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Robin Ford For nearly a quarter of a century, the Be a Reader Literacy Project has transformed students’ lives in Norfolk and Virginia Beach Title I schools by igniting their passion for reading. As it enters its 24th year of operation, the project stands as a shining...
Elana McGovern joins United Jewish Federation of Tidewater as director of Young Leadership Campaign Amy Zelenka Throughout her professional career, Elana McGovern has worked in non-profits and philanthropy, consistently centering her work on the essential Jewish value...
Nofar Trem Children, grandparents, and everyone in between, joined PJ Library in Tidewater and UJFT’s Young Adult Division on Friday, August 25 at the Sandler Family Campus for a celebratory End of Summer Shabbat. Swimming with friends and family, adult deep-water...
Staff Report The Simon Family JCC is partnering with Lynnhaven River Now (LRNOW) to collect and distribute reusable bags. This program will help Virginia Beach residents reduce plastic bag pollution and prepare for a future when grocery stores, convenience stores, and...
Rabbi Dave Levy (JTA) — Last week we did it: My wife and I dropped our eldest son off for his first year of college. As you can imagine, it is a heady, emotional moment. There is pride and joy mixed with anxiety and the bittersweet sense that this primary chapter of...
San Francisco rabbis weigh in as robotaxis flood the city’s streets Liz Dovrat (J. The Jewish News of Northern California via JTA) Ask a rabbi about self-driving cars and you’d better be ready for a long answer. Self-driving cars — also known as robotaxis, autonomous...
During this sacred season, let us reflect on the impact we want to make on the world and how we can align our philanthropic goals with our values. Naomi Sedek As the High Holidays approach, we find ourselves standing at the threshold of a new year, an opportunity for...
The recipient of the 2023 Feldman Family Medical & Health Professions Student Scholarship is Nophar Tzilil Yarden, a third-year medical school student at Virginia Commonwealth University. The scholarship is administered through Tidewater Jewish Foundation. Raised...
All area congregations offer High Holiday services. For exact times, ticket requirements, and virtual options, it is best to contact them in advance. CONGREGATIONS B’NAI ISRAEL CONGREGATION 420 Spotswood Ave., Norfolk, VA 23517 757-627-7358 bnaiisrael.org,...
Stephanie Peck This year celebrates the sixth, worldwide Reverse Tashlich, an effort to tackle the global pollution problem by cleaning up our waterways. Tashlich comes from the Hebrew word, meaning “to cast.” Each Rosh Hashanah, Jews cast away their sins during the...
Stephanie Peck Among its many activities, Jewish Family Service attempts to make all the major Jewish holidays better for those who might need a bit of a boost or metaphorical hug. Prior to Rosh Hashanah, for example, Jewish Family Service will deliver holiday gift...
Following four years of service to Orlando’s Jewish community, Rabbi Meir and Adina Lessoff have brought their passion and commitment to Virginia Beach. Their mission: to reach Jews in search of a deeper connection to their heritage. Arriving as newcomers to Virginia...
The Simon Family JCC’s Annual Catch and Release Fishing Derby at Lake Sandler took place Sunday, May 22. The Annual Fishing Derby is the only day of the year that Lake Sandler is open to the public for fishing—and word is out that it’s a great place to “reel ‘em in.”...
Mental health and wellbeing has received a larger spotlight over the past few years. With the COVID-19 pandemic, quarantines, lack of in-person contact, and day-to-day stress, it’s no surprise that everyone from Olympic athletes to college students have made mental...
If fun, community, food, entertainment, and friends that are all at least 55 years old are of interest, now is the time join the JCC Seniors Club. The Club’s May meeting hosted Frank Sings Frank with Frank Cubillo singing many of Frank Sinatra’s greatest hits. Patsi...
The virtual conference of the Jewish Book Council Network recently took place with lay leaders and staff of United Jewish Federation of Tidewater attending. The JBC Network, which includes roughly 120 member organizations across North America, provides an annual...
A new six-week class on Jewish art through United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s Konikoff Center of Learning has received the support of an anonymous donor, making the classes free for all who attended. The classes were a part of the curriculum offered by Jewish Art...
BBYO celebrated the end of the school year at Harbor Park watching the Norfolk Tides on Sunday, May 15. BBYO members, prospects, and their families enjoyed lunch and plenty of cold soft drinks on a private patio during this warm afternoon. While not the final program,...
Debbie Burke, an award-winning author and editor, and the founder of Queen Esther Publishing LLC, joined Jewish News last month as a staff copywriter. Burke has edited hundreds of books and articles for authors around the world, as well as for many boutique and...
(JTA)—In the 1920s, the National Council of Jewish Women helped establish the first 10 birth control clinics in the United States, which later became Planned Parenthood clinics. Now, with the right to abortion under threat, the group is partnering with the National...
WASHINGTON (JTA)—Antisemitism is often not taken seriously until it becomes deadly, said Deborah Lipstadt, the Holocaust scholar whose nomination to be the State Department’s antisemitism monitor was delayed as she tangled with Republican senators who were peeved at...
(JTA)—The man charged with killing 10 people at a Buffalo, New York, supermarket Saturday, May 14, allegedly was motivated by a conspiracy theory that has spurred recent deadly attacks on Jews, among others. An online manifesto attributed to Payton Gendron, 18,...
Jewish Family Service of Tidewater hosted its 18th annual Run, Roll, or Stroll race day event on Sunday, May 1. After two years of postponing due to COVID, this year’s Run, Roll, or Stroll came back in a big way with a record turn-out, with more than 350 people...
Earlier this month, Jewish Federations of North America relaunched the biennial Washington Conference. The original incarnation ran from the late 1970’s through 2004. JFNA hosted the event once again for a group of more than 450 community members from across North...
Hal Sacks was a man of many words and a visionary. An author of two books and the Jewish News Book Review editor for more than 30 years, among his many activities within Tidewater’s Jewish community, Sacks spent several years on a personal mission to benefit the...
“Why fit in when you were born to stand out? “Today you are you! That is truer than true! There is no one alive who is you-er than you!” Dr. Seuss, quoted above, must have known exactly what it means to work at Camp JCC. Staff members are hired because of WHO they...
(JTA)—The Jewish Telegraphic Agency and its partners at 70 Faces Media have answered the question many times over the years, a testament to its persistence in political life and its significance to American Jews: What do Jews say about abortion? After a report that...
(JTA) — Let’s get one thing out of the way: Elon Musk is not Jewish. But his acquisition of Twitter comes amid longstanding problems with antisemitism and hate speech on the platform—and Jewish users fear his free-speech orientation could make things worse. Musk’s...
Summer 2022 is only weeks away and camps around town and the country, for that matter, are preparing to welcome campers. Camp JCC, according to Dave Flagler, the camp’s director, is gearing up for an amazing experience. “Excitement about Camp JCC within the Tidewater...
By Presidential Proclamation every year since 2006, May is Jewish American Heritage Month (JAHM) in recognition of the indelible contributions Jewish Americans have made, and continue to make, to America’s history, culture, and society. The Weitzman leads this...
A packed house of Strelitz International Academy parents watched their children perform on stage, many for the first time, on Thursday, March 24. After two years of COVID mitigations, including no family programs or performances, SIA’s Evening of the Arts: How...
The following letter was sent to Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin and others earlier this month to highlight the fact that there has never been a Jewish judge on the Virginia Supreme Court. April 13, 2022 The Honorable Glenn Youngkin Governor Office of the Governor...