Other News

WASHINGTON (JTA)—There are 55 candidates for Congress who identify as Jewish. Among them are 41 Democrats: five are running for the Senate—three incumbents and two challengers. Among the 36 in the U.S. House of Representatives, 19 are incumbents and 17 are...

The murders at Parkland High School last winter changed my life. It really hit home after that tragedy when my local dance group watched a video of another team from Florida that originally included 15-year-old Jamie Gutenberg, who was murdered along with 17 other...

A Norfolk Academy senior, Shelby Brown is an active member of BBYO’s Kruger chapter. She has held several offices both locally and regionally, and has participated in leadership conferences such as CLTC and Kallah. Still, for Shelby, something was missing in her Jewish experience.

While Izzy Ezagui, author of Disarmed: Unconventional Lessons from the World’s Only One-Armed Special Forces Sharpshooter, helped kick off the Lee and Bernard Jaffe* Family Jewish Book Festival at United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s Campaign Kickoff, he also made a variety of stops around Tidewater.

Following UJFT’s Annual Campaign Kickoff and the inspiring speech by Izzy Ezagui, YADians continued the celebration outdoors, under the stars.

Almost immediately after Hurricane Maria barreled into Puerto Rico a year ago last month, disaster relief groups rushed to the shattered island to help with rescue and cleanup.

(JTA)—One of the largest donors to the Republican Party in New England is calling on voters to support Democratic candidates in the upcoming elections— and Seth Klarman put his money where his mouth is.

(JTA)—For months author J.K. Rowling has been warning about the dangers of anti-Semitism in England, sparring on Twitter with critics who either downplay the phenomenon or say its proponents are confusing criticism of Israel with Jew hatred.

Stephanie Ben Simon has joined Ohef Sholom Temple as director of Education and Engagement (DEE). As DEE, Ben Simon will develop and oversee a dynamic program of education and engagement for the entire congregation, creating educational opportunities in alignment with the temple’s values at every stage of the life cycle. In partnership with OST’s clergy and lay leadership, she says she is developing membership and programming plans with the goals of attracting prospective members, integrating new members into the Ohef Sholom community, as well as engaging existing members.

(JTA)—Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg posted a video of himself blowing a several-foot-long shofar.

Zuckerberg executed a perfect tekiyah- teruah-shevarim combination on the twisted ram’s horn as one of his daughters is heard crying in the background.

This past summer I spent a month in Israel with 32 of my best friends, while meeting 52 new friends, on the most amazing trip of my life. We did all the typical activities you do when traveling to Israel, like floating in the Dead Sea and climbing Masada, but the fact that I was doing it with 84 other 16-year-olds, some whom I knew and others whom I was getting to know, made it all the more special and meaningful.

WASHINGTON (JTA)—Now that enactment of the Iran nuclear deal appears to be a sure thing, the profound and often personal disagreement between President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over Iran is not about to go away. In the contemplative...

What an amazing trip to Israel! Once again, women from Tidewater connected to their land, roots and Jewish values on the eightday Momentum Trip through the Jewish Women’s Renaissance Project. Our community is proud to be part of this cutting edge movement that is...

Having spent parts of June and July in Israel, the land in which I had the privilege to grow up, I was exposed once again to the vibrancy of Israeli society and democracy at the time of great and dangerous tumult in the Middle East. Obviously the “deal” with Iran...

Does the Iran deal have the votes or not? Though President Barack Obama is vacationing on Martha’s Vineyard and Congress is in recess through Labor Day, there’s plenty of action on the agreement as lawmakers debate whether to vote with their colleagues, constituents,...

TEL AVIV ( JTA)—After more than a decade of failed diplomacy, Israel could be close to signing a major agreement with the Palestinians. They’re just not the Palestinians you thought. After years of vowing not to negotiate with Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, Israel...

WASHINGTON (JTA)—President Barack Obama will not alter the terms of Jonathan Pollard’s parole once he is released, a signal that Israel’s struggle to bring him to the country whose citizenship he has assumed will outlast his November release date. “Mr. Pollard will...

U.S. mayors across the country are joining an American Jewish Committee (AJC) initiative calling on their European counterparts to publicly address and take concrete actions against rising anti-Semitism. “We call upon mayors, municipal leaders and other officials in...

WASHINGTON (JTA)—Congress has until mid- to late September to consider whether to reject the nuclear restrictions for the sanctions rollback deal reached by Iran and six major powers on July 14. Some of the debate is over the meaning of certain provisions in the...

NEW YORK (JTA)—Two of the most watched Jewish lawmakers in Congress announced that they will vote to disapprove of the Iran deal. Sen. Charles Schumer and Rep. Eliot Engel, Democrats from New York, both said that they had considered the issue carefully before their...

Every voice matters. It only takes a minute to call your senators and congressmen, and let them know how you feel, that a nuclear Iran is not in America’s best interest or that of America’s allies. Use the quick and easy talking points provided by the CRC at...

Looking for a locale for your next vacation? How about Iran? Seriously, a quick Google search will lead you to discover that Iran is and has been listed in the top 20 tourist destinations for the past two years. No longer difficult to obtain a visa or direct flights...

On April 17 an explosion at the Selden Arcade caused damage to the d’ART Center and artists’ studios. The City of Norfolk closed the Selden and repairs are now underway. As one of her initial priorities as incoming executive director at Temple Israel, Nancy Tucker...