Judaism’s big tentDaniel Movitz’s letter to the editor April 23 envisions a Jewish community simply defined by a few movements. The Jewish community that Rabbi Mordechai Kaplan, the founder of Reconstructionism, envisioned in his writing and teaching,...

Standing together as one Jewish communityI am writing to my fellow Jewish people in the Reform, Conservative and Orthodox communities. As a proud Conservative Jew, I received an education from Solomon Schechter Day School while I was growing up. I was...

Taking a stand against hatred The shootings in Overland Park remind us yet again that the scourge of anti-Semitism is alive and well right here in Missouri. This critical issue has all but fallen to the back burner as Jews of all stripes grow comfortable...

Disappointment over Senate vote The National Council of Jewish Women – St. Louis Section wants to express our profound disappointment in the Missouri Senate’s action taken last week on Senate Bill 712. This bill would have provided protections in...

Coalition aims to protect church/state separationMany thanks to the Jewish Light and Ellen Futterman for highlighting a recent action alert sent out by JCRC concerning HB 1303, a bill in the state legislature that, among other actions, would allow organized...

Legislature’s proposals disrespect womenIn light of the numerous and onerous bills that the Missouri legislature is considering that limit access to abortion, one has to wonder what the legislators really think about women. Is it not demeaning that...

Bringing Jewish women togetherI have lived in the St. Louis area since 1977 and have always been involved in the Jewish community. It has often been said that our community lacks cohesiveness — that we focus more on our differences than our similarities....

Timelines only go so far The sestercentennial of St. Louis is yet one more occasion to review and celebrate the history of Jewish life in the Gateway to the West. Bob Cohn’s Feb. 19 “Cohnipedia” column about B’nai El is but one lovely effort...

Leo Frank and anti-Semitism in the U.S.In his Feb. 26 commentary (“A ‘Frank’ look at American anti-Semitism”), David Benkof questions “why so many American Jews felt besieged” by anti-Semitism when it appeared the exception rather than the...

Cultural Leadership's impactI want to thank Gene Carton for his comments (letter to the editor, Feb. 5) regarding our award-winning high school and new middle school programs. Cultural Leadership was created in 2004 to address serious segregation and...

IntermarriageIt’s not a coincidence that the lead story Feb. 5 on intermarriage (“After lull, intermarriage debate reignited”) coincided with the Torah reading of the week, Tetzaveh. In the reading, we find the mitzvah of lighting the menorah and...

Response to editorial Once again, the Jewish Light knows best when it comes to Israel, this time with a skewed interpretation of Secretary of State John Kerry’s inflammatory comments and not so veiled threats of international sanctions and a new Intifada...