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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 Holidays

Chabad of Chesterfield transformed a pavilion in Chesterfield’s Central Park into a Shofar Factory on Sunday, helping participants craft their own horn instrument and learn the traditional sequence of notes sounded on Rosh Hashanah. Photo: Bill Motchan

No place to go for Rosh Hashanah? No problem.

Published September 22, 2022

To help ensure that every Jew in St. Louis can celebrate the holiday, Chabad of Greater St. Louis is once again hosting "Shofar in the Park," a community-wide initiative that includes 30-minute Rosh Hashanah celebrations across the region. The family-friendly...

15 scrumpdillyicious brisket recipes from the Jewish Light archives

Jordan Palmer, Chief Digital Content OfficerPublished September 22, 2022

For many, brisket is the epitome of "Jewish food." In fact, last year brisket edged out bagels in our "Jewish Food March Madness" tournament. Like many popular Jewish foods, brisket worked its way into the cuisine because of its low cost and the fact...

How not to ask for time off on the Jewish holidays

How not to ask for time off on the Jewish holidays

By ELI GOTTLIEB, JTAPublished September 21, 2022

(JTA) — “Hey Allies: Please don’t schedule meetings or events on the Jewish holidays!” So says a meme that has circulated widely before about the dates for Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot and Simchat Torah. Seems like a pretty harmless and...

Shannon Sarna

Why American Jews Eat Brisket on Rosh Hashanah

Joanna O’Leary, MyJewishLearningPublished September 21, 2022

This September, many Jews across the United States will bring in the new year by feasting on a juicy, glistening brisket. But what led this dish to ascend as the star of the Rosh Hashanah meals in America? New Year’s brisket is a story of ingenuity,...

Understanding the High Holiday prayer meant to strike fear in us

Understanding the High Holiday prayer meant to strike fear in us

CANTOR MATT AXELROD, My Jewish LearningPublished September 21, 2022

The Uneh Taneh Tokef prayer, which we recite on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur is some people’s least favorite prayer in all of Jewish liturgy. "This is the prayer that implies G-d decides who shall live and who shall die in the coming year," said...

Three ways to give smarter during the High Holy Days

Three ways to give smarter during the High Holy Days

By Buckingham Wealth Advisor John Corn, CPA, PFS, Special For The Jewish LightPublished September 20, 2022

The High Holy Days are just around the corner. Some of my fondest childhood memories involve spending time with family, listening to the sounds of the Shofar, devouring apples dipped in honey and overloading on challah. As we get older, many of us begin...

17 Rosh Hashanah facts every Jew should know

17 Rosh Hashanah facts every Jew should know

Published September 19, 2022

1. Heads Up! Surprise! Rosh Hashanah does not mean “New Year” in Hebrew. It actually means “Head of the Year.” Just like your head (brain) tells your body what to do, how you behave on Rosh Hashanah has far-reaching consequences for the...

The unexpected story behind the shofar

Abigail Klein Leichman, Israel21cPublished September 19, 2022

A young man walks into the Barsheshet & Ribak shofar factory in Tel Aviv a few weeks before Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year. It’s nearly five o’clock and the workshop is shutting soon. But Eli Ribak is staying late anyway to talk to ISRAEL21c...

Here’s what 5 chefs from around the world are making this Rosh Hashanah

Rachel RinglerPublished September 19, 2022

This article originally appeared on The Nosher. We asked five noted chefs and food writers what they will serve at home to mark the Jewish New Year, and (spoiler alert) they all plan to weave symbols of sweetness — hallmarks of the holiday — into...

Do you want to build a Sukkah?

Do you want to build a Sukkah?

Jordan PalmerPublished September 12, 2022

One of the most fun, family-friendly, holidays in the Jewish calendar is just around the corner—Sukkot (starting the evening of Sunday, Oct. 9 and ending the evening of Oct. 16). But if you have ever thought of building your own sukkah, now is the time...

How Elul gets us into the Rosh Hashanah mindset

By Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer, KvellerPublished August 31, 2022

The month of Elul is here! It’s a time leading up to Rosh Hashanah when we have the opportunity to tune in to our spiritual concerns, reflect on our dreams and challenges over the year that’s gone by, and consider areas for change and growth...

Why Tisha B’Av is arguably the saddest day on the Jewish calendar

Why Tisha B’Av is arguably the saddest day on the Jewish calendar

Betsy Schmidt, Special For The Jewish LightPublished August 4, 2022

We have all been through so much these past 2 years. Not just Covid, but multiple mass shootings, racial and political tensions, the economy, and the destruction caused by changing weather patterns. Loss of life and place, loss of our daily life-patterns,...

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