While much of the St. Louis Jewish community has been focused on passing legislation designed to safeguard Jewish children from antisemitic attacks in Missouri public schools, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pursued a course focused on defending...
While we in Missouri argue over the IHRA definition of antisemitism, Israel under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pursued a course that is morally indefensible, counterproductive, and a danger to the future of the state itself — and the Jewish...
The Book of Ruth is a story, on many levels, of loyalty. In the words of Lynn Greenhough, Ruth speaks the following to Naomi:
“You gave me friendship and community. I brought you loyalty and grain. Together we found sustenance and love and family....
A rabbi recently shared a story from a flight home from Israel.
While preparing for a Torah class he was scheduled to give upon returning to the United States, he realized he didn’t have access to the material he needed. Through a series of last-minute...
By Rabbi Amy Feder, Congregation Temple israel
• Published April 9, 2026
Each year, the Reform congregational rabbis of our community co-teach an Introduction to Judaism class. We take turns teaching different units, but my favorite is always the life cycle. Jewish rituals for the big moments in our lives are unique and special,...
Rabbi James Stone Goodman
• Published March 26, 2026
It starts with a command: Tzav. Same root as mitzvah. Here though there is an extra urgency. The voice of the Talmud came to me in my morning meditation; extra urgency, Tzav, hurry! Do this thing.
What thing.
Lift up the ashes, thus says your Torah....
By Rabbi Elizabeth Hersh
• Published March 12, 2026
I have an unfortunate habit at home of calling out to my husband when we are in different rooms. To make this matter worse, I may be standing next to the washing machine or the television. As if he could possibly hear me. And yet, I call out to him! Calling...
By Rabbi Josef Davidson
• Published March 12, 2026
Whether one files for oneself or engages an accountant to file, most everyone is in some stage of gathering, organizing or reporting income, expenditures and deductions to be applied to the 2025 federal and state income tax forms, which are due in just...
How far is Shushan? I’m asking because it’s a scary place in which I would not want to live. It’s a place where a few individuals hold our fate — the fate of the Jewish community — in their hands.
Purim is the story of how Jewish fate can...
By Karen Sher, Chief Impact Officer at Jewish Federation of St. Louis.
• Published February 26, 2026
A recent Jewish Telegraphic Agency article republished online by the Jewish Light, headlined “The Jewish divide we can’t ignore,” suggests American Jews are drifting apart over Israel. The data tells a different story: there is misunderstanding...
By Rabbi Brigitte Rosenberg
• Published February 19, 2026
When our St. Louis JCRC Student to Student program brings visiting groups to United Hebrew, I often begin with an invitation to look up at our entryway windows, where there are three familiar Jewish images: the Magen David, a Torah scroll and a seven-branched...
By Rabbi Elizabeth Hersh, TEMPLE EMANUEL
• Published February 11, 2026
Mishpatim, this week’s Torah portion, follows the Revelation at Sinai. After the holiness and spectacular moment at Sinai, we are now faced with the mundane. What are the rules and regulations that will govern a healthy society?
There are civil and...
