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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

When Purim falls on St. Patrick’s Day, drink a Haman O’Reilly

When Purim falls on St. Patrick’s Day, drink a Haman O’Reilly

Rob EshmanPublished March 12, 2022

This story was originally published on March 11 by the Forward. Sign up here to get the latest stories from the Forward delivered to you each morning. If Purim and St. Patrick’s Day, which both fall on March 17 this year, have one thing in common,...

Barley-Carrot_Croquettes. Photo: Michael Kahn

Tu B’Shevat seder features a lucky seven food species

MARGI LENGA KAHN, Special to the Jewish LightPublished January 13, 2022

Rabbi Eliyahu Safran of the Orthodox Union refers to the number seven as the perfect number. “Seven is completeness and wholesomeness,” he says. There are numerous examples in Judaism of the significance of that seven, beginning with Shabbat, the...

10 fun facts about Tu B’Shevat

10 fun facts about Tu B’Shevat

BILL MOTCHAN, Special to the Jewish LightPublished January 12, 2022

1. In Israel, Tu B’Shevat is like Earth Day, raising awareness about the ecology. 2. Part of the environmental awareness is to plant a tree or start an herb garden. 3. Planting trees in Israel is especially important right now; many were lost...

Vicki Lander is the owner of Flower Hill Farm. File photo: Bill Motchan

Tu B’Shevat is the right time to begin growing seder ingredients

BILL MOTCHAN, SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH LIGHTPublished January 12, 2022

This weekend is a good time to begin preparing for your Passover seder. With three months to go, you can delay boiling eggs and stocking up on horseradish. But it’s an ideal time to plant parsley indoors. The 90-day window should be just about right...

Why Tu Beshvat should not be forgotten

Why Tu Beshvat should not be forgotten

Rabbi Carnie Shalom RosePublished January 8, 2022

Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach (z”l), my teacher and cousin, once said that it is quite easy to tell which are the most profound Jewish holidays. They are, he suggested, the ones that are observed by the smallest number of individuals.  His statement...

Woman meets Jewish St. Louis bone marrow donor who saved her life

Woman meets Jewish St. Louis bone marrow donor who saved her life

ELLEN FUTTERMAN, EDITOR-IN-CHIEFPublished December 21, 2021

Eight years ago, when Rebecca “Becca” Berg went on a Birthright trip to Israel, her group met with volunteers from Gift of Life. The nonprofit runs a bone marrow and blood stem cell registry that helps facilitate transplants for children and adults...

Photos: Network STL wraps up Hanukkah with an edge

Photos: Network STL wraps up Hanukkah with an edge

Published December 7, 2021

While some St. Louis Jews closed out Hanukkah 2021 at home, some ventured out and celebrated by wielding axes to honor Hanukkah and our Macabee ancestors. Last week, we told you how the Tanach, offers numerous references to axes, both as weapons or...

Ignite YP ends Hanukkah with a bang of a party!

Ignite YP ends Hanukkah with a bang of a party!

Jordan Palmer, CHIEF DIGITAL CONTENT OFFICERPublished December 6, 2021

St. Louis has a multitude of groups and communities offering educational and social opportunities for younger Jewish men and women. One such group, Ignite YP is a Young Professional (YP) organization dedicated to extending Jewish learning opportunities...

Alan Levine flickr

6 Fun & Easy Ways to Remove Wax from Your Menorah

Kveller StaffPublished December 6, 2021

Now that Hanukkah is over, it’s time to start cleaning those waxy menorahs. Instead of putting it off until next year (because didn’t your mother teach you that procrastination is bad?), we asked our readers for their advice. Some of the tips...

The grade-schooler whose ‘Avinu Malkeinu’ went viral is back with a Hanukkah song

The grade-schooler whose ‘Avinu Malkeinu’ went viral is back with a Hanukkah song

Published December 5, 2021

(JTA) — Last year, when he was 6, Bibi Shapiro broke the Jewish internet with his impassioned performance of “Avinu Malkeinu,” the plaintive poem that is recited on Yom Kippur. This year, the Australia grade-schooler is making a more subtle...

Traditional Japanese candles and tops get a Hanukkah spin in Kyoto

Traditional Japanese candles and tops get a Hanukkah spin in Kyoto

Published December 3, 2021

(JTA) — Soon after Rabbi Moti Grumach moved to Kyoto, Japan, about three years ago to serve as an emissary there for the Chabad-Lubavitch movement, he realized that a local craft dovetailed neatly with Jewish traditions. Warosoku, or candles made from...

Amsterdam gets large Liberace-style Hanukkah menorah for annual holiday concert

Amsterdam gets large Liberace-style Hanukkah menorah for annual holiday concert

Published December 3, 2021

AMSTERDAM (JTA) — A historic menorah that was retired from show business amid fears for its integrity — and bickering within the Dutch Jewish community over who has the right to use it — is getting a rhinestone-studded replacement. A public...

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