Bill Motchan, Special To The Jewish Light
• Published April 18, 2025
Parents will do whatever is necessary to help their children thrive. That’s especially true for Harel and Raya Avrutsky. They created a loving home for their daughter Carmi and son Beeri.
There was one additional challenge for Beeri. He was born...
Chabad of Chesterfield is accepting applications for the Solomon Leadership Program chapter in Chesterfield. This initiative aims to cultivate leadership skills, foster community involvement and inspire the next generation of leaders. Successful participants...
Jordan Palmer, Chief Digital Content Officer
• Published April 18, 2025
John Pertzborn is no stranger to good stories. The legendary St. Louis broadcaster—best known for his long-running "Pertzborn’s People" segment on KSDK-TV in the 1980s and '90s and as co-anchor of Fox 2’s morning news since 1998—has spent decades...
Gracie May recently won Miss Heartland Princess of America (ages 19-24) and is headed to nationals in July. The areas of competition were an interview, personal introduction, formal wear and an on-stage question.
May’s platform is the need for Holocaust...
Beginning July 1, Rabbi Carnie Shalom Rose will be the new senior rabbi at Shaarey Zedek Congregation in Winnipeg, Canada.
He is the former rabbi of Congregation B’nai Amoona in St. Louis and most recently served as president and CEO of the Mandel...
Amy Kuo Hammerman and Robert Snidman were sworn in as Ladue Schools Board of Education board members.
A retired attorney, Hammerman currently serves as the NCJWSTL’s state policy advocate for Missouri and sits on the local board of the organization....
Jennifer Stempel’s first children’s picture book, “With a Needle and Thread: A Jewish Folktale from Cuba,” will debut in October.
The book is available for pre-order from major retailers (Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc.). It tells the story...
Jordan Palmer, Chief Digital Content Officer
• Published April 16, 2025
The St. Louis Jewish community didn’t waste any time. Just three days after launching an emergency fundraising campaign to protect its digital archive of Holocaust survivor stories, the museum reached its $130,000 goal—and then surpassed it—thanks...
Alice Ludmer is among 10 local leaders to be honored as the 2025 Women of Achievement (Volunteer Leadership) at the 70th Anniversary Luncheon at the Ritz-Carlton on May 13. A biography on the Women of Achievement website noted that over the past...
With 10+ years of service, Megan T. Wilson is the new president of the JFS (Jewish Family Services) board of directors for the 2025-2027 term. She is a senior compliance counsel at Edward Jones.
Lauren Appelbaum and Rabbi Dale Schreiber have joined...
Dana Sandweiss is the recipient of the 2025 Hannah G. Solomon Founder’s Award, given by NCJWSTL (National Council of Jewish Women St. Louis).
This is the highest honor awarded by NCJWSTL and is presented to an individual who has changed the lives...
TEL AVIV — On the morning of Oct. 7, 2023, Reut Karp was staying with a friend outside Tel Aviv when she was awakened by sirens. It was Simchat Torah, and she was about two hours from home at Kibbutz Re’im, a close-knit community of 435 residents...
