Latest News | Jewish News

Meet Tidewater’s new Shinshinim

Nofar Trem — Fri, 12 Jun 2026 11:30:29 +0000

The fifth cohort of Shinshinim will arrive in Tidewater later this summer. Shinshinim is an acronym for Shnat Sherut, a year of service undertaken between high school and army service— when Israeli teens spend a year connecting with Jewish communities around the world, sharing Israeli culture, identity, and personal experiences.

Through a partnership between United Jewish Federation of Tidewater and the Jewish Agency for Israel, two Shinshinim spend a year in Tidewater.
This August, UJFT welcomes Liel Aisikowitz and Evyatar Olswang, two dynamic and passionate young leaders who are eager to build relationships across the community.

Liel Aisikowitz

Liel, 17, grew up in Yerucham and brings a global perspective shaped by her eight years living in Canada before returning to Israel. Growing up between cultures, she developed a deep appreciation for connection, identity, and community—values that inspire her work as a Shinshin.
In high school, Liel majored in chemistry and mechatronics, while also dedicating her time to youth leadership through Tzofim and volunteering in a Hebrew school abroad. She is a thoughtful and adaptable individual who enjoys reading, traveling, and spending time with others.

Liel describes herself as both structured and spontaneous—organized when it comes to responsibilities, but always ready for a last-minute adventure. Her perfect day, she says, is “relaxing at the beach, soaking up the sun.”

She says she applied for the Shinshinim program because “I know what it feels like to live outside of Israel and not really understand what’s going on. I want to be someone people can turn to—to ask questions and form a real connection, beyond what they see online.”

Liel is especially passionate about sharing what she loves most about Israel: its hospitality, its food, and the sense of unity that connects people across differences.

Evyatar Olswang

Evyatar, 18, comes from the moshav of Kidron and brings a strong passion for creativity, leadership, and community-building. A self-described “creative and social person,” he has spent years involved in youth leadership, guiding both younger children and teens in his local youth movement.

In school, Evyatar majored in philosophy and theater fields that reflect both his intellectual curiosity and his love for artistic expression. He is also an outdoor enthusiast who enjoys hiking, drawing, journaling, and spending time in nature.

Evyatar has already built strong connections to American Jewish life. He attended a Jewish summer camp in Pennsylvania and participated in a Bronfman Fellowship seminar in New York, where he engaged in conversations about Jewish identity and community.

He says he applied for the Shinshimim program because “I care deeply about people, community, and Jewish life. I want to create spaces where people feel comfortable asking questions, expressing themselves, and building real connections.”

His experiences volunteering, especially after October 7th, when he helped organize aid efforts and community initiatives, have strengthened his commitment to meaningful service and leadership.

When he’s not leading or creating, Evyatar is likely found hiking outdoors, cooking, or planning his dream future travels around the world.
––––––––
Both of these young Israelis share a deep desire to connect with the Tidewater community—not just by sharing facts about Israel, but by building authentic relationships that bring Israel to life in personal and meaningful ways.

Throughout the year, they plan to lead programs, visit schools and synagogues, and engage with people of all ages. Whether through conversation, culture, or creativity, their goal is to strengthen the bond between Israel and the Tidewater Jewish community.

To learn more about the program, apply to become a host family, or find ways to get involved, visit JewishVA.org/Shinshinim or contact Nofar Trem at NTrem@UJFT.org.

America at 25✪ Spotlight:Minette Cooper:A life built on memory, music, and community

Sierra Lautman — Fri, 12 Jun 2026 11:27:22 +0000

Bettie Minette Cooper remembered every person she met.

Always known as Minette, she died on October 14, 2025, at 87 years young, leaving a legacy of commitment to family, her synagogue, the arts, and a variety of civic organizations and projects.

Cooper’s story began in New York – but just for her birth – as it really took root in Vicksburg, Mississippi, where she was raised as an only child in a small, but vibrant Jewish community. Her upbringing was shaped by two powerful forces: a mother who instilled a love of music and Jewish life, and a father who modeled civic responsibility as a respected businessman and community leader.

In Vicksburg, she regularly attended Shabbat services and experienced a uniquely integrated Southern Jewish life, where Jewish and non-Jewish friends often attended one another’s services. That sense of openness and belonging stayed with Cooper throughout her life, impacting many of her future endeavors.

When Cooper was just 10 years old, her mother died, and her father struggled to raise her alone. After his remarriage, when she was 12, she attended The Knox School, a boarding school in upstate New York. There she developed an early independence without losing her connection to Jewish life, continuing her religious education, writing essays to her rabbi and preparing for confirmation from afar. Cooper attended Smith College for two years, then transferred and graduated from Barnard to be in New York City with her new husband, Charles Cooper, who was studying at Columbia Law School.

When the couple moved to Norfolk in 1962 to be near his family, she immediately became a part of the community, especially at Ohef Sholom Temple, where she made history as the first female president of the congregation, serving from 1985 to 1987.

For Cooper, leadership was never about authority. It was about inclusion, and that philosophy extended into nearly every corner of Jewish communal life. She served on the Jewish Community Center of Tidewater board, the National Federation of Temple Sisterhoods board, the Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life, and the Southern Jewish Historical Society board, eventually serving as president. And that wasn’t all.

She was also deeply involved in the Jewish Museum & Cultural Center in Portsmouth. Cooper championed Ohef Sholom Temple’s Archives, supported the creation of oral-history video interviews in the 1980s and 1990s, and worked to ensure that institutional memory would not depend solely on individual recollection, spearheading the congregation’s 150th celebration, complete with a museum-like display of its history, which continues to adorn the synagogue’s halls.

That commitment to community also found expression through music. More than 30 years ago, Cooper proposed establishing a congregational choir at OST.

The late Charles and Minette Cooper with their family.

Minette Cooper at home.

“For Minette, I believe the temple choir was an intersection of two very meaningful elements in her life – music and faith,” says Chuck Woodward, Ohef Sholom Temple’s music director. “For its members, the choir became a community. Minette sang with the choir for nearly 40 years, helping nurture a space where relationships formed alongside the music.”

Cooper’s belief in building community extended far beyond Jewish life. She saw the arts as another way people could gather, connect, and understand one another. Her most enduring impact came through Arts for Learning Virginia (formerly Young Audiences), where she served as a donor, program leader, and board president, and as a member of the organization’s national board of directors. Under her influence, the organization grew to more than 600 performances annually, bringing arts education directly to more than 38,000 students in schools across the state.

She also worked closely with the Virginia Symphony Orchestra (serving as president the same time she was president of Ohef Sholom) as well as numerous regional arts and educational institutions – receiving multiple awards for her effectiveness and contributions as a board member and leader.
Her influence expanded from local organizations to statewide advocacy efforts, including the creation of the Cultural Alliance of Greater Hampton Roads and as a board member of Virginians for the Arts, where she helped demonstrate the civic and economic importance of the arts.

Leadership aside, Cooper never stopped being a participant. She continued to attend board meetings, serve on committees, sing in the Virginia Symphony Chorus, and subscribe to an array of arts performances across Hampton Roads, regularly bringing family and friends along.

“She saw Judaism as family,” says her son, Erik. “Her goal was always to make sure everyone felt heard.” The mother of three – Brooke, Erik, and Jeff – she was known for hosting family seders and break the fasts that included extended family and friends.

“She took pleasure in seeing her kids and grandchildren build their own Jewish lives,” says Erik.

Through her involvement with the Elizabeth River Project, she participated in oyster-raising efforts from her pier and later delivered them for environmental monitoring. Her grandchildren joined her in this work, and several continued it in their own B’nai Mitzvah and civic projects.
She was, Jeff says, the “rock” of the family, quietly managing logistics, gatherings, and connections.

“I relied on her to do a lot of stuff without realizing all the stuff I relied on her to do. She just did it,” says Erik.

She maintained a meticulously organized system for the family’s annual holiday card, the Cooper Gazette, which reached upwards of 2,500 people each year. Long before digital networks, she built her own, an expansive web of connection sustained through the relationships she carefully tended. In every corner of her life across more than half a century in the Jewish community, the arts, and civic institutions across Tidewater, Cooper practiced her most defining qualities: a relentless curiosity about people and a determination that no one should ever feel forgotten.

“Her small family growing up shaped everything,” Jeff says. “It’s why she built so much community around her.”

Perhaps most powerfully, Cooper lives on in her family by the habits she demonstrated: showing up, staying connected, and believing that community is something you actively create every day.

As her granddaughter Hannah reflects, she was “a once-in-a-generation person.”

Cooper’s impact cannot be contained in a single organization, title, or decade. It lives in the institutions she strengthened, the cultural life she expanded, the Jewish history she preserved, and the thousands of people who received a handwritten note, a remembered detail, or an invitation that made them feel included.

Minette Cooper spent her life making sure people felt remembered. In the process, she created communities that will remember her for generations.

Interested in nominating someone to be recognized as an Outstanding Jewish American in Tidewater? Visit JewishVA.org/TidewaterHeroes or contact Sierra Lautman at SLautman@UJFT.org.

Israeli medical students gain clinical, cultural insight in Norfolk exchange

Haley Bartel — Fri, 12 Jun 2026 11:17:22 +0000

Jewish community has long extended beyond geography, linking people across continents who often recognize a shared sense of belonging.
Liora Zerbib knows about this feeling of belonging after spending several weeks with a Jewish host family in Ghent.

Zerbib, an Israeli medical student in her final year at the Azrieli Faculty of Medicine at Bar-Ilan University, is one of two Israeli students participating in a monthlong exchange program in Norfolk. The program was founded by obstetrician-gynecologist Dr. Steven Warsof.

Through the exchange, Israeli medical students shadow obstetricians and gynecologists at EVMS, gaining firsthand exposure to American women’s healthcare while forming tight knit, sometimes unexpected connections with local physicians and the Jewish community.

“Coming here, you’re a little bit cautious, like ‘Should I be my true self, should I share this identity?’” she says, describing the uncertainty many Israelis feel when traveling abroad during a time of heightened tensions. “And then when the director of the program and the families that are hosting you make you feel like you can… you feel like you’re with family in some sort of way, even though you’re far away from your actual family.”

The program began more than a decade ago after Warsof learned about a new medical school in Safed, Israel, and reached out to establish a professional collaboration. What began as lectures and visits gradually developed into a student exchange supported by local donors.

“It’s been one of the highlights of my professional career,” says Warsof. “The relationships are real. The students gain exposure to a different healthcare system, and the host families gain meaningful personal connections. It’s rewarding on both sides.”

Warsof believes the program’s value extends beyond medicine. “People get to meet Israelis as individuals, not headlines,” he says. “They see students, future doctors, people who are living real lives. That kind of connection matters, especially now.”

Another participant, final-year medical student Anna Sirota, says the experience offers insight into both American medicine and Jewish community in the United States.

“I think this program is great, not only for our medical education, but also by bringing us here and letting us see how a Jewish community functions in America,” she says.

Sirota says she is struck by the diversity of Jewish practice she has encountered in Norfolk.

“We have a lot to learn from Jewish communities in America because they’re so open to other people’s view of religion,” she says.

Zerbib echoes that sentiment. “It’s been nice to hear their opinions and the way they see Judaism,” she says. “I’ve really appreciated their openness and acceptance.”

Dr. Steven Warsof.

Anna Sirota.

Liora Zerbib.

While long-distance community building is a central goal of the program, the students also gain firsthand experience with a healthcare system very different from their own.

“These comparisons are important because they broaden your worldview,” Zerbib says. “People think the American system is the most advanced, and in some ways that’s true.. but in Israel, preventive care is very common, and community medicine is very strong. Each system has things the other can learn from.”

Sirota says she was impressed by communication systems in U.S. hospitals and the benefits of shorter physician shifts, but noted the prevalence of chronic illness among younger patients.

“I was surprised to see the volume of patients that had very complicated background diseases,” she says. “For us in Israel, it’s relatively rare for women in their mid-20s and 30s to have conditions like Type 2 diabetes, chronic hypertension, and chronic kidney disease.”

The exchange comes as many Israeli medical students complete portions of their education amid war and instability. Sirota recalls taking exams during missile alerts.

“During those tests, you suddenly hear a siren,” she says. “You stop the test, go to the shelter, come back after 10 or 15 minutes, and then you have to continue the test.”

This reality, she says, required constant mental adjustment. “You have to change your mindset very fast. You’re in danger, and suddenly everything is okay, and you have to be focused for your test.”

Those experiences have shaped the students’ understanding of the role physicians play during times of crisis.

“During war, patients don’t always come just for physical symptoms,” Zerbib says. “Sometimes they come just to talk, to share the stress they’re feeling. The doctor might be the only person they speak to that day. The human connection becomes much more important during times of uncertainty.”

Warsof says programs like this one serve as a reminder that those connections can endure despite distance and conflict.

“Medicine, education, and community don’t stop during war,” he says. “Relationships continue. Learning continues. And those connections help strengthen Jewish communities on both sides of the ocean.”

For both students, the impact is immediate.

“It really felt like when we got here that there’s some sort of flow of connection that’s being kept through us just coming

JCC Fitness Center embraces new interactive cardio technology

Haley Bartel — Fri, 12 Jun 2026 11:03:41 +0000

The Simon Family JCC Fitness Center recently upgraded its cardio equipment with new treadmills, ellipticals, and rowing machines featuring iFit technology. These machines offer interactive global workouts and studio classes, with systems that automatically adjust incline, decline, and speed to match terrain or instructor guidance.

The new Freemotion incline trainers allow users to move between a -3% decline and a 30% incline, expanding the range of workout intensities.
Users can also access interactive coaching programs that simulate real-world routes, such as running or cycling through cities (the streets of Barcelona, for instance) or along mountain trails, with the machine adjusting resistance and incline in real time. For high-intensity workouts, 1-Step controls allow quick adjustments to speed and incline.

To reduce strain on joints, the machines include Freemotion’s Reflex deck, designed to absorb impact during each stride and provide added support for knees, hips, and ankles.

“The equipment is built for high-traffic use, a feature that helps improve durability and reduce downtime for maintenance,” says Tom Purcell, director of fitness and wellness.

The new machines feature 24-inch screens that, in addition to the coaching programs, offer entertainment options such as Netflix, Pluto TV, Spotify, and Google Maps, allowing users to stream content or virtually explore different locations while working out.

Members have responded positively, Purcell says, while many are still familiarizing themselves with the new features.

“There’s a learning curve with all the technology and what it can do,” Purcell notes. “It’s similar to getting a new computer or new vehicle—you have to get used to it.”

And the way to get used to it, of course, is to use it.

The Simon family Legacy Society Celebration ignites vision for the future

Tidewater Jewish Foundation Staff — Fri, 12 Jun 2026 10:55:41 +0000

Tidewater Jewish Foundation’s Simon Family Legacy Celebration on Wednesday, May 27 was an opportunity for communities to converge, gathering around a shared vision, shared responsibility, and shared purpose.

More than 100 TJF fundholders, community leaders, philanthropists, and Life & Legacy Ignite the Flame participants came together for an evening that felt less like a traditional event and more like a collective affirmation of where Jewish Tidewater is headed.

In addition to highlighting what has already been accomplished through TJF, the evening focused on what is now possible because of the community’s willingness to think bigger, lead boldly, and invest intentionally in the future of Jewish education, security, and cultural life.

In opening remarks, Britt Simon, president of the Simon Family Foundation, which sponsored the evening, reflected on the meaning of legacy and the responsibility of carrying values forward through philanthropy and communal leadership.

“Legacy is not measured only by what we build, but by the values we pass forward,” Simon said. “The true strength of any legacy is found in people; in the commitments we make to one another and to the communities we serve.”

During the event, attendees heard about the momentum Tidewater Jewish Foundation is building throughout the community and its vision to grow $500 million in permanent endowment with assets dedicated to strengthening and securing Jewish life in the region. Doing so follows TJF’s mission to build and guide more resources to empower Jewish life in Tidewater and beyond.

Keynote speaker Rabbi Daniel Cohen brought both inspiration and challenge to the evening, encouraging attendees to think deeply about purpose, impact, and the lives they are actively shaping.

The evening also marked a moment of continuity and leadership as Eddie Kramer, outgoing TJF chair, ceremonially passed the torch to Paul Peck, incoming chair, during a moving “passing of the light” ceremony that symbolized stewardship, trust, and the continuation of vision from one leader to the next.

A particularly joyful moment of the evening took place when guest Cantor Jason Schachter McKinney performed two spirited musical pieces that energized the room and inspired a sense of forward movement.

As flashlights illuminated the room during a communal rendition of This Little Light of Mine, the message of the evening was clear: the future of Jewish Tidewater is not something to wait for. It is something being built now – brighter together.

Britt Simon welcomes attendees at the 2026 Simon Family Legacy Society Celebration

Cantor David Proser, Rabbi Levi Brashevitsky, Rabbi Daniel Cohen, and Rabbi Shlomo Eisenberg.

Shavuot Mitzvah Fair at SIA

Rashi Brashevitzky — Fri, 12 Jun 2026 10:52:55 +0000

This year, Shavuot celebrated 3,338 years since the giving of the Torah at Mt. Sinai. To this very day, Jews continue to study the Torah, cherish it, and hold it close. The Torah serves as guidance on how to live and make the world a better place.

SIA’s Primary Years students prepared for Shavuot with a celebration sponsored by the Glasser family in memory of Richard Glasser, whose mantra was, “Do the right thing, the right way, for the right reason.” Glasser understood the value in being a “mensch” and leading a life based on values and doing good in the world. The Torah, which teaches how to do the right thing, was given on Shavuot, making this holiday the perfect time to honor Richard Glasser’s memory.

The Shavuot celebration included a variety of activities designed to foster a love of Torah, Jewish tradition, and helping others. Students learned to help those in need by packing lunches to be distributed to families in the ForKids family shelter. Students created paper flowers for a Shavuot service at a local senior living community, encouraging students to value and brighten the lives of others. Mt. Sinai cupcakes, complete with flower sprinkles and alef-bet cookies, served as a reminder to serve with joy. The celebration was rounded out with students decorating and filling vases with flowers as part of the tradition to decorate with flowers for Shavuot.

The Shavuot celebration was a beautiful way for students to recognize the gift of the Torah and learn how to put Torah teachings into practice.

Rashi Brashevitzky is Judaic Studies director at Strelitz International Academy.

The books that made me a BeAR

Robin Ford — Fri, 12 Jun 2026 10:25:11 +0000

We all carry certain books with us long after childhood ends. They sit quietly on the shelves of our memory; dog-eared, underlined, loved, while shaping who we become and teaching us how to dream. Some stories came easily. Others were challenging, the kind where you held an encyclopedia in one hand and the book in the other. But every one of them mattered.

For me, one of those books was Anastasia Krupnik by Lois Lowry. Anastasia was smart, funny, opinionated, and wonderfully imperfect, and I loved following her adventures. In fact, I read every Anastasia book as it was published. When the final book was released in 1995, I made sure to buy it on its release date, even though I was almost 30. That is the kind of connection a truly great book can create.

About a decade after discovering Anastasia, I wrestled with William Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew. Shakespeare was not easy reading, but there was something powerful about working through the language and discovering the rhythm and wit beneath it. That challenge built confidence and curiosity (and the absolute personal belief that Kate’s sister, Bianca, was a brat, but I digress).

Books can transport you anywhere. More importantly, they can change your life. When we pass that love of reading on to a child, we do more than help them sound out words, we open doors. We show them that stories belong to them, that imagination is a gift, and that perseverance pays off.

Looking back now, I realize those books did more than fill my shelves. They helped me Be A Reader. They taught me that reading is not just a skill; it is a doorway to knowledge, imagination, confidence, and possibility.

That belief is at the heart of the BeAR Literacy Project. As we look ahead to the 2026 – 2027 school year, we are seeking volunteers willing to spend just one hour a week helping a second grader strengthen their reading skills.

Are you interested in becoming part of a child’s reading story? Contact Robin Ford at 757-321-2304 or rford@ujft.org. It’s never too early to think about making a difference.

Dive into summer at theMetzger Outdoor Aquatic Center

Haley Bartel — Fri, 12 Jun 2026 10:21:44 +0000

If you’re feeling ready to beat the summer heat poolside, you’re in luck. The Metzger Outdoor Aquatic Center opened on Saturday, June 6, marking the start of the Simon Family JCC’s seven-day-a-week summer pool season.

The outdoor pool opens daily at 11:30 am, closing at 7 pm Monday through Thursday, and it closes at 5:30 pm, Friday through Sunday.

“We have a full staff of nearly 40 lifeguards, most of whom are JCC veterans,” says Tom Edwards, director of athletics. “They bring a variety of experiences and international cultures and range from high schoolers to retirees.”

The summer pool season continues through Labor Day, offering members a daily chance to cool off and enjoy the facilities. August 17 through Labor Day on September 7, hours will be adjusted to 11:30 am until 5:30 pm daily.

Beth Sholom Village: Inaugural grant recipients support seniors across Tidewater

Beth Sholom Village staff — Thu, 28 May 2026 16:50:55 +0000

What does it mean to age with dignity? Sometimes, it means having transportation to the grocery store or a doctor’s appointment. Sometimes, it means sharing a meal with friends, participating in a wellness program, or simply feeling connected to a community. Often, it’s the small moments and everyday support that make the greatest difference in helping older adults remain active, engaged, and cared for.

For Beth Sholom Village, that understanding has long been at the heart of its mission to care for seniors with compassion and dignity. This spring, that mission expanded with the launch of Beth Sholom Village’s community grant program, supporting nonprofit organizations serving seniors throughout Tidewater.

While BSV’s grant program was primarily created to support organizations serving Jewish seniors, the inaugural grant cycle also reflects Beth Sholom Village’s broader commitment to strengthening the lives of older adults across the community. Applications were received from a diverse group of nonprofit organizations addressing some of the most important challenges facing seniors today.

Following a review process led by Tidewater Jewish Foundation’s staff and Beth Sholom Village’s Grant Committee, the organization’s board of directors approved the slate of grant recipients.

“For over 40 years, Beth Sholom Village has been caring for older adults with kindness, compassion, and dignity,” says Fay Silverman, board chair of Beth Sholom Village. “Through this grant program, we are proud and honored to extend support to organizations that are helping seniors remain active, connected, engaged, and cared for throughout our community.”

The grants will support a wide range of needs, including caregiver support, indigent Jewish burials, expanded transportation options, outreach services, reducing social isolation, food insecurity, home improvements, emergency assistance, and visitation programs.

Edie Schlain, chair of the Beth Sholom Village Grant Committee, says the process highlighted both the growing needs of seniors and the extraordinary dedication of the diverse local organizations working to meet them.

“Beth Sholom Village is here to help seniors with food, housing, transportation, and connection,” Schlain says. “Our commitment to caring for older adults remains as strong as ever.”

Grant recipients will be formally recognized during a special community celebration hosted by Beth Sholom Village on June 17.

A full list of grant recipients can be viewed at: https://bethsholomvillage.com.

Fay Silverman, BSV board chair.

Edie Schlain, BSV Grants committee chair.

The responsibility and reward of service

Eddie Kramer — Thu, 28 May 2026 16:48:39 +0000

Reflections on leadership, legacy, and the future of Jewish Tidewater

Two years have flown by. My term as chair of Tidewater Jewish Foundation is nearing its end. I have served with some of the most dedicated board members and staff anyone can ever be privileged to have, and it has been an honor I will never forget. Our Jewish community in Tidewater has some of the most amazing people to learn and work with. Thank goodness for my predecessors, who were always willing to listen and advise on a moment’s notice. The same can be said for my board and committee members. Their intelligence and wisdom are guiding lights, keeping this institution on course and doing everything it possibly can for the community it serves.

TJF’s staff are some of the hardest working, dedicated professionals I have ever been associated with. I hope everyone has experienced the results of their work as we try to help our organizations become thriving institutions able to address the needs of our community.

Those of us who serve at TJF have a singular motivation. We all hope we can secure our Jewish future by building strong foundations for the institutions that allow us to live Jewishly here in Tidewater. These accomplishments require hard work, sacrifice, vision, and perseverance. Legacy is not simply about dollars and cents. It is about making sure future generations have the same opportunities to gather, worship, learn, celebrate, and support one another that we have today.

I served with Ron Kramer, Jerry Miller, Alvin Wall, Lawrence Steingold, Jody Wagner, and Charlie Nusbaum, and each generously shared their vision while helping me understand how important TJF is to our community. Hopefully, I’ve been able to keep that vision alive in some small way while helping prepare those who follow.

TJF has, by any metric, been incredibly successful. In six years, we have grown our consolidated assets from $104 million at the end of 2020, to almost $200 million with almost $68 million in promises. Several years ago, Jody and Charlie helped develop a long-range plan calling for a tripling of assets and stronger succession planning.

Today, TJF has set its sights on an even bolder goal; reaching $500 million in assets under management to help secure the long-term strength of Jewish life in Tidewater. Naomi Sedek, TJF’s president and CEO, has worked tirelessly to implement this vision, and we are in far better shape because of her and TJF’s professional team.

I leave TJF in capable hands. Paul Peck will be a fabulous chair, and our succession plan is strong. My more than 20 years of service has been among the most rewarding experiences of my life, and I thank you for allowing me to serve.