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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...
Transport facilitated by Magen David Adom and New York–based Hatzolah Air Lod, Israel (March 7, 2022)—When an apartment building in Kyiv was hit by a missile on Saturday, Feb. 26, Irina Karaush, 44, and her 19-year-old son, Mark, were injured. They received initial...
(JTA)—The world has had a crash course on Volodymyr Zelensky in recent weeks, as the Ukrainian president has galvanized his country against an unprovoked attack by neighboring Russia. The broad strokes of Zelensky’s career have long been known to those who pay...
Corned Beef and Cabbage Sandy Goldberg I am Jewish and my wife, Anne Bernadette, was born in Dublin. So, we have this mixed culture going where traditional Irish and Jewish foods are both served. I do all the cooking and when I planned to serve Corned Beef and Cabbage...
Chabad of Tidewater Thursday, March 17, 5:30 pm, Sandler Family Campus Chabad’s Annual Purim Party is back. Dinner, music, Purim mitzvoth, crafts, magic, face painting, balloon twists, and prizes. For more information or to RSVP, contact...
Applications accepted beginning June 15 COVID-19 might have stalled summer plans, but that doesn’t mean that summer has to come to a standstill. Jewish Federations of North America just announced the launch of Jewish Changemakers, an opportunity for Jewish adults, age...
The phrase “we’re in this together” has never rung truer than in the last two months. Our Jewish Tidewater community continues to rise to the extremely difficult challenge that the COVID-19 has presented all of us. Consider these examples: Beth Sholom Village is...
Last month, United Jewish Federation of Tidewater and Tidewater Jewish Foundation established the COVID-19 Emergency Relief Fund of the Tidewater Jewish Community to support individuals, agencies, and synagogues through financial difficulties caused by the pandemic....
Camp Katan (lower camp) is canceled for 2020; Camp Gadol (upper camp) delays start until July 6 Parents try to drill it into their children’s heads. The best decision is not always the easy one. Doing the right thing for the right reasons takes grit. “Faced with the...
Medicine is science and science is predictable, but treating real people is well…complicated. Patients are teachers. That’s the big takeaway here. Each patient experience might start out routine and mundane, but years of experience prove the unforgettable ones are...
Wednesday, June 3, 7 pm David Harris, CEO of the American Jewish Committee, will brief Tidewater’s Jewish community on the rise of global anti-Semitism. The event is presented by the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s Community Relations Council and Holocaust...
Growing up in Martinsville, Virginia, Barbara Dudley knew Judaism was an integral part of her life—and that her parents’ strong sense of Zionism guided their involvement in Jewish philanthropy. As a young girl, each year she attended Kol Nidre services with her father...
Kids Connection and Camp JCC kids received Goody Buckets earlier this month “to lift their spirits and let them know that we’re thinking about them,” says Sarah Cooper, Simon Family JCC’s Kids Connection Before & After School Program manager.
Make no mistake. At times like this, when record numbers of jobs are lost, restaurants are closed, hospitals are beyond capacity, social isolation is the ‘safe’ choice, and no live fundraising events can be scheduled for the foreseeable future, Jewish Family Service...
At BBYO International Convention 2020 in Dallas, Texas, more than 3,000 teen leaders from 45 countries joined together for five days of leadership development, community building, and celebration. From...
The Class of 2020 may be without a traditional graduation ceremony, but they shouldn’t be without recognition. Jewish News wants to honor Jewish Tidewater’s 2020 graduates so that they get at least some of the acknowledgment they have earned and deserve. High School,...
The distressing effect of COVID-19 on overworked health care professionals at Sentara Princess Anne Hospital (SPAH) roused more than sympathy. It led to an outbreak of grassroot organizers like Pam Moss Blais. Blais, a former Emergency Department (ED) nurse didn’t...
Kol Yisroel Aravim Zeh b’zeh. All Jews are responsible for one another. COVID-19 Emergency Relief Fund of the Tidewater Jewish Community opened earlier this month in response to growing anticipated needs of the community—for local agencies and institutions, as well as...
Stay connected with Jewish Tidewater through virtual resources, classes, programs, services, and each other. During the COVID-19 pandemic, physical doors may be temporarily closed, but Jewish agencies, schools, and synagogues are all virtually open. At JewishVa.org,...
In ways both similar and different, Jewish summer camp and Jewish bubbes create a space for kids to grow up feeling good about being Jewish. The Jewish bubbe is fun, free, and a little twisted: She sees no harm in spoiling her grandkids with chocolate chip pancakes...
In a time of unquestionable uncertainty, one thing is certain, the students at Strelitz International Academy continue to learn, engage, and connect virtually with their classmates and teachers since school went online on March 16. Early in March, when no one would...
What is Passover without a plague? This year, an 11th plague! Passover is also called the second New Year. It often arrives at the same time as Nowrooz, New Day, the spring holiday that is celebrated in Iran, my country of birth. Judaism draws numerous customs from...
Even before COVID-19, social media has proved itself to both—a cause of, and cure for—social isolation. Then Facebook Live and Zoom zoomed in to save the world. You know the world has changed when the social editor for the New York Times travel section issues the...
Projections about COVID-19’s impact on the nation’s health, economic, and emotional wellbeing evolve daily as the virus spreads through large cities and small towns. Last month, the White House coronavirus coordinator predicted that the pandemic could kill as many as...
Passover gets props as one of the most universally celebrated holidays on the Hebrew calendar. Even disengaged and unaffiliated Jews find their way to the Seder table once a year. What is it about Passover that attracts Jews of all stripes, and arouses wonder in...