What’s Happening

The Simon Family Passport to Israel Fund, providing grants for trips for teens to Israel, is now accepting applications. The program’s purpose is to provide funds to enable and encourage Jewish students (ages 13–18*) to participate in an Israel trip experience. The...

Monday Oct. 30, 7:30 pm, Sandler Family Campus While being a Pro Football Hall of Famer comes with many perks, Bruce Smith had a different kind of opportunity when he traveled to Israel with New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft in June. Born and raised in Norfolk,...

Sandler Family Campus What’s up now and next Erez Kaganovitz: Humans of Tel Aviv October As the human behind the Humans of Tel Aviv, photographer Erez Kaganovitz showcases the bright and inclusive culture of Israel. Kaganovitz wants his photographs to show a different...

Tuesday, November 14, 7:30 pm Reba and Sam Sandler Family Campus Dr. Rachel Fish, Ivy League educator, documentarian, and activist, will discuss her latest book, which she co-edited with Ilan Troen, Essential Israel: Essays for the 21st Century, next month in...

Sunday, Nov. 19, 10:30 am, Ohef Sholom Temple Neville Frankel, author, On the Sickle’s Edge I’ve been speaking to many diverse groups lately about the writing of my recent novel, On the Sickle’s Edge. As I refined my talk, a most wonderful speech coach—let’s call her...

Wednesday, Nov. 15, 11 am, Simon Family JCC Ali Katz is a mindfulness guru. Her mission is to inspire people across the globe to leave stress and guilt behind and to embrace a life full of balance, presence, and joy. Katz began her journey when she realized that as a...

Thursday, Oct. 26, 7 pm Reba and Sam Sandler Family Campus In 2013, on the Thursday evening before the first Shabbos Project in Johannesburg, South Africa, 2,500 women gathered to share in the joy and tradition of making challah. The Shabbos Project’s goal is to unite...

Thursday, Nov. 9, 6:30 pm, Beth El “Evil does not need your help, only your indifference.” These are the words of Holocaust survivor Hanns Loewenbach, z’l—and he would know—as he was in his hometown of Berlin the night of Nov. 9, 1938 and witnessed the flames,...

Thursday, October 26, 7 pm, Sandler Family Campus The 3rd Annual Great Big Challah Bake is slated to take place as a lead-up to the globally scheduled Shabbat Project, observed from sundown Friday, October 27 until sundown Saturday, October 28. This year’s Challah...

Monday, October 30, 7:30 pm, Sandler Family Campus, free Bruce Smith is no stranger to the spotlight. The defensive end holds the NFL career record for quarterback sacks, with 200. Smith was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2009, and the College Football...

Erez Kaganovitz: Humans of Tel Aviv October The photojournalist behind Humans of Tel Aviv, Erez Kaganovitz has photographed thousands of Tel Aviv citizens, capturing their stories to share with the world. As Kaganovitz told Haaretz, “I’m not trying to bend reality; I...

Sunday, July 28, 7 pm Area rabbis promise a lively discussion following the showing of a critically acclaimed film at the Naro Expanded Cinema. They will discuss, Fill the Void, an award-winning Israeli drama about a naive 18-year-old girl in an ultra-orthodox Hasidic...

Wednesday, July 24, 7:30 pm Wednesday, August 7, 7:30 pm The Jewish Museum and Cultural Center will present the second program of the Summer Music Series, “Summer Serenade” featuring members of the Virginia Chorale accompanied by Charles Woodward, artistic director on...

Sunday, August 11 As it does every year, Gallup released its findings earlier this spring regarding American sympathies towards Israelis and Palestinians. Historically, support for Israelis has been stronger than support for Palestinians, so this year’s results...

Sunday, July 14—Tailgating Party: 4 pm; Tides Game: 6:05 pm Join the Young Adult Division (YAD) of the UJFT for an exciting afternoon at the ballpark! For the second year in a row, YAD is throwing a tailgating party and then heading to see the Tides take on the...

The Holocaust Commission of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater will present the 11th Biennial Educators’ Conference, Why Care? Human Rights: Past, Present & Future, in August. The highly praised conference provides educators with tools, strategies and...

Thursday, May 23, 7 pm Directly off of a plane from Israel, National Press Award-winning journalist and Middle East Peace Process director David Makovsky will speak about current events, tensions, and chances of peace in the Middle East at the Sandler Family Campus of...

Sunday, June 23, 6:30 pm The fun-filled, internationally acclaimed Israeli Scouts Caravan will perform at the Simon Family JCC. The Israeli Scouts Caravan is comprised of ten 17-year-olds who crisscross North America each summer as emissaries of Israel, sharing their...

Saturday, June 1, 8 pm The Young Adult Division of United Jewish Federation of Tidewater will host a celebration of their recent success in the 2013 Annual Campaign. Tidewater’s young leaders have nearly tripled the dollars brought in through the Young Leadership...

Saturday, June 22, 10:30 am Have you ever felt lost in a Jewish Shabbat service? Wondered when to bow or what the Hebrew prayers mean? To help make sense of these customs and to offer insights into the service, Ohef Sholom Temple will offer a four-week series called...

Monday, May 20 at Simon Family JCC Since 1963, May has been a month to appreciate and celebrate the vitality and aspirations of older adults and their contributions. The theme for Older Americans Month 2013 is “Unleash the Power of Age,” and it has never been more...

Sunday, May 19, 5:45 pm Harry and Sue Cohen stepped onto the dance floor as strangers at the Candlelight Supper Club near Ocean View one fateful evening in 1955. Mutual friends suggested they fast dance together. But the bebop stopped. Harry took Sue into his arms for...

Begins May 10 The movie, The Gatekeepers raises profound moral questions through the lens of six retired heads of Israel’s security agency, Israel Security Agency (ISA). It is a powerful, compelling and important movie. While I am neither a moviegoer or movie critic,...

Tuesday, May 28, and Tuesday, June 11, 6:30-7:30 pm Have you have ever felt that you were capable of so much more? When you hear the words lazy, crazy or stupid, do you believe they apply to you? Do you know what needs to be done, but just can’t focus enough to do it?...

Saturday, June 8, 6 pm Ohef Sholom Temple’s Annual FUNdraiser, formerly known as Casino Night, will be Night at the Races, and it promises to be fun-packed. As guests enter the temple, red velvet ropes will separate them from the “thoroughbreds” who will race later in...