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As the executive director at William & Mary Hillel in Williamsburg, Rabbi Gershon Litt’s responsibilities include development, bookkeeping, education, interaction with the university, counseling, and student and faculty meetings. Add all of that to his having...
Happiness was overflowing on Sunday, November 6 as current and former members of Congregation Beth Chaverim gathered at the Sandler Family Campus to celebrate the congregation’s 40th anniversary with food, drink, an abundance of hugs, smiles, laughter, and memoires....
Coastal Virginia Magazine presented the publication’s annual Giving Back Awards at a ceremony last month at MOCA in Virginia Beach. Tidewater Jewish Foundation was one of the 15 nonprofit organizations and seven businesses of various sizes and visions that were...
How often in life is something worth a two-year wait? The Holocaust Commission proved this can absolutely be true. Sponsored by Bank of America and originally scheduled for October of 2020, then postponed twice by the pandemic, Tom Dugan came to town last month with...
Dear Readers, The late, notably irreverent comedian Lenny Bruce once quipped that most Jewish holidays are “observed” rather than celebrated, including Hanukkah. Perhaps when Bruce performed that particular shtick back in 1961 that joke was accurate…Jews solemnly lit...
Eitan Altshuler shares his version and twists on a dessert recipe not widely used in America for Hanukkah Beyond the classics, there are more than a few days over Hanukkah to enjoy a variety of fried foods. The Jews of India like to celebrate by making Gulab Jamun, a...
The food Pantry, operated by Jewish Family Service of Tidewater, was recently expanded by about one-third its size. Prior to its expansion, JFS had two smaller pantries: one for the general community, and the “Milk and Honey” program for Jewish individuals. These two...
Israel expert Joe Perlov took Tidewater by storm with more than a dozen events over the course of just a few days—engaging with hundreds of people from both the Jewish and general community. Though Perlov focuses on the changing map of Israel, from the 23 border...
In a whirlwind stopover, en route to the JFNA General Assembly in Chicago, Karina Sokolowska, JDC’s (the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee) country director for Poland, gave a series of...
Dear Readers, It seems we just finished shaking the lulav for Sukkot and unrolling the Torah for Simcha Torah and here we are in mid-November preparing to set our Thanksgiving tables! And, for some of us, in addition to thoughts of turkey and sweet potatoes, we’ve got...
Chanukah Extravaganza: Sunday, December 18, 4 pm, Mt. Trashmore According to Rabbi Aron Margolin, director of Chabad Tidewater, in the Hanukkah story, the small army of Maccabees fought for the right to worship God freely. “The purpose of the menorah is to...
Freemason Street Baptist Church and Ohef Sholom Temple have more things in common than may meet the eye: bringing the community together, breaking bread, giving thanks, and observing their faith in prayer and song for an impressive 95 years. As the story goes,...
Children from kindergarten through second grade participated in the Israel Club, a new after school class at the Simon Family JCC on Monday, January 31. The idea of creating an Israel Club stemmed from the desire to build connections between the next generation and...
(New York Jewish Week via JTA)—It was the best of Twitter. It was the worst of Twitter. During the long agonizing hours of Saturday, January 15, during which a rabbi and three congregants were held against their will at a Dallas-area synagogue, social media performed...
On his first day in office, Saturday, January 15, Governor Glenn Youngkin issued an Executive Order establishing a commission to combat antisemitism in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The order states: “The Commonwealth of Virginia has been a pioneer for religious...
vamuseums.org A late 19th century oil painting of Lewis Nusbaum, an early member of both Ohef Sholom Temple and Beth El, is a finalist in the Virginia Association of Museum’s annual competition for Virginia’s most endangered artifact. The oil painting is one of many...
Anyone who has ever attended a Jewish Family Service of Tidewater event, participated in Run, Roll or Stroll, ordered a Basket of Hope centerpiece for a celebration, or made a charitable gift to JFS, likely encountered Sue Graves. For more than two decades, Graves has...
Dear Readers, Whether one eats to live or lives to eat, food is always a discussion. And, somehow, food is often tied to romance and friendship. Speaking of food and friendship, in November, a friend came to town with three copies of Israeli-born British chef Yotam...
A catering mentor once told Shari Berman, ‘We eat with our eyes.’ As a young kosher caterer, art lover, and teacher, she took his words to heart and allowed her brain to release childhood memories. “When I was in high school, my mother’s culinary talent impressed...
(JTA)—Bob Saget, the comedian and actor famous for playing a wholesome sitcom father figure, but who never lost his flair for raunchy comedy, has died at 65. Saget died shortly after performing in Orlando, on Saturday January 8, where he had delivered a show with his...
Along with Jewish communities around the world, we recently shared our Hanukkah candle lightings with friends, families, and our community. From the annual Chabad of Tidewater celebration at Mount Trashmore (the 40th year of lighting that particular menorah!), to...
In an interview which aired December 8 on CBN, Congresswoman Elaine Luria spoke about her concern with the growing number of her Democratic colleagues publicly espousing anti-Israel views. “I’ve always viewed the U.S. support for Israel as incredibly strong,” Luria...
A successful local dentist, Dr. David Konikoff understands the importance of all sorts of education, and uniquely, that of dental education. Konikoff also believes in helping others where and when he is able. And so, he and his family made a $1 million gift to...
When walking into Strelitz International Academy, one of the first things to see is the school’s four core values posted in the lobby: Kavod (Honor), Tikkun Olam (Repairing the World), Torah v’Lishma, and Kehillah (Community). As Tidewater’s Jewish Community Day...
On Saturday, December 4, on the seventh night of Hanukkah, members and friends of Kehillat Bet Hamidrash/Kempsville Conservative Synagogue gathered to celebrate the Festival of Lights. Beginning with Havdalah and continuing with lighting a chanukiyah inside and...
(JTA)—When Ed Shames described his Jewish self, he used the term “tough SOB.” Shames, the oldest surviving member of the legendary Easy Company parachute infantry regiment, could also have added “patient.” Shames, who died Dec. 3 at age 99 at his home in Virginia...
Dear Readers, Business can be very personal, despite the famous phrase from The Godfather. (You know the one…‘it’s not personal, it’s strictly business.’) In fact, business is often very personal. That’s what Lisa Richmon learned when she spoke to Josh Leibowitz and...
‘Playing it safe’ used to be a nice way to say cop out. Today, however, safety is the national trend for young professionals returning to the parental home to invest and save money, work remotely, job hop virtually, spend more time with family—and avoid becoming a CDC...
COVID pulls families apart. Covid brings families together. In May 2020, Avidan Itzhak returned home to Virginia where he continued to work as a corporate recruiter for a healthcare company. At that time, he had no intention to leave New York for the foreseeable...
Like so many immigrants who came to America around 1900, it took a great deal of courage to leave home. They came to escape persecution and hunger. They came not speaking English and often going to a kind relative they’d never met. My four grandparents were part of...
Each year, the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater and Simon Family JCC’s Lee and Bernard Jaffe Family Jewish Book Festival celebrates National Jewish Book Month by inviting prominent and emerging authors to share their latest books and projects with the Tidewater...