Passover holiday. Two dozen participants enjoyed drinks and plenty of post-Passover...
Sunday, April 6 turned into a very warm and sunny day for Sunday Fun Day at Hunt Club Farm. The event sold out and had a waiting list of families that wanted to join the farm fun. Families put on their sunscreen, hats, and tennis shoes and arrived at the first...
When Kenna Werby celebrated her Bat Mitzvah on Saturday, March 29, she didn’t just mark a major milestone in her own life – she made a lasting impact on the lives of countless young readers in Tidewater.For her Bat Mitzvah project, Kenna chose to support the Jewish...
More than 60 active adults gathered for a meaningful Model Passover Seder on Tuesday, April 9. Led by Rabbi David Bockman of Congregation Beth El with Dave Flagler, Simon Family JCC’s camp director, on guitar, the event took place at the Sandler Family Campus. The...
It started with a simple question during a meeting of United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s Innovation Steering Committee: If children have the privilege of receiving Jewish-themed books monthly through PJ Library, why shouldn’t adults have their own version? PJ...
On the Tuesday prior to Purim, in coordination with Rabbi Levi Brashevitsky, the seventh and eighth grade boys from Toras Chaim took a trip to Harbor’s Edge in Norfolk to deliver Mishloach Manos packed at the school.The boys had a special opportunity to dance and talk...
A dozen young Jewish Adults from United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s YAD division got together last month for an evening of food, drinks, and… axe throwing!Josh Leibowitz, YAD chair, distinguished himself as the most improved thrower (while still guarding his...
Tidewater BBYO had an active agenda last month. The teens volunteered, socialized, and celebrated Shabbat as part of their March calendar.During Operation Hamantaschen for PJ Library at the Simon Family JCC, the teens set up the event, baked, and delivered the...
An excellent community turnout greeted Operation Hamantaschen’s return to the Simon Family JCC on Sunday, March 9.The JCC was abuzz with cookie-making and engagement for people of all ages. BBYO volunteers jumped to the challenge of setting up for the event, running...
Two generations of young Jewish men combined forces on Sunday, March 30 to revitalize the garden at Strelitz International Academy.Nadiv, the young professional men’s fundraising group for United Jewish Federation of Tidewater, worked with Old Dominion AZA, the boys’...
Nadiv, the young professional men’s fundraising group for United Jewish Federation of Tidewater, held a social event on Monday, Feb. 17 at Q-Masters Billiards in Virginia Beach.More than 25 men in their 20s, 30s, and 40s attended – some were Nadiv ‘regulars,’ while...
Community members gathered on Thursday, Feb. 25 for a poignant ceremony led by Tidewater’s Shinshinim, Danielle Hartman and Emily Patyuk, to commemorate more than 500 days of war in Israel and to honor the countless lives lost since October 7, 2023. The ceremony also...
The 32nd Annual Virginia Festival of Jewish Film overcame a chilly beginning to deliver a week of outstanding films and vibrant community spirit across Virginia Beach and Norfolk.After a strong start on Sunday, Feb.16 with the Israeli film, Running on Sand, the...
The Sandler Family Campus was unrecognizable on Saturday, March 1, as partygoers stepped into Mordechai’s Time Machine for an unforgettable Purim celebration. Immersive décor transported guests across time and space — from a 1920s speakeasy to a garden of Eden. Every...
Deep learning and spirited conversation took place when Abigail Pogrebin and Rabbi Dov Linzer led a thought-provoking discussion at It Takes Two to Torah. Hosted by the Konikoff Center for Learning of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater, the event earlier this...