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The first-ever Catch-and-Release Fishing Derby at the Simon Family Jewish Community Center took place on Sunday, September 17. With more than 60 official registrants and many more family and friends as supporters and participants, the turnout exceeded expectations for...
Thursday, October 26, 7 pm Reba and Sam Sandler Family Campus Want to enjoy the fragrance of yeast rising, laugh, and share community with hundreds of women, and then experience the deep satisfaction of baking a challah for Shabbat? This year, the 3rd Annual Great Big...
With the passing of Hal Sacks, Jewish News has lost a friend, advocate, historian, and visionary—along with a writer and book review editor. As a friend, Hal was always available for advice—and not timid about offering it up—even when it wasn’t requested. As an...
High Holidays, September 25, 2017
After a national search, United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s board made the decision to “go local” with the appointment of Betty Ann Levin as executive vice president upon Harry Graber’s retirement in May 2018. Currently executive director of Jewish Family Service...
In the beginning… We got the first diagnosis in 2003. ADHD. Nothing to worry about there, right? Lots of kids have ADHD. Heck, even I have ADHD. But as time went on, we knew that there had to be more than just that. So, in July 2006, when Brandon was six years old, we...
Not everyone who donates to Jewish Family Service gives in monetary form. At least, not directly. Janna Kestenbaum has been giving of her time and efforts to JFS for years through couponing. About once a quarter, Kestenbaum brings her coupons to JFS and goes shopping...
His must- read essay in Tower Magazine, “Israeli Identity and the Future of American Jewry,” outlines the scope of the assimilation problem we are facing. Hazony says: Oblivion knocks. The two obvious alternatives—aliya and Orthodoxy— require so radical a change in...
JERUSALEM (JTA)—Israel’s Diaspora Affairs Ministry is advancing a plan to send $1 million in emergency aid to Houston’s flood-hit Jewish community. In announcing the plan Monday, Sept. 4, Diaspora Affairs Minister Naftali Bennett called it an “unprecedented”...
Hurricane Harvey bombarded the Gulf Coast on August 26 with destructive winds and devastating flooding. The storm caused catastrophic destruction throughout the city of Houston and surrounding areas. The need for immediate relief and long-term aid continues to rise,...
BOSTON (JTA)—At 15, Elias Rosenfeld became a “Dreamer.” At the time, the Venezuela native was attending Dr. Michael M. Krop Senior High School in Miami, where he had lived since he was 6 years old, when his Jewish family moved to South Florida from Caracas. His mother...
When we saw the JCC campers playing with oversized Connect4 and checkers boards on the blacktop, an entire year of experimentation and hard work came full circle. Yes, all the effort was worth it. In fall 2016, YAD—United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s Young Adult...
Before going to Israel, I expected to visit historical and religious sights, make some new friends, and eat a lot of hummus. Though these things all ended up being true, I got a lot more from my trip than I anticipated. Not only did I experience a different culture,...
High school senior Danuta Epstein welcomed an interested audience to “her” synagogue, Kempsville Conservative Synagogue/Kehillat Bet Hamdrash on Sunday, Feb. 23, to present her senior project for the Global Studies World Language Academy located in Tallwood High...
Jewish Family Service’s Chaverim and Simcha groups offer social, recreation and religious programs for local Jewish adults with various physical, emotional and/or developmental disabilities. Each of these groups meets monthly and provides members with an opportunity...
Temple Israel’s second annual Disability Awareness Shabbat took place on Saturday, March 1 with Colleen Miller, executive director of disAbility Law Center of Virginia, as the featured speaker. The center serves as a non-profit law firm for addressing issues that...
Hebrew Academy of Tidewater’s second graders recently received their Chumashim. The annual tradition celebrates everything students have learned so far about the Hebrew language and Judaic studies. Few things make parents more proud than seeing their child beam with...
Art plays a critical role in developing a child’s creativity, discovery and learning processes. A form of expression, art gives students the opportunity to take risks, experience beauty on many different levels and share something personal about themselves. Each year,...
Student Youth Ambassadors enrolled in the Global Studies & World Languages Academy at Tallwood High School who participated in an exchange program organized by the America Israel Friendship League, shared stories of their experiences on Thursday, March 6 at the...
One hundred and sixty-two community members participated in the Tidewater Jewish Genetic Screening in December at the Sandler Family Campus. A make-up day for college students took place in January. The screening was a partnership between Jewish Family Service of...
The Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA) held its annual Plenum in Atlanta, Ga., March 8–11. The Plenum is the annual conference for Jewish community leaders and representatives from 125 Jewish Community Relations Councils and 16 national Jewish agencies to...
The 2014 America Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) Policy Conference was the largest gathering of America’s pro-Israel community with 14,000 attendees. The conference highlighted the importance of the partnership between the United States and Israel and...
Imagine the following: • A camera, which can see through walls and ceilings, delineating people and motion within, allowing law enforcement and the military to more effectively take out bad guys, rescue hostages and locate bombs. • A pair of glasses that reads to you,...
Those of you who honored me by being present at the book signing for Hal’s Navy, may recall that I committed the proceeds to the creation of The Jewish News Archival Project Fund. Many in the community have shared my concern that the precious record of Jewish communal...
Ron Kramer Chairman Tidewater Jewish Foundation Profession Former owner, Kramer Tire Company Education Bachelor of Science, University of Richmond Family Wife, Cindy; Children: Will, June, Alex, and Austin; and new Labradoodle puppy, Bella. Jewish organizations United...
Saturday, April 12, 7 pm An evening of “Bagels and Bluegrass” will coincide with the Jewish Museum and Cultural Center’s focus on Appalachia from April through July. Included in the program will be Jean Haskell, Ph.D., retired director of the Center for Appalachian...
Tidewater was fortunate to be included in the StandWithUs Israeli Soldiers’ Stories tour on Thursday, Feb. 22. This innovative program which features reserve duty Israeli college students who talk about the Israeli-Arab conflict, give a human face to the Israel...
At the Strelitz Early Childhood Center, four-year-old preschool students are learning about the scientific method of study, a process for theorizing how or why things work. Some of this winter’s below freezing temperatures set the perfect stage for an informative...
Last month, the Jewish new moon ceremony coincided with the Chinese New Year. So, Temple Israel and the United Hebrew School celebrated. Rabbi Michael Panitz says that by pairing Rosh Chodesh and the Chinese holiday, “Our members came away with a better understanding...
March 1–April 30 Applications for interest-free loans for post-secondary education (college, graduate school and vocational programs) are now available for the 2014- 2015 school year from the Jewish Educational Loan Fund (JELF). The application is open to Jewish...
Each year in March, Jewish Family Service recognizes its social workers and case managers during National Social Work Month. The month is designed to help raise awareness about the American social work profession’s 116-year commitment to improving social conditions...
This past year, the faculty of Virginia Wesleyan College approved a minor in Jewish studies, one of only seven such programs in the Commonwealth, and the only one of the seven at a liberal arts institution dedicated solely to undergraduates. Under the direction of...