The Tidewater Jewish Foundation (TJF) is “delighted to welcome Barb Gelb as the new development associate and Life & Legacy Coordinator,” says Scott Kaplan, CFRE, president and CEO, Tidewater Jewish Foundation. “Barb comes to our community with a wealth of...
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Palestinians show growing support for two-state solution, poll finds
JERUSALEM (JTA)—A nearly equal majority of Israelis and Palestinians back a two-state solution, a new poll shows, but the Palestinians’ support is rising. Support among Israelis is at 53 percent, a decline of 2 percentage points since December, and at 52 percent among...
Jewish Family Service, WHRO Public Media, Chrysler Museum and EVMS present Live Each Day: A Talk with Jane Gardner
Sunday, September 17, 2 pm Chrysler Museum of Art, free As a television news anchor, Jane Gardner faced intense pressure, deadlines, and other challenges. But it is off the air where she has faced her toughest challenge of all: fighting cancer—not just once, but four...
Largest number of schools ever represented at a Holocaust Commission Educators’ Conference
The Holocaust Commission of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater held its Educators’ Conference, Words Matter: Now More Than Ever, July 26–27. For the 13th Biennial offering, chairs Gail Flax and Ina Leiderman could not have been more thrilled with the results....
Newly remodeled Leon Family Gallery features artists from around the globe
The Leon Family Gallery has a fresh, updated appearance—just in time for the new season of exhibits. Located on the second floor of the Reba and Sam Sandler Family Campus, the new look and feel of the gallery offers a blank canvas to contrast the lively discussions on...
Guide to Jewish Living in Tidewater
Guide to Jewish Living in Tidewater, August 14, 2017
He came. He commented. They loved it.
Laughter hung in the air long after the end of comedian Elon Gold’s set during the Simon Family JCC’s first Laughter on the Lawn event. More than 400 community members gathered to partake in the hilarity. “He was so funny,” says Joel Rubin, “I’ve never heard anyone...
Why volunteering matters
Volunteering isn’t something to put off until you have extra time and money. There are numerous reasons why the returns far outweigh the time invested, especially during lean times. Alene and Ron Kaufman both volunteer at Jewish Family Service. “Everyone has some...
Want to help bless and beautify Beth Sholom Home?
No Jewish home, or even room, is complete without a kosher mezuzah on the door post. That will certainly be the case when the renovation of the Berger-Goldrich Home is completed by next summer. (see article on page 27) By donating a minimum of $1,000 to the Honor or...
Netanyahu defends suspending the Western Wall agreement. Here’s how.
(JTA)—American Jewish leaders are calling it a betrayal. They say that 17 months after achieving a historic agreement to provide a non-Orthodox space at Judaism’s holiest prayer site, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reneged in a Cabinet vote Sunday, June 25,...
Chief Rabbinate says list of rabbis is not a blacklist
(JTA)—The Israeli Chief Rabbinate says that its list of foreign rabbis has been misconstrued, and that the list does not imply that those rabbis cannot be trusted to vouch for the Jewish identities of their followers. On Saturday, July 8, JTA reported on a list of...
Al Franken learned about justice from his childhood rabbi
(JTA)—In February 2015, Sen. Jim Inhofe carried a snowball on to the floor of the Senate to prove global warming did not exist. Everyone knows “it is very, very cold outside,” the Oklahoma Republican said. “Unseasonable.” That, says Al Franken, gave him an idea. “I...
The danger of a nuclear-armed Iran
In his recent speech before the United Nations General Assembly, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned, “The last century has taught us that when a radical regime with global ambitions gets awesome power, sooner or later its appetite for aggression knows no...
Jewish Republicans caught in party shutdown crossfire
WASHINGTON (JTA)—The first lawmaker to speak at a closed-door Capitol Hill confab convened by the Republican Jewish Coalition’s women’s affiliate was, naturally enough, a woman. So was the second. Against the background of the current federal budget battle, that’s...
Pew survey of U.S. Jews: soaring intermarriage, assimilation rates
NEW YORK (JTA)—There are a lot more Jews in America than you may have thought—an estimated 6.8 million, according to a new study. But a growing proportion of them are unlikely to raise their children Jewish or connect with Jewish institutions. The proportion of Jews...
Netanyahu’s U.S.A. trip
Netanyahu warns: If necessary, Israel will stop Iran on its own WASHINGTON (JTA)—Israel is prepared to strike on its own if Iran is poised to obtain a nuclear weapon, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the United Nations General Assembly. “Israel will not allow...
Germany’s Jewish “Pope of Literature” Remembering Marcel Reich-Ranicki
Marcel Reich-Ranicki shaped the literary world of the Federal Republic of Germany in the last half century probably like no other public intellectual in German history. An expert of German literature, he became the most articulate critic of the country’s new literary...
Bonnie Brand joins American Friends of Tel Aviv University board
The board of directors of American Friends of Tel Aviv University, a donor group that supports Israel’s largest academic institution, Tel Aviv University, recently elected Bonnie Brand to its board. A Tidewater native and lifelong resident, Brand serves on the board...
Virginia candidate says non- Christians worship ‘false religions’
WASHINGTON (JTA)—Jewish groups called on the Republican candidate for Virginia’s lieutenant governor to explain a sermon in which he said non-Christians are engaged in a “false religion.” E.W. Jackson, a pastor, on Sunday, Sept. 22 preached at the Restoration...
Stein family endows the Stein Family College Scholarship
The generosity of a few can impact the lives of generations to come. Case in point—the Stein family, which is helping Jewish students from throughout Hampton Roads fulfill their dreams of a quality college education. Five years ago, the family established the Stein...
Amos Guiora visits Maury High School
“Intriguingly fascinating,” Annie O’Donnell, a Maury High School junior says about Amos Guiora’s presentation to Maury’s Model U.N. Club on Monday, Sept. 24. An Israeli-American law professor, Guiora shared some of his experiences while working as IDF legal advisor to...
Amos Guiora on Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, Syria, Iran and Russia
Appreciation for international security expert Amos Guiora’s experience, insight and intelligence was clear from the size of the crowd that showed up to hear him speak on Sunday, Sept. 22 at Temple Israel. More than 150 community members attended the briefing,...
Campaign Ambassadors learn lessons in “Asking”
“Federation doesn’t have a mission problem… it has an image problem!” So began Jonah Halper, CEO of ALTRUICITY and founder of NextGen:Charity and CharityForum. Halper was the guest trainer at a recent United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s Campaign Ambassador...
Obama’s tough talk is good news for Israel— depending on what it means
WASHINGTON (JTA)—The good news for Israel in President Obama’s speech at the United Nations was his insistence that any steps Iran might take to solve the standoff over its nuclear program must be transparent and verifiable. The bad news was that Obama wasn’t clear...
Rabbi’s shooting shakes Russian community’s confidence in its future
DERBENT, Russia (JTA)—Accustomed to the sound of gunfire at night, neighbors of Rabbi Ovadia Isakov were not particularly startled when a shot rang out on Pushkin Street on July 25. But unlike the volleys that partygoers often fire heavenward in this lawless corner of...
Jewish Education Council’s Summer Institute 2013
Jewish educators gather for two evenings each August at the Simon Family JCC for the Jewish Education Council’s Summer Institute. This hands-on workshop is designed to improve teaching skills and share what works and inspires in the classroom. Mary Meyerson, a...
Area Conservative Synagogues gather for Annual Selichot services
What do five rabbis, five cantors, and five members of military families have in common? They all participated in this year’s annual shared Selichot services, held on Saturday night, August 31. For about two decades, the Conservative congregations of South Hampton...
Beth Sholom becomes a home away from home for Shabbat
Stanley Peck loves Shabbat, looking forward to sundown every Friday. He loves everything about it. He loves the prayers, the food, honoring God, and of course, being with his family. Peck recently had a bit of a challenge. He was at Beth Sholom Village for about a...
First day of school at Hebrew Academy and the Strelitz preschool
As any parent and child has experienced, the first day of school is always highly anticipated. Between setting the alarm clock for an on-time arrival to donning those very special “first day of school clothes,” it can be very exciting. A scan of friends’ Facebook...
My 50-year love affair—with Israel
This summer I thought a lot about my very first trip to Israel exactly 50 years ago. In July and August of 1963, I went on a program for high school juniors sponsored by Camp Ramah. It was only the second year of operation of the National Ramah Seminar in Israel that...
Jewish summers for Tidewater teens
JCC Maccabi Games and ArtsFest This summer, the Simon Family JCC gave me the opportunity to learn more about journalism at the Maccabi Games and ArtsFest, This International Jewish Junior Olympic and Artistic conference was held in Orange County, Calif., August 4–9....
Miller Family Library opens doors to community scholars
Laura and Jerry Miller’s vision of a library, filled with books and learning resources, where anyone in the Tidewater Jewish community can come to learn and study, will begin another chapter in its storied history on October 6. The Laura & Jerry Miller Family...