What’s Happening

Sunday, June 4, Ohef Sholom Temple  10:30 am: Buffet Breakfast, 11 am: Ceremony, $10 The Henry B. Kaufmann Award is presented by Ohef Sholom Temple’s Men’s Club to a congregant who has demonstrated extraordinary service to the Temple and the community in a volunteer...

Wednesday, May 17, 12 pm, Sandler Family Campus, $12 Ira Rosen, the acclaimed 60 Minutes producer and author of Ticking Clock: Behind the Scenes at 60 Minutes, will be the featured speaker at a lunch-time event at the Simon Family JCC. Rosen is a renowned journalist,...

Tuesday, May 9, 12 pm, Zoom With nearly a century of her life behind her, Stella Levi never spoke in detail about her past. Then, one Saturday at her Greenwich Village apartment, she met Michael Frank. The upcoming online event with Frank, author of One Hundred...

Steeple to Steeple: Saturday, May 13, 9 am - 3 pm The Zelma G. Rivin Wonderful Wednesdays Summer Music Series: Begins on Wednesday, July 19, 7:30 pm Dinner and auction: Sunday, August 27 Every May in Olde Town Portsmouth there is the event known as Steeple to Steeple....

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...

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...

Friday, January 14 and Saturday, January 15 As B’nai Israel celebrates 75 years, the congregation is ‘on the hunt’ for beautiful memories. Help B’nai Israel personalize its dedicatory book with flashbacks throughout the years. Share photos or memories such as a...

Shabbos: Friday, January 14–Saturday, January 15 Services begin at 8:45 am followed by a Gala Kiddush at noon To celebrate the congregation’s 75th anniversary, B’nai Israel is planning an awe-inspiring and memorable Shabbos featuring world renowned singer and Chazzan...

Sunday, December 5, 4–5:30 pm Congregation Beth El World-renowned a cappella singing sensations Six13 will perform at a community-wide, family-friendly, high-energy celebration at Congregation Beth El to mark the congregation’s 71st anniversary. The in-person event...

Friday, January 14 and Saturday, January 15 A commemorative and celebratory Shabbos Shira is planned for B’nai Israel Congregation’s 75th anniversary. This special Shabbos, featuring renowned singer and chazzan, Simcha Leiner, will be filled with memories, joy, and...

Sunday, November 21, 2 pm, online While Meir Shalev is not a household name in the United States, he is one of Israel’s most celebrated novelists. Shalev will join the community for an online conversation as part of the 11th annual Israel Today series in partnership...

Brainstorming session: Monday, December 6 The Jewish Community Relations Council of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s Be a Reader (BeAR) Literacy Program is refusing to hibernate this winter. Instead, it is roaring into new territory. BeAR will host a...

Friday, January 14 and Saturday, January 15 The Shabbos of January 14 and 15, B’nai Israel will celebrate the congregation’s 75th anniversary with a gala kiddush. B’nai Israel Congregation serves the Jewish community however possible. To help enhance this very special...

Wednesday, December 8, 7:30 pm Join Adam Mansbach, novelist, humorist, and poet, for his second visit to Tidewater as he shares excerpts from his new memoir, I Had a Brother Once. The event is presented by the Konikoff Center for Learning at the United Jewish...