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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

Books

Cassie Taylor, 10, Rabbi Amy Feder and her daughter Molly Alper, 11, discussing the Judy Blume classic.

St. Louis Jewish moms, daughters discuss Judy Blume classic, “Are you there God, It’s Me, Margaret”

By Amy Burger, Special to the Jewish LightPublished May 15, 2023

I was just a year old when Judy Blume’s classic young adult novel “Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret” was published in 1970, long before YA Fiction was even considered a genre. By the time I hit puberty myself, around 1982, that seminal book,...

Andy Cohen launching new book here in St. Louis

Andy Cohen launching new book here in St. Louis

Published March 28, 2023

Hometown celebrity Andy Cohen is returning to St. Louis to discuss his hilarious, heartwarming, and name-dropping account of the most important year of his life and the book that came out of the experience, "The Daddy Diaries: The Year I Grew Up." Cohen...

(JTA illustration)

Inside the auction house driving the rare-book craze in the Orthodox world

Asaf Elia-Shalev, JTAPublished March 22, 2023

(JTA) – Israel Mizrahi joined dozens of fellow connoisseurs of rare Jewish books last December to watch the livestream of Genazym, the hottest auction house in the market. A bookdealer by trade, Mizrahi was also on the phone being paid to advise a wealthy...

How Judy Blume’s ‘Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret’ broke taboos around interfaith marriage

How Judy Blume’s ‘Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret’ broke taboos around interfaith marriage

Emily Schneider, JTAPublished March 20, 2023

(JTA) — When Judy Blume’s young adult novel “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret” appeared in 1970, intermarried families were a small segment of the American Jewish population. Perhaps 17% of Jews were married to someone who wasn’t Jewish;...

Author of new book on Pope’s silence during Holocaust coming to STL

Author of new book on Pope’s silence during Holocaust coming to STL

Jordan Palmer, Chief Digital Content OfficerPublished March 14, 2023

In late October 1941, a bishop in Slovakia wrote to Pope Pius XII  to alert him that the country’s Jews “are simply being shot, systematically murdered, without distinction of sex or age.” This was the first credible account of the pope learning...

Jodi Picoult and her daughter Samantha Van Leer pose at the opening night of the musical "Between The Lines," July 11, 2022 in New York City. (Bruce Glikas/Getty Images)

Florida school bans Holocaust novel by Jodi Picoult, other Jewish authors too

Andrew Lapin, JTAPublished March 13, 2023

(JTA) – A Holocaust-themed novel by bestselling author Jodi Picoult was among dozens of books removed from a South Florida school district library’s circulation last month, in the latest example of books with Jewish themes getting swept up amid a...

Codex Sassoon (late ninth to early 10th century). Credit: Courtesy of Sotheby's.

Oldest known copy of a Hebrew Bible could fetch $50 million at auction

By Adam Kovac, The ForwardPublished February 15, 2023

The oldest known copy of the Hebrew Bible could soon be yours for the low price of $30 million. The Codex Sassoon, which dates to around the year 900, is composed of all 24 books of the Hebrew Bible, including the punctuation, vowels and accents that...

Ho Feng-Shan poses for a photo taken while he was a Chinese consul during World War II. (Carlos Avila Gonzalez/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)

This diplomat saved Jewish lives but new novel raises questions about facts vs. fiction in Holocaust stories

Jordyn Haime, JTAPublished February 14, 2023

TAIPEI (JTA) — Ho Feng-Shan, the Chinese diplomat stationed in Vienna who helped thousands of Jews escape from Europe during World War II, never met Adolf Eichmann. But in “Night Angels,” a novel based on his life, Feng-Shan comes face to face...

Photo courtesy of Menucha Publishers

Two recipes perfect for a Tu B’shvat Seder

Jordan Palmer, Chief Digital Content OfficerPublished February 1, 2023

This weekend Jews around the world will celebrate Tu B’shvat, the Jewish new year for trees. In the Torah, fruit bearing trees are revered because of their importance in sustaining life. The name is Hebrew for the 15th of the Hebrew month of Shevat. In...

Jayne Langsam (L) and Rebecca Langsam (R).

Battling illiteracy is a family affair for Ready Readers’ Jayne Langsam

Jordan Palmer, Chief Digital Content OfficerPublished January 31, 2023

In the battle against poverty and illiteracy, Wednesday, Feb. 1st is a special day. That's because it’s World Read Aloud Day, when attention to the importance of sharing stories is highlighted by challenging participants to grab a book, find an audience,...

Elizabeth Taylor's Judaism, love for Richard Burton highlight epic new biography

Elizabeth Taylor’s Judaism, love for Richard Burton highlight epic new biography

ROBERT A. COHN, Editor-in-Chief EmeritusPublished January 31, 2023

Few people can rival Elizabeth Taylor’s impact on American popular culture. Taylor’s life was a warp-speed roller coaster of dizzying ups and downs.  Her heart-stopping physical beauty combined with bonafide acting ability launched her acting career...

Adina Talve-Goodman’s posthumously published book of essays is poignant blend of humor, insight

Adina Talve-Goodman’s posthumously published book of essays is poignant blend of humor, insight

Ellen Futterman, Editor-in-ChiefPublished January 25, 2023

I never met Adina Talve-Goodman, but I feel as if I know her. The daughter of Rabbis Susan Talve and Jim Goodman of Central Reform Congregation, Talve-Goodman was born with a congenital heart condition and survived multiple operations during her childhood...

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