On Saturday, June 15, Congregation Beth El gathered at a special Shabbat Service to honor and wish Rabbi Jeffrey Arnowitz and his family a very heartfelt L’Hitraot—but not goodbye! The Arnowitz family left Beth El’s Congregational family on June 30 to depart first to...
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A museum on Southern Jews moves its eclectic 4,000-item collection across state lines
(JTA)—A prosthetic leg that belonged to a Russian Jewish immigrant to Lake Providence, Louisiana. An 8-foot neon sign from a hotel that advertised as the only establishment with an “up to date kosher kitchen” in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Two organs from the now shuttered...
Who’s running the show in Israel between elections? An explainer.
JERUSALEM (JTA)—With Israel coming up on its second election in five months with no ruling coalition in power, some may be asking who is actually running the government. They needn’t worry—at least not very much. Israelis went to the polls in April expecting to elect...
Senate unanimously condemns anti-Semitism with resolution co-introduced by Senator Tim Kaine
WASHINGTON (JTA)—The Senate unanimously approved a resolution condemning anti-Semitism, the latest congressional bid to address an issue that has roiled American politics. The resolution passed Thursday, June 13 was introduced by Sens. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Tim...
Harold Grinspoon’s LIFE & LEGACY inspires locals
Harold Grinspoon is active, intelligent, quick to crack a joke, and he is only 90 years old. A true renaissance man, he has traveled far and wide, owned and operated a successful business, and has recently begun creating massive art installations, many of which are...
Eurovision in Israel: Celebrating global connections through music
Tel Aviv lit up with magic during the week of May 13 for the 64th annual Eurovision Song Contest. With all of Europe’s eyes on Israel, Tel Aviv did not disappoint. In 2018, Netta Barzili, representing Israel, was announced the winner of the 63rd Eurovision Song...
Where We Disappear, Simon Fink’s directorial debut set to premiere in Los Angeles
Friday, June 21, 7 pm The feature film, Where We Disappear, directed by Norfolk native Simon Fink, is getting its world premiere in Los Angeles at the historic TLC (Grauman’s) Chinese Theatres. The film is the official selection of the 2019 Dances With Films festival....
Temple Israel bonds over kabobs
No great community event ever happens without mountains of work being done behind the scene. The recent Israel Fest was certainly no exception. Norfolk’s Temple Israel offered festivalgoers a tasty—and healthy!—reprieve from the heat of the day in the form of cool,...
Community meets with Congressman Donald McEachin
At a meeting with Jewish community leaders last month, Representative Donald McEachin of Virginia’s 4th congressional district, said that his “passion and love of Israel comes from learning from his father (who was an army veteran), that you don’t abandon your allies,...
The UK is finally taking Labour’s anti-Semitism seriously
(JTA)—On a recent speaking tour in North America, I was asked repeatedly about anti-Semitism in the Labour Party and Jeremy Corbyn. Corbyn’s Labour has become an existential threat to British Jews, and audiences smartly inquired what could be done to stop growing...
A lost song and a grandson’s tribute
In Vilden Vald—Aaron Tessler ft. Zemiros Choir The Holocaust’s devastation brought about not only the decimation of the Jewish people in body, but also immeasurable losses to Jewish culture. Countless and precious pieces of memory, history, and tradition disappeared...
Ambassador casts a new light on Israel
Ambassador Ido Aharoni spoke at Ohef Sholom Temple as part of the Community Relations Council of the United Federation of Tidewater and community partners’ 8th annual Israel Today series on Wednesday, May 8. As a member of Israel’s Foreign Service for 25 years, and as...
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...
Passover
Dear Readers, As much as we all love our Passover traditions and reminiscing about them, this is a holiday that consistently offers a new recipe, a new twist, a new way to celebrate and observe. In fact, according to Rabbi Jeffrey Arnowitz’s Torah Thought, the rabbis...