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...
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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...
Amos Oz, iconic Israeli novelist and peace activist
Amos Oz, one of Israel’s most widely read and best-known writers, died December 28, 2018. He was 79. The cause was cancer, the Israeli media reported. Barely older than the country he chronicled in dozens of novels, essays and nonfiction books, Oz represented a...
Here I am!
First Person From YAD Cabinet In late spring of 2018, I received an invitation from Eliot Weinstein, Young Adult Division (YAD) Cabinet chair, and Jasmine Amitay, YAD director, to join the 2018-2019 YAD Cabinet. I had already participated in two of the United Jewish...
Art in the Family at Temple Israel
Like many synagogues, Temple Israel possesses art and artifacts that both enrich and inspire. On Saturday, December 8 and Sunday, December 9, the temple’s Art in the Family program offered a trio of experiences centered around its collection of Jewish-themed art,...
Amy Milligan honored at 35th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Breakfast
Amy Milligan, Old Dominion University’s Batten Endowed Assistant Professor in Jewish Studies and Women’s Studies and director of the Institute of Jewish Studies and Interfaith Understanding, received a community leader award at the 35th annual Urban League of Hampton...
Israeli security as the U.S. leaves Syria
This piece was originally published in Real Clear Defense on January 5, 2019 The Israeli military launched an operation last month to expose and neutralize Hezbollah’s commando tunnels penetrating Israeli territory from Lebanon. According to Israeli officials, the...
The wisdom behind Israel’s crazy multi-party system
JERUSALEM (JTA)—Israeli politics looks like a big mess right now. In the past few weeks, three new parties have been launched and one party has kicked out a former partner. More changes are likely, too. It probably will get messier still if Prime Minister Benjamin...
Thanks to generous donors, Jewish Family Service helped 115 families during Hanukkah 2018
Now in its 26th year, Jewish Family Service of Tidewater’s Chanukah Gift Program helps local Jewish families in financial need with gifts and gift cards for their children, and VISA gift cards for those without children. During Hanukkah 2018, JFS received donations...
Birthright and the Margolin family
When Virginia Beach native, Zalmy Margolin touched down at Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv just before New Year’s, 2015, Birthright Israel officially became a family affair. Zalmy, together with his wife Bracha, were the last in his family to arrive as...
Israel Today Series kicks off with discussion of the strong U.S.-Israel commercial relationship
The kick off for the Community Relations Council’s 5th Annual Israel Today Series was a whirlwind spectacular, with Josh Kram not wasting one minute of his day in Tidewater. Kram landed in Norfolk and hit the ground running. First he was brought to the Reba and Sam...
Exciting year-end programs at Tidewater Jewish Foundation
Ending the 2015 calendar year on a very high note, the Tidewater Jewish Foundation recently rolled out several exciting initiatives. These include two matching incentives to help energize philanthropy, including a Legacy Match Life Insurance Program, a Donor Advised...
For Jewish groups, Syrian refugees are a reminder—not a threat
WASHINGTON (JTA)—American Jewish organizations don’t see the Syrian refugees as a threat; they see them as a reminder. With rare unanimity on an issue that has stirred partisan passion, a cross-section of the community has defended the Obama administration’s refugee...
Why no Facebook filter in solidarity with Israeli victims?
SHORT HILLS, N.J. (JTA)—“Show your support for the people of Paris by temporarily updating your profile picture with this new template we created,” read the Facebook-sponsored text promoted not 24 hours after last month’s terror attacks in Paris. The social media...
Help us continue to make miracles
Friends, As the year ends, we look back at events, visitors, and achievements— and yes, the challenges—the Tidewater Jewish community experienced in 2015. Our gratitude toward this community’s commitments, its accomplishments, its devotion and its dedication to...
An unprecedented experience at 2nd Annual National Israeli-American Council Conference
Washington DC.—For a vibrant 48 hours, 1,300 Israeli-Americans and Americans who are passionate for the State of Israel, gathered for the Second Annual National Israeli American Council Conference at the Washington DC Hilton in October. At this conference,...
Hebrew Academy implements research based character building program
Like adults, children experience a wide range of emotions during the course of a day—everything from sheer joy to frustration or confusion when things don’t go exactly as planned. While they may understand when and why they are upset, they don’t always understand how...
Family Fun at the Simon Family JCC
In November, the weather tends to cool a bit and family activities start to move indoors. This month, the Simon Family JCC drew crowds for three special events. On Saturday, Nov. 7, families gathered for Hoedown Havdallah, complete with a petting zoo. Children helped...
Locals attend AIPAC’s annual Schusterman Advocacy Institute High School Summit
The first day of a three-day-long Israel advocacy summit began before the crack of dawn on Sunday, Nov. 1. A dark and cold morning, the clocks had just turned back an hour and some were still awake celebrating Halloween. However, three Jewish nomads were on a mission...
Tavia Gordon—Tavia ben Yitzhak Pesach v’Malka
February 23, 1929–October 30, 2015 A giant in the community, Tavia Gordon is remembered by Rabbi Jeff Arnowitz and Rabbi Arthur Ruberg. Their eulogies from his funeral at Congregation Beth El are excerpted here: As we gather to remember and celebrate the life of Tavia...
Federation Women’s Luncheon honors new milestone givers
The Women’s Division of the UJFT held its annual Lion Tikva Chai Luncheon on Wednesday, Oct. 28 at the Sandler Family Campus. Guest Speaker Sarah Simha Benkemoun shared her personal Aliyah story with the luncheon participants, explaining her reasons for leaving France...
Hazak gets healthy
Congregation Beth El and Hazak ‘Got Healthy’ on Sunday, Nov. 1 when Hazak hosted a program exploring the benefits of maintaining a healthy lifestyle to achieve longevity. Approximately 80 people attended. The morning began with a breakfast buffet that included healthy...
15-year holiday tradition of helping others continues at Sandler Family Campus
This holiday season, Reba and Sam Sandler Family Campus security manager Jason Capossere is again collecting gifts, food donations, and cleaning and pet supplies to donate through area organizations to people—and animals— in need. This is the 15th anniversary of the...
Congressman Whitman meets with community leaders
Congressman Rob Whitman, 1st District, met with members of the Jewish community at the Sandler family Campus on Friday, Oct. 30. Among the many topics discussed were the Iran Nuclear deal, Israel, the U.S. budget, election of Paul Ryan as Speaker of the House and the...
My son the mentor, author and role model
Danny Rubin is no stranger to the readers of this publication. His picture has graced many a page in the Jewish News because of his volunteer work for the Simon Family JCC, United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s YAD, Temple Israel, Beth Sholom Home and other agencies...
CRC partners with Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce
Wednesday, Nov. 18, 11:30 am, Reba and Sam Sandler Family Campus The newest partner in the Community Relations Council of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s annual Israel Today series is the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce. A panel of experts will discuss...
Let There Be Water author informs and inspires Book Festival audience
Seth M. Siegel shared his passion for averting a water crisis in this country and around the world with community members on Sunday, Nov. 1 at the Simon Family JCC. Siegel, the keynote speaker for the Lee and Bernard Jaffe* Family Jewish Book Festival, recently...
JFS volunteer provides shoulder to cry on
JFS honors Staci Katz as the 2015 Max Japha Volunteer of the Year Each year, Jewish Family Service of Tidewater honors a volunteer with the Max Japha award to recognize their outstanding volunteer commitment to the agency. Max Japha was extremely active in the Jewish...
Continued commitment at Men’s Major
They enter the room quietly and unadorned in their everyday attire. They are met warmly by their hosts, Steve and Art Sandler and quickly begin looking around for friends to greet and with whom to share the latest news of a business triumph, a special family...
