What’s Happening

Thursday, March 9, 7–8 pm, Blocker Hall Auditorium, Virginia Wesleyan University The overruling of Roe v. Wade last year brought many Jews across the nation to speak about Jewish perspectives related to reproductive and religious freedom, as well as the scripture that...

Thursday, March 16, 7 pm, Zoom Old Dominion University’s Institute for Jewish Studies and Interfaith Understanding and United Jewish Federation of Tidewater present David Weinfeld, PhD in conversation about his book, An American Friendship: Horace Kallen, Alain Locke,...

Five films are slated to hit big screens in Tidewater in celebration of United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s and Simon Family JCC’s Virginia Festival of Jewish Film, presented by Alma and Howard Laderberg. The five films span continents, time periods, and...

Sundays, beginning February 26, 10:30–11:30 am Ohef Sholom Temple, Free   February 26: Creating Jewish Space March 26: Living Beyond the Day-to-Day April 23: Birth of a Nation   This four-class series offered as a partnership between United Jewish Federation...

The Jewish Museum and Cultural Center, formerly known as Chevra T’helim, is a hidden treasure tucked in the heart of downtown Portsmouth, Va. Once an Orthodox Schul exemplifying Eastern European Jewish Orthodoxy, the Jewish Museum now offers many educational and...

Friday, March 17–Sunday, March 19, Congregation Beth El Rabbi Mike Uram will join Congregation Beth El next month for its annual “Mickey” Kramer Scholar-In-Residence Weekend. Rabbi Uram is the chief Jewish education officer of Jewish Federations of North America...

Michael Roizen: Wednesday, Feb. 15, 12 pm, online, free Michelle Segar: Wednesday, March 15, 12 pm, Sandler Family Campus, $12 (includes lunch)   To assist people in achieving their health goals in 2023, United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s Lee and Bernard...

Wednesday, March 21, 12 pm Chrysler Museum of Art   Woman on Fire, a New York Times bestseller, is a gripping tale of a young ambitious journalist embroiled in an international art scandal centered around a Nazi-looted masterpiece. The situation forces the...

Renowned Israel Journalist Gil Hoffman to speak at Temple Israel Sunday, February 12, 4 pm   After the fifth election in four years, Israeli politics is even more balagan than usual. There are 12 parties in the Knesset. Six are members of Benjamin “Bibi”...

Sundays, beginning February 26, 10:30–11:30 am Ohef Sholom Temple, Free   February 26: Creating Jewish Space  March 26: Living Beyond the Day-to-Day April 23: Birth of a Nation This four-class series offered as a partnership between United Jewish Federation of...

Sunday, March 5, 4 pm, Sandler Family Campus It’s nearly time for the annual Operation Hamantaschen at the Simon Family JCC. Come in costume, reserve a timeslot for your family and friends to make hamantaschen together, and enjoy Purim games and crafts while waiting...

Ann Zuckerman Memorial Scholar in Residence Weekend B’nai Israel to host Rabbi Bentzion Shafier Friday, March 3–Saturday, March 4 Now in its fourth year, the B’nai Israel Congregation Ann Zuckerman Memorial Scholar in Residence Weekend will feature Rabbi Bentzion...

Saturday, May 28 The Simon Family JCC is planning a full outdoor summer at the Metzger Outdoor Aquatics Center—enjoying its first near-normal season since 2020—when the pool opens on Memorial Day weekend. The pool’s opening also signals the re-start of the Swordfish...

Throughout May, Sandler Family Campus Winners of the Elie Wiesel Visual Arts Competition from local and national schools in the Junior and Senior divisions, as well as other works of art selected for judging, are currently on display in the Cardo of the Sandler Family...

Friday, May 27, 9:00–9:30 am Veterans Memorial on the Sandler Family Campus The Jewish community of Tidewater will hold a brief ceremony to commemorate Memorial Day in preparation for the long weekend on Friday, May 27. Hosted by the local Navy Chaplains, in...

Saturday, June 11, 9:45 am Shabbat morning services at Congregation Beth El will include a ‘fond farewell’ to Rabbi Arthur and Miriam Brunn-Ruberg on Saturday, June 11. A festive luncheon will follow. RSVP to sandy@bethelnorfolk.com.

Thursday, May 19 Family Fun, 5 pm Happy Hour (21+), 6:30 pm Join YAD and Chabad of Tidewater for a night of socializing, networking, relaxing, and celebration of Lag B’Omer in the new Marty Einhorn Pavilion at the Sandler Family Campus. Kosher BBQ graciously provided...

Sunday, May 22 If you have Shaimos that you would like to dispose of, please be in touch with Matthew Kramer-Morning at mkmorning@ujft.org for instructions on drop off at the Sandler Family Campus the week of May 16. Collections will then be buried in Mikro Kodesh...

Saturday, June 11 9:45 am Shabbat morning services at Congregation Beth El will include a ‘fond farewell’ to Rabbi Arthur and Miriam Brunn-Ruberg on Saturday, June 11. A festive luncheon will follow. RSVP to sandy@bethelnorfolk.com.

Thursday, May 19–Saturday, May 21 Rabbi Tzvi Flaum has been involved in women’s collegiate education for more than 50 years. He currently serves as the Dean of Religion at the Landers College of Touro in Manhattan, as well as a professor of the honors courses dealing...

Sunday, May 22, 1–4 pm, Sandler Family Campus Anglers get that gear ready for the Simon Family JCC’s Catch and Release Fishing Derby at Lake Sandler. This is the one day of the year that the public is invited to the Sandler Family Campus to fish on its private lake...

Sunday, May 15, 4 pm, Sandler Family Campus Tidewater Jewish Foundation will host the 2022 Simon Family Legacy Celebration, an event honoring donors, agencies, and organizations serving the current and future Tidewater Jewish community. TJF’s first in-person event in...

Sunday, May 1, 31st Street Park Virginia Beach Oceanfront 5K Run/Walk: begins at 8 am 1 Mile Run/Walk: begins at 9am Jewish Family Service of Tidewater’s annual Run, Roll, or Stroll race as part of its Spring Into Healthy Living returns to the Virginia Beach...

Tuesday, May 3, 6 pm, Sandler Family Campus You may have heard that America is moving away from fossil fuels and to renewables to generate clean energy to power homes, businesses, and other structures. Well, that’s very good news for Hampton Roads because Dominion...

Clean up and burial Sunday, May 22, 9 am–11:30 am Mikro Kodesh Cemetery The Young Men’s Giving Circle, NADIV, led the Jewish community in a cleanup of Mikro Kodesh Cemetery in Chesapeake last October. Parts of the cemetery had succumbed to nature and time, but as...

31st Street Park, Virginia Beach Oceanfront 5K Run/Walk: begins at 8 am 1 Mile Run/Walk: begins at 9am Jewish Family Service of Tidewater’s annual Run, Roll, or Stroll race as part of its Spring Into Healthy Living returns to the Virginia Beach Oceanfront on Sunday,...

Monday, April 25 St. John’s Episcopal Church, Portsmouth, 10:30 am Robin Hixon Theater, Clay and Jay Barr Education Center, 7:30 am A regular and beloved guest on the world’s great concert stages, the Jerusalem Quartet visits Tidewater for two concerts with the...

March 24–August 14, Chrysler Museum of Art The extensive collection of Torah pointers assembled by Clay Barr is the first exhibition of Judaica at the Chrysler Museum of Art in several decades. Approximately 150 Torah pointers, or yads, from the Barr Foundation...

Monday, April 11, 6 pm, Ohef Sholom Temple Karen Baum Gordon, author of The Last Letter: A Father’s Struggle, a Daughter’s Quest, and the Long Shadow of the Holocaust, will discuss second and third generation Holocaust Survivors and what that means for the future....

May 5 and 6, 7:30 pm; May 7, 2:30 pm Attucks Theater This brand new play, Exodus: Homecoming, is debuting as part of the Virginia Arts Festival 25th Anniversary Season at the Historic Attucks Theatre. Inspired by the inherited Exodus narrative, this funny and...