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Program launches November 1 Jewish Family Service helps local Jewish families of all ages. Many of these families are single parents coping with financial challenges. Here is one such story, written on behalf of a JFS client: A young mother approached JFS for...
Saturday, November 8, 7 pm Congregation Beth El will celebrate 175 years of Jewish life in Tidewater with an evening featuring music, food, drinks, and highlights of the past 175 years – as well as insights into the future. This evening is for celebrating...
As 2025 winds down and Jewish Book Month marks its 100th year, the final stretch of Tidewater’s Jewish Book Festival offers a meaningful way to gather in community, reflect on the year behind us, and celebrate the stories that connect us. The conversation...
Sunday, January 11 Ohef Sholom Temple Jewish Family Service will host a special luncheon to celebrate the remarkable legacy of the Hebrew Ladies Society of Tidewater. Established in 1902, this pioneering group of women laid the foundation for what would later become...
Friday, November 21 10 am – 12 pmSandler Family Campus Jewish Family Service will host its annual Thanksgiving Drive the Friday prior to the holiday, offering people in need to pick up a free Thanksgiving meal through its drive-up pantry. To volunteer to help...
Tuesdays, 10 am -12 pm Sandler Family Campus Every other Thursday 10 – 12 pm, Aviva A combined knitting and crocheting group, Knots for Kindness is open to beginners and experienced makers alike. All are welcome. All projects — scarves, lap blankets, and full-sized...
Sunday, November 23, 10 am - 12 pm Sandler Family Campus Members of the Tidewater community will come together next month for Community Impact Day, a morning dedicated to learning, giving, and strengthening community connections. Now in its second year, the event will...
Thursday, October 23, 7:30 pm, Sandler Family Campus Esteemed Israeli American journalist, Yaakov Katz, returns to Tidewater this month to speak about his newly released book, While Israel Slept, the most comprehensive journalistic treatment to date of the tragic...
A nationally recognized and dynamic Jewish leader, Rabbi Shira Stutman will visit Tidewater next month as part of the Lee & Bernard Jaffe Family Jewish Book Festival. As the full-time rabbi of Aspen Jewish Congregation, she is known for bringing Jewish wisdom to...
Time flies. It’s hard to believe the beginner’s Hebrew course at the Simon Family JCC has already concluded. What began as the simple challenge of mastering the Aleph-Bet quickly grew into a shared experience of discovery, laughter, and deep connection. Week...
United Jewish Federation of Tidewater recently announced the addition of Blake Sisler as the new coordinator of Youth and Family Engagement. Sisler will oversee PJ Library and Shalom Baby programs as well as support Jewish learning initiatives offered through the...
As the Tidewater Jewish community welcomes 5786 and looks ahead to marking a century of Jewish Book Month, the Lee & Bernard Jaffe Family Jewish Book Festival launches its first half with a vibrant mix of events that reflect the spirit of renewal, resilience, and...
Begins Friday, October 31 Jewish Family Service is launching its annual Chanukah Gift Drive to support families in need this holiday season. Beginning October 31, JFS will begin accepting donations of gifts and monetary contributions. The deadline is...
Thursday, October 23, 7:30 pm Sandler Family Campus Acclaimed author and journalist Yaakov Katz returns to Tidewater next month for a timely conversation about Israel, Hamas, and the lessons of October 7. The former editor-in-chief of The Jerusalem Post...
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...
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 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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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,...
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...
Monday, September 22 • 6 – 8 pm • Princess Anne High School Virginia Beach City Councilmember Joash Schulman will hold a District 9 community meeting to explain and discuss the local election system referendum. Representatives from the Virginia Beach City Attorney’s...
A bit of Yiddish has managed to slip into everyday language. In fact, it’s not uncommon to hear people of all backgrounds talk about chutzpah. And most who do, have no idea they’re speaking Yiddish, a language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews.A combination of...
Looking to add something fun and thought-provoking each month? The JCC Book Club, led by the always enthusiastic Adrienne Royes, might be the answer. Each month, the group explores a compelling book (sometimes two) – and occasionally gets to chat with the author.The...
Thursdays, September 11- November 20 11 am, Sandler Family Campus The fundamental lesson emphasized about Judaism is the belief in One God. In fact, Judaism’s most important prayer is an excerpt of a speech from Moses to Israel, repurposed as a declaration made to...
Surrounded by stacks of colorful books, the BeAR team is deep into preparations for the 2025–2026 school year, which is BeAR’s 26th year of inspiring young readers.Be A Reader (BeAR) partners with Title I schools to support second grade students who need a little...
Teens in 8th through 12th grade are invited to join Tidewater’s BBYO for its fall kickoff event.The $10 registration fee includes two hours of play and drinks (soda, lemonade, and water). Light snacks will be provided, and additional food will be available for...