ENCINO, Calif. — Curiosity about my ancestry spurred me to order an at-home genetic testing kit by mail earlier this year. Maybe my blonde hair was a result of some hidden Swedish genes?When the kit arrived, I quickly spit in the tube and sent it off,...
Scarlett Johansson as the Black Widow superhero. (Screenshot from YouTube)(JTA) — Actress Scarlett Johansson has signed a deal to play Marvel superhero Black Widow in a standalone movie for $15 million.Her paycheck will be equal to Chis Evans, who plays...
(JUF News via JTA) — Author A.J. Jacobs has encouraged his three sons to be grateful for all they have.He and his wife urge them to write thank-you notes, to thank the bus driver — even thank their household robot Alexa for weather forecasts.Jacobs,...
BY JUDITH NEWMARK, SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH LIGHT
• Published October 12, 2018
NEW YORK — No matter how often you go to the theater, productions that soar off the stage and straight into your soul remain rare and wonderful. I treasure more than my fair share of shows like that and, since last week I have one more to cherish. In...
BY ETHAN FINE, JUNIOR, EUREKA HIGH SCHOOL
• Published October 11, 2018
Prior to this summer, the longest I had ever been away from home was five days. It was Presidents’ Day Weekend 2018, and I spent it in Orlando, Fla. at BBYO’s International Convention. I was never a sleepaway camp kid — being away from 9 a.m. to...
By Eliana Brook, Junior, MICDS
• Published October 11, 2018
The shift from middle school to high school can be one of the hardest times of a student’s life. Anna Speller, an MICDS student and member of Congregation Shaare Emeth, hopes to help alleviate some of the stress and hardships that come along with this...
By Olivia Riutcel, Freshman, Webster Groves High School
• Published October 11, 2018
The Illinois city of Belleville was once home to a thriving Jewish community. Everywhere you looked, there were Jewish teens and young adults. Over the past 50 years or so, the Jewish community in that area of St. Clair County has largely decreased; many...
By Katie Silver, Freshman, Ladue High School
• Published October 11, 2018
The North American Federation of Temple Youth (NFTY) kickoff is an event where high schoolers come from across the Midwest to participate in a variety of workshops, celebrate Shabbat and sing and dance together as a community. Taking place over the weekend...
BY ELLEN FUTTERMAN, EDITOR
• Published October 11, 2018
Any theater production that serves audiences Snickers and Potato Chip Casserole scores points with me. “Raging Skillet,” which opens the 22nd season of the New Jewish Theatre, is one of those productions.The play also serves up plenty of raucous laughs...
Knead to knowThe annual Great Big Challah Bake is still taking place this year — only virtually. Local organizers Rene Price and Barbara Strashun explained that due to personal issues, they weren’t able to plan one enormous event so they decided on...
SAN FRANCISCO (J. The Jewish News of Northern California via JTA) — Drake has held the No. 1 spot on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart for most of this year. The Canadian rapper and singer during his career has set or matched records owned by the likes...
NEW YORK (JTA) -- When Shais Rishon thinks of American Jewish literature, virtually no Jews of color come to mind — as characters or authors.“We’re invisible, pretty much,” he told JTA.As an African-American Orthodox rabbi, Rishon hopes to change...
