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Jewish News staff report Sukkot begins at sundown on Sept. 29, five days after observing Yom Kippur. During this Jewish autumn festival, many families, congregations, and schools build a sukkah, a temporary structure with three walls and an organic roof that provides...
Elana McGovern The theme of this year’s United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s Super Sunday Community Phone-a-Thon and Campaign Kickoff could not have been more fitting: “Today, Tomorrow, Always.” This was on the minds of almost 60 volunteers who manned the phones at...
Happy 5784! Rosh Hashanah Section September 2023
Jewish News staff report A group of Jewish philanthropists created Birthright Israel in 1999 with the goal of giving every eligible young Jewish adult around the world the opportunity to visit Israel. The 10-day, mostly free trip aims to motivate young people to...
Stephanie Peck While many area synagogues hire off-duty police officers or sheriff’s deputies during High Holiday services, Michael Goldsmith, regional security advisor for Secure Community Network, emphasizes the role each congregant plays in recognizing and...
Stephanie Peck At first glance, Rabbi Shlomo Eisenberg, B’nai Israel Congregation’s new rabbi, looks like a yeshiva student. Tall and lean, he has a generous smile and a warm welcome. After a few minutes of conversation, however, his composure and focus suggest a...
Lisa Richmon Few would deny that Jenny Sachs can hold her own. She’s a mom, practicing psychologist, and singer in a five-person band with her husband Matthew, a child and adult psychiatrist. During the pandemic, Sam, their 11-year-old son and only child, was...
Stephanie Peck Ten teen athletes from Tidewater travelled to Fort Lauderdale, Fla. to participate in the JCC Association of North America’s 41st Maccabi Games last month. Along with Tom Edwards, athletics director for the Simon Family JCC, these teens braved the...
On Saturday, July 29, I took my seven-year-old twin daughters to the large Gome Junction protest, the northernmost protest against the judicial reforms in Israel. These protests have been occurring for 30 weeks in a row at junctions and in cities across Israel. Since...
Much has changed since Beth Sholom Village opened its doors in 1980, but the tradition of caring has not. Among those changes: The name of the organization changed from Beth Sholom Home of Eastern Virginia, an assisted living community was added in 2004, and services...
The Guide to Jewish Living in Tidewater 2023
Originating in Israel, Gaga is a sport like dodgeball, played in a circular pit where players hit and roll the ball to eliminate opposing players. The Simon Family JCC built its first Gaga pit nearly 10 years ago to entertain students and campers on the Sandler Family...
Sunday, November 20, 12–2 pm It’s really extraordinary. Why would a group of New Yorkers help Virginians build a new mikvah in Ghent? The answer: because, they understood the need. In 2019, after years of dealing with Ghent’s outdated mikvah, ground was broken for a...
The dedication of the Marty Einhorn Pavilion took place on the practically perfect morning of Sunday, September 18. Jazz sounds of the Jimmy Masters Trio welcomed guests, lunch was served, and the...
The Jewish Community Relations Council posed a series of questions to the candidates running for Virginia’s Second Congressional District: Congresswoman Elaine Luria and State Senator Jen Kiggans. Their responses follow. JCRC strives to motivate, educate, and advocate...
In the summer of 2020, my family had to cancel a trip to Israel due to the pandemic. I was disappointed that I wasn't going to experience Israel with my family, but I never imagined that I would have the opportunity to go with my second family, Capital Camps. I have...
Dear Readers, It happens to all of us. For some, more often than others. The reasons vary…it might be time to write a will, purchase a home, or establish a trust. Or, maybe a traffic accident (or violation) occurs, a dispute with neighbors brews, or an employment...
Laws and regulatory issues impact everyone—from private citizen to business owner, from employee to retiree, and it seems everybody in between. In this special section, Jewish News surveys a few local attorneys to find out what’s trending, what’s coming, and how to...
Thank you to all of the volunteers who attended and participated in United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s Super Sunday on September 18. It was a beautiful day under the new Marty Einhorn Pavilion on...
As we prepare for the New Year, 5783, it was wonderful to come together as a community for the dedication of the Marty Einhorn Pavilion at the Sandler Family Campus on Sunday, September 18 (see page 6). Marty joins a list of leaders who are honored through namings on...
The annual Lee & Bernard Jaffe Family Jewish Book Festival begins on November 2 with author Dan Grunfeld (see page 10), kicking off a series of events that will run through June. This year’s festival features 20 authors from around the world and from a variety of...
Virginia Beach’s Larry Adler, culinary faculty lead at Stratford University and a former training professional, has a long history of applying his skills and creativity to bringing food to the next level. For Jewish News readers, Adler shares a few tips...
Strelitz International Academy kicked off the school year on August 22 and unveiled a new five-year strategic plan: SIA Going Forth, Embracing Innovation and Inspiring Global Action. The plan is already underway. A steady growth in enrollment for SIA over the last few...
The Holocaust Commission capped off the summer in August with its first educators’ conference since 2019. The 15th conference, Reflections of the Past: Words STILL Matter, was a partnership between the Commission, the Virginia Beach Public Schools, and Echoes &...
Sunday, September 18 Sandler Family Campus, 11:30 am–4 pm Some are calling it “Super Duper Sunday” because of all of the exciting activity planned for Sunday, September 18 at the Sandler Family Campus. With four events taking place, the phrase “Super Duper” is...
The JCC Maccabi Games returned for its 40th year last month in San Diego, California with five days of competition, building friendships, and Jewish identity. Among the 1,300 teen athletes from 57 delegations and 67 JCCs across the United States, Canada, Mexico,...
Dear Readers, If you listen closely, you might hear congregations throughout the nation exclaiming, “We’re BACK!” and if you listen even closer, you might also hear “…almost.” High Holidays services in 2021 were a mixed bag, with many still concerned about attending...
It’s a ritual that is both solemn and joyful, that brings musical expression into Judaism. The Jewish News asked local shofar blowers how they got started, why they embrace the tradition, and a little about performance anxiety. Rabbi Aron Margolin, Chabad of Tidewater...
PJ Library in Tidewater and United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s Young Adult Division (YAD) teamed up again to host the annual End of Summer Shabbat Dinner and Pool Party at the Simon Family JCC. Families and friends experienced an evening of good music, pool...
Despite a slightly soggy start to the night, Sababa Social Club’s summer party went on as planned. The Marty Einhorn Pavilion provided great shelter from the rain as Sababa committee members Alene Jo Kaufman and Ellen Hundley assisted United Jewish Federation of...
For Jack Frieden, the love of vocal music of the 60s and beyond (think the Beach Boys, the Beatles, and Crosby, Stills & Nash) eventually spread to an appreciation of jazz. Today, he is the host of the Norfolk-based radio show, The Vocal Sound of Jazz on WHRV 89.5...