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Be A Reader is roaring back into schools

Be A Reader is roaring back into schools

The BeAR program started 2022 with plenty of questions, as volunteers were still not permitted in the schools. Calls to BeAR schools with offers to help resulted in many schools requesting supplies, reading and writing games, and books. They also asked for the BeAR...

“Locked In” on fun

  The first “Middle School Lock-In” in many years was hosted at the Simon Family JCC on a Saturday evening in November with 24 teens and tweens from across Tidewater’s Jewish community. Camp JCC counselors, lifeguards, and Alma Ben Chorin, one of Tidewater’s...

We’re going to Israel this Purim! Want to come?

We’re going to Israel this Purim! Want to come?

March 1–9, 2023 After a COVID-driven moratorium, United Jewish Federation of Tidewater is re-igniting its Missions Program for next March. Led by mission chairs Laura and Fred Gross, the trip will include an exciting “Purim in Tel Aviv” experience. Starting in...

Security while out and about: some timely reminders

All training is perishable and should be refreshed at least annually. As we move into the next round of holidays, this is a timely reminder. It is during this next period when auto burglaries, robberies, and residential burglaries increase. When you leave a location,...

Hanukkah gifts for local Jewish children and teens

A local Jewish man with two young children came to Jewish Family Service for help with his family and overdue bills. He had lost his full-time job when his workplace unexpectedly shut down. He did not have enough funds to pay bills and have anything else left over....

Jewish Book Festival off to a strong start

The 2022–2023 Lee and Bernard Jaffe Family Jewish Book Festival began last month with three authors, each with unique stories for the Tidewater community. Dan Grunfeld, author of By the Grace of the Game: The Holocaust, a Basketball Legacy, and an Unprecedented...

It’s time to start thinking about end-of-year planning

Winding down from the whirlwind of family High Holiday celebrations and gearing up for Thanksgiving, I am reminded that our worldview is relative. For example, instead of focusing on the volatility in the market this past quarter, we should take the long view over...

Time is running out! Take the Jewish Tidewater survey ASAP.

Survey closes February 29 In just about 15 minutes you can let Tidewater’s organized Jewish community know what you think works and what doesn’t and what you’d like to see more or less of. And, you can do it anonymously for absolutely no cost from the comfort of your...

Anti-Semitism: Why Today?

Excerpted from Rabbi Rosalin Mandelberg’s sermon at Ohef Sholom Temple on February 7, 2020. As if the fear of the coronavirus isn’t enough, the Anti-Defamation League reports that extremists are promoting conspiracy theories blaming (guess who?) the Jews. February...

Disability with dignity

In recognition of February as Jewish Disability Awareness and Inclusivity Month, this is the second of a two-piece spotlight on the community’s awareness and actions on behalf of people with disabilities. For Tidewater’s Jewish agencies, congregations, and buildings,...

Retirement works for Lois and Barry Einhorn

Spending two hours and 36 minutes interviewing community activists Lois and Barry Einhorn about ‘retirement’ at The Talbot on Granby isn’t just enlightening and educational, it is like watching two improv masters. Preparing for my first meeting with two equally...

And on the doorposts of your…house?

After four decades in the Rabbinate, the majority of them spent as the spiritual leader of Conservative congregations in New Jersey and Virginia, Temple Israel’s Rabbi, Dr. Michael Panitz, estimates he’s helped affix mezuzot to the doorposts of literally hundreds of...

Concert for social justice brings communities together

Ohef Sholom Temple saw the climax of its 175th year celebration on Sunday, January 19, with a concert featuring two of the qualities the congregation is most proud of—the vigor of its dedication to social justice through civic outreach, and the joy of music as a fount...

Help enrich the community: Take the Jewish Tidewater survey

For the first time in 19 years, Tidewater’s Jewish community is embarking on a community needs assesment. The Jewish Tidewater Survey is designed to gather information to build a stronger, more dynamic Jewish community. The last survey, the 2001 Jewish Community...

Virginia Festival of Jewish Film

The 27th Annual Virginia Festival of Jewish Film is one of the longest-running Jewish film festivals in the nation. A dedicated screening committee, led by Mark Robbins and William Laderberg, selected films meant to engage diverse Tidewater audiences—Jewish and...

Charlie Harary: Mentor, parent, friend

Sitting in my car at Norfolk International Airport on Wednesday, January 8, I was a little apprehensive. After months of preparation, I was about to meet the legendary Charlie Harary and drive him to the Simon Family JCC. Harary was visiting Tidewater as part of the...

FIDF’s Virginia Chapter holds inaugural Biking for Soldiers

On a crisp autumn morning, on Sunday, October 27, 15 volunteers began cheering as a caravan of cars—with bike racks on the back—headed for Chickahominy Riverfront Park in Williamsburg. Bikers, of all ages and physical abilities, came out to demonstrate their support...

Rekindle your relationship with food. Reboot your family history.

Filling a room with more than 250 people, Cleveland Clinic’s Chief Wellness Officer, plant-based nutrition advocate, and author of What to Eat When, Dr. Michael Roizen came with a few surprises and a healthy dose of scientific data to back them up. A pre-event warmup...

Terrapin 2.0: Farm-fueled, color-blazed, and fired up

If you ask chef Amy Brandt what makes Terrapin in Virginia Beach the area’s marriage proposal mecca, she’ll propose two main ingredients. “There’s only one restaurant in the area with the intimacy of Terrapin and 100% integrity in everything they do,” says the former...

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...