Jewish Federations of North America’s Emergency Committee, and many Federations on the front lines of addressing natural disasters, have had an extraordinarily busy and taxing eight weeks since the start of Hurricane Harvey. Following is an update on the work of the...
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No way, José! — HAT Golf Tournament drives on
It was a dark and stormy morning with driving rain and winds gusting up to 30 miles per hour. Temperatures were cooler than usual for mid-September. Hurricane José was making its closest point of approach through the Atlantic off of Virginia’s coast. Although the...
Commodore Levy Chapel
When a Jewish family or individual moves to a new community, they face many immediate challenges, not the least of which is choosing a synagogue, getting involved in the Jewish community, meeting new friends and creating a new social network. For a member of the...
Finding Jewish in the U.S. Navy
During my more than 20 years in the Navy, two distinct times highlighted the Jewish community in the military coming together. While at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., there was a large and active Jewish Midshipmen Club. All “plebes” (first year students)...
Simon Family JCC, CRC, and community partners’ Israel Today, educating people about misconceptions
Erez Kaganovitz, Israeli artist, storyteller, and founder of the hit photoblog, Humans of Tel Aviv, landed in Tidewater ready to dispel misconceptions and ideas about his homeland by sharing stories of everyday people living in Tel Aviv. Through these stories of...
Jody Wagner gets honored, JFS reaps the reward
A leader of many organizations throughout Tidewater, Jody Wagner recently made a special gift to Jewish Family Service of Tidewater happen. Since 2006, Wagner has been a member of the Hampton Roads Community Foundation’s (HRCF) board of directors, including serving as...
Rabbi Jason Rubenstein’s multi-faceted visit to KBH reached many
“I’ve studied Rav Hutner before, but never like that,” says Rabbi Arthur Ruberg, rabbi emeritus of Temple Beth El. That is just one reaction after learning with Rabbi Jason Rubenstein at a pre-Selichot learning session, Saturday, Sept. 16, at Kehillat Bet...
A great start to a new year for BeAR
The Be A Reader literacy program kicked off the 2017-2018 school year with a welcome breakfast and meeting on Monday, Sept. 18 for nearly 50 new and returning volunteers. Gail Flax, program chair and founder, spoke about the program and BeAR captains talked about...
Maccabi Transatlantic Cup Golf takes Jeff Flax to England
Twelve Jewish American golfers went to battle with 12 Jewish British golfers using their clubs—their golf clubs, to be clear. These top amateur golfers played in the 22nd Maccabi Transatlantic Cup Golf Matches Sep. 12 through Sep. 15. Virginia Beach resident, Jeff...
Tidewater joins International Yom Limmud movement
Sunday, Nov. 12, 1–5 pm Reba and Sam Sandler Family Campus Yom Limmud (Hebrew for “learning”) promotes global Jewish unity by offering an inclusive cross-communal space for Jews of all ages and backgrounds to meet, learn, volunteer, and build community. Since its’...
Talk about memorable proposals…
This is the end of the story Max Wagner popped the big question to Stephanie Guld after popping out of a plane. Yes, after skydiving! Spoiler alert: She said yes. Backing up to the BBYO beginning Stephanie grew up in Richmond, Va. where, when she was 15 years old and...
Traveling for memorable experiences
Four separate studies from Cornell University indicate that the secret to happiness is to spend money on experiences, not things. In fact, according to an article in Forbes, research at San Francisco State University found “people who spent money on experiences rather...
Date With the State 2014
Jewish Family Service funding. Medicaid expansion. Israeli business opportunities. Prayer in schools. These are just some of the issues that the Virginia State legislature is examining during its current session, many of which are near and dear to the Jewish people of...
Director to discuss film about Israel Philharmonic’s fascinating beginning: Orchestra of Exiles
In anticipation of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra’s performance at the Virginia Arts Festival on April 2, the Community Relations Council and the Holocaust Commission of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater, with the Simon Family JCC, present the documentary...
Simon Family JCC’s 21st Annual Virginia Festival of Jewish Film thanks sponsors
Wintry weather, including ice, snow, winds and subfreezing temperatures couldn’t keep movie fans from attending some of the festival’s final events as The Virginia Festival of Jewish Film, presented by Alma* and Howard Laderberg, ended its 21st continuous season. More...
Tidewater is going to Israel this summer.… Want to come?
Maybe you’ve never been.… Maybe you’ve been a dozen or more times.… The question is: Is this your summer to visit Israel? The United Jewish Federation of Tidewater will bring a mission to Israel this coming June. Led by co-chairs Jodi Klebanoff, Bonnie and David...
Community Relations Council reacts to Virginia Beach Public Schools
With regard to the decision of the Virginia Beach Public Schools to hold Saturday make-up classes, the Community Relations Council, on behalf of United Jewish Federation of Tidewater leaders, has sent a letter to the Superintendent of Virginia Beach Public Schools and...
Will God have a say in Super Sunday outcome?
BALTIMORE (JTA) -- Rabbi Daniel Alter expects some added fervency during daily prayer services at the Denver Academy of Torah in the days leading up to the Super Bowl. Alter, the academy's head of school, recalls that when the Colorado Rockies faced the Boston Red Sox...
Meet the Presidents
Burle Stromberg President, Hebrew Academy of Tidewater Profession Assistant City Attorney of the City of Portsmouth Education Virginia Tech, B.S., Public Administration (1981) University of Dayton School of Law, Juris Doctor (1984) Family Married to Robin Drucker...
Free film documents the Israel Philharmonic’s dramatic beginning
Orchestra of Exiles, documentary Tuesday, Feb. 25, 7 pm • Sandler Family Campus, Free and open to the community In anticipation of the Virginia Arts Festival performance by the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra on April 2 in Virginia Beach, the Community Relations Council...
ChavuRAH!
A group of Ohef Sholom parents and children came together on Sunday, Jan. 12 to celebrate the holiday of Tu B’shevat, the New Year for the Trees. While not planting trees, planting was the theme of the day. Master Carpenter Jim Douglass made a beautiful planter for...
Tallwood High School students reflect on Israel experience
To take 10 students overseas alone for any length of time seems like a task for someone who has a screw loose. To compound that craziness by making it a three week trip to Washington D.C., New York City, Jerusalem, Modi’in, Jaffa, Haifa, Masada, and Tel Aviv is the...
Community gets its most wanted crime information at FBI program
Walking away from the FBI’s Community Relations Executive Seminar Training, attendees of the event, which took place at the Simon Family JCC on Sunday, Jan. 12, held in their hands a nicely printed certificate confirming their attendance, and tried to grasp in their...
Team goes beyond care
Not all cases are the same, and so, not all needs are the same. The recent case of a 38-year-old male palliative care patient of Freda H. Gordon Hospice and Palliative Care of Tidewater is a perfect example. Diagnosed with stomach cancer in October, this relatively...
Hebrew Academy parents bond over baking
Jewish education is not just for kids. Marissa Kempner, Patti Seeman and Ashley Lemke, active parents of Hebrew Academy’s parent organization (Hakesher) recently spearheaded a special challah baking class for HAT and Strelitz preschool room parents. The results proved...
Heart and “soles”
It was rainy and cold on Thursday, Jan. 2 as Ohef Sholom Temple began its second night of hosting the weeklong Norfolk Emergency Shelter Program (NEST) with the help of its neighbor, Ghent United Methodist Church. Sadly, one homeless man arrived in the rain and cold...
Elli’s love for Israel extends to area teens
Elli Friedman spent her childhood and early teen years thinking she loved Israel. But that love, the 17-year-old now realizes, came about because that was what she was always taught she should feel. It didn’t come from the tangible connection that’s held her in its...
Tidewater Jewish Women come together for a Sunday afternoon “Chick Flick” and more
Nearly 60 women attended the recent joint United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s Women’s Outreach and Jewish Women’s Salon event held at the Sandler Family Campus. The third annual “Girls’ Afternoon at the Movies” featured the 2013 award-winning film, Dorfman in...
The Virginia Festival of Jewish Film, presented by Alma* and Howard Laderberg
Turning 21 was a celebration at the Sandler Center for the Performing Arts when the Simon Family JCC’s Virginia Festival of Jewish Film, presented by Howard and Alma* Laderberg, held its Opening Night on Saturday, Jan. 18. More than 350 people attended to see The...
Israeli celebrity chef injects hummus, ‘balagan’ into Jewish heart of Paris
PARIS (JTA)—In the elegant silence of a narrow street near the River Seine, David Moyal takes a breath of fresh winter air and enters a noisy restaurant in the French capital. Inside Miznon, he is transported to another world, filled with the cacophony of Hebrew...
Israel: Jewish and Democratic
This is one of five op-eds that appeared in The Times of Israel (and now, Jewish News). It is reprinted with permission. Gil Troy is part of the Community Relations Council’s Israel Today Forum. Even nations need recognition, right? We exist in the world as...
At Tu b’Shvat, digging for spiritual growth — January 16
LOS ANGELES (JTA)—While my neighbors were putting their Christmas trees to the curb, in what seems like a ritual of replacement, I was preparing to plant for Tu b’Shvat. My friend Freda recently presented me a cutting from an Angel’s trumpet—a small tree with...