A casual movie-goer until his mid-30s, Rabbi Michael Panitz, PhD, found that the invention of the VHS allowed him to enjoy films at home—and he began to study them. At the same time, he realized that films on Jewish subjects would be very useful in his work as a rabbi...
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Rare gems between the covers at the Bonk-Rivin Holocaust Collection
The Bonk-Rivin Holocaust Collection at Ohef Sholom Temple is managed by David Titus, a former college professor and academic librarian, and it is here that all corners of the Holocaust are explored. Titus has been a librarian for more than 45 years. He tells Jewish...
JCC Senior Book Club meets monthly
Third Mondays, 1:30 pm, Sandler Family Campus Simon Family Jewish Community Center’s Book Club has been active since it began in February 2008. When I was senior adult program coordinator for Jewish Family Service and Jewish Community Center, I recognized the need and...
Dementia Care training for BSV employees
Beth Sholom Village recently held an Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia Care Seminar for all of its staff. The seminars were designed by the National Council of Certified Dementia Practitioners LLC (NCCDP LLC), and the classes were facilitated by Tree of Life Dementia...
Where stamps intersect Judaism
Joe Weintrob has been collecting stamps specifically about Israel, Jewish life, and the Holocaust since he was in the Cub Scouts in 1954. Now, Weintrob particularly likes to look for KKL (Keren Kayemet Le’Israel) stamps, which feature the early history of Israel and...
A rewarding and robust retirement: Steve and Nancy Rosenberg
Long-time Virginia Beach residents Nancy and Steve Rosenberg have made the Simon Family JCC’s Fitness facilities a huge part of their life. Steve, a retired health care administrator, works out on the elliptical, treadmill, free weights, weight presses, and band...
A stitch in time brings happiness to others
The quilters at Ohef Sholom Temple are all about creating beautiful designs that bring joy and provide a rewarding sense of community. Marsha Moody says it’s fun, creative, and meaningful. “I’ve always loved fabric,” Moody says. “When we lived in Charlottesville in...
Indian River High School honors the memory of Holocaust survivors
In the first semester of the 2021–22 school year, I taught my Virginia and U.S. History classes about the Holocaust and mentioned the local survivors and rescuers who had graciously shared their stories with former Indian River High School students in the past. I...
New director of Lifelong Learning at Ohef Sholom
Many congregants and families at Ohef Sholom Temple already know its new director of Lifelong Learning, Alyson Morrissey. There are several reasons that Morrissey is well known around the temple. A beloved Jewish educator, Morrissey has taught in OST’s Religious and...
Progress continues on Marty Einhorn Pavilion
Exciting things are happening as construction on the Marty Einhorn Pavilion at the Sandler Family Campus continues to move forward. The concrete is in, the ceiling fans are on site, and the LED color-changing lights have just been installed. Named in memory of Marty...
Tidewater Ukraine Emergency Fund raises more than $675,000
As the war rages on in Ukraine, Jewish Tidewater has continued to give to the Tidewater Ukraine Emergency Fund. The fund has now raised and distributed approximately $678,000 to help the people of Ukraine via United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s overseas partners,...
Breyer fears Supreme Court ruling in Maine school case could lead to broad funding for religious schools
WASHINGTON (JTA)—The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of Maine parents seeking funding to send their children to religious schools, a development that a dissenting Jewish justice, Stephen Breyer, suggested could open the door to broad public funding of parochial...
Jewish Family Service’s disability programs take place all year
Programs focusing on including and enriching the lives of those with various forms of disabilities or special needs are a big part of Jewish Family Service’s work. For more than 25 years, for example, Jewish Family Service has collaborated with the Jewish Community...
Disability with dignity
In order to best serve a community’s diverse needs, accountability and awareness co-exist with Kavod, the Hebrew term that translates to concepts of dignity, honor and respect. February is Jewish Disability Awareness and Inclusion Month. The community’s commitment to...
Generous donors help Jewish Family Service assist 229 locals during Hanukkah
Now in its 27th year, Jewish Family Service of Tidewater’s Chanukah Gift program annually helps local Jewish families in financial need with gifts and gift cards for those with children and teens, and with VISA gift cards for those without children. The community...
JCC Youth Basketball League tribute Sofia Ruiz Konikoff
For decades, the Simon Family JCC Youth Basketball League has mixed sportsmanship and athletic skill building with fun and friendship. The league is open to children of all faiths from kindergarten to 5th grade. The 2020 JCC Youth Basketball League season is dedicated...
BurgerIM opens in Norfolk
The Israeli burger chain, BurgerIM recently opened two locations in Norfolk, one just outside the Norfolk Premium Outlet mall and one on West 25th St. Burgerim, by the way, is the plural of burger in Hebrew. Started in Tel Aviv, the chain is expanding throughout the...
Kitchen Barn: Still crazy busy after all these years
Walk into Kitchen Barn in Virginia Beach, home to 100,000 kitchen gadgets and five full lines of cookware, and you’ll be greeted by a warm and friendly face with a head full of knowledge. The broad smile might belong to Annmarie King whose thick salt and pepper hair...
Dear Virginia Beach City Public School Jewish Community Families
I’m writing to share with you news that the first day of school in the 2021–2022 academic year will be September 7. This of course coincides with the first day of Rosh Hashanah, marking the Jewish New Year, the beginning of the holiest time of the year for the Jewish...
Tidewater Jewish Foundation’s LIFE & LEGACY continues growth
In three years of the LIFE & LEGACY program, spearheaded by Tidewater Jewish Foundation, 530 new commitments have been made for a total of $20,208,740 in endowed gifts to support the Jewish community’s future. Consider: • More than $4 million in endowed gifts to...
Community Campaign looks to finish strong…and early!
The United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s 2020 Community Campaign—came out of the gate strong once again this year. As this article goes to print, the campaign total stands at $4.43 million from more than 1,000 individual donors—well on its way to a successful...
Why I give…
To help maintain a spiritual home Hilary Truman Life & Legacy Donor Temple Emanuel became a home I didn’t know I was looking for. The first time I came, I came to support my best friend. My daughter enjoyed the atmosphere and the people, so I came with my friend a...
BINA on the go!!!!
December was a very busy month for BINA High School students. While many students are enrolled in dual curriculum college courses with Virginia Wesleyan University and were occupied with their heavy course load, this did not stop them from enjoying additional...
Second Annual Chinese Community Buffet
Make Kosher Chinese food, and they will come…; In New York City or even in Tidewater, scoring a reservation at a Chinese restaurant on Christmas Day, is well, like a miracle. No miracles needed for reservations at the Chinese Community Dinner at Beth Sholom Village....
My Interview with Yaakov Katz, the Jerusalem Post’s editor-In-chief
Yaakov Katz, editor-In-chief of the Jerusalem Post, educated and enlightened our community as part of the 2019–2020 Israel Today series. Katz is author of Shadow Strike: Inside Israel’s Secret Mission to Eliminate Syrian Nuclear Power. He shared his message over...
Spiritual late bloomer goes digging to discover what was ‘here all along’
Former Obama White House speechwriter Sarah Hurwitz came to Temple Emanuel to sign books and share what she learned on her post-White House Jewish journey on Sunday, December 8. The Lee and Bernard Jaffe Family Jewish Book Festival and the Milton “Mickey” Kramer...
Iran has retaliated against Jewish targets before. But the Soleimani killing isn’t changing Jewish security around the world.
JERUSALEM (JTA)—On March 17, 1992, a suicide bomber drove a truck into the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires, killing 29 and injuring hundreds of others. Two years later, in the same city, on July 18, 1994, another bomber drove a truck into the AMIA Jewish center,...
Virginia’s first female, first Jewish Speaker: Eileen Filler-Corn
Diversity across the Commonwealth. Diversity in the House. Eileen Filler-Corn’s historical new role as the Commonwealth of Virginia’s first woman and first Jewish Speaker of the House of Delegates is big news, locally, nationally, and even in Israel. Since November,...
A resolution over Iran splits a tight group of moderate Jewish lawmakers
WASHINGTON (JTA)—Max Rose, Elissa Slotkin and Elaine Luria are the Jewish third of the “Gang of Nine,” moderate Democrats in the House with national security backgrounds from swing districts. It’s a tight group, as described by Politico last year: The nine Democrats...
Strelitz International Academy: Teaching to think globally, act locally
As an International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program candidate school, Strelitz International Academy provides a global and inquiry-based education with a mission to nurture active, compassionate lifelong learners grounded by intercultural understanding and...
BINA High School’s Annual Thanksgiving Bake Sale raises funds and treats
Prepared with hundreds of pies, dozens of cookies, and breads, BINA girl’s high school held their annual Thanksgiving bake sale on Tuesday, November 26 at Dominion Tower to raise crucial operating funds. A second location at the World Trade Center allowed more...
Tasty Hanukkah twists and turns
Everyone loves latkes. Making them is another story. Is buying frozen potato pancakes or working with a mix the way to go? Some say, ‘most definitely,’ others, reply ‘No Way!’ This is the second article (of two) featuring serious cooks who ‘play with their food’ and...