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“All roads lead to Jerusalem…” or so I like to believe, and so I say, especially when I unexpectedly stumble across a friend or acquaintance walking to or from the Kotel on a Friday evening. In June of this year, I was privileged to find myself with 36 friends at the Kotel on a beautiful Shabbat evening, and it really felt like magic was in the air. We sat together, sang together, celebrated together and took turns lighting candles inside a terrarium!
Giving the art of caricature an innovative look while shedding new light on today’s most familiar faces, Israel Today Artist-in-Residence’s Hanoch Piven’s caricatures have appeared in major American magazines and newspapers such as Time, Newsweek, Rolling Stone,The New Yorker, The Atlantic Monthly, Entertainment Weekly and the New York Times. His work has also appeared in publications in Spain, France, England, Norway, Italy, and Israel.
Earlier this summer, a group of 37 local community members traveled to Israel on the Federation’s Journey Home Mission to Israel. The week-long, interactive mission was designed to enable participants to follow their campaign dollars to the sites and programs funded by the UJFT’s Annual Campaign. It was also an opportunity for Federation young leaders to closely interact and share experiences with more seasoned leaders, with each group inspiring the other.
At a congregational meeting on June 5, 2018, Dr. Steven Warsof, a man respected for his myriad admirable traits, became the new president of Temple Emanuel by unanimous vote. As he addressed his congregation for the first time as president, Warsof recognized two congregants who worked to build their spiritual home a firm foundation.
After 30 years of dedicated service to Tidewater’s Jewish community, Harry Graber retired on June 30. Attended by hundreds of well-wishers, a celebration in his honor took place on June 14 at the Sandler Family Campus. Graber served from 1988 to 2003 as executive vice president of Jewish Family Service, followed by 15 years as executive vice president of United Jewish Federation of Tidewater.
Here is the 2018 Guide to Jewish Living in Tidewater. It features information on the following: Jewish Holidays 5779, Community Resources, Camps, Community Centers, Congregations, Education, Foundation, Services and Organizations, Social Services, Youth Groups and Cemeteries.
Israeli Ambassador Danny Danon began his remarks at a luncheon last month at CBN’s Founder’s Inn by noting that it is “usually a bad sign when there’s a room full of people coming to talk about Israel.” Looking around the room with a big smile, he continued, “but today looks different. This room is full of friends!”
The desert sun beat down on us as we stood on a hill, gazing out at what was forbidden for us to enter—the Gaza Strip. On approach to this overlook from the north, we drove past dozens of patches of scorched earth, remnants of fires from recent Palestinian terrorist attacks. Gazan terrorists utilized the winds and dry conditions to their advantage by sending flaming kites and balloons to Israel, which destroyed painstakingly cultivated crops and forests.
Twelve months of lunch meetings with engaging speakers concluded with a shopping spree at Lidl in Virginia Beach on July 18. That’s when the group bought nearly $500 in groceries for the Jewish Family Service (JFS) food pantry. It also donated about $400 additional funds so JFS can purchase more food at a later date.
“Maybe one day when I get older, I will move to Israel and join the IDF.” We’ve all thought about it. Whether it was daydreaming for a split second or two in class at Hebrew Academy (like me), at Sunday school, or even while sitting around the family dinner table. Even with the best intentions, reality eventually gets in the way, and very few actually make it to Israel. Izzy Ezagui, however, was one of those brave foreigners who knew his place was in the Israeli army.
Three area conservative congregations had their annual Men’s Club Blue Yarmulke breakfast at Temple Israel on Sunday, April 15.
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev research BEER-SHEVA, Israel, February 14— Medical cannabis therapy can significantly reduce chronic pain in patients age 65 and older without adverse effects, according to researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) and...
Golfers laced their cleats and teed off at Bayville Golf and Country Club for this year’s annual Hebrew Academy of Tidewater Konikoff Center of Learning golf tournament. The event, which celebrated its 24th year, raises funds for need-based scholarships for students...
Speaking to an audience at the Sandler Family Campus on Sept. 10, R. James Woolsey’s delivery was easygoing and folksy. The message the former director of the Central Intelligence Agency delivered, however, was anything but casual. “We are on the verge of something as...
Guests at the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s 2013 Campaign Kickoff on Thursday, Sept. 27, were treated to an evening of Ethiopian sights, smells, and tastes. They heard firsthand accounts of the difficulties and triumphs of being Jewish, Ethiopian and...
This is the last in a four-part series about the 110th anniversary of the Hebrew Ladies Charity Society. Invitations to the 110th Anniversary Luncheon honoring the ladies who founded the Hebrew Ladies Charity Society in 1902 have been mailed and now is the time to...
The Simon Family JCC came alive on Sunday, Sept. 9 as local Jewish agencies hosted various community events. The JCC welcomed potential new members to tour the facility and learn about the programming opportunities, Jewish Family Service brought their staff and lay...
Although very proud of their family and the roles they have played in Tidewater’s Jewish community for the past 38 years, Leslie and Larry Siegel were not anxious to have their names in this profile. The foundation they created, a donor-advised fund, is designed to do...
This is the third in a series about the 110th anniversary of the Hebrew Ladies Charity Society. A single Jewish mom with two teenage children is just getting by financially until she hurts her back and can’t work. Her children get jobs after school, but the family...
In 1991, a call for help went out to the worldwide Jewish community. As a civil war raged in Ethiopia and the ruling government was about to be toppled, more than 14,000 Jews had been secretly gathered and were waiting to be transported to Israel, their biblical,...
Monday, Sept. 10, 7 pm R. James Woolsey, former director of the Central Intelligence Agency (1993-95) and current chairman of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, will speak at the Sandler Family Campus at a program presented by the Community Relations Council...
Sunday, Sept. 9, 11 am Making the transition from living in the United States to settling in Israel can seem daunting. Help is available, however, for those thinking about or planning to make Aliyah (immigrating to Israel). Ari Schuchman, director of Overseas Programs...
The Young Adult Division of United Jewish Federation of Tidewater and the Children and Family department of the Simon Family JCC teamed up for an end-of-summer Shabbat celebration. On Friday, Aug. 17, more than 120 people gathered around the JCC Water Park for a...
Area Jewish educators met for two consecutive nights at the Simon Family JCC last month to share teaching techniques, methods, and ideas with colleagues under the direction of guest presenters. The Summer Institute, which began more than 20 years ago, is sponsored by...
This is the second in a series of articles about the 110th anniversary of the Hebrew Ladies Charity Society. Big things make headlines, but little things can also make a difference. The nine Orthodox Jewish women who started the Hebrew Ladies Charity Society in 1902...
Motti is a 28-year-old Orthodox Jew, trying to find himself in a country where seemingly half the population respects and appreciates his total devotion to his faith and the study of its texts; and the other half despises him for not contributing to the general...
Thursday, July 12 will be remembered as a momentous occasion, as the community honored Freda H. Gordon, of blessed memory, and officially open the Freda H. Gordon Hospice and Palliative Care of Tidewater. Tavia and Steven Gordon, along with Randi and Steven Gordon’s...
For some of Tidewater’s Jewish teens, the summer was an opportunity to immerse themselves in Jewish worlds…focused on Judaism, performing mitzvot, exploring their Jewish identity. And, along the way, they all seemed to have incredible, meaningful and fun experiences....
Howard Kohr, American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s executive director, made his first visit to the Tidewater Jewish community on Tuesday, July 17. His trip is a testament to the tremendous growth in local pro-Israel activism. In addition to meeting with local...
Narrowing the field of worthy nominees submitted to the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater for the 2012 Hampton Roads Jewish Community Hero contest was no easy task, but eventually four were chosen to compete for the award. In July, a review committee comprised of...
Walking through the darkened aisles of the U. S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., the same thought kept creeping into Laura Kaiser’s consciousness: when is somebody going to step up? When is somebody going to step up and do the right thing? After what...
This is the first in a series about the 110th anniversary of the Hebrew Ladies Charity Society. In future issues: about the founders, how the organization helps the community, and how HLC will commemorate 110 years. Some say it takes a village, but it took only nine...