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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

Jewish Pop Culture

Why the Three Stooges? A very serious conversation with myself.

Why the Three Stooges? A very serious conversation with myself.

Jordan Palmer, Chief Digital Content OfficerPublished June 2, 2025

Editor’s note: No eyes were poked, no one was slapped and nobody’s head got stuck in a vise during this interview. This Thursday, June 5, a local journalist, morning newsletter wrangler and unapologetic Moe Howard superfan returns to the Mirowitz...

Emily Baker as Heidi. Photo by Patrick Huber

Why “The Heidi Chronicles” still hits hard at the New Jewish Theatre

By Gerry Kowarsky, Special to the Jewish LightPublished June 1, 2025

“The Heidi Chronicles” is totally absorbing and delightful in the current production at the New Jewish Theatre. The title character of Wendy Wasserstein’s celebrated play is Heidi Holland. In the prologue, Heidi is a professor of art history...

Angela Sandler and Lisa Litvag—co-owners of Xplor Marketing and The Scout Guide St. Louis

Meet the Jewish duo turning St. Louis branding into a mitzvah

Jordan Palmer, Chief Digital Content OfficerPublished May 30, 2025

What do you get when you mix two Jewish entrepreneurs, a love for local business and a pair of podcast hosts known for eating their way through St. Louis? The newest episode of “Jews in the Lou” dropped on June 1 and features Angela Sandler and Lisa...

Dark comedy “The Anne Frank Gift Shop” to make streaming debut

Dark comedy “The Anne Frank Gift Shop” to make streaming debut

Published May 29, 2025

A darkly funny, Oscar-shortlisted short film about Holocaust memory and modern marketing is heading to ChaiFlicks, the Jewish themed streaming service. Starting June 12—Anne Frank’s birthday—viewers can stream “The Anne Frank Gift Shop,” a 15-minute...

Jazz in Nazi Germany: The music that wouldn’t die

Jazz in Nazi Germany: The music that wouldn’t die

By Joe Alterman, Special To The Jewish LightPublished May 28, 2025

This story was originally published on Moment.com. Sign up for the Moment Minute.  Music, at its core, is freedom. It cannot be caged by ideology or controlled by propaganda. The Nazis understood that, which is why they tried so desperately to suppress...

Amit Cohen and Montana Tucker in "The Children of October 7" (2025). Credit: Orit Pnini/Courtesy.

Montana Tucker film on Oct. 7 kids to be available to stream globally

JNS StaffPublished May 28, 2025

Paramount+ and MTV Documentary Films told JNS exclusively on Tuesday that they plan to expand access to Montana Tucker’s documentary “The Children of October 7” on a global basis starting on June 2, the first day of Shavuot. The 36-minute film will...

Writer and cultural critic Fran Lebowitz and Ira Glass, host and co-creator of “This American Life.”

Fran Lebowitz and Ira Glass headline Jewish weekend getaway

Published May 28, 2025

If you’ve been looking for a weekend getaway with a little chutzpah and a lot of wit, Space Presents has you covered. This fall and winter, two of the most beloved Jewish voices in American culture—Fran Lebowitz and Ira Glass—will be making their...

Alex Kor, son of Holocaust survivor Eva Kor

Could you forgive a Nazi? She did—for herself

Jordan Palmer, Chief Digital Content OfficerPublished May 28, 2025

While listening to the incredible program that was last month's Yom HaShoah Holocaust Commemoration 2025 at Congregation Temple Israel, I thought I had heard all the stories one could hear about surviving the Holocaust. I was wrong. The featured...

Judy Gold.

Judy Gold won’t shut up—and that’s exactly why you’ll want a front-row seat

Ellen Futterman, Editor-in-ChiefPublished May 22, 2025

If you’re of a certain age and Jewish and aren’t familiar with Judy Gold, well, sorry, but that seems wrong. For more than 40 years, this 6-foot-2 comedy force of nature has been making audiences laugh — and occasionally squirm — with her no-holds-barred...

Sarah Silverman’s new Netflix special ‘PortMortem’ tackles... a lot

Sarah Silverman’s new Netflix special ‘PortMortem’ tackles… a lot

By Olivia HayniePublished May 21, 2025

Not many people would open a tribute to their dead parents with a hand job joke. But it makes sense that the person who would – and pulls it off pretty tastefully – is Sarah Silverman. Her new Netflix comedy special PostMortem was inspired by the...

1975 Jaws Movie Poster

The surprising Jewish story hiding beneath the surface of Jaws— screening in St. Louis for its 50th anniversary

Jordan Palmer, Chief Digital Content OfficerPublished May 21, 2025

It’s also the perfect time to revisit the surprising Jewish angles woven into “Jaws.” You see, the Jewish identities of director Steven Spielberg and star Richard Dreyfuss have sparked a cottage industry of critics and scholars trying to decode...

Emily Baker as Heidi. Photo by Patrick Huber

Going — or thinking of going — to The Heidi Chronicles? Here’s your pre-show cheat sheet

Jordan Palmer, Chief Digital Content OfficerPublished May 21, 2025

If you’re planning to catch the New Jewish Theatre’s upcoming production of “The Heidi Chronicles,” here’s a quick primer to help you get the most out of the show. Whether you’re a longtime fan of playwright Wendy Wasserstein or just curious...

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