Dear Readers,
The journey to the moment in the summer of 2004 when the Reba and Sam Sandler Family Campus began operations was the culmination of many years of diligent pursuit by a host of people who had vision and a commitment to the future of Tidewater’s Jewish community. Volunteers and professional staff united to plan, raise and contribute funds, and then divide the tasks and monitor every detail— from construction to marketing—to achieve the dream of bringing the Jewish community together.
A decade later, the Campus continues to evolve and build on its successes. And that is what we cover in this issue. After all, 10 years ago, we published an issue of Renewal that attempted to tell the story of the Campus’ origins and all who made it happen. (I say ‘attempted’ because, fortunately, so many people were involved on so many levels, that sadly, we couldn’t include all of the stories.)
But, back to today. Gardens and monuments have been added, art collected and displayed and procedures to enhance economy and be environmentally considerate enacted. These are the stories we tell with this issue.
In future issues of Jewish News, we plan to highlight those on the Campus: United Jewish Federation of Tidewater, The Simon Family JCC, Hebrew Academy of Tidewater, Jewish Family Service and Tidewater Jewish Foundation. These organizations will each have an opportunity to tell their “Campus Story” in their own way.
The first decade has been eventful. Here’s to the start of the next!
Terri Denison
Editor