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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...
Fun fact: Johnny Cash listened to local folk musician Bob Zentz’s debut album Mirror and Changes and praised it as one of the finest things he’d heard by any artist. The album, which features The Ramblin’ Conrad Story, is now on Smithsonian Folk-Legacy (now under...
The Jewish Telegraphic Agency is offering a virtual journalism fellowship for high school-age (14-18 years old) Jewish teenagers. This remote fellowship encourages teens of all backgrounds, identities, genders, cultures, and connections to Judaism to apply. For more...
Tuesday, Sept. 13, 7 - 8 pm, Ohef Sholom Temple, Free Richard Wagner's Ring Cycle is the most monumental operatic experience ever created. Comprised of four epic operas, the Ring Cycle tells the story of Norsegods, heroes, and a magical ring of power. Since its...
Hanukkah is celebrated each year when the days are short and the nights are long and dark. For eight whimsical nights, family and friends gather to enjoy precious time together. Delicious meals are prepared, prayers are said, and children play games while the menorah...
In what seems to be an ever enduring global pandemic, tour guides across the world are devising creative ways for visitors to experience other countries without packing a thing. United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s Society of Professionals (SoP) recently embarked...
As we approach the end of 2020, I believe most of us can agree that it has been tumultuous and that 2021 cannot come soon enough! Still, in the face of unprecedented challenges, our Jewish community remains strong, engaged, and committed. The strength of our community...
After a seven-year recess, the Florence Melton School of Adult Learning is back in session. The name Melton is associated with innovation, activism, and invention. Florence Melton disrupted the footwear industry when she founded the R.G. Barry Corporation with her...
United Jewish Federation of Tidewater & the Simon Family JCC’s Lee and Bernard Jaffe Family Jewish Book Festival 2020–2021* *events shown only through December 16 All events are open to the community with RSVP or tickets required and will take place virtually...
Summer camp at the JCC has always been more than a break from school routines and homework. This year, however, playing outdoors, finding a best friend, singing songs together, and tackling new challenges at Camp JCC will be a reprieve from virtually everything and...
As the bus barreled across the Thracian plain towards Sofia, capital of Bulgaria, it followed a five-hour straight course west from my temporary home of Burgas, an ancient port on the shores of the Black Sea. Along this route, 9,000 years of civilization have etched...
Every day from Friday, December 11 through Friday, December 18, there will be a different "Hanukkah Hot Deal," including discounts for Camp JCC, the Cardo Cafe, the JCC, Virginia Festival of Jewish Film, Melton School, and more. Visit the UJFT Facebook page and...
Matthew Weinstein has led a fulfilled and busy life. He managed to find success and make an impact through his work, community service, and commitment to family. Not one to let retirement slow him down, Weinstein now puts his corporate healthcare experience to good...
Former Gomley Chesed Synagogue in Portsmouth has been successfully reimagined as a vibrant hub of Hebrew learning. The Churchland site is the home to Toras Chaim, a lively Jewish community affiliated with United Jewish Federation of Tidewater that stresses Derech...
Brith Sholom did not let the pandemic stop them from taking care of their community. Forced to think out of the box by having its November food drive for Jewish Family Service’s Food Pantry in the parking lot instead of during an in-person meeting, members drove up...
Programming for Tidewater BBYO has been a challenge, to say the least. With national BBYO restrictions in place to ensure the teens’ safety, including no indoor gatherings, members have had to be creative and patient. Meeting at the mercy of the weather has probably...
On a beautiful, warm November evening, the Reba and Sam Sandler Family Campus’s parking lot turned into a place for families to gather for Havdalah. Called Havadallah on the Lot, the event was organized and led by PJ Library in Tidewater. As cars arrived, each family...
A successful Community Campaign is essential to ensure the strength and well-being of Jewish Tidewater’s agencies and community members. Understanding that the longer the COVID-19 crisis drags on, the greater will become the needs of Jewish Tidewater’s community...
Students at Strelitz International Academy now know that learning about politics can be fun. As an IB Candidate School, SIA students learn about the world through inquiries, interviews, investigations, discussions, projects, and research. During the recent U.S....
Elaine Luria has held onto her Second Congressional District seat, defeating Scott Taylor. Luria is a Jewish member of the so-called “Gang of Nine,” a group of moderate Democrats with national security backgrounds who were elected in 2018 to seats that had previously...
A free, 10-day trip to Israel sounds like an easy sell. College students live to drink beer, eat ethnic foods, and hook up with peers on the beach, any beach. It might surprise you to know that convincing Jewish kids to indulge in Israel’s unique magic on someone...
In its 28th year, Jewish Family Service’s annual Hanukkah Gift Program is now underway. The first night of Hanukkah is December 10. Like nearly everything, the holiday is going to look a little different this year. Still, JFS’s core mission will remain the same:...
All events are open to the community with RSVP or tickets required and will take place virtually until further notice. For more information about the Festival, to register, sponsor, or volunteer, contact Patty Shelanski at 757-452-3184 or Pshelanski@ujft.org or...
Tuesday, November 22 through Giving Tuesday, December 1 The 2021 Community Campaign of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater has come out strong, raising more than $3.4 million in its first four months. In a year which promises to be exceptionally challenging for...