How to Make the Most of the Summer in Tidewater

Fri, 05/11/2012 - 8:51am

The How-To Live Jewishly in Tidewater blog will feature posts throughout the year with information about Jewish life in Tidewater. Articles will discuss topics such as how-to celebrate the holidays in Tidewater, how-to keep kosher in Tidewater, how-to give back in Tidewater, and more! Feel free to contact Rebecca Bickford, Community Concierge, if there is something specific that you would like more information on.

The breeze is getting a little bit warmer, the days are lasting a little bit longer – summer is almost here! Summer brings not just sunny beach days but also vacations, no school, summer flings, and CAMP! It’s sometimes difficult to sift through all of the summer camp options in town so I have organized the two Jewish community summer camp opportunities. These two camps are incredible, each offering a unique experience that your child will remember far into the future. Draw back on your memories of summers long past… did you attend summer camp? Was it a JCC summer camp?

I attended Girl Scout camp most summers. I can still close my eyes and remember the cabins, the smell of the pine trees, the cold bite of the water in the lake, and of course, the silly camp songs we all had to sing. I sometimes look through my photo albums and while the names of the girls I met have left my memories, the excitement and laughter are still as vivid as if it just happened. I remember my counselors confiscating my New Kids on the Block cherry lip balm saying that it will attract bugs into my cabin. I remember the watery eggs for breakfast, the grilled cheese at lunch, and I remember the huge bonfires where we made s’mores and sang even more camp songs. I remember camping in the foothills of West Virginia, the wide open fields in middle Virginia, and even the back yard of the fire house where our troop would meet. I remember learning the value of friendship and how a simple bracelet of braided thread meant we would be connected forever. Summer camp taught me how to swim, how to follow a leader, how to embrace new experiences, how to love nature, and how to take any situation and find a way to make it fun. Camp allowed me to enjoy my childhood during the few precious months where school was not mandatory.

Summer camp evokes rich and fond memories to almost everyone who participates. I enjoy listening to the summer camp stories of my colleagues and BBYO girls who attended either a JCC day camp or a Jewish sleep away camp. I often wish I had the opportunity to attend a Jewish camp when I was younger – perhaps it would have made me more confident in my Jewish identity. Luckily, our community right here in Tidewater offers two incredible Jewish summer camps for our children at the Simon Family JCC and Chabad of Tidewater. Our JCC also welcomes everyone in for summertime fun with a discounted season pass. Enjoy the spring season and all it brings - the incredible thunderstorms, the surprise rainbows, the bright and colorful flowers, the green grass – for it will be short and before you know it, summer will be in full swing, school will be out, and you will be wondering…
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How-To Celebrate Israel in Tidewater

Thu, 04/12/2012 - 8:23am

The How-To Live Jewishly in Tidewater blog will feature posts throughout the year with information about Jewish life in Tidewater. Articles will discuss topics such as how-to celebrate the holidays in Tidewater, how-to keep kosher in Tidewater, how-to give back in Tidewater, and more! Feel free to contact Rebecca Bickford, Community Concierge, if there is something specific that you would like more information on.

Israel. The Land of Milk and Honey. Our ancestors sacrificed everything so that future generations may have a land to call our own. Israelis take great care to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice on Yom Hazikaron, Israel’s Memorial Day. By design, Yom Ha’atzmaut, the marked Independence Day for Israel, is celebrated the following day. The back-to-back set up of these two holidays represents that all things must come at a price and gives Israelis an opportunity to reflect on how freedom was attained. This year, these holidays fall on Wednesday, April 25 and Thursday, April 26 respectively.

What does Memorial Day mean to you? The neighborhood pools open? Three day weekend? A day to remember and honor those who have fought to defend our freedom? Well, if you are in Israel then it means a day to remember and honor those who have fought to defend our freedom and nothing else. Unlike a traditional Memorial Day in America, there are no BBQs, no fireworks, or sandcastle competitions. Yom Hazikoron is a day where Israelis throughout the country pay somber tribute to those who have offered the greatest sacrifice.

Like most Jewish holidays, Yom Hazikaron runs from sunset to sunset. All public entertainment is closed and just after sunset, at 8 p.m., an air raid siren is sounded throughout the streets of Israel. This siren plays for one minute during which all activity ceases. Citizens walking the streets come to a complete stop. Transactions come to a halt. Cars stop. Everyone stands in silence, honoring and remembering the price of freedom.
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A Modern Day Exodus

Mon, 04/02/2012 - 8:49am

Carolyn Amacher
Community Development Specialist
United Jewish Federation of Tidewater

It was December 1984 and I was lounging around in my "double" 'dira' (apartment) at the World Union of Jewish Students compound, an absorption center housing over a hundred of us post-college Jews who were doing what is now called a ‘gap year’ in Israel.
 
I heard a knock on the door.  It was Copi, the head of WUJS, coming to tell me I needed to vacate my apartment immediately and move to a quad.  My response: "You could have given me some notice - like telling me at dinner!"  My roommate Pola, from the Bronx, was not so restrained.  "We are not moving out at this time of night!" 
 
"But you must, and right now," said Copi.
 
Weighted down with “Sachnut” or Jewish Agency- issue orange plates and plaid sofa cushions, I was confounded by this urgent need to vacate my 'luxurious' double for a quad down the hall and split from my roommate Pola.
 
At six a.m. the next morning, another knock on the door.  It was Copi.
 
"What is it now??" I asked.
 
"Come, take these bags and meet your new friends."
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How-To Celebrate Pesach 5772/2012 in Tidewater

Thu, 03/29/2012 - 10:47am

The How-To Live Jewishly in Tidewater blog will feature posts throughout the year with information about Jewish life in Tidewater. Articles will discuss topics such as how-to celebrate the holidays in Tidewater, how-to keep kosher in Tidewater, how-to give back in Tidewater, and more! Feel free to contact Rebecca Bickford, Community Concierge, if there is something specific that you would like more information on.

The story of Passover is one that we learn at a very early age. No matter if you are a Hebrew school student or not, this story is told throughout the world in every Jewish household. We have all seen the dramatic reenactment of the events leading up to one of the most pivotal moments in our collective history. Charlton Heston, with a little help from Hollywood, vividly brings this story to life and reminds us just what it means to be Jewish. During the enslavement in Egypt, Moses rises from the mud pits to stand before Pharaoh on behalf of the Jewish people. Moses warns Pharaoh to heed his request for freedom and when Pharaoh does not oblige, a set of ten plagues consumes the land. It is the final plague that brings mighty Pharaoh to his knees - the killing of all Egyptian firstborn. Moses warns to the slaves to smear lambs blood at the threshold of their homes effectively telling the Angel of Death to “Passover” this house and spare the child. When the Angel of Death reaches the son of Pharaoh, he demands the Jews leave his land. With no time to spare, the Jews pack up their meager lives, strap everything to their backs, and begin the long journey toward freedom. Their bread, not given the proper time to rise, bakes flat on their backs under the desert sun. Matzah, the unleavened bread, is an important component during the Seder as it represents the haste of the Jews, the heat of the desert, the desperation, the lure of freedom. Matzhah’s flat, dry, flavorless presence on the Seder table serves as reminder of sacrifice.
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The Great Haggadah Hunt of Aught 12

Thu, 03/29/2012 - 9:03am

Lo! When my family and I looketh upon our Passover Haggadah, we thinketh of our ancestors of yore. And when we readeth during our Seder, we speaketh like them too.

In other words, for four generations my family has used the same slim gray books to follow the order of our Passover meal, retelling the story of the Jews’ exodus from Egypt, from bondage and slavery to freedom.

Our standard, The Union Haggadah, Revised edition (copyright 1923), is a lovely book, filled with illustrations, songs and commentary. Our collection has withstood almost 90-years of once-a-year use by dozens of guests at our family’s table. The pages and covers bear testimony to copious amounts of sloshed Manischewitz wine, and spilled—or spit—blazing hot haroses (Saul and Larry Mednick remain the horseradish eating champions of all time). Caught in the seams, you can find matzo crumbs. Who knows how long those crumbs have been there? 2006? 1960? 1924?
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How-To Celebrate Purim 5772/2012 in Tidewater

Fri, 03/02/2012 - 12:54pm

The How-To Live Jewishly in Tidewater blog will feature posts throughout the year with information about Jewish life in Tidewater. Articles will discuss topics such as how-to celebrate the holidays in Tidewater, how-to keep kosher in Tidewater, how-to give back in Tidewater, and more! Feel free to contact Rebecca Bickford, Community Concierge, if there is something specific that you would like more information on.

Purim is a very festive holiday that is celebrated on the 14th day of Adar (March 8th, 2012) to honor Queen Esther, who saved the Jews from the evil Haman. Communities across the Jewish world are gearing up for the most festive and joyous of all Jewish holidays. During Purim, children and adults dress up in costumes and masks as they enjoy the carnival-like celebrations and delicious feasts. There are a few customs that come with Purim including mishloach manot, the reading of the Megillah, and of course, delicious hamentashen. Mishloach manot or “sending of portions” is the act of sending food and drinks to friends, family, co-workers, neighbors, and other persons as well as providing gifts to the poor. For example, every year Miriam Brunn-Ruberg, Jewish Life and Learning Director at the Simon Family JCC, gathers staff volunteers to make huge baskets full of goodies and treats. She hand delivers these baskets to all of the agencies on the Sandler Family Campus – spreading the joy of Purim in full costume! Check out Chabad.org for more information about this festive holiday.

So, what’s happening in Tidewater this Purim?

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commUNITY: Federation Shabbaton

Wed, 02/15/2012 - 10:25am

The first United Jewish Federation of Tidewater - Synagogue Shabbaton helped build bridges among our congregations and across religious streams here in Tidewater.

Ohef Sholom’s Shabbat Shira ushered in the Sabbath with beautiful melodies which complemented our Jewish Agency for Israel guest speaker Shoel Silver’s eloquent remarks about the need for harmony among the Jewish people here in North America and in Israel.  At Beth Chaverim the vision of children clasping hands on the beema to model the unity of the Jewish people was embellished by Shoel’s description of the Committee on Unity of the Jewish People which he chairs with Natan Sharansky.   Saturday night the poignant discussion at the home of B’nai Israel congregants Renee and Paul Mansheim centered on healing rifts within Klal Yisrael along with rifts in our own community.   Sunday morning the lively Q&A by members of Temple Israel, Temple Emanuel, Beth El and KBH covered a range of topics from conversion to ordination of rabbis to the practice of the three main religious streams of Judaism in Israel – Orthodox, Conservative and Reform.  Shoel then offered a briefing to members of the UJFT Board and described the significance of the Committee on the Unity of the Jewish People in that it is the sole governmental body in Israel where members of each stream of Judaism sit together to discuss policy affecting Jewish peoplehood in an environment of tolerance and respect.
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Create a Jewish Legacy on Tu B’Shevat

Mon, 02/06/2012 - 9:53am

Tu B'Shevat is the New Year of the trees. This year Tu B’Shevat occurs on February 9.  In Israel at this time, the almond tree is the first to flower, and the sap begins to rise within the trees.  In ancient times, the counting of the age of trees was important for tithing and taxation purposes.  But in modern times it has become an allegory for planned giving.  This is best illustrated in the story of Choni Hama’agel (the Circle-Drawer) and the Carob tree.

Choni Hama’agel, the Wise One, was a miracle maker. As wise as he was, Choni sometimes saw something that puzzled him. When this happened, he would ask questions so as to unravel the mystery.
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Cleaning Out the Clutter

Tue, 01/10/2012 - 3:29pm

What is a New Year’s Resolution? Why do we stress ourselves out every New Year with a Resolution to make this year the year we change? The all-purpose resource, Wikipedia, defines it as a “commitment that an individual makes to one or more lasting personal goals, projects, or the reforming of a habit.” In short, we make New Year’s Resolutions so that the upcoming year may be more fulfilling or successful or, at the very least, less stressful.

But is that really true? But how successful are New Year’s Resolutions? I can’t even tell you how many New Year’s Resolutions I have broken (many before I finish the month of January!).  According to the New York Times, studies show that while 52% of participants in a resolution study were confident of success with their goals, only 12% percent actually achieved their goals. At least now I feel better about myself that I’m not the only one who can’t seem to complete their New Year’s Resolutions. Can you recall how many resolutions you’ve successfully achieved in the past five years? Ten years? Why is it so hard to keep a New Year’s Resolution?
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What is your Chanukah tradition?

Tue, 12/27/2011 - 8:33am

What is your Chanukah tradition?

Every holiday, Jewish, Christian, secular or other has its own traditions. In the Jewish calendar, some traditions are mandated by halacha, Jewish law, others are based on minhag, or custom. For example, the whys and hows of kindling the lights of the Chanukiyah or Chanukah menorah are prescribed by halacha, the eating of sufganiyot (jelly donuts) or latkes (potato pancakes) is minhag.

Minhag traditions vary between Ashkenazi Jews (those from Eastern European descent) and Sephardim (those of Spanish or Middle Eastern lineages). I find that they vary even from family to family.

My husband, David, and I have some friends back in Baltimore who make it a tradition to fry up latkes of unexpected tubers—or combinations of vegetables and spices. Not content with mere potatoes, they spend November and December scouring grocery stores and Asian markets to come up with the most unexpected flavors of deep-fried goodness. My personal favorite was a combination of expected potato and unexpected daikon radish. (Of course, the way I slather latkes in apple sauce, I’m just taking their word for what vegetables went into the pancake.)
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