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His story could be a novel. . . and a page-turner, at that. This past December, Josef Patar added a chapter he’s been trying to write for a while. . . he became a naturalized U.S. citizen. With several supporters, including a couple of friends from Ohef...
A wedding anniversary of any number is reason to celebrate, yet milestone anniversaries traditionally get special attention. Reaching a milestone is no easy feat and so Jewish News asked three of area couples about their secrets to the foundation of their...
Family and friends gathered on a Saturday evening in January to celebrate an extraordinary milestone as Erica Reisner Ausch turned 90 years young. Her daughters – Jodie Woodward, Linda Ausch, and Bonnie Laibstain — brought together those who know her best and love her...
The Hugo A. Owens Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Award was presented to Jonathan C. Zur at Old Dominion University’s 41st Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Observance in January. Zur is president and CEO of the Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities. Robin Mancoll,...
Thursday, March 26, Westin Virginia Beach Town Center The Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities will hold its 62nd annual Tidewater Humanitarian Awards event this month. These awards honor individuals and organizations who have made significant contributions to...
Joseph Alex Frissora joined the Sandler Family Campus late last year as Facilities Director, working with Glenn Saucier until his retirement in December. Prior to joining the Sandler Family Campus, Frissora spent 14 years with the United States Coast Guard, where, in...
Birthright Israel and Birthright Israel Foundation named Rabbi Gershon Litt the recipient of the 2025 Jeffrey R. Solomon Prize. The prestigious annual award recognizes an exceptional Jewish communal professional who has made a profound and lasting impact on the Jewish...
Four young women, with childhood roots in Jewish Tidewater, have nuptials on the mind. Now spread out across the country, three of these Virginia natives recently married, while one is still in the planning stages. Hannah Diehl Testa and her husband, Kevin...
Celebrating his 80th birthday this month, Rabbi Israel Zoberman has packed a lot into his eight decades – including living on three continents. Tidewater has been his home since 1981. Born on November 12, 1945, in Chu, Kazakhstan to Polish Holocaust survivors,...
Henry Scolnick gave a speech at this year’s Annual Aid Another Gala, an event sponsored by Aid Another, an organization founded to promote and empower individuals with disabilities through dance, music, art, educational assistance, recreational activities, and sports....
A junior at Cape Henry Collegiate, Henry Scolnick was recently named one of this year’s recipients for the Diller Teen Tikkun Olam Award. Henry is the youngest recipient in this year’s cohort. Awarded annually by The Helen Diller Family Foundation, up to 15...
The ODU Alumni Association celebrates distinguished and outstanding ODU graduates, as well as friends of the University, who have excelled in their professions and made lasting impacts on their communities and #MonarchNation. Honorees may be recognized as...
Mikelle Rappaport, founder, owner, and executive director of Golden Lifestyle Partners, knows firsthand how difficult it can be to manage transitions for seniors. As a caregiver to her grandparents, and now to her mother with dementia, Rappaport understands that...
In 1925, Fanny Goldstein, a Jewish librarian at the Boston Public Library, decided Jewish books and Jewish pride deserved celebration. She created a display of Jewish books at the West End Branch, launching the first Jewish Book Week. By 1927, Jewish communities...
Nunez Fine Jewelers, located at Hilltop in Virginia Beach, is celebrating a milestone anniversary this year. For 20 years, this family-owned business has offered personalized service, on-site repairs, and quality custom work. Pete Nunez, the store’s...
Ilana Peck and Meir Leibler were married on August 5 at Luciana Restaurant in the Mamilla Mall, in an intimate outdoor chuppah overlooking the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem.An earlier wedding had been planned for June, but the war with Iran forced a...
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,...
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....
Kate-Lynn Cipolla has joined United Jewish Federation of Tidewater and Simon Family JCC’s full-time professional staff as assistant camp director at Camp JCC.Cipolla is a familiar face on the Sandler Family Campus, having spent more than eight years serving in a...
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! Jewish Tidewater has much to applaud with its graduates – the awards, impressive...
“Love and marriage, go together like a horse and carriage. It’s an institute you can’t disparage.”Frank Sinatra first sang these Sammy Cahn lyrics in the 1955 television production of Thornton Wilder’s Our Town.Here, in Tidewater, several couples celebrating special...
For the Kass family, giving back is more than just a value — it’s a responsibility. When their son Jonah was preparing for his Bar Mitzvah, Melissa and Aaron Kass knew they wanted to instill the importance of community and responsibility. The B’nai Tzedek: Youth...
Local folk musician Bob Zentz was bestowed a 2025 Music Lifetime Achievement Award from Veer Magazine during a ceremony at Elevation 27 last month. With a career that includes nearly every aspect of music – as a writer, performer, retailer, manager, mentor – Zentz has...
Thursday, March 27, 6:30 - 8 pm • The Westin Virginia Beach Town Center Each year, Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities awards its prestigious Humanitarian award to individuals and organizations who have made significant contributions to the promotion of respect...
Partaking in BBYO’s International Convention 2025 was truly an experience I will never forget. The annual gathering took place this year over President’s Day Weekend in Denver, Col.From listening to the incredible speakers to dancing and singing with my friends at the...
Benjamin and Allie Fues-Yarow on the birth of their daughter, Lennon Mae Fues-Yarow, on October 14, 2024. The family lives in Arlington, Va.Proud grandparents are Rick and Debi Yarow of Norfolk and Eric and Liza Fues and Heather McAfee of Bethesda, Md.Proud...
Anyone who’s worked alongside Karen Jaffe on committee or in community leadership will confirm: Karen Jaffe is special. A much-admired leader in the Tidewater Jewish community, Jaffe has been a role model for her family, friends, and an entire generation of emerging...
Some say it’s never too early to learn about generosity and tzedakah. That seems to be a prevailing philosophy for Alyson Gross and Michael Yaary, parents of two-year-old Asher. Instead of gifts for his recent birthday party, the Strelitz International Academy...
Lenny Brooke 90 years old The former owner of Southern Packing Corporation, Lenny Brooke has been married to Ellie for 63 years and is nearly as active as ever. His son, Jeffrey Brooke says, “Even now after my father has turned 90, he still calls on a few customers...
Lorraine Fink 100 years old The oldest in this esteemed group, Lorriane Fink manages to find humor in almost every situation – at her 99th birthday, for example, she suggested the cake be turned upside down to make her 66! She’s an award-winning artist, a...
Elizabeth (Liz) Dovrat successfully defended her doctoral thesis on Tuesday, July 9, 2024.Dovrat has been a student in the Doctoral Programme in E-Research and Technology Enhanced Learning at Lancaster University, UK for the past 4 1/2 years. The title of her thesis...
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...