Sundays, beginning October 19, 1-3 pm Sandler Family Campus This fall, Tidewater’s newest Shinshinim, Noga Yaniv and Yarden Lahan, are launching a brand-new Israeli youth movement inspired by the energy and spirit of the Israeli Scouts, “Tzofim.” Open to third...
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The Art of the High Holidays: A Jewish Art Education virtual presentation
Sunday, September 21, 7 pm, $9 (half a chai*) - $36 Rosh Hashanah (Head of the Year) and Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) will come to life through 1,500 years of Jewish art with the virtual presentation, The Art of the High Holidays.Presented by Jewish Art Education,...
New Hires
New Jewish Community Services Manager for Jewish Family Service Julie Kievit with her family: Ken, Alexandra, and Ruby. Julie Kievit Jewish Family Service of Tidewater recently announced the appointment of Julie Kievit as its new Jewish community services...
Hebrew Ladies Charity of Tidewater: Honoring a legacy
Jewish Family Service has long been the safety net of Tidewater’s Jewish community—but it all began with a group of determined women.In March 1902, the Hebrew Ladies Charity Society was formed when Fannie Brenner gathered a small group of Jewish women to create a...
Partners in Jewish Life comes to Tidewater: A night of connection and learning
Monday, October 27 • 7 pm • Sandler Family Campus United Jewish Federation of Tidewater will host its first Partners in Jewish Life program – an evening that promises to be a meaningful opportunity for Jewish community members of all backgrounds to gather in learning...
From Sinai to Seinfeld: Jews and their Jokes returns
Course begins: Monday, November 3 • 6:45 pm • online Taught by Dr. Amy K. Milligan, From Sinai to Seinfeld: Jews and Their Jokes, a Melton course presented by United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s Konikoff Center for Learning, is back by popular demand.Originally...
Artist inResidence weekend planned at Temple Israel
Saturday, November 15 at 9:30 am and 7 pm Sunday, November 16, at 10 am Get ready for a super weekend as Temple Israel hosts Jordan Gorfinkel, or “Gorf,” for its Artist in Residence weekend.Gorf, a former editor of the Batman comics series and author of the Passover...
Photographer and survivor of the Oct. 7 NOVA Musical Festival massacre to speak at ODU
Thursday, September 18 • 7 pm • Webb Center, Old Dominion University Old Dominion University’s Institute for Jewish Studies and Interfaith Understanding and ODU Hillel will welcome Shye Klein, a photographer and NOVA survivor of October 7, whose work documents the...
Read along with BeAR: One hour each week can change a child’s life
Be A Reader (BeAR) Literacy Project pairs caring adults with second graders in under-resourced schools for one-on-one reading time. For many of these children, the attention, encouragement, and joy the mentors bring during that single hour a week is more than just...
Israel’s blind spot: Underestimating Hamas A conversation with Yaakov Katz, former Jerusalem Post editor-in-chief
Thursday, October 23 • 7:30 pm • Sandler Family Campus Acclaimed author and former Jerusalem Post editor-in chief Yaakov Katz will be in town to discuss his new book, While Israel Slept. In the book, Katz delivers a gripping account of how years of complacency, flawed...
Dinner and mushroom art workshop with artist and author Bill Wurtzel
Tuesday, Sept. 16, 6 pm, Sandler Family Campus Award-winning artist Bill Wurtzel is set to share his remarkable journey from a playful breakfast to international acclaim. What began 64 years ago as a funny meal for his wife, Claire, has blossomed into seven books,...
One God, many meanings: A journey through Jewish monotheism
What does it mean to say, “God is One?” This simple phrase, central to Jewish belief, opens the door to a rich tradition of interpretation. From the biblical declaration of the Shema to the philosophical writings of Maimonides and the mystical teachings of the...
BeARing down on another great year
BeAR Appreciation Luncheon • Friday, May 9, 11 am – 1 pm As the 2024-2025 school year draws to a close, the Be A Reader (BeAR) Literacy Project is celebrating another extraordinary season of reading, mentorship, and making a meaningful impact on the lives of its young...
Joey Newcomb: Live in concert. An evening of joy and unity
Wednesday, March 26, 5:30 pm Sandler Family Campus The Norfolk Kollel and Konikoff Center for Learning of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater present an evening of family-friendly musical inspiration and entertainment featuring the Jewish music sensation Joey...
Liel Leibovitz brings the Talmud to Tidewater with wisdom and wit
Thursday, April 3, 7:30 pm • Sandler Family Campus United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s Konikoff Center for Learning will welcome Liel Leibovitz, author and journalist, as he discusses his latest book, How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice...
Yom Hashoah: Community Holocaust Commemoration
Wednesday, April 23, 6:45 pm Ohef Sholom Temple The Holocaust Commission of United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s annual Holocaust Day Remembrance, Yom Hashoah, will take place next month. The event is open to the community.The commemoration will feature survivor...
Israeli Chef’s Table Experience with Chef Moshe Basson
An extraordinary culinary journey is planned with the second annual Israeli Chef’s Table Experience – part of the community’s Yom Ha’Atzmaut (Israel Independence Day) celebration, presented by United Jewish Federation of Tidewater.Chef Moshe Basson, founder of...
Navigating social media post October 7: A timely discussion with Amy Albertson
Tuesday, April 8, 7:30 pm, Sandler Family Campus In today's fast-paced digital world, social media is a powerful tool for shaping narratives, spreading information, and influencing public opinion. In the wake of October 7, however, it has also become a battleground...
Broken Vessels, Restored Souls: Ceramics in Jewish Mysticism and Art
Sunday, March 30, 12:30 – 2:30 pm, Torggler Center at Christopher Newport University In Judaism’s mystical traditions, the myth of the ‘breaking of the vessels’ imagines vessels of divine essence shattered at creation, left for humans to find and repair the...
Exploring the afterlife through Jewish perspectives
8-week course begins: Tuesday, April 1 12:30 – 2 pm, Sandler Family Campus What happens after death? It’s a question as old as humanity. For Jews, the answer has never been a singular, fixed doctrine. Instead, Jewish thought has evolved over millennia, offering a...
Celebrate Israel’s 77th Anniversary at the Yom Ha’Atzmaut community celebration
Sunday, May 4, 12 - 3 pm, Sandler Family Campus Jewish Tidewater is making plans to celebrate Yom Ha’Atzmaut, Israel’s 77th Independence Day, with another vibrant and family-friendly afternoon filled with fun, culture, and community spirit.Attendees will have the...
Operation Hamantaschen:A time to bake tasty cookies and perform a good deed
Sunday, March 9, 1 - 4 pm Sandler Family Campus PJ Library in Tidewater’s annual Purim celebration, Operation Hamantaschen – a day of baking hamantaschen and preparing a mitzvah project – offers three time slots this year (1 pm, 2 pm, and 3 pm), to make the cookies...
Panel discussion celebrates Jewish history on BroadwayVirginia Stage Company and UJFT partnership
Sunday, March 16, 2 pm, Wells Theater, Norfolk Virginia Stage Company will produce the cult-classic musical Little Shop of Horrors at the Wells Theatre in Norfolk, March 12 through March 30. The quirky show’s book, lyrics, and music were written by Jews – lyricist...
Comic Robin Fox to perform at Temple Israel’s fundraiser
Sunday, March 30, 1 pm, Temple Israel Temple Israel has been busy scheduling creative programming, including movies, lectures, and guest Shabbat speakers. The season’s highlight will be the congregation’s annual fundraiser – honoring the synagogue’s past presidents...
Ice cream social planned to celebrate Golda Meir Day
Monday, March 17, 5 pm, Simon Family JCC Golda Meir is remembered for many accomplishments – from playing a pivotal role in the founding of the State of Israel to becoming its first, and only, female Prime Minister.In Israel, her legacy now extends to a popular ice...
Kids Night Out: Supreme Pool Party
Saturday, April 26, 5 – 9 pm Sandler Family Campus The last Kids Night Out of the school year will be a special Supreme Pool Party Edition.With lots of beach balls, noodles, and dive toys, this Kids Night Out is sure to end the year with a splash! Kids will hang out...
Tidewater’s Great Jewish Bookshelf welcomes new subscribers
Off to an exciting start, the Great Jewish Bookshelf is engaging readers throughout Tidewater with powerful stories and new ideas. Even though the year is already underway, there’s still time to register for the subscription program. Late registrants can also select...
Applications now open for JELF
Students who seek loans for higher education may now apply to JELF – Jewish Education Loan Fund. The deadline is April 30, 2025.JELF offers 0% interest loans for full-time students from Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia (excluding metro...
Play with a purpose! March Madness and Poker: Nadiv launches two spring fundraisers
Nadiv, United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s young Jewish men’s fundraising division, is planning two fun community events this spring.All proceeds support scholarships for Camp JCC in summer 2025. The group’s goal is to raise $25,000 between both events. March...
Celebrate Tu B’Shevat in Tidewater
The Jewish New Year of the Trees, Tu B’Shevat starts on Wednesday, Feb. 12. In the 17th century, Kabbalists created a ritual for the holiday that is similar to a Passover seder. Several options to participate in a modern version of the Tu B’Shevat seder are listed...
The New Christian Zionism: A panel discussion
“You can count on me. I’ll be there.” It was a simple text message, but one that meant a great deal to me.In the last year, I have watched a relationship blossom between ODU Hillel and the Institute for Jewish Life and Interfaith Understanding and Regent University’s...
A History of Hatred:New course explores threat of antisemitism
Six-week course begins Tuesday March 18, 6:45 pm, online In moments of collective astonishment about the state of the world, there’s an underlying awareness that much of what is taking place is not new. Antisemitism has resurfaced with alarming intensity, taking on...