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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

Jewish Film Festival: ‘Irena’s Vow’ inspired by true story of survival during WWII

Jewish Film Festival: ‘Irena’s Vow’ inspired by true story of survival during WWII

Cate Marquis, Special to the Jewish LightPublished March 21, 2025

An inspiring true story of one young woman’s courage and resourcefulness in saving the lives of a group of Polish Jews in World War II is the basis of the historic drama “Irena’s Vow.”  Young Irena Gut (Sophie Nelisse) is a nurse from a prosperous...

Irina Starshenbaum in 'Shoshana,' directed by Michael Winterbottom.

Jewish Film Festival: Historical thriller tells story of star-crossed lovers, set in 1938 Tel Aviv

Cate Marquis, Special to the Jewish LightPublished March 21, 2025

Renowned British director Michael Winterbottom's "Shoshana" takes a rare look at Israeli history before it was Israel, and the roots of conflict and impact of British colonial rule, a true tale told through the story of star-crossed lovers. The story...

Buried history uncovered! The shocking Nazi death camp escape you’ve never heard of!

Buried history uncovered! The shocking Nazi death camp escape you’ve never heard of!

Alan Zeitlin (JNS)Published March 20, 2025

There have been many powerful films about the Holocaust, so if one opts to create a new one, one must “bring something new to the conversation,” according to the Israeli-American director Lior Geller. Geller told JNS that the new film “The World...

A reader saw this hilarious Jewish film and wanted to know: Is it coming to St. Louis?

A reader saw this hilarious Jewish film and wanted to know: Is it coming to St. Louis?

Jordan Palmer, Chief Digital Content OfficerPublished March 20, 2025

My inbox is always interesting. The other day, I heard from a former St. Louisan named Vic Weisskopf, a veteran who now lives in Chicago but is wisely wintering down in Phoenix, presumably avoiding whatever Midwest weather we're dealing with this week....

From Hollywood extra to documentary star—This journalist’s unexpected movie journey!

From Hollywood extra to documentary star—This journalist’s unexpected movie journey!

Ellen Futterman, Editor-in-ChiefPublished March 19, 2025

While it wasn’t exactly my big-screen debut — I had a brief stint as an extra in “A League of Their Own” in the early 1990s— it was my first time with a speaking role. And in a truly fitting bit of casting, I played myself. Journalist Shula...

Gal Gadot poses with her husband Jaron Varsano and daughters Alma, Ori, Maya and Daniella during the ceremony inaugurating Gadot's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, March 18, 2025 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

Gal Gadot unveils star on Hollywood Walk of Fame, becoming first Israeli actor honored there

By Philissa Cramer, JTAPublished March 19, 2025

Gal Gadot has made history as the first Israeli actor to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. At the ceremony, Gadot reflected on her journey from Rosh Ha’ayin to international stardom, encouraging young women to pursue their dreams. The event,...

For Rob Kutner, author of ‘The Jews,’ history could have provided Moses with a few more moments of levity. Courtesy of Rob Kutner

Were these the funniest moments in more than 5,000 years of Jewish history?

By Dan FriedmanPublished March 16, 2025

This story was originally published in the Forward. Click here to get the Forward's free email newsletters delivered to your inbox. Five thousand years ago, a nomadic monotheist called Abram wandered out of the Sumerian city of Ur and headed to rural...

Spencer Davis Milford as the Emcee and Hailey Medrano as Sally.

What to know before you see ‘Cabaret’ at the New Jewish Theatre

Jordan Palmer, Chief Digital Content OfficerPublished March 16, 2025

The New Jewish Theatre is set to open its 2025 season with a production that’s as immersive as it is urgent. Running March 20–April 6, “Cabaret” invites audiences into the world of the Kit Kat Klub, where dazzling performances mask the creeping...

The Great Schmear Debate: Why some flavors should be illegal

The Great Schmear Debate: Why some flavors should be illegal

Jordan Palmer, Chief Digital Content OfficerPublished March 11, 2025

Cream cheese isn’t just a spread—it’s a way of life. It’s so important that we once published an entire story about how cream cheese tells the story of Jews in America. That’s how deep this goes. That’s history....

A sign for customers shopping for eggs at Trader Joe’s hangs by the cartons in Merrick, New York, U.S., February 16, 2025.

Notes From A Jewish Mother: Eggsactly when did we all become old?

Amy Fenster Brown, Special To The Jewish LightPublished March 11, 2025

Forgive my Jerry Seinfeld impersonation, but what is the deal with egg prices? I told my kids they can have a quiche or a college education. Pick one. Word has it the producers of “Wheel of Fortune” are thinking of replacing the “car” prize placard...

Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, separated by heavy wire screen as they leave U.S. Court House after being found guilty by jury.

Shocking secrets of the Rosenberg trial—new podcast reveals hidden truths

Jordan Palmer, Chief Digital Content OfficerPublished March 10, 2025

The Rosenberg trial remains one of the most controversial espionage cases in American history. Seventy-four years after their sentencing, the American Jewish Historical Society (AJHS) podcast, The Wreckage: American Subversives, is revisiting the case...

Actor and director Jesse Eisenberg speaks at a ceremony in New York City where he received Polish citizenship from Poland's president, Andrzej Duda, March 4, 2025. (Screenshot)

Jesse Eisenberg receives Polish citizenship after ‘A Real Pain,’ set in Poland, wins Oscar

Shira Li Bartov, JTAPublished March 7, 2025

(JTA) — An Oscar for “A Real Pain” wasn’t Jesse Eisenberg’s only win this week — he also received citizenship in Poland, where he filmed the movie about reckoning with one’s family’s Holocaust history. Polish president Andrzej Duda...

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