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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

Ads From The Past

How an Olivette couple helped 100+ Jews find love—with a camera and a cause

How an Olivette couple helped 100+ Jews find love—with a camera and a cause

Jordan Palmer, Chief Digital Content OfficerPublished June 25, 2025

Before dating apps and endless swiping, St. Louis had the Jewish Photo Dating Service—a low-tech matchmaking effort that launched in the early 1980s. It brought hundreds of local singles together and led to dozens of lasting relationships. After we...

From knishes to closings: the unforgettable ads of Jules and Lee Hutkin

From knishes to closings: the unforgettable ads of Jules and Lee Hutkin

Jordan Palmer, Chief Digital Content OfficerPublished June 19, 2025

Jules and Lee Hutkin were among the Jewish Light’s most prolific advertisers—never shy about showing their names, their phone numbers, or their handsome faces. Whether behind a deli counter, running a food shop, or working as real estate partners,...

Allen Weintrop, the simcha photographer whose ads helped shape the Light

Allen Weintrop, the simcha photographer whose ads helped shape the Light

Jordan Palmer, Chief Digital Content OfficerPublished June 18, 2025

Allen Weintrop’s relationship with the St. Louis Jewish Light stretched across decades, beginning with a community mention in 1961. Even before launching his photography business, Weintrop was shaping Jewish communal memory through images. In 1973,...

How a reluctant shopkeeper built Brilliant Antiques

How a reluctant shopkeeper built Brilliant Antiques

Jordan Palmer, Chief Digital Content OfficerPublished June 17, 2025

Bud and Arline Brilliant’s "Brilliant Antiques" first appeared in the St. Louis Jewish Light on May 23, 1973. Their ads continued regularly through Dec. 1, 1982. By 1976, the ads began listing only Arline — a quiet handoff that would become lasting...

Before JDate, there was the Jewish Photo Dating Service—and it ran right here

Before JDate, there was the Jewish Photo Dating Service—and it ran right here

Jordan Palmer, Chief Digital Content OfficerPublished June 16, 2025

Martin and Tammy Finer’s relationship with the St. Louis Jewish Light began with their own wedding announcement, published on June 29, 1983. Just seven weeks later, on Aug. 17, 1983, their first ad appeared for their business: the Jewish Photo...

A brief history of Klein Pharmacy

A brief history of Klein Pharmacy

Jordan Palmer, Chief Digital Content OfficerPublished June 15, 2025

Klein Pharmacy was once a neighborhood fixture in the Delmar Loop, originally at 6625 Enright Ave.—right along the old streetcar loop that curved from Delmar to Heman to Enright to Kingsland and back. Carl Klein, pharmacist and proprietor, ran the shop...

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