She speaks with a slight, but distinct, accent whose origin I had long suspected, but, given her age and all that implied, been hesitant to ask. One night at dinner, though, I posed the simple question to 95-year-old Elsie Hirsch, “Where are you from?” She looked at...
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CRC and JCC partner with Virginia Beach public libraries for National Jewish American Heritage Month
On April 20, 2006, President George W. Bush proclaimed May to be Jewish American Heritage Month (JAHM). The announcement was the crowning achievement in an effort by the Jewish Museum of Florida and South Florida Jewish community leaders. Their dedication resulted in...
The Calming Cove: A remedy for sensory distress
Some children get overwhelmed when exposed to certain sensory experiences and react with behavior that’s not always conducive to social situations. Now, there’s a solution for these children on the Reba and Sam Sandler Family Campus. Called the Calming Cove, this new...
Federation women celebrate a successful Campaign year during Annual Spring lunch
The Women’s Cabinet of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater recently hosted its annual spring lunch for cabinet members and others at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Virginia Beach. Featured at the event was Jewish American Philanthropist Jane Weitzman (wife of...
HAT graduates Class of 2018
A heartwarming graduation ceremony for Hebrew Academy of Tidewater’s Class of 2018 took place on Tuesday, June 5. Almost all of the graduating class had attended the school since they were toddlers, so it was a bittersweet finale to their wonderful years at HAT. The...
Senior Living
June 25, 2018 Senior Living
TJF participates in national LIFE & LEGACY™ conference
In early June, I had the pleasure of joining Lawrence Steingold, Tidewater Jewish Foundation’s incoming board chair, as well as Scott Kaplan, TJF president and CEO, and Sallie Williams, United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s marketing director, along with colleagues...
Three Jewish teens plan travel to Israel with grants from Simon Family Passport to Israel program
Shelby Brown, Mattisyahu Loiterman, and Audrey Peck—three Tidewater teens—will head to Israel with the support of a grant from Tidewater Jewish Foundation’s Simon Family Passport to Israel program. Brown, a rising senior at Norfolk Academy, will spend three weeks in...
Why it really bugs me when you misspell my name
(Kveller via JTA)— Earlier this year, my son’s elementary school hosted its winter band and choral concert. While waiting for the fifth- and sixth grade musicians to finish tuning their instruments, I scanned the brightly colored program to find my son’s name...
Why Democrats and Republicans are fighting over the Jerusalem embassy bash
WASHINGTON (JTA)—A fight over who was and wasn’t invited to the U.S. Embassy dedication in Jerusalem last month is becoming yet another battle in the war between Republicans and Democrats over Israel. Top Jewish Democrats in Congress are suggesting the embassy bash...
Beth Sholom Rehab “Gets it right the first time”
The last thing anyone wants to hear after surgery or any other procedure that requires post-op rehabilitation, is that it is necessary to return to the hospital for more treatment. Today, neither does the rehab facility. The healthcare landscape is evolving from a...
Retirement celebration planned for Harry Graber
Thursday, June 14, 6 pm, Sandler Family Campus A festive celebration honoring Harry Graber for his decades of service to Tidewater’s Jewish community will take place this week. Months in the planning, the event promises to be meaningful, memorable, and entertaining....
Mazel Tov to the Hebrew Academy of Tidewater HAT Class of 2015
Time flies. Cliché, but true. That is surely what all HAT parents felt about their children at the Hebrew Academy of Tidewater’s commencement ceremony, held on June 4. As parents, it’s difficult to comprehend the passage of time between cribs and baby bottles and the...
Sixty-five and counting!
Dear Readers, Ten thousand baby boomers are turning 65 each day in this country. That’s a lot of daily additions to the ‘senior pool,’ though I bet that most celebrating those birthdays cannot believe they’re actually ‘seniors.’ That said, the ‘Seniors of 2015’ remain...
Throughout Hillary Clinton’s life and career, U.S. Jews have been close at hand
WASHINGTON (JTA)—From the man who married her grandmother to the man who married her daughter, from working a room full of bar mitzvah guests on behalf of her husband’s political career to headlining major pro-Israel events during her own, Hillary Rodham Clinton’s...
Jewish groups celebrate Supreme Court ruling extending gay marriage rights
WASHINGTON (JTA)—How often do you get the opportunity to pack “109 years,” #LoveWins and the rainbow colors into 140 characters? That’s how the American Jewish Committee celebrated the Supreme Court ruling Friday, June 26 extending marriage rights to gays throughout...
TripAdvisor CEO: A tech exec with a soft spot for Israel
NEW YORK (JTA)—When Stephen Kaufer, the CEO of TripAdvisor, an $11 billion company that runs America’s leading user-generated hotel review website, thinks back to all the places he has visited, one stands out as his favorite. Jerusalem. “Oh my gosh, looking at all of...
Seven things about Triple Crown winner American Pharoah—and his Jewish owner
NEW YORK (JTA)—On Saturday, June 6, a brawny three-year-old colt named American Pharoah took to the Belmont Stakes racetrack and became the first Triple Crown winner since 1978. The win has not only rocked the sports world, but is also a triumphant stand for Ahmed...
Ohef Sholom Temple’s Woodstockley Gardens: a picnic with a 1960s flair
Perfect weather, a great crowd, terrific music, delicious food and a wonderful time at “Woodstockley Gardens” combined to make Ohef Sholom Temple’s Congregational Picnic a resounding success. Held on Saturday, May 9 in neighboring Stockley Gardens, the area was...
Student art exhibit completes the Holocaust Commission’s 2015 Elie Wiesel competitions
The Holocaust Commission of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s successful 2015 Elie Wiesel Visual Arts exhibit came to a close on June 1. The show featuring student work was held at the Old Dominion University Virginia Beach Center for one month. Student...
HAT students learn about Civil War during adventurous field trip
Hebrew Academy fifth graders had an exciting learning adventure, stepping back in time to experience life during the Civil War. Students visited Pamplin Historical Park and the National Museum of the Civil War Soldier in Petersburg, Va. A 424-acre historical campus,...
Legal Matters in the Jewish community
Dear Readers, At one time or another, everyone needs an attorney. Buying a home? Need a will? How about a pre-nup? Adoption? Divorce? Fender bender? Incorporating? Hiring? Firing? The list goes on and on. Fortunately, Tidewater has attorneys who are qualified and...
Chris Kraus joins Ohef Sholom Temple as its first director of Family Learning
Ohef Sholom Temple’s Long Range Plan in 2006 envisioned engaging a full-time educator for its Religious School, but it wasn’t until 2013 when the Religious School Strategic Plan called for putting the vision into action. Throughout 2014, Linda Fox-Jarvis, then...
The Mothers Circle empowers women raising Jewish children
Dynamic conversations and religious discussion riveted the Klezmer Room at the Sandler Family Campus with participants of The Mothers Circle. Over the last nine months, 10 women who were not raised Jewish, but are married to Jewish men, de-mystified Judaism, learned...
Hineni! graduates meet with Hofheimers before leaving for Israel
On Tuesday, June 2, Marcia Hofheimer and Joyce Strelitz and family, on behalf of the board of the Tom Hofheimer Fund, hosted the participants of the upcoming Tom Hofheimer Young Adult Mission to Israel for a special nesiah tovah (good journey) gathering. Twenty...
What will the ADL lose when Foxman leaves?
NEW YORK (JTA)—If there’s one thing that can be said of longtime Anti-Defamation League leader Abraham Foxman, who is stepping down this month after nearly 30 years at the helm, it’s that he never holds back from speaking his mind. In an age of canned, anodyne...
Rochelle Shoretz, whose cancer battle inspired her activism, dies at 42
NEW YORK (JTA)—Rochelle Shoretz was fond of saying, “There are no problems, only solutions.” Her approach to life was not to dwell on bad news, but to channel the energy that friends described as boundless into somehow making things better. It’s what drove her to...
UJFT 2015 Biennial Meeting honors community leaders
Tuesday, June 16, 6 pm The community is invited, and encouraged to attend the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s 2015 Biennial Meeting. This free event will take place at the Sandler Family Campus. Leadership of the UJFT will pass from current president Miles...
Ed Karotkin wows retired U.S. Military officers
When a former Naval officer called and asked for a speaker on a topic of interest to former U.S. Military officers, I knew I wanted the very best. Having just heard a presentation by Dr. Edward Karotkin to the 400 Club on his recent work at Zvi Medical Center of Bar...
Temple Israel Spring Fundraiser was a swinging sellout
Jewish Americans have made their marks in many fields. Entertainment is certainly among them. To celebrate the accomplishments of Jewish composers George Gershwin, Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, Stan Getz, Herb Alpert and Neil Diamond, Temple Israel presented “Let’s...
Israel Fest and the 2nd Annual Celebrate Israel Series at the Simon Family JCC
The 2015 Israel Fest at the Simon Family JCC brought the community together to share in a day of celebration for all things Israeli. From the food and beer, to the activities, band, art and camel rides, the crowd of nearly 1,700 enjoyed a weather-friendly day of...
Richard Avedon: Family Affairs on view at National Museum of American Jewish History
Located in Philadelphia, just a five-hour drive from Virginia Beach, the National Museum of American Jewish History (NMAJH) is the only U.S. venue to feature Richard Avedon: Family Affairs, from the collection of the Israel Museum, Jerusalem. The exhibition presents a...