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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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Young Israel of St. Louis will honor Dr. Hilton and René Price (above) and Elie and Aliza Freilich (right) during the congregation’s June 5 gala at the Clayton Plaza Hotel.

Young Israel of St. Louis plans June 5 gala dinner

Published May 22, 2024

The Young Israel of St. Louis upcoming Annual Gala Dinner will take place on Wednesday, June 5, at the Clayton Plaza Hotel in Clayton. This year’s event will honor long-standing members Dr. Hilton and...

Josiah Smith

Josiah Schmidt to crack ancestral mysteries for STL County Library. Detective hat not included

Published May 21, 2024

Josiah Schmidt is a new history and genealogy specialist at the St. Louis County Library. His responsibilities include helping patrons access the many free genealogical and historical resources with...

(L) Air Force 1st Lt. Roslyn Schulte was killed in Afghanistan in 2009. (R) U.S. Army 1st Lt. Emily Crews shares a hug with her grandmother, Elsie Shemin Roth.

Remembering Lt. Schulte, Celebrating Lt. Crews, and supporting Israeli youth

Ellen Futterman, Editor-in-ChiefPublished May 21, 2024

The legacy of Roz lives on For many people, Memorial Day weekend signals the official start of summer. School’s out, swimming pools open and temperatures heat up.  But Memorial Day — the actual...

Marian Steen

From ceramics to watercolors, B’nai Amoona hosts eclectic art show

Jordan Palmer, Chief Digital Content OfficerPublished May 21, 2024

If you are of the belief that the world is a canvas and if you know where to look, you'll find strokes of art waiting to be appreciated, then let us point you in the direction of B'nai Amoona....

Avi Adler

Avi Adler reflects on 4-years at Columbia University and his award winning finish

Jordan Palmer, Chief Digital Content OfficerPublished May 20, 2024

When Columbia University in New York canceled its commencement ceremony following weeks of anti-Israel protests and campus turmoil, it disrupted the ability of students and their families to celebrate...

Cicadas are edible. But are they kosher?

Cicadas are edible. But are they kosher?

Jordan Palmer, Chief Digital Content OfficerPublished May 19, 2024

You can hear them pretty much everywhere you go around Missouri -- the loud, constant buzzing sound of the cicadas. Not only are we hearing them in St. Louis, but we're also seeing them and talking...

The Torah Prep robotics team

St. Louis girls’ robotics team reaches world finals

By Bill Motchan, Special to the Jewish LightPublished May 19, 2024

“Candy” is a colorful Lego-clad robot about the size of a toaster. She’s small but powerful. That’s also an apt description for her creators, the Torah Prep robotics team. The group consists...

U.S. Civil War Union officers in tent (1862). Photo courtesy of Penn State Special Collections via Flickr

How St. Louis Jewish war veterans of the Civil War fought back against antisemitism

By Bill Motchan, Special to the Jewish LightPublished May 19, 2024

St. Louis Jewish War Veterans (JWV) Post 644 was founded in St. Louis nearly 75 years ago. The national JWV organization dates back to 1896. That’s when a group of 63 Jewish veterans from the Civil...

Camp Ben Frankel launches emergency fundraiser for Israeli children

Camp Ben Frankel launches emergency fundraiser for Israeli children

BY ELLEN FUTTERMAN, EDITOR-IN-CHIEFPublished May 19, 2024

Camp Ben Frankel has launched an emergency fundraising campaign to try to bring up to 17 Israeli children affected by the events of Oct. 7th to the camp this summer. The Jewish sleepover camp is located...

A group from Explore St. Louis visits the St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum’s Impact Lab in late October.

What it means that St. Louis Holocaust Museum is part of the Blue Star program

Jordan Palmer, Chief Digital Content OfficerPublished May 19, 2024

The St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum is now offering free admission to active-duty military personnel and their families for the entire summer. This initiative is part of the museum's participation...

Dan Ahdoot.

The funniest Iranian Jew in the world is coming to St. Louis

Bill Motchan, Special to the Jewish LightPublished May 15, 2024

A special night of comedy, food and fellowship is coming up June 10 at The Factory in Chesterfield. The Men’s Event is being planned by Jewish Federation to bring together a wide cross-section of...

This story was originally published in the Forward. Click here to get the Forward's free email newsletters delivered to your inbox.

The secret Jewish history of cicadas

By Seth Rogovoy, The ForwardPublished May 15, 2024

Do you hear that? What’s that buzzing noise? If you live between Tennessee and New York — especially if you live in Ohio, Maryland, or the Virginias — and if it’s mid-to-late May or June,...

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