Southeastern Virginia: Chesapeake • Norfolk • Portsmouth • Suffolk • Virginia Beach
Archives
At 65 and 73, William Dority and Margaret Babonis represent seniors, the fastest growing cohort of people experiencing homelessness in the United States. And it’s why the Judeo-Christian Outreach Center in Virginia Beach was able to secure a grant from Beth Sholom...
The Fine Family of Academy Educators held a ceremony in September to honor its latest inductees, including Eric J. Werner, MD.Established in 2019 by the Fine family and community supporters, the Fine Family Academy of Educators is part of the Macon and Joan Brock...
After more than three decades of visionary leadership, unwavering advocacy, and profound dedication, Dorothy Salomonsky is retiring from Jewish Family Service of Tidewater. Her departure marks the conclusion of a monumental career that not only built the foundation of...
Major Metzger, a student at Virginia Beach Middle School, was with family and friends at Wintergreen Ski Resort in January 2025, when he committed an act of bravery that saved another child from a 16-foot fall and earned him the Carnegie Medal for Heroism.“All I could...
Shari Dozoretz Friedman will receive the Outstanding Fundraising Volunteer award from the Association of Fundraising Professionals Hampton Roads Chapter at its National Philanthropy Day Awards Presentation on Tuesday, Nov. 10.“One of the biggest honors of my life is...
On a Saturday evening in Tel Aviv, I found myself dancing along the boardwalk. Nearby, a couple in their 80s danced to the music, seemingly without a care in the world. Families strolled along the waterfront. Friends gathered. Children played. It was ordinary. It was...
For 33 years, Dr. William Feldman cared for children and families throughout Hampton Roads. But his commitment to improving lives extended well beyond his medical practice. With his wife, Mary, Feldman believed that one of the most meaningful ways to strengthen the...
Tidewater BBYO held its annual fall kickoff event on Saturday, Sept. 19. Launching what will be an incredible year, the program started with a Havdalah on the beach where everyone took the time to begin the year as a community. Next, at Beachside Social, teens spent...
Virginia Council came together for an amazing LTI (Leadership Training Institute), bringing together teens from Tidewater and Richmond to prepare for the year ahead. The event was held in Richmond on August 30. Chapter leadership boards from Tidewater’s Simcha BBG and...
After 33 years of devoted service as clinical director, Debbie Mayer is “retired-ish” from Jewish Family Service, marking a meaningful transition for the agency and the many children, families, and community members whose lives she has touched.Mayer will continue to...
When a Virginia Beach based foundation funds a Norfolk non-profit to improve a house for a disabled man in Portsmouth, that’s regionalism. And a great story.Beth Sholom Village took the earnings from selling its skilled care nursing home and assisted living facility...
In Prime Video’s hidden-camera comedy Jury Duty Presents: Company Retreat, which began streaming in March, the founder of a family-owned hot sauce company, Doug, announces his retirement and subsequent handing over of the business to his astonishingly unprepared son,...
Books are packed, supplies are ready, and excitement is in the air because BeAR is heading back to school.The annual Be A Reader Literacy Project’s kickoff luncheon was a wonderful success, bringing together familiar faces, brand new mentors, lots of laughter and, of...
Sunday, October 11, 12 - 3 pm, Sandler Family Campus Tidewater’s Jewish community will gather for a very special Super Sunday this month. 2027 Super Sunday is a day dedicated to learning, family fun, volunteerism, and giving, while connecting with local and global...
Supporters of Jewish News help keep local Jewish journalism alive at a time when it feels as if it is disappearing almost everywhere else.Jewish News appreciates all who support the newspaper with generous contributions – whether in honor of or in memory of friends or...
A transformative $2 million gift from longtime Chrysler Museum supporter and former curator Brooks Johnson will establish an endowed Curator of Photography position at the Chrysler Museum of Art. The newly created Germaine Clair and Brooks Johnson Curator of...
This election season marks my 16th election with United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s Jewish Community Relations Council.Over those 16 election cycles, I’ve watched elections energize the community, spark debate, shape public policy, and help determine the...
“Honor your father and your mother” is one of the most recognizable of the Ten Commandments – simple enough for a child to memorize, yet its sentiment sticks with many Jews far more into adulthood.Kibud av v’em, the Jewish obligation to honor one’s parents, doesn’t...
More than 50 women gathered on the top floor of the Assembly building in downtown Norfolk for the Lev Sara Bikkur Cholim Inaugural Dinner in March. Lev Sara Bikkur Cholim is a committee founded by Shari Berman, Shana Danziger, Liba Eisenberg, Dee Slone, and Michal...
For the past 13 summers, Erica Ausch has led hour-long water aerobics classes for fellow residents at the Oceans Condominiums on Atlantic Avenue. “Raise hands, bring them over your head, then down to your sides,” Ausch calls out. “Kick right side, arms out, then left,...
Harry Mansbach, of blessed memory, believed that opportunity carried responsibility. His daughter, Sally Herman, remembers a father who understood how much circumstance could shape a person’s path. She says he believed those who had been fortunate had a responsibility...
There is something about Yom Kippur that makes time feel different. Perhaps it is the haunting melody of Kol Nidrei, or the fasting, or simply the knowledge that Jews around the world are standing before the same ancient questions: Who have I become? What have I taken...
Two dozen or so women gathered to immerse themselves in Mizrahi culture on the evening of Sunday, August 23. The event was led by Jackie Dratch, creator of the Mizrahi Dance Archive, and organized by NextGen757, a community group for young Jewish adults ages 21 -...
It was another beautiful evening at the beach on Saturday, August 29, when 68 people (but who is counting) gathered in our backyard to celebrate Havdalah together.Known for separating the Shabbat from the ordinary weekdays, Havdalah is a joyful service and a great...
Seventeen-year-old Henry Scolnick has already accomplished what many adults only hope to achieve. As the founder of Ballers Basketball, he has built far more than an adaptive sports league, he has created a community where children with unique abilities, teenage...
In recognition of her leadership in combating antisemitism and fostering a safer, more welcoming campus environment for Jewish and Zionist students, Professor Amy K. Milligan, Batten Endowed Associate Professor of Jewish Studies and Women’s and Gender Studies at Old...
“Unforgettable” is an appropriate way to describe Camp JCC’s 2026 summer. The season was packed with exciting field trips, spirited theme days, new campers, and an incredible staff team, including the additions of Christine Carnahan as camp manager, and Blake Sisler,...
Rosh Hashanah is a special holiday, offering observers a sense of renewal and the opportunity for a fresh start. It is a time for reflecting on the previous year and considering what to do differently in the year to come. The concept might not immediately...
The ritual of Tashlich is an all-encompassing symbolic representation of the High Holidays. This process of releasing sins into the river comes directly from the book of Micah, verse 19: “He will again have compassion upon us; He will subdue our iniquities; and Thou...
Rosh Hashanah arrives each year carrying questions. What did I accomplish during the year that has passed? Where did I fall short? Whom did I help? Whom did I hurt? What needs to change? But beneath all these questions lies another, more...
The JCC Maccabi Games and Access were held August 2-7 in two different host cities—Toronto and Kansas City. The Team Virginia Beach delegation went to the Games in Canada, joining more than 60 other delegations from nine countries. Eight athletes...
Singer, songwriter, and philanthropist Dolly Parton died Tuesday, August 25 at the age of 80. The outpouring of grief was immediate and universal. “PJ Library and the Harold Grinspoon Foundation team are sad to learn of the passing of musician, philanthropist,...