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Jewish News: When and where did you meet? Sarah and Bill Keasey: We met online May 5, 2008 on Bikerkiss.com. We both had Harleys. JN: What was most memorable about your ceremony? S&B: The most memorable was to have our wonderful family and friends surround us. JN:...
In August, Pam Gladstone, executive director for Congregation Beth El, turns 80. For more than three of her nearly nine decades, congregants, vendors, and visitors to Beth El have been accustomed to Pam’s friendly greeting at the sanctuary’s door or on the phone....
Two members of the leadership team at Beth Sholom Village were recently recognized with promotions, new designations earned, and for their community-wide work. Mazel Tov Lauren Schoenfeld and Amy Weinstein! Lauren Schoenfeld, LNHA The new administrator of the...
Artist Jean-Pierre Weill recently spoke to Alene Jo Kaufman of KBH Synagogue about his book, Evolve: A Children’s Book for Adults as part of the Lee and Bernard Jaffe Family Jewish Book Festival. The conversation took place on Zoom. Weill, a father of five who was...
The Swordfish winter youth swim team may have been small, but they accomplished big things. Lead by coaches Leia Sabatini and Kayleigh Carnazza, the Swordfish broke 14 team records this season. During their three swim meets, Sawyer White, 9 years old, set three new...
(JTA)—An event that took place at James Madison University on Thursday, Jan. 26 to mark International Holocaust Remembrance Day was scheduled to feature lectures about the legacies of Auschwitz and the intersection between white supremacy and antisemitism. There was...
February 5–11 Atlanta, Ga.—A national non-profit public health initiative dedicated to preventing genetic diseases, JScreen’s fourth annual Jewish Genetic Screening Awareness Week is taking place Sunday, Feb. 5 to Saturday, Feb. 11. Initiated in 2020 with...
One of the first items of business when someone is new to a role is to reach out to colleagues in the field to better understand how things work and learn best practices. I was fortunate to have the beginning of my tenure as director of United Jewish Federation of...
The question looms for most everyone in the workforce: When will I know I’m financially prepared to retire? Jeffrey S. Chernitzer, CPA/PFS (Personal Financial Specialist), a wealth advisor with Buckingham Strategic Wealth, agreed to offer Jewish News readers some...
New chapters and challenges seem to have always been the norm for Sandee Lefcoe. During the early years of her marriage, for example, she worked at the University of Virginia Hospital in Recreational Therapy in the psychiatric unit. Then, with one of her best friends,...
After a national search, United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s program department started 2023 with new directors for its Holocaust Commission and Jewish Community Relations Council. Both directors quickly immersed themselves in their roles with projects and events....
The new membership year for the JCC Seniors Club is off to a great start, due in part to its active year in 2022. There is so much going on with this mainly retired and very active group that it’s hard to know where to start or who to feature. Here are a few...
WASHINGTON (JTA)—Washington’s National Cathedral, known for its role during presidential inaugurations and other days of national import, is honoring Elie Wiesel, the Nobel Peace Laureate and Holocaust memoirist with a bust, making him the first Jew to be so honored....
In the digital-turned-remote age of work and worship, every single dollar makes a difference. Five synagogues in the area received funds from United Jewish Federation of Tidewater and the COVID-19 Emergency Relief Fund of the Tidewater Jewish Community to upgrade and...
After almost 18 years of serving the spiritual and religious needs of Beth Sholom Village as its director of Religious Services, Cantor Elihu Flax is retiring in July. Cantor Flax became a fixture at BSV, taking an interest in all of the residents who lived there,...
Beth Sholom Village is set to welcome Rabbi Adam Ruditsky as its new Religious Cultural Leader. Ordained by the Academy for Jewish Religion of California in Los Angeles, Ruditsky embraces the words of the Kotzker Rebbe, who taught, “a whole heart is a broken heart,”...
The most common questions that people ask regarding summer camp, says Dave Flagler, Camp JCC director, concerns swimming. “People want to know if swimming will take place,” he says. “’Of course, it will!’ I tell everyone.” Camp JCC, after all, is known for its...
Have you met or do you know someone who has recently moved to our community? If so, Shalom Tidewater would love to welcome them on behalf of United Jewish Federation of Tidewater and the Simon Family JCC. Please direct them to the link on our website,...
As you may have already heard, Rebecca Aleck Koltun, daughter of Virginia Beach native Audrey (Aleck) Koltun and her husband Scott, and the granddaughter of Helen and Warren Aleck, suffered a life-altering, horrific skiing accident on March 13. Rebeca severely...
Like Jews around the globe, Romanian Jews have their own history and reason to be proud to belong to the big family of Bereshit, where they learn together and celebrate Judaism. “As we all turn to preparing for Pesah in our homes, I am proud to share what is taking...
In February, Brith Sholom held their first successful online elections, which were necessary due to the pandemic. The newly elected officers and board members were installed during a Zoom meeting on Sunday, March 7. The installed officers and board members are: Joe...
As the world begins to safely open up, many families are beginning to look for activities for their children this summer. For those considering Jewish overnight camps, the Tidewater Jewish Foundation is partnering with the Foundation for Jewish Camp’s One Happy Camper...
Pandemic A dangerous new phenomenon entered our 2020 vision. A novel virus would forever change our lives and our times. Marching us from spring and falling into autumn without even looking. Dementia Her normal eccentricity quickly magnified into the bizarre. Storing...
Today, we honor and thank our Legacy donors, who have committed themselves to the future of the Tidewater Jewish community. Your gift(s) will help meet the challenges and needs our community faces for generations to come. Thank you. View TJF Life & Legacy list.
Yeshivas Aish Kodesh Talmudical Academy of Norfolk is a four-year high school for Jewish boys, offering a dual curriculum of Judaic Studies, along with a complete General Studies program —in a religious environment. The pride and joy of the YAK staff is the...
Jewish Family Service received a grant from Food Lion Feeds Charitable Foundation in the amount of $2,500 to purchase food for members of the community who might otherwise go hungry.
(JTA)—Israel must grant citizenship to Jews who converted to Judaism in Israel under non-Orthodox auspices, its Supreme Court ruled Monday, March 1, possibly igniting another round in the long-running government battle over who the state should recognize as Jewish....
Actually standing in a boat looking at a whale in the water, it’s not hard to imagine how one swallowed Jonah. Encouraging her students to be inquisitors, Morah Nicole’s class at Strelitz International Academy has become enthralled with all kinds of whales. That’s how...
Tidewater Jewish Foundation’s Simon Family Passport to Israel Fund, which provides grants for trips for teens to Israel, is accepting applications for the program until March 15, 2021. The program provides funds to enable and encourage Jewish students to participate...
Anniversaries are sometimes faced with mixed emotions. For some, there’s pure joy in recalling a wedding anniversary or the day children or grandchildren were born. Conversely, some bring sadness, reminders of the loss of loved ones or of a catastrophic event such as...
Around the time of their bar or bat mitzvot, teens explore what it means to become an adult and active member of the Jewish community. They study Torah, learn to lead services, perform mitzvah projects and begin their journey into Jewish philanthropy. The Tidewater...
The BINA curriculum actively encourages high school students “to develop their love for Hashem, His Torah, and the Jewish people.” The close-knit BINA staff partners with parents to help each student actualize her potential in a supportive and challenging academic...