Other News

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.

(JTA)—For years, American Jewish groups have agitated for more religious pluralism in Israel. And year after year, the Israeli government has acted as if the country’s demographic and political realities make any kind of substantial reform impossible.

The latest version of an annual survey disputes that claim: It shows that Jewish Israelis disapprove of how their government handles religious issues. It shows that they want more liberal religious policies. And it says they want American Jews to intervene in the debate.

A Jew makes news, but does that make it Jewish news?

Take the case of Michael Cohen, who pleaded guilty Tuesday, August 21 to fraud and campaign finance improprieties, directly implicating his former boss, President Donald Trump. Cohen, whose father survived the Holocaust, began his education at a yeshiva day school but transferred to the Lawrence Woodmere Academy. He once described himself as an “agnostic Jew.”

But little else in his story connects him to Jewish life in an interesting or newsworthy way.

Over the past month, JFit at the Simon Family JCC, has established new programs and classes—including a massage therapy service. “I’m always looking for new opportunities for the JCC to improve our services, whether it’s a new program, equipment, or talented...

(JTA)—You know what Oreos are.
They’re two delicious chocolate cookies sandwiched around a creme filling. Oreos also come in Double Stuff, vanilla, birthday cake and pumpkin spice (really).
There is debate on how they should be eaten, but everyone knows they’re best when dunked in milk.
What you might not know is that Oreos are just a copycat of Hydrox, a sandwich cookie first sold in 1908, four years before Oreos appeared on shelves. Even though (or maybe because?) they were second, Oreos came to dominate the market, becoming a fixture in America’s grocery stores.

New York Times obituary writer Margalit Fox announced she was leaving her position after writing farewells to more than 1,400 notable, notorious or downright unusual people over a 14-year span. Fox intends to turn to book-writing full time. Among the highlights of her time on the “dead beat” were obituaries of Jewish newsmakers, which like so many of her obits stand out for the vividness of her prose and the humor she sometimes brought to solemn moments. Here are some standouts.

Congregation Beth El is opening its doors; that is, opening them wider. Recognizing that while the congregation prides itself on its hospitality, there are many ways in which the community feels it can be more actively welcoming. To that end, plans are underway to...

Created in December 2005 as a Jewish engagement and literacy program for Jewish and interfaith families with young children, PJ Library sends free Jewish children’s books and music on a monthly basis directly to families’ homes. PJ Library is a program of the Harold...

Amie and Byron Harrell do not seem like typical legacy donors. With two young sons and retirement still several decades away, they nevertheless felt compelled to help ensure the future of Tidewater’s Jewish community with a LIFE & LEGACY gift. Deeply committed to...

I have always been proud of our community. It’s what brought me to Jewish Family Service of Tidewater in 2003 after working in hospital administration. I was involved in our Federation’s young leadership programs and served on the executive board of the Jewish...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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,...