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

Local news

Can you help us identify everyone in this photo from April, 1977

Can you help us identify everyone in this photo from April, 1977

Jordan Palmer, Chief Digital Content OfficerPublished March 18, 2024

I stumbled upon this wonderful photo of 16 smiling, happy people from 1977. According to the label on the back of the picture, we believe it was taken as a preview of "The Realtor Follies." From what I could find, "The Realtor Follies" was put...

Brian Herstig.

Brian Herstig leaving the Jewish Federation of St. Louis

BY ELLEN FUTTERMAN AND JORDAN PALMERPublished March 18, 2024

After more than four and a half years, Brian Herstig, president & CEO of the Jewish Federation of St. Louis, will resign his position at the end of June to move closer to his family in Minnesota. Herstig, who joined Federation in early 2020, said...

Unleash Your Pen: Bnai Brith is confronting antisemitism with new essay contest

Unleash Your Pen: B’nai Brith is confronting antisemitism with new essay contest

Jordan Palmer, Chief Digital Content OfficerPublished March 18, 2024

Since Oct. 7, The Jewish Light has published umpteen stories about college students having to confront the rising tide of antisemitism on college campuses. Now B'nai Brith is hoping some of those students are ready to address antisemitism...

The J announces $13M renovation of Marilyn Fox Building in Chesterfield

The J announces $13M renovation of Marilyn Fox Building in Chesterfield

By Bill Motchan, Special to the Jewish LightPublished March 17, 2024

A $13 million renovation of the Jewish Community Center’s Marilyn Fox Building in Chesterfield will begin in early April and touch all areas of the facility. The project will be funded through a capital campaign, supplemented by a $2 million infusion...

Rabbi Daniel Bogard is one of a number of Jewish content creators on TikTok who uses the platform for education and advocacy.

St. Louis rabbi defends TikTok as vital for Jewish education amid antisemitic threats

By Beth Harpaz, The ForwardPublished March 17, 2024

Rabbi Seth Goldstein joined TikTok during the pandemic as “a way of occupying time and being creative.” He has since come to see it as “a wonderful vehicle” for teaching the weekly Torah portion or talking about Jewish holidays.  So if Congress...

St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Famer Stan Musial as he was depicted on his 1953 Bowman baseball trading card.

The last Cardinals Reminiscence League offers therapeutic baseball experience for dementia patients, families

Jordan Palmer, Chief Digital Content OfficerPublished March 17, 2024

According to the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR), the first baseball reminiscence program in the US was the Cardinals Reminiscence League (CRL). Begun in 2011, [CRL] was a joint effort by the Alzheimer’s Association,...

Michael Staenberg, recipient of special recognition honors

Michael Staenberg to discuss his philanthropic journey and ‘Building Beyond Bricks’

Jordan Palmer, Chief Digital Content OfficerPublished March 14, 2024

The finale of Ignite YP's Staenberg Speaker Series is set for Wednesday, March 20, and will feature its namesake, Michael Staenberg, as the main speaker. Staenberg is the current President of the Board of Directors for the St. Louis Jewish Light and...

Two campaigns celebrate the St. Louis Jewish communitys triumph

Two campaigns celebrate the St. Louis Jewish community’s triumph

Larry Gast, Jewish Federation of St. LouisPublished March 14, 2024

In one of the most challenging years our community has ever faced, the Jewish Federation of St. Louis is thrilled to celebrate the collective achievement of our community in the 2023 Annual Campaign. Guided by the leadership of Joe Pereles, Campaign Chair,...

Lance Levine is the fourth-generation owner of Levine Hats.

Levine Hat Co. still going strong after 120 years of style, service and stories

Bill Motchan, Special to the jewish LightPublished March 14, 2024

Years ago, early in his career, Congregation Shaare Emeth senior Rabbi James Bennett was officiating a graveside funeral on a cold, winter day. He wore a small kippah on his head, but he was shivering. After the service, the late Ed Levine, longtime owner...

Yakir Hexter.

St. Louis grandfather to share story of his grandson, an IDF hero killed in action

Jordan Palmer, Chief Digital Content OfficerPublished March 14, 2024

A day after Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, Yakir Hexter and Dovid Schwartz, two best friends, were called up to serve in Gaza. On Jan. 8, the two combat engineers died together in a rocket-propelled grenade attack during intense fighting in southern...

Host your own Purim film festival with these 5 films

Host your own Purim film festival with these 5 films

Jordan Palmer, Chief Digital Content OfficerPublished March 13, 2024

For over two decades, the film “Elf” has warmed the hearts of countless viewers, becoming a cherished Christmas tradition. Yet, on the Jewish calendar, while Passover boasts cinematic gems like "The Ten Commandments" and "The Prince of Egypt," poor...

Becky Gerson

Meet birth coach and doula Becky Gerson

Bill Motchan, Special To The Jewish LightPublished March 13, 2024

It’s well past midnight and Becky Gerson’s cell phone dings with a text message from an anxious new mother-to-be. Gerson, a birth coach and doula, jumps out of bed, grabs her “go bag” and hits the road. The routine is familiar enough that Gerson’s...

Load More Stories