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John Feigenbaum at the center of the U.S. coin industry

John Feigenbaum at the center of the U.S. coin industry

From a tidy and unassuming office on the second floor of his office building in Virginia Beach, John Feigenbaum, a local Jewish community member, sits on a raised chair before his elevated computer screen and sets the pricing used by coin dealers throughout the United...

Tidewater dough boys

Tidewater dough boys

Baking is a science that requires the precise chemistry of all ingredients. One misstep and a decadent dessert devolves into a tragic mess, a puffy souffle deflates into a cavernous hollow, or a delicate confection becomes a misshapen blob. ❦ David Leon, Joel Nied,...

Aviva Pembroke opens to a packed house of admirers

Aviva Pembroke opens to a packed house of admirers

“Stunning” was the most frequent word heard as Beth Sholom Village and its friends in the Jewish community celebrated the official opening of Aviva Pembroke with development partner Pembroke Square Associates inside the seven-story structure off Constitution Drive in...

Premier of What We Carry film features Col. Shames

Premier of What We Carry film features Col. Shames

The final installment of the What We Carry film series, featuring the remarkable story of Colonel Edward Shames, premiered at the Sandler Family Campus on Monday, January 27. Held on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, the event drew an engaged audience to honor...

Proud to Be!

Proud to Be!

On a very chilly Sunday morning last month, Mona Flax, president-elect of United Jewish Federation of Tidewater, Jodi Klebanoff, past UJFT Women’s Philanthropy chair, Amy Zelenka, UJFT chief development officer, and I travelled to the 2025 International Lion of Judah...

Tu B’Shevat: Time to notice nature

Tu B’Shevat: Time to notice nature

The Jewish New Year of the Trees, Tu B’Shevat starts on Wednesday, Feb. 12 Rabbi Wolf Zitomirer was an innkeeper in a village. A Jewish wagon driver entered and asked for a glass of wine. When he was about to drink it without saying a blessing, the rabbi stopped him...

A year of peace?

A year of peace?

It’s certainly been a chaotic start to 2025.We were barely finished singing Auld Lang Syne when we heard the news about the deadly attack in New Orleans by a man displaying an ISIS flag. (page 4) The threat of Lone Wolves, we’re told, is one of the many reasons to...

Dr. Bernard Einhorn

Dr. Bernard Einhorn

At the funeral service for Dr. Bernard Einhorn, Rabbi Michael Panitz noted that “Barry had the unusual gift of positively intersecting” with countless people. The nearly full Temple Israel sanctuary was proof of his remark.Personally, I know Rabbi Panitz’s words to be...

Myrna Teck to lead trip this fall to Goniadz, Poland

During a trip to Poland in 2018 to attend a meeting of the International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies, Myrna Teck and her sister visited the shtetl where their grandmother lived in Goniadz. As part of this guided tour, they also visited the abandoned...

Maror and Chazeret: What is the deal?!

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...

Beth El Sisterhood stepped up to “Serve” Joan Nathan

Call them a well “oyled” machine.I am speaking of the quartet of Carol Smith, DeAnne Lindsey, Gina Rose, and Marlene Rossen who (along with Patty Shelanski) lead the unofficial culinary committee of the Congregation Beth El Sisterhood that plans, purchases, cooks, and...

Checking out the Solar Eclipse at the Sandler Family Campus

Some events simply cannot be missed. Apparently, that was the thought when young students at Strelitz International Academy were covered up with proper fashionable paper plates, in addition to the special protective sunglasses, to view the Solar Eclipse on April 8 at...

Be a reporter:Incident Reporting is critical to combating antisemitism

The American Jewish community is facing the most complex and dynamic threat environment in modern history. Christopher Wray, director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, has warned that antisemitism in the U.S. is rising to historic levels; Jews are the target of...

Governor Glenn Youngkin signs bipartisan hate crime legislation

RICHMOND, VA – Governor Glenn Youngkin signed 100 bills, including SB7 and HB18 which safeguard Virginians from unlawful discrimination, hate crimes, and antisemitism on Tuesday, April 2. The Governor also vetoed four bills.“From day one, we have made combating...

Has there ever been a more important time to be in Israel?

Solidarity Trip to Israel: June 18 – 22 United Jewish Federation of Tidewater is now accepting deposits and applications for a Solidarity Trip to Israel. The four-day trip will visit sites in the south of the country to witness the destruction, meet the people, and...

Living a life of legacy

Glasser family: Bern, Jessica, Jake, Lori, Michael, Ross, and Caroline (Ross’s significant other). Rose Frances Glasser was a living legacy. Her work within the Hampton Roads and global Jewish communities exemplified her commitment to its continuity. From being a...

Yom Hashoah 2024 Community Holocaust Commemoration

Sunday, May 5, 6:45 pm Temple Emanuel The Holocaust Commission of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater invites the community to attend the annual Holocaust Day Remembrance, Yom Hashoah.The Commemoration will feature survivor and scholar Dr. Mordecai Paldiel, a...

Rabbi Jonathan Sacks Tidewater Community Book Club

Sunday, April 28, 10 am, Temple Emanuel The Rabbi Jonathan Sacks Tidewater Community Book Club will continue with its second book, The Great Partnership: Science, Religion and the Search for Meaning, which was a National Jewish Book Awards Finalist. Rabbi Sacks was...

A twist on tradition

The smell of fresh cookies baking filled the Sandler Family Campus on Sunday, March 10 for the annual “Operation Hamantaschen” PJ Library event.Children, parents, grandparents, and friends put on colorful aprons, pushed up their sleeves, and dove into the delicious,...

Rabbi Israel Zoberman: recognized for 50 years of rabbinic service

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...

Thinking outside the triangle this Purim

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”...

Knowledge is key

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...

The story of the Truman Torah

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...

Barr Foundation’s Torah Pointers gifted to The Fralin Museum of Art

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...

Estate Planning: One of the best ways to demonstrate caring

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...

It’s a Wrap: 2024 Virginia Festival of Jewish Film

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...