On Monday, March 18, the Simon Family JCC celebrated the JCC Book Club’s 10th anniversary and 100th read with book club author, Marilyn Simon Rothstein. Rothstein visited the Reba and Sam Sandler Family Campus as a part of her Jewish Book Council book tour and the Lee...
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Tidewater Chavurah got baking for Purim
Members of the Tidewater Chavurah got together at Rabbi Ellen Jaffe-Gill and Spencer Gill’s home to bake Hamantashen in preparation for Purim. A variety of fillings were used including lemon, poppy, apple, blueberry, pumpkin, and chocolate. A multi-generational event,...
Colonial Williamsburg Foundation acquires first Judaica objects
The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation recently added several objects of Judaica to its collections: a sterling silver and gold Kiddush cup and a silver and gold yad (Torah pointer). These mark the first such objects in the Foundation’s holdings and reflect the...
JFS receives grant to make Kids Connection inclusive
Jewish Family Service of Tidewater recently received a grant to work in collaboration with Simon Family JCC to develop a fully inclusive after-school program. The grant supports the initial development and implementation of inclusive programming for children with...
For Israelis abroad, elections start with a scramble for flight tickets
AMSTERDAM (JTA)—Like many voters in democratic national elections, I almost always hope that whoever is elected will be able to serve out their full term—even if they weren’t my pick. This is especially true in my native Israel, whose infamously brittle coalitions...
Simon Family JCC Personal Trainers bring expertise, value to members
A personal trainer for 16 years, Simon Family JCC trainer Susan Vann-Spruill says it is important for gym members to approach fitness with a plan. Without one, she says, the results are often minimal or worse. “Many people come to the gym regularly without a real plan...
Seven Jewish things to look for when Mueller wraps up his investigation
WASHINGTON (JTA)—It looks like Robert Mueller, the special counsel investigating alleged improprieties associated with Donald Trump’s presidency and election campaign, is wrapping up his report. Or maybe not. Mueller has over his near-two-year run led a leak-free...
CTeens visit Norfolk Police with freshly baked cookies
Imagine a kitchen filled with three groups of teenagers hard at work baking chocolate chip cookies. Imagine they are Jewish teens from across Tidewater, representing a wide variety of schools and cities. And then, imagine they are baking cookies for others. Stop...
To good health, happiness, and joy! Lisa Barr, MD publishes book to outsmart pain
A component of many medical conditions, pain is complex. It is not just one thing—and the process of teasing out the one core issue at the root of the pain is challenging. In the first half of Outsmart Your Pain!, Lisa Barr, MD, reveals how stress and pain can become...
Al Vorspan, Jewish social justice leader for the Reform movement, dies at 95
(JTA)— Al Vorspan, who helped organize the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism and served as the longtime director of the Commission on Social Action, has died. Vorspan, who also was former senior vice president of the Union for Reform Judaism, died on Saturday,...
Israel ranked 10th healthiest country in the world
Israel is the 10th healthiest country in the world—54 spots ahead of the United States. The Bloomberg Healthiest Country Index, published last month, ranked 169 nations based on factors such as life expectancy and access to sanitation and medical care. Countries were...
Documentary on Joseph Pulitzer recalls another era of president vs. the press
LOS ANGELES (JTA)—It’s a story that would not sound too out of place in 2019: New York’s leading newspaper accuses the president of the United States of corruption and the latter sues the paper’s publisher for libel. Striking back, the publisher declares in an...
Hillary Clinton’s foreign policy advisers are exactly who you’d expect them to be—which is now rare
WASHINGTON (JTA)—It’s the season of the unconventional foreign policy adviser: Donald Trump takes advice from his sonin- law and real estate attorney, and Bernie Sanders cites folks who didn’t know they were advising him. In this field, Hillary Clinton’s inner circle...
From the Hal Sacks Jewish News Archives
May 5, 2006 For the second consecutive year, the Week of Healthy Living, Jewish Family Service’s major fundraising event, took place. It included the 2nd Annual Run, Roll or Stroll at Norfolk Botanical Gardens, as well as a variety of speakers and free health...
Judge Marc Jacobson to receive honorary doctorate from Old Dominion University at graduation ceremony
Saturday, May 7 Old Dominion University will present Judge Marc Jacobson with an honorary doctorate at its graduation ceremony next month. Jacobson served as a judge in the Commonwealth of Virginia for 14 years after practicing law for 32 years. He sat on the Norfolk...
Postcard from an ORT school in Argentina
Sixteen members of the Tidewater Jewish community traveled on a mission to the Jewish community of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Sponsored by the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater, the mission allowed local donors to “follow their campaign dollars” to one of the many...
Passover at Strelitz
The Strelitz preschool students enjoyed sharing the Strelitz Model Family Seder with their parents. To get ready, they sang Passover songs, read Passover stories, acted out the narrative, and tasted the holiday foods. Each year, the students make Passover art...
A little politics, a little Talmud at recent YAD Men’s business lunch
The first half hour, it was all about ultra-fast Internet and light rail. The second half hour, the discussion shifted to business ethics, fair competition, and the Jewish perspective on both. That’s what young professionals found Tuesday, April 5 at a YAD men’s...
Meningitis is preventable with a vaccine
Disclaimer: The contents of this article are not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please consult your physician for personalized medical advice. A little fact about me: I am the oldest of six girls, affectionately...
Blueberry muffins and tea
My parents visited us for two weeks. I see them at least every two months, but I always drive to New Jersey. This time it was their adventure to take the train to Richmond and see some sites, as many grandchildren as possible, and of course, me and my sister who live...
Janet Green and her Jewish journey
Janet V. Green told her Jewish journey at a Friday night service at Ohef Sholom Temple last year. She agreed to share her remarks with Jewish News. I am honored to have been asked to speak with you tonight. I am particularly pleased that the person who introduced and...
Women
Dear Readers, In this special section devoted to women, we offer articles that reflect the many varied and interesting ways women choose to lead their lives…here in Tidewater, throughout the nation and in Israel. Last year I heard Janet Green speak about her Jewish...
What we know, and don’t know, about how Jews voted in New York
NEW YORK (JTA)—For a people obsessed with numbers, the Jews have relatively scant concrete data about how, exactly, the Jews voted in the Tuesday, April 19 presidential primaries in New York. But we do know enough to make some educated guesses. Here’s what we know:...
A conversation with Congressman Randy Forbes
Congressman Randy Forbes has been the U.S. Representative for Virginia’s 4th congressional district since 2001. A member of the Republican Party, Forbes is chairman of the Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee. He also is...
From the Hal Sacks Jewish News Archives
April 21, 2006 Community members planned to travel by bus from the Reba and Sam Sandler Family Campus to Washington, DC to participate in the March for Darfur. April 12, 1996 Bernard Jaffe was to be honored at a “Roast and Toast” benefit dinner. Sponsored by the...
Friedman is wrong about AIPAC
Samuel Freedman is a respected author and astute observer of the American Jewish scene. His recent article in the Forward, however, comparing AIPAC to the notorious National Rifle Organization, falls victim to the mistaken, if now in vogue view, that AIPAC has gone...
Mitzvah project aims to help kids surf in Israel
I wanted to find a mitzvah project that would be new and fun to learn about and to share with others. Since I am a student at Virginia Beach Middle School’s Gifted Art Program and live at the beach with surfers all around me, tying art and my love of the ocean into a...
CRC Israel Poster Contest
Vote online through April 20 The Community Relations Council of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s 4th annual Israel Poster Contest is now in its final days of voting. For the contest, students in grades 1 through 12 illustrated a cool fact about Israel for a...
Tidewater: Thanks for the cookies— a note from Kuwait
The community make-and-bake cookie project known as Operation Hamantaschen, was a one-day event held on March 6 at the Simon Family JCC. Its impact, however, didn’t end at the day’s conclusion when the last volunteers shook out their aprons and washed off their...
My AIPAC experience
Last month I had the amazing opportunity to attend the American Israeli Publican Affairs Committees (AIPAC) annual policy conference. The conference attracted more than 18,700 pro-Israel Americans, including 4,000 college students with the goal of strengthening the...
The Simon Family JCC is getting physically fit, point by point
When it comes to success, people have learned that there is no one giant step that does it; it’s a lot of little steps. The Simon Family JCC utilizes this approach when assisting its members with reaching their fitness goals. The JCC implemented their new Ultimate...
The Scouts are returning to town
One scout can make a difference, but together they can rock the world. Each year, two scouts from Tzofim, Israel are selected to live in Virginia Beach and work at the JCC Summer Camp as counselors. This program offers the scouts an opportunity to understand the...