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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

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From Auschwitz to St. Louis: a son carries his father’s story

From Auschwitz to St. Louis: a son carries his father’s story

Jordan Palmer, Chief Digital Content OfficerPublished September 8, 2025

When the St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum opens its doors on Sept. 28 for “Survivor Hour: Josh Schonfeld,” it won’t just be another lecture. This free community program offers a rare...

They came for school. They found a Jewish home in St. Louis

They came for school. They found a Jewish home in St. Louis

Jordan Palmer, Chief Digital Content OfficerPublished September 8, 2025

In 2005, JGrads started on the Washington University campus with a few Shabbat dinners, a couple of ambitious grad students and the idea that St. Louis needed something more for Jewish graduate students. The...

Photo and recipe from ‘Gursha: Timeless Recipes for Modern Kitchens, from Ethiopia, Israel, Harlem, and Beyond,’ © 2025 by Tevletz Barhany-	John. Excerpted by permission of Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Penguin Random House LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

From brisket to babka: The Jewish foods that tell our story

By Margi Lenga Kahn, Special to the Jewish LightPublished September 7, 2025

Jews are the people of the Diaspora. Beginning in the first century, and then over and over again through the years and around the world, our people have been forced to leave their homes and scatter...

Flour power: St. Louis bakers share secrets at global expo

Flour power: St. Louis bakers share secrets at global expo

Published September 7, 2025

Stefani Pollack and Josh Allen are speaking at the International Baking Industry Exposition in Las Vegas, taking place Sept. 13-17. Pollack, creator of Cupcake Project and founder of The Bake Fest,...

JCC Fox Building renovation brings new life to Chesterfield

JCC Fox Building renovation brings new life to Chesterfield

By Bill Motchan, Special to the Jewish LightPublished September 5, 2025

A first-time visitor to the Jewish Community Center’s Marilyn Fox Building might not guess the facility is 28 years old. Inside and out, it looks brand new, following a comprehensive 15-month renovation....

Will Goldstein and son with friend Dave Streibig at the Missouri State Handball Championships.

How one St. Louis Jewish family built a sports dynasty that lasted a century

Jordan Palmer, Chief Digital Content OfficerPublished September 4, 2025

There must be something about high walls and hitting a ball as hard as you can that resonates with St. Louis Jews. In the 1970s and ’80s, Jewish racquetball champions helped put St. Louis on the national...

Amy Fenster Brown writes that her  sons, Davis (left) and Leo are now in the same fraternity, making them double brothers — DosBros.

Nest, Empty

By Amy Fenster Brown, Special to the Jewish LightPublished September 3, 2025

It’s so quiet. My house is so very quiet now that both kids are young men away at college.  I’ve woken up every morning for the last couple of weeks thinking about the number of days left having...

A St. Louis family, a Holocaust survivor, and a secret that changes everything

A St. Louis family, a Holocaust survivor, and a secret that changes everything

Published September 3, 2025

Robert Colton’s book, “The Mitzvah of Repentance,” was recently released. It is about a prominent St. Louis family who feel themselves obligated to take in a Holocaust survivor shortly after...

St. Louisans honored as champions of reproductive justice

St. Louisans honored as champions of reproductive justice

Published September 3, 2025

Dr. Jennifer Smith and attorney Tori Schafer will be honored on Sept. 9 as the 2025 Access MO Champions of Reproductive Justice. They were instrumental in ensuring Missourians have constitutional protections...

Chesterfield Hebrew school launches with hands-on fun

Chesterfield Hebrew school launches with hands-on fun

Published September 3, 2025

Chabad Chesterfield Hebrew school is launching a monthly family program this fall, offering hands-on, interactive Jewish learning experiences that bring traditions like shofar making and matzah baking...

Rabbi Mark Shook brings Jewish lens to Bible and Qur’an study

Rabbi Mark Shook brings Jewish lens to Bible and Qur’an study

Published September 3, 2025

This year, Saturday Morning Bible Study will be divided into two parts, both from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. either in person at Temple Israel or on Zoom. | RELATED: Rabbi Mark Shook honored for five decades...

Volunteers with the St. Louis nonprofit organization Joy Petalers.

Giving back, one bouquet at a time: The ‘Joy Petalers’ spread smiles with recycled blooms

Ellen Futterman, Editor-in-ChiefPublished September 3, 2025

It should come as no surprise that many Jewish Light Unsung Heroes of the past continue to expand their volunteer repertoire with gusto. Take Susan K. Goldberg, a member of the Unsung Heroes Class of 2016...

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