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I hear it over and over again – “Mi K’amcha Yisrael” – Who is like you the Jewish people?Enter the world of mitzvot – our secret weapon. How could that be? After all, what is a mitzvah? It’s a commandment in the Torah, which is 3,500 years old. How could doing a...
Guided by the principles of tzedakah (charity) and tikkun olam (repairing the world), Tidewater Jewish Foundation is dedicated to creating permanent resources for the Jewish community. The many facets of community involvement in which TJF is engaged have caused some...
Tidewater is starting its third year working with the Jewish Agency for Israel, hosting Shinshinim (Israeli Emissaries) to bring Israeli culture, knowledge, and experiences to people of all ages. Shinshin is an acronym for Shenat Sherut – a year of service given by an...
A recent Tidewater Jewish Foundation grant enabled Strelitz International Academy to purchase 50 enhanced emergency first aid and Stop the Bleed kits, significantly improving and enhancing the school’s emergency preparedness and response capabilities.In addition to...
Children signing brachot in American Sign Language (ASL). Students harmonizing with hand-drumming while singing Oseh Shalom. Kids laughing while playing drama games they learned at day camp. ASL interpreters at community events. What’s going on?Sharon Serbin is going...
A minor Jewish holiday, Tu B’Av is celebrated as a holiday of love. This year, it begins on the evening of Sunday, August 18 and ends at nightfall on Monday, August 19. There are few gestures that say “I love you” quite like making someone a meal. But as a chef, I...
Sherry Lieberman is the winner of the Jewish News contest for two passes to the Beyond Monet: The Immersive Experience at the Virginia Beach Convention Center. Sponsored by the Virginia Arts Festival, the Monet experience showcases more than 400 of Monet’s most iconic...
Windsurfing to wrestling – Jewish athletes earned at least 16 medals (at press time) at the 2024 Olympics in Paris.The stories about these Olympians are all interesting – even for those who don’t care all that much about sports. Read about them at JTA.org. Gold medals...
The successful 16th Biennial Educators' Conference, hosted by the Holocaust Commission and the Jewish Community Relations Council of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater, offered invaluable resources and insights to educators dedicated to teaching about...
The Konikoff Center for Learning of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater celebrated a remarkable year of Jewish education with a Celebration of Lifelong Learning event last month. This year, dedicated learners deepened their knowledge of Jewish history, thought,...
The fifth and sixth grade girls from Toras Chaim took a trip to the Maimonides Health Center in Virginia Beach on Monday, June 10.An innovative idea of Kayla Weinreb to teach her students about the act of chessed (kindness) while bringing joy to the Center’s...
After achieving plenty of recognition and success during the 2023- 2024 school year, the Be A Reader (BeAR) Literacy Project is now planning for the 2024-2025 school year.During this school year, BeAR worked with more than 100 second-grade students in Norfolk and...
After three decades, the Virginia Festival of Jewish Film, presented by Alma and Howard Laderberg, continues to evolve, bringing films that interest and excite, as well as meet the moment during times of turmoil. For the 31st annual festival, the Festival’s screening...
The lineup for the 31st Virginia Festival of Jewish Film, presented by Alma & Howard Laderberg, includes shorts, documentaries, and dramas and takes place next month at various locations throughout Tidewater. The Festival begins on Sunday, Feb. 18, with a special...
Kelly Burroughs and Jody LaibstainJewish Family Service’s Home Delivered Meals program is a continuum of the organization’s food service programs. Geared to older and disabled adults throughout Virginia Beach who qualify, a steadfast group of volunteers has been...
In anticipation of her nephew’s bar mitzvah in January, Tehilla Mostofsky bought tickets to Israel last July. Along with her husband, Sholom, and her parents, who had not been to Israel in 25 years, she planned to stay for five days to celebrate with her family. The...
Eitan Mor, Nathan Goldin, and Norman Goldin volunteered in Israel for two weeks in January. “Israel faces an existential threat, and I wanted to help and show my support,” says Norman Goldin. Both Goldins are physicians and hoped to provide medically related services....
On Martin Luther King Day, Vergie McCall was in her element, not just singing a spiritual to residents of Maimonides Health Center (formerly Beth Sholom Village), where she is a longtime volunteer, but leading a program with three “other” Jews. Yes, the 76-year-old...
I don’t “belong” to Ohef Sholom Temple, but on Saturday, Jan. 27, I felt as if I did. My friend, Paul Terkeltaub, invited me to attend Ohef’s first “Family Shabbat Experience” and to bring my son, daughter-in-law, and their two sons (ages 8 and 5), promising a morning...
While not every first date is centered around a meal, most involve some sort of dining, even if it’s not fancy fare or a sit-down meal. When Jewish News asked these couples to share their first dining experiences together, one unexpected result was that the settings...
Marriage has its ups and downs, challenges and stability, joy and sadness, romantic moments, and “just everyday” happenings. We often simply react and respond to what is happening around us. Sometimes, however, we are intentional – when we purposely start a process....
Thirty area Jewish teens attended BBYO’s bowling event at Pinboy’s on Sunday, Feb. 4. BBYO’s winter kickoff, the event was a perfect program, allowing potential members and newer members to meet older teens. Both Old Dominion AZA and Simcha BBG chapters led an opening...
Elka Mednick As Holocaust denial and antisemitism continue to spread at alarming rates, International Holocaust Remembrance Day provides an opportunity to learn and reflect upon this important event that connects in so many ways to the present environment. The United...
Charlie Nusbaum As chair of Tidewater Jewish Foundation’s board, I am proud to present our 2023 Annual Report, which is inserted in this edition of Jewish News. Unfathomable events have taken place globally over the past year, with the crisis and war in Israel...
Staff report A seasoned professional in the field of philanthropy and development, Amy Weinstein is rejoining Tidewater Jewish Foundation’s team as its development strategist in March. “Amy’s return to TJF marks a significant milestone for us,” says Naomi Limor Sedek,...
Noach Gruen Why was it so hard for the university presidents of Harvard, Penn, and MIT to offer the most obvious directive of safety and stability to students of all faiths? How did college campuses become such tense places for Jewish students? I think the answer goes...
Jewish News: Where were you educated? Martin Brenner: I graduated from Granby High School and then went to University of Georgia where I received a degree in business administration. JN: What was your work history? Did you work anywhere besides Spertner Jewelers? MB:...
Jewish News: Where were you educated? Dr. Laurie Goldsticker: I spent my undergraduate years exploring the grounds of University of Virginia before attending graduate school at the Medical College of Virginia in Richmond. JN: What was your work history? LG: I was...
Jewish News: Where were you educated? Herman Shelanski, Vice Admiral, USN Retired: I have a Bachelor of Arts in Molecular, Cellular and Development Biology from University of Colorado at Boulder. I also have a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering and Space...
Scott R. Saal The New Year is always a time to reflect, as well as to start planning for the year ahead. As we consider financial plans in 2024, we encourage clients to consider the charitable impact they hope to make. Of course, many of us know the cornerstones of a...
Stephanie Peck Through MadebyMouth on Etsy, Rebecca Koltun has sold approximately 200 unique pieces of art. Etsy is an online site where sellers list their handmade items and buyers find something unique to purchase. It is also where Koltun’s stellar, 5-star reviews...
Etsy Gruen It’s been a dream for many in Tidewater, and now it is a reality. Judaism invests in the mundane activity of eating with kedusha, special sanctity. . . eating kosher food, with the table upon which the food is eaten representing the holy altar, the...