What’s Happening

Tony Award®-nominated Broadway revival of Fiddler on the Roof Tuesday, November 19–Sunday, November 24 Chrysler Hall A beloved theatrical classic from Tony Award-winner Joseph Stein, and Pulitzer Prize-winners Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick, Fiddler on the Roof is the...

Latkes, books, music, crafts and camps Sunday, December 15 | 11:30 am–2:30 pm Sandler Family Campus Three children’s authors, a light lunch and latkes, crafts, visiting overnight camp representatives, and tons of activities combine to create a celebration of Hanukkah...

Friday, November 15, 6–9 pm B’nai Israel Congregation For the past five years, the Tidewater community has joined this global Shabbat Project movement. Last year, 200 people came together for a beautiful and inspiring Friday night dinner in Ghent. The Tidewater...

Friday, November 15, 8:30–9:30 am Strelitz International Academy Kindergarten–5th Grade Hear about the school’s new International Baccalaureate® candidacy program, meet middle school alumni, learn about its K-5 affordability program, and explore the primary years...

Wednesday, November 13, 7 pm B’nai Israel Congregation Women of all ages are invited to Tidewater’s fifth annual Great Big Challah Bake, a partnership between B’nai Israel Congregation and the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater. The event will be just one of...

Sunday, November 17, 9:30 am–1 pm Sandler Family Campus Super Sunday, as always, is being planned by a group of up and coming visionary leaders. Now called Rishon: Emerging Leaders, the group has spent the last few months learning about the Jewish community and...

Naomi Nachman hosts the Vaad of Tidewater’s Chopped Competition Sunday, November 3, 5 pm, Sheraton Waterside On the precipice of Naomi Nachman’s visit to Norfolk, I had the opportunity to speak with her about her extensive travels, love of food, and what to expect at...

Wednesday, November 6, 7:30 pm Sandler Family Campus I first heard Inbal Arieli speak in January during the International Lion of Judah conference in Florida. She was one of an interesting group of panelists who shared their stories—all ground-breaking women in...

Temple Israel’s unique hour-long Second Saturday programs are excellent and uplifting experiences For nearly seven years, synagogue past president and former local TV interviewer Joel Rubin has led a once a month interactive conversation on a Jewish related topic....

Sunday, March 19, 2 pm Kehillat Bet Hamidrash/Kempsville Conservative Synagogue’s 17th annual art exhibition and auction will feature auctioneer Rick Brandwein of Marlin Fine Auctions and Creative Events. He plans to bring a variety of media to meet varied pocketbooks...

Wednesday, March 15, 12 pm Reba and Sam Sandler Family Campus Sharing her journey of recovery from a ruptured aneurysm at age 28 through the restorative power of food and cooking, Jessica Fechtor, author of the award-winning memoir, Stir: My Broken Brain and the Meals...

Thursday, March 30 The Westin, Virginia Beach Town Center Since 1963, Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities (VCIC) has annually honored individuals and organizations that have demonstrated a commitment to heal divisions within their community and to advance a...

Saturday, March 25, 8 pm Reba and Sam Sandler Family Campus One of Israel’s singing treasures, Gitit Shoval will share her vocal and storytelling talents through her concert, “From Gershwin to Dylan: the Genius of Jewish Songwriters,” a tribute to Jewish composers, as...

Monday, March 13, 7:30–8:30 pm Boyd Dining Center, Virginia Wesleyan College Rabbi David N. Saperstein is the immediate past United States Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom. Saperstein was a principal advisor to the President and Secretary of...

Sunday, March 12 11:30 am–2 pm, Ohef Sholom Temple Ohef Sholom Temple Youth (OSTY) will hold its annual Purim Carnival at the temple. This year’s carnival will feature games, a dunk tank, pie-the-Cantor and other festivities. The Men’s Club will sell lunch and the...

Sunday, March 12, Temple Israel Megillah reading: 9:15–10:30 am Carnival: 10:30 am–12:30 pm Two Norfolk congregations are joining together for a morning of Purim. Congregation Beth El and Temple Israel will host a multi-generational Megillah reading and a Purim...

Sunday, March 12, 11:30 am–3 pm Temple Emanuel’s Purim celebration includes a one-of-akind Megillah & Movie at 11:30 am, as well as a Carnival for the entire family from 12:30 until 3 pm. The Megillah Movie will showcase students from the Temple Emanuel Religious...

Last call for tickets to the hottest party in town! Saturday, March 18, 8 pm, ages 22–45 Reba and Sam Sandler Family Campus Hundreds of young adults are expected to attend this year’s Alice in Wonderland themed Purim party hosted by the Young Adult Division (YAD) of...

Thursday, March 2, 6:30 pm Rabbi Ellen Jaffe-Gill, rabbi of Tidewater Chavurah, will begin a 10-week class on prayer book and biblical Hebrew. The first half will focus on learning the Hebrew alphabet and vowels, and the second part will be for the beginners and for...

From Nazi Germany to Thalhimer’s Farm with author Robert H. Gillette March 19, 6:30 pm, Congregation Beth El Escape to Virginia follows the true story of two Jewish teenagers growing up in Nazi Germany who end up living on a farm outside of Richmond, Va. Eva Jacobson...

Thursday, March 30, The Westin, Virginia Beach Town Center The Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities (VCIC) will present a Humanitarian Award to Kim Simon Fink at its 2017 Tidewater Humanitarian Awards Dinner next month. Other honorees include Kenneth C....

Persian Jewish women’s bittersweet songs and stories about their lost homeland of Iran Sunday, Feb. 26 and Monday, Feb. 27, 7:30 pm, Old Dominion University’s Goode Theatre The theater group, Saffron & Rosewater was founded in 2008 by Ronda Spinak in Los Angeles,...

Saturday, March 18, 8 pm, ages 22–45, Sandler Family Campus Callah Terkeltaub and Catherine Heben are already down the rabbit hole, “madly” co-chairing the much-anticipated annual Purim party hosted by the Young Adult Division of the United Jewish Federation of...

Simon Family JCC’s Annual Israel Fest • Sunday, April 30, 11 am • Sandler Family Campus In honor of Yom Ha’Atzmaut, Israel’s Independence Day, Simon Family JCC will present its Annual Israel Fest. Vendors to participate in the marketplace are now being accepted....

Wednesday, March 15, 12 pm Sandler Family Campus Most people experience some moment when their life skips off the rails, freefalling in uncertainty, bracing for the blow. Some say things happen for a reason and some make their own reasons for the things that happen....

Thursday, Feb. 16, 7:30 pm, Reba and Sam Sandler Family Campus Originally inspired by This American Life, Mishy Harman, co-founder and host of the award-winning and internationally aired, Israel Story, takes a humanistic approach to story-telling. Harman portrays his...

Texas, Ohio, and Florida have passed or are passing laws allowing “open-carry” policies on college campuses, drastically impacting the safety on university grounds. With more than 800 college-bound students, and even more alumni on campuses across the country, NFTY,...

The Holocaust Commission of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater is well into its 2017 Elie Wiesel Student Writing & Visual Arts Competitions, as the Feb. 15 deadline approaches for the writing and multimedia divisions. Visual Art will be accepted Monday,...

With growing concerns about a secure Jewish future and respect for religious pluralism, AJC is a very busy global Jewish advocacy organization. “AJC is the only organization having long-term strategic relationships with world leaders and opinion-makers around the...