Other News

  This past year, the Ohef Sholom Temple Immigration Committee and Commonwealth Catholic Charities conducted a community-wide needs assessment and discovered an almost shocking and complete absence of affordable legal services for poor immigrants in Tidewater....

Tidewater Jewish Foundation’s online donor portal recently received a visual upgrade. The update, which went live last month, aims to make the donor portal more accessible and straightforward for users. “We at TJF are committed to a positive donor experience. In...

As December 31 approaches, tax filers should be aware of a provision in the CARES act passed last year for 2021. While many choose to file itemized deductions, those who utilize standard deductions on their federal taxes have a unique opportunity for additional...

November was a very big month for the Mitzvah Squad at Temple Israel in Norfolk. The congregation ended October by starting its Jewish Family Service Chanukah Gift Card Drive to benefit underprivilege children. Thanks to Temple Israel’s members, $3,737 in gift cards...

In honor of Veterans Day, the third and fourth grade class of Joanna Schranz at Toras Chaim School, under the leadership of Rabbi Yonah Lazar, held a special program to recognize the holiday. Craig Schranz a Commander in the United States Navy Reserve (and the...

Following UJFT’s Annual Campaign Kickoff and the inspiring speech by Izzy Ezagui, YADians continued the celebration outdoors, under the stars.

Almost immediately after Hurricane Maria barreled into Puerto Rico a year ago last month, disaster relief groups rushed to the shattered island to help with rescue and cleanup.

(JTA)—One of the largest donors to the Republican Party in New England is calling on voters to support Democratic candidates in the upcoming elections— and Seth Klarman put his money where his mouth is.

(JTA)—For months author J.K. Rowling has been warning about the dangers of anti-Semitism in England, sparring on Twitter with critics who either downplay the phenomenon or say its proponents are confusing criticism of Israel with Jew hatred.

Stephanie Ben Simon has joined Ohef Sholom Temple as director of Education and Engagement (DEE). As DEE, Ben Simon will develop and oversee a dynamic program of education and engagement for the entire congregation, creating educational opportunities in alignment with the temple’s values at every stage of the life cycle. In partnership with OST’s clergy and lay leadership, she says she is developing membership and programming plans with the goals of attracting prospective members, integrating new members into the Ohef Sholom community, as well as engaging existing members.

(JTA)—Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg posted a video of himself blowing a several-foot-long shofar.

Zuckerberg executed a perfect tekiyah- teruah-shevarim combination on the twisted ram’s horn as one of his daughters is heard crying in the background.

This past summer I spent a month in Israel with 32 of my best friends, while meeting 52 new friends, on the most amazing trip of my life. We did all the typical activities you do when traveling to Israel, like floating in the Dead Sea and climbing Masada, but the fact that I was doing it with 84 other 16-year-olds, some whom I knew and others whom I was getting to know, made it all the more special and meaningful.

(JTA)—For years, American Jewish groups have agitated for more religious pluralism in Israel. And year after year, the Israeli government has acted as if the country’s demographic and political realities make any kind of substantial reform impossible.

The latest version of an annual survey disputes that claim: It shows that Jewish Israelis disapprove of how their government handles religious issues. It shows that they want more liberal religious policies. And it says they want American Jews to intervene in the debate.

A Jew makes news, but does that make it Jewish news?

Take the case of Michael Cohen, who pleaded guilty Tuesday, August 21 to fraud and campaign finance improprieties, directly implicating his former boss, President Donald Trump. Cohen, whose father survived the Holocaust, began his education at a yeshiva day school but transferred to the Lawrence Woodmere Academy. He once described himself as an “agnostic Jew.”

But little else in his story connects him to Jewish life in an interesting or newsworthy way.

Over the past month, JFit at the Simon Family JCC, has established new programs and classes—including a massage therapy service. “I’m always looking for new opportunities for the JCC to improve our services, whether it’s a new program, equipment, or talented...

(JTA)—You know what Oreos are.
They’re two delicious chocolate cookies sandwiched around a creme filling. Oreos also come in Double Stuff, vanilla, birthday cake and pumpkin spice (really).
There is debate on how they should be eaten, but everyone knows they’re best when dunked in milk.
What you might not know is that Oreos are just a copycat of Hydrox, a sandwich cookie first sold in 1908, four years before Oreos appeared on shelves. Even though (or maybe because?) they were second, Oreos came to dominate the market, becoming a fixture in America’s grocery stores.

New York Times obituary writer Margalit Fox announced she was leaving her position after writing farewells to more than 1,400 notable, notorious or downright unusual people over a 14-year span. Fox intends to turn to book-writing full time. Among the highlights of her time on the “dead beat” were obituaries of Jewish newsmakers, which like so many of her obits stand out for the vividness of her prose and the humor she sometimes brought to solemn moments. Here are some standouts.

Congregation Beth El is opening its doors; that is, opening them wider. Recognizing that while the congregation prides itself on its hospitality, there are many ways in which the community feels it can be more actively welcoming. To that end, plans are underway to...

Created in December 2005 as a Jewish engagement and literacy program for Jewish and interfaith families with young children, PJ Library sends free Jewish children’s books and music on a monthly basis directly to families’ homes. PJ Library is a program of the Harold...

Amie and Byron Harrell do not seem like typical legacy donors. With two young sons and retirement still several decades away, they nevertheless felt compelled to help ensure the future of Tidewater’s Jewish community with a LIFE & LEGACY gift. Deeply committed to...

I have always been proud of our community. It’s what brought me to Jewish Family Service of Tidewater in 2003 after working in hospital administration. I was involved in our Federation’s young leadership programs and served on the executive board of the Jewish...

When I first walked off the plane into the Ben- Gurion Airport, I stepped straight onto a large bus that took me to my home for, what I believed, was just the next four months. I first noticed that Israel was not just a large desert, but it was more of a wonderland...

JELF (Jewish Educational Loan Fund) has assisted the Jewish community since 1889 when the doors of the Hebrew Orphans’ Home first opened in Atlanta, Georgia. Since its inception, JELF has served the five-state region of Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South...

Starting this year, the standard deduction has doubled, which will significantly reduce the number of taxpayers who itemize their deductions. If you are 70½ or older (or know someone who is), here is an easy way to help the Jewish community. Rather than simply take...