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Kiddish

Kiddish

Kiddish is 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! Noa Hanna DratchBorn January 9,...

Leadership elected for Tidewater’s BBYO

Leadership elected for Tidewater’s BBYO

Elections for Tidewater BBYO chapters took place on Saturday, May 10. The positions of president; vice president, programming; and vice president, membership are elected for a school-year term, while the other three positions are elected for fall and spring terms....

Street names for Andrew Fine in VIBE Creative District

Street names for Andrew Fine in VIBE Creative District

In keeping with the ViBe’s 10-year anniversary celebrations, the Virginia Beach City Council recognized the ViBe Creative District with a Resolution at its meeting on Tuesday, May 20. The City Council thanked ViBe co-founders Andrew Fine and Laura Wood and executive...

Yom Hashoah 2025 Honors and Remembers

Yom Hashoah 2025 Honors and Remembers

Falling on the 82nd anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising, this year’s Yom Hashoah community commemoration reminded Tidewater’s Jewish community of how important it is to remember those who perished in the Holocaust and honor those who survived. More than 350...

2025 UJFT Annual Campaignon track for a successful finish

2025 UJFT Annual Campaignon track for a successful finish

The 2025 Annual Campaign of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater recently crossed over the milestone $5 million mark, on its way to a successful close. The campaign year officially closes on Monday, June 30. Every attempt is made to have all gifts closed before...

Strelitz International Academy Mitzvah Club shines at beach cleanup

The sun shone brightly on Sunday, June 2 as students and their families from the Strelitz International Academy Mitzvah Club gathered at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront for a beach cleanup event that blended service with fun.The day began with laughter as children...

Two new rabbis have Tidewater roots

Rabbi Madeline Torop Budman and Rabbi Aaron David Torop Budman were ordained at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion on Saturday, June 1. The ordination took place at the historic Plum Street Temple, a 158-year-old landmark in Cincinnati, Ohio. A Norfolk...

Local arts leaders unite to combat antisemitism

In a time of unprecedented antisemitism, United Jewish Federation of Tidewater organized a workshop on combatting antisemitism in the arts. The event, held on Wednesday, May 15 at the Chrysler Museum of Art, focused on creating a more inclusive and welcoming...

Jewish Tidewater’s Graduates

This year’s graduation season began with plenty for Jewish Tidewater’s graduates and their families to celebrate.Graduations provide time to recognize achievements, formally bid goodbye to a treasured educational institution, and move on to life’s next chapter. And...

Unity and pride: Tidewater comes together for Yom Ha’Atzmaut

The annual Tidewater community Yom Ha'Atzmaut gathering, held this year on Sunday, May 19 on the Reba and Sam Sandler Family Campus, was a vibrant recognition of Israel’s independence. The atmosphere was electric, as close to 2,000 community members were adorned in...

See something, say something. But please don’t touch it.

Last month, Virginia Beach neighborhoods were again littered with antisemitic propaganda on fliers dropped by a national neo-Nazi hate group, the Goyim Defense League. These flyers, though not signaling a violent threat, are designed to harass, incite fear and...

Friendships continue for Shalom Children’s Center alumni

When Max and Emma Bernstein married this spring, more than 15 friends from their days at Newport Avenue’s Jewish Community Center’s Shalom Children’s Center attended the wedding. The friends all met at the JCC preschool 25 years ago and later went to Hebrew Academy of...

A father‘s influence: The legacy of Pete Kramer

As Eddie Kramer prepares to step into his new role as board chair for Tidewater Jewish Foundation, his thoughts naturally turn to the impact his father, Herbert L. “Pete” Kramer, had on his life. For Eddie, Father’s Day is not just a time for celebration but also a...

Counter-Protests. Good idea?

Before you join a counter-protest, the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater encourages you to ask yourself: Is a counter-protest effective in supporting Israel? Does staging or attending a counter-protest serve the community’s support of Israel? Does...

Passover Sermon: Against the “Wicked Child”

This morning, I had a phone call with a former summer camper of mine. She is now a first-year student at George Washington University in DC, and she wanted to talk to me because she is beginning to explore the idea of becoming a rabbi. When I called at the time that...

Standing Together

Third time’s the charm. You let me know if that’s the case by the time you finish this article – it’s the third one I’ve written where I feel compelled to share an experience with Jewish News. The first was after I completed the March of the Living in Poland. Second...

Congressman Rob Wittman visits Sandler Family Campus

U.S. Representative Rob Wittman spent a couple of hours at the Sandler Family Campus having lunch and speaking with and answering questions from members of Tidewater’s Jewish community on Friday, May 3.Congressman Wittman immediately addressed the current state of...

Israeli American hostage has Virginia roots

Hersh Goldberg-Polin, a 23-year-old Israeli American hostage held in Gaza, spent part of his childhood in Richmond, Va. before his family made aliyah to Israel in 2008. His Virginia roots go even further back, to Portsmouth, where Hersh’s grandparents and young family...

Topping Off: Another milestone for Aviva Pembroke and Virginia Beach

A crowd of community members and leaders, including principal project partners and future residents, gathered on Friday, March 22 to celebrate another significant milestone towards the completion of the newest Virginia Beach senior living community, Aviva Pembroke.The...

Sandler Family Campus evolves with the times

After 20 years, most buildings experience at least minor updates and refreshes. . . painting, repairs, some renovations. The Reba and Sam Sandler Family Campus, however, has added features, revamped spaces, and updated technology, security, and environmental...

Hearts travel from Hawaii to Virginia to Israel

In February, Jewish News featured a story about Aloha Hearts, fused glass ‘worry hearts’ created by Hawaiian Barry Gitelson. These glass hearts have since been distributed to Israeli children in Sderot as part of Youth Futures, a program that assists at-risk children...