Time to reflect
As the High Holidays approach and we prepare to welcome the year 5787, I find myself reflecting on the past year in our Tidewater Jewish community and all that I witness and experience. Throughout the summer, I watched children playing and relishing their time...
Building partnerships, strengthening community safety
Temple Emanuel leadership recently welcomed Virginia Beach Chief of Police Paul Neudigate, members of his command staff, and 2nd Precinct Commander Captain James Gordon for a series of conversations focused on partnership, communication, and community safety. Joining...
Back to School at Strelitz International Academy
A new school year at Strelitz International Academy began on Monday, August 17 with the school’s faculty and staff welcoming both new and returning students to SIA for the 2026–2027 school year. In a special surprise, the Virginia Beach Police Department...
Letter from the Editor
Dear Readers, The High Holidays are doing it again. . . they’re arriving early! Unlike the guest who rings the doorbell 15 minutes early without warning, the holidays don’t really sneak up on us. The first day of the Hebrew month Tishrei is where it always...
Join the Jewish News team!
Now Hiring – Advertising Sales Representative
Special Section
Check out our E-Edition
Electronic replica of our print edition
JTA News
Don’t just thank your rabbis. Ask what you’ve asked of them.
Leaders of a center for rabbinic innovation reflect on the sacred work that happens on Rosh Hashanah, and far beyond the pulpit.
--
The post Don’t just thank your rabbis. Ask what you’ve asked of them. appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
Trump taunts Tehran, wants Strait of Hormuz renamed after himself
“The war will be over very shortly after the election,” the president said at the midterm Republican convention.
--
The post Trump taunts Tehran, wants Strait of Hormuz renamed after himself appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
Pro-Israel Providence Mayor Brett Smiley loses to progressive challenger
The winner, democratic socialist David Morales, supports a divestment measure that will be on the ballot in November.
--
The post Pro-Israel Providence Mayor Brett Smiley loses to progressive challenger appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
How a new tool in Lithuania helps people read letters from their Jewish ancestors
Sergii Gurbych, who developed a tool to read handwritten Yiddish and Hebrew texts, said he wanted to “know more about the world where my grandfather lived.”
--
The post How a new tool in Lithuania helps people read letters from their Jewish ancestors appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
Latest News
Reverse Tashlich: Repentance as environmental action
The ritual of Tashlich is an all-encompassing symbolic representation of the High Holidays. This process of releasing sins into the river comes directly from the book of Micah, verse 19: “He will again have compassion upon us; He will subdue our iniquities; and Thou...
When the shofar asks: Who am I?
Rosh Hashanah arrives each year carrying questions. What did I accomplish during the year that has passed? Where did I fall short? Whom did I help? Whom did I hurt? What needs to change? But beneath all these questions lies another, more...
Team Virginia Beach scores in Toronto
The JCC Maccabi Games and Access were held August 2-7 in two different host cities—Toronto and Kansas City. The Team Virginia Beach delegation went to the Games in Canada, joining more than 60 other delegations from nine countries. Eight athletes...
Dolly Parton’s Jewish connections
Singer, songwriter, and philanthropist Dolly Parton died Tuesday, August 25 at the age of 80. The outpouring of grief was immediate and universal. “PJ Library and the Harold Grinspoon Foundation team are sad to learn of the passing of musician, philanthropist,...
Thank you to our supporters who recently donated to Jewish News!
Supporters of Jewish News help keep local Jewish journalism alive at a time when it feels as if it is disappearing almost everywhere else. Jewish News appreciates all who support the newspaper with generous contributions – whether in honor of or in memory of...
Rose Frances Glasser and Bernard Glasser Philanthropic Fund makes gift to Jewish News
Among the various organizations and programs receiving recent gifts from the Rose Frances Glasser and Bernard Glasser Philanthropic Fund, was Jewish News. The distributions were determined by the late couple’s family. “My mother was a very astute businesswoman...
Kempsville’s Lauren Krajesky is leading the distribution of millions of dollars to organizations that help seniors
Growing up in the Bible Belt (Northern Georgia south of Chattanooga, Tennessee), Baptist bred Lauren Krajesky could never imagine where she would be today. “I have to pinch myself,” she says. “I really am in a dream job.” A decade after becoming an executive...
Creating communities of belonging: Highlights from the Inclusive Educators’ Conference
As educators prepare for a new school year, many are facing challenges that extend beyond academics. Rising incidents of antisemitism and other forms of bias, increasing polarization, and the need to foster safe classroom communities have made inclusive teaching...
Other News
JFS receives grant from Beth Sholom Village Foundation to expand support for seniors
Rooted in Jewish values of dignity, compassion, and communal responsibility, caring for older adults and people with disabilities has long been central to Jewish Family Service of Tidewater’s mission. A new grant from the Beth Sholom Village Foundation will help JFS...
History preserves the past — memory preserves a people
My friend, the historian Niall Ferguson, recently posted something remarkable on social media. Reflecting on the resurgence of antisemitism, Holocaust denial, and what he called the “anti-history” engulfing much of the world, Ferguson reached a painful...
Temple Emanuel’s Religious School gets inspired renovation
What should a congregation do when a school’s enrollment grows year after year? Renovate the environment to match the dynamic energy, seems a reasonable response. Last December, volunteers at Temple Emanuel started this project by tearing down old coat...
Birthday
Wishing Stanwood Dickman a very Happy and Healthy 91st Birthday on Friday, August 28. His family will be celebrating with him.
What’s Happening
In Their Own Words: American Jewish History Through Autobiography
Begins September 22, Tuesdays, 11 am • Sandler Family Campus Led by Rabbi Michael Panitz, this...
NextGen 757 Pop-Up Shabbat
There is nothing quite like sitting around a vibrant Shabbat table to remind of the power of the...
Conversational Hebrew with the Shinshinim
October 19-May 24, Mondays, 5 pm • Sandler Family Campus Join the Tidewater Shinshinim for weekly...
A thriving Jewish community starts with a healthy community: JFS partners with JScreen
Thursday, October 29, 6 pm, Sandler Family Campus Jewish Family Service of Tidewater is partnering...
Obituaries
May the Source of Peace
send peace to all who mourn, and comfort to all who are bereaved.
Joan Naomi Thompson
Marco Island, Fla. – Joan Naomi Thompson, a beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and cherished friend, passed away peacefully on August 19, 2026. She...
Diane B. Aftel
Norfolk – Diane Zaba Aftel, 87, of Norfolk, passed away peacefully in her home on August 15, 2026. She was born to the late Benjamin Zaba and...
Dr. Steven J. Becker
Burke, VA – Dr. Steven J. Becker, 78, died on August 9, 2026, in Burke, Virginia. Born on June 6, 1948, in Jersey City, N. J., Steven is...
Barbara Rae Soroko Bowden
Virginia Beach – Barbara Rae Soroko Bowden died June 29, 2026, in her home in Virginia Beach. Born in Portsmouth, Va. She was the...