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...
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PJ Library delivers books to homes of young children
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...
Local Jewish community and Israel trip impact Harrells’ decision to be LIFE & LEGACY donors
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...
Building Community, Together
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...
Simon Family Passport to Israel Program grant recipient learns the importance of Israel
When I first walked off the plane into the Ben- Gurion Airport, I stepped straight onto a large bus that took me to my home for, what I believed, was just the next four months. I first noticed that Israel was not just a large desert, but it was more of a wonderland...
Interest-free loans available for higher education for Jewish students
JELF (Jewish Educational Loan Fund) has assisted the Jewish community since 1889 when the doors of the Hebrew Orphans’ Home first opened in Atlanta, Georgia. Since its inception, JELF has served the five-state region of Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South...
Reduce your taxes with an IRA Gift in 2018
Starting this year, the standard deduction has doubled, which will significantly reduce the number of taxpayers who itemize their deductions. If you are 70½ or older (or know someone who is), here is an easy way to help the Jewish community. Rather than simply take...
In Jerusalem, Ruth Bader Ginsburg celebrates her commitment to tikkun olam
JERUSALEM (JTA)— Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg described how grateful she was for her Jewish heritage during a screening of a new documentary film about her life and career at the Jerusalem Cinematheque. “The demand for justice, peace and enlightenment...
Retiring Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy’s Jewish legacy
NEW YORK (JTA)—Not an hour after Anthony Kennedy announced his retirement as associate justice on the Supreme Court, the National Council of Jewish Women tweeted its dismay. “Justice Kennedy’s retirement could drastically shift the balance of the Supreme Court, and...
Local rabbi represents community at Pride event
During the week in which the LGBTQAI community celebrates its local presence, Rabbi Ellen Jaffe-Gill, spiritual leader of Tidewater Chavurah, represented the Jewish community at Hampton Roads Pride’s interfaith event on June 26 at New Life Metropolitan Community...
Brith Sholom’s move to Beth Sholom has been a win-win
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...
Beth Sholom thanks Honor Campaign donors with reception and uplifting message
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....
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,...
The Tom Hofheimer Medical Mission
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...
HAT students participate in Annual Science Fair
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...
Celebrate Israel speaker Gidi Grinstein stirs audiences
Gidi Grinstein enlightened and inspired those who heard him speak at one of three presentations on Monday, April 20: a luncheon for Hebrew speakers, a reception at the Simon Family JCC for community leaders and Celebrate Israel sponsors, and a community-wide event at...
And the winner is…. Mushky Brashevitzky
Based on one of 12 facts, Mushky Brashevitzky’s design secured the most votes from the global, online voting community to win the Community Relations Council of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s third annual Israel Poster contest. Mushky chose the fact,...
The Strelitz Early Childhood Center visits Israel
Each spring, the Strelitz Early Childhood Center students take a trip to Israel. Well, they sort of take a trip. They pack their bags, get on a plane, have their passport stamped and travel all over the country in one morning. Of course, the “trip” is pretend, but the...
Joan Lunden shares her journey
Be enthusiastic. Always give the best you’ve got. Self-advocate. Those are just a few of the pieces of advice that Joan Lunden gave the audience of the packed Johnson Theater at Norfolk Academy on Sunday, April 26. Lunden, the former host of ABC’s Good Morning...
A Mother’s Day reflection on choices
When I was a little girl until well into college, I didn’t dream of weddings, having children or a house with a white picket fence. I wanted to be a criminal defense lawyer and live in Chicago and defend big time scoundrels. That was my fairytale. It was a bit film...
Time for Women
Dear Readers, Since Mother’s Day is celebrated in May, this month always feels like an appropriate time to focus on women. While being a mom is without a doubt one of the most rewarding, loving, exhilarating and important roles a woman can undertake, it’s not the only...
Recycling toilet water and four other Israeli answers to California’s drought
TEL AVIV (JTA)—For help facing its worst drought in centuries, California should look to a country that beat its own chronic water shortage: Israel. Until a few years ago, Israel’s wells seemed like they were always running dry. TV commercials urged Israelis to...
Thoughts on 2015 Tidewater Together speaker Rabbi Sharon Brous
Rabbi Sharon Brous was the guest teacher at the annual Tidewater Together program last month. Named one of America’s most influential rabbis by Newsweek, The Forward and The Jewish Week, she offered a prayer at President Obama’s 2012 Inauguration ceremony and...
Israeli and Jewish groups on frontline of Nepal earthquake relief efforts
After a devastating earthquake measuring 7.9 on the Richter scale hit the impoverished mountainous country of Nepal last month, killing more than 5,000 people, Israeli and Jewish humanitarian and governmental organizations assumed their traditional role on the...
To choose a heroine
Today I voted. For a woman. Today I joined the movement “Woman on 20s,” which is encouraging the president to have a woman’s face replace Andrew Jackson’s on the $20 bill. I was taken by this idea for the same reason as hundreds of thousands of Americans—It’s time. As...
Literacy: How do preschoolers develop reading skills?
Teaching literacy in preschool involves helping students develop readiness skills to read and comprehend. As early as two years old, children begin building these skills. Strelitz Early Childhood Center teaches literacy, preparing students for kindergarten and the...
Summer Institute for Jewish Living holds 40-year reunion
In the summer of 1974, 15 local teenagers experienced an amazing month-long adventure in Israel. The trip followed a month of Judaic study taught by two Brandeis University graduate students and Hebrew taught by Froike Inbar, Community Shaliach, at the Jewish...
Historical anniversaries, the struggle for racial equality and Pesach
I’ll start by sharing with you that yesterday, April 9, was a special day for Miriam and me. It was our 37th anniversary. We were married just before Pesach in 1978, and since that date often coincides with Pesach, we’ve celebrated with lots of macaroons and matzah...
When El Al flew to Tehran
9 other things you may not know about Israel’s past (JTA)—Yom Ha’atzmaut, Israel’s Independence Day, falls on April 23. In honor of the Jewish state’s 67th birthday, we present, in no particular order, 10 little- known aspects of its history. 1. El Al used to fly to...