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Ambassador Ido Aharoni, Israel’s longest serving consul-general in New York, overseeing the operations of the Jewish State’s largest diplomatic mission around the globe, will be in Tidewater as part of Israel Today. Israel Today: Wednesday, May 8, 7:30 pm, Ohef Sholom...
The Helen G. Gifford Foundation was established in 1997 with a mission to support local Jewish organizations, the arts, and art education. A lifelong area resident, Helen was born in Portsmouth to Belle and Issac Goodman, owners of The Famous, a women’s fashion store....
On Sunday, May 12 we celebrate Mother’s Day—honoring moms, grandmothers, and, in fact, all important women in our lives…including, in my case, daughters! Our first article is an interview with Bill Hearst about his inspiring and always gracious mom, Helen Gifford, of...
If Rabbi Joseph Telushkin could change America in just one way, he would start at home with the words that parents speak to their children. Many children earn praise for things like academic achievement, athletics, artistic performance, and even their physical...
The Tidewater Jewish Foundation (TJF) recently celebrated a successful second year of its LIFE & LEGACY program. During the community celebration in March, one set of donors, Alyssa and Jonathan Muhlendorf, shared their reasons for giving. The following is an...
Hineni, HERE I AM! For those who don’t know, Hineni!, is the young leadership program of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater. Designed 10 years ago to build and nourish leaders, Hineni! is a highly successful program that takes place on alternate years. Hineni!...
Tidewater’s young Jewish adults showed up ready to party at YAD’s Purim party on Saturday, March, 23. It took no time for the popular ‘DJ Richard’ to get the party going with dance hits, games, and glow necklaces as young adults celebrated the festive holiday. This...
This is an open thank you letter to our community, the Tidewater Jewish community, for its unwavering support and care for Jewish communities around the world. This care takes into account our strong values of tikkun olam, the concept of leaving the world a better...
Dear Readers, Passover is in the air. The kinda light, kinda panic feeling arrives each year along with the blossoms and warmer temps. The sense that something good, something unifying, uplifting, and yes, even that something happy is about to take place, comes with...
Community gathers to celebrate second year of the LIFE & LEGACY™ program Tidewater Jewish Foundation (TJF) honored its community partners and donors at the 2nd annual LIFE & LEGACY event on Monday, March 18. The evening celebrated the success of the...
Its dark and cold, and practically the middle of the night. It’s 4:30 am on Wednesday, January 16 and this morning, I’m standing with a group of eight others, ready to embark on a journey unlike any other I’ve experienced. To be honest, as we load the minibus, which...
WASHINGTON—In a speech on the House Floor on Thursday, March 7, Congresswoman Elaine Luria (VA-02), a 20-year Navy veteran, spoke in support of a House resolution condemning anti-Semitism and other forms of bigotry. The resolution passed later that day, 407–23. A...
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...
5776: The year in review and more.
JERUSAlEM (JTA)— On behalf of Donald Trump, Republicans this month launched a get-out-the-vote campaign geared to Americans living in Israel. The initiative, which began Wednesday, August 3 has unprecedented funding and local strategic support. The effort by...
Dear Readers, Fortunately, there is always a reason to exclaim, “Mazel Tov!” With our 2nd Annual Mitzvah Day just around the corner and our Federation’s Campaign kickoff primed for success, it is fruitful to remember that we do not need to look very far or too hard to...
by Edmon J. Rodman LOS ANGELES (JTA)—As we usher in Sukkot, will there be a blood moon rising? John Hagee, the San Antonio pastor who wrote the book Four Blood Moons: Something is About to Change, would have us believe so. Hagee predicts that because of a cycle of...
Dear Readers, In this, the first of our two special High Holiday sections, we devote lots of pages to recapping the events of the worldwide Jewish community of 5774. What a year it was…from the death of Ariel Sharon to the discovery of art confiscated from Jews in...
In order to provide Jewish News readers with additional sources of information than may be found in U.S. media, we’ve gathered the following links to a variety of news updates, opinions, analyses, and live blogs from Israel. The views expressed on these sites are not...
by Robin Mancoll, director, Community Relations Council, United Jewish Federation of Tidewater Earlier this summer, the Presbyterian Church USA (PC USA) voted by a very narrow margin (310-303) at its General Assembly in Detroit to divest from three companies who do...
Thanks to the generosity of contributors, the Jewish News Archival Project is making great progress. In fact, readers can check out the results to date. Small Town Papers is converting old Jewish News issues to a readable format, easily accessed on the newspaper’s...
Tidewater’s Jewish Community Calendar tends to be busy most months of the year. The reason? The myriad of welcoming organizations, synagogues and schools that are brimming with events. We’re fortunate, and most of us probably don’t realize it. I received a call a few...
by Ben Sales TEL AVIV (JTA)—After the missiles have stopped, after the troops have come home, even after most of the wounded are out of the hospital, Israelis will still be feeling the burden of Operation Protective Edge—this time in their pockets. With the recent...
Thursday, July 24 | 7:00 p.m. Sandler Family Campus 5000 Corporate Woods Dr., Virginia Beach, VA Please join the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater, the Community Relations Council of the UJFT, and the entire community, as we gather to show our solidarity with...
News and links to photographs, videos and other information from Israel: THE SITUATION - IDF ground forces entered Gaza just after 10pm Thursday night. A further 18,000 reserve soldiers were called up during the night. In total, 48,000 reserve soldiers have been...
This is the story of a bad ceiling and cooperating congregations. On the Wednesday prior to Kol Nidre, part of Gomley Chesed Synagogue’s ceiling caved in. If that wasn’t bad enough, asbestos was found, which meant the property was not habitable and could not be...
LOS ANGELES (JTA)—In open opposition to Kohelet (Ecclesiastes), which tells us on Sukkot “there is nothing new under the sun,” I decided to build a solar sukkah this fall. To energize my plan, I went to the 99 Cent Store to buy some solar yard lights to adapt for use...
At a recent meeting of Jewish War Veterans Post 158 held at the Simon Family JCC, Lt. Cdr. Oliver Herion gave a lecture on being an Explosive Ordnance Demolition Technician in the navy. One might say the discussion was dynamite! Commander Herion also made an...