What’s Happening

Tuesdays, 10 am – 12 pm Know someone who knits or crochets? Or someone who wants to learn so they can help keep others warm? Is it you? Sherry Rabinowitz, a PhD whose expertise was discovering and treating child abuse victims, will instruct those who don’t already...

Tuesday, August 1, 12 pm, Sandler Family Campus Ira Rosen, the acclaimed 60 Minutes producer and author of Ticking Clock: Behind the Scenes at 60 Minutes, will speak at the Simon Family JCC on August 1. The event was originally scheduled for May. Rosen is a renowned...

Thursday, June 1, 12:30 pm, Online, Free The Honorable Jason S. Miyares, Attorney General of Virginia, will share takeaways from his March trip to Poland and Israel in a statewide online conversation. The bipartisan trip spearheaded by Attorney General Miyares, co-led...

Presented by United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s Holocaust Commission, the Elie Wiesel Visual Arts competition provides middle and high school students with questions to learn about the Holocaust while applying the lessons to create artwork. The competition is...

Thursday, May 25, 8:30 am  Jewish War Veterans Flagpole, Sandler Family Campus The Board of Rabbis and Cantors of Hampton Roads and the Jewish War Veterans (Post 158) will host a community Memorial Day Weekend observance to start the weekend in appreciation of those...

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...

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...

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...