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...
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Making Hampton Roads a more equitable community for all
What is racial equity? The phrase has been in the news, in communities, and in corporations with increasing attention of late. Simply put, racial equity means acknowledging that racism exists, working together to fix problems caused by discrimination, ensuring People...
The rabbi, spiritual care, and Beth Sholom Village
Beth Sholom Village is not a synagogue, but a skilled nursing and assisted living facility. At the same time, BSV is a Kosher facility and celebrates Jewish holidays and traditions, underscoring how it operates. Aside from Shabbat services, a Christian service and...
CARES Act provides $300 in charitable deductions for 2021
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...
What do the Strelitz International Academy and the Entrepreneurship and Business Academy at Kempsville High School have in common?
Strelitz International Academy is known for giving students a great foundation for life. SIA students graduate with the ability to apply to a range of excellent middle school and high school programs in the area, both public and private. Recently, a number of SIA...
Parenting (and playing) with sanity
A flurry of family-minded activity took place at the Simon Family JCC on Sunday, November 14. Parents and their children joined PJ Library in Tidewater for a special Sunday Fun Day that included a parenting workshop with Susan G. Groner, author of Parenting with...
Mitzvah Squad is busy at Temple Israel
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...
Havdalah with military families of Tidewater brings blessings, gratitude, and fun
Jewish Military Families of Tidewater joined PJ Library in Tidewater for a Havdalah ceremony in celebration of Veteran’s Day at the Simon Family JCC on Saturday, November 13. The Havdalah ceremony was led by Navy Rabbis Yoni Warren and Aaron Kleinman. The families...
Veterans Day activity at Toras Chaim
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...
Israel Today partnered with Chrysler Museum of Art’s Perry Glass Studio to showcase flame-worked glass demonstration with visiting artist Dafna Kaffeman
In a first, the Jewish Community Relations Council of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater, Simon Family JCC, Embassy of Israel & Community Partners’ 11th Annual Israel Today Series partnered with the Chrysler Museum of Art’s Perry Glass Studio to welcome...
COVID-19 vaccines for kids are coming. These rabbis (and their kids) are ready with new prayers.
(JTA)—When Rabbi Lisa Gelber heard that the Food and Drug Administration had approved the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine for children ages 5–11, she couldn’t wait for the moment that her daughter would get the shot. But she also knew her daughter was scared of needles....
Converging holidays provide a chance to reflect and give at TJF
There is something very apropos and meaningful about the convergence of two beautiful holidays, Thanksgiving and Hanukkah—both of which represent a celebration of religious freedom and are centered on the theme of gratitude for the blessings in our lives. As you...
Grateful for Enabling Parents
Judy Sacks Anderson In the summer of 1972 when I was only 17, my parents, Hal and Annabel Sacks, sent my 15-year-old brother, Skip and me to Israel on a sociology trip from Virginia Wesleyan College. We spent a good portion of the summer working on Kibbutz MishMarot...
My Trip to Israel was the Best Trip
Suzanne Barr In 1967, I heard about a United Jewish Appeal Young Leadership Mission to Israel from our friends, Mavolyn and Sonny Lefcoe. I was advised that it would be a hard trip, but I wanted to go anyway. After making some calls, I managed to get on the trip,...
Israel for the first time… a story with sequel after sequel
Amy Zelenka I never get tired of saying that every Israel experience is special— each one meaningful in its own way. Whether it’s with a Birthright trip, bar or bat mitzvah, a Federation mission, or any other means of visiting—a trip to Israel is unique among all...
The Yom Kippur War and orange crates
Steve Snyder In the summer of 1973, shortly after graduating from college, I went to Israel as a volunteer worker on Kibbutz Ramat Hashofet in Northern Israel. I was there from June 1973 to May 1974, working mainly on the assembly line of the Kibbutz orange crate...
Roses, the 1967 war, and a husband
Jennifer Zoberman While attending the University of Arizona in Tuscon, my parents paid for a European trip for me, but I said, “I must go to Israel to help.” So, we lost our trip money. It was not possible to fly to Israel from the U.S. due to the 1967 war, so I flew...
From Cairo to Israel
John Correll Over a three-day weekend in 1990 while on a job assignment in Cairo, Egypt, I decided to visit Israeli friends who lived in the Jewish settlement of Ariel. When the Egyptian taxi driver picked me up from my hotel, he was very talkative and friendly until...
Laura Gross
“Running the Tel Aviv Half Marathon with your daughter—priceless Israel experience!!”
Israeli artists make quick stop in Norfolk for CRC and Women’s Cabinet
For more than 20 years, Richmond Ballet’s Minds In Motion program has brought students from all walks of life and from across Virginia, to the stage to share the joys of dance and performance. Nearly a decade ago, they traveled the program to Israel, and for the past...
Banana fields and fishing boats
Rob Goodman My 1965 summer in Israel was one of my most special. After a flight from Ankara to Tel Aviv, I hitched hiked to Tiberias and then up the road to Kibbutz Ginosar. It was Sabbath eve and they never turned anyone away on the Sabbath. I got up the next morning...
Before Tidewater had Missions
Arnold Leon In 1964, Telsa and I attended the national UJA conference in New York City. While there, I noticed a meeting of a “Young Leadership Reunion.” Curious, I went in. A caucus was taking place with people who had been to Israel. Intrigued, I found out that the...
Bernstein at 100
Friday, April 13, Ferguson Center for the Arts Saturday, April 14, Chrysler Hall Saturday, May 12, Sandler Center: Bernstein on Broadway Leonard Bernstein, Israel, and the Power of Music On September 17, 1948, at 30 years old, Leonard Bernstein boarded a plane bound...
Bernstein at 100
Go to Jewish News Facebook, like the Leonard Bernstein post to enter for a chance to win a pair of tickets to the performance Saturday, April 14 at Chrysler Hall. Deadline to enter: April 9, 2018. Bernstein at 100 https://goo.gl/woQdWg
Life & Legacy year one celebrates success of year one
Eight million dollars in Legacy gifts and $80,000 in grants distributed to 10 local agencies On Monday, March 19, the Tidewater Jewish Foundation brought together more than 150 community members to celebrate their generosity and provide $80,000 in incentive grants to...
Tidewater’s Jewish community responds to the State of Israel in 1948
Placing our trust in the “Rock of Israel,” we affix our signatures to this proclamation at this session of the Provisional Council of State, on this soil of the homeland, in the city of Tel-Aviv, on this Sabbath Eve the 5th day of Iyar, 5708. (14th May, 1948) Seventy...
Israel at 70: It’s time to reclaim the Z-word, Zionism
JERUSALEM (JTA)—All too often, when I ask campus organizations that are pro-Israel and deeply Zionist why they avoid using the “Z-word” in their messaging and literature, I’m told, “Zionism doesn’t poll well.” True, not polling well is one of today’s great sins. But...
Celebrate Israel@70
Stories, authentic Israeli food, music, art, camels, a HUGE Israeli flag, and more Virginia Arts Festival and United Jewish Federation of Tidewater present Israel Story’s Mixtape: The Stories Behind Israel’s Ultimate Playlist Sunday, April 15, 7:30 pm Harbor Club at...
Israel@70
Israel@70, April 9, 2018
Professor Gil Troy makes the case for the Zionism of today and tomorrow
On March 13, Tidewater was treated to an intimate, but spirited visit with Professor Gil Troy, a noted scholar of modern American history, as well as of the history and philosophy of Zionism from its 19th century roots to today. In The Zionist Ideas: Visions for the...
YAD Pours through Purim
This year the Young Adult Division of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater switched up their traditional Purim costume party for a ‘door to door’ or ‘bar to bar’ event at the Waterside District, letting the drinks flow for a progressive party. On Saturday,...
Chabad’s Purim at the Circus draws festive crowd
It was a spectacular experience at the Wyndham Garden in downtown Norfolk as an overflow crowd of 200 children and adults hosted by Chabad of Tidewater enjoyed Purim at the Circus featuring The Twins from France. The charming Brooklyn-based twins, Yisrael and Yacov...