A record year for the UJFT’s Community Campaign
As this article goes to press, the 2026 Community Campaign of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater has passed the $5.2 million mark for the very first time. It’s a major milestone, and the Federation is incredibly grateful to the donors and community members who...
Playground for Sandler Family Campus focuses on nature
Naturally curious creatures, children interact with the world around them through play. This instinctive engagement becomes even more pronounced in natural environments, where exploration is open-ended and sensory-rich.As one study by the National Wildlife Federation...
SIA celebrates the class of 2026
Graduation is always a meaningful and emotional milestone at Strelitz International Academy. For the fifth-grade students, many of whom have been part of the SIA community since infancy, it is a time to reflect on their growth, celebrate their accomplishments, and...
All Good News
A couple of weeks ago, Art Sandler casually, but enthusiastically, said, “We should publish a paper with all good news!”My response was something like, “Yeah. Right. Nothing about security or antisemitism or Israel or wars or . . .”“We’ve got so much good going on in...
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JTA News
With 2 current films, director Rachel Israel offers comic relief for Jewish trauma
In "The Floaters" and "Influenced," the New York filmmaker shows Jewish identity as the backdrop for friendship, family and ambition rather than antisemitism or crisis.
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Archaeologists uncover treasures of Vilnius’ Great Synagogue as Lithuanian Jews dispute its future
Plans for the recovered ruins have sparked a debate over what should be built on the site, and who gets to decide.
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A Maimonides statue in Córdoba was defaced. His writings have an answer to hate.
A rabbi explores how the great Jewish thinker understood antisemitism — and why he believed attempts to erase the Jews are doomed.
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The post A Maimonides statue in Córdoba was defaced. His writings have an answer to hate. appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
Reform UK deputy leader faces inquiry over Israel visit
Richard Tice says the complaint stems from what he describes as antisemitic claims of “pro-Israel influence.”
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The post Reform UK deputy leader faces inquiry over Israel visit appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
Latest News
Meet Tidewater’s new Shinshinim
The fifth cohort of Shinshinim will arrive in Tidewater later this summer. Shinshinim is an acronym for Shnat Sherut, a year of service undertaken between high school and army service— when Israeli teens spend a year connecting with Jewish communities around the...
America at 25✪ Spotlight:Minette Cooper:A life built on memory, music, and community
Bettie Minette Cooper remembered every person she met.Always known as Minette, she died on October 14, 2025, at 87 years young, leaving a legacy of commitment to family, her synagogue, the arts, and a variety of civic organizations and projects.Cooper’s story began in...
Israeli medical students gain clinical, cultural insight in Norfolk exchange
Jewish community has long extended beyond geography, linking people across continents who often recognize a shared sense of belonging.Liora Zerbib knows about this feeling of belonging after spending several weeks with a Jewish host family in Ghent.Zerbib, an Israeli...
JCC Fitness Center embraces new interactive cardio technology
The Simon Family JCC Fitness Center recently upgraded its cardio equipment with new treadmills, ellipticals, and rowing machines featuring iFit technology. These machines offer interactive global workouts and studio classes, with systems that automatically adjust...
The Simon family Legacy Society Celebration ignites vision for the future
Tidewater Jewish Foundation’s Simon Family Legacy Celebration on Wednesday, May 27 was an opportunity for communities to converge, gathering around a shared vision, shared responsibility, and shared purpose.More than 100 TJF fundholders, community leaders,...
Shavuot Mitzvah Fair at SIA
This year, Shavuot celebrated 3,338 years since the giving of the Torah at Mt. Sinai. To this very day, Jews continue to study the Torah, cherish it, and hold it close. The Torah serves as guidance on how to live and make the world a better place.SIA’s Primary Years...
The books that made me a BeAR
We all carry certain books with us long after childhood ends. They sit quietly on the shelves of our memory; dog-eared, underlined, loved, while shaping who we become and teaching us how to dream. Some stories came easily. Others were challenging, the kind where you...
Dive into summer at theMetzger Outdoor Aquatic Center
If you’re feeling ready to beat the summer heat poolside, you’re in luck. The Metzger Outdoor Aquatic Center opened on Saturday, June 6, marking the start of the Simon Family JCC’s seven-day-a-week summer pool season.The outdoor pool opens daily at 11:30 am, closing...
Other News
Seniors visit Edgar Cayce Museum
The JCC Senior Club took a trip to the Edgar Cayce A.R.E. Center at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront on Wednesday, June 17. Boarding a charter bus, the 30 participants first stopped at the Session Café located in the original hospital building at the top of...
Jewish American Heritage Month brings together art, history, and community
United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s celebration of Jewish American Heritage Month (JAHM) unfolded this year as a wide-ranging exploration of art, identity, history, and belonging. It also marked the kickoff of the Outstanding Jewish Americans in Tidewater...
Camp JCC kicks off a summer of friendship, fun, and new adventures
The first week of Camp JCC set the tone for another unforgettable summer, as campers reunited with old friends, welcomed new ones, and embraced traditions that make camp feel like home. Centered around the Jewish value of chaverut (friendship), the week’s activities...
Design a JCC Youth Basketball team jersey
For more than 60 years, the Simon Family Jewish Community Center has offered a dynamic youth basketball league that engages young athletes and their families. In recent years, one of the league’s most anticipated traditions has been the annual unveiling of team...
What’s Happening
For the first time, a kosher restaurant has won a Michelin star
(JTA) — As golden confetti rained down around him Thursday, May 28, Israeli chef Raz Shabtai broke...
Tools for today’s classrooms: The 2026 Tidewater Inclusive Educators’ Conference
Tuesday, July 21 – Wednesday, July 22 As the school year winds down, many educators are already...
Rabbi Mike Moskowitz finds allyship in Torah
Wednesday, June 10, 7 pm, Sandler Family Campus In his book, Ancestral Allyship, Rabbi Mike...
JFS plans 67th Biennial Meeting
Monday, June 22, 12 pm • Fred Huette Garden, 1000 Botetourt Gardens, Norfolk Jewish Family Service...
Obituaries
May the Source of Peace
send peace to all who mourn, and comfort to all who are bereaved.
Lee K. Singer
Virginia Beach – Lee Kallmeyer Singer, born April 2, 1934, in N.Y., N.Y., of Virginia Beach, passed away peacefully on April 17, 2026, 15 days after...
Janice Zivitz
Atlanta – Today we remember and celebrate the life of Janice Kaplan Zivitz, a loving mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, and friend whose kindness...
Joan Carole Bass Baydush
Lewisville, N.C. – Joan Carole Bass Baydush, 82, recently of Lewisville, N.C. and formerly of Norfolk, Va., died peacefully after a prolonged...
Rita Gamsey Burnat
Atlanta – Rita Gamsey Burnat, daughter of the late Milton Linwood Gamsey and Rosalind Gamsey, passed away on June 5 at her home in Atlanta, at the...