Southeastern Virginia: Chesapeake • Norfolk • Portsmouth • Suffolk • Virginia Beach
Archives
Tidewater is entering its fourth year of collaboration with the Jewish Agency for Israel to host Shinshinim (Israeli Emissaries) on their mission to share Israeli culture, knowledge, and experiences with community members of all ages. Shinshin is an acronym for Shenat...
The summer of 2025 is a special year for the swimming pool at the Simon Family JCC, with a record number of 40 guards, enabling the pool to remain open throughout the summer without closures due to staff shortages. But what is truly unique about the summer of 2025 is...
As summer transitions into fall, the Jewish Community Relations Council of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater annually takes deliberate steps to ensure Jewish students, families, and professionals are recognized and respected in their schools, workplaces, and...
Beth Sholom Village’s Auxiliary recently awarded Jewish Family Service a gift that makes it possible for 20,000 meals to be provided to hungry people in Tidewater. Collaborative projects between Jewish Family Service and Beth Sholom Village have taken place for...
Taking another step forward, Beth Sholom Village is relocating its offices to space within Jewish Family Service at the Sandler Family Campus. This move represents more than a change of address; it reflects a deepened commitment to area seniors and a renewed vision...
Graduations are a time to recognize achievements, formally bid farewell to a valued educational institution, prepare for the next steps along life’s journey, and of course, to celebrate!In the June 2 issue of Jewish News, nearly 40 area graduates were featured. Here...
Meets every 2nd, 3rd and 4th Monday (except holidays), Sandler Family Campus Mah Jongg Mondays are going strong.Stephanie Calliott and Amy Levy have presented and entertained at some fantastic teaching sessions—with more to follow. Nearly 30 enthusiastic women have...
Jewish Tidewater gathered on Thursday, May 29 to celebrate Jewish learning across the lifespan. Bringing together clergy, educators, and organizational leaders from across denominations and institutions, the evening was a powerful display of unity and a shared...
More than 450 people joined B’nai Israel to welcome the Maccabeats to the Sandler Family Campus for the Unity Concert last month.The concert was made possible by a Tidewater Jewish Foundation Community Impact Grant and organized in partnership with the Konikoff Center...
When Summer Hoffman was 15 years old, she received a One Happy Camper grant that allowed her to attend a three-week residential camp, BBYO International Kallah. For her interfaith family—half Jewish, half Christian—it was more than just a summer getaway. It became a...
An 84-year-old woman in the intensive care unit asked if the facility had a copy of her advance medical directive to support her healthcare wishes. The doctor explained that, in the hospital, this legal document did not serve the purpose she intended and instead...
Dr. Michael S. Weissman and his wife, Brina, opened Churchland Psychological Center in 1981, serving Hampton Roads for nearly 45 years.As clinical director, Weissman offers individual adult psychotherapy, family and marital counseling, and psychological testing, while...
Jewish News has compiled a list of High Holiday services taking place at local synagogues for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Contact synagogues for information about babysitting, live-stream, and Zoom services. B’nai Israel Congregation...
An independent school serving students from infants and toddlers through kindergarten and then to 5th grade, Strelitz International Academy recently earned full accreditation from the Virginia Association of Independent Schools.Founded in 1973, VAIS is the leader in...
Fifty years ago this month, 16 teens from Tidewater were experiencing a trip of a lifetime. . . their first to Israel. The month-long adventure was just after 1973’s Yom Kippur War, adding to these teens’ acute awareness of politics and news.It’s not such a surprise...
After a tumultuous journey of delays and lots of preparation, my family touched down in beautiful Lisbon, Portugal. We were met by family from all over the world. Relatives reunited from South Africa, Israel, the UK, and Florida around a delicious dinner spread at...
Visiting five of New York City’s buzzing foodie hotspots to indulge in an exclusively curated tasting menu of Israeli delights, was a treat we won’t soon forget.The Israeli food tour ranged from sumptuous Yemenite soup dumplings to fire-roasted and creamy cool...
Joanna and I had the chance to visit our daughter Yael, who was in Israel this summer.It was our first chance to visit Israel since October 7th, and we were left inspired by the resiliency of Israeli society. The experience gave us a recharge for what has been a...
I spent 12 days of my summer at Sababa Sleepaway, a Jewish camp at the beach.Sababa is located on the campus of Old Dominion University. Jewish kids from all over the country come to Sababa to learn about the beach and discover Judaism through nature.Almost every day...
The Women’s Division of United Jewish Federation of Tidewater held its first “Girl’s Night Out” on Thursday, July 25 at the Sandler Family Campus.Members of the Women’s Philanthropy committee were asked to each bring a friend or two to the event. The result was a...
The Shabbat@Home dinner on Friday, June 7 was a heartwarming culmination of a year-long series of learning sessions presented by the Konikoff Center for Learning and PJ Library of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater, in partnership with Ignite757. The series...
Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs) can be a popular vehicle for retirement planning, offering a reliable way to save for the future while enjoying tax advantages. Effectively managing an IRA, however, requires understanding its benefits and partnering with the...
ShinShinim are exceptional Israeli high school graduates who postpone their mandatory military service to serve as cultural ambassadors in Jewish communities around the world. These young emissaries are chosen through a rigorous selection process that evaluates their...
Nadiv capped off another terrific year of Jewish philanthropy, social action, and networking during a social at the Virginia Beach home of Bonnie and David Brand on Tuesday, May 14. This past programming year (which ran from August 2023 to May 2024), Nadiv...
Susan Donn has no plans to slow down. “I am enormously busy, but I don’t know what I do!” she laughs, explaining how this 82-year-old occupies her days. After a long career as a commercial interior designer, and an attorney-husband who still works full-time,...
Growing up in Pittsburgh, Pa., Nancy and Jay Lazier did not cross paths, even though their mothers knew each other through Hadassah. Not until a Hillel mixer at University of Michigan, where Nancy was a freshman and Jay, a sophomore, did they meet. “We were too young...
Married for 59 years, Sue Ellen and Seymour Teach have lived in the same Larkspur house for 53 of those years. Sue Ellen, 82 years old, grew up in Norfolk where her family attended B’nai Israel Congregation. A graduate of Old Dominion University with a degree in...
Joel and Sara Jo Rubin have long been dedicated to promoting Jewish education. “It began at home and participating in synagogue and Jewish events for our young family,” says Sara Jo. “We were adamant that our children (Molly and Danny) would be raised to practice and...
The Honorable Scott Joseph Flax was sworn in on May 1 to begin his eight-year term as a Judge of the Second Judicial Circuit Court. He is the third Jewish circuit court judge to be appointed in Virginia Beach, following the Honorable Jerry Friedman and Honorable Alan...
Food is always a Jewish topic, and every Shabbat and Jewish holiday are new opportunities to overindulge.Maimonides famously says (Deot 4:15) that overeating is unhealthy and everyone knows that keeping healthy makes good sense. But to what extent is a healthy body,...
David Leon, president of United Jewish Federation of Tidewater, first travelled to Israel 50 years ago on the first commercial flight from the United States after the Yom Kippur War. This past March, he was on United Airline’s first flight to Israel following the...
Adults over the age of 55 visited the Simon Family JCC to celebrate National Senior Health and Fitness Day on Wednesday, May 29. The day was filled with fun, laughter, health, and fitness – deeming it a huge success.Vendors from all over Tidewater offered information...