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The Simon Family JCC Swordfish swim team is in its first-ever winter season, having started practices on November 9 in preparation for virtual swim meets from December through February. Jacob Gynan, the JCC swim coordinator, is the team’s head coach, with Leia...
It’s always great to bake hamantaschen and share them with friends and family. But this isn’t a normal year, of course, and it may be harder to find the time to bake hamantaschen because your kids are home doing remote school; or you’re worried about getting the...
(JTA)—In any other year, the mask-decorating party planned for later this month at Congregation Beth El Ner Tamid in Broomall, Pennsylvania, would make perfect sense: Costumes are part of the ritual for festive Jewish holiday of Purim, which begins Feb. 25. This year,...
As you collect your 2020 income tax information and prepare to file a return, are you: • Realizing that your tax situation may be different from previous years? • Interested in learning about a way to support your community in a tax-wise manner? Tax law changes last...
(JTA) President-elect Joe Biden filled the months before Inauguration Day lining up a slate of Cabinet secretaries, assistants and advisors, many of them Jewish. Biden’s choices reflect a diverse cross-section of American Jewry and possess expertise gleaned from...
WASHINGTON (JTA)—There are 37 Jewish members of the 117th Congress, which was sworn in earlier this month amid the trauma of an insurrection spurred by President Donald Trump. Of the 37, there are 10 in the Senate and 27 in the House of Representatives—25 Democrats...
Hanukkah around the world together Beth El celebrated Hanukkah each night with collective candle lighting, singing, and sharing that took the congregation around the world and back again. Several members grew up in other countries and shared stories and childhood...
When most people hear the word ‘Hadassah,’ chances are they think of a hospital in Israel. In actuality, Hadassah is so much more. Hadassah’s mission statement describes itself as “a volunteer organization that inspires a passion for and commitment to the land, the...
While the wait for a safe vaccine for all looms large, the range of reactions to COVID-19 is as diverse as the people whose lives are affected. Some seniors in the community have lived in Tidewater all their lives. They’re married with children and grandchildren and...
Prue Salasky spent six months of a 10-month teaching assignment in Bulgaria through the U.S. Fulbright program. Her Balkan adventure, including plans to visit Istanbul, Kiev, Odessa, and Israel, was cut short when Fulbright canceled all its programs worldwide due to...
Women’s American ORT, Organization for Rehabilitation and Training, has always been an educational and vocational game changer for students in the U.S. and around the world. Lifelong volunteer Sara Trub has been ORT-immersed for 48 years. An e-mail she received from a...
Each year the Holocaust Commission of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater sponsors the Elie Wiesel Visual Arts Competition. Hundreds of student artists from Tidewater, as well as nationally, create works of art that respond to various topics and guidelines which...
In preparation for the school year and the Jewish High Holy Days, it’s important to be proactive in communicating with faculty and administrators about these holidays so Jewish students have the opportunity to observe without penalty. While schools may try their best...
CRC and local high school work together to ensure bright future for foreign policymakers In May 2011, the topic of conversation among my First Colonial High School students was international stability and the global nuclear system. I asked them to work together and...
Virginia Attorney General Mark R. Herring was the Keynote Speaker at the Anti-Defamation League Washington, DC Region 2017 Annual Meeting, earlier this summer. Attorney General Herring began his remarks by highlighting the importance of ADL’s work combatting and...
The Tidewater Jewish Foundation (TJF) is “delighted to welcome Barb Gelb as the new development associate and Life & Legacy Coordinator,” says Scott Kaplan, CFRE, president and CEO, Tidewater Jewish Foundation. “Barb comes to our community with a wealth of...
JERUSALEM (JTA)—A nearly equal majority of Israelis and Palestinians back a two-state solution, a new poll shows, but the Palestinians’ support is rising. Support among Israelis is at 53 percent, a decline of 2 percentage points since December, and at 52 percent among...
Sunday, September 17, 2 pm Chrysler Museum of Art, free As a television news anchor, Jane Gardner faced intense pressure, deadlines, and other challenges. But it is off the air where she has faced her toughest challenge of all: fighting cancer—not just once, but four...
The Holocaust Commission of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater held its Educators’ Conference, Words Matter: Now More Than Ever, July 26–27. For the 13th Biennial offering, chairs Gail Flax and Ina Leiderman could not have been more thrilled with the results....
The Leon Family Gallery has a fresh, updated appearance—just in time for the new season of exhibits. Located on the second floor of the Reba and Sam Sandler Family Campus, the new look and feel of the gallery offers a blank canvas to contrast the lively discussions on...
Guide to Jewish Living in Tidewater, August 14, 2017
Laughter hung in the air long after the end of comedian Elon Gold’s set during the Simon Family JCC’s first Laughter on the Lawn event. More than 400 community members gathered to partake in the hilarity. “He was so funny,” says Joel Rubin, “I’ve never heard anyone...
Volunteering isn’t something to put off until you have extra time and money. There are numerous reasons why the returns far outweigh the time invested, especially during lean times. Alene and Ron Kaufman both volunteer at Jewish Family Service. “Everyone has some...
No Jewish home, or even room, is complete without a kosher mezuzah on the door post. That will certainly be the case when the renovation of the Berger-Goldrich Home is completed by next summer. (see article on page 27) By donating a minimum of $1,000 to the Honor or...
(JTA)—American Jewish leaders are calling it a betrayal. They say that 17 months after achieving a historic agreement to provide a non-Orthodox space at Judaism’s holiest prayer site, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reneged in a Cabinet vote Sunday, June 25,...
(JTA)—The Israeli Chief Rabbinate says that its list of foreign rabbis has been misconstrued, and that the list does not imply that those rabbis cannot be trusted to vouch for the Jewish identities of their followers. On Saturday, July 8, JTA reported on a list of...
(JTA)—In February 2015, Sen. Jim Inhofe carried a snowball on to the floor of the Senate to prove global warming did not exist. Everyone knows “it is very, very cold outside,” the Oklahoma Republican said. “Unseasonable.” That, says Al Franken, gave him an idea. “I...
School may be out for summer, but the business of education takes no vacation. While students bask in their break, administrators prepare for a new year of learning, facility crews repair and refresh buildings and grounds, and teachers continue to develop new and...
With more than 60 years of experience in the world of education, Hebrew Academy of Tidewater decided this year to pilot a one-week summer camp program—Camp Creation Station. This new camp utilized ideas and activities from HAT’s very strong STEAM curriculum (Science,...
Stuart Nachman is well known around Hampton Roads as an accomplished attorney, but in the Jewish community, he is also highly regarded for his long time association with Beth Sholom Village. Now, Nachman is president of the Village, which includes the Berger- Goldrich...
The Simon Family JCC’s 7th Annual Presidents’ Cup Golf tournament was transformed this year after inclement weather arrived on tournament day. Instead of an all-day golfing affair, players and their guests were invited to join the JCC and honor its past presidents on...
On an early Tuesday morning in June, 14 new graduates of the Tidewater Hineni! Leadership Program landed in Israel for the culmination of their two-year program. The 5th UJFT Tom Hofheimer Young Leadership Mission to Israel was underway. Day 1 The mission began with...