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It was my grandfather, Hyman Brenner, who roped me in back in 1980. The beloved Lenny Goodman was leading Shabbat services each Saturday at Beth Sholom Home, but he did not read from the Torah. I could, and at the urging of Grandpa, one of the first male residents, I...
The Simon Family JCC and JFit combo package is more than a cultural community center and fully loaded fitness center studio with all kinds of bells and whistles. A beautiful setting, country club perks, yoga, senior programs, festivals, café, and supreme member care...
After four decades in the Rabbinate, the majority of them spent as the spiritual leader of Conservative congregations in New Jersey and Virginia, Temple Israel’s Rabbi, Dr. Michael Panitz, estimates he’s helped affix mezuzot to the doorposts of literally hundreds of...
Ohef Sholom Temple saw the climax of its 175th year celebration on Sunday, January 19, with a concert featuring two of the qualities the congregation is most proud of—the vigor of its dedication to social justice through civic outreach, and the joy of music as a fount...
In honor of International Holocaust Remembrance Day on January 27, United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s Holocaust Commission partnered with The Milton “Mickey” Kramer Scholar-In-Residence Fund of the Congregation Beth El Foundation’s Tidewater Together series to...
For the first time in 19 years, Tidewater’s Jewish community is embarking on a community needs assesment. The Jewish Tidewater Survey is designed to gather information to build a stronger, more dynamic Jewish community. The last survey, the 2001 Jewish Community...
The 27th Annual Virginia Festival of Jewish Film is one of the longest-running Jewish film festivals in the nation. A dedicated screening committee, led by Mark Robbins and William Laderberg, selected films meant to engage diverse Tidewater audiences—Jewish and...
Sitting in my car at Norfolk International Airport on Wednesday, January 8, I was a little apprehensive. After months of preparation, I was about to meet the legendary Charlie Harary and drive him to the Simon Family JCC. Harary was visiting Tidewater as part of the...
On a crisp autumn morning, on Sunday, October 27, 15 volunteers began cheering as a caravan of cars—with bike racks on the back—headed for Chickahominy Riverfront Park in Williamsburg. Bikers, of all ages and physical abilities, came out to demonstrate their support...
Filling a room with more than 250 people, Cleveland Clinic’s Chief Wellness Officer, plant-based nutrition advocate, and author of What to Eat When, Dr. Michael Roizen came with a few surprises and a healthy dose of scientific data to back them up. A pre-event warmup...
If you ask chef Amy Brandt what makes Terrapin in Virginia Beach the area’s marriage proposal mecca, she’ll propose two main ingredients. “There’s only one restaurant in the area with the intimacy of Terrapin and 100% integrity in everything they do,” says the former...
Programs focusing on including and enriching the lives of those with various forms of disabilities or special needs are a big part of Jewish Family Service’s work. For more than 25 years, for example, Jewish Family Service has collaborated with the Jewish Community...
Supplement to Jewish News February 13, 2017
WASHINGTON (JTA)—Israeli settlements are no big problem. Wait—maybe they are, after all. The Iran deal is trash. No, the deal is here to stay, despite being “weak.” On Thursday, Feb. 2, the White House pronounced on Israel’s announced settlement expansion that it “may...
NEW YORK (JTA)—A person calls a Jewish institution, makes a bomb threat and hangs up. The call lasts no more than a minute, the caller’s voice is disguised and the call is made to look as if it came from inside the building. How do you catch the culprit? That’s the...
February 16, 2007 Rafel Harpaz, acting consul general for the Israeli Embassy in Washington, DC, made his first visit to Tidewater to strengthen the relationship between Virginia and Israel o n economic and cultural levels. February 14, 1997 Virginia Beach Mayor Meyer...
TEL AVIV (JTA) – Defending his executive order directing the construction of a wall along the U.S. border with Mexico, President Donald Trump pointed to Israel as a model, saying “a wall protects.” With another swipe of his pen two days later, on Jan. 27, Trump...
Student’s artwork on display in the Leon Family Art Gallery Tuesday, Feb. 14–Thursday, March 2 Students throughout Tidewater diligently worked on their artistic poster submissions for the 5th Annual Israel Poster Contest, presented by the Community Relations Council...
More than 1,200 people experienced the diversity of Jewish/ Israeli films offered during Simon Family JCC’s 24th Annual Virginia Festival of Jewish Film presented by Alma* & Howard Laderberg. Seven films, from compelling documentaries to a poignant comedy, were...
When Hebrew Academy of Tidewater’s PTA volunteers met at the beginning of the school year, they wanted to create a fun community-building event for HAT parents. Robyn Bailey suggested a paint night and Monique Werby and Erica Kaplan agreed. The committee chose a night...
For 2017, Ohef Sholom Temple stepped up its congregation’s commitment to creation by working on the requirements for two national environmental certifications. The Union for Reform Judaism’s Religious Action Center and GreenFaith became partners in January 2016 to...
Caring for the elderly…funding scholarships to Jewish day school and summer camps…providing psychiatric and emotional support services…ensuring the future of Israel and other nations worldwide. These were among the various causes which drew donors to lend their...
Now in its 24th year, Jewish Family Service of Tidewater’s Chanukah Gift Program annually helps local Jewish families in financial need with gifts and gift cards for their children and teens, and with money for those without children. This year, JFS received donations...
WASHINGTON ( JTA)—“Cantor Kaufman!” Rabbi Jonah Pesner shouted across the intersection of 3rd and D in Washington’s Northwest quadrant, packed sidewalk to sidewalk with women in pink pussycat hats and their male friends. “A song!” Jason Kaufman, the cantor at Beth El...
(JTA)—In the run-up to his swearing-in on Friday, January 20, President Donald Trump made a series of big promises to Israel. Aside from his oft-repeated pledge to move the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, he has talked about reviving the peace process with...
(JTA)—One Jewish group that joined the Women’s March on Washington has seen its online donations double since the election of Donald Trump as president. Another has twice as many guests as usual attending its annual conference. A third has seen its social media...
An article this month in the London-based The Jewish Chronicle, headlined: “Trump will widen the fissures in Jewish America,” states: “American Jews are well positioned to weather the storm that Mr. Trump has unleashed. The same, however, cannot be said for the...
Application deadline: May 1 The official merging last fall of United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s Maimonides Society (medical professionals) and the Business and Legal Society into UJFT’s Society of Professionals, creates an abundance of networking and...
For the last 16 years, Kehillat Bet Hamidrash/Kempsville Conservative Synagogue and Temple Israel have enjoyed a programming partnership, sharing simchas, celebrations, programs, and prayers. Hanukkah 5777 saw another opportunity for being together. KBH holds an...
Israeli author Etgar Keret was slated to speak at Old Dominion University’s Literary Festival this past September. Ahead of his visit, Jewish News published a review of his latest book, A Seven Year Memoir and an article about his receiving the $100,000 Bronfman...
Mazel Tov Special Section, January 30, 2017
We read it every year and are urged to practice it every day. Kahbaid et a’vecha v’et e’mecha. Honor your father and mother is the fifth of the Ten Commandments that God gave to Moses on Mount Sinai and which appear first in the Torah in the sedrah Yitro. (Exodus,...