The young men’s giving circle through UJFT’s Young Adult Division, Nadiv, finished its third year of existence with banner fundraising. Members of the group—Jewish men in their 20s, 30s and 40s—donated $1,500 to One Happy Camper, a program implemented by Tidewater...
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Foster kittens bring smiles to Beth Sholom Village residents
Faces light up when Gabrielle Exum, art therapist, walks around Beth Sholom Village carrying foster kittens. As part of her work, she began fostering the kitties, not just to help them find permanent homes, but also to engage with residents looking for something to...
Art at home For some people, art is décor—either purchased at an art show or gallery or chosen by an interior designer. For others, though, art is personal because it is their own creation. Jewish News spoke with several area artists to learn a little about their...

Evan Roesen: First step toward a bright future
A summer filled with firsts for Evan Roesen meant living in an apartment in Tel Aviv, working in an early-stage startup, and contributing to a marketing plan for Israeli, American, and European schools. Earlier in the summer, Roesen participated in Birthright Israel...

Jared Berklee and fellow BBYO Ambassadors bond in Italy
Tulane sophomore Jared Berklee traveled to Israel for the Alumni Leadership Seminar in Israel (ALSI). He went for training as a lead counselor in BBYO’s Perlman summer program. BBYO is the core influence in Berklee’s Jewish life. “I take pride in being a part of...
Disloyalty: The deep roots of an anti-Semitic accusation
Our American Jewish community has been much agitated in 2019 by accusations of disloyalty. These charges have come from different quarters of the political spectrum, and they carry various nuances. But what do they have in common? For this, we need to understand the...
We put it in writing. Better Together keeps getting better.
Better Together is a partnership program that connects teens with seniors for mutual enrichment and bonding opportunities. Throughout this past year, participating teens from Ohef Sholom Temple, Congregation Beth El, and Temple Israel spent Sundays eating lunch and...
JFS to provide in-school social work service for Toras Chaim
Counseling and social work services will be available for Toras Chaim Day School students when the school year begins. Jewish Family Service of Tidewater (JFS) will provide these in-school services. For the past 25 years, JFS has established a solid and positive...
Uncertain times from Israel to UK to USA
The Chinese have a saying about living in interesting times. In Israel’s case, I would say that is true on a regular basis, but somehow at the moment, this is true throughout the world. More importantly, in my view, currently these are also some of the most difficult...
Still in diaspora
In nine days, on Tisha B’Av, the Jewish world will fast and mourn the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem in 70 CE. The destruction of the Second Temple marks the beginning of 2,000 years of diaspora for the Jewish people. A people wandering, without a...
Our 2020 Vision… Community Campaign season begins
Building and strengthening community—together. That was the theme of my first message in our Jewish News exactly one year ago. Then, we introduced the concept of an accelerated campaign for our community—to raise necessary funds for not only our local Jewish...
Knitted with love
Jewish Family Service of Tidewater volunteers meet every Wednesday at 10 am on the Sandler Family Campus to knit and crochet lap blankets, hats, and scarves. JFS social workers and case managers then give these hand-knitted creations as holiday gifts to residents in...
Area high school and college students share how they spent their ‘Jewish Summers.’
Hannah Cooper Birthright Israel Rafting down the Jordan River. Hiking up Masada. Floating in the Dead Sea. Praying at the Western Wall. Riding a camel. This summer I had the privilege to travel to Israel through Taglit Birthright, an organization that provides...
Report from Israel
I had another rewarding pilgrimage this past July to Israel—the land of my upbringing—spent with my Israeli family led by my mother Chasia (“God spares”), a 94-year-young Polish Holocaust survivor from Sarny, Ukraine who is a remarkable symbol of Jewish endurance and...
Brith Sholom’s “Club 50 Dinner & Dance” celebrates longevity
A celebration of long-lasting marriage, Brith Sholom held its annual Club 50 Dinner & Dance on Sunday, August 21 at Beth Sholom Village. Deemed “a real success,” 135 people attended, including 37 couples married who are 50 years or more. The evening began with...
Time to run free
I told you that you reminded me of someone. That day on the beach at Quidnet. i couldn’t help thinking i had seen that same face before. Your strong forehead and broad cheeks. Your delicate curves and Roman nose. The puffy pout and little mouth. The mystery in your...
Tidewater Jewish Foundation and community selected by Harold Grinspoon Foundation as a Life and Legacy program partner
One of only eight Jewish communities from across North America selected to participate in the Harold Grinspoon Foundation’s Life and Legacy program, the Tidewater Jewish Foundation is part of the program’s fifth cohort. Life and Legacy now includes a total of 37...
Kiryat Yam: Tidewater’s Sister City in Israel
Young adult Kiryat Yam residents to visit Tidewater this month A seaside town with beautiful beaches. A vibrant arts and music culture. A diverse and pluralistic Jewish community comprised of people from all backgrounds. Rumors of mermaid sightings in the water. No,...
From the Hal Sacks Jewish News Archive
September 8, 2006 A developer of real estate, Marvin Simon was best known in the Jewish community for developing ideas, synagogues, Jewish Community Centers and Jewish agencies. He died August 30 at home, surrounded by his family. On Sunday, September 3, Ohef Sholom...
Full house for bar mitzvah at Levy Chapel
Commodore Levy Chapel at Norfolk Naval Station can be described as attractive, historic and well-appointed. What it usually isn’t, is crowded. That changed on Saturday, July 23, when more than 150 friends and relatives filled the chapel to the walls to celebrate Josh...
Next year in Jerusalem—and Tsfat— and Tel Aviv—and the Golan—
Federation plans Summer 2017 “B’Yachad” Israel Mission Fasten your seatbelts and get ready for a mission unlike any this Federation has offered in the past, featuring men’s, women’s and joint programming, AND a meet-up with the Young Leadership Hofheimer mission...
Tzofim Friendship Caravan Israeli Scouts wow crowd with performance at JCC
Scouts were jumping and jiving, rhythmically rhyming, and moving as one to the beat of israeli music, as well as to popular Disney tunes, when, for one hour on the evening of Tuesday, August 3, the Tzofim Friendship Caravan performed song and dance numbers and...
Girls’ Day Out: A trip to the Culinary Institute of Virginia
The United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s Young Adult Division’s women’s programming held a successful kickoff event on Sunday, July 17 at the Culinary institute of Virginia. Trading the muggy humidity outdoors for the heat in the kitchen, 18 YAD women embarked on a...
Israeli author Etgar Keret awarded $100,000 Bronfman prize
Israeli author Etgar Keret has been named the recipient of the 2016 Charles Bronfman Prize. The prize recognizes Keret’s work “conveying Jewish values across cultures and imparting a humanitarian vision throughout the world,” the prize said in an announcement. The...
Guide to Jewish Living 2016
Dear readers, The 2016 Guide to Jewish Living in Tidewater is organized a bit differently from previous years. The main changes are the addition of some new categories and of a Table of Contents/Index to make finding specific services or organizations easier. For...
Berger-Goldrich Home at Beth Sholom Village to undergo $5-million renovation starting this fall
UJFT kicks off “Honor” Campaign with $200,000 Lead Gift Big changes are planned for the area’s only Jewish nursing home, and the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater is taking the lead on ensuring they succeed. At an event last month at the BergerGoldrich Home, Jay...
Elie Wiesel memorial statue proposed by Congress members
Several U.S. congressmen introduced resolutions to honor the life and work of Elie Wiesel, including a proposal to create a memorial statue to be placed in the U.S. Capitol building. Three members of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council—Reps. Steve Israel, D-N.Y.;...
Author of Black Lives Matter position on Israel defends ‘genocide’ claim
NEW YORK (JTA)—The co-author of the Black lives Matter platform passage accusing Israel of “genocide” defended the term, saying Israel's actions fit in its wider definition. Ben Ndugga-Kabuye co-authored the statement along with Rachel Gilmer, the former board member...
Israeli business investment in Virginia grow
Tel Aviv, Israel—Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe and his senior team were in israel for only 46 hours last month, but significant results took place. A recent Virginia Israel Briefing from the Virginia-Israel Advisory Board notes that a highlight of the trade...
Hebrew Academy of Tidewater earns community environmental award
A noteworthy collaboration by Hebrew Academy students, parents, teachers and administration earned Hebrew Academy of Tidewater its first community environmental award. Lynnhaven River NOW (LRN), a local environmental organization that focuses on the restoration of...
Isaac Mizrahi: An Unruly History
The Jewish Musem, through August 7, 2016 Through more than 250 clothing and costume designs, sketches, photographs, and an immersive video installation, Isaac Mizrahi: An Unruly History explores Mizrahi’s unique position at the intersection of high style and popular...
Turning readers into leaders
The Simon Family JCC’s Be a Reader (BEAR) program was honored at the Virginia Beach City Public Schools 2016 Community Celebration in April. BEAR’s success continues to receive recognition and accolades for the impact the program has on the community. But the real...