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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...
In order to best serve a community’s diverse needs, accountability and awareness co-exist with Kavod, the Hebrew term that translates to concepts of dignity, honor and respect. February is Jewish Disability Awareness and Inclusion Month. The community’s commitment to...
Now in its 27th year, Jewish Family Service of Tidewater’s Chanukah Gift program annually helps local Jewish families in financial need with gifts and gift cards for those with children and teens, and with VISA gift cards for those without children. The community...
For decades, the Simon Family JCC Youth Basketball League has mixed sportsmanship and athletic skill building with fun and friendship. The league is open to children of all faiths from kindergarten to 5th grade. The 2020 JCC Youth Basketball League season is dedicated...
New is the word at the Simon Family JCC Fitness Center. “We’ve got new equipment, new weights, new paint, new flooring, new practically everything,” says Howard Roesen, chair Simon Family JCC fitness and wellness committee. Among the many improvements, the fitness...
The Community Relations Council of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater invites local first through 12th graders to participate in its fifth annual Israel Poster Contest. A list of “cool facts” about Israel is available at www.JewishVA.org/...
For more information, visit www.simonfamilyjcc.org/filmfestival Saturday, January 14 | 7:30pm On the Map Doors Open at 6:45pm | Sandler Center for the Performing Arts | 201 Market Street, Virginia Beach Directed by Dani Menkin | 2016 | Israel | 85 min Against...
As Tidewater’s Lee and Bernard Jaffe* Family Jewish Book Festival was gearing up, the Lessans Family Annual Book Festival at the Bender JCC of Greater Washington was winding down. For its closing program on Sunday, Nov. 13, Jennifer Smith, director of arts and culture...
One hundred anti-Semitic incidents occurred in the 10 days following the presidential election, representing about 12 percent of hate incidents in the U.S. recorded by a civil rights watchdog. The report by the Southern Poverty Law Center looked at 867 hate incidents...
(JTA)—The upset victory by Donald Trump in the 2016 elections stunned a Jewish activist and leadership class that is at times as divided as the electorate at large. JTA asked some of those leaders to describe their concerns and expectations in a series of brief...
On Saturday, Nov. 19, the leader of the white nationalist think tank, the National Policy Institute, Richard Spencer, addressed his faithful at the Ronald Reagan building, blocks from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. His words did not veil their references...
Friends, As the year ends, we look back at events, visitors, and achievements— and yes, the challenges—the Tidewater Jewish community experienced in 2016. Our gratitude toward this community’s commitments, its accomplishments, its devotion and its dedication to...
Approximately 60 people attended Tidewater Jewish Foundation’s 7th Annual Veterans Day ceremony on Friday, Nov. 11. Scott Kaplan, president and CEO of TJF, welcomed guests to the ceremony and Captain James Eilberg, SC, USN (Ret), officiated. Other local clergy who...
For three days last month, more than 400 high school students from across the nation attended AIPAC’s Schusterman Advocacy Institute High School Summit in Washington, D.C for Israel advocacy and political activism training. Six students from Tidewater attended, with...
Joyce Strelitz demonstrated her kindness and caring for others each and every day, inspiring peers and young leaders alike to joyfully engage in Tikkun Olam. Having served on (and often chaired) nearly every local Jewish board in Tidewater, as well as on area...
The Leon Family Art Gallery wall on the second floor of the Simon Family JCC has been awash in both color and love the past few weeks. Twelve handmade, one-of-a-kind quilts showcased the craftsmanship of their creators, members of the Tzedakah Quilting Group, part of...
Music, dance, and a few, brief history lessons were part of the buildup which led to the colorful unveiling of the United States Postal Service’s 2016 Hanukkah Forever Stamp on Wednesday, Nov. 16 at the Chrysler Museum of Art in Norfolk. An enlargement of the stamp...
Jewish News Hanukkah, December 5, 2016
This is the time of year we think about other people, friends and family. This year, I hope you will also think about your community and the many ways you can make a difference. Before 2016 comes to an end, consider these exciting programs and matching gift...
TEL AVIV (JTA)—Call them Israel’s American volunteer fire brigade. Dozens of firefighters from across the United States put their lives on hold— leaving behind jobs and families—to help subdue the wildfires that swept Israel last month. While they all share a love of...
JERUSALEM (JTA)—As the wildfires that raged across this country for nearly a week were subdued Sunday, Nov. 27, Israelis surveyed the devastation in search of answers. The fires, which continued to flare, consumed as many as 32,000 acres of forest and brush across the...
(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...
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...
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...