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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

Passover

How Coke’s Passover recipe sparked an antisemitic conspiracy theory

How Coke’s Passover recipe sparked an antisemitic conspiracy theory

By Benyamin Cohen, The ForwardPublished April 10, 2025

This story was originally published in the Forward. Click here to get the Forward's free email newsletters delivered to your inbox. The conspiracy theory started, ironically, when an Orthodox rabbi stood in front of a display of Coca-Cola bottles and...

The Passover Project Players back on stage for 2025.

Standing room only—and no matzah ball soup left—at St. Louis’ musical seder

Jordan Palmer, Chief Digital Content OfficerPublished April 8, 2025

How do I know the Passover Project: A Musical Seder was a hit? The venue ran out of matzah ball soup. And tickets too. That was the scene Tuesday night, April 8, at City Winery in the Foundry, where more than 250 guests filled the room for the second...

Streit's co-owners Aaron Gross, far left, and Aron Yagoda, far right, give two young visitors a tour of the matzah factory. (Courtesy Streit's)

How your matzah gets made: A peek inside the Streit’s factory

Joseph Strauss, JTAPublished April 7, 2025

Streit’s, the kosher food company that’s best known for its matzah, is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year.  And while many things have changed since the matzah bakery was first opened on Rivington Street on the Lower East Side in 1925...

A little number game for the kiddies. Children love math. Photo by Yahav Gamliel/Flash90

12 little-known Passover Haggadah facts

By Zachy Hennessey, Israel21cPublished April 7, 2025

As Passover approaches, families around the world prepare to gather for the traditional Seder meal. While many are familiar with the basic elements of the Haggadah — the ancient text that guides the Seder — there are some fascinating facts you might...

No bourbon, no beer, no problem: 5 drinks that are totally Passover-approved

No bourbon, no beer, no problem: 5 drinks that are totally Passover-approved

Jordan Palmer, Chief Digital Content OfficerPublished April 7, 2025

As someone who’s written about beer and whiskey for over a decade, I always get the same question around this time of year: Is beer kosher? But Jewish drinkers should be asking a more specific question—is beer "kosher" for Passover? Is beer OK...

Thanks to all of you who attended the first annual Passover Project. It was all the brainchild of my colleague Ellen Futterman, and she rocked it.

St. Louis is getting ready for a rockin’ Passover celebration

Published April 2, 2025

In less than a week, “The Passover Project: A Musical Seder” is back—bigger, better and more soulful than ever. This one-of-a-kind celebration is happening Tuesday, April 8, at 7:30 p.m. (doors open at 6 p.m.) at City Winery St. Louis at the Foundry...

The unlikely WWII seder that reminded a Jewish sailor who he was, 80 years later

The unlikely WWII seder that reminded a Jewish sailor who he was, 80 years later

Jordan Palmer, Chief Digital Content OfficerPublished April 2, 2025

James Sherman had every reason to believe he was staying put, right here in St. Louis. In February 1944, he passed his military exam but figured, at 32, married with two kids, he wasn’t going anywhere. Then came May 12—a date that would become a Sherman...

Pres. Harry Truman from the “The Trials of Harry S. Truman,” by Jeffrey Frank

When Missouri’s own Harry S. Truman’s addressed Jewish troops for Passover 1945

Jordan Palmer, Chief Digital Content OfficerPublished April 2, 2025

In March 1945, with World War II nearing its end and President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s health failing, Vice President Harry S. Truman stepped up to deliver a Passover message to Jewish troops serving overseas. Roosevelt was just weeks from death. Truman,...

(Crown Books; Intergalactic Afikomen; Creston Books; Norton Books)

In new Passover children’s books include a mystery, Obama’s White House seder and a graphic novel from writer Dara Horn

Penny Schwartz, JTAPublished March 4, 2025

An endless Passover seder takes center stage in “One Little Goat: A Passover Catastrophe,” by writer Dara Horn and illustrator Theo Ellsworth, award-winners who teamed up for a humor-filled, time-travel graphic novel for young people. The tale...

Tickets now available for ‘The Passover Project’

Tickets now available for ‘The Passover Project’

Ellen Futterman, Editor-in-ChiefPublished February 19, 2025

Tickets are now on sale for the 2025 installment of  “The Passover Project: A Musical Seder,” at the City Winery on Tuesday, April 8 at 7 p.m. (doors at 6 p.m.) Rooted in a few examples from other creative communities around the country, the ...

Haggadah shel Pesah, translated by Sonia Gronemann and illustrated by Otto Geismar. Made in Berlin, 1927.
Isser and Rae Price Library of Judaica , CC BY-ND

From sumptuous engravings to stick-figure sketches, Passover Haggadahs − and their art − have been evolving for centuries

Rebecca J.W. Jefferson, University of FloridaPublished April 24, 2024

The Jewish festival of Passover recalls the biblical story of the Israelites enslaved by Egypt and their miraculous escape. During a ritual feast known as a Seder, families celebrate this ancient story of deliverance, with each new generation reminded...

Feeling stuck this Pesach? Rabbi Rosenberg may have the solution!

Feeling stuck this Pesach? Rabbi Rosenberg may have the solution!

Rabbi Brigitte RosenbergPublished April 24, 2024

Pesach feels different this year. Likely, we are all experiencing a mix of emotions; sad, angry, scared, frustrated, and stuck in place, like it has forever been Oct. 7. We’re supposed to celebrate with joy this festival known, as Zman Cherutaynu, season...

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