VA JEWISH ADVOCACY DAY: SIGN UP NOW FOR FEB. 8 "DATE WITH THE STATE"

SIGNUP DEADLINE IS FEB. 1
TRIP TO RICHMOND on FEB. 8: 7:00 AM - 4:00 PM

For years, members of Jewish communities from across the Commonwealth have gone to the State Capitol in Richmond to collaborate on Virginia Jewish Advocacy Day, also known as Date with the State. This annual event which is led locally by the Jewish Community Relations Council of the UJFT has proven to be a powerful forum to effectively communicate with General Assembly members about issues of importance to the Jewish community. The Tidewater delegation will travel by bus to and from Richmond, leaving from the Reba and Sam Sandler Family Campus. Upon arrival at the capitol, the delegation will meet with the region’s State Senators and Delegates.

Following the appointments with legislators, the group will convene for lunch with other Virginia Jewish communal advocates to hear from the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and Attorney General as they address the issues important to the community. The bus is expected to return by 4:00 pm that same afternoon. 

Cost is $36, which includes a kosher lunch and helps defray the cost of transportation. For more information, contact Elka Mednick, assistant director, Jewish Community Relations Council of UJFT. To RSVP (required) by Feb. 1, visit JewishVa.org/DWTS.

TWO AUTHOR CONVERSATIONS YOU DON'T WANT TO MISS

TUESDAY, JANUARY 17 at NOON and THURSDAY. JANUARY 19 at 7:30 PM 

On Tuesday, Jan. 17 we'll meet virtually (online) to discuss Jai Chakrabarti's book, A Play For The End of the World, with the author, live. Torn between guilt and love, a Holocaust survivor must decide how to honor both the past and the present, and how to accept a happiness he is not sure he deserves. 
(In partnership with the Holocaust Commission of the UJFT.) 

Learn more and RSVP at JewishVA.org/Chakrabarti

On Thursday, January 19 at 7:30 PM there will be an in-person conversation with visiting author Zack Bodner to discuss his book, Why Do Jewish? A Manifesto For 21st Century Jewish Peoplehood. Bodner is the CEO of the Oshman Family JCC in Palo Alto, Calif., and a former regional director for AIPAC. 
(In partnership with the Konikoff Center for Learning of the UJFT.)

Learn more and RSVP at JewishVA.org/Bodner 

For more Jewish Book Festival information, contact Hunter Thomas, director of Arts & Ideas, 757-965-6137. 

JEWS IN AMERICA, INSIDERS AND OUTSIDERS, A 10-WEEK COURSE

WEDNESDAYS, BEGINS JANUARY 18, 6:45-8:30 PM • ONLINE  

Join the esteemed Dr. Amy K. Milligan in reading and discussing immigrants, their children, and grandchildren, in order to debate the meaning of seminal developments in Jewish American life. Consider Jewish contributions to American culture, American literature, and the Civil Rights Movement through the lens of Jews straddling their status as both insiders and outsiders. 

Registration $295. EARLY BIRD discount ($60; use code T-JIA-60) ends tomorrow, January 6).
For more information and to register, visit JewishVA.org/KCL or contact Sierra Lautman or 757-965-7107.

NEW YEAR, NEW YOU: A SERIES TO HELP YOU REACH NEW YEAR'S GOALS 

JANUARY 25 • FEBRUARY 15 • MARCH 15  •  IN PARTNERSHIP WITH SIMON FAMILY JCC'S JFIT

The Lee & Bernard Jaffe Jewish Book Festival, in partnership with JFIT at the Simon Family JCC, will bring three special authors to Tidewater in the New Year to help you achieve your New Year's health resolutions. The three lunch-hour author conversations all feature a different approach to feeling, looking, eating and exercising better. 

Heidi Skolnik starts the series on Wednesday, January 25 with a lunch chat about her book, "The Whole Body Reset." Michael F. Roizen, MD, chimes in on Wednesday February 15 at noon with an online program about his book, "The Great Age Reboot: Cracking the Longevity Code to Be Younger Today and Even Younger Tomorrow." Finally, on Wednesday, March 15, Michelle Segar, author of "The Joy Choice" visits Tidewater for an engaging lunch program. 

For Skolnik and Segar, $12 includes lunch ($6 for ages 55+); books will be available for purchase and signing by the author following the conversation.

FOUNDATIONS OF JEWISH FAMILY LIVING COURSE, 4 DISCUSSIONS

SUNDAYS, JANUARY 29 - APRIL 23 OHEF SHOLOM TEMPLE 

Join this group of Jewish parents from across Hampton Roads for a 4-part series of meet-ups and discussions at Ohef Sholom Temple. Presented by the Konikoff Center For Learning of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater and Ohef Sholom Temple. 

Open the Jewish bible and explore the timeless stories of our ancestors and how they relate to 21st-century Jewish life. Discover the values embedded in these stories and in our holidays and traditions, and leverage these lessons to bring the conversation home to your family and friends with confidence and enthusiasm. This eye-opening journey will give you the tools to impart the beliefs, richness, and beauty of our tradition to your loved ones, from one generation to the next.
This engaging series is FREE + open to all parents in the community. Registration required at JewishVA.org/FOJL Contact Sierra Lautman for questions. 

MEDIEVAL JEWRY: MELTON COURSE with RABBI PANITZ

THURSDAYS, JANUARY 19 - MARCH 30, 12 PM • SANDLER FAMILY CAMPUS or ONLINE

Join Rabbi Michael Panitz for a 10-week course offered by the Konikoff Center for Learning of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater. "Exploring A Forgotten World: A Social History of Medieval Jewry." 

Enjoy a front-row seat to the drama, gossip, legal transactions, and other daily intrigues of Jewish life—in the Middle Ages. This 10-session course brings to life an exotic era in Jewish history, revealing the inner thoughts of real-life characters through the Cairo Genizah, a collection of 400,000 worn-out scraps, text fragments, and documents buried for centuries.

EARLY BIRD discount ($60) ends tomorrow, January 6; use code "T-JIA-60" at checkout.

For more information and to register, please visit Jewishva.org/Melton or contact Sierra Lautman, 757-965-6107.

INVITATION TO APPLY FOR STEIN FAMILY COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIP 

DEADLINE: MARCH 1, 2023

You are invited to share your promotion of a local Jewish student entering college for the first time and in need of financial assistance to achieve this goal. Each year, one scholarship is awarded as a part of the Stein Family College Scholarship. 

Prior recipients have attended: University of Virginia, Brandeis University, Virginia Tech, JMU and George Mason University. 

At this link, you will find more information pertaining to the application guidelines as well as the application itself. For any questions, please contact Ann Swindell at 757-965-6106.