(JTA)—Mel Brooks’ new HBO special is a departure from the comedian’s typical belly-laugh fare. In place of the slapstick gallows humor—though there’s plenty of that, too, in Mel Brooks Unwrapped—is a more introspective, documentary-style reminiscence of his nearly...
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Happy Hanukkah!
Dear Readers, The first Hanukkah candle is lit this year on the evening of Sunday, December 22, which means of course, the fourth will be lit on Christmas. While some might say that the Jewish holiday’s overlap with the most major of Christian days might result in...
Hanukkah in Tidewater
Tidewater is fortunate to have so many great Hanukkah events taking place around town this year. Check some of them out here. Saturday, December 14 Ohef Sholom Temple OSTY Chanukah Party Sunday, Dec. 15, 11:30 Am–2:30 pm Simon Family JCC Latkapalooza A day filled with...
Latkepalooza: A family celebration
A community celebration of Hanukkah, Latkepalooza features three children’s books and authors, a camp extravaganza, light lunch and latkes, raffle, crafts, and live music. Latkepalooza 2019 is a family-friendly mini-book festival filled with group activities, camp...
Ohef Sholom Temple celebrates 175 years with Gala
Nearly 300 people arrived at Ohef Sholom Temple on Saturday, November 16 for the Temple’s 175th Anniversary Gala. The evening was beyond expectations, and really offered something for everyone: a jazz quartet to start the party, a dance band, and a piano bar where...
Great Big Challah Bake celebrates five years
The Fifth Annual Great Big Challah Bake offered a chance to learn and experience the joy and mitzvah of making challah. Chaired by darcy Bloch, B’nai israel Congregation invited all Jewish women to participate in this event, which took place last month at the...
Following provocative panel on end-of-life issues, Hadassah seeks to rebuild presence in area
For its first event in Tidewater in recent years, national and regional leadership of Hadassah could only guess what the turnout would be for a program on ethical issues surrounding end-of- life. The event on Sunday, November 3 at the Simon Family JCC did not...
Super Sunday 2020: A perfect vision
Super Sunday is the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s annual phone-a-thon fundraiser dating back to the 1980’s. This year’s ‘community call’ had kid-friendly written all over it. A group of emerging leaders known as the Rishon committee, led by Amie Harrell,...
Leave the Holocaust out of your self-promotion, political agenda and profit-seeking
NEW YORK (JTA)—Here we go again: Just this month, two more cases of the abuse of Holocaust imagery have surfaced and created an international stir. In November, Russian figure skater Anton Shulepov wore an Auschwitz- themed costume during his free skating performance...
Lighting the way, writing our story together
Tidewater’s Jewish community came together on September 26 to find strength in shared values, envision our community’s future, and IGNITE our 2020 Community Campaign. We celebrated our Tidewater community and recognized the individual impact of each gift, as well as...
In the Jewish heart of Pittsburgh, Mister Rogers was actually our neighbor
This story originally appeared on Kveller. I’m sitting in a sold-out first weekend movie premiere of A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, delighted by the fact that this movie was filmed in my Pittsburgh neighborhood, Squirrel Hill. it’s an upscale, multicultural...
Are the Jewish mobsters referenced in The Irishman real?
Very minor spoilers ahead for The Irishman—but nothing big, we promise. (JTA)—The irishman, Martin Scorsese’s latest organized crime epic, is now streamable on Netflix. Even if the significant digital de-aging of the actors involved is a bit distracting, the film’s...
Leonard Cohen, whose Jewish-infused poetry and songs inspired generations
(JTA)—Leonard Cohen, the Canadian singer-songwriter whose Jewish-infused work became a soundtrack for melancholy, has died. He was 82. “It is with profound sorrow we report that legendary poet, songwriter and artist Leonard Cohen has passed away,” his Facebook page...
From Generation to Generation
Learning from one another, some area seniors and teens have found that they may have more in common than they first imagined. To enrich the lives of both teens and seniors by forming friendships, Ohef Sholom Temple applied for and received a two-year grant to fund a...
Neta Levi sparks creativity at Sandler Family Campus
The halls of the Sandler Family Campus were lined with tables covered in red and white checked tablecloths on Wednesday, Oct. 19. It was not in preparation for an elaborate Italian dinner, but for the kickoff of three events with Neta Levi, Israel Today’s Israeli...
Serving up shalom at a post-election Thanksgiving
LOS ANGELES (JTA)—It was just a few weeks ago, on the night of Nov. 8, that my family had all anxiously exchanged text messages as we watched the election results trickle in. State by state, my Hillary-loving family saw our hopes slipping away—and now, too soon, we...
Jewish contingent in House grows from 19 to 22
WASHINGTON (JTA)—The Jewish contingent to the U.S. House of Representatives grew from 19 to 22 in the 2016 elections, doubling its Republican representation from one to two. Five Jews overall were newly elected to the House, while one Jewish congressman in Florida and...
3rd Annual Mitzvah Day shows off Tidewater Jewish community’s can-do attitude
Participants at the Tidewater Jewish community’s 3rd Annual Mitzvah Day on Sunday, Oct. 30 demonstrated the benefits of a can-do attitude, working together to strengthen Jewish identity and improve life for those less fortunate. From teenagers who built sculptures...
Flour power and challahs galore bloom at 2016 Great Big Challah Bake
In a show of sisterhood and community, 125 women joined together to learn, laugh, mix, knead and braid at Tidewater’s 2nd Annual Great Big Challah Bake on Wednesday, Nov. 2. Held in the Cardo at the Reba and Sam Sandler Family Campus, the goal of the women’s-only...
Success stories inspire professionals at recent Society event
In September, the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater held an inaugural event for its new Society of Professionals affinity group, promising unique and stimulating programming, and opportunities to connect to other professionals in the area. At its second event, the...
A house is not a home, until you have a good night’s sleep
Without a good night’s sleep, everything tends to be just a bit tougher. While physicians, teachers, employers and nearly all health experts stress the importance of sleep, not everyone has the good fortune to have a proper bed in which to get those necessary...
Business
The changing face of Jewish students brought to light during Women’s Luncheon
The Women’s Cabinet held its annual Lion-Tikva-Chai luncheon to thank women donors giving at the $1,800 level and greater. Stephanie Calliott welcomed the women and gave a brief and positive campaign update, thanking the donors who had already made their commitments...
A well-deserved honor for Amy Brooke
Friday, Dec. 9 and Saturday, Dec. 10 Leah Schwartz, BINA High School past president BINA High School is thrilled to have the opportunity to honor the commitment, hard work, and dedication of Amy Brooke. From the first tenuous steps to create a Jewish girls high school...
Something funny happened on the way to the Cuban Missile Crisis
Jim Eilberg, CAPT, SC, USNR (RET) I had just finished supper when the telephone call came from the Petty Officer of the Watch. “This is not a drill,” he announced. “This is a 100% recall. Return to the ship immediately.” That was Monday, October 23, 1962, about 6:30...
Salute to Veterans
JFS Chanukah Gift Program helps local families
Debbie Mayer, LCSW, CT Written on behalf of a local Jewish Family Service client: Two years ago, my family moved to Virginia to care for an elderly relative. Once we got here, the job I was promised didn’t come through. I decided to stay here with my two children...
Lee & Bernard Jaffe* Family Jewish Book Festival Wednesday, Nov. 9–Sunday, Nov 20
Sherri Wisoff Hundreds of books will soon fill the Cardo at the Simon Family JCC. Immigrant stories are part of Jewish history, so it is fitting that on Wednesday, Nov. 9 at 7 pm, the annual Lee and Bernard Jaffe* Family Jewish Book Festival begins with such stories...
Becoming an Israeli butterfly—insights from an IDF veteran
Laine M. Rutherford The life of a 17-year-old Israeli high school senior isn’t much different than a 17-year-old American student. They’re both listening to music, hanging out with friends, acting goofy, possibly dating, probably working, and thinking about graduation...
Campus security director creates patriotic art from discarded wood
Sales benefit area youths living in shelters Laine M. Rutherford Jason Capossere brings an impressive list of resources and skills to his position as Reba and Sam Sandler Family Campus director of security and safety. He’s a veteran of the United States Navy, where he...
Be A Reader begins 18th year
Wendy Weissman, CRC assistant director United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s Be A Reader (BEAR) literacy program launched the 2016-2017 school year with an orientation breakfast meeting on Monday, Sept. 26. Gail Flax, program founder and longtime chair, spoke to a...
Israel Today speaker offers clarity among chaos in the Middle East
Tuesday, Nov. 15, 7:30 pm, Reba and Sam Sandler Family Campus Wendy Weissman, assistant director, Community Relations Council Avi Melamed, an Israeli Jew, fluent in Arabic, English and Hebrew, is a former Israeli intelligence official and senior official on Arab...