What’s Happening

Friday, April 13, Ferguson Center, Newport News Saturday, April 14, Chrysler Hall, Norfolk The Virginia Arts Festival will open its 2018 spring season with a stunning birthday party for Leonard Bernstein. The Festival is joining arts organizations on six continents in...

Deadline for submissions: Friday, March 30 In celebration of Israel’s 70th anniversary, the Simon Family JCC will be adorned with a sky full of umbrellas to resemble a similar installation in the streets of Jerusalem and other cities around the world. In fact, the...

Thursday, April 19, 5:30 pm Norfolk Waterside Marriott Volunteer Hampton Roads will honor Kurt Rosenbach with the Lenora Mathews Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his outstanding leadership in community service. Rosenbach has served the community by being...

14th Annual Grieving Children’s Art Show March Jewish Family Service counseling staff, through the Dozoretz Center for Healing and Jessica Glasser Therapeutic Pavilion, specializes in helping individuals of all ages cope with loss and grieving. One component of this...

Wednesday, April 18, 12:30 pm, Simon Family JCC Seniors are celebrating Yom HaAtzmaut, Israeli Independence Day, with DJ Eyal Rob of Tel Aviv. As a young thriving nation, Israel has been through radical social transformations in its 70 years. The changes in Israeli...

Thursday, March 29, 12:30 pm Sandler Family Campus Based on an installation of 1,000 umbrellas adorning Yoel Moshe Solomon Street in the historic Nachalat Shiva district of Jerusalem during the summer of 2015, UJFT’s Community Relations Council is launching a similar...

Wednesday, March 21, 12 pm Simon Family JCC and Joseph Fleishmann Memorial Fund of the Tidewater Jewish Foundation present Seniors Seder. Rabbi Israel Zoberman and Cantor Elihu Flax will lead the senior community in a traditional Passover Mini Seder at the Simon...

Tuesday, March 13–Sunday March 18, Chrysler Hall Beautiful, The Carole King Musical, tells the inspiring true story of Carole King’s (Carol Joan Klein) amazing rise to stardom… from being part of a hit songwriting team with her first husband Gerry Goffin, to her...

March 9–March 16 For more than 20 years, Richmond Ballet’s Minds In Motion program has brought students from across Virginia and from all walks of life, to perform together on stage and share the joy of dance. Nearly a decade ago, the program traveled to Israel, and...

Tuesdays, beginning Jan. 7 10:30 am – noon Ten week course taught by Rabbi Panitz at the Simon Family JCC. Call 321-2328 or email mbrunnruberg@simonfamilyj.org for more information, pricing, and to register.

Sunday, Jan. 12, 1–4 pm Start the New Year with more than 60 group exercise classes, great cardio and weight training equipment, heated pools, personal training, free towel service, babysitting and day lockers, and so much more at the Simon Family JCC. Learn about it...

Sunday, Jan. 5, 3 pm A reception for Don Hurwitz’s exhibit, “Postcards from the Old Country” will take place in the Leon Family Gallery on the second floor of the Sandler Family Campus. Hurwitz’s photographs are from Latvia, Estonia, Russia and Lithuania. A portion of...

December 25, 7 am–3 pm An annual Beth Sholom Village tradition, Switch Day allows employees to celebrate the Christmas holiday with their families. Switch Day family members and volunteers help out in many ways. From playing Bingo with residents to serving food,...

Saturday, Jan. 4, 6 pm Bring the family and enjoy dinner and fun as the Sabbath departs. Explore the many hands-on exhibits and sights at the Children’s Museum, while it is closed to the general public. The Portsmouth Children’s Museum is located at 221 High Street....

Sunday, Jan. 12, 8:30 am–2 pm A partnership of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s Community Relations Council and the Business and Legal Society, the Simon Family JCC, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation will offer the Federal Bureau of Investigation...

Sponsored by Jewish Family Service Sunday, Dec. 15, 10 am–3 pm, Simon Family JCC Anyone who is Ashkenazi or has Ashkenazi heritage is recommended for genetic screening. In addition, it is recommended that those with an Ashkenazi partner get screened, because it is...

Thursday, Jan. 9, 12 pm Join Rabbi Rosalin Mandelberg for Lunch and Learn with the topic, “Fall Out from the Pew Study on American Judaism: What We Learn, What We Can Do.” Bring a lunch, an open mind, a sense of humor, and any interested friends. RSVPs to...

Sunday, Dec. 8, reception at 5 pm; dinner at 5:30 pm Since its inception 12 years ago, Toras Chaim has held an annual celebratory gala dinner and this year is no exception. With a dinner, theme of “Bringing Wisdom to the Stars,” the evening’s keynote speaker will be...

Thursday, Dec. 12, 7 pm Life as a diplomat in Israel’s Foreign Ministry can be a constant challenge. Most of a diplomat’s time is spent representing Israel as a positive, thriving, welcoming country, and always, always combating religious stereotypes, myths and biases...

Wednesday, Jan. 22 A variety of venues and film genres and a visit from two of the films’ directors are just some of what’s planned for the 2014 Simon Family JCC’s Virginia Festival of Jewish Film, presented by Alma* and Howard Laderberg. One director, Jonathan...

Sunday, Nov. 17, 5:30 pm All women in the community are invited. Featuring a lavish dairy buffet, artwork exhibition and dramatic presentations. B’nai Israel social hall. Cost is $18 ($12 for students). 757-627-2462.

Thursday, Nov. 28, 10 am reception, 11 am service For 86 years, Ohef Sholom Temple has ushered in Thanksgiving with a joint interfaith service with Freemason Street Baptist Church. The temple and the church alternate each year hosting the service. The clergy from the...

Sunday, Dec. 15, 10 am–3 pm How well do you know your family tree? Did you know that one in four Jews is a carrier for at least one of 19 preventable Jewish genetic diseases? If both members of a couple are carriers for the same genetic disease, there is a 25% chance...

Sunday, Nov. 17, 2pm The second lecture in the Jewish Museum and Cultural Center series features Dr. Gary Zola, executive director of the Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives and professor of the American Jewish Experience at Hebrew Union College....

Monday, Dec. 2, 5:30–7:30 pm First annual Latke Fest comes to the Simon Family JCC. Celebrate Chanukah with games, a special Chanukah craft, and dinner featuring a world class Latke bar. Games include Driedel spinning, Flip the latke in the frying pan, and Pin the...

Saturday, Dec. 7, 8 pm Join YAD at Light It Up, the biggest cultural event of the year. Celebrate Chanukah in style at this special evening featuring Vinyl Headlights. Ticket includes latke bar, doughnut bar, and open bar. Open to people ages 22+. Purchase tickets and...