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Mazel Tov to Tami Arnowitz and Barbara Klaff who were the winners in the Jewish News facebook contest for tickets to see The Odd Couple at Virginia Stage Company. We hope they enjoyed the show!

Saturday, May 11, 8 pm Performing Arts at the J, presented by Leah Wohl*, presents its last performance of the season: Portsmouth native David Krohn, a baritone talent, with Charles Woodward, pianist. “I am thrilled to return to Hampton Roads to perform a special,...

From Rummikub to the ‘God Particle’—A timeline of Israeli innovations NEW YORK (JTA)—While a great deal of international and media focus has been placed on Israel’s military conflicts, the country quietly has become an energetic, ambitious incubator of...

Members of the legal, business, academic, Jewish and greater communities gathered on April 11 at Old Dominion University for a reception and panel discussion of the exhibit, Lawyers without Rights: Jewish Lawyers in Germany under the Third Reich. More than 200 people...

Decades have passed since Leslie Legum and Connie Golden first met one another at Belvoir Terrace, a summer camp for girls in Lennox, Mass. But as the two women pore over a treasured trove of faded camp programs, tattered pictures and a 12-page letter Golden wrote...

Sunday, April 14, 7 pm An Israeli Holocaust survivor forbidden by his granddaughter to mention his experiences in the war during her engagement party, collapses with a stroke when she yells at him to remain quiet. A Jewish woman struggles unsuccessfully to find the...

As the media was covering President Obama’s visit to Israel on March 20, a group of community members gathered that night at Temple Emanuel in Virginia Beach to discuss the role the media plays in shaping negative opinions about Israel. The synagogue hosted the third...

I don’t know what made me more proud. Hearing how strong Hillel has become at my alma mater, the University of Virginia, or the fact that my nephew was the one delivering the good news. Rabbi Jake Rubin, son of my brother, came to Norfolk at the invitation of Hillel...

Jill Sava joins the Simon Family JCC as its new director of the children and family department, which includes directing Summer Camp, Kids Connection, the Before and After School Program, and the Babysitting department. The sixth of seven children in a very close-knit...

Over bowls of matzoh ball soup and glasses of sweet, Kosher wine, almost 80 faith leaders and representatives of Tidewater’s many religious affiliations gathered at the Simon Family Jewish Community Center on March 19 for a pre-Passover seder. The Community Relations...

Betsy Oasis Karotkin and her daughter, Jennifer Karotkin Adut both treasure their Jewish heritage. As mother and daughter, their stories are intertwined, and yet their journeys are completely different. “Life, like art, is full of surprises,” says Karotkin. An artist...

Beginnings is the Simon Family JCC’s full day program for babies six weeks through 2½ years. Its youngest charges (six weeks–approximately 16 months old) have recently moved to a new, more spacious area to accommodate more babies and anticipated demand. Thanks to a...

Julia Child often laughed about her experience being raised as a child on tuna noodle casserole in Southern California. It wasn’t until she was in her 20s and sat down to her first Parisian meal that she knew in her heart that she was actually French. Myself, I didn’t...

None of the nearly 40 women who attended the Jewish Women’s Salon live event “Who’s Your Esther,” on Feb. 17 knew what to expect when they arrived at 10 am. By the time the event ended at 11:45 am, though, the resounding cries of “Is it really over?” and “You must do...

The response to the 2013 Tidewater Women’s Outreach Seder, held at the Simon Family JCC on March 17, was evident before the first bite of egg matzoh crossed a lipsticked mouth. Women from all affiliations and backgrounds made reservations early, and the Seder drew...

JERUSALEM (JTA)—President Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, it’s safe to say, haven’t always been the best of friends. The leaders of two closely allied countries, they’ve have had a relationship described more often as tense than anything else. But...

“Ice cream and cake, ice cream and cake...” are the words repeated throughout the video that Joel Nied put together as an invitation to his son’s fifth birthday party. The short, which is extremely entertaining, has clarity, energy, rhythm and packs a punch, much like...

Neil Lazarus barely uttered the word “diplomacy” during his whirlwind two-day visit to Tidewater on Feb. 13 and 14. Yet the prolific speaker demonstrated diplomacy in a variety of ways, through his informational discussions at area schools and a church, in his...

Entering the multi-purpose room at the Sandler Family Campus on the evening of Feb. 7, there was little indication that a lesson was being taught by the smiling man at the door who was extending his hand and offering a personal, “Welcome. It’s so good to see you.” The...

For more than 15 years, the Holocaust Commission of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater has offered area schools a professional, multimedia show that culturally enriches, historically educates and socially motivates students about the Holocaust and all...