JERUSALEM (JTA)—David Rubinger’s iconic photograph of three paratroopers at the Western Wall is the defining image of the 1967 Six-Day War. The men in the photo—Dr. Yitzhak Yifat, Tzion Karasenti and Chaim Oshri— have proudly served as symbols of the historic Israeli...
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Leadership transition
Next week we will hold our biennial meeting of United Jewish Federation of Tidewater and the Simon Family JCC, where I will transition out of the board presidency and introduce John Strelitz as the incoming president. John’s presidency will continue a Strelitz legacy...
One Night of community and food
The community gathered on Wednesday, May 3 to celebrate the Simon Family JCC with One Night of Israeli food, wine, and music. The fundraising event, hosted by John Stein of Baker’s Crust, featured Israeli chefs Guy Marom and Nir Margalith of the travel and catering...
Staycation
Staycation, May 29, 2017
A roller coaster of emotions
I remember having the family for dinner and walking into the den where Joyce and Leonard (Strelitz) were on the phone with national UJA office people in New York—there was no CNN back then. I felt a nervous immediacy being in the room with people getting news directly...
Developing armaments under pressure and for future use
On May 23, 1967 Gamal Abdel Nasser closed the Straits of Tiran – the entrance to the Red Sea, ordered the UN force to leave Sinai, and moved six divisions (130,000 soldiers) into Sinai. This was against the agreement with the U.S. and United Nations after the 1957...
Consumed
It took over our lives. I remember going to the Federation, which was located in the Center, from morning until late at night. We were raising money…on the phones constantly. Personally, I was getting my house painted and Morty and I would go home and have no place to...
James Comey had admirers among Jewish defense officials
WASHINGTON (JTA)—“You make us better,” James Comey told the Anti- Defamation League in his final public speech as FBI director. Judging from the applause in the conference room at the venerable Mayflower Hotel here, the feeling was mutual. Mired in investigations of...
Trump executive order allows campaigning from the pulpit
(JTA)—Jewish groups largely came out against a new executive order allowing clergy to endorse or oppose candidates from the pulpit, fearing that it will erode the separation between church and state. The order, which President Donald Trump signed Thursday, May 4 at...
Sydney Levine bounces back to receive Stein Family College Scholarship from Tidewater Jewish Foundation
The annual Stein Family College Scholarship of the Tidewater Jewish Foundation was awarded this month to Sydney Levine, a soon-to-be graduate of Frank W. Cox High School in Virginia Beach. Levine is the ninth recipient of the four-year scholarship of up to $10,000 per...
Tidewater gets a taste of Israel
Chefs Guy Marom and Nir Margalith of Puzzle Israel, an adventure tour and catering company, spent a week in Tidewater sharing their love of food and celebrating Yom Ha’Atzmaut, Israel’s 69th birthday. Sous chef Neta Margalith, joined her brother and Marom for a busy...
Celebrating Israel’s 69th—Community played, shopped, learned, and danced with Israel
Sunday, April 30 was a beautiful day all around—not just the weather—as more than 1,200 people attended the Simon Family JCC’s annual Israel Fest to experience the culinary, cultural, and artistic gifts of Israel. Attendees at the celebration were treated to fresh...
In the Sukkah with Beth El
Congregation Beth El made good use of its sukkah and the Sukkot holiday this year with programming covering a range of interests, ages and celebratory activities. The festivities kicked off with the “First Annual Sukkah Raising,” which was held as part of the opening...
Fourth Annual Golf’s Longest Day
Beth Sholom Village’s 4th annual Richard “Dick” Porter Memorial Golf tournament took place on a day with picture perfect weather. Ten golfers enjoyed great golfing and camaraderie for a wonderful cause, raising approximately $70,000 for Beth Sholom Village and playing...
Hebrew Academy elects new SGA officers
It was another spirited campaign this fall as Hebrew Academy prepared to elect its SGA officers. Speeches were shared, posters were displayed and, in the end, a new cabinet was chosen. These new SGA officers say that there should be a couple of events each...
VCIC kicks off the year at the Simon Family JCC
The Tidewater Chapter of the Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities held its first meeting of the fiscal year on Sept. 9, 2013 at the Simon Family JCC. Under the leadership of Carolyn Abron-McCadden, who is beginning her third year as chair, members discussed...
Hezbollah: The Global Footprint of Lebanon’s Party of God author visits Tidewater Monday, Nov. 4, 7 pm
Matthew Levitt, author of Hezbollah: The Global Footprint of Lebanon’s Party of God will speak at The Lee and Bernard Jaffe* Family Jewish Book Festival, in a program partnership with the Community Relations Council of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater. A...
Men discuss commitment at luncheon
In what has become an annual United Jewish Federation of Tidewater tradition, men from the community gathered to enjoy lunch, be inspired and take part in a truly extraordinary event. On Tuesday, Sept. 24, the week following a great Annual Campaign kick-off, 32 men...
The danger of a nuclear-armed Iran
In his recent speech before the United Nations General Assembly, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned, “The last century has taught us that when a radical regime with global ambitions gets awesome power, sooner or later its appetite for aggression knows no...
Jewish Republicans caught in party shutdown crossfire
WASHINGTON (JTA)—The first lawmaker to speak at a closed-door Capitol Hill confab convened by the Republican Jewish Coalition’s women’s affiliate was, naturally enough, a woman. So was the second. Against the background of the current federal budget battle, that’s...
Pew survey of U.S. Jews: soaring intermarriage, assimilation rates
NEW YORK (JTA)—There are a lot more Jews in America than you may have thought—an estimated 6.8 million, according to a new study. But a growing proportion of them are unlikely to raise their children Jewish or connect with Jewish institutions. The proportion of Jews...
Netanyahu’s U.S.A. trip
Netanyahu warns: If necessary, Israel will stop Iran on its own WASHINGTON (JTA)—Israel is prepared to strike on its own if Iran is poised to obtain a nuclear weapon, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the United Nations General Assembly. “Israel will not allow...
Germany’s Jewish “Pope of Literature” Remembering Marcel Reich-Ranicki
Marcel Reich-Ranicki shaped the literary world of the Federal Republic of Germany in the last half century probably like no other public intellectual in German history. An expert of German literature, he became the most articulate critic of the country’s new literary...
Bonnie Brand joins American Friends of Tel Aviv University board
The board of directors of American Friends of Tel Aviv University, a donor group that supports Israel’s largest academic institution, Tel Aviv University, recently elected Bonnie Brand to its board. A Tidewater native and lifelong resident, Brand serves on the board...
Virginia candidate says non- Christians worship ‘false religions’
WASHINGTON (JTA)—Jewish groups called on the Republican candidate for Virginia’s lieutenant governor to explain a sermon in which he said non-Christians are engaged in a “false religion.” E.W. Jackson, a pastor, on Sunday, Sept. 22 preached at the Restoration...
Stein family endows the Stein Family College Scholarship
The generosity of a few can impact the lives of generations to come. Case in point—the Stein family, which is helping Jewish students from throughout Hampton Roads fulfill their dreams of a quality college education. Five years ago, the family established the Stein...
Amos Guiora visits Maury High School
“Intriguingly fascinating,” Annie O’Donnell, a Maury High School junior says about Amos Guiora’s presentation to Maury’s Model U.N. Club on Monday, Sept. 24. An Israeli-American law professor, Guiora shared some of his experiences while working as IDF legal advisor to...
Amos Guiora on Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, Syria, Iran and Russia
Appreciation for international security expert Amos Guiora’s experience, insight and intelligence was clear from the size of the crowd that showed up to hear him speak on Sunday, Sept. 22 at Temple Israel. More than 150 community members attended the briefing,...
Campaign Ambassadors learn lessons in “Asking”
“Federation doesn’t have a mission problem… it has an image problem!” So began Jonah Halper, CEO of ALTRUICITY and founder of NextGen:Charity and CharityForum. Halper was the guest trainer at a recent United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s Campaign Ambassador...
Obama’s tough talk is good news for Israel— depending on what it means
WASHINGTON (JTA)—The good news for Israel in President Obama’s speech at the United Nations was his insistence that any steps Iran might take to solve the standoff over its nuclear program must be transparent and verifiable. The bad news was that Obama wasn’t clear...
Rabbi’s shooting shakes Russian community’s confidence in its future
DERBENT, Russia (JTA)—Accustomed to the sound of gunfire at night, neighbors of Rabbi Ovadia Isakov were not particularly startled when a shot rang out on Pushkin Street on July 25. But unlike the volleys that partygoers often fire heavenward in this lawless corner of...
Jewish Education Council’s Summer Institute 2013
Jewish educators gather for two evenings each August at the Simon Family JCC for the Jewish Education Council’s Summer Institute. This hands-on workshop is designed to improve teaching skills and share what works and inspires in the classroom. Mary Meyerson, a...