Mazel Tov

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New development associate at TJF

Kaitlyn Oelsner joined Tidewater Jewish Foundation last month as its new development associate/LIFE & LEGACY™ coordinator. Oelsner recently moved to Virginia Beach from California after receiving her bachelor of science degree from Cal Polytech and her master of...

Julius Miller

Achievement Julius Miller, MD FACP, who was awarded Senior Fellow of Hospital Medicine at the Society of Hospital Medicine meeting held in Washington, DC on March 25. Miller is also being recognized by the American College of Physicians Virginia Chapter with the 2018...

Mazel Tov to Isabella Rose Leon

B’nai Mitzvah Isabella Rose Leon will become a Bat Mitzvah on March 23, 2019 at Congregation Beth El. She is the daughter of Lisa and David Leon and the sister of Emily. Isabella is the granddaughter of Dr. Abraham and Lynn Finkel of Schenectady, N.Y., and of Arnold...

Jerome Blackman, MD – Achievement

Jerome Blackman, MD, professor of Psychiatry at EVMS, was recently appointed Distinguished Professor of Mental Health At Shanxi Medical University in Taiyuan, China, and appointed chair of the North American Teachers Group for Lingyu International Psychology Center...

Norman David Soroko

Mazel Tov to Norman David Soroko on becoming president of the board of directors of the Jewish Museum and Cultural Center in Portsmouth. Soroko served as executive vice president for four years. He also serves as program chairman for fundraising. In March, 2018, he...

Pamela Herod

Mazel Tov to Pamela Herod, daughter of Zena Herod, on receiving her Doctoral degree from Augusta University/Medical College of Georgia on December 14. Herod’s current research has been adopted by a large health system in the southeast and is focused on improving the...

Madeline Budman

Mazel Tov to Madeline Budman on her acceptance to Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion for rabbinic ordination. A 2018 graduate of Georgetown University, she is a member of Ohef Sholom Temple and is currently employed at Washington Hebrew Congregation...

Engagement: Aaron Brenner and Kate Belleman

Aaron Brenner and Kate Belleman on their engagement. Aaron is the son of Janet Peck and Jeff Kramer, and Martin and Pam Brenner. He is the grandson of Nancy and Stanley Peck, and Ramona and Lawrence Brenner. Kate is the daughter of Nancy and Scott Belleman of...

Zach and Courtney Lewis

Zach and Courtney Lewis on their recent marriage. Zach is the son of Beth Cohen Jaffe, the step-son of Nathan Jaffe and grandson of Joan and Bob Cohen. Courtney is the daughter of Diane and Randy Carrington, of Midlothian, Virginia. The couple were married at the...

Jody and Erin Balaban

Jody and Erin Balaban on their marriage, June 23, 2018 at Ohef Sholom Temple. Erin is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Daniel McGrattan, Jr. and Jody is the son of Mr. and Mrs. David Balaban.

Achievement

Five years into a successful career as a sales agent with William E. Wood and Associates (now Howard Hanna) Nancy Evans was identified as suited for management. Now, after a 25-year-career of managing, negotiating, coaching, and advising an office full of successful...

Fern Leibowitz purchases Either Ore Hilltop

A native New Yorker, Fern Leibowitz always was attracted to jewelry. While working as a CPA in New York City where she had contacts with wholesale jewelers, that attraction continue to grow. In Virginia Beach, Leibowitz followed her jewelry passion and went to work at...

Graduation

Mazel Tov to Jeffrey and Amy Brooke on the graduation of their daughter Chana Brooke from the Graduate Program at Touro College in Manhattan. Chana received her B.A. from Touro in 2015 and her M.S. in education in May of this year. She is also a graduate of BINA...

Achievement

Mazel Tov to this year’s Congregation Beth El’s J. Samuel Goldback Scholarship recipients: • Elliana Friedman, a rising senior at James Madison University, with hopes of entering a career in public accounting, she has been active in Jewish life locally and at JMU. •...

Ohef Sholom’s Katelynn McAraw wins national essay contest

Katelynn McAraw, 16, a participant in the Better Together Program, recently won its essay contest, earning her $8,000 toward a semester program in Israel. Better Together, a program that unites seniors and teens through monthly lunches and activities, is funded by a...

Jody Wagner elected president of The Norfolk Forum board

The Norfolk Forum, the nation’s oldest publicly subscribed speakers’ forum recently elected Jody M. Wagner, as its 2017–18 board president. Wagner is president of Jody’s Popcorn, which she and her husband, Alan Wagner, MD, founded in Virginia Beach in 2005. Wagner...

Beth Sholom Village

At its annual meeting on June 21 (see article on page 27), Beth Sholom Village honored several employees who have been with the organization for 30 or more years. They include: Carolyn Tolman, Lana Chapman, Carolyn Dukes and Mary Parker.

Elizabeth Block Rosenberg

Elizabeth Block Rosenberg on her graduation from Yale University’s graduate school of management with an MBA. Liz recently moved to Dallas to pursue her career. She is the daughter of Paul and Stefan Rosenberg and an alum of Kempsville High School and UVa.

Rabbi Dr. Mordechai Loiterman

Rabbi Dr. Mordechai Loiterman, Toras Chaim’s principal, was recenlty invited to become a member of Virginia’s Equitable Services Workgroup by Christopher Kelly, EdD. Kelly is the equitable services ombudsman in the Office of Program Administration and Accountability...

Brandon Terkeltaub and David Calliott

Brandon Terkeltaub and David Calliott on successfully passing the Certified Financial Planner™ exam and becoming CFP® practitioners. This certification is held by only 20% of financial advisors and takes over a year of preparation. These two young community leaders...

Mr. and Mrs. David Balaban

Mr. and Mrs. David Balaban of Virginia Beach on the engagement of their son, Jody Michael Balaban to Erin Ashley McGrattan, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Daniel T. McGrattan Jr., also of Virginia Beach. Ms. McGrattan, a graduate of Bishop Sullivan Catholic High and...

Rabbi Israel Zoberman with Martin Culqreth

Rabbi Israel Zoberman with Martin Culqreth, Special Agent in Charge, of the FBI’s Norfolk field office. Rabbi Zoberman addressed the Hampton Roads FBI community on the historical Jewish experience.

Rabbi Dr. Israel Zoberman

Rabbi Dr. Israel Zoberman for having his article on Holocaust Remembrance and the 69th anniversary of the State of Israel inserted into the Congressional Record by Congressman Scott Taylor.

ACHIEVEMENT

Katelynn McAraw, winner of the Better Together Program essay contest. A sophomore, Katelynn participated in the pilot year of Better Together, a lunch and learn series with Ohef Sholom Temple teens and seniors from Beth Sholom Village. She wrote about her experiences...

Rabbi Israel Zoberman

Rabbi Israel Zoberman joined Mayor Alan P. Krasnoff and the citizens of Chesapeake on Thursday, May 4 at the city’s National Day of Prayer program. Rabbi Zoberman shared a heartfelt message of Hope and Prayer for Unity.

BIRTH: Morris Benjamin Panitz and Elana Havusha Panitz

Morris Benjamin Panitz and Elana Havusha Panitz on the birth of their daughter, Ziva Liora, in Jerusalem on Feb, 1, 2017. The grandparents are Yosi and Suzie Havusha, of Los Angeles, and Rabbi Michael and Sheila Panitz of Norfolk.

ACHIEVEMENT: Keano Rich and Evan Allen

Keano Rich and Evan Allen, 10th graders at Ocean Lakes Math and Science Academy and members of Ohef Sholom Temple, who won first place in the Computer Science senior division for their project on neural networks at the regional Tidewater Science and Engineering Fair...

ACHIEVEMENT: Dr. David M. Pariser

Dr. David M. Pariser of Pariser Dermatology Specialists in Norfolk, who was awarded the Gold Medal from the American Academy of Dermatology at its annual meeting in Florida. A practicing dermatologist for more than 40 years, Pariser is the senior physician of Pariser...

ACHIEVEMENT: Melie Lewis

Melie Lewis, a doctoral candidate at the University of Oklahoma, who recently won the Hackathon Competition at the annual sports analysis conference conducted by the Sloan School of Business at MIT. Melie competed against 20 invited students. Melie is a graduate of...

Virginia General Assembly honors Shames

Col. Edward Shames, pictured here with his letter of commendation from the Virginia General Assembly, was so honored on International Holocaust Remembrance Day. Shames, a member of the legendary “Band of Brothers,” brought more of his men home than any other American...

Marian B. Ticatch

Marian B. Ticatch, for receiving the Stuart Smith Award from Lincoln Financial Advisors for service to the local community. Ticatch has approximately 40 years of experience in the insurance and investment business and is president of Ticatch Financial Management. She...

ACHIEVEMENT: Keano Rich & Evan Allen

Keano Rich, a 10th grader at Ocean Lakes Math and Science Academy (OLHS), for being selected to join the 2017 The Virginian-Pilot’s Scholastic Achievement Team, in recognition for his outstanding academic excellence, service, and leadership. A former Hebrew Academy of...