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

Family + Parenting

Eradicate latke stink? That would be a Hanukkah miracle

Eradicate latke stink? That would be a Hanukkah miracle

Amy Fenster BrownPublished December 6, 2023

The definition of a miracle is an extraordinary event not characterized by natural or scientific law, therefore being a supernatural act of divine agency. I didn’t know God started her own agency, but I’m super proud of her.  As we light the first...

Children light candles as part of their lessons at Yachad Religious School in Oak Park Michigan. (Courtesy of Yachad)

Hebrew school enrollment across US down by nearly half since 2006, report says

Asaf Elia-ShalevPublished April 19, 2023

(JTA) — Living in Brooklyn, surrounded by synagogues and Jewish schools, Rachel Weinstein White and her husband hoped to find a place where their children could receive a Jewish education for a few hours each week. But they knew they didn’t want...

A Jewish parents guide to teaching your child key lessons about money

A Jewish parents guide to teaching your child key lessons about money

BY NINA NEEDLEMAN, Special To The Jewish LightPublished April 12, 2023

When I was a financial planner, we helped individuals and families address their sequential financial needs and priorities at each stage of their lifecycle.  There are three major stages of one’s financial lifecycle: 1) Learning years –birth to-age...

The Wise-Shuchart family’s Passover seders have included non-Jewish guests for three decades. 
Photo courtesy of Andy Wise

Families expand seder traditions with non-Jewish guests invited to Passover

BILL MOTCHAN, SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH LIGHTPublished March 27, 2023

Nearly 30 years ago, a popular local Passover event began. The Wise family seder has grown from a gathering of 15 to a high of 50. These seders also have been noteworthy for the faith of its guests. Usually, about half are non-Jewish. “What the non-Jewish...

The art of coming up with just the right grandparents name

The art of coming up with just the right grandparents’ name

Ellen Futterman, Editor-in-ChiefPublished March 22, 2023

During an interview in 2016 with author Dawn Lerman about her new book “My Fat Dad: A Memoir of Food, Love, and Family, with Recipes,” we got to talking about her maternal grandmother who Lerman would spend Friday nights with as a child. Each Shabbat...

Pursuit of social and educational equity can not be silenced

Pursuit of social and educational equity can not be silenced

Shannon RohlmanPublished February 8, 2023

Recently, I brought my 11-year-old daughter with me along with community rabbis, reverends, members of PROMO (which advocates for LGBTQ rights) and allies of all ages to testify in Jefferson City against Senate Bill 42.  This bill would cause insurmountable...

Free to use under the Pixabay license

Kids need friends but might need some help to make them

DR. RICHARD LAZAROFF, Special To The Jewish LightPublished February 2, 2023

A friend recently posted a video of a popular motivational speaker discussing why some children struggle to make friends. He concluded that it was a parent’s job to “maximize the social attractiveness of your children — because they need friends...

It’s not too early to plan for next summer’s sleep-away camp

It’s not too early to plan for next summer’s sleep-away camp

DR. RICHARD LAZAROFF, Special to the Jewish LightPublished November 9, 2022

Can you afford to send your child to camp next summer? Can you afford not to? Winter is almost upon us. Most kids have moved most of their after-school activities into gymnasiums, indoor soccer parks or perhaps the living room with a musical instrument....

The renovated Staenberg Family Mikvah, located on the Millstone Campus. 

Three myths that keep women from the mikvah mitzvah

MIMI DAVID, SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH LIGHTPublished October 26, 2022

As a certified mikvah mentor, I hear married Jewish women hesitate about going to the mikvah for a variety of reasons.  Many of these reasons are actually based on misconceptions about the mitzvah of mikvah, and I think it is time to publicly clear...

Tehilla and Elisheva Raskas make challah dough during the Great Big Challah Bake of St. Louis on Nov. 10 at the Clayton Plaza Hotel. The event drew close to 500 people. Photo: Kristi Foster

What you knead to know about the Great Big Challah Bake 2022

Jordan Palmer, Chief Digital Content OfficerPublished October 19, 2022

Shabbat has long been an occasion to reconnect with ourselves, our families and our community. And nothing embodies the Shabbat table more than delicious fresh baked challah. Baking challah can be an occasion as well. And that's exactly the premise...

Creative Commons Attribution 2.0

Lessons learned from playing games will last a lifetime

DR. RICHARD LAZAROFF, SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH LIGHTPublished October 12, 2022

Now that I am a grandparent, I really look forward to having one of my grandchildren spend the night. Each of them enjoy the opportunity for some one-on-one time. When they were little, the evening was spent reading books and playing with age-appropriate...

Are parents the roadblock to their child’s sound sleep?

Are parents the roadblock to their child’s sound sleep?

JESSICA MANELA LITWACK, SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH LIGHTPublished October 12, 2022

As a certified sleep coach, most of my consultations start something like this: I ask parents to tell me a bit more about what’s going on with their child’s sleep issue. More often than not, I get a response that includes one of these sentiments: “Well,...

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