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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

The Jewish Light's annual 'Editor's Gift Guide' for Hanukkah

The Jewish Light’s annual ‘Editor’s Gift Guide’ for Hanukkah

BY ELLEN FUTTERMAN, EDITOR-IN-CHIEFPublished December 4, 2023

First things first, our apologies. Yes, we know Hanukkah is just a couple of days away. But two weeks ago, we were cleaning up from Thanksgiving instead of shopping, though I suppose this year isn’t as bad as a decade ago when the first day of Hanukkah...

Jewish a cappella group 'Y-Studs' release new Taylor Swift parody for Hanukkah

Jewish a cappella group ‘Y-Studs’ release new Taylor Swift parody for Hanukkah

Jordan Palmer, Chief Digital Content OfficerPublished December 4, 2023

Y-Studs, the a cappella group from Yeshiva University, recently unveiled their rendition of Taylor Swift's 2009 hit, "You Belong with Me," entitled "You Can Light With Me" and yes, they even included a reference to her new beau. The song cleverly...

A Simchat Torah tradition: Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

A Simchat Torah tradition: Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

By Itta Werdiger-Roth, The NosherPublished October 5, 2023

This story was originally published on The Nosher. Stuffed cabbage rolls are a traditional Simchat Torah food because two of the little rolls side by side look like a Torah scroll. Even if your cabbage rolls come out in various sizes, you can place...

Natural materials like palm fronds, tree branches or reeds typically create the top of the sukkah.

On Sukkot, the Jewish ‘Festival of booths,’ each sukkah is as unique as the person who builds it

Samira Mehta, University of Colorado, BoulderPublished September 26, 2023

Sukkot is a Jewish festival that follows right on the heels of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, Judaism’s High Holy Days. The harvest holiday, which begins on Sept. 29, 2023, lasts for seven days when celebrated in Israel and eight days when celebrated...

David Meyer Wald, may his memory be a blessing, and the prayer mahzor dedicated to his memory

The mystery of the Jewish soldier who fell on Yom Kippur, 1944

Daniel Lipson, Special To The Jewish LightPublished September 21, 2023

This story was originally published by the National Library of Israel Among the many prayer books (mahzorim) dedicated to the High Holidays in the National Library’s collection, there is a particular two-volume set published in New York by the...

Why Yom Kippur is my favorite Jewish holiday

Why Yom Kippur is my favorite Jewish holiday

By Shelly Jay ShorePublished September 21, 2023

This story originally appeared in Hey Alma. I get a lot of odd looks when I tell people that my favorite day of the Jewish year is Yom Kippur. As Jewish holy days go, Yom Kippur exists at the complicated intersection of community observance, intense...

This German star cookie is perfect  for your Yom Kippur break-fast

This German star cookie is perfect for your Yom Kippur break-fast

By Ronnie Fein, The NosherPublished September 20, 2023

This story originally appeared in The Nosher.  When people deny themselves food for an extended period of time, they’re usually ravenously hungry and find themselves thinking about consuming huge amounts of food. But it’s not a good idea to pack...

Three alternative ways to fast that aren’t about food

Three alternative ways to fast that aren’t about food

Avital Kadosh, Special To The Jewish LightPublished September 18, 2023

As Yom Kippur quickly approaches, I am struck by the meaning behind the rituals and customs that surround our holiest day of the Jewish calendar. Chief among them: fasting for 25 hours. The Torah commands us to abstain from eating and drinking between...

Watch: Shaare Emeth's Tashlich service by the water

Watch: Shaare Emeth’s Tashlich service by the water

Bill Motchan, Special To The Jewish LightPublished September 18, 2023

More than 50 Congregation Shaare Emeth members gathered on the water’s edge at Des Peres Park on Rosh Hashanah for a Tashlich ceremony. Rabbi Rachel Bearman led the gathering, which featured songs by Lucy Greenbaum, director of music engagement. Bearman...

Recipe: Homemade gravlax for Yom Kippur break-fast

Recipe: Homemade gravlax for Yom Kippur break-fast

By Vered MeiPublished September 17, 2023

This story originally appeared in The Nosher. In “Full Moon Feast,” Jessica Prentice guides us through 13 lunar months and the foods grown and prepared within them in traditional cultures. At its core is the idea that food connects people to one...

The Thing, Peter Parker and Miles Morales in “An UnBEElievable Rosh Hashanah.”

Spider-Man is about to dip apples in honey with The Thing

By PJ Grisar, The ForwardPublished September 14, 2023

Spider-Man, Spider-Man, does whatever a spider can. Can he hang with the Jews? L’Shana Tovah tikatevu!  In a new special, “An UnBEElievable Rosh Hashanah,” Peter Parker and Miles Morales, two of the wall-crawlers who, in Disney Junior’s...

High Holiday prayers not working for you? Try remixing metaphors.

High Holiday prayers not working for you? Try remixing metaphors.

Andrew Silow-Carroll, JTAPublished September 14, 2023

(JTA) — One of the centerpieces of the Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur liturgy is the “Avinu Malkeinu” prayer — Our Father, Our King. It’s a desperate and emotional appeal for forgiveness, set to powerful melodies over the centuries. It’s...

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