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Energetic president Joe Goldberg has led a 300% rise in membership “No heat, no bugs, no rain.” That’s how Joe Goldberg described the wise decision to move a July 1 pre-holiday cookout into the Pincus Paul Community Room at Beth Sholom Village. There were no...
It is not immediately evident when walking into the Auburn Drive lobby, but all around the Berger-Goldrich Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center at Beth Sholom Village in Virginia Beach, a major renovation of patient rooms, corridors, and other spaces is underway....
The United Jewish Federation of Tidewater has a special bond with its Israeli sister city, Kiryat Yam. The coastal city is just 12km north of Haifa, and like Norfolk, is also known for its mermaids. After a mission trip to Israel in 2016, UJFT’s Young Adult Division’s...
Legal Matters, July 16, 2018
When Alisa Kosovsky got to Beth Sholom Village, she immediately walked over to sit with Lillian Kozak. The two are decades apart in age, but as close as ever. One is on the precipice of starting her life independent of her family—in college. The other is looking back...
Philanthropy was so intricately woven into the fabric of Reba and Sam Sandler’s family, that it should be no surprise that their children continue on their parents’ path. Perhaps one might suggest however, that equally important to their own generous gifts is that...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
(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...
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,...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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,...
Under the continued leadership of Marcia Hofheimer and Joyce Strelitz, the Tom Hofheimer Fund, while continuing its Medical Mission abroad and particularly to Israel, cast about for other areas needing its attention. The new millennium kicked off with a major grant to...
Living in a wonderful world of science with so many unanswered questions, Hebrew Academy of Tidewater fourth and fifth grade students intended to answer some of those questions at this year’s Annual Science Fair. Students wowed NASA judges, parents and guests with the...