With summer right around the corner, Camp JCC is gearing up for another exciting season. Last year’s day camp program was so successful that this year’s spots are filling fast – good news for the camp and an incentive for parents to register children for a summer...
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Judy Blume is having a moment. Here’s why Jewish women love her
Two films – one about her and one based on one of her most popular books – are screening now. . . before the summer heats up and more time is spent outside... away from theaters and televisions. (JTA) — As a young teenager growing up in Manhattan, Nina Kauder found it...
Thank you to the generous Israel Fest sponsors!
• Avraham and Karen Ashkenazi • Harbor Group International • ZIM Integrated Shipping Services • AIPAC • United Airlines • Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters • Dominion Energy • Worth Higgins & Associates • Jpixx • Hatcher & Frey Orthodontics • Jewish...
Ukrainian Humanity Center
In the summer of 2022, I took a Holocaust study trip to Poland, which I spoke about at Ohef Sholom and wrote about in the Jewish News. That article closed with the fact that I was working with some of my fellow travelers to “do something” for the Ukrainian mothers and...
AIPAC Political Student Leadership Summit: an enriching experience
Standing on the steps of the United States Capitol, I was filled with a sense of gratitude and awe as I thought about the generations of Jews who came before me. I imagined how they must have viewed the United States’ overwhelming support for Israel as an unattainable...
BeARS, books…and Coasties…OH MY!
Lieutenant Kelly Kuong and Chief Warrant Officer Melinda Skinner are part of a group of four United States Coast Guardsmen who serve as BeAR mentors at Chesterfield Academy Elementary School. From Jupiter, Fla., Kuong says of reading with her second grade BeAR...
Marilyn Goldman: A mentor for life
With a personality as fiery as her signature red hair, Marilyn Wall Goldman was my first real boss and mentor, and then, my colleague and friend. In the summer of 1978, Dean Goldman suggested I call his mom, as I was looking for a summer internship and she was the...
Israeli wildlife photographer captivates Tidewater audiences
Roie Galitz, renowned wildlife photographer and environmental diplomat, visited Tidewater last month as part of the 12th annual Israel Today series presented by the Jewish Community Relations Council of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater, Simon Family Jewish...
Rabbi Panitz honored for 30 years at Temple Israel
More than 245 people packed Broudy Auditorium on Sunday, April 2 to celebrate Dr. Rabbi Michael E. Panitz's tenure of 30 plus years with Temple Israel. Pastor Craig Wansink of Second Presbyterian Church opened the program with a beautiful tribute to Rabbi Panitz....
Jewish organizations welcome suspension of judicial overhaul legislation
In response to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s announcement that he would delay a vote on judicial reforms in order to seek compromise, the Jewish Federations of North America released the following statement alongside the Conference of Presidents, the...
Connecting Jewish community with Middle Eastern food
Eitan Altshuler is with the Cardo Café/Humusiya at the Sandler Family Campus, where he has created a popular Israeli menu. Passionate about Jewish community, here he discusses his time in Israel and how he evolved…and the importance food played in his growth. Jewish...
It’s all about the People
Celebrating Israel at 75 for me always comes down to the people…and fortunately for me, many memories. Between my family’s experiences and my own, I’ve chosen a few to share here. • My father, Victor, and his parents, Irvin and Elizabeth with his brother, Alex,...
Elie Wiesel to be the first Jew honored with a bust in the National Cathedral in Washington
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....
Your Dollars at Work: Remote religion ramps up during pandemic thanks in part to UJFT zooming in with tech support to local synagogues
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...
Cantor Elihu Flax retires from Beth Sholom Village
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,...
Rabbi Adam Ruditsky joins BSV
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,”...
Camp JCC is filling fast, spaces are limited
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...
Shalom Tidewater welcomes new neighbors to Jewish Tidewater
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,...
Dear Hampton Roads Friends and Family,
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...
your dollars at work: Romania Jews enjoy heart-to-heart Passover celebration without face-to-face contact
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...
Brith Sholom installs new board
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...
Grants available for first-time campers to Jewish overnight camps
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...
A Time To Mourn From Death to Renewal
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...
TJF Thanks Legacy Donors
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 brings students to Norfolk and sends them out in the world, fully prepared
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...
Grant helps feed the hungry
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.
Israeli Supreme Court rules state must grant citizenship to non-Orthodox Jewish converts in Israel
(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....
Whale watching and Shabbat
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...
Simon Family Passport to Israel: Funds available for teen trips to Israel Application deadline: Monday, March 15
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...
An anniversary of caring: Pam Blais delivers to caregivers
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...
B’nai Tzedek Teen Philanthropy: Putting the Mitzvah in Bar and Bat Mitzvah
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...
BINA High comes back from 100% virtual with caution and success
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...