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This summer, I traveled to Israel for my niece’s wedding. It was a joyous occasion, full of laughter, dancing, and the kind of celebration that reminds us what it means to live fully and proudly as Jews. Surrounded by family, I felt the timeless bond that ties us to...
Sukkot – also known as the Feast of Tabernacles or Feast of Booths – celebrates the fall harvest and commemorates the Israelites’ 40 years of wandering in the desert after their Exodus from Egypt. The week-long Jewish festival is celebrated by building, dwelling, and...
Sunday, September 14 United Jewish Federation of Tidewater will host its first all-virtual Super Sunday on Sunday, Sept. 14. In a multi-pronged approach to fundraising, volunteers will mail, text, email, and yes, call members of the Tidewater Jewish community to talk...
A year ago, I became chair of Tidewater Jewish Foundation. I am extremely honored to be in this position, especially considering all of those who have previously served in this role. I only hope to fill their shoes while trying to help guide this amazing organization...
Saul Brodsky credits his Jewish faith to his mother, Wendy Einhorn Brodsky. “My mom is genuine about her Jewish identity and practice,” he says when describing the trajectory of his Jewish journey beginning in Norfolk attending Temple Israel to studying at a yeshiva...
For decades, Super Sunday has been a flagship event in the lifecycle of United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s community campaign. It’s been a day of community mobilization – bringing volunteers together in a room buzzing with energy, armed with phones, stacks of...
When I began my journey with the Tidewater Jewish Foundation in July 2020, I walked into a world unlike anything we had known. It was the height of the pandemic.Introductions were made over Zoom and relationship-building required more persistence, patience, and heart...
Over the past year, we have had the privilege of creating a second home in Tidewater, through the open arms, hearts, and doors of the amazing people we have met. We eagerly seized the incredible opportunity to engage with everyone we could, knowing that we would learn...
Nearly 400 Jewish leaders representing more than 100 Jewish communities across the nation gathered in Washington, DC on Wednesday, June 25 for the United for Security Emergency Leadership Mission to advocate for policies that enhance security for the Jewish...
What do Barry Manilow, Barbra Streisand, Mel Brooks, Charlie Firestone, Susan and Jim Eilberg, and Alice and David Titus have in common? Aside from the first three not living in Tidewater, all are Jewish, more than 80 years old, active in a variety of pursuits, and...
Graduation is always a meaningful and emotional milestone at Strelitz International Academy. For the fifth-grade students, some of whom have been part of the SIA community since infancy, it marks a moment to reflect on their growth and prepare to spread their wings as...
The FBI and DHS have released several similar announcements in recent years warning of potential attacks motivated by the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas. In the wake of two violent attacks on Jewish community events in recent weeks, the FBI and Department...
Beryl Adler95 years old A retired estates attorney with Pender & Coward, Beryl Adler is a Norfolk native. He attended Taylor Elementary, Blair Junior High School, and Maury High School – all in Ghent. Married for 69 years to Leonette, whom he met at a dance at...
Lenny Brooke 90 years old The former owner of Southern Packing Corporation, Lenny Brooke has been married to Ellie for 63 years and is nearly as active as ever. His son, Jeffrey Brooke says, “Even now after my father has turned 90, he still calls on a few customers...
Lorraine Fink 100 years old The oldest in this esteemed group, Lorriane Fink manages to find humor in almost every situation – at her 99th birthday, for example, she suggested the cake be turned upside down to make her 66! She’s an award-winning artist, a...
When Charlie Nusbaum joined S.L. Nusbaum Insurance Agency, his parents were both working at the agency. Now, his sons, Michael and Stephen, are part of the TEAM – from generation to generation. Charles S. Nusbaum S.L. Nusbaum Insurance Agency, Business and personal...
For almost 10 days in November, my family and I will be immersed in German-Jewish culture in the city of my mother’s birth, Bielefeld, Germany, seeing old friends and cousins who will be making their way from Denmark. This trip is the culmination of all...
The Jewish Community Relations Council of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater posed a series of questions to the candidates running for Virginia’s Second Congressional District: Congresswoman Jen Kiggans and Missy Cotter Smasal. Their responses follow. JCRC...
My name is Yoel, husband to Tali and father to Leo, Riley, and Kyla. A year ago, my family and I moved to Virginia Beach from Israel, but I write this today, still carrying the weight of the events of October 7th. I was born in Israel. My parents made...
Editor’s note: There was a time when it was practically expected that children would work in their parents’ business or profession when they reached adulthood. The nature of the business didn’t matter – from a mom-and-pop shop to a real estate office to a medical or...
October 28 - December 4 For more than 40 years, this annual celebration of Jewish writers, books, and ideas has featured authors from various backgrounds who have written about diverse topics. Featured author events allow the community to engage with bestselling and...
Dozens of community members gathered on Sunday, Sept. 15, at the Sandler Family Campus for the Federation’s annual Super Sunday Community Phone-a-Thon. Despite a strange weather pattern, which forced the event indoors, the energy and enthusiasm was high throughout the...
Yom Kippur begins at sundown on Friday, October 11 Fasting for 25 hours is no easy feat. Hunger pangs, headaches, and general malaise typically set-in by midday, after the last morsel of food went down at dinner the previous night. Jews who observe the Yom Kippur fast...
United Jewish Federation of Tidewater and its partner, Secure Community Network, hosted three screeningsof the HBO documentary A Tree of Life: The Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooting on September 10. Each screening served a particular demographic: one for local first...
On a pleasantly cool and beautiful August evening, 25 Ruby Lions (UJFT Lion of Judah women giving at the $10K+ level) gathered for dinner at the home of Annie Sandler, in what may be a first-ever in Tidewater... an event where the women’s division kicked-off the...
More than 100 people participated in a full-day, active shooter simulation last month to test the City of Norfolk’s preparedness in the event of a critical incident. Together with the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater, Ohef Sholom Temple, and the Secure Community...
Tidewater Jewish Foundation hosted the Life & Legacy Plus Leadership Launch on Thursday, August 15. The event brought leaders of Tidewater’s Jewish organizations, agencies, and synagogues together, and marked the beginning of a renewed commitment to securing the...
The journey to healing can take many roads. Two of those paths – therapy and art – intersected earlier this summer in Israel. Leyla Sandler participated in the process.A licensed, independent clinical social worker in Virginia and Washington D.C., Sandler has worked...
Tuesday, September 10, 3:30 pm, Sandler Family Campus The national security director for Secure Community Network, Brad Orsini, will participate in a panel discussion following the showing of the HBO documentary, A Tree of Life: The Pittsburg Synagogue Shooting in...
Cheering on favorite Olympians isn’t the only fun had this summer. There’s been plenty of pool and beach time, along with trips to a variety of exotic, and even more not-so-exotic (yet perfect), destinations. For some in Tidewater, time away also incorporated a Jewish...
This year’s graduation season continues with plenty for Jewish Tidewater’s graduates and their families to celebrate.The June 3 issue of Jewish News recognized 41 outstanding graduates. We knew, however, that there were more grads for Jewish Tidewater to be proud of...
At 92, Ellie Porter is sharp as a tack with a keen memory, particularly of events 52 years ago that defined her life as a local community activist. “I was on the board of National B’nai Brith Women and a volunteer with Jewish Family Service here in Tidewater,”...