Other News

For years, 43rd Street at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront’s North End neighborhood has drawn thousands of spectators to its famous displays of holiday lights. When Dr. Mark Lipton moved to the street earlier this year, he knew there was an expectation to put up a...

Approximately 50 seniors gathered at the Simon Family JCC on Wednesday, December 19 for the Seniors Club lunch, installation of the 2019 board, and singalong with Michal Newman, Hebrew Academy of Tidewater music teacher and musician. Seniors throughout the community...

1. It’s not the same as it was when we were applying. Today’s college process hardly resembles what many of us experienced. We applied to the colleges we had heard about through neighbors and family. We took the SATs cold: being in school five days a week was...

I have been fortunate to travel to Israel three times in my life; once with the Jewish Federation of Philadelphia during my senior year of high school, once in 2015 with the Tom Hofheimer Hineni! mission and then again, this past summer, with the UJFT Journey Home...

For the first time in its 83-year history, Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities (VCIC) has expanded its physical presence beyond its Richmond home base, establishing an office on the campus of Virginia Wesleyan University in Virginia Beach. The opening of the...

Several times throughout his recent busy visit to Tidewater, Rick Recht publicly proclaimed his admiration for our Jewish community. A popular musician who travels throughout the nation, he spoke of our community’s inclusivity—how much we did together, regardless of...

Leading up to the Lee and Bernard Jaffe Family Jewish Book Festival and the arrival of Jane Isay, author of Unconditional Love: A Guide to Navigating the Joys and Challenges of Being a Grandparent Today, who has plenty of advice on grandparenting, Jewish News asked...

Yes, it is December and I’m sure you have been inundated with “Giving Opportunities,” but how will the new tax laws for 2018 impact your taxes and your charitable giving? Millions of Americans will take the increased standard deduction and lose the incentive to...

More than 2,000 handmade Stars of David were hung throughout Pittsburgh. The stars, created by more than 1,000 volunteers from around the world, were hung on Saturday, Nov. 17 by 40 volunteers. Each star—some crocheted, some made with leather—had a heart in the...

(JTA)—The death toll and damage continue to rise in California in the wildfires ravaging the state. Like other Californians, Jewish residents evacuated their homes and are dealing with the devastating fallout of the fires. Synagogues, camps, and a day school have all...

At this time of year, most think about other people, friends, and family. This year, I hope you will also think about your community and the many ways to make a difference. Several exciting programs and matching gift opportunities are available through Tidewater...

On a bright and cozy fall Saturday, I arrived to Temple Emanuel’s Shabbat morning service, to men and women walking toward the door, to cars lining the streets and even propped up on the grass. Three policemen were standing guard by the front door, and two by a table...

It is safe to say the bottle of cognac Colonel Ed Shames opened in celebration of his son’s bar mitzvah at Norfolk’s B’nai Israel synagogue in 1961 was unlike any bottle opened for a b’nai mitzvah in Hampton Roads. Shames’ bottle came straight from Adolph Hitler’s...

TEL AVIV (JTA)—Some 100,000 people joined together in central Tel Aviv on Saturday, Oct. 31 to pay tribute to slain Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, but they were divided over what exactly they were rallying for. The demonstration, which marked the 20th anniversary of...

I am someone from the local Jewish community—in fact you may even know my family and not realize we have been going through rough times. It was (and still is) very hard to admit that we need help. Thankfully Jewish Family Service—and the donors who support their...

(JTA)—It’s been a busy couple of weeks for breast cancer. Of course, breast cancer is always busy, exerting its sneaky destruction through abnormal cell growth. But now it’s October and Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and the scary fact is everywhere again: One in...

NEW YORK (JTA)—This month, I opened The New York Times to Rick Gladstone’s article, “Historical Certainty Proves Elusive at Jerusalem’s Holiest Place,” happy that the newspaper of record would explain to its audience the historical context of this embattled piece of...

“I didn’t know until recently that some families can’t afford the full tuition of Camp JCC each summer,” says Linda Spindel, active JCC board member. “I just took it for granted that all kids who wanted to come to Camp JCC could attend.” Reading recently that the...

Cantor Wendi Portman Fried joined Congregation Beth El on August 1 and has been in constant motion since her first day. Cantor Wendi, as she is best known, most recently served the Congregation of Shaare Tefillah and the community of Olney, Md. for 10 years....

NEW YORK (JTA)—This is a momentous time—not only because it is Judaism’s most sacred season, but also because as we welcome 5776, we in North America are also welcoming Pope Francis, one of the most inspiring religious leaders of our time. Rather than hiding in...