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Purim in Tidewater

Purim in Tidewater

The holiday of Purim begins this year on Thursday, March 13.Plenty of opportunities exist in Tidewater to participate in Purim festivities to commemorate Haman’s failed plot to destroy the Jews of Persia.The reading of the Megillah, Purim Carnivals, Purim Parties, and...

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...

Strelitz Fall Festival creates an unforgettable autumn celebration

On a cool Sunday in October, the Sandler Family Campus transformed into a magical Fall Wonderland for the 2nd Annual Strelitz Fall Festival.  This signature Strelitz International Academy event brought the community together with delicious food, unique vendors,...

Community Impact Day: Creating kindness and Jewish camp curiosity

Camp Fair at the Simon Family JCC Sunday, November 24, 10 am – 12 pm, Sandler Family Campus | Learn more and register at JewishVA.org/CampsandKindness As part of Community Impact Day: Creating Kindness and Jewish Camp Curiosity, a Camp Fair will offer an opportunity...

John Stein brings a taste of New York to Tidewater

Start spreading the news…Ess-a-Bagel has made its way from New York to Tidewater. Baker’s Crust Bagel, a new concept by restauranteur John Stein, is now open at The Shops at Hilltop. The eatery features a full menu of Ess-a-Bagel bagels, deli sandwiches, and Three...

For Donor Advised Funds: Think “Hub,” not “Autopilot” 

Most people know or have heard that a Donor Advised fund at Tidewater Jewish Foundation offers the convenience of a one-stop-shop. Cash (or, ideally, appreciated stock) tax-deductible contributions are made to the fund, and then the fund’s owner recommends grants to...

BBYO in Tidewater begins new year with increased participation

Last month’s BBYO kickoff event had a great turnout with about 20 Aleph Zadik Aleph (AZA) boys and 16 B’nai Brith Girls (BBG) attending.   The teens swam, ate pizza, caught up with old friends, and met some new additions to BBYO Tidewater. The night wrapped...

Candidates for U.S. Senator respond

With permission to reprint from Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington and Washington Jewish Week, this is a recent Q&A with candidates for the U.S. Senate, Senator Tim Kaine and Hung Cao. Printed are the candidates’ responses to two questions...

For our Jewish community, local races matter

October 7, 2023, changed us. The attack on our beloved Israel was truly soul crushing for our entire community. We followed the news hour by hour, spoke with friends and family in Israel, and prayed for their safety.  Beyond October 7, seeing what was starting to...

After one year, “No, I’m not doing so well.”

(How are you?) מה שלומך? (What's up?) מה נשמע? These simple, innocent questions that we automatically use at the beginning of an interaction with someone we know have, since October 7, 2023, become loaded in Israel.  With every phone call or conversation with my...

Lay leaders with legal degrees utilize their expertise for the community

Lay leaders are integral to the functioning of Jewish Tidewater. With multiple synagogues, day schools, and various agencies meeting myriad needs of the community, Jewish Tidewater’s lay leadership helps steer the missions and define the goals of each organization, as...

Israeli painting is donated to United Jewish Federation of Tidewater

Boaz Kritchman, an Israeli with two adult children living in Tidewater, facilitated the donation of a painting last month to the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater.  The impetus for the donation, by his son, Lotan Kritchman, stems from a desire to remember...

Editor marks 20 years at Jewish News

As we usher in 5785 this week, I again wish you and your families l’shana tova tikatevu. May each of us be inscribed in the Book of Life. And may we find better days ahead for all of Israel and the Jewish people.In this issue of Jewish News, I want to take a moment...

Consider a philanthropic audit

Meet “Ellen,” a perpetual giver. From her synagogue, the Food Bank of Southeastern Virginia, and Hillels, to her alma maters, Ellen supports a wide array of causes on a monthly or yearly basis. Some contributions come directly from her cash flow, while others are...

Baking for Rosh Hashanah: Women unite to support JFS

Every year, the Jewish Family Service Food Pantry—a cornerstone of Jewish Tidewater’s support system—assembles Rosh Hashanah care packages for more than 120 seniors, many of whom live in nursing homes or are homebound. These holiday bags, filled with essentials such...

Next Generation Group gathers for the first time

The first meeting of the Holocaust Commission of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s Next Generation group occurred on Sunday, August 11 in the Survivor’s Room at the Sandler Family Campus.  Comprised of children of Holocaust survivors, as well as third...

Nadiv Kicks off new year with big crowd, important cause

The men of Nadiv voted and chose Camp JCC as the recipient of the group’s fundraising efforts during the ‘24-‘25 programming year. Nadiv gathered on Thursday, Sept. 5 at the Virginia Beach home of Laura and Fred Gross to socialize and discuss where to direct the...