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One Night raises funds, delights diners

One Night raises funds, delights diners

The Simon Family JCC held its signature fundraising event, One Night, on Tuesday, April 24. Hosted by Baker’s Crust Artisan Kitchen, 132 guests gathered for a night of outstanding Israeli cuisine, community, and philanthropy. This year’s guest chef, sponsored by the...

Lag B’Omer’s fire lights up a fun celebration

Lag B’Omer’s fire lights up a fun celebration

The Tidewater Jewish community was fired up on Thursday, May 3 for its annual Lag B’Omer Bash. This year’s event, hosted by the Simon Family JCC, the Young Adult Division of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater, and Chabad of Tidewater, attracted nearly 200...

The value of burying books

The value of burying books

The ceremony began on a sunny spring morning beside a single dugout grave and a pile of dirt. On Sunday, April 15, 15 middle schoolers from Ohef Sholom Temple buried 1,000 worn-out prayer books in the Tree of Life section at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Norfolk. Everyone...

Eyal Rob lectures, spins in Tidewater

Co-founder of Israel’s first music television channel, Israeli journalist, culture critic, and DJ, Eyal Rob brought the Tel Aviv music scene to Tidewater last month. His visit concluded the Community Relations Council of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s...

Not your parents’ Science Fair

For anyone who ever wondered if a Yeti coffee cup really does keep coffee hotter than other competing cups, Shayna Friedman, a fourth-grade student at Hebrew Academy of Tidewater, answered this question through her Science Fair project. On Thursday, April 17, Hebrew...

Denmark synagogue attack seen as ‘wake-up call’

(JTA) - From the window of the Jewish Community of Copenhagen’s crisis center, Finn Schwarz can see his country changing before his eyes. Hours after the slaying of a guard outside the Danish capital’s main synagogue early Sunday morning, Feb. 15, two police officers...

Gidi Grinstein to open Celebrate Israel Series

Thursday, Feb. 26, 7 pm, Simon Family JCC “In working with Gidi Grinstein and his team at the Reut Institute these past few years, we have delved into many topics. I believe Gidi is on the cutting edge of modern Jewish and Zionist thinking,” says David Brand....

Purimpalooza: a costume carnivale for the young adult crowd

Saturday, March 7, 8 pm Known for throwing great, community- wide parties, the Young Adult Division of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater is planning to hold an extravaganza next month at the Sandler Family Campus. In a nod to the international music fest of a...

Rabbi Ellen Jaffe-Gill joins Tidewater Chavurah

An unaffiliated group involved in Jewish fellowship, Tidewater Chavurah has engaged its first ordained rabbi as spiritual leader, Rabbi Ellen Jaffe-Gill. Rabbi Jaffe-Gill will lead Shabbat and High Holidays services using prayer books of the Reform movement. She will...

Virginia Festival of Jewish Film winds up a success

“I can’t thank this community enough for supporting the Virginia Festival of Jewish Film, presented by Alma* and Howard Laderberg,” said William Laderberg at the closing night of the film festival on Sunday, Jan. 25. “Thanks to them, their outpouring of support and...

Why Jewish families should vaccinate their kids

(Kveller via JTA)—Since the news of the recent Disneyland measles outbreak and the subsequent chatter on Facebook began, I discovered I have at least four Facebook friends (and likely a few more) with healthy, non-immunocompromised, vaccine-aged children who have...

Birthright trip to Israel in December

I arrived back in the United States on Wednesday, Jan. 7 at about 5 in the morning. I was excited that the next day I would be having sushi with my friends and telling them all about my trip; my spiritual journey. I had about a 10-hour layover at JFK to reflect on...

An introduction or re-introduction to AJC

Tidewater received a visit from the American Jewish Committee’s (AJC) Washington regional director, Alan Ronkin on Thursday and Friday, Oct. 22 and 23. As I prepared for Alan’s visit and mentioned AJC to community members, many responded with “what is AJC?” I went...

JCPA Leadership Mission to Poland and Israel

Journal entry Dec. 6, 2014 And so it begins…. On an adventure to Poland and Israel courtesy of Lois and Larry Frank of Atlanta and the JCPA, based on a recommendation from United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s Robin Mancoll. The itinerary looks amazing and...

Survivors return to Auschwitz determined to share their stories

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...

Charlie Hebdo: Freedom of speech and mutual respect

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...

Indian River High School honors Dana Cohen

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...

We’re going to Argentina! Want to come? Say si!

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...

The Rise of Anti-Semitism: Not only a “Jewish Issue”

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...

Mayim Bialik’s reflections on the Paris attacks

(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...

Administrator gains national certification

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...

What more can you do? Date with the State

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...