What’s Happening

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....

Friday, November 15—Saturday, November 16 A global, grassroots movement that brings Jews from across the world together around the shared heritage of Shabbat, The Shabbat Project was introduced in South Africa in 2013 to astonishing effect. In the days that followed,...

 Lee and Bernard Jaffe Family Jewish Book Festival The Cast—Amy Blumenfeld Monday, November 18, 7:30 pm Simon Family JCC, free The Face Tells the Secret—Jane Bernstein Monday, December 16, 12 pm Beth Sholom Village, $12 includes lunch Two outstanding novels have been...

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....

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...

Saturday, March 25, 8 pm, Simon Family JCC Considered one of Israel’s singing treasures, Gitit Shoval shares her talents and inspiration through musical storytelling. Singing songs from Jewish musicians and composers from around the world, Shoval regales her audience...

Sunday, February 26, 7:30 pm Old Dominion University’s Goode Theatre The perfume of Persian nights will transport the audience into a fragrant evening of stories, song, and surprises. An original show, it explores the Persian Jewish woman’s experiences as a child...

Registration opens February 1 Camp JCC, the Simon Family JCC’s popular summer program for children two years old through grade 11, begins accepting registrations for new and returning campers on Wednesday, February 1. Families are encouraged to sign up early to ensure...

Sunday, February 19, 10 am–1 pm, Simon Family JCC The delicious aroma of fresh baked goods will flow through the halls of the Simon Family JCC during Operation Hamantaschen. Filled with assorted fruit jams or other sweet confections, these tasty triangular shaped...

Wednesday, March 15, 12 pm Reba and Sam Sandler Family Campus Author of the award-winning memoir, Stir: My Broken Brain and the Meals that Brought Me Home, Jessica Fechtor will share her journey of recovery from a ruptured aneurysm at age 28 and how she reclaimed her...

Deadline: Monday, February 13 The Community Relations Council of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater invites area first through 12th graders to participate in its fourth annual Israel Poster Contest. Students and teachers can find a list of cool facts about...

Saturday, February 18, 7:30 pm, Ohef Sholom Temple An evening of eating, drinking, and clean comedy, hosted by Susan Sussman, Ohef Sholom Temple’s comedienne, will take place in the temple’s Kaufman Hall. The exciting lineup of very funny people includes national...

Tomer Gewirtzman, piano February 8, 7:30 pm One of the most exciting artists to emerge from the acclaimed Young Concert Artists program, Tomer Gewirtzman, pianist, is slated to perform at the Sandler Center’s Miller Theatre. The concert is presented by Virginia Arts...

Thursday, February 16, 7:30 pm Reba and Sam Sandler Family Campus, free In a world of visual media communication, a radio podcast might seem like a throwback to an earlier era, but Mishy Harman, a curly haired, 30-something Jerusalemite, experienced an epiphany during...

Wednesday, February 8 Deadline for registration: Tuesday, January 31 One of the great strengths of the Tidewater Jewish community is that so many people are willing to take action when it comes to issues impacting Israel or Jews locally and abroad. As such, the CRC...

Sunday, January 29, 1–4 pm, Sandler Family Campus In response to the rise in anti-Semitism and anti-Israel sentiment on university campuses, the Anti-Defamation League has created a workshop designed to empower and equip students and their parents with effective and...

Deadline: Monday, Feb. 13, 4:30 pm Cool facts about Israel: • Israeli scientists have produced a clean energy alternative from spinach. • 2,000-year-old seeds were discovered in 1963 inside an ancient jar in Israel. They were planted in 2005 and a tree that had been...

Wednesday, Feb. 8, Richmond The annual Community Relations Council’s delegation to Richmond for Jewish Advocacy Day is the Federation’s flagship political action event. With remarkable events taking place in last year’s national election cycle, no Jew can remain...

A film where dreams and the internet collide Sunday, Jan. 22, 5:30 pm TCC Roper Performing Arts Center A 21st century real-life fairytale, Presenting Princess Shaw follows the life and dreams of Samantha Montgomery. During the day, Montgomery cares for the elderly in...

Wednesday, Jan. 18, 7 pm Reba and Sam Sandler Family Campus To address the resurgence of anti-Semitism on American college campuses and to illuminate the nuanced relationship between anti-Semitism and anti-Israel propaganda, the Community Relations Council of the...