Beginning with B’nai Tzedek
For the Kass family, giving back is more than just a value — it’s a responsibility. When their son Jonah was preparing for his Bar Mitzvah, Melissa and Aaron Kass knew they wanted to instill the...
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Milestone anniversaries worth celebrating
“Love and marriage, go together like a horse and carriage. It’s an institute you can’t disparage.”Frank Sinatra first sang these Sammy Cahn lyrics in the 1955 television production of Thornton...
View ArticleRenovations planned for Norfolk Mikvah’s Conversion/Men’s mikvah
Whether identifying as Reform, Conservative, or Orthodox, the Norfolk Mikvah enables every Jew in Tidewater to access the transformative, rejuvenating power of a mikvah.Brides before their wedding,...
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Advocates receive warm welcome on Virginia Jewish Advocacy Day 2025
My alarm went off on January 28 at 5:30 am. I was already up… It was at least 25 years since I had been a part of the Jewish Community Relations Council’s United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s team...
View ArticleVirginia’s Speaker of the House shares insights from Israel trip
The Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates, Don Leonard Scott Jr., spent a rainy afternoon last month with members of Jewish Tidewater at the home of Laura and Fred Gross. His recent trip to...
View Article‘I was triggered’: Some Jews are struggling as they encounter keffiyehs in...
(JTA) — The new banners hanging outside a public building in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, channeled the college town’s history of progressive activism.One depicted a member of the Chapel Hill Nine,...
View Article‘Beyond comprehension’: Leaders in Israel, US, and worldwide mourn Shiri,...
(JTA) — Leaders in Israel, the United States, and worldwide expressed their sadness and horror as the bodies of four dead hostages returned to Israel from Gaza on Thursday, Feb. 20.Many of the...
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Buildings honor memories of Bibas boys with orange lights
The Israeli Embassy called for the lighting of buildings in orange in commemoration of the Bibas children, hoping that the illuminations would serve as a powerful gesture of remembrance and...
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Nadiv’s social at Q-Masters Billiards scores a great break
Nadiv, the young professional men’s fundraising group for United Jewish Federation of Tidewater, held a social event on Monday, Feb. 17 at Q-Masters Billiards in Virginia Beach.More than 25 men in...
View ArticleArea congregations and organizations are hosting various Seders and...
✡️ Simon Family JCC Seniors ClubModel Passover SederLed by Rabbi David BockmanWednesday, April 9, 12 – 2 pmSimon Family JCCInformation: Mia Klein, programdepartment/seniors program coordinator,...
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Passover: a holiday with myriad parts and favorites
The eight-day holiday of Passover begins this year with First Night Seder on Saturday, April 12 and continues through sundown on April 20. Many people observe the holiday by including favorite family...
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Five years of Konikoff Center for Learning building bridges
The Konikoff Center for Learning supports Jewish education in a variety of ways in Tidewater. With a goal of nurturing inter-denominational relationships between individuals and synagogues, David...
View ArticleTrip highlights JDC’s work post October 7
My most recent visit to Israel started with Havdalah services in Hostage Square. The weight of October 7 – the loss, the trauma, the sadness – hangs in the air and seeps into your pores. The...
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TJF & UJFT: The power of partnership
Members of Tidewater’s Jewish community annually support programs and initiatives that strengthen Jewish life locally, in Israel, and around the world through programs and initiatives not only funded,...
View ArticleThis year… Tidewater. Next year… Jerusalem.
Whenever a mission participant returns from Israel, their first and often fondest memories are of their tour guide. And for the past 10 plus years, Tidewater’s exclusive Israel tour guide has been the...
View ArticlePurim in 2025
Of the many Jewish holidays that dot the calendar, one of my son’s favorites is Purim. For children, Purim is celebrated with costumes, festival foods like hamantaschen, donations to those in need,...
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David Elcott on the future of Liberal Democracy
“We were not ready for this.”With those sobering words, Dr. David Elcott opened his presentations during his visit to Tidewater earlier this month as part of the Konikoff Center for Learning. He spoke...
View ArticleVote through May 4 in election for World Zionist Congress – future of Israel...
(JTA) — Voting is now open in an election that gives American Jews a rare chance to directly shape Israel’s future.The U.S. election for seats in the 39th World Zionist Congress will help determine...
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