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...
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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...
The Robert Kraft prostitute scandal is another PR headache for the ‘Jewish Nobel’ prize
(JTA)—With the announcement in January that it had picked Robert Kraft as its 2019 laureate, the Genesis Prize seemed poised for a calmer year. Last year the foundation that awards the “Jewish Nobel,” as it’s called, picked actress and director Natalie Portman as an...
Time to Write
I formally retired from my Cardiology group after 45 years of practice in July 2018. Fortunate to be able to ease into retirement by ending night and weekend call after 35 years (which is obviously quite demanding and stressful), for the last several years, my...
‘Golden Years’ filled with family, travel, and…work
I’m glad to have this opportunity to reflect on my “golden years.” My long-suffering wife of 45 years, Carol, and I are worriers. So, prior to retiring, we spent lots of time worrying about having adequate health care and income so that once we retired we would, for...
What Retirement?
“What will I do?” After more than 40 years as a Clinical Laboratory Scientist/ Laboratory manager, I decided to retire. It was a wonderful career of hospital lab work and work in a private practice with the Group for Internal Medicine, where I had the privilege of...
Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, interfaith activist who raised millions in Christian donations for Israel, dies at 67
To the many colleagues and supporters of Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, who died Wednesday, Feb. 6 at the age of 67, he was a man of vision whose enormous drive to succeed both facilitated and complicated his relentless efforts on behalf of the Jewish people. As head of...
A national Jewish group says community relations are in crisis
WASHINGTON (JTA)—An increase in anti-Semitism, an intensification of anti-Israel activity and decades of neglect have created a crisis in the Jewish community relations field, according to the umbrella group for Jewish public policy organizations, the Jewish Council...
Right-wing killings eclipsed all other extremist-related murders in 2018. The numbers don’t lie.
NEW YORK (JTA)—Every year, extremism takes a deadly toll around the world. No region is immune—not the Middle East, not Europe, and not the United States. In 2018, there were at least 50 Americans killed by extremists from different movements. Many of the victims were...
Super Sunday: It’s Your Move online, in person and over the phone
Sunday, Jan. 31, 9 am–1 pm United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s annual phone-a-thon, Super Sunday, perpetuates the mitzvah of Tzedakah and is a grassroots, community-driven, community- building effort. This year, a social media aspect is included with the Monopoly...
Film Festival opens to record crowd
The 23rd annual Virginia Festival of Jewish Film, presented by Alma* and Howard Laderberg, opened to a record crowd of 450 at the Sandler Center on Saturday, Jan. 16. After viewing the comedy Dough, a reception catered by Village Caterers was heartily enjoyed. Opening...
Mazel Tov
Dear Readers, Probably 95% (I made up the number, it could be more) of us celebrate our simchas on our home turf. For myriad reasons, however, some choose to have destination events. One popular place, especially for b’nai mitzvot, is Israel. As such, we feature two...
Women’s PLUS ONE event packs the house for Israel speaker Viva Sara Press
In early December, the Women’s Cabinet of the UJFT invited the women of the community to a PLUS ONE engagement event featuring Israeli journalist and blogger Viva Sara Press, who presented to a standing room only crowd at the Sandler Family Campus. To quote an...
The Huberman Violin
My violin is more than 300 years old. Known as the Gibson ex Huberman, the revered instrument came into my life one fateful day during the summer of 2001. I was in London, getting ready to play a ‘Proms’ concert at the Royal Albert Hall and decided to stop by the...
Governor McAuliffe hosts Hanukkah party at Executive Mansion
After a warm welcome to more than 100 members of the Jewish community from throughout the Commonwealth by Governor Terry McAuliffe, remarks by the Interfaith Alliance’s Rabbi Jack Moline, and the menorah lighting by Richmond’s Rabbis Michael Knopf and Dovid Asher,...
Bryan Mesh and Pam Guthrie honored at Beth Sholom Village
It was a bittersweet celebration. More than 80 staff members, friends and family gathered on Thursday, Dec. 10 to say farewell to Bryan Mesh, development director and former CEO of Beth Sholom Village, and to Pam Guthrie, administrator of The Terrace and former BSV...
Jewish Family Service Chanukah Gift Program 2015
Jewish Family Service of Tidewater’s 23rd Annual Chanukah Gift Program was a huge success. Each year, JFS provides local Jewish families in financial need with gifts and gift cards for their children and teens, as well as money for those without children. In 2015 JFS...
Open the Gates includes special needs students at Ohef Sholom
In the Image of God—B’Tzelem Elohim At Ohef Sholom Temple (OST), Big Ideas are taught on Sunday mornings— ideas that enrich and move toward action throughout the week. One Big Jewish Idea from the Torah is B’tzelem Elohim—the idea that God created humanity “in the...
Film Festival committee members recap 23 years
Since the inception of the film festival, three committee members haven’t missed a single movie. The Virginia Festival of Jewish Film, presented by Alma* and Howard Laderberg is now in its 23rd year, and Lois and Barry Einhorn, along with Ellie Lipkin, have been...
Itzhak Perlman named winner of 2016 Genesis Prize
(JTA)—Itzhak Perlman, the Israeli-born violin virtuoso, was named the third winner of the Genesis Prize. Perlman was named the winner on Monday, Jan. 4 of the annual $1 million prize that has been dubbed the “Jewish Nobel.” He joins former New York City Mayor Michael...
Time to make “philanthropic” resolutions
As we turn our calendars to 2016, it is easy to think about the age old New Year’s resolutions, such as: • Exercise more • Lose weight • Eat healthier • Save more (get out of debt) • Spend more time with family (worklife balance) • Quit smoking But, have you thought...
Five reasons why children should learn coding
Learning to code is child’s play. Don’t believe it? Ask Rabbi Menda, who will say it’s true. As Hebrew Academy’s savvy Coding Club advisor (and Judaic Studies director), Rabbi Menda teaches students in grades three through five to code—and they’re having a blast...
Operation Understanding Hampton Roads program re-launches
Transformational experience for African American and Jewish teenagers to be coordinated by five community organizations A year long leadership development program for 40 African American and Jewish high school students in Tidewater, Operation Understanding Hampton...
One membership, two locations
Simon Family JCC and Town Center Fitness offer reciprocity Two local gyms are joining forces to create a fitness membership that offers access 365 days a year and 85 group fitness classes each week. Town Center Fitness, formed by Tom Purcell in 2004 as a convenient...
2015 news quiz
The ultimate test of Jewish and Israeli knowledge (JTA)—Bernie Sanders, Jenna Jameson, criminal rabbis: How much do you know about the Jews and their goings-on in 2015? 1. Which U.S. Jewish religious denomination made which landmark decision this year? a. The...
Will 2016 be the year of the female Orthodox rabbi?
WASHINGTON (JTA)—At first blush, it appears like a bombshell: The United States listened in on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s phone calls. But on closer examination, the revelations reported Dec. 29 by The Wall Street Journal might not be so far reaching....
United Nations to recognize Yom Kippur as official holiday
NEW YORK (JTA)—The United Nations will for the first time recognize Yom Kippur as an official holiday. Starting in 2016, no official meetings will take place on the Jewish day of atonement at the international body’s New York headquarters, and Jewish employees there...
Education Matters
Great Jewish Books Summer Program opens to applicants Amherst, MA—High school students are invited to apply to the 2016 Great Jewish Books Summer Program, a weeklong residential program at the Yiddish Book Center in Amherst, Mass. Due to the popularity of the program...
The Hampton Years offers opportunity for education and conversation between local Jewish and African American community
Sunday, Jan. 31, 2 pm, Wells Theater, Norfolk Emerging from Washington D.C.’s Theater J’s Locally Grown Festival in 2013, The Hampton Years by Jacqueline E. Lawton explores the development of great African American artists John Biggers and Samella Lewis under the...
