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

11 honored as Jewish Light Unsung Heroes

11 honored as Jewish Light Unsung Heroes

Ellen Futterman, Editor-in-ChiefPublished November 28, 2023

Nine individuals and one married couple were recognized Tuesday night as the 2023 Jewish Light Unsung Heroes. The 14th annual event took place at the Missouri History Museum in Forest Park. Unsung Heroes, which began in 2010, shines a light on individuals...

The Boxcar

St. Louis artist shares story behind this haunting piece of Holocaust art

Jordan Palmer, Chief Digital Content OfficerPublished November 27, 2023

As a young boy growing up in St. Louis, metal sculpture artist Dale Dicker, 74, was surrounded by many family members who survived the Holocaust. His grandfather, Joseph Barg, saw the rise of Nazism early on and successfully got his wife Yetta's family...

Dor Tsadik Osher chants from the Torah as his parents Shemohn and Khaya watch, Nov. 18, 2023.

St. Louis bar mitzvah serves as a bridge between Jews and Hebrew Israelites

By Andrew Esensten , Special to the Jewish LightPublished November 26, 2023

As a boy growing up in Israel, Dor Tsadik Osher didn’t think much about having a bar mitzvah. He and his family belong to the African Hebrew Israelites of Jerusalem, a spiritual community based in Dimona, in the Negev desert, that practices a Torah-based...

Illinois tax credit program for private schools set to end, upsetting Jewish educators

Illinois tax credit program for private schools set to end, upsetting Jewish educators

By Andrew Lapin, JTAPublished November 22, 2023

(JTA) – For the last five years, thousands of Jewish children in Illinois and their families have taken advantage of a state program that lets them defray the cost of private Jewish schools. Now, those families could see their payments rise after...

From left, Nusach Hari B’nai Zion will honor Drs. Jay Pepose and Susan Feigenbaum, Marcela Morgensztern, Nancy Rush and Stuart Klaman at the congregation’s 118th anniversary dinner on Sunday, Dec. 3.

NHBZ to celebrate its 118th anniversary dinner

Published November 21, 2023

Nusach Hari B’nai Zion is hosting its 118th Anniversary Dinner on Sunday, Dec. 3 at the Clayton Plaza Hotel. Hors d’oevres will be served at 5:30 p.m., and the dinner and program will begin at 6:30 p.m. The guests of honor are Drs. Jay Pepose and...

From a 4-month courtship to a 73-year marriage

From a 4-month courtship to a 73-year marriage

Ellen Futterman, Editor-in-ChiefPublished November 21, 2023

As regular readers may remember, I’m a sucker for a good love story. And I was pretty sure I had found one when over lunch earlier this month, my friend Dorothy Firestone happened to mention that she and her husband Billy were getting ready to celebrate...

Former Lindbergh teacher says he was impersonated on Instagram

Former Lindbergh teacher says he was impersonated on Instagram

By Ryan Krull , Special To The Jewish LightPublished November 20, 2023

This story was originally published by the Riverfront Times and is published here with full permission. Read the original story here.  A man who previously worked as a teacher at St. Louis area schools was put on blast this weekend for allegedly...

Shown at the ADL Dinner honoring Sen. Kit Bond with the Stuart Raskas Americanism Award are (from left): Ivan Chorlins, ADL Chairman; Bond; JoAnne Raskas; Melvin Salberg, ADL National Chairman; Donna Wilkenson and Harvey M. Brown.

1993: Sen. Kit Bond honored with ADL Raskas Award

Jordan Palmer, Chief Digital Content OfficerPublished November 20, 2023

The fact the Jewish Light was there in 1993 should not surprise anyone. We have been there and we are here now, but we need your support to ensure that we are here in the future. For six decades, the St. Louis Jewish Light...

What the DaVinci Code did for the Catholic Church, Rabbi Shooks book does for Judaism

What the ‘DaVinci Code’ did for the Catholic Church, Rabbi Shook’s book does for Judaism

Jordan Palmer, Chief Digital Content OfficerPublished November 20, 2023

In 2013, when Rabbi Emeritus Mark Shook of Congregation Temple Israel first became a published author, the title of his novel was "Ezra's Scroll." The book was a story of modern intrigue mixed with ancient tragedy crisscrossing time. Now, a decade...

Jewish students share concerns and unsettling experiences on SLU campus

Jewish students share concerns and unsettling experiences on SLU campus

Jordan Palmer, Chief Digital Content OfficerPublished November 19, 2023

Since Hamas' attack on Israel, antisemitism is surging across campuses including incidents of violence against Jewish students. While no violence has been reported at Saint Louis University, some Jewish students say they feel uneasy and unsafe on campus. "There...

Who is in this 1972 photo from Camp Nat Koplar?

Who is in this 1972 photo from Camp Nat Koplar?

Jordan Palmer, Chief Digital Content OfficerPublished November 19, 2023

This week’s “Blast From The Past” photo features some very cute and well-mannered St. Louis preschoolers. The photo appeared on page 15 of the August 2, 1972 issue of the St. Louis Jewish Light with the headline: "Probstein's Visit Camp...

500 Strong: St. Charles community unites for Israel

500 Strong: St. Charles community unites for Israel

Bill Motchan, Special To The Jewish LightPublished November 19, 2023

Nearly 500 Israel supporters gathered in Frontier Park in St. Charles on Sunday afternoon, Nov. 19 to call attention to the hostages held by Hamas and demand their safe return. “Bring them home” was the rallying cry at the event, which moved from...

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