American Jewish food is most typically defined as pastrami sandwiches, chocolate babka or bagels and lox. But I am here to argue that the greatest American Jewish food may actually be the humble hot dog. No dish better embodies the totality of the American Jewish...
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With a nod to Carl Reiner, My Favorite Year recalls the infancy of TV sketch comedy
Social distancing and staying inside is hard. Thankfully, accessing good things to watch during this time is not. This is another installation of a column on Jewish movies and TV shows to stream in quarantine. My Favorite Year Available for rent: Amazon Prime, Apple...
Community Relations Council
Recent weeks have been extremely difficult for our country. The Jewish Community Relations Council of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater is appalled and angered by the death of George Floyd at the hands of officers in the Minneapolis Police Department. Our...
The Joy of the J – You can’t keep a good senior down
When the Simon Family JCC opened on Monday, June 8, seniors bounced back in real numbers. Even with the necessary implemented regulations and other logistics, “overjoyed” was the overall response. In particular, Silver Sneaker students say they are thrilled to be...
Mystery Wine Night a huge hit for YAD during quarantine
A Zoom chat room of Young Adult Division (YAD) members was filled with clinking glasses, generous pours, and lots of laughter on Thursday, May 21. That’s because YAD hosted its first-ever, Mystery Wine Night. YADians conducted blind taste tests of four wines and...
A hero lost, but forever loved: Stan Smolen
When my sister Lynn and I were young, Daddy was our hero. As we grew up and learned his stories we realized he was an American hero, too. Our precious father, Stan Smolen, died last month at the age of 95. He was a veteran of WWII who served his country proudly. He...
STEAM fuels the ORT mission. Opportunity and adaptability propel it forward.
Remaining relevant in a world of clashing ideologies and mixed agendas, crisis upon crisis, decade after decade, is the most striking feature of a legacy organization such as ORT. Fixed, yet flexible, the foundation of ORT’s high-tech educational mission is relevance....
Hundreds of layoffs with more to come: We’re tracking coronavirus job losses in the Jewish world
(JTA)—The Jewish Telegraphic Agency is recording layoffs and furloughs at Jewish organizations as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. This story is updated regularly and serves as a running log of layoffs and furloughs imposed at Jewish nonprofits. May 14: 60 laid...
Summer camp is canceled. Here’s how Jewish parents can rise to the challenge.
SHORT HILLS, N.J. (JTA)—The announcement that Jewish summer camps will be closed this year has been tough on parents around the country. If we could just have this one little remainder of normalcy, we told ourselves, we’d be fine. But as with virtually every other...
CRC and Holocaust Comission Update: Never Again Education Act Passes Congress!
The U.S. Senate adopted the House version of the Never Again Education Act (H.R. 943/S. 2085), an important Holocaust education bill, which will provide expertise and resources to states, localities and schools on Wednesday, May 13. The bill has now passed Congress...
Be a video star
Due to the COVID-19 virus, Beth Sholom Village residents are not allowed visitors. Want to let these residents of BSV know that they are being thought of and missed? Create a short video (30 seconds—1 minute) of greetings and good wishes or share a special talent...
La Promenade: Virginia Beach lifestyle carousel plays a strong retail game
On a ‘typical’ lockdown Saturday morning before Mother’s Day, a store manager places orange traffic cones strategically in the parking lot outside Nothing Bundt Cakes at La Promenade in Virginia Beach. The popular cake boutique preps for the pre-Mother’s Day surge...
Tidewater gets a taste of Israel
Chefs Guy Marom and Nir Margalith of Puzzle Israel, an adventure tour and catering company, spent a week in Tidewater sharing their love of food and celebrating Yom Ha’Atzmaut, Israel’s 69th birthday. Sous chef Neta Margalith, joined her brother and Marom for a busy...
Celebrating Israel’s 69th—Community played, shopped, learned, and danced with Israel
Sunday, April 30 was a beautiful day all around—not just the weather—as more than 1,200 people attended the Simon Family JCC’s annual Israel Fest to experience the culinary, cultural, and artistic gifts of Israel. Attendees at the celebration were treated to fresh...
Health Care
May 15, 2017, Health Care Section
Albert Einstein was a sex magnet? Four surprising facts about the Jewish genius
NEW YORK (JTA)—Think “Albert Einstein,” and certain images or phrases likely come to mind: “genius,” “kooky,” “wild hair,” “theory of relativity,” “E=mc2”—maybe even “Zionist.” Sex and violence? Not so much. Then there’s Genius—National Geographic channel’s first...
Anti-Semitic incidents in US surging in ‘17, rose by a third in ‘16
( JTA)—Anti-Semitic incidents in the United States soared 86 percent in the first three months of 2017 after rising by more than one-third in 2016, according to the Anti-Defamation League. There has been a massive increase in harassment of American Jews, largely since...
Zoe Siegel recognized for social justice endeavors
Early in her teen years, Zoe Martina Siegel knew that all was not right with the world. Her consciousness rose and she began to speak out. In fact, her Norfolk Academy senior speech was about reproductive rights and how politicized they are. It’s not so surprising,...
Renee Heyman turned lemons into lemonade into Pink Tea
When Renee Heyman, founding mother of The Pink Tea Initiative at Temple Emanuel, invited Paula Krukin Levy to help her organize her first fundraiser in 2012, she had no way of knowing the event would outlive her. A cancer survivor for 42 years, Heyman made a solemn...
For Elaine Luria, it’s ships to mermaids
United States Naval Cmdr. Elaine Goodman Luria appears at ease when there’s a new adventure, opportunity, or challenge to be seized. Whether it is operating ships for the U.S. Navy, imagining, starting, and expanding a new business, or raising a family, Luria calmly...
Women
May 1, 2017, Women Section
Seven incredible new things the world can thank Israel for
TEL AVIV (JTA)—To build a Jewish state in the Middle East, Israelis had to be innovators. Some of what they’ve come up with has been used mostly by their fellow citizens—think Hebrew slang, Bamba snacks and the Iron Dome missile defense system—at least so far. But...
From the Hal Sacks Jewish News Archives
May 11, 2007 A benefit concert for the people of Darfur and southern Sudan, DARFEST will highlight stories of Lost Boys living in Hampton Roads between musical sets performed by four local high school rock bands. DARFEST is a concept developed by 10 area high school...
Why Israelis are happy about Trump’s missile strike—and why they should be wary
WASHINGTON ( JTA)—Israel’s government and pundits are unabashedly pleased by the missile strike ordered by President Donald Trump early Friday, April 7 on the Syrian airfield from where a deadly chemical attack is believed to have been launched. Prime Minister...
Lawmakers press Trump administration anew on bias crimes, anti-Semitism
WASHINGTON ( JTA)—Lawmakers in Congress continued to press the Trump administration to address perceived spikes in bias crimes in the United States and in anti-Semitism abroad, reflecting bipartisan concern that President Donald Trump remains insufficiently engaged on...
Hannah Marin wins CRC’s Israel Poster Contest
Illustrating an intriguing fact concerning 2,000-year-old seeds that were discovered inside an ancient jar in Israel in 1963, Hannah Marin won CRC’s 5th Annual Israel Poster Contest. Students in grades 1-12 were eligible to compete in the contest by designing a...
Girls’ Afternoon at the Movies moves and inspires
In its third and final women’s outreach event of the year, United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s Women’s cabinet partnered with UJFT’s Holocaust Commission to host a Girls’ Afternoon at the Movies, bringing back to Tidewater the award-winning film, Defiant Requiem....
Home
April 17, Home Section
Local teen elected to BBYO International board; area chapters shine at BBYO Eastern Region Spring Convention
BBYO International Convention 2017 and Eastern Region’s Spring Convention served as dynamic meeting places and real-world classrooms to provide teen leaders opportunities for shared leadership resources and new skills to help change the world. The record-breaking...
Jewish groups urge Congress to preserve anti-Semitism monitor
Jewish defense groups urged Congress to preserve the State Department’s anti-Semitism monitor. Representatives of the Anti- Defamation League, the American Jewish Committee, the Simon Wiesenthal Center and the Secure Community Network testified Wednesday, March 22...
Over 100 leaflets with hand-drawn swastikas left at Virginia Tech Chabad
More than 100 leaflets with hand-drawn swastikas were found dropped on the front yard of the Chabad Jewish student center at Virginia Tech. The leaflets were discovered at the student center located across the street from the Blacksburg university on Saturday, March...
Jewish groups offer mixed responses to David Friedman’s confirmation as Israel envoy
Jewish groups offered varied reactions, including disappointment, tepid congratulations and enthusiasm, to the confirmation of David Friedman as U.S. ambassador to Israel. On Thursday, March 23, the U.S Senate confirmed Friedman, a longtime lawyer of President Donald...