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I stood in Nationals Park on November 10, 2024, gazing across the vast expanse of empty seats. While we hoped for a crowd of tens of thousands to gather in unity, the turnout of closer to 5,000 felt like a stark reminder of the challenges we face. The energy was...
Nearly 200 members of Tidewater’s Jewish community gathered at the Simon Family JCC for the first-ever Community Impact Day on the last Sunday of November. Partnering with 18 local non-profits and seven Jewish camps, participants raised more than $700 while fostering...
Cars started lining up down Corporate Woods Drive at 8 am on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, eagerly waiting for the Jewish Family Service Food Pantry to begin its Thanksgiving food distribution. Busy volunteers and staff were loading carts carrying bags of...
The 2024 Tidewater Shabbat Project was once again a smashing success. The weekend began with the Travelling Chassidim leading Friday night services at B’nai Israel Congregation on Nov. 15. The synagogue came alive as everyone joined together in dance while singing the...
Over six weeks, the 2024 Lee & Bernard Jaffe Family Jewish Book Festival brought together bestselling authors, emerging voices, and an audience hungry for stories. The festival began with a look into history, as novelist Rachel Beanland transported attendees back...
For the eighth consecutive year, clients at Jewish Family Service of Tidewater have been adopted by members of the Catholic Church of St. Stephen in Chesapeake. Carol Ehrbar, who coordinates this project for St. Stephen each year, helped collect more than 3,000 gifts...
As the 2024 calendar year nears the finish line, one pervasive question is: How is it possible to leave behind the stresses and anxieties of the past 12 months and approach 2025 with renewed hope and opportunity? With ongoing wars and hostilities in the Middle East...
Year end is fast approaching, and with it comes an opportunity to look back and assess… Did I do all I wanted to do over the past 12 months? Did I accomplish my goals? Stick with my New Year’s resolutions? Make the world better in some small way? Year end...
One unique aspect about this mother- daughter realtor duo – Janet Kramer and Kathryn Kramer – is their succession into real estate. Kathryn Kramer entered the field first and encouraged her mom to pivot from a career in architecture to selling homes. ...
As the end of the year approaches, individuals and families are considering ways to maximize the financial benefits of their charitable giving. Tidewater Jewish Foundation offers guidance to help donors make informed decisions that align with their financial goals...
More than a young men’s fundraising group for United Jewish Federation of Tidewater, Nadiv is a place to network, socialize, and learn about each other’s professional lives. On Friday, November 8, 12 Nadiv members toured the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower. Jonathan Beha, a...
(JTA) — The first rule of exit polls is to be careful about interpreting early exit polls, which aren’t always accurate. The second rule is that, for now at least, they represent the best information we have about the question occupying Jews of all political...
Rabbi Israel Zoberman with his certificate of “surviving” 50 years (1974-2024) in the rabbinate. He received an Honorary Life Membership from the Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR) at its national convention last month in Philadelphia, Pa.In recognition of...
I’ll be honest with you. I have never been a big fan of mass produced hamantaschen. I am generally not a sweets guy, but what I always found particularly underwhelming was the thick crust. When I worked in a bakery in Israel, we would start selling “oznei haman”...
Israel’s war with Hamas has inflamed vocal and aggressive antisemitism and anti-Zionism that has not been witnessed in the United States for many generations. Heated discussions have ensued, often with discrepancies about the facts.Helping to equip readers with basic...
VADM Herman Shelanski (retired) and Captain USS Harry S Truman 2016-2019It was President Truman who, despite contrary advice from his cabinet and closest advisors, was the first head of state in the world to recognize Israel on May 14, 1948. For this boldness, Hyman...
First major gift of Judaica in the University of Virginia’s history The Fralin Museum of Art at the University of Virginia will expand its holdings with a promised gift of more than 150 Torah pointers, or yads, from Clay H. Barr and the Barr Foundation. This marks the...
On Friday, March 1, Attorney General Jason Miyares wrote the UVA Board of Visitors about a student led BDS referendum at the school. The complete text of the letter follows: I write to you today with grave concern about the recent student-led referendum at the...
Addressing the sensitive topics of money, mortality, and family relationships can be challenging, especially when it involves estate planning. The hesitation to have the discussion often stems from the perceived complexity and emotional weight of making decisions...
The Virginia Festival of Jewish Film, presented by Alma & Howard Laderberg wrapped up on Wednesday, Feb. 28. This year’s festival, which included five feature films in addition to a special event showcasing four Israeli short films, was attended by more than 600...
Welcome to Kiddish, a Jewish News column celebrating little people – their first introductions, milestones, simchas, and accomplishments. Sharing these special moments and achievements with Jewish Tidewater creates a collective kvell! Harding Parkes Nusbaum Born...
Jews have been celebrating life-cycle milestones for what seems like forever – with events often including traditions dating back for what also seems like forever. . .or at least several centuries. While the significance of a bar or bat mitzvah or Jewish wedding may...
Members of Tidewater’s two BBYO chapters – Old Dominion AZA and Simcha BBG – attended last month’s BBYO International Convention in Orlando, Fla.
For the first time since Jewish News created its website in 2012, we’ve built an all new, easy-to- navigate site with loads of information that is both timely and that dates to the 1940s. The address remains the same: www.JewishNewsVa.org. When the site was first...
Since the start of 2024, United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s Young Adult Division has been bustling with activity, bringing together members for fun, meaningful, and community-building activities by holding events for families and young adults. So far this year,...
As the opening of Aviva Pembroke gets closer, excitement continues to build within the community. Operated by Beth Sholom Village, Aviva Pembroke plans to be open this October. The already strong demand for Aviva Pembroke underscores the appeal of its amenities,...
While in Bucharest, Romania with JDC earlier this year, Annie Sandler was recognized by the Romanian government with Romania’s “Grand Officer of the National Order for Merit.”The ceremony took place on International Holocaust Memorial Day on January 27. Sandler was...
Tidewater Jewish Foundation’s B'nai Tzedek Youth Philanthropy Program instills the value of giving as early as birth. This innovative program teaches children and teenagers about philanthropy and how to actively participate in the process, shaping them into the...
The heart is the engine that circulates oxygen throughout the blood stream to keep the body vital. A continuous engine, the heart can run for more than 100 years without stopping. With an electrical current that’s not plugged into a wall, the heart is a self-contained...
More than 100 members of Brith Sholom gather at the Simon Family JCC on the first Sunday of each month to enjoy camaraderie, wonderful brunches, interesting speakers, and a variety of entertainment. The Independent Order of Brith Sholom (Covenant of Peace) was founded...
Stephen Silver(JTA) — The phrase “that movie could never be made today” has probably been said more about Blazing Saddles than any other movie in history. Mel Brooks’ spoof of Hollywood Westerns is full of the N-word and racial and ethnic jokes, and gay stereotypes...
Rising antisemitism after the October 7 attacks in Israel was the impetus for United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s Konikoff Center for Learning and Jewish Community Relations Council to organize Empowering Students, a three-part series designed to help participants...