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...

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...

Sunday, April 28, 3:30 pm Drawing on a range of ladino, klezmer and Middle Eastern music and instruments, The Shuk combines a variety of styles to create an unforgettable cultural experience. The group was formed in 2008 as part of an initiative by The European...

Saturday, June 8, 6 pm With the Belmont Stakes taking place in real time on the big screen, Ohef Sholom Temple’s “Night at the Races” promises to be an evening of fast track excitement. The event includes dinner, an open bar, a DJ and “gambling” with “funny money,”...

Wednesday, May 1, 7 pm Since January, community members have gathered in four different area synagogues, watched four different films about Israel, and have had four very distinguished rabbis lead them in discussions about what they had just seen and heard. The fifth...

Sunday, May 19, 5:45 pm From rumba to swing, and cha-cha to hora, Temple Israel will rock with music by The Hotel Paradise Roof Garden Orchestra, led by WHRO’s Lynn Summeral, with jazz singer Becky Livas crooning old favorites. The dinner planners and decorations...

Friday, April 26, 6:30 pm and Saturday, April 27, 9 am The last weekend of April will be a joyous one for two Norfolk synagogues when Temple Israel and Ohef Sholom Temple continue their annual tradition of hosting each other’s congregants throughout a Shabbat. On...

Sunday, April 21, 2:30 pm at Cinema Café, Pembroke Meadows Nearly a quarter century after its release, Barry Levinson’s film, Avalon, remains as poignant, funny, and quintessentially Jewish as it was at its 1990 premiere. The Women’s Outreach Committee of the United...

Sunday, May 5, 10:30 am For more than 30 years, the Ohef Sholom Temple Men’s Club has bestowed the Henry B. Kaufmann Award upon a congregant for extraordinary service to the temple and the entire community. Henry B. Kaufmann, an accountant by trade, was extremely...

Sunday, May 5, 2 pm The community is invited to a Pink Tea at Temple Emanuel to honor Women Cancer survivors. This is an opportunity to hear how “Your Good Health is in Your Hands” with a panel of health experts including Dr. Celeste Bremer, oncologist; Cori Damuth,...

Sunday April 28, 12:30–5 pm The 2013 Israel Festival at the Simon Family JCC welcomes people from every background and religion to an afternoon of celebration. The Israel Festival aims to reach beyond the Jewish community to those who are looking for a taste of...

Sunday, April 21, 9:30 am Bring leashed or contained pets to Temple Israel for the Blessing of the Animals by Rabbi Michael Panitz. Enter through the rear atrium stairs for this fun and unique service. Sunday school students will provide special Kosher dog treats, and...

Friday, April 12, 6 pm • Sandler Family Campus YAD’s popular Family Shabbat event is back, serving up a traditional Shabbat dinner (vegetarian option available), followed by fun and games for kids of all ages. Don’t miss this Family Shabbat event, complete with...

Sunday, April 14, 6:15 pm The State of Israel will observe Yom Hazikaron, Israel’s Memorial Day on 4 Iyyar, Sunday, April 14. In Israel, Yom Hazikaron means more than a three-day weekend and big discounts at the mall. Every Israeli is related to or knows someone who...

Saturday, April 27 The Ramaz Choir High School singing group from New York will perform at Temple Emanuel at Shabbat services. This group has been to Temple Emanuel many times before. Shabbat services are open to the community. To learn more about the Ramaz Choir, go...

Tuesday, April 16, 7:30 pm The Virginia Arts Festival brings Noa to the TCC Roper Performing Arts Center in Norfolk in a performance co-presented with the Simon Family JCC. For tickets and information, go to vafest.org, call 757‑282‑2822 or visit the VAF Box Office,...

Tuesday, April 16, 2:30 pm—Fleder Multipurpose Room To celebrate Israel’s 65th birthday, Hebrew Academy students and Strelitz pre-school students will perform a program of songs and dances, accompanied by a multi-media presentation. The community is invited to...

Monday, April 15, 2:40 pm—Fleder Multipurpose Room In observance of Yom HaZikaron, Israel’s Memorial Day, the Hebrew Academy of Tidewater’s students in grades three to five will present a program of poems and songs in memory of all those who have fallen in defense of...