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A nonprofit, independent news source to inform, inspire, educate and connect the St. Louis Jewish community.

St. Louis Jewish Light

A nonprofit, independent news source to inform, inspire, educate and connect the St. Louis Jewish community.

St. Louis Jewish Light

A nonprofit, independent news source to inform, inspire, educate and connect the St. Louis Jewish community.

St. Louis Jewish Light

Obituary

Maxine Bierman

Published April 25, 2024

Maxine Bierman, a lifelong St. Louis resident, passed away on April 19, 2024, at the age of 93. She was born on September 28, 1930, to Yetta and Sam Berger. Maxine was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Allan Bierman. She was a wonderful wife,...

Eleanor P. Simpson

Eleanor P. Simpson

Published April 24, 2024

Eleanor P. Simpson, J.D. of Creve Coeur, Missouri died at the age of 79 on April 17, 2024. She is survived by her husband of 55 years, Dr. Joseph R. Simpson, Sr., and their sons Dr. Joseph R. (Monica) Simpson, Jr. of Reno, Nevada and Allan Kenneth...

Hersh Goldberg-Polin appears to acknowledge the advocacy of his family in a hostage video released by Hamas on April 24, 2024. (Screenshot)

American-Israeli hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin is seen alive in apparently recent video released by Hamas

JTA Staff, JTAPublished April 24, 2024

(JTA) — Hamas has released a video showing one of the remaining American-Israelis that the terror group is holding hostage in Gaza, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, calling for the Israeli government to strike a deal to release the remaining hostages. Goldberg-Polin,...

Joanne (Joan) Silverman Baker

Joanne (Joan) Silverman Baker

Published April 22, 2024

Joanne (Joan) Silverman Baker, born on July 22, 1952, passed away peacefully on April 19, 2024. Daughter of the late Mary and Edward Silverman, Joan was a lifelong resident of St. Louis, MO.  She was the cherished wife of the late Robert Baker...

Peacock’s ‘The Tattooist of Auschwitz’ tackles a Holocaust love story based on real events

Peacock’s ‘The Tattooist of Auschwitz’ tackles a Holocaust love story based on real events

Shira Li Bartov, JTAPublished April 22, 2024

(JTA) — A Holocaust romance, sparked when a prisoner at Auschwitz-Birkenau is forced to tattoo a number on another prisoner’s arm and they fall in love at first sight, sounds almost implausibly uplifting for a story set in a concentration camp. But...

Anti-Israel activists protest outside Columbia University in New York City on April 20, 2024. (Photo by Leonardo Munoz / AFP) (Photo by LEONARDO MUNOZ/AFP via Getty Images)

Rabbi at Columbia U urges Jewish students to leave campus

Philissa Cramer, JTAPublished April 21, 2024

(JTA) — An Orthodox rabbi at Columbia University has encouraged students to leave the campus until further notice, saying that he does not believe the university and city police can be counted on to keep Jewish students safe. “What we are witnessing...

Paula Lynn Salky

Paula Lynn Salky

Published April 19, 2024

Paula Lynn Salky, 1953 – 2024 Paula Lynn Salky passed away on April 18, 2024. Paula was born in Fort Benning, Georgia on August 5, 1953; she attended Ladue High School and Washington University. Paula was preceded in death by her parents, Leatrice...

Gary T. Soule

Gary T. Soule

Published April 18, 2024

Gary T. Soule, age 76, passed away on April 16 after a 17-month valiant fight against Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML). Gary is survived by the love of his life, Ellen Nisenson Soule, his sisters-in-law Judy (Hank) Goldstein, Barbara (Carl) Lee, and...

Jill Silverstein

Jill Silverstein

Published April 18, 2024

Jill Silverstein passed away on April 17th, 2024 after a tenacious battle with pancreatic cancer, in St. Louis, Missouri. Beloved wife of Jerome Dobson and loving mother of Morris and Lizzy Mills. Beloved daughter of the late Merle “Ruffy” and...

Mehren und Mandlen Torte (Carrot and Almond Torte). Photo: Michael Kahn

From lamb to brisket: Discovering the diverse flavors of Passover

Margi Lenga Kahn, Special to the Jewish LightPublished April 18, 2024

Many are surprised to learn that the menus for traditional Passover meals vary widely within the Jewish world. For example, the traditional Sephardic Passover dishes might include Kodrero con Ajo Fresco (lamb with green garlic), Berenjena (savory...

Part of a delivery of tactical helmets to the Israeli army’s Golani Brigade, which were donated earlier this week in memory of Tomer Grinberg, a soldier killed in combat in December.

Six months into war, Israeli soldiers still count on donations for basic supplies. Why?

Asaf Elia-Shalev, JTAPublished April 18, 2024

(JTA) — When Aaron Moshe Shalman was recalled for another round of reserve duty in Israel’s army last month, he took to Facebook, seeking help for his 35-member paratrooper unit. “We are in dire need of equipment: tactical helmets, tactical uniforms,...

Israeli army flares fall over the northern Har Dov area on Mount Hermon on Nov. 13, 2023, amid increasing cross-border tensions between Lebanon's Hezbollah and Israel as fighting continues with Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip. (Jalaa Marey/AFP via Getty Images)

Survey: Jews feel close to Israel; its government, not so much

By Ron Kampeas, JTAPublished April 18, 2024

(JTA) — As of early March, five months into Israel’s war with Hamas, American Jews felt close to Israel but were also likely to feel uncomfortable with its government’s actions, according to a Jewish Federations of North America poll. Almost...

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