A favorite vodka and popular soccer club are making their distance from Russia clear. Yuri Shefler, the Jewish owner of the once Russian and iconic vodka, Stolichnaya, has changed the name to Stoli in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “While I have been exiled...
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Knitting to remember and teach
Knitting and the Holocaust. Two things that most people would not automatically connect. Tanya Singer, founder of the research project, Knitting Hope, seeks to explore this connection through knitted textiles created during the Holocaust. Whether a ragged baby blanket...
Congregation Beth El is open and active
Be happy it’s Adar!! That is how Deb Segaloff, president of Congregation Beth El, encourages members to get excited about Purim—the Purim Shpiel, Megillah reading, and hamentaschen taking place at the synagogue on Wednesday, March 16 at 5:45 pm. That is just one of...
Former Israeli prime minister Golda Meir is a hero to Ukrainians in the fight against Russia
(JTA)—The most prominent Jewish figure in Ukraine right now is the country’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky. The runner-up may well be another country’s famous Jewish leader. Golda Meir, the fourth prime minister of Israel and a native of Kyiv whose family fled amid...
Three generations connected through storytelling
Storytelling is an ancient tradition, one that keeps generations connected—l’dor v’dor. Author Corey Rosen reached and inspired a few generations in Tidewater when he visited February 15–16 as part of the Simon Family JCC and United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s...
Chabad of Tidewater’s Family Havdallah Glow Party a huge hit
After Shabbat on Saturday, February 5, families from across Hampton Roads gathered in Chabad House to welcome the new week in style. Children and parents prepared for the Havdallah ceremony by decking themselves out in glow accessories of all kinds. The lights...
All Ohef Sholom Temple children can breathe the air (know the word) (eat of the tree) of Torah
V’shinantam l’vanecha, “you shall teach your children, all your children” This philosophy has guided Ohef Sholom Temple in providing a meaningful and appropriate Jewish education for all in its Religious School—creating a welcoming and inclusive environment in which...
BBG “Big Littles” becomes a “family” affair
BBG (B’nai Brith Girls) held their “Big Little” reveal on Sunday, Feb. 6. “Big Little” is an opportunity for BBGs to create closer connections, form tighter bonds, connect to the happenings of the chapter, and forge lifelong friendships. After an overwhelming response...
Virginia Jewish Advocacy Day 2022
During the week of January 31, 45 members of the Tidewater Jewish community signed into Zoom meetings with members of the Virginia General Assembly for Virginia Jewish Advocacy Day[s] 2022. More than 300 delegates from across the Commonwealth came together on...
Tidewater comes together to learn through Paper Midrash
On a cold weekend in February, the Tidewater community found the opportunity for warmth and reflection with guest sermons, classes, and gallery talks with artist Isaac Brynjegard-Bialik and Rabbi Shawna Brynjegard-Bialik. This married couple combined Judaism, comic...
TJF Community Impact Grant helps new Jewish students at UVA adjust to college life
Transitioning to college life as a first-year student can be challenging. For undergraduates entering the University of Virginia over the past two years, that transition has, at times, been overwhelming. In addition to figuring out what supplies to stock up on and how...
Planning for Camp JCC
Camp professionals often get asked: What do you do during the school year? Is planning camp a full year job? What is going to happen this summer? Which week will be Color War? When will Kona Ice be coming? Will field trips be happening? If so, to where? Is your job to...
Inclusion a priority at Congregation Beth El
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...
PJ Library delivers books to homes of young children
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...
Local Jewish community and Israel trip impact Harrells’ decision to be LIFE & LEGACY donors
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...
Building Community, Together
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...
Simon Family Passport to Israel Program grant recipient learns the importance of Israel
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...
Interest-free loans available for higher education for Jewish students
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...
Reduce your taxes with an IRA Gift in 2018
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...
In Jerusalem, Ruth Bader Ginsburg celebrates her commitment to tikkun olam
JERUSALEM (JTA)— Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg described how grateful she was for her Jewish heritage during a screening of a new documentary film about her life and career at the Jerusalem Cinematheque. “The demand for justice, peace and enlightenment...
Retiring Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy’s Jewish legacy
NEW YORK (JTA)—Not an hour after Anthony Kennedy announced his retirement as associate justice on the Supreme Court, the National Council of Jewish Women tweeted its dismay. “Justice Kennedy’s retirement could drastically shift the balance of the Supreme Court, and...
Local rabbi represents community at Pride event
During the week in which the LGBTQAI community celebrates its local presence, Rabbi Ellen Jaffe-Gill, spiritual leader of Tidewater Chavurah, represented the Jewish community at Hampton Roads Pride’s interfaith event on June 26 at New Life Metropolitan Community...
Brith Sholom’s move to Beth Sholom has been a win-win
Energetic president Joe Goldberg has led a 300% rise in membership “No heat, no bugs, no rain.” That’s how Joe Goldberg described the wise decision to move a July 1 pre-holiday cookout into the Pincus Paul Community Room at Beth Sholom Village. There were no...
Beth Sholom thanks Honor Campaign donors with reception and uplifting message
It is not immediately evident when walking into the Auburn Drive lobby, but all around the Berger-Goldrich Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center at Beth Sholom Village in Virginia Beach, a major renovation of patient rooms, corridors, and other spaces is underway....
YAD connects with Israeli Sister City, Kiryat Yam
The United Jewish Federation of Tidewater has a special bond with its Israeli sister city, Kiryat Yam. The coastal city is just 12km north of Haifa, and like Norfolk, is also known for its mermaids. After a mission trip to Israel in 2016, UJFT’s Young Adult Division’s...
Legal Matters
Legal Matters, July 16, 2018
Teens and seniors bond through Better Together at Beth Sholom Village
When Alisa Kosovsky got to Beth Sholom Village, she immediately walked over to sit with Lillian Kozak. The two are decades apart in age, but as close as ever. One is on the precipice of starting her life independent of her family—in college. The other is looking back...
Sandler Family Golf Tournament raises funds for three area organizations
Philanthropy was so intricately woven into the fabric of Reba and Sam Sandler’s family, that it should be no surprise that their children continue on their parents’ path. Perhaps one might suggest however, that equally important to their own generous gifts is that...
JFS award-winning home health aide is dedicated to her clients
When Jewish Family Service of Tidewater’s nurse’s aide Tiphaney Powell speaks about her clients, she does so with a great deal of respect, love, and admiration. After all, when your clients are two 93-year-old women and a 96-year-old man, a lot of life lessons may be...
The Birthright Israel Experience
I recently returned from leading my 38th Birthright Israel trip. Virginia-based students on this trip were from William and Mary, Christopher Newport University, and Old Dominion University. Students always ask if the trip gets old for me. After all, we go to mostly...
Elsie’s Story
She speaks with a slight, but distinct, accent whose origin I had long suspected, but, given her age and all that implied, been hesitant to ask. One night at dinner, though, I posed the simple question to 95-year-old Elsie Hirsch, “Where are you from?” She looked at...
CRC and JCC partner with Virginia Beach public libraries for National Jewish American Heritage Month
On April 20, 2006, President George W. Bush proclaimed May to be Jewish American Heritage Month (JAHM). The announcement was the crowning achievement in an effort by the Jewish Museum of Florida and South Florida Jewish community leaders. Their dedication resulted in...