For generations the Jewish Light has been more than a newspaper. It has been a gathering place, a memory keeper and the common thread tying Jewish St. Louis together. That continuity exists because from the beginning people believed the Light was worth building and worth protecting. To support the Jewish Light today is to step into a legacy shaped by vision, grit and community pride.
“Those early supporters of the Light were committed to keeping the community’s story at the center, ensuring that our community had a space where we could be seen, heard and remembered,” says Stacy Wolff Smart, chief operating officer. “Their vision and dedication laid the foundation we continue to build on today.”
When a member of the community supports the Jewish Light, they are doing so much more than helping a publication.
“You are helping carry forward a legacy that has connected Jewish St. Louis for generations. Your support is a way to honor those who came before us and to make sure our shared story is never forgotten. When you choose to give, you help preserve the history that holds our community together,” said Wolff Smart.
Those ideas were just as true in 1947 as they are now.
How the Light began
In the early years the Jewish community of St. Louis wanted a publication that reflected who they were. Not just a bulletin or a newsletter but a real newspaper that reported local stories, celebrated milestones and kept Jewish life visible across the region.
That vision took shape in 1947 when the Light published its first issue. It was a modest operation driven by volunteers, community leaders and a tiny staff with oversized determination. They were not chasing prestige. They were creating a record of Jewish life at a time when nobody else was documenting it.
Bob Cohn’s account of the early decades
In 1973, then-Editor Robert A. Cohn, (now editor-in-chief emeritus), wrote a detailed history of the Light. His piece captured the spirit of a publication that had already weathered challenges but continued to grow because the community believed in it.
Cohn described the early board members who treated the paper as both a responsibility and a labor of love. He wrote about the long hours, the hand-assembled layouts, the deadlines that stretched late into the night. The Light printed stories of rabbis and rebbetzins, students and soldiers, business owners and volunteers. Each issue stitched together the day-to-day life of a growing Jewish community.
He noted that the Light succeeded because people saw themselves in its pages. They trusted it. They depended on it. They read it around kitchen tables, saved clippings in drawers and mailed issues to relatives who had moved away.
By the early 1970s, the Light had already become an institution that belonged to everyone, regardless of background or affiliation. It stood apart as a publication committed to fairness, accuracy and respect for the diverse voices within Jewish St. Louis.
The mission continues
Today, the Light still carries the DNA of those early decades. The tools have changed but the purpose remains the same. To tell the stories of our community. To remember. To connect. To give Jewish St. Louis a voice that is both local and lasting.
The foundation built by the founders is the same foundation readers stand on now. Their dedication created a path that continues each time someone reads, shares or supports the paper.
To support the Jewish Light is to join the line of people who believed our community deserved to see itself in print.
Your support keeps that legacy alive. Your gift ensures the next chapter is written. Donate today to keep the Light shining.
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