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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 conspiracy theorists keep turning to Jewish mysticism — from early Nazis to modern-day MAGA

Why conspiracy theorists keep turning to Jewish mysticism — from early Nazis to modern-day MAGA

By Mira Fox, The ForwardPublished August 15, 2022

Are Trump’s most rabid supporters getting into Jewish mysticism? If a new viral clip from “The Daily Show” is any indication, the answer appears to be yes. In the clip, a woman in a flower crown at a MAGA rally in Wisconsin tells “Daily...

The quintessential Jewish mother to millions of television viewers, "Molly Goldberg" (Gertrude Berg) is shown here in a scene from the film Molly, presumably giving out a taste of chicken soup. Photo Courtesy of JWA

Do you know this Jewish woman? She had a hit TV show in 1949

Jeffrey Shandler and Updated by Pete SmithPublished August 15, 2022

For a generation of Americans, Gertrude Berg embodied Jewish motherhood in a series of radio, television, stage, and film performances. She is best remembered as the creative force behind the Goldbergs, a fictitious Jewish family who lived in an...

Photos: 2,000 smiles counted during Sunday's St. Charles Jewish Festival

Photos: 2,000 smiles counted during Sunday’s St. Charles Jewish Festival

Bill Motchan, Special to the Jewish LightPublished August 15, 2022

A gathering of more than 2,000 celebrated Jewish food, music and culture on August 14 at the Foundry Arts Centre in St. Charles. The Chabad Jewish Center of St. Charles County sponsored the second annual St. Charles Jewish Festival. Musical highlights...

‘My Unorthodox Life’ family wins $25,000 for anti-child marriage group on ‘Celebrity Family Feud’

‘My Unorthodox Life’ family wins $25,000 for anti-child marriage group on ‘Celebrity Family Feud’

Published August 15, 2022

(JTA) — On Netflix’s “My Unorthodox Life,” both Julia Haart and her older daughter Batsheva said they regretted getting married as teenagers, the norm in their Orthodox Jewish community. So when the family landed a spot on “Celebrity Family...

Justin Bieber sparks outrage after being accused of doing Nazi salute at concert

Published August 13, 2022

(JNS) The president of the Conference of European Rabbis is calling out pop-star Justin Bieber for performing what some thought was a Nazi salute during a concert in Helsinki. During his Aug. 9 show, Bieber marched high with his knees across the stage...

Nathan Fielder’s HBO show ‘The Rehearsal’ offers an unusual portrayal of interfaith parenting gone wrong

Nathan Fielder’s HBO show ‘The Rehearsal’ offers an unusual portrayal of interfaith parenting gone wrong

Published August 12, 2022

Spoiler alert: This piece contains plot details about HBO’s “The Rehearsal,” including extensive details about Episode 5, “Apocalypto,” which first aired Aug. 12, 2022. (JTA) — Nathan Fielder has always been open about his Jewish identity...

Comedian Jessica Kirson is ‘constantly complaining’ her way to Jewish comedy royalty

Comedian Jessica Kirson is ‘constantly complaining’ her way to Jewish comedy royalty

Jacob Henry, JTAPublished August 12, 2022

(New York Jewish Week) — “How long is this interview going to be? My agent said this was going to be brief,” comedian Jessica Kirson says, greeting a New York Jewish Week reporter.  “I’m constantly complaining,” she added by way of explanation.  While...

Award-winning chef Michael Twitty coming to St. Louis with new book ‘Koshersoul'

Award-winning chef Michael Twitty coming to St. Louis with new book ‘Koshersoul’

CALEB GUEDES-REED, JTA and Jordan PalmerPublished August 12, 2022

You may want to move quickly on getting your tickets for this upcoming event because appearances by James Beard Award-winning chef Michael Twitty are known to sell out quickly. Twitty, who released a book of recipes and essays that fuses Jewish and...

Washington University professor Henry Schvey is the author of “Blue Song: St. Louis in the Life and Work of Tennessee Williams.”

Jewish WashU professor literally wrote the book on Tennessee Williams, whose festival kicks off in STL next week

Published August 11, 2022

The Tennessee Williams Festival St. Louis (TWStL) returns for its seventh year, giving center stage to a newly reimagined and sensual Fellini-esque production of William’s romantic Sicilian love story The Rose Tattoo, directed by David Kaplan and performed...

Amy Fenster Brown and Renne Ross. 

Leo and Davis Brown.

It really is a small Jewish world after all

Amy Fenster Brown, Special to the Jewish LightPublished August 11, 2022

There’s a song kids sing at Jewish summer camp with the lyrics, “Wherever you go, there’s always someone Jewish.” My husband and I lived that last week when we traveled to San Diego, where both kids played in the JCC Maccabi Games. Of course,...

The 'Syndrome K' hospital unit as seen in 1944. Courtesy of Freestyle Digital Media

How a deadly disease saved Jewish lives and fooled the Nazis during WWII

By Simi Horwitz, The ForwardPublished August 10, 2022

Director-composer Stephen Edwards says he is drawn to “ordinary people doing extraordinary things.” So, when he came across the virtually unknown story of “Syndrome K” and the Italian doctors who concocted this wholly invented disease in order...

Hal Linden and Bernie Kopell star in Ed. Weinberger's 'Two Jews Talking.' Courtesy of DDPR

Hal Linden, 91 & Bernie Kopell, 89 are still working and back on stage

By Mervyn Rothstein, The ForwardPublished August 10, 2022

“The older I get, the more Jewish I get,” the longtime television producer, comedy writer and in his more recent years, playwright Ed. Weinberger said. “I do not practice Judaism in any way, except that I am a Jew and know that I am a Jew, and I...

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