A Purim party at B'nei Israel in Norfolk
Norfolk, Virginia is not exactly a place known for its religious Jews. It’s popular for its seafood, for its Navy connections, and for the beaches of nearby Virginia Beach – hardly a very kosher host of superlatives. Yet, Norfolk is home to two thriving orthodox Jewish communities (as well as an enormous conservative synagogue) and even boasts of having an eruv. And even if there’s no kosher restaurant, there is at least a kosher bagel place!
Norfolk is the community where I first became exposed to orthodox Judaism back in 2004. It was nice to go back and visit this weekend. It was a trip down memory lane to walk the same streets, visit the same homes, and sit in the same seat in shul.
Norfolk is a mostly black-hat community, the kind of place where nearly all the men wear suits on Shabbat (even if it’s hot), yet it’s not an extreme community at all. It’s not a singing-dancing-drinking kind of shul; it tends to be much more serious than that in terms of community religious observance. Yet, the mood of the synagogue is decidedly lighthearted and there is always a l’chaim available for those who want one. The community also takes hachnosas orchim very seriously, so if you call up the shul (B’nei Israel – (757) 627-7894), there is an option to have someone provide you with Shabbos accommodations and meals, and if you don’t call ahead, you can just show up at shul – there is always an announcement offering Shabbos meals to anybody who needs them.
Many of the people living in the Norfolk community are ba’al teshuva, so they didn’t grow up orthodox, but became religious later in life. As a result, there is a very relaxed attitude in the community, which is open and accepting. Women there might wear short sleeves or hats, even as their husbands insist on wearing suits. You could pretty much show up in any kind of outfit and nobody would judge you, having been there themselves. It’s a great feeling and it’s why I was able to open my mind up to orthodoxy while I was there.
Unfortunately, I have never really experienced the Chabad of Norfolk. When I first became involved in the community, Norfolk had a kollel that was extremely active in outreach (or “inreach”!) and I was so well taken care of that I had no interest in going elsewhere. Now that I am traveling and spending Shabbat in a different place almost every week, I am excited about seeing a new side of Norfolk! Hopefully in the coming weeks we will have a chance to check it out.
6 Responses to “Norfolk, Virginia: A Small but Thriving Jewish Community”
That’s crazy! I’m going to school in Williamsburg this fall.
I wanted to live near the Orthodox synagogue, but alas the bus to Williamsburg would have been a two hour ordeal.
While I was studying at ODU (in Norfolk), I got to know a lot of students from Williamsburg. Most of them would come to Norfolk and spend Shabbos. I think Rabbi Litt is involved with the W&M campus, so you may want to contact him. His email is gershonhillel@gmail.com
Hey, thanks! I just might do that.
This is a nice write-up. I spent Rosh Hashanah in Norfolk (with the Litts) mabye 5 or so years ago. I met the Litts in St. Louis, and was so sad when they left. St. Louis’ loss was definitely Norfolk’s gain!
My wife and I traveled to Virginia to run the Virginia Beach Half Marathon this past Labor Day weekend, and stayed in an AirBnB in the Norfolk area (West Ghent, specifically). We reached out to Rabbi Haber of Bnei Israel (based on the guidance of this post, actually) and he was extremely helpful and made us feel right at home. The shul’s congregants are incredibly warm and friendly, we were invited out for meals, places to stay, and most importantly, greeted with warm smiles and hellos, as if we had lived in the community for many years.
We ate by Gershon and Chana Leah Rothman, who were so nice and friendly, not to mention extremely hospitable, who made sure we were taken care of every step of the way (and lent us their coats when it started pouring), and continued to help us over the next few days that we spent in Norfolk.
Shabbos day, we davened and ate by Chabad, who were also super friendly, happy, and were all too eager to help us out for anything we may have needed. They served a nice free kiddush/lunch with salads, chulent, and a bit of kentucky bourbon to wash it all down.
Regarding non-shabbos activities, coming from NY, there isn’t the largest selection of restaurants (aside from Mr. Shwarma, which was fantastic, the only places we could find were starbucks and coldstone). We spent time at the beach, Oceanbreeze waterpark, Mt. Trashmore, and explored the community.
All in all, Norfolk is a charming, warm community with a warm, hospitable Jewish community, more so than I’ve ever witnessed prior. My wife and I loved our experience there and would recommend it to anyone. We’ll definitely pay them another visit, as soon as they open up a kosher pizza store