Our Community Is Transforming!

Two new families joined this week, and participation hit record highs across the board. A week of true growth.

This past week at Chabad of Virginia Beach was one of those rare weeks where you feel the community shifting — growing deeper, wider, more connected.

It began at Marcy’s home, where a group of locals gathered for B’Tzavta, a monthly evening of honest Jewish conversation. Rabbi Meir spoke about the Lubavitcher Rebbe, sharing stories and inspiration in honor of Gimmel Tammuz. The evening continued with a deeply personal presentation by Anat and Eitan Mor, reflecting on their family’s connection to the end of the war in Iran.

From there, we visited Aviva Beringhause and her husband, who just moved to Virginia Beach, helping them hang mezuzot and warmly welcoming them to the community.

Later in the week, we spent the morning at Maimonides Senior Living, cooking chicken soup and matzah balls with the residents. As we stirred and chopped, we spoke about Shabbat, about memory, and about the history behind the foods we grew up on.

The week also included two full days of filming — capturing the soul of this growing community (more on that soon) — and reached a peak with our largest Torah class yet, with over 45 people in the room. That alone was enough to stop and reflect on what’s taking root here.

We closed out the week with visits to more than 15 homes across the area — for tefillin, mezuzot, and meaningful one-on-one moments. And we ended Shabbat with a visit to Ilan and Chanit Rotklein, who recently moved here with their three children — another beautiful addition to this growing family.

There’s something happening here.

And every soul, every moment, is part of it.