Tidewater Jewish Foundation’s Simon Family Passport to Israel will send eight students to Israel after a yearlong program pause due to the pandemic. “With the COVID-19 pandemic affecting the world last year, we simply couldn’t have students travel in the summer of...
Other News
Archives
Elie Wiesel to be the first Jew honored with a bust in the National Cathedral in Washington
WASHINGTON (JTA)—Washington’s National Cathedral, known for its role during presidential inaugurations and other days of national import, is honoring Elie Wiesel, the Nobel Peace Laureate and Holocaust memoirist with a bust, making him the first Jew to be so honored....
Your Dollars at Work: Remote religion ramps up during pandemic thanks in part to UJFT zooming in with tech support to local synagogues
In the digital-turned-remote age of work and worship, every single dollar makes a difference. Five synagogues in the area received funds from United Jewish Federation of Tidewater and the COVID-19 Emergency Relief Fund of the Tidewater Jewish Community to upgrade and...
Cantor Elihu Flax retires from Beth Sholom Village
After almost 18 years of serving the spiritual and religious needs of Beth Sholom Village as its director of Religious Services, Cantor Elihu Flax is retiring in July. Cantor Flax became a fixture at BSV, taking an interest in all of the residents who lived there,...
Rabbi Adam Ruditsky joins BSV
Beth Sholom Village is set to welcome Rabbi Adam Ruditsky as its new Religious Cultural Leader. Ordained by the Academy for Jewish Religion of California in Los Angeles, Ruditsky embraces the words of the Kotzker Rebbe, who taught, “a whole heart is a broken heart,”...
Camp JCC is filling fast, spaces are limited
The most common questions that people ask regarding summer camp, says Dave Flagler, Camp JCC director, concerns swimming. “People want to know if swimming will take place,” he says. “’Of course, it will!’ I tell everyone.” Camp JCC, after all, is known for its...
Shalom Tidewater welcomes new neighbors to Jewish Tidewater
Have you met or do you know someone who has recently moved to our community? If so, Shalom Tidewater would love to welcome them on behalf of United Jewish Federation of Tidewater and the Simon Family JCC. Please direct them to the link on our website,...
Dear Hampton Roads Friends and Family,
As you may have already heard, Rebecca Aleck Koltun, daughter of Virginia Beach native Audrey (Aleck) Koltun and her husband Scott, and the granddaughter of Helen and Warren Aleck, suffered a life-altering, horrific skiing accident on March 13. Rebeca severely...
your dollars at work: Romania Jews enjoy heart-to-heart Passover celebration without face-to-face contact
Like Jews around the globe, Romanian Jews have their own history and reason to be proud to belong to the big family of Bereshit, where they learn together and celebrate Judaism. “As we all turn to preparing for Pesah in our homes, I am proud to share what is taking...
Brith Sholom installs new board
In February, Brith Sholom held their first successful online elections, which were necessary due to the pandemic. The newly elected officers and board members were installed during a Zoom meeting on Sunday, March 7. The installed officers and board members are: Joe...
Grants available for first-time campers to Jewish overnight camps
As the world begins to safely open up, many families are beginning to look for activities for their children this summer. For those considering Jewish overnight camps, the Tidewater Jewish Foundation is partnering with the Foundation for Jewish Camp’s One Happy Camper...
A Time To Mourn From Death to Renewal
Pandemic A dangerous new phenomenon entered our 2020 vision. A novel virus would forever change our lives and our times. Marching us from spring and falling into autumn without even looking. Dementia Her normal eccentricity quickly magnified into the bizarre. Storing...
8th Annual Veterans Day service and celebration honors service to America
Friday, Nov. 10, 9:30 am, Sandler Family Campus Tidewater Jewish Foundation’s Annual Veterans Day service and celebration seeks to honor those who have served in America’s armed forces, as well as those who continue to do so with dedication and bravery. This year’s...
Money available now for teen Israel trips
First deadline: November 15 The newly revised Simon Family Passport to Israel program is now accepting applications through Tidewater Jewish Foundation. The program provides funds to enable and encourage Jewish students to participate in an Israel trip experience....
Update on Federations’ National Emergency Response Efforts
Jewish Federations of North America’s Emergency Committee, and many Federations on the front lines of addressing natural disasters, have had an extraordinarily busy and taxing eight weeks since the start of Hurricane Harvey. Following is an update on the work of the...
No way, José! — HAT Golf Tournament drives on
It was a dark and stormy morning with driving rain and winds gusting up to 30 miles per hour. Temperatures were cooler than usual for mid-September. Hurricane José was making its closest point of approach through the Atlantic off of Virginia’s coast. Although the...
Commodore Levy Chapel
When a Jewish family or individual moves to a new community, they face many immediate challenges, not the least of which is choosing a synagogue, getting involved in the Jewish community, meeting new friends and creating a new social network. For a member of the...
Finding Jewish in the U.S. Navy
During my more than 20 years in the Navy, two distinct times highlighted the Jewish community in the military coming together. While at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., there was a large and active Jewish Midshipmen Club. All “plebes” (first year students)...
Simon Family JCC, CRC, and community partners’ Israel Today, educating people about misconceptions
Erez Kaganovitz, Israeli artist, storyteller, and founder of the hit photoblog, Humans of Tel Aviv, landed in Tidewater ready to dispel misconceptions and ideas about his homeland by sharing stories of everyday people living in Tel Aviv. Through these stories of...
Jody Wagner gets honored, JFS reaps the reward
A leader of many organizations throughout Tidewater, Jody Wagner recently made a special gift to Jewish Family Service of Tidewater happen. Since 2006, Wagner has been a member of the Hampton Roads Community Foundation’s (HRCF) board of directors, including serving as...
Rabbi Jason Rubenstein’s multi-faceted visit to KBH reached many
“I’ve studied Rav Hutner before, but never like that,” says Rabbi Arthur Ruberg, rabbi emeritus of Temple Beth El. That is just one reaction after learning with Rabbi Jason Rubenstein at a pre-Selichot learning session, Saturday, Sept. 16, at Kehillat Bet...
A great start to a new year for BeAR
The Be A Reader literacy program kicked off the 2017-2018 school year with a welcome breakfast and meeting on Monday, Sept. 18 for nearly 50 new and returning volunteers. Gail Flax, program chair and founder, spoke about the program and BeAR captains talked about...
Maccabi Transatlantic Cup Golf takes Jeff Flax to England
Twelve Jewish American golfers went to battle with 12 Jewish British golfers using their clubs—their golf clubs, to be clear. These top amateur golfers played in the 22nd Maccabi Transatlantic Cup Golf Matches Sep. 12 through Sep. 15. Virginia Beach resident, Jeff...
Tidewater joins International Yom Limmud movement
Sunday, Nov. 12, 1–5 pm Reba and Sam Sandler Family Campus Yom Limmud (Hebrew for “learning”) promotes global Jewish unity by offering an inclusive cross-communal space for Jews of all ages and backgrounds to meet, learn, volunteer, and build community. Since its’...
Talk about memorable proposals…
This is the end of the story Max Wagner popped the big question to Stephanie Guld after popping out of a plane. Yes, after skydiving! Spoiler alert: She said yes. Backing up to the BBYO beginning Stephanie grew up in Richmond, Va. where, when she was 15 years old and...
Traveling for memorable experiences
Four separate studies from Cornell University indicate that the secret to happiness is to spend money on experiences, not things. In fact, according to an article in Forbes, research at San Francisco State University found “people who spent money on experiences rather...
Mazel Tov
Mazel Tov, October 23, 2017
United Jewish Federation of Tidewater celebrates the new Campaign year and Israel @70
Community Relations Council’s 7th annual Israel Today series also begins The kickoff of the 2018 Annual Campaign of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater was held Tuesday, Sept. 12 on the Sandler Family Campus. Leaders from synagogues, Jewish agencies, and the...
Puerto Rico’s Jews turn to helping neighbors ravaged by Hurricane Maria
(JTA)—After he bribed three van drivers to load their vehicles with aid supplies and drive him and his crew from the San Juan airport, Eli Rowe felt his humanitarian mission was off to a good start. Gas was scarce in Puerto Rico, but now all the food, medicine and...
Jewish groups in aftermath of Las Vegas attack call for tougher gun control laws
Jewish groups responded to the mass shooting in Las Vegas by condemning the violence and calling for gun control legislation. At least 59 people are dead and more than 500 wounded in the attack at a country music festival outside the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino on...
A klug zu Columbus! Happy Frobisher Day!
When, in their Lower East Side tenements and chained to their sweatshop sewing machines, our immigrant grandmothers were fed up with the arduous task of making ends meet, they would offer the following mild curse: A klug zu Columbus—A pox on Columbus (for having...
Jane Gardner presents inspirational message of hope
With a calmness and gentleness in her voice that defied the remarkable struggle she has faced, Jane Gardner told her story, “Live Each Day,” to a packed house at the Kaufman Theater at Chrysler Museum on Sunday, September 17. The former television news anchor has...