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The B’nai Tzedek Teen Philanthropy Program encourages teens to become involved in tzedakah by establishing a fund for Jewish charitable giving. The program also aims to help teens explore what Jewish values are important to them for positively impacting the world....
Zack Bodner, CEO of the Oshman Family JCC in Palo Alto, Calif., spends much of his time reflecting on how to ensure that Jewish life remains meaningful, relevant, and joyful for future generations. Through reflections and conversations with colleagues and friends,...
The Old Dominion University men’s basketball team played Georgia State on their home turf at Chartway Arena in Norfolk on Thursday, Jan. 19. But for many in attendance, the highlight of the evening came at halftime: When young athletes from the Simon Family JCC Youth...
For many people, discussions about a book conjure notions of a Book Club—a social gathering of friends to converse amiably about a creative, enjoyable read, possibly one that offers an escape from the daily round of life. A group of intrepid readers gathered at the...
With his four-year-old daughter Lea nestled on one side and his two-year-old son Ben snuggling the other, Rabbi Ari Oliszewski leans back in his office chair and smiles. A smile is a simple thing, but to Rabbi Ari, it’s everything. His smile is how he introduced...
Dear Readers, Food, drink, and romance seem to be as linked as love and hugs. Think about it…do you recall many first dates that didn’t involve a drink or a meal? I don’t. Or can you name many meetups with friends and relatives that don’t feature some sort of food...
I think my parents did a very smart thing in giving me a very uniquely Jewish-Israeli name. They made it so that my Jewish identity would be inescapable and ever present, although I also think they didn’t realize how much more challenging they would be making my life....
As we light our menorahs during Hanukkah and approach the end of 2022, I think back on all we have accomplished together. When Russia attacked Ukraine, Jewish Tidewater responded quickly, as we always do, raising almost $800,000 to provide support directly to...
Established by Gov. Glenn Youngkin, the Virginia Commission to Combat Antisemitism released its report earlier this month, receiving national, as well as international attention. On January 15, 2022, his first day in office, the governor signed Executive Order 8,...
Education Matters (December 19, 2022)
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...
In the 1950s and 60s, two Norfolk streets where Wexford Terrace turn into Colony Point, served as an enclave for Jewish business leaders and community builders raising families. Close to Wards Corner and the Norfolk Naval Base, the legacy location attracted many...
Dear Readers, Just as we all need banks and dentists, there aren’t many of us who don’t require an attorney at some point in life…if not really often for some. Fortunately, we have plenty of top legal minds to choose from in Tidewater. Lisa Richmon talks to two such...
Practicing law can be like baking a cake. Both require precise timing and ingredients in exact measure. A dash of restraint goes a long way, too. Just ask attorney Neal Schulwolf who knows the power of pause when a new client reveals his search for a Jewish lawyer....
Speaker Eileen Filler-Corn and Rabbi Roz Mandelberg observe the mitzvah of waving the lulav and etrog at a gathering in Downtown Norfolk during Sukkot. The 56th Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates, Filler-Corn is the first woman and the first Jewish person to...
Type A attorney turned artist: Valerie White’s latest passion is painting, but husband Matt White just might show her up. Valerie puts her whole heart into everything she does: law (let’s become a partner), yoga (let’s do teacher training), real estate (let’s make it...
On the perfectly sunny morning of September 14, Strelitz International Academy’s 33rd Annual Golf Tournament, affectionately known as the Bob Josephberg Classic, took place on the Bayville Golf Club course. The Bob Josephberg Classic is SIA’s biggest fundraiser. This...
(JTA)—When U.S. airspace closed as a result of the attacks on the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, 38 planes were grounded in Gander, Newfoundland, stranding nearly 7,000 international travelers “on the northeast tip of North America.” So begins the story of Come...
Hurricane Ida has torn through much of the Gulf Coast, leaving survivors devastated by its damage. Roofs have blown off buildings, homes and businesses are severely flooded, while power lines are down and phone service and electricity are out for hundreds of thousands...
Sunday, September 12, Sandler Family Campus Each year, United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s Super Sunday marks the biggest day of impact for Tidewater’s Jewish community. Hundreds of community members participate by answering the call from dozens of...
Sunday, October 3 and Monday October 4 This year’s Milton Mickey Kramer’s Scholar in Residence Fund of the Congregation Beth El Foundation’s Tidewater Together will bring mental illness and addiction out of the shadows and consider ways that Tidewater’s...
Dear Readers, A recent JTA piece by Rabbi Shira Koch Epstein began, “Over the past year, I have led efforts to teach, guide and coach rabbis and other clergy of every Jewish denomination. We have worked with over 500 individual members of the clergy, serving hundreds...
More than 80 people attended Sababa Social Club’s party at the pool. The inaugural event brought friends together —following the past year and a half apart. Sara Jo Rubin, Sababa Social Club’s chairperson, says, “It was wonderful to see so many old friends, as well as...
Dear Readers, The High Holidays are about to arrive and I’m not certain that most of us are fully prepared to greet them. Uncertainty over COVID-19 lingers and might be even more so than in 2020, since at this time last year, we knew that the majority of congregations...
In preparation for Rosh Hashanah and the start of school, local Jewish educators share their learnings and longings for an academic and spiritual refresh. By nature, educators are positive people. Guarded optimism is a precious currency going in, out—and back into a...
The United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s Women’s Cabinet, led by co-chairs Barbara Dudley and Mona Flax, kicked-off the 2022 campaign year by going to camp…at the Simon Family JCC. On a beautiful (albeit rather warm) afternoon, members of the Women’s Cabinet...
SIA becomes first official Primary Years IB Programme in Tidewater Carin Simon After two years of candidacy, Strelitz International Academy (SIA) received full authorization this month as an International Baccalaureate® World School Primary Years Programme. For more...
For two busy years starting in 1986, a young Doron Kissinger Kaynar and his family made their home in Norfolk while serving as the shaliah at the Jewish Community Center of Tidewater on Newport Ave. Thirty-five years later, Kissinger Kaynar traveled from Israel...
When Byron Harrell walked into his first Hineni leadership fellowship event in 2017, he was a rising star financial advisor at Davenport & Co. He was familiar with United Jewish Federation of Tidewater, having gifted money, knowing that it was dispersed to various...
Like so many other events planned in 2020, Ohef Sholom Temple’s Mitzvah Day had to be postponed in April of last year. Planning for the big day was already underway when everything seemed to come to an abrupt halt. One of the projects scheduled for Mitzvah Day was the...
The National Museum of American Jewish History held its inaugural Only in America® Hometown Hero contest earlier this summer. Tidewater’s Pam Blais was among the nominees and ultimately selected as the first ever Hometown Hero in the Museum’s Ed Snider Only in...