When Jewish Family Service of Tidewater’s nurse’s aide Tiphaney Powell speaks about her clients, she does so with a great deal of respect, love, and admiration. After all, when your clients are two 93-year-old women and a 96-year-old man, a lot of life lessons may be...
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The Birthright Israel Experience
I recently returned from leading my 38th Birthright Israel trip. Virginia-based students on this trip were from William and Mary, Christopher Newport University, and Old Dominion University. Students always ask if the trip gets old for me. After all, we go to mostly...
Elsie’s Story
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...
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...
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...
Still time to register and reserve. There are at least three “Starts to Summer.”
First, is Memorial Day when most pools officially open, Pungo has its Strawberry Festival and, in the ‘olden days’ white was appropriate to wear again. That start was a couple of weeks ago. The second takes place with the last ring of the school bell for the academic...
Jewish Education Night celebrates teachers and Jewish learning in Tidewater
The emphasis placed on Jewish learning in Tidewater was evident both in the number of people honored and the representation of many facets of the community at Jewish Education Night on May 19. Professional, volunteer and youth educators were honored at the annual...
Women’s Cabinet celebrates success at Annual Lunch
The United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s Women’s Cabinet thanked outgoing members and welcomed those coming in to serve a three-year term during the Annual Spring Lunch on May 12 at the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art. Jodi Klebanoff, outgoing chair, welcomed...
Dana Cohen receives 2015–2016 Stein Family College Scholarship of the Tidewater Jewish Foundation
A busy senior at Kempsville High School, if Dana Cohen is not tutoring second graders at an elementary school as part of her involvement with National Honor Society, she might be found in the yearbook office at school where she’s worked since her sophomore year. Or...
Congregation Beth El 10th Confirmands explore Jewish identity
On Saturday, May 16, Jaden Baum, Hannah Foleck, Olivia Kamer, Maya Lipton and Matthew Specht celebrated their Confirmation at Beth El with their teachers Leon Covitz and Rabbi Jeffrey Arnowitz. The 10th graders led nearly every part of the service and read almost all...
Don’t hibernate — Be a BEAR Mentor
Sixty-six earth year trips around our sun, travelling at the velocity of about 18.5 miles per second, constitutes the official age of retirement in the United States. By this time, most people are quite aware of the toll such a journey has on one’s body. It can be a...
Houston floods inundate Jewish homes and two synagogues
(JTA)—Two synagogues and the homes of countless Jewish residents were damaged in the floods that swept through Houston last month, inundating homes and businesses, sweeping away cars and leaving at least five people dead. Shirley (85) and Jack Alter (87), a Jewish...
Tom Hofheimer loved getting young people to Israel
Our last article spoke about the Fund’s expanding its horizons and the past 10 years witness to a sea change in emphasis. An important grant was given to ORT Israel for an innovative and award-winning volunteer program to bring “sunshine to hospitalized young Jewish,...
Denise Hoffman: a VBCPS Volunteer of the Year
More than 22,000 individuals served as volunteers in Virginia Beach City Public Schools (VBCPS) during the 2014–2015 school year, donating more than 690,000 hours of service, valued at $15,562,883. On Thursday, April 30, at VBCPS’ annual community celebration of these...
Noah’s Ark Family Fun Day at Beth El
On Sunday, April 26, Beth El Synagogue hosted a Noah’s Ark themed Family Fun Day. Open to the community, more than 40 families with infants to grandparents attended. With decorations courtesy of Leslie Siegel, there was something for all to enjoy. Whether it was...
CRC honored by Virginia Beach City Public Schools as Model Partner
Beginning in 2000-2001, the Virginia Beach City Public Schools Partnership Advisory Link, an advisory body comprised of school and community representatives, began annually recognizing Model Partnerships. Through a nomination and panel review process, each school...
Amid Chinese influx, Brandeis considers its Jewish identity
WALTHAM, Mass. (JTA)—When Jeff Wang was applying to U.S. colleges more than two years ago from his home near Shanghai, Brandeis University was a top choice. Like many Chinese students now at Brandeis, he had discovered the university on Chinese Internet forums that...
“Remember the survivors, because we’re not going to be around too long.”
If you were not one of the 500–600 people at Congregation Beth El for the annual Yom Hashoah program, sponsored by the Holocaust Commission of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater, I wish I could say with confidence, “Don’t worry—there’s always next year.” But I...
Failing the Bar: Cross-examination of Israel trip cancellation
On Friday, March 27, Vi rg i n i a State Bar (VSB) President Kevin Martingayle sent an email to members of the bar, which caused a fair amount of upset in local Jewish communities. Martingayle’s message notified VSB members that their upcoming Midyear Legal Seminar,...