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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

Bagels

Teleo Coffee in Kirkwood

Kirkwood’s Teleo joins the boil-and-bake elite

Jordan Palmer, Chief Digital Content OfficerPublished June 24, 2025

If you’ve been reading the Jewish Light for any length of time, you know one thing’s certain: we are unapologetically obsessed with bagels. We’ve tracked down every place in St. Louis that boils, bakes or even dares to attempt a decent shmear. So...

A Tzitzel Bagel from Lefty's

The tzitzel bagel — a crunchy St. Louis classic with a century-old story

Jordan Palmer, Chief Digital Content OfficerPublished May 21, 2025

When it comes to food history, St. Louis is known for a few... let’s say, distinctive inventions. There’s toasted ravioli, the deep-fried, marinara-dipped snack that no one outside the 314 seems to understand. There’s gooey butter cake, a sugar...

Rabbi Noah Arnow and Gitti Fredman.

Bagels and Bliss officially opens

Bill Motchan, Special To The Jewish LightPublished May 13, 2025

Bagels and Bliss had its official grand opening on Monday, May 12. St. Louis’ only certified kosher bagel shop is back from a post-Passover hiatus and has increased its capacity. Bagels are available beginning at 7 a.m. Sunday through Friday. The shop...

Co-owners Doug Goldenberg and Scott Lefton.

Lefty’s Bagel’s new café officially opening June 16!

Jordan Palmer, Chief Digital Content OfficerPublished April 28, 2025

When Lefty’s Bagels opened in Chesterfield, it quickly became a must-visit for bagel fans across St. Louis. Now, co-owners Doug Goldenberg and Scott Lefton are taking the next step: opening a second location at the Mirowitz Center at Covenant Place,...

Lefty's Bagels, Facebook

This St. Louis bagel shop just donated 41,000 reasons to love them

Jordan Palmer, Chief Digital Content OfficerPublished March 21, 2025

You already know Lefty’s Bagels for their New York-style bagels, but here’s something else to love about them—they’re making sure those bagels do more than just fill stomachs. In 2024 alone, Lefty’s donated more than 41,000 bagels to the...

A bagel store in Durham, North Carolina, found itself in hot water after backing out of a Jewish food festival over Israel. (Getty Images)

A bagel shop backed out of a Jewish food festival over Israel. Then regret set in.

Philissa Cramer, JTAPublished March 11, 2025

Isaac Henrion makes and sells bagels for a living. But when he spent Sunday afternoon at the local Jewish food festival in Durham, North Carolina, he didn’t bring any of his own fare. It’s not that he hadn’t signed up as a vendor. It’s that...

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....

Kosher and kosher-style bagels in St. Louis: what you need to know

Kosher and kosher-style bagels in St. Louis: what you need to know

Jordan Palmer, Chief Digital Content OfficerPublished March 10, 2025

If you’re a bagel lover in St. Louis, you’ve got plenty of choices. From longtime staples to newer bakeries, the city offers no shortage of fresh, hand-rolled bagels. But for those keeping kosher, not all bagels are created equal. The key difference...

Bagels and Bliss brings fresh kosher bagels to St. Louis

Bagels and Bliss brings fresh kosher bagels to St. Louis

Bill Motchan, Special To The Jewish LightPublished March 10, 2025

St. Louis’ newest bagel shop is now open. Bagels and Bliss at 8151 Delmar Blvd. in University City, is now selling a variety of freshly baked kosher bagels. Co-owners Giti Fredman and William Goldmeier described it as a “soft opening” to work out...

Remember when The Bagel Factory in Creve Coeur closed its doors

Remember when The Bagel Factory in Creve Coeur closed its doors

Bill Motchan, Special To The Jewish LightPublished January 15, 2025

Three years ago, Creve Coeur bid farewell to an iconic local establishment: The Bagel Factory. After 48 years of delighting the community with its New York-style water bagels, the shop at 11256 Olive Blvd. closed its doors for good in December 2022. At...

The legacy of Pratzel’s Bakery

The legacy of Pratzel’s Bakery

Jordan Palmer, Chief Digital Content OfficerPublished January 15, 2025

Sometimes a bagel isn’t just a bagel. In St. Louis, it was a story, a tradition and, for a century, the backbone of a bakery that made the city’s kosher scene a little more delicious. This week, as we dive into bagel content—and carbs in general—we...

What is an Ess-a-Bagel and how did they find a home in STL?

What is an Ess-a-Bagel and how did they find a home in STL?

Jordan Palmer, Chief Digital Content OfficerPublished January 15, 2025

Heads up, St. Louis bagel lovers. The Gateway City has just scored a culinary homerun with the arrival of authentic New York bagels from the legendary Ess-a-Bagel. These aren’t just New York-style bagels; they’re the...

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