What’s Happening

The Jewish Community Relations Council of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s Be a Reader (BeAR) program is out of hibernation and heading back into schools at the end of October. Returning to the classroom means BeAR needs more volunteers. Just an hour a week...

Friday, October 28, 6:30 pm, Ohef Sholom Temple During Shabbat Services and at a festive Oneg Shabbat, Charles (Chuck) Woodward will be honored for his 40 years as Ohef Sholom Temple’s music director. Known throughout Tidewater as a choral conductor and keyboard...

Tuesday, November 15, 7 pm, Wells Theater A one-man show, this  is the inspiring true story of Simon Wiesenthal filled with hope, humanity, and humor. Sometimes referred to as the “Jewish James Bond,” he devoted his life to bringing more than 1,000 Nazi war criminals...

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 Weissenstein captured millions of photos of...

Begins Tuesday, September 20, 9 am Sandler Family Campus Twice a month, Baby and Me offers a time for a parent to bring their baby, up to 18 months old, to the Simon Family JCC for an hour of baby games and activities, social time with other parents and guardians, and...

Sunday, October 16, 11 am–3 pm Get ready to plant some bulbs and hope for a bountiful garden this spring in remembrance of the children who perished in the Holocaust. The Jewish Museum and Cultural Center in Portsmouth is hosting its first event in partnership with...

Sunday, October 9, 1–3 pm, MOCA The Simon Family JCC and United Jewish Federation of Tidewater, in collaboration with the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art, invites students in sixth through ninth grade to a special Sukkot event at MOCA. The afternoon will begin...

Wednesday, October 26, 7:30 pm Sandler Family Campus   The best way to begin to understand Israel is to first understand the nation’s map. Since declaring independence in 1948, the tiny nation’s borders have often changed. Sometimes, Israel has gained territory;...

Class begins Thursday, October 27, 12 pm What is the history behind the narrative of the Jewish religion’s core story? One way to better understand Judaism’s history—as well as its “story”—is to explore the international framework in which its people emerged. The...

Leon Family Gallery Through early November Reception with the artist: Thursday, October 13, 4 pm   Shony Rivnay is an interdisciplinary Israeli-American artist based in Tel Aviv. His work has been exhibited in galleries throughout the world —Germany, Japan, South...

Friday, October 28, 6:30 pm Forty years ago, Edith Harrison, a long-time Ohef Sholom Temple member and founder of the Virginia Opera, asked a young Charles (Chuck) Woodward who was working for the Opera at the time, if he would “fill in” for OST’s organist who was...

Starts Thursday, October 6, Noon Monthly current affairs discussions with Lahav Harkov, the Jerusalem Post’s senior contributing editor, will take place on the first Thursday of each month, October through March. Grab lunch as Harkov leads an online briefing and...

Saturday, November 16, 6:30 pm The 19th oldest Reform congregation in the nation, Ohef Sholom Temple is celebrating its 175th Anniversary in style with a Gala at the temple. The evening includes cocktails, dinner, wine, open bar all night long, dancing, a piano bar,...

Vaad of Tidewater Sunday, November 3, 5 pm Sheraton Waterside Naomi Nachman, author and social media influencer, will host four local teams of professional and home cooks in an all-out battle of kitchen supremacy for the title of Tidewater Chopped Champions at Vaad of...

Lee and Bernard Jaffe Family Jewish Book Festival Monday, November 4, 6 pm Sandler Family Campus, free The human vocabulary cannot articulate what Christopher Noxon illustrates on the subject of history and hope in Good Trouble Lessons from the Civil Rights Playbook....

Lunch & Learn with Amy Lefcoe Wednesday, September 25, 12 pm Simon Family JCC, free In a world with increasingly more questions than answers, more and more people are seeking the serenity that comes from a relationship with G-d. Explore this unique opportunity to...

Joint High Holidays services will be held this year with Tidewater Chavurah and Congregation Beth Chaverim. Both congregations, without their own buildings, will worship and enjoy the holidays together. Rabbi Ellen Jaffe-Gill and Jim Hibbard will officiate. The Beth...

Leon Family Gallery Reba and Sam Sandler Family Campus Through October The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee was established on November 27, 1914 following the merger of two American Jewish relief committees, the Central Relief Committee for the Relief of...

Thursday, September 26, 7:30 pm Sandler Family Campus Everyone has an important story—a story that impacts the community. Together, Tidewater’s Jewish community has a story of transformational impact both locally and globally. The inaugural IGNITE 2020! will be a time...

Thursday, September 19, 9:30–11am Sandler Family Campus For 20 years, Be A Reader (BEAR) mentors have made a meaningful difference in the lives of children by sharing just one hour a week of their time during the school year. BEAR partners with Title 1 schools...

Tuesdays and Thursdays Self-defense: 5:30–6:15 pm Karate: 6:15–7 pm free for JCC members Personal safety has never been more relevant, and the Simon Family JCC membership package has never been more responsive to members’ lifestyle and wellness needs. And, starting...

Tuesday, September 17, 12 pm, Bayville Golf Club, Virginia Beach Tee off with the 31st Annual Bob Josephberg Classic Golf Tournament, presented by Strelitz International Academy (formerly Hebrew Academy of Tidewater), for a good cause and a good time. Golfer...

Monday, September 23, 7:30 pm, ODU’s University Theater A leading voice in klezmer music and Yiddish song for more than 30 years, the Klezmer Conservatory Band (KCB) will appear in concert at Old Dominion University. KCB’s repertoire ranges from Yiddish standards to...

Sunday, October 6, Ohef Sholom Temple, 10:30 am An Ohef Sholom Temple Men’s Club Carpool Cafe will be the occasion for a showing of an important and fascinating documentary film that recounts the story of more than 80 Jewish refugees who were detained in Norfolk...

Begins Saturday, September 14, 9 am What is Judaism? is the name of Ohef Sholom’s course introducing Jewish ideas. The class is open to anyone interested in learning more about the distinctively Jewish way of thinking and relating to life. In recent years, the...

October 29 – November 3 Award-winning Israeli actor Sasson Gabay and star of Beautiful Chilina Kennedy, part of North American Tour cast Winner of 10 Tony awards—including best musical Winner of Grammy award for best musical theater album The Band’s Visit tells a...

Friday, August 23, 6:30 pm Ohef Sholom Temple Join Ohef Sholom Temple for an uplifting, contemporary, especially-musical Shabbat service featuring Rabbi Rosalin Mandleberg, Cantor Jen Reuben, and FNL musicians Marilyn & Bob Johns. Following the service, a catered...

Tuesday, September 17, 12 pm, Bayville Golf Club Tee off with the 31st Annual Bob Josephberg Classic Golf Tournament, presented by Strelitz International Academy (formerly Hebrew Academy of Tidewater), for a good cause and a good time. Golfer registration includes...

Saturdays, August 24 and September 14, 9:30 am It’s getting to be that time of year—time to start thinking about the High Holy Days. For everyone, it’s a time of teshuvah, of returning. For long-time members of the Jewish community, returning can mean anything from...

Wednesday, August 21, 12 pm Simon Family JCC Join the JCC Seniors Club for lunch and a discussion with Chaplain Jim Thompson of Freda H. Gordon Hospice & Palliative Care on how the roles of these two services have changed dramatically in the past decade. Members,...