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Passover is a uniquely Jewish holiday, with four cups of wine, matzah, 10 plagues, and the central Seder plate. Though traditions and rituals vary among families and different cultures, the Passover story, retold each year, celebrates freedom during the Exodus from...
Looking for a seat at a seder or a way to learn more about Passover in Tidewater? Check out this listing to see all that is taking place for the holiday around town. ✡Chabad of Tidewater Passover SedersSeders are led by Rabbis Margolin and BrashevitskyFirst Night...
My family’s winter visit to Israel was a gift for my 50th birthday. This trip held special significance as my mother, born to Holocaust survivors, accompanied me, along with one of my brothers who hadn’t set foot in Israel for 31 years. Our journey was not a typical...
For day campers, camp instills lessons, skills, and experiences that are not found in most classrooms . . . including learning new games, spending days with new friends, perfecting the best- looking roasted marshmallow, and just plain having lots of fun.Overnight camp...
Calling all kings, queens, and righteous men! The joyous holiday of Purim begins this year on Saturday evening, March 23, or 13 Adar II, in the Hebrew calendar. Celebrating the Jewish victory over Haman, the reading of the Megillah teaches about acts of bravery in the...
October 7th changed a lot about Jewish life in Israel and the diaspora. Conversations that used to be challenging have become even harder. Students have become confused, conflicted, and pulled by various narratives not knowing what to think. Jewish students have...
On the morning of Wednesday, Feb. 7, a delegation of committed and proud Jews – ranging from ODU students to retirees – boarded a double-decker bus at the Sandler Family Campus in Virginia Beach destined for Richmond. There, we met up with other Jewish delegations...
Thursday, March 21, 5:45 pmThe Westin Virginia Beach Town Center Laura Geringer Gross is one of this year’s honorees for The Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities’ (VCIC) 60th annual Tidewater Humanitarian Awards. Individuals and organizations who have made...
The United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s Women’s Philanthropy meeting on Thursday, Jan. 18 featured Eliza Prince, JDC senior development officer. Prince has been with JDC for a few months and works out of the Washington, DC area, serving several Jewish communities...
Beth Sholom Village hosted its biennial meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 16, setting the stage for the organization’s transformative journey in healthcare for Jewish seniors in Hampton Roads. The event celebrated the non-profit’s rich history, as well as marked a significant...
Terri Denison The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC), the leading Jewish humanitarian aid organization, announced that Tidewater’s Annie Sandler — a noted Jewish, civic, and global philanthropic leader— is its new president, following a unanimous vote...
Stephanie Peck The new school year began for BBYO with a new Tidewater city director, Evan Gordon. Forty teens are registered between the two chapters, OD (AZA for the boys) and Simcha (BBG for the girls). Last fall, BBYO Tidewater held two events to begin their year....
Stephanie Peck While many area synagogues hire off-duty police officers or sheriff’s deputies during High Holiday services, Michael Goldsmith, regional security advisor for Secure Community Network, emphasizes the role each congregant plays in recognizing and...
Stephanie Peck At first glance, Rabbi Shlomo Eisenberg, B’nai Israel Congregation’s new rabbi, looks like a yeshiva student. Tall and lean, he has a generous smile and a warm welcome. After a few minutes of conversation, however, his composure and focus suggest a...
Lisa Richmon Few would deny that Jenny Sachs can hold her own. She’s a mom, practicing psychologist, and singer in a five-person band with her husband Matthew, a child and adult psychiatrist. During the pandemic, Sam, their 11-year-old son and only child, was...
Stephanie Peck Ten teen athletes from Tidewater travelled to Fort Lauderdale, Fla. to participate in the JCC Association of North America’s 41st Maccabi Games last month. Along with Tom Edwards, athletics director for the Simon Family JCC, these teens braved the...
On Saturday, July 29, I took my seven-year-old twin daughters to the large Gome Junction protest, the northernmost protest against the judicial reforms in Israel. These protests have been occurring for 30 weeks in a row at junctions and in cities across Israel. Since...
Much has changed since Beth Sholom Village opened its doors in 1980, but the tradition of caring has not. Among those changes: The name of the organization changed from Beth Sholom Home of Eastern Virginia, an assisted living community was added in 2004, and services...
The Guide to Jewish Living in Tidewater 2023
Originating in Israel, Gaga is a sport like dodgeball, played in a circular pit where players hit and roll the ball to eliminate opposing players. The Simon Family JCC built its first Gaga pit nearly 10 years ago to entertain students and campers on the Sandler Family...
This year marks 75 years of commitment by Jewish Family Service to serve the community. For more than three quarters of a century, thousands of people have received help from the family services agency. Part of the agency’s success is the legacy of its board of...
Off to an exceptional start, Camp JCC’s campers and counselors are quickly finding their rhythm – building solid relationships throughout the camp community. One key to Camp JCC’s initial success is the dedicated team of counselors who seamlessly settled into their...
A luncheon to honor and express appreciation to Delegate Anne Ferrell Tata for her leadership and efforts in passing the first piece of legislation in Virginia aimed at fighting antisemitism – adopting the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s Working...
Dear Readers, What age qualifies as a senior? It seems like the answer depends on where you inquire. AARP, for example, says its organization is dedicated to people 50 and over. According to Medicare, however, a senior is 65 years old or older. But anyone 55 can...
A portrait of Lewis Nusbaum (1830-1902) has been restored to its original condition thanks to the skill of the Chrysler Museum’s conservator, Mark Lewis, and the generosity of several of Nusbaum’s descendants. In June, many of those descendants gathered at Ohef Sholom...
The Virginia Beach School Board met on Monday, June 12 to vote on, among other topics on their agenda, potential changes to the library media centers in each of the division’s schools. The vote on the proposed change to the school’s library policy in Virginia Beach...
Dear Readers, One of the most accurate truisms, in my opinion anyway, is “If you have your health, you have everything.” Of course, until we or someone close to us faces a medical challenge, the saying seems to be reserved for “older people.” It is in fact, true for...
Inside Business presented the 2023 Healthcare Heroes Awards to “recognize outstanding individuals and organizations that are making a noteworthy difference in healthcare across Hampton Roads” on Tuesday, June 20. The breakfast event took place at the Westin Virginia...
Graduation season began again this year with plenty for Jewish Tidewater’s graduates and their families to celebrate, and Jewish News celebrated plenty with 34 graduates from high schools, colleges, and myriad graduate programs in the June 12, 2023 edition. Here, we...
Wednesday, June 14, 6:30 pm, Sandler Family Campus In our Jewish community, we seize every opportunity to honor our past as we plan for the future. We remember our past leadership throughout our community who set the bar for high achievements for contributing time...
A community Memorial Day Weekend observance in appreciation of those who paid the ultimate sacrifice for America’s freedom, took place on the morning of Thursday, May 25 in front of the Jewish War Veterans Flagpole on the Sandler Family Campus. The event was hosted...
Graduation season began again this year with plenty for Jewish Tidewater’s graduates and their families to celebrate. The pomp and circumstance that surround most graduations provides a time to recognize achievements, formally bid goodbye to a treasured educational...