(JTA)—Agudath Israel of America, the national Orthodox Jewish organization for which I work, welcomed the U.S. Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v. Wade. Predictably, we were immediately cast into an “enemy” or “ally” box, depending on who was doing the casting. The...
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Supreme Court decision on coach’s prayer throws doubt on a 30-year-old victory for a Jewish family
WASHINGTON (JTA)—The Supreme Court ruled in favor of a Seattle-area football coach who lost his job after leading prayers on the field following his team’s victories, in a decision that could have ramifications for Jews in public schools and the military. A number of...
‘Shattered in an instant’: Illinois Rep. Brad Schneider describes the scene of the July 4 Highland Park shooting
(JTA)—Brad Schneider knows from Chicagoland July 4 parades. The Jewish Democratic congressman has been working them since 2011, when he started running for his first term in Illinois’ 10th district. He packs five parades in on the day, and he can rattle off the...
Globetrotting with Edie Weiss
Edie Weiss has embraced a life of travel and learned volumes about archeology, food, fashion, and how people relate to one another as a global community. A retired self-employed CPA, she shares what she’s learned about seeing the world and soaking it all in. Jewish...
Rabbi Michael Panitz: Historian and film buff
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...
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...
Jewish Family Service receives and distributes warmth for the holidays
When a local Catholic church asked Jewish Family Service of Tidewater, “do you have people you want to help?” the question undoubtedly resulted in a community partnership full of good will and good cheer. Such was the case for JFS and Catholic Church of St. Stephen in...
Where there’s life, there’s legacy
That connection ran deep, milestone after milestone, family after family. “As a rabbinical family, we were so privileged to be part of people’s lives,” says Miriam Brunn Ruberg. “When a baby was born, we got the call. When that child grew up, Arthur was the rabbi for...
Make the most of year-end gifts: Charitable Giving tax benefits
Savvy donors are thoughtful about where and how they invest their charitable dollars. At the end of the year, consider these giving vehicles to help achieve your philanthropic goals and maximize tax savings. Open a Donor Advised Fund Use this “bunching” strategy to...
The Tell: Executive order disorder
WASHINGTON (JTA)—’Tis the season for so much news! In addition to another deadly attack on U.S. Jews, a much-anticipated British election and the announcement that Israel is going to have a third election in less than a year, President Trump issued an executive order...
We need to thank the unsung heroes keeping American synagogues safe
WASHINGTON (JTA)—When I was about 19 years old, I took my first trip to Europe. I marveled at its beauty, its culture, its history and its architecture. On this trip and many others that followed, I shed many tears as I visited the numerous synagogues, Jewish museums,...
Mel Brooks gets serious in HBO special— but there’s plenty of shtick, too
(JTA)—Mel Brooks’ new HBO special is a departure from the comedian’s typical belly-laugh fare. In place of the slapstick gallows humor—though there’s plenty of that, too, in Mel Brooks Unwrapped—is a more introspective, documentary-style reminiscence of his nearly...
Happy Hanukkah!
Dear Readers, The first Hanukkah candle is lit this year on the evening of Sunday, December 22, which means of course, the fourth will be lit on Christmas. While some might say that the Jewish holiday’s overlap with the most major of Christian days might result in...
Hanukkah in Tidewater
Tidewater is fortunate to have so many great Hanukkah events taking place around town this year. Check some of them out here. Saturday, December 14 Ohef Sholom Temple OSTY Chanukah Party Sunday, Dec. 15, 11:30 Am–2:30 pm Simon Family JCC Latkapalooza A day filled with...
Latkepalooza: A family celebration
A community celebration of Hanukkah, Latkepalooza features three children’s books and authors, a camp extravaganza, light lunch and latkes, raffle, crafts, and live music. Latkepalooza 2019 is a family-friendly mini-book festival filled with group activities, camp...
Ohef Sholom Temple celebrates 175 years with Gala
Nearly 300 people arrived at Ohef Sholom Temple on Saturday, November 16 for the Temple’s 175th Anniversary Gala. The evening was beyond expectations, and really offered something for everyone: a jazz quartet to start the party, a dance band, and a piano bar where...
Great Big Challah Bake celebrates five years
The Fifth Annual Great Big Challah Bake offered a chance to learn and experience the joy and mitzvah of making challah. Chaired by darcy Bloch, B’nai israel Congregation invited all Jewish women to participate in this event, which took place last month at the...
Following provocative panel on end-of-life issues, Hadassah seeks to rebuild presence in area
For its first event in Tidewater in recent years, national and regional leadership of Hadassah could only guess what the turnout would be for a program on ethical issues surrounding end-of- life. The event on Sunday, November 3 at the Simon Family JCC did not...
Super Sunday 2020: A perfect vision
Super Sunday is the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s annual phone-a-thon fundraiser dating back to the 1980’s. This year’s ‘community call’ had kid-friendly written all over it. A group of emerging leaders known as the Rishon committee, led by Amie Harrell,...
Leave the Holocaust out of your self-promotion, political agenda and profit-seeking
NEW YORK (JTA)—Here we go again: Just this month, two more cases of the abuse of Holocaust imagery have surfaced and created an international stir. In November, Russian figure skater Anton Shulepov wore an Auschwitz- themed costume during his free skating performance...
Lighting the way, writing our story together
Tidewater’s Jewish community came together on September 26 to find strength in shared values, envision our community’s future, and IGNITE our 2020 Community Campaign. We celebrated our Tidewater community and recognized the individual impact of each gift, as well as...
In the Jewish heart of Pittsburgh, Mister Rogers was actually our neighbor
This story originally appeared on Kveller. I’m sitting in a sold-out first weekend movie premiere of A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, delighted by the fact that this movie was filmed in my Pittsburgh neighborhood, Squirrel Hill. it’s an upscale, multicultural...
Are the Jewish mobsters referenced in The Irishman real?
Very minor spoilers ahead for The Irishman—but nothing big, we promise. (JTA)—The irishman, Martin Scorsese’s latest organized crime epic, is now streamable on Netflix. Even if the significant digital de-aging of the actors involved is a bit distracting, the film’s...
Sacha Baron Cohen calls social media ‘the greatest propaganda machine in history’
NEW YORK (JTA)—Sacha Baron Cohen has made a career out of playing absurd comedic characters, from the dopey Brit Ali G to the Kazakh journalist Borat to the Israeli veteran Erran Morad. He rarely gives interviews and stays relatively far from the movie star limelight....
Hineni reunion: a time to catch up and make new plans
On a beautiful night in September, more than 40 people gathered at the Cavalier Golf and Yacht Club to see old friends and make new ones. Some talked about children who recently celebrated their Bar or Bat Mitzvah, while others showed off pictures of infants. Everyone...
VBPD visits Virginia Holocaust Museum
The Virginia Beach Police Department continued their commitment to “Never Again” by taking a group of 30 recruits to visit the Virginia Holocaust Museum on November 1, a trip they make twice a year. Organized by the Virginia Beach Law Enforcement Training Academy,...