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Many communities have a rabbi. In the times of the Talmud, that term was deemed somewhat narrow for the many responsibilities devolved on the community leader. Another term was needed and coined: Mara D’asra, literally ‘leader of the community.’ Such a leader is Rabbi...
An active Holocaust Commission has been part of United Jewish Federation of Tidewater for more than 30 years. Among its numerous programs and projects, the Commission established a Speakers’ Bureau comprised of local Holocaust survivors. Escorted by Commission...
Dear Readers, My first connections with Jewish News took place in the mid-1970s when, as an active teen in Tidewater’s Jewish community, my name and photo would sporadically appear on its pages. As I renewed my activity in the community as a young adult, I’d find my...
In the paper’s 75-year history, surprisingly few have served as editor. In fact, many of the first editions list no editor at all, but rather the executive of the Norfolk Jewish Community Council (in one instance Sydney S. Abzug) and in others, just editorial boards,...
Panel moderator Joel Rubin may have summed it up best, when he said, “The wind is definitely blowing in the right direction…” for the region’s new offshore wind farm, whose turbines will soon be generating power to light up area homes, power area businesses, and...
Tidewater Jewish Foundation celebrated donors, community milestones, and philanthropic accomplishments at the 2022 Simon Family Legacy Celebration on Sunday, May 17 at the Sandler Family Campus. The first in-person event in three years, the celebration highlighted the...
This year’s Yom Hashoah Commemoration, honoring the victims and survivors of the Holocaust, as well as liberators and righteous gentiles, was the first in-person gathering for the purpose since 2019. After cancelling the public commemoration in 2020 and having a...
Karina Filonenko evacuated from Ukraine to Poland with her two children just after the start of the war. A challenge for each person who lived in Ukraine after February 24, is to ‘stay alive.’ Could you ever expect that in the 21st century, the word “genocide” will be...
The annual Stein Family College Scholarship of the Tidewater Jewish Foundation is awarded this year to Leia Morrissey, a soon-to-be graduate of Granby High School in Norfolk. Morrissey is the 15th recipient of the four-year scholarship, which provides up to $20,000...
Muscle and Fitness magazine’s Mr. Health and Fitness competition is underway with the Simon Family JCC’s Tom Purcell a strong competitor. Purcell, the JCC’s Wellness and Fitness director, says “My goal each day is to help others obtain good health.” A 56-year-old...
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 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...
For decades, United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s partnership with the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, known as JDC, has been an integral component of the Federation’s global outreach. JDC was founded in 1914, during World War 1, as the first Jewish...