Start the new year with Tidewater’s new Shinshinim, Liel Aisikowitz and Evyatar Olswang, along with PJ Library in Tidewater. Families are invited to a Rosh Hashanah Cookie and Craft Workshop, where children and parents can decorate holiday-themed cookies and create festive crafts.

  Whether creating something to keep or to gift to someone special, this is a great opportunity to spend time together, enjoy the holiday spirit, and get to know how the Shinshinim celebrate the Jewish New Year in Israel. 

For more information about this event or the Shinshinim program, visit JewishVA.org/Shinshinim or contact Nofar Trem at NTrem@UJFT.org.

United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s NextGen community gathers to kick off a month of holiday celebrations. Connect with friends, meet new people, and engage in friendly competition during a special trivia game designed to prepare everyone for the Jewish traditions and festivities ahead.  

This family-friendly event offers a welcoming space for all ages, while guests aged 21 and older can sample a variety of local craft beers.  

Register at www.jewishva.org/NextGen. For more information, email Hannah Yasemsky, NextGen Engagement coordinator, at Hyasemsky@ujft.org. 

Get ready to celebrate a sweet New Year and prepare for Rosh Hashanah with United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s NextGen community (ages 22–45ish). The event will honor Tikkun Olam—the Jewish value of repairing the world—by exploring the important role of environmental pollinators. Designed to build community connections, the evening offers an opportunity to mingle and deepen holiday traditions through the lens of ecological care.

 Local beekeeper expert, and fellow community member, Nate Brauner, will give a special presentation of the fascinating world of beekeeping. He will also bring a variety of flavors of raw honey to taste that were harvested by his own local bees. 

 Step into the hive for a couple of hours and discover the beautiful craft behind the sweetness and start the new year with purpose.

Register at www.jewishva.org/NextGen. For more information, email Hannah Yasemsky, NextGen Engagement coordinator, at Hyasemsky@ujft.org. 

American history is filled with Jewish stories that helped shape the nation, yet many remain largely unknown. As the United States marks its 250th anniversary, this 10-week course invites students to discover the people, moments, and ideas that reveal how deeply Jewish history is woven into the American experience.

 Led by Rabbi Michael Panitz, the course explores the lives of remarkable Jewish Americans whose influence exceeded their fame. Through personal accounts, historical documents, and engaging discussion, participants will encounter activists, soldiers, immigrants, entrepreneurs, and community leaders whose contributions helped shape the country from its earliest days to the present.

 From the founding of the nation and the establishment of Touro Synagogue to the Civil War, the struggle for civil rights, and beyond, participants will uncover compelling stories of leadership, faith, and patriotism.  

$60 for JCC members; $72 for potential members. For more information or to register, visit JewishVA.org/KCL or contact Sierra Lautman at SLautman@ujft.org. 

 That is what is happening when PJ Library in Tidewater and the Konikoff Center for Learning of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater, in partnership with Congregation Beth El, Temple Israel, Temple Emanuel, KBH, and B’nai Israel Congregation, host a community-wide Shabbaton.

 Imagine the best parts of Shabbat at camp with entire families attending.

 The weekend will begin with a spirited, song-filled Kabbalat Shabbat Friday night. Shabbat morning services will be for all levels of observance. Participants will enjoy learning, great food, outdoor time, meaningful conversation, and the special ruach that comes from stepping away from everyday pressures and simply being together. 

 The weekend is designed for every generation, Jewish background, and every stage of life and will offer opportunities to meet new people and reconnect with old friends. Whether one attends on their own or with a full house, there is a place for all. 

 Programming will include child-friendly and family activities, along with opportunities for adults to connect, learn, and relax in nature.  

 The Konikoff Center for Learning is handling all the details, allowing attendees to fully embrace the gift of Shabbat. 

 An eruv will be in place throughout the weekend, and all meals and snacks will be kosher under the supervision of the Vaad Hakashrus of Tidewater. 

 The cost is $100 per person, with a family maximum of $400, even for families larger than four, thanks to the generous support of Tidewater Jewish Foundation.  

 For one weekend, the community will not gather as separate congregations, but as one community enjoying the warmth of Shabbat.

To learn more and to register for the Shabbaton, visit: JewishVA.org/Shabbaton, or contact Sierra Lautman at Slautman@ujft.org. 

 Complete the form to secure a spot for the Community Shabbaton. A non-refundable deposit is required ($50 per individual or family, maximum $400 per household; children under two years old, attend for free).  Final payment is due September 15.

 Dan Senor, a bestselling author (Start-up Nation, The Genius of Israel), and Tikvah faculty member, notes that alumni of Jewish Day schools are twice as likely to have a proud Jewish identity and four times as likely to support the state of Israel. In a world where children are constantly bombarded with a barrage of antisemitic rhetoric by social media influencers and even peers, it’s more urgent than ever to give them a safe environment to express Jewish pride, connect to Jewish heritage, and freely speak their minds. 

 While Jewish Tidewater is an active community offering elementary school students various Hebrew school and day school options, as well as extracurricular opportunities for high school-aged students, an unmet need exists for a Jewish program for middle school aged students.

 Enter Tikvah’s Millstone Scholars program, an international Jewish educational and intellectual organization that brings together Jews to explore big ideas about Jewish identity, Israel, liberty, and the future of Jewish life.  The program offers classes and social opportunities for seventh and eighth graders to connect with each other and their Jewish heritage, while learning about the heroic story of modern Israel and the Jewish experience in America.  

 The Tidewater cohort is organized in partnership with the Konikoff Center for Learning of United Jewish Federation of Tidewater and is nondenominational and nonpartisan. Jewish students of every background are welcome. All that is required is a thirst for Jewish knowledge and a desire to grow Jewish pride.

 The cohort will be taught by Rabbi Pinchas Zimmer, a member of UJFT’s Jewish Innovation Steering Committee, and community engagement director at B’nai Israel. Classes begin in October, after the High Holidays. The day and time will be set to best suit the students and their families. Space is limited.

 Parents interested in additional information can contact Sierra Lautman, director of Jewish Innovation at UJFT, at slautman@ujft.org or 757-965-6107, or call/text Rabbi Pinchas Zimmer at 757-614-3155. Learn more about Tikvah at tikvah.org/millstone.

 Soccer Shots returns for future soccer stars, while Yoga Explorers is back for young yogis ready to stretch and move. For young bakers looking to unleash their creativity, Camp JCC’s Little Bakers class is guaranteed to spark some passion. Plus, American Sign Language will make its debut for those hoping to broaden their horizons with a new language.

 Classes begin in late September and mid-October. Registration dates will be available soon, along with other details on these and other upcoming classes at simonfamilyjcc.org. 

To learn more about Camp JCC, Kids Night Out, School Days Out, children’s classes, and more, contact Christine Carnahan, Camp JCC manager, at ccarnahan@ujft.org or 757-452-3182. 

Middle school students are invited to Game Night, an evening filled with games, laughter, friendship, and fun. Dinner will be provided. 

 Whether challenging friends to classic favorites such as Monopoly and Clue, battling it out in fast-paced card games, or working together to crack clues in an exciting mystery escape room, there will be something for everyone to enjoy. Students will test strategy skills, solve puzzles, and take on fun challenges while making new memories with friends. 

 Why not make it a night for the entire family? While middle school students enjoy dinner and board games, younger siblings are welcome to attend Kids Night Out, 5 – 9 pm, also at the Sandler Family Campus, giving everyone an evening of fun and connection.

To register, visit Jewishva.org/gamenight. Contact Blake Sisler at bsisler@ujft.org for more information.

Sunday September 13, 2:30 pm, Sandler Center for the Performing Arts

The Virginia Symphony Orchestra will open its 2026/27 Season with Mahler’s Titan Symphony. Music Director Eric Jacobsen, the Macon and Joan Brock chair, will conduct a program featuring renowned pianist Jeffrey Kahane performing Heirloom Concerto for Piano and Chamber Orchestra, written by his son, composer Gabriel Kahane. 

 As a pianist, conductor, and scholar, Jeffrey Kahane’s career highlights run the gamut from concertos with the New York Philharmonic and San Francisco Symphony to recitals with Yo-Yo Ma and Joshua Bell to European tours.

 “Dedicated with love, admiration, gratitude, and awe” to his father, Gabriel Kahane wrote the piano concerto, Heirloom, infused with Austro-German musical tradition, as an aural family scrapbook that explores a series of inheritances. He grew up in a secular Jewish household where folk music, from artists such as Joni Mitchell, and classical music flowed throughout the home. 

 Gabriel Kahane’s grandmother, Hannelore, a prominent figure in his life, babysat German-Jewish composer and developer of the modern 12-tone technique Arnold Schoenberg’s children before escaping Germany in 1938. The second movement, “My Grandmother Knew Alban Berg” is inspired by the intergenerational memory, Kahane’s experience with Berg’s works, and the indirect connection to Berg, a student of Schoenberg’s. 

 Born to Jewish parents, Gustav Mahler converted to Catholicism to be the director of the Vienna Court Opera in 1897. Mahler was constantly berated by antisemitic press and political leaders throughout his career as a conductor and composer. He described himself as, “thrice homeless, as a native of Bohemia among Austrians, as an Austrian among Germans, and as a Jew throughout the world.”  

 When developing the 2026/27 season, the VSO focused this program on Rosh Hashanah. “This concert centers around the theme of legacy and new life. Mahler’s first Symphony, Titan, goes through an epic journey of life from first breath to last with all the trials and triumphs in-between,” says Jacobsen. “Kahane’s Heirloom concerto does a similar journey, but on a much more personal level by telling his family’s story and some of their most treasured memories. We wanted to lead our patrons from the Jewish community into this holiday about rebirth and celebrating new life and reflecting on the past year.” 

Tickets and information: VirginiaSymphony.org.

Matisyahu, the Grammy-nominated musician known for blending reggae, hip-hop, rock, and Jewish themes, will perform at New Realm Brewing Co. in Virginia Beach on Sunday, August 16.

Through his music and personal journey, Matisyahu has become one of the most recognizable Jewish artists in contemporary music, connecting audiences through songs that explore spirituality, identity, and resilience.

 A partnership with United Jewish Federation of Tidewater is making a limited number of tickets available for $35 that include an exclusive meet-and-greet with Matisyahu—a $100+ value—at no additional cost. Doors open at 4:30 pm.

For tickets and information, visit JewishVA.org/VBLive or contact Hannah Yasemsky at HYasemsky@UJFT.org