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...
Stein College Scholarship deadline is approaching
Deadline: Friday, March 31 Applications are still being accepted for the Stein Family College Scholarship for the 2017-2018 academic year. The annual grant for Jewish students in Tidewater provides a scholarship of up to $10,000 a year for college tuition. Established...
With few safeguards, Jewish cemeteries make easy targets for vandals
NEW YORK (JTA)—Sometime between the afternoon of Friday, Feb. 17, and the following Monday morning, vandals damaged 170 gravestones at the Chesed Shel Emeth Jewish cemetery outside St. Louis. Beyond that, cemetery staffers aren’t sure when the attack happened....
JCPA Calls for Action Against Bomb Threats Against Jewish Community
Washington DC—The ongoing bomb threats aimed at Jewish Community Centers (JCCs) have sown fear in more than 100 Jewish communities and institutions across the country. “We call upon our public officials, in both word and deed, to do everything in their power to put a...
Kim Simon Fink to receive Humanitarian Award
Thursday, March 30, 5:45 pm The Westin, Virginia Beach Town Center The Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities has selected Kim Simon Fink to be among those receiving its prestigious Humanitarian Awards this year. She will be honored at the 53rd annual Tidewater...
2017 Operation Hamantaschen was full of dough
During Operation Hamantaschen, the annual family-baking event at the Simon Family JCC, 20 pounds of flour and 54 eggs went into the creation of 800 triangular-shaped Hamantaschen cookies that are traditionally eaten during the Jewish holiday of Purim. This year for...
Virginia Jewish Advocacy Day 2017
Jewish Family Service. Israeli business opportunities. Support for scholarship tax credits (including local Jewish day schools). Elie Wiesel recognition. These are just some of the issues that are examined by the Virginia State legislature, many of which are near and...
Alan Morinis lead a four-day journey to a soulful Jewish life
Six local synagogues and temples opened their doors last month to embrace Alan Morinis, founder and dean of the Mussar Institute. Morinis lead discussions about the practice of Mussar, a Jewish spiritual path that emphasizes self-awareness and action as key to...
Retirement
March 6, 2017 Retirement Section
Fitness, family, and fun at JFit Today
New equipment, new classes, and reduced fees at Simon Family JCC JFit Today, Simon Family Jewish Community Center’s newly remodeled fitness center at the Reba and Sam Sandler Family Campus, has a snappy new slogan, brand new Precor equipment, and some new joining...
Hundreds of yeshiva, seminary students disrupt Women of the Wall service
JERUSALEM (JTA)—Hundreds of haredi Orthodox men and women and religious Zionist female seminary students disrupted the monthly Rosh Chodesh morning service of the Women of the Wall group. About 150 women who gathered at the women’s section of the Western Wall Plaza to...
Cooking and Eating
Supplement to Jewish News February 13, 2017
Is Trump reversing course on settlements and Iran?
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...
JCC bomb threat probe hindered by tech disguises
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...
From the Hal Sacks Jewish News Archives
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...
How Israel’s travel bans are—and aren’t—like Trump’s
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...
Cast votes for CRC’s Israel Poster Contest
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...
Diversity of talent shines at 24th Annual Virginia Festival of Jewish Film
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...
HAT ’s parents paint the night away
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...
Ohef Sholom begins national environmental certifications
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...
2017 Super Sunday draws from new base of support
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...