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On March 13, Tidewater was treated to an intimate, but spirited visit with Professor Gil Troy, a noted scholar of modern American history, as well as of the history and philosophy of Zionism from its 19th century roots to today. In The Zionist Ideas: Visions for the...
This year the Young Adult Division of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater switched up their traditional Purim costume party for a ‘door to door’ or ‘bar to bar’ event at the Waterside District, letting the drinks flow for a progressive party. On Saturday,...
It was a spectacular experience at the Wyndham Garden in downtown Norfolk as an overflow crowd of 200 children and adults hosted by Chabad of Tidewater enjoyed Purim at the Circus featuring The Twins from France. The charming Brooklyn-based twins, Yisrael and Yacov...
“If I were the Jewish Czar, I would legislate that all Jewish kids have to attend three years of Jewish overnight camp,” declares Betsy Karotkin, president of Congregation Beth El. She describes Jewish camp as something that cannot be duplicated. “The people at camp...
Why on this night do we drink not one, but four cups of wine? I don’t know, but I like it! And I have found the perfect Passover wine. I just don’t know if I can limit myself to four cups. The Psagot Cabernet Sauvignon Single Vineyard 2013 has an ideal balance of...
Rabbi Sholom Mostofsky of the Vaad HaKashrus of Tidewater has been in touch with the corporate offices of Harris Teeter, which recently acquired Farm Fresh on 21st Street in Ghent. The Farm Fresh store has been one of the main sources of kosher food in Norfolk. Harris...
For more than 300 years, Jewish students at the College of William & Mary have had to dream about having a Jewish home on campus. Jewish students have had to fight to book rooms for Shabbos and holidays. Kosher food was virtually impossible to get and having to...
Judaism Through the Arts Thursday, April 19, Congregation Beth El Israel Fest Sunday, April 22, Simon Family JCC Screenwriting professor by day, Tel Aviv DJ by night, Eyal Rob is a Tel Aviv guy, a native of that highly cosmopolitan metropolis of 440,000 people (the...
Wednesday, April 11, 6:45 pm Congregation Beth El The Holocaust Commission of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s annual Holocaust Day of Remembrance, Yom Hashoah, will take place this year at Congregation Beth El. The free event includes a guest speaker, a...
Stress and anxiety. It’s everywhere. Parents see it in their kids. Kids see it in their parents. From before they are even born, parents worry about their kids walking, talking, reading, taking the right classes, getting into the right classes…it never ends. “Not only...
2018 Summer Camp, March 26, 2018
For more than eight years, Ohef Sholom Temple has opened its doors on the last Monday of every month for its Soup Kitchen, regularly serving approximately 75 guests. Dorianne Villani and her cadre of congregant and community volunteers prepare and serve a hot,...
KRAKOW, Poland (JTA)—What kept you alive? Did your non-Jewish friends reject you? Could you ever forgive? Those were some of the questions posed by Jewish young adults to Holocaust survivor Marcel Tuchman on Monday, Jan. 26 at the Galicia Jewish Museum here. “What...
The recent assassinations of French citizens were horrendous acts of barbarity. In addition, they also were violent attacks on our concept of civil liberties. Most of us love our freedom of speech, lots of it and for very good reasons. And many of us enjoy social...
Dana Cohen does not seem to like to be the center of attention, though that was the case on Friday, Jan. 9, as it was “Dana Cohen Day” at Indian River High School in Chesapeake. Master teacher Craig Blackman, the Holocaust Commission’s Esther Goldman Education...
The United Jewish Federation of Tidewater will lead a mission to the Jewish community of Argentina in the fall. Beginning in Buenos Aires on Thursday, Oct. 15, the mission will include visits with Jewish community leaders and opportunities to see Federation’s Campaign...
Amidst horrific reports of anti-Semitic violence emanating from Europe, and just one day before hostages were killed at a kosher French market, the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater presented a timely program, The Rise of Anti-Semitism: A Resurgence of Evil. More...
(KVELLER/JTA)—I grew up in a public school that had enough Jewish kids that I felt represented. I went to Hebrew school twice a week and had a chavurah, or fellowship, through my Reform synagogue with kids my age. A portion of my family was Orthodox. I was surrounded...
The past few weeks have seen people rise up to protest the killings in France and all that they portend for civilization. There seemingly was no doubt that people understood that what occurred was reprehensible and a frighteningly fundamental attack on freedom and on...
Jessica Willingham, RN, BSN, administrator at the Freda H. Gordon Hospice and Palliative Care of Tidewater, achieved certification as a Hospice and Palliative Care Administrator last month from the National Board for Certification of Hospice and Palliative Nurses...
Wednesday, Feb. 4, Richmond The annual Community Relations Council’s delegation to Richmond for Jewish Advocacy Day is always a great event, and this year, it is more imperative than ever to have a good community turnout. Between the conflict with Hamas last summer...
Three cantors and a rabbi walk onto the bimah…. No, it is not the start of a bad Yiddish joke. But there were a few of those quips when Congregation Beth El hosted its largest fundraiser on Dec. 14 since its 150th anniversary celebration in 2000. Rabbi Jeffrey...
A place where philanthropy, volunteerism and shared commitment come together to make a difference in the community and around the world, the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater launched a new initiative, The Corporate Partners Circle, in the summer of 2014. Its...
No one is more surprised that this happened, than I am. Several weeks ago, a speaker came to the B’nai Israel Congregation for a United Jewish Federation of Tidewater-funded Scholar in Residence program. Allison Josephs is the founder of Jewinthecity.com, a...
(JTA)—What made headlines (in Israel, the U.S. and around the world) in 2014? Test your knowledge with JTA’s annual news quiz: 1. Palestinian officials apologized to Czech authorities after the Palestinian envoy to Prague, Jamal Al-Jamal, was killed in an explosion in...
(JTA)—An attack on the Paris headquarters of a French satirical magazine has left at least 12 people dead, including the Jewish caricaturist Georges Wolinski. Two of the reported fatalities in the Wednesday, Jan. 7 attack were police officers, according to the French...
Diaspora Goes on the Defensive Amid Anti-Semitism This has been a tough year for Jews. But you’ve heard that before. I used to attend a synagogue where every Yom Kippur the rabbi, as part of his Israeli Bonds appeal, would begin by bemoaning what a bad year it had...
Earlier this month, the Holocaust Commission of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater announced the official start of its 2015 Elie Wiesel Student Writing & Visual Arts Competitions. This is the 18th year the Commission has invited students to enter the...
The last day of school before Thanksgiving break is always an exciting one, and not just because it kicks off the start of a long holiday weekend. It is also when all the students at Hebrew Academy and the Strelitz preschool host Grandparents’ Day, a cherished...
Fluffing teddy bears may sound like easy work, but when there are more than 1,000 of the small plush stuffed toys that need sprucing up, the job can be daunting. The Personal Affairs Management program of the Jewish Family Service of Tidewater was in luck on...
On any Sunday when Ohef Sholom’s Religious School is in session, tzedakah is given, and mitzvah projects are set in motion. The Sunday prior to Thanksgiving, however, was unique because each of the 12 classrooms collected canned foods to be part of a larger community...
I am thrilled to join the outstanding team at the Tidewater Jewish Foundation and to have the honor to serve this community as its president and CEO. With a rich history and longevity of professional leadership in this position, I hope to build upon our success while...