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My mom raised me with help from her mom, my Bubbie, at a time when there were not as many successful single parent households as there are now. She always wanted me to succeed without regard for what I may have been missing in my life and never wanted me to use what...
United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s Lee & Bernard Jaffe Family Jewish Book Festival hosted a successful event with New York Times bestselling author Lisa Barr, who discussed her latest book Woman on Fire at the Chrysler Museum of Art. The event was in...
A small but mighty group of Federation donors recently returned from a magnificent week-long journey through time and space to ancient and modern Israel. From Feb. 28 to March 9, participants of the 2023 UJFT Community Mission to Israel wandered through history,...
Dear Readers, Calling the current climate in Israel “complicated” could be the understatement of the century. Never do I recall major Jewish organizations, donors, and celebrities making public statements against Israel’s domestic policy. Or tens of thousands of...
The supreme governing bodies of the Technion, the Council acting on behalf of the International Board of Governors, and with the approval of the Technion Senate, resolved to confer upon Avraham Ashkenazi the Technion Honorary Fellow Award. The ceremony is slated to...
During my formative years, the 1960s, my parents instilled in me a love of both Judaism and Israel. As a college student, I volunteered on a kibbutz one summer, working in the fields and hitch-hiking around Israel. I married a non-Jew, who later converted to Judaism...
I ran into my dear friend Amy Lefcoe last spring at the Simon Family JCC and asked her, “So, when are we going back to Israel?” “Hmmm, let me think about that,” Amy replied. As always, Amy worked her magic and created what would fast become one of my most memorable...
Dear Friends, Passover (Pesach in Hebrew) celebrates freedom as we recall the Exodus from Egypt more than 3,000 years ago. Family and friends at a seder, springtime, renewal, and freedom are just a few of the images that come to mind when we think about this most...
In her third floor speech since becoming a Congresswoman representing Virginia’s Second District, Congresswoman Jen Kiggans spoke about the importance of supporting Israel. The speech took place on Friday, March 10. The speech follows: Madam Speaker, I rise today to...
The recent terrorist murder in Israel of two Jewish boys from Har Bracha in the Arab village of Huwara fills the Jewish world with sadness. Yet, it is the extrajudicial response by religious settlers to the killings which resulted in widespread civilian destruction in...
Anyone who has traveled by the Pembroke Square area in the last few weeks might have seen exciting developments taking place on the corner by Target. Aviva Pembroke, the premier senior community that is being created in partnership by Beth Sholom Village and Pembroke...
We joined the Tidewater delegation for Jewish Advocacy Day in Richmond on Wednesday, Feb. 8. In the morning, we all met to ride the bus to Richmond at the Simon Family JCC—you could feel the excitement. After six months of working with the community, meeting people,...
Since its inception in 2011, Beth Sholom Village’s The Janet Gordon Annual Mah Jongg Event and Luncheon never missed a year…until COVID-19 hit. An event that Mah Jongg playing women have looked forward to and enjoyed, it has evolved from a tournament with competitive...
More than 40 seniors enjoyed matzah and music as they celebrated Passover at a festive community Seder at the Simon Family JCC on Tuesday, April 12. Chazzan David Proser of KBH Synagogue led a beautiful model Seder with the musical accompaniment of Dave Flagler, JCC’s...
The Tidewater Ukraine Emergency Fund has raised and distributed more than $280,000 as of Tuesday, April 19. The money has been sent to United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s overseas partner agencies, the American-Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) and Jewish...
Words matter. So do images. We see and feel the impact of words and images in cascading form in this age of technology driven social and journalistic media. As we were reminded at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, people, nations, and institutions pay the price when...
To do a job well, one must have the proper tools. A carpenter might need a specific saw for a type of wood to be cut, a photographer might need a special lens to capture a tiny creature, and educators need the most up-to-date information and methods to teach and...
What one (or two) thing(s)—of the probably many—have you learned from your mom? We posed the question to several women, and not surprisingly, their responses are filled with respect, admiration, love, and even some humor. How fortunate these women are to have had such...
A live recording of “the universe’s leading Jewish podcast” had everyone laughing at the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art on Thursday, April 7. The Unorthodox podcast team visited the “Paris of the mid-Atlantic,” as Tidewater was referred to by host Liel Lebovitz,...
The severity of the war in Ukraine, its inhumane treatment of civilians, and devasting destruction, is apparent to anyone watching or reading the news. What is not found in the main-stream media, however, is that at the start of the war, Ukraine was home to more than...
Through the efforts of its rabbi, Ellen Jaffe-Gill, Tidewater Chavurah has received a Torah scroll to use during Shabbat and holidays. Rabbi Jaffe-Gill acquired the scroll through the Jewish Community Legacy Project, an organization that helps small congregations with...
The first Virginia Congressman to sign the bipartisan Pascrell-Latko letter, demanding increased funding to protect synagogues and houses of worship, Congressman Donald McEachin visited the Sandler Family Campus for a quick conversation and lunch with a diverse group...
Support is urgently needed. Throughout the past year, Jewish Family Service, in partnership with United Jewish Federation of Tidewater, has been highlighting the importance of mental health and wellness through a series of events. These events are part of JFS’ 18th...
Reading of the Names on Zoom Wednesday, April 27, 10 am–2 pm Contact hhorwitzintune@yahoo.com to reserve a spot. Yom Hashoah Commemoration Wednesday April 27, 6:45 pm Congregation Beth El Masks are required. The Holocaust Commission of the United Jewish Federation of...
WASHINGTON (JTA)—Whether he meant to or not, Republican Sen. Ted Cruz gave Ketanji Brown Jackson, President Joe Biden’s Supreme Court nominee, an opportunity for a breather in the middle of a contentious day of confirmation hearings on Tuesday, March 22. Cruz, who...
Dear Readers, This might be the year that we all get to dust off most of our Haggadahs, and maybe even polish the silver as we return, hopefully, to some more traditional Seders. While last year’s smaller outdoor Seders were a welcome step forward from the previous...
Instead of asking, “Why is tonight different from all other nights?” the first of the traditional four questions asked by the youngest child at the Seder, Jewish News asked local rabbis, “Why is Passover this year different from the last two years?” With the pandemic,...
PJ Library in Tidewater, in partnership with Strelitz International Academy and Camp JCC, gathered with the community at the Sandler Family Campus for a Purim celebration on Sunday, March 13. Dressed in colorful costumes ready to participate in Operation Hamantaschen,...
Tidewater BBYO held their first ever in-person Hamantaschen Bake on Sunday, March 6. Hosted by the Arluk family, BBYO teens crafted their hamantaschen from scratch to hot-out-of-the-oven. Both traditional ingredients, such as raspberry and apricot jams, and less...
It has been a banner year for United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s NADIV Young Men’s Giving circle. Moving out of the pandemic, the group’s membership has climbed to 37 members—all active and donating into the giving circle. Plus, the men made another fantastic...
Thursday, April 7, 7:30 pm Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art When Unorthodox records live in Tidewater next month, Congresswoman Elaine Luria will be the Jewish guest, and former NFL Hall of Famer Bruce Smith will be the Gentile guest. Each of the podcast’s shows...