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Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism staff welcomed members of the 116th Congress to Washington on Thursday, January 3. Incoming Jewish members were also delivered babkas. Congresswoman Elaine Luria, representing Virginia’s 2nd district, was welcomed on her...
On Christmas Day, more than 100 people gathered in the Pincus Paul Social Hall inside Beth Sholom Village for an afternoon of kosher Chinese food, camaraderie, and laughter. Plates were filled with egg rolls, beef and broccoli, and lo mein. Meanwhile, local comedian...
Is this time different? While those of us who have been investing for decades have experienced many tumultuous markets, each and every time volatility strikes, so does fear. I’ve learned a lot about investor behavior through the years, and I know how closely emotion...
Chosen by their local federations, Kipnis-Wilson/Friedland award winners embody the values of the Lion of Judah. Recipients of this prestigious, nationally-recognized award are leaders in their communities—women whose body of work has left and continues to leave an...
Congresswoman-elect Elaine Luria, a Democrat who will represent Virginia’s 2nd District once she is sworn in next month, travelled to Israel this month as part of a five-day educational trip to learn about policy, culture, and issues in the region. The trip was...
First woman, first Jewish delegate to hold this position (Richmond)—The House Democratic Caucus elected Delegate Eileen Filler-Corn on Saturday, Dec. 8 to serve as Leader for the 2019 General Assembly session and state legislative elections. The Caucus held the...
Two representatives from AIPAC were in Tidewater earlier this month to meet with the Board of Rabbis and Cantors. While in town, they also made time for conversation with several community leaders. Debra Saxon, AIPAC’s associate director for Policy and Government...
After graduating from Hebrew Academy of Tidewater, many students have enrolled in International Baccalaureate (IB) middle school programs in Virginia Beach and Norfolk. The IB program is an approach to learning which is recognized all over the world, with the schools...
Some 300 Friends of the Israel Defense Forces (FIDF) supporters gathered on Thursday, Nov. 29 for the FIDF Virginia Inaugural Gala at The Hilton Oceanfront, raising more than $200,000 for well-being and educational programs for the brave soldiers of the Israel Defense...
One of the many interesting aspects of compiling this Business section each year is the vastly different areas that comprise the businesses we profile. They can be large or small, start-ups or long-time family-owned establishments, virtual or brick and mortar,...
While the books are gone and events have paused, the memories still remain from a busy month of reading and events during the Lee and Bernard Jaffe Family Jewish Book Festival at the Simon Family JCC. The book festival ran October 30–December 2 and brought hundreds of...
Where would I stay? What should I wear? Will I have to sit separately from my friends? Can we stay in groups? Is it okay to take pictures? These were just some of the questions that were asked prior to this year’s Shabbos project in Norfolk. Community members,...
The growing collaboration between an Israeli entrepreneur, an American businessman and a Virginia agency seemed like a great topic for several of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s affinity groups to explore. The Business & Legal Society of the UJFT could...
Long before the Sandler Family Campus opened, in the days when there was no “Town Center” or even Lynnhaven Mall, Jewish families living in central Virginia Beach had a choice to make if they wanted to go to shul: they could drive to Norfolk, or they could drive to...
Four of the five students who attended the AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee) High School Summit in October met to put their new skills to the test on Friday, Feb. 1. Representative Scott Rigell opened his office and engaged the students in discussion on...
An outpouring of community support made the 2013 Super Sunday phone-a-thon one of the most successful in recent years. The annual event, held at the Sandler Family Campus of the Tidewater Jewish community on Sunday, Jan. 27, raised more than $100,000 from more than...
When a group of Tidewater advocates traveled to Richmond for Date with the State, or Jewish Advocacy Day, last month, one of the main topics discussed with area General Assembly members was the Virginia Israel Advisory Board. The Community Relations Council of the...
As he backs out of his driveway, Jerry Kantor stops to help a neighbor with a flat tire and asks, “Is there anything that I can do to help you?” and he really means it. With a sense of compassion, Kantor’s volunteerism focuses on the health and welfare of the elderly...
Wednesday, Feb. 13, 7 pm The Oxford English Dictionary defines diplomacy as: the profession, activity or skill of managing international relations, typically by a country’s representatives abroad. Wherever, whenever, and however he can, Neil Lazarus epitomizes the...
The Holocaust Commission of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater partnered with Congregation Beth Chaverim in Virginia Beach to host an encore presentation of the 63-minute documentary, What We Carry (in its entirety), on Jan. 6. Featuring the stories of local...
The opening night of the 20th Anniversary of the Virginia Festival of Jewish Film, presented by Alma* and Howard Laderberg, took place at the Sandler Center for the Performing Arts on Saturday, Jan. 19. Several speakers introduced the festival, including Scott Katz,...
Every Autumn, congregants from area synagogues leave Tidewater for a different kind of “Promised Land”—the land flowing with orange juice and sun-tan lotion. The minyanim are a little bit smaller, and cherished neighbors are absent for a season. This past summer at...
With its frayed cover and sticky note tabs sticking out from a number of pages, Gary Takakin’s copy of The Spirituality of Welcoming: How to Transform Your Congregation into a Sacred Community by Dr. Ron Wolfson is testimony to the number of times the book has been...
As an investment advisor and partner with the firm, The Alcaraz Mercadante West Investment Group of Wells Fargo Advisors, Janet Mercadante takes the responsibility of investing her clients’ money very seriously. For 22 years, she has helped people plan for their...
Three weeks ago, 20 Jewish college students and young adults from Tidewater left for an opportunity that they may never have again; one that simply was too good to turn down. They were treated to a 10-day, (almost) all-expenses paid, laidback, virtually pressure-free...
More than two months have passed since Hurricane Sandy brought heavy rain, high winds and flooding to the east coast of the United States. For Tidewater residents, the storm marked another near-miss in the yearly threatening roster of storms, and the memory of its...
Scott Katz officially started as center director of the Simon Family JCC on Wednesday, Jan. 2. Jewish Community Centers have been part of Katz’s life since his teenage days in Baltimore. “I became involved with the JCC through BBYO. I then began working at the JCC in...
From beneath a superimposed Israeli flag, startling blue eyes stare forward with bold intensity. Without blatantly saying it in words, the poster for the 2012- 2013 Israel Today speaker series, displayed in Tidewater Jewish agencies, synagogues and the Simon Family...
NEW YORK (JTA)—You’re at a wedding or bar mitzvah, mingling at the bar or catching up with a distant relative, when you hear it—the opening notes of a familiar tune that as if by some invisible force carries you and other guests to the dance floor for the rousing...
An Asian fusion twist on a traditional Chanukah party, Sushi-Sake-Latke was the Young Adult Division of United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s biggest event of the year. Held on Saturday, Dec. 1 in the Cardo on the Sandler Family Campus, more than 180 people...
Say the words, “92nd Street Y” to someone who’s moved to Tidewater from New York or New Jersey. Chances are, eyes will brighten with a knowing look, and a sigh, or sound of longing, may follow. An abundant and expansive calendar of cultural, educational and community...
When creating the theme for this year's Super Sunday fundraising phone-a-thon, the young Jewish community leaders on the steering committee opted to toss out the cutesy and sporty ideas of the past. The 10 Super Sunday committee members instead chose a concept that...