What’s Happening

Sunday, April 30, 1-4 pm, Sandler Family Campus On May 14, 1948, Jewish communities in Tidewater and around the world rea-lized their dream of securing a state that ensures Jewish safety and security. In the 75 years since then, Israel has become a beacon of...

Sunday, May 7, 2:30 pm, Sandler Center She was born to play Rachmaninoff” may seem trite, a well-worn phrase used to describe an artist with an extraordinary gift for interpreting the works of that composer. But for pianist Olga Kern, her first experience with...

Sunday, May 7, 10 am Rodef Sholom, Newport News Beth El Men's Club's Blue Yarmulke Person-of-the-Year is Cantor Elihu Flax. He, along with the honorees from Temple Israel in Norfolk and Rodef Shalom in Newport News, will be honored at a brunch followed by the award...

Sunday, April 23, 11 am, Sandler Family Campus The most common thing you may have heard about the 2023 Janet Gordon Mah Jongg Day & Luncheon in support of Beth Sholom Village? The tournament is back! After a 3.5-year hiatus, the event planning committee is...

2023 Holocaust Day of Remembrance Sunday, April 16, 6:45 pm Temple Israel, 7255 Granby Street, Norfolk Yom Hashoah, a time to remember and reflect on the Holocaust, will take place in Tidewater on Sunday, April 16 at Temple Israel in Norfolk. The entire community is...

Thursday, April 20, 7:30 pm, Zoom Old Dominion University’s Institute for Jewish Studies and Interfaith Understanding, United Jewish Federation of Tidewater, and ODU’s Women’s Studies present a talk by Anne Gessler, PhD. Gessler’s talk explores the period between 1900...

By visiting Jewishva.org/IsraelFest and registering for the free Israel@75 challenge this April, community members of all ages will automatically get access to a VIP prize, which they can pick up at the community Yom Ha’atzmaut celebration on Sunday, April 30. A new...

Next class: Sunday, March 26, 10 am Ohef Sholom Temple, free The Konikoff Center for Learning of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater is partnering with Ohef Sholom Temple to offer the course, The Foundations of Jewish Family Living. These classes take place on...

Monday, April 3; Reception: 6:15 pm, Lecture: 7 pm Brock Commons, Virginia Wesleyan University In a world that seems to be defined by conflict and seemingly endless divisions, music continues to function as a steady thread through individual and shared...

Sunday, April 16, 6:45 pm, Temple Israel The Holocaust Commission of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater invites the community to attend the annual Holocaust Day of Remembrance, Yom Hashoah. The commemoration will feature a speaker, candle lighting ceremony, and...

Wednesday, April 26, 7:30 pm Sandler Family Campus The world-renowned PhotoHouse is one of Israel’s most valuable and monumental private archives of historical photographs. Founded in 1936, it has been owned and operated by the same family for three generations. Rudi...

Janet Gordon Annual Mah Jongg Tournament: Sunday, April 3  The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way nearly everything takes place at Beth Sholom Village – from food service to family visits, religious services, and even fundraising. BSV has hosted the Janet Gordon...

Five large handmade paper works by artist Rae Stern currently hang from the Sandler Family Campus’ Cardo ceiling. These unusual pieces are immediately visible upon entry of the building and are illuminated from behind with both natural and artificial light to enhance...

Thursday, March 24, 6 pm Westin Virginia Beach Town Center This year’s VCIC Tidewater Humanitarian Awards Dinner will include an in-person reception and watch party with limited attendance, as well as a virtual presentation option. Charlie Nusbaum is one of this...

Ben-Gurion Epilogue Screening and discussion Sunday, February 27, 2:30 pm Susan S. Goode Fine and Performing Arts Center at Virginia Wesleyan University Landis, Coppola, Reitman, and Reiner.What do all of these names have in common? Fans of movies or TV probably know....

Thursday, March 3, Simon Family JCC Joshua Jay, bestselling author of Magic and other books, has performed on stages in more than 100 countries. Next month, he’ll perform in Tidewater as a part of the Lee and Bernard Jaffe Family’s Jewish Book Festival. Magicians are...

Janet Gordon Annual Mah Jongg Day of play and Luncheon, Sunday, April 3 Beth Sholom Village plans to bring back the Janet Gordon Annual Mah Jongg event in April, with 100% of its proceeds directly benefiting BSV’s residents. As so many things have changed in the last...

Monday, February 21, 10 am–12 pm Simon Family JCC or via Zoom Throughout the second half of 2021 and into 2022, Jewish Family Service of Tidewater, in partnership with United Jewish Federation of Tidewater, has focused on changing the narrative from ‘mental illness’...

Registration for Camp JCC summer 2022 is off to a robust start. Enrollment is significantly higher compared to this point last year, with many of the families who have registered new to camp. With early excitement brewing in the community, Camp JCC anticipates being...

Four fascinating films with topics as diverse as a Hasidic rabbi in a dance competition, Christian and Jewish students traversing the city of Rome in search of the truth, a revisiting of a conversation with Israel’s founding father, and a newly restored classic film...

Sunday, March 13, 7:30 pm, streaming on screens, $36 Few acts speak to Jewish audiences more than the Maccabeats, and on Sunday, March 13, Temple Israel will present this amazing a capella group. The performance will be available to view from the comfort and safety of...

A power line-up of events is planned for United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s Society of Professionals’ (SOP) 2022 Spring season. Speakers will share best practices for promoting businesses, as well as insider information on the most up-to-the-minute business...

Since 1997, Virginia Arts Festival has brought world class performing artists each spring to venues and stages in Tidewater. The Festival plans to mark this milestone with a season suitably spectacular. Anchoring the celebration are some grand performances: the return...

Tuesdays and Thursdays “It is tough—but rewarding. I am learning to focus, have patience, and to train my brain. I am also getting stronger and having fun!” says Spirit Fighting Arts self-defense student C.J. Fenley about his experience with the new classes offered at...

Tuesday, February 8, 4 pm Simon Family JCC and/or remotely Tidewater teens and pre-teens will not have to travel far to see Israel. In collaboration with Lost Tribe ESports, local teens will be able to learn about fun sites in Israel through games and challenges....

July 31–August 4 The Simon Family JCC Athletics Department is searching for Jewish teen athletes to travel as a group this summer to the JCC Maccabi Games in San Diego, California. Tom Edwards, the Simon Family JCC’s athletics director, is organizing players...

Tidewater Together with Isaac and Rabbi Shawna Brynjegard-Bialik All events online Friday, February 4: Shabbat sermon Ohef Sholom Temple, 6:30 pm, Free, ohefsholom.org Saturday, February 5: Shabbat sermon Congregation Beth El, 9:45 am; Free, bethelnorfolk.com...

Sunday, January 9, 3–4:30 pm Tu B’Shevat is considered the New Year of the Trees, marking the start of spring in Israel—when trees begin to bloom after a long, cold winter. In celebration of Tu B’Shevat, PJ Library in Tidewater is going to the Norfolk Botanical...