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Sarah Cooper Tidewater residents are discovering the joy of celebrating Jewish values and culture through PJ Library Get Together grants. Many know that PJ Library sends free, award-winning books that celebrate Jewish values and culture to families with children from...

Nofar Trem United Jewish Federation of Tidewater is taking Israel Club on the road with Shinshinim Naomi Friedland and Maya Ostrov bringing their love and knowledge of all things Israel directly to area families’ homes. During Israel Connection Club, participants...

Ally St. Pierre At Strelitz International Academy, students become International Baccalaureate® learners starting as early as six weeks old. A huge part of an IB® education is the IB® Learner Profile Traits, which include being principled, open minded, an inquirer,...

Betty Ann Levin With Jewish communities around the world, we are sharing our Hanukkah lightings with friends, family, and our community. This Hanukkah, United Jewish Federation of Tidewater is again joining with myriad other Jewish and non-Jewish organizations to...

 Terri Denison The attack on Israel by Hamas on October 7 prompted many of the employees at LM Sandler & Sons to ask Art Sandler what they could do to help Israel and the Jewish community. They also asked questions about the war, Israel, and antisemitism. Most of...

Andrew Lapin (JTA) – When the director of the Chabad-Lubavitch center in Williamsburg, Virginia, pitched a local arts and culture festival last month on the idea of holding a public menorah lighting to celebrate Hanukkah, he thought it made sense. “We look to bring...

Terri Denison Annie Sandler, who was installed as the new president of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) on December 5 in Manhattan, visited with Israeli President Herzog and his wife Michal on a JDC solidarity mission to the country in November....

Carin Simon Each year, the day before Thanksgiving is devoted to Grandparents Day at Strelitz International Academy. Important in the lives of SIA’s students, many grandparents support the school throughout the year by giving to the Annual Donor Fund, Annual Golf...

Bob Lehman A desire to be with each other and the greater Jewish community in solidarity for the State of Israel brought 140 people to the Cavalier Golf and Yacht Club on Friday, Nov. 17. The evening was nothing short of magical. While the attendees were mostly...

Gabe Friedman, Ron Kampeas, Ben Sales (JTA) —In phases, Hamas released Israeli hostages into Egypt, a sign that the four-day ceasefire brokered between Israel and the terror group that runs Gaza would hold. In the first release, 10 Thai nationals and one Filipino...

Liz Dovrat I recently joined a Zoom meeting run by the dean of the humanities and social sciences faculty at my college, Tel Hai in Kiryat Shmona. The dean commenced the meeting by praising the multitudes of faculty and student initiatives started during the immediate...

Terri Denison A Monarch in Winter, Abbey Pachter’s “Biography of a Butterfly” was celebrated at a book launch earlier this month. The book details the life of a male monarch butterfly, which Pachter rescued from freezing when it was a caterpillar. Over the span of a...

Amy Milligan I cried in Norfolk’s Grand Illumination parade on Saturday evening, Nov. 18 when 14 of us chose Jewish joy and marched with a giant Hanukkah balloon– despite some of us feeling afraid. It wasn’t lost on us that we were the only group that had multiple...

With the lighting of the first Hanukkah candle taking place on Thursday, December 7, ample opportunities exist to celebrate the festival of lights with community in Tidewater. Be sure to confirm or RSVP to the events if requested. Happy Hanukkah! Chabad of Tidewater...

Craig Schranz Tidewater celebrated the 10th anniversary of the Shabbat Project, Nov. 3 – 4, with an abundance of opportunities for unity and inspiration. The Shabbat Project was conceived by Warren Goldstein, chief rabbi of South Africa, who envisioned Jews across the...

Simon Fink The last time I wrote for the Jewish News, I shared my experience as one the U.S.’s young adult delegation to March of the Living. I’ve similarly just returned from a JDC trip to Bosnia and Croatia as part of its young adult program, Entwine. It was meant...

Stephanie Peck Eighteen pallets filled with toiletries, clothes, tactical gear, and first aid supplies were sent to Israel from Virginia Beach last month for soldiers in the Israel Defense Forces and families displaced by the war in Israel. These items were donated...

Levi Margolin Last month, I joined forces with some amazing people to visit soldiers, displaced families, and families sitting Shiva. We raised money for Israel Defense Forces units, and we transported gear to the necessary places. We cooked for families forced out of...

Amy Weinstein After 43 years of dedicated service to the community, Beth Sholom Village has embarked on a transformative journey to craft a new strategic vision. This strategic shift is driven by a commitment to better meet the evolving needs of the senior and Jewish...

Terri Denison A string of coincidences brought Natalie Sanandaji to U.S. Senator Tim Kaine’s (D- Va.) office on Thursday, Oct. 19, just before the vote on Senate Resolution (S.RES. 417), affirming support for Israel, was scheduled to take place. Sanandaji was in...

Terri Denison As a “show of solidarity for our friends in Israel,” Mayor Robert “Bobby” Dyer announced a resolution by the Virginia Beach City Council in support of Israel, at its meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 17. The resolution was introduced by Councilman Joashua P....

Stephanie Peck The Sandler Family Campus resembled an Israeli Shuk on Monday, Oct. 16. Tables were filled with everyday items, from toiletries to thermal underwear – but, different from a market, nothing was for sale. More than 300 people, partnering organizations,...

Zev-Adi Goldberg, is the son of Adam and Chava Goldberg. He attended Toras Chaim Hebrew Day School and Yeshiva Aish Kodesh. Jewish News: Where were you on Saturday, Oct. 7 when the terrorist attack occurred? Zev-Adi Goldberg: I was in Dimona, spending Simchat Torah...