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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

Newsmakers

Top row, from left: Carly Scaduto, Jessica Litwack, Ryan Rich, Kevin Litt, Dr. Michael Polinsky and Michelle Dunski. 

Second row:  Stacy Smart, Angela Jolly, Eitan Kantor, Lynnsie Kantor, Kimberlie Heligman and Joanne Iskiwitch.

Third row: Rabbi David Reinhart, Rabbi Adam Bellows, Emily Rauh Pulitzer and Jon Hoffman.

Newsmakers: March 2022

Published March 8, 2022

Carly Scaduto is the new senior director of media relations for San Francisco-based Vir Biotechnology, which is described on its website as “a commercial stage immunology company focused on combining immunologic insights with cutting edge technologies...

Newsmakers: February 2022

Newsmakers: February 2022

Published February 7, 2022

Karen Aroesty has been named director of St. Louis County’s Department of Administration. She will oversee county services, including financial and personnel affairs, customer service, risk management, procurement, the Office of Performance Management...

TOP ROW, FROM LEFT: Rabbi Ze’ev Smason, David Garfield, Larry Gellman, Dr. John Rosenfeld and Vanessa Merit Nornberg. 
SECOND ROW:  William Greenblatt, Dr. Kenneth M. Ludmerer, David Rubin, Richard Tishler and Rick Cornfeld.
THIRD ROW: Daniel Levy, Alex Abramson, Alice Handelman, Michael Staenberg and Carol Staenberg.

Newsmakers: January 2022

Published January 6, 2022

Rabbi Ze’ev Smason will be retiring after 25 years in the pulpit at Nusach Hari B’nai Zion. He will continue to be the spiritual leader until August. Smason will then continue his support with Israel advocacy. Among the 2022 inductees of the Clayton...

Top row, from left: Giti Fredman, Farilyn Hale, Eliana Heller, Mary Strauss, Ellior Rose and Emily Kantrovitz.  Second row:  Molly Katzman, Eve Frank, Tovah Enger, R. Randal Aaranson, Alex Abramson and Joe Pereles.

Newsmakers: November 2021

Published November 8, 2021

Giti Fredman recently opened Just Bake It! She is offering online and in person bread baking workshops that include kosher baking kits of challah (regular or pretzel), babka, bagels or cinnamon buns. There is a four-person minimum for in-person workshops...

Top Row: Xena Wolf, Pam Toder, Mark Bernstein. Middle Row: Lisa Baron, Kayla Steinberg, Frances Levine. Third Row: Helene Sherman, Cheryl Maayan, Adam L. Inlander

Newsmakers: October 2021

Published October 8, 2021

Cheryl Maayan plans to retire as head of school at Saul Mirowitz Jewish Community School at the end of the school year. She explained that after 14 years in the job, she’s looking forward to new adventures, a less busy lifestyle and new ways to be a...

Top row: Michael Litwack, Ryan Silver, Jorie Myers and Allison Worth. Second row: Andrew Fredman, Jeff S. Wehmer, Ken Levine and David Margolis.  Third row: Jordan Palmer, Susan E. Bindler, Richard Tishler and Jeff Glogower.

Newsmakers: September 2021

Published September 14, 2021

Michael Litwack has been honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award by NCCJ St. Louis (formerly National Conference for Community & Justice and before that National Conference for Christians & Jews). The organization’s board members decided...

Newsmakers: August 2021

Newsmakers: August 2021

Published August 15, 2021

Cantor Jay O’Brien has been recognized as one of Chicago’s Jewish 36 Under 36: Double Chai in the Chi, by Oy! Chicago. O’Brien is the cantor and composer-in-residence at Makom Solel Lakeside in Highland Park, Ill. He is the son of Rhonda and...

Newsmakers: Alice Handelman, Joel Frankel and Hannah Schwartz

Newsmakers: Alice Handelman, Joel Frankel and Hannah Schwartz

Published July 22, 2021

Alice Handelman, a member of the Jewish Light’s Board of Trustees, has won five first place writing awards from Missouri Professional Communicators and two second place writing awards from the National Federation of Press Women for her feature...

Rabbi Carnie Rose, Ellior Rose and David Smith

Newsmakers: B’nai Amoona rabbi, USY leaders

Published July 21, 2021

The Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS) awarded honorary doctorates to 36 rabbis at an online convocation ceremony June 6. Among those whose achievements were honored was Rabbi Carnie Shalom Rose, the Rabbi Bernard Lipnick Senior Rabbinic Chair at Congregation...

Portrait of Samantha Fischer

Newsmakers: June 2021

ELLEN FUTTERMANPublished June 6, 2021

Vickie Shuchart, director of operations at Congregation B’nai Amoona, is the new director of Nishmah, a program of the Jewish Community Center that supports Jewish women. Its goal is to bring together Jewish women and girls from different denominations...

Newsmakers: May 2021

Newsmakers: May 2021

Published May 7, 2021

Noa Dean, a sophomore at Parkway North High School, has been selected by the National Society of Arts and Letters (NASL) to represent Missouri at the 2021 National Competition in Dance, which will be held June 4-6 in a virtual format. She attends...

Joann Iskiwitch

Newsmakers April 2021: Awards, honors and career moves

Compiled by Ellen Futterman, Editor-in-ChiefPublished April 9, 2021

Joanne Iskiwitch has received the 2020 Coldwell Banker President’s Elite Award, given to top Coldwell Banker real estate agents locally and internationally. Iskiwitch also recently was awarded the Certified Luxury Home Marketing Specialist (CHLMS) designation...

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