Sundays, beginning October 19, 1-3 pm Sandler Family Campus This fall, Tidewater’s newest Shinshinim, Noga Yaniv and Yarden Lahan, are launching a brand-new Israeli youth movement inspired by the energy and spirit of the Israeli Scouts, “Tzofim.” Open to third...
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The Art of the High Holidays: A Jewish Art Education virtual presentation
Sunday, September 21, 7 pm, $9 (half a chai*) - $36 Rosh Hashanah (Head of the Year) and Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) will come to life through 1,500 years of Jewish art with the virtual presentation, The Art of the High Holidays.Presented by Jewish Art Education,...
New Hires
New Jewish Community Services Manager for Jewish Family Service Julie Kievit with her family: Ken, Alexandra, and Ruby. Julie Kievit Jewish Family Service of Tidewater recently announced the appointment of Julie Kievit as its new Jewish community services...
Hebrew Ladies Charity of Tidewater: Honoring a legacy
Jewish Family Service has long been the safety net of Tidewater’s Jewish community—but it all began with a group of determined women.In March 1902, the Hebrew Ladies Charity Society was formed when Fannie Brenner gathered a small group of Jewish women to create a...
Partners in Jewish Life comes to Tidewater: A night of connection and learning
Monday, October 27 • 7 pm • Sandler Family Campus United Jewish Federation of Tidewater will host its first Partners in Jewish Life program – an evening that promises to be a meaningful opportunity for Jewish community members of all backgrounds to gather in learning...
From Sinai to Seinfeld: Jews and their Jokes returns
Course begins: Monday, November 3 • 6:45 pm • online Taught by Dr. Amy K. Milligan, From Sinai to Seinfeld: Jews and Their Jokes, a Melton course presented by United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s Konikoff Center for Learning, is back by popular demand.Originally...
Artist inResidence weekend planned at Temple Israel
Saturday, November 15 at 9:30 am and 7 pm Sunday, November 16, at 10 am Get ready for a super weekend as Temple Israel hosts Jordan Gorfinkel, or “Gorf,” for its Artist in Residence weekend.Gorf, a former editor of the Batman comics series and author of the Passover...
Photographer and survivor of the Oct. 7 NOVA Musical Festival massacre to speak at ODU
Thursday, September 18 • 7 pm • Webb Center, Old Dominion University Old Dominion University’s Institute for Jewish Studies and Interfaith Understanding and ODU Hillel will welcome Shye Klein, a photographer and NOVA survivor of October 7, whose work documents the...
Read along with BeAR: One hour each week can change a child’s life
Be A Reader (BeAR) Literacy Project pairs caring adults with second graders in under-resourced schools for one-on-one reading time. For many of these children, the attention, encouragement, and joy the mentors bring during that single hour a week is more than just...
Israel’s blind spot: Underestimating Hamas A conversation with Yaakov Katz, former Jerusalem Post editor-in-chief
Thursday, October 23 • 7:30 pm • Sandler Family Campus Acclaimed author and former Jerusalem Post editor-in chief Yaakov Katz will be in town to discuss his new book, While Israel Slept. In the book, Katz delivers a gripping account of how years of complacency, flawed...
Dinner and mushroom art workshop with artist and author Bill Wurtzel
Tuesday, Sept. 16, 6 pm, Sandler Family Campus Award-winning artist Bill Wurtzel is set to share his remarkable journey from a playful breakfast to international acclaim. What began 64 years ago as a funny meal for his wife, Claire, has blossomed into seven books,...
One God, many meanings: A journey through Jewish monotheism
What does it mean to say, “God is One?” This simple phrase, central to Jewish belief, opens the door to a rich tradition of interpretation. From the biblical declaration of the Shema to the philosophical writings of Maimonides and the mystical teachings of the...
Jewish Family Service of Tidewater looks forward to the Mitzvah Mall
The Mitzvah Mall aspect of Community Impact Day is an amazing way for area youth and adults to know about all the incredible work that is taking place in Hampton Roads. Jewish Family Service serves and supports those in the community who are forgotten and vulnerable. ...
Sharing my love of camp and community
I am beyond excited to attend and present at the Community Impact Day: Creating Kindness and Jewish Camp Curiosity. The energy of being at Jewish overnight camp is unmatched, and I am thrilled that the camp I attended as a child and teen, and then worked at as...
Mizrahi culture through music and dance: Experience the rich traditions of Middle Eastern Jewry
Sunday, November 3, 1 pm, Simon Family JCC The terms “Ashkenazi” or “Sephardic,” might be familiar, but not as much for “Mizrahi.” Mizrahi comes from the Hebrew word “Mizrach,” which means east. Mizrahi Jewish communities, sometimes known as “Oriental Jews,”...
Engaging Yiddish Club meets monthly
Tuesday, November 5, 1 pm, Sandler Family Campus The Yiddish Club offers a welcoming space for participants to engage in readings, discussions, and performances while enhancing their understanding of the Yiddish language. Attendees can expect lively conversations and...
Round Table Conversation – the New Coffee and Conversation
Thursday, November 7, 1 pm, Sandler Family Campus To better align with the group’s goals, “Coffee and Conversations” is now “Roundtable Conversations: Agree to Disagree,” with thoughtful discussions focusing on tougher, more challenging topics. United Jewish...
Seniors Club exclusive event with authors of The Joy of Costco
Wednesday, November 20, 11:30 am Sandler Family Campus The Lee & Bernard Jaffe Family Jewish Book Festival will host Susan and David Schwartz, authors of The Joy of Costco, for an exclusive 30-minute meet and greet with the JCC Seniors Club. The...
Rabbi Ken Spiro visits Tidewater as a part of the Ann Zukerman Memorial Scholar-in-Residence Weekend
Friday, Nov. 22, 8:15 pm and Saturday, Nov. 23 3:30 pm and 4:45 pm B’nai Israel Saturday, Nov. 23 7:30 pm Sandler Family Campus B’nai Israel Congregation’s Ann Zukerman Memorial Scholar-in-Residence weekend will feature Rabbi Ken Spiro. Rabbi Spiro is a senior...
What is Modern Jewish Art? Who is Ori Z. Soltes?
Sunday, Dec. 15, 2 pm, Chrysler Museum, $18 Ori Z. Soltes, PhD, former director and chief curator of the B’nai B’rith Klutznick National Jewish Museum, will be the first presenter for The Jewish Museum and Cultural Center’s Tidewater Jewish Visual Arts Advisory...
Lenore Skenazy, Let Grow founder, slated to speak in Tidewater
Thursday, November 21, 6:30 pm Sandler Family Campus Strelitz International Academy, in partnership with the Simon Family JCC, will present Lenore Skenazy, founder of the Let Grow movement and author of Free-Range Kids, for an engaging event at the Simon Family JCC....
First gathering of Middle Schoolers of the school year
Tuesday, October 29 6:00 - 7:15 pm Simon Family JCC Calling all 6th-8th Graders for the 3rd annual Middle School Kick Off. At this gathering, connect with new and old friends, enjoy a pizza dinner, share ideas, plan future get-togethers, and have fun. This...
From the Shtetl to the South: Explore your place in Jewish history
Class starts: Tuesday October 15, 11:30 am Sandler Family Campus How does your family’s history fit into the broader sweep of modern Jewish history? Were they recent immigrants or part of a long line of Jewish families? This fall, explore those connections in the new...
JCC Seniors Club: In the sukkah with ShinShin Emily Wednesday, October 16, 12 pm Sandler Family Campus
Many Jewish holidays that aim to bring in a sweet new year take place this month. Since the Seniors Club meeting falls on Erev Sukkot, it will be held in the Sandler Family Campus sukkah. Emily Patyuk, one of Tidewater’s ShinShinim (Israeli ambassadors) will lead...
2nd Annual Strelitz Fall Festival
A day of family fun for the entire Tidewater community Sunday, October 27, 11 am - 3 pm, Sandler Family Campus Fall is a season of excitement at Strelitz International Academy. From decorating the sukkah and harvesting its fall garden to enjoying seasonal sensory...
Healing a fractured world discussed with Rabbi Sacks’ book as guide
Next book club meeting: Sunday, October 2710 am, B’nai Israel Synagogue The Rabbi Sacks Tidewater Community Book Club met last month at Ohef Sholom Temple to discuss To Heal a Fractured World. This was the fourth book reviewed as part of a yearlong effort to dig...
The Daffodil Project: Remembering children of the Holocaust
Sunday, October 20 11 am – 3pm Jewish Museum and Cultural Center Portsmouth The Daffodil Project Rededication Ceremony, which commemorates the 1.5 million children who perished in the Holocaust, will take place at the Jewish Museum and Cultural Center...
Puttering around at the Simon Family JCC
A common advertising refrain, “Membership has its benefits,” takes on extra meaning at the Simon Family JCC, where membership includes opportunities that feature fitness and swim options, cultural arts programs, clubs for all ages and interests, leagues, and an...
JCC Book Club
Monday, October 21, 1:30 pm Sandler Family Campus In March 2024, Christopher Gorham spoke virtually in partnership with United Jewish Federation of Tidewater and the Konikoff Center for Learning about his novel, The Confidante. The JCC Book Club will go into more...
Singing for Shalom: A concert of hope and remembrance
Monday, October 7, 6 pm, Temple Emanuel Nearly a year has passed since the tragic events of October 7, 2023, a day that will forever be seared into the collective memory of our people. On that fateful day, Hamas brutally murdered a multitude of people. Families were...
What is modern Jewish art?
Sunday, December 15, 2 pm Chrysler Museum The inaugural presentation of the Tidewater Jewish Visual Arts Advisory Board, a creation of the Jewish Museum and Cultural Center’s visual arts committee, will feature a nationally known professor, lecturer, and art expert,...
EXPLORING THE POWER OF MITZVOT
Class begins Wednesday October 30, 11:30 am In times of crisis, the Jewish community’s support has been remarkable, with donations, supplies, and love continuing to pour in. But what else can be done? Enter the power of mitzvot—a secret weapon. A mitzvah, a...