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At Tidewater’s celebration of Yom Ha’Atzmaut, Israel’s Independence Day, visitors to the Sandler Family Campus’ Fleischmann Lounge saw a collage of photographs, news articles, and scanned documents telling a 150-year-old story. Through a partnership with...
Maimonides, or the Rambam, lived from 1138 until 1204, and remains one of the most prolific Torah scholars of all time, as well as a noted physician whose treatises on such conditions as asthma, diabetes, hepatitis, and pneumonia influenced future generations of...
According to the World Health Organization, 55 million people are experiencing dementia worldwide in 2023. Symptoms include memory loss, anxiety, personality changes, and difficulty performing familiar tasks. Caregivers are often unprepared to handle the onset of...
Varied activities in various spaces at the Simon Family Jewish Community Center provide seniors a range of options for meetings, creativity, volunteering, learning, dining, socializing, and even a bit of competition. The Fleischmann Lounge, for example, is a vibrant,...
The newest space at the Sandler Family Campus, the Fleischmann Lounge, is a bright open area named in memory of a sweet and unassuming gentleman, Joe Fleischmann, who was active in the JCC Senior’s club, quietly participating in its activities. “Mr. Joe” loved...
The men of NADIV gathered on June 28 for their annual summer cookout at the home of Troy Ingram. The event of networking, enjoyment, and recapping a year of philanthropy together was held on a perfect summer evening. NADIV’s kickoff event for their 2024 campaign year...
A wonderful celebration for the Tidewater Chavurah’s 25th anniversary was held at Vino’s Italian Bistro in Kempsville on June 11. Some founding members joined the celebration, which included a video retrospective of people and events during those years. A “synagogue...
Attorney General Jason Miyares announced the members of his Antisemitism Task Force earlier this month. The members were chosen through an application process and are from the Office of the Attorney General employees, law enforcement, educators, and leaders in...
Cyber-crime is a growing national and global concern. In fact, according to the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), one in three homes in the United States have a computer infected with malicious software, 65% of Americans who went online...
TEL AVIV (JTA) — Israel’s Declaration of Independence has taken central stage this year in the country’s divided politics — sometimes literally, as when Israelis opposed to proposed changes to the judiciary carried a massive version in their protests. Now, the...
“For many decades, Dr. Ira Lederman has been a blessing to the community,” says Rabbi Michael Panitz. “His service to a large circle of patients, and his leadership-by-example within Temple Israel and the South Hampton Roads Jewish community, have made our world a...
The Conservative community gathered last month at Temple Emanuel to celebrate the second night of Shavuot with a Kabbalat Shabbat service, a simple but delicious dinner, and a communal Shavuot-teach from its rabbis and cantor. More than 50 people from all four...
(JTA)—Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked Israel for its support for his country, Sunday, March 6, the day after Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett flew to Moscow for a three-hour meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. “I am grateful to Israel...
A favorite vodka and popular soccer club are making their distance from Russia clear. Yuri Shefler, the Jewish owner of the once Russian and iconic vodka, Stolichnaya, has changed the name to Stoli in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “While I have been exiled...
Knitting and the Holocaust. Two things that most people would not automatically connect. Tanya Singer, founder of the research project, Knitting Hope, seeks to explore this connection through knitted textiles created during the Holocaust. Whether a ragged baby blanket...
Be happy it’s Adar!! That is how Deb Segaloff, president of Congregation Beth El, encourages members to get excited about Purim—the Purim Shpiel, Megillah reading, and hamentaschen taking place at the synagogue on Wednesday, March 16 at 5:45 pm. That is just one of...
(JTA)—The most prominent Jewish figure in Ukraine right now is the country’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky. The runner-up may well be another country’s famous Jewish leader. Golda Meir, the fourth prime minister of Israel and a native of Kyiv whose family fled amid...
Storytelling is an ancient tradition, one that keeps generations connected—l’dor v’dor. Author Corey Rosen reached and inspired a few generations in Tidewater when he visited February 15–16 as part of the Simon Family JCC and United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s...
After Shabbat on Saturday, February 5, families from across Hampton Roads gathered in Chabad House to welcome the new week in style. Children and parents prepared for the Havdallah ceremony by decking themselves out in glow accessories of all kinds. The lights...
V’shinantam l’vanecha, “you shall teach your children, all your children” This philosophy has guided Ohef Sholom Temple in providing a meaningful and appropriate Jewish education for all in its Religious School—creating a welcoming and inclusive environment in which...
BBG (B’nai Brith Girls) held their “Big Little” reveal on Sunday, Feb. 6. “Big Little” is an opportunity for BBGs to create closer connections, form tighter bonds, connect to the happenings of the chapter, and forge lifelong friendships. After an overwhelming response...
During the week of January 31, 45 members of the Tidewater Jewish community signed into Zoom meetings with members of the Virginia General Assembly for Virginia Jewish Advocacy Day[s] 2022. More than 300 delegates from across the Commonwealth came together on...
On a cold weekend in February, the Tidewater community found the opportunity for warmth and reflection with guest sermons, classes, and gallery talks with artist Isaac Brynjegard-Bialik and Rabbi Shawna Brynjegard-Bialik. This married couple combined Judaism, comic...
Transitioning to college life as a first-year student can be challenging. For undergraduates entering the University of Virginia over the past two years, that transition has, at times, been overwhelming. In addition to figuring out what supplies to stock up on and how...
Camp professionals often get asked: What do you do during the school year? Is planning camp a full year job? What is going to happen this summer? Which week will be Color War? When will Kona Ice be coming? Will field trips be happening? If so, to where? Is your job to...
(JTA)—From the halls of the United States Capitol to the streets of Europe, politicians and activists protesting against vaccine requirements have increasingly invoked the Holocaust. Some are wearing yellow stars, while others are sharing Nazi-era medical documents...
A friend recently said, “you do a great job of showing all sides of an issue in the paper.” Naturally, I appreciated his unsolicited comment, as balance and nuance are extremely important, especially with a readership with diverse opinions on seemingly every issue....
(JTA)—She may not have meant to, but Whoopi Goldberg waded into a charged discourse that has polarized the Jewish community—and those who seek to discriminate against them—for centuries. The controversy began brewing on The View, the daytime talk show she co-hosts,...
(JTA)—A rural Tennessee school board’s decision last month to remove Maus, the celebrated graphic novel about the Holocaust, from its curriculum has attracted fierce backlash from other pockets of the state and beyond. A nearby comic-book store is pledging to give...
The JFit training circuit at the Simon Family JCC has a new addition. It’s simply referred to as “The Chair” for those who speak “Pilates talk.” While many may have seen or be familiar with The Reformer—another, larger device used in Pilates training—the new Split...
Hunter Thomas joined United Jewish Federation of Tidewater as the new director of Arts & Ideas on Tuesday, Feb. 1. Thomas’ career began at Youngstown’s Jewish Community Center as a junior camp counselor. He later worked in various departments before most recently...
Being in Israel for my year abroad was such an amazing opportunity. Attending a year in seminary gave me the chance to form long-lasting friendships with girls from all over the world, including Mexico, Panama, London, and Switzerland. I was able to broaden my...