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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

Opinion

Eric Mink is a freelance writer and editor and teaches film studies at Webster University. He is a former columnist for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and the Daily News in New York. Contact him at ericmink1@gmail.com.

Health care retreat would betray founding principles

BY ERIC MINKPublished July 13, 2017

Years ago — considerably more than 20 — the legendary Fred Friendly gave me a pocket-size paperback containing the full texts of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution of the United States and the amendments.Friendly, who died in 1998,...

A plaque in a Jewish school in Helsinki commemorates soldiers who died in World War II.

Experiencing Judaism in the Baltics

By Gaby SzteinbergPublished July 13, 2017

Who would have thought that a random Google search in 2013 would bring me half way around the world to the Baltics and Finland, two places I would have never dreamed of visiting before? Even more surprising is that I would discover Jewish life in these...

More than a playground: church-state conflict

By Steven PuroPublished July 6, 2017

Principles of church-state separation are a key protection of religious freedom in America. The First Amendment to the United States Constitution prohibits government establishment of religion and allows free exercise of religion to ensure a broad scope...

Cathleen Kronemer, NSCA-CPT, Certified Health Coach, is a longtime fitness instructor at the Jewish Community Center. She is also a member of the St. Louis Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.

Becoming More Than Your Goal

By Cathleen Kronemer, NSCA-CPT, Certified Health CoachPublished July 6, 2017

I am a big fan of Zig Ziglar.  For those of you who are unfamiliar with the name, Mr. Ziglar is a motivational speaker.  I almost always find something valuable and useful in what he has to offer, and have collected his quotes for years.This is one...

Rabbi James Stone Goodman

Out loud and above ground about the opioid epidemic

By Rabbi James Stone GoodmanPublished July 6, 2017

I moved to St. Louis from Ohio. I saw on television that one of the neighborhoods there I used to hang around in is known now for what the news called an opioid epidemic. The newscaster asked a woman on the street: How many houses on this street had someone...

Harvey Wallace

Troubling decisions on conversion, Kotel call for urgent action

By Harvey Wallace, Andrew Rehfeld & Heschel RaskasPublished July 6, 2017

We live at a time when the Jewish People in Israel and throughout the world face deep and abiding challenges, from rising global anti-Semitism to efforts to delegitimize the democratic Jewish State. These times require us to find paths to unify and bring...

Letters to the editor: July 5, 2017

Published July 6, 2017

Lives on the lineCaring for our neighbors and helping the poor should never be a controversial between political parties or religions. Yet our divided government is on the verge of passing a health care bill that would be extremely damaging for Americans...

Laura K. Silver is a trustee of the Jewish Light who writes a blog for the paper’s website (stljewishlight.com/laura). Laura is married and the mother of two middle school age children.

Refreshing our thinking on camp pictures

By Laura K. SilverPublished July 6, 2017

I don’t know about you, but one of the aspects I like best about camp is that my kids spend time away from social media. My kids agree. They welcome the time to connect with their friends face-to-face without the interruption of phones or video games...

Cathleen Kronemer, NSCA-CPT, Certified Health Coach, is a longtime fitness instructor at the Jewish Community Center. She is also a member of the St. Louis Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.

Don’t ‘turnip’ your nose at these healthy veggies

By Cathleen Kronemer, NSCA-CPT, Certified Health CoachPublished June 29, 2017

Summer Soul Food: that is my new term for the abundance of produce exploding on the scene this time of year. Everyone looks forward to the summer months, when it is easy to take advantage of the variety of nutrient-packed fruits in the produce aisle. ...

Letters to the editor: June 28, 2017

Published June 29, 2017

Rep. Newman op-ed I would like to thank Rep. Stacey Newman so much for her passionate “viewpoint” article (“Governor shouldn’t use prayer, women’s reproductive rights for political gain,” June 14 edition) concerning Gov. Eric Greitens’...

Andrew Rehfeld is President and CEO of Jewish Federation of St. Louis.

What it means to love Israel: Let’s start with America

By Andrew RehfeldPublished June 28, 2017

The decisions of the Israeli government this week have been difficult for many Jews in the Diaspora to understand. In times like this it is important to recognize why we continue to support Israel even when we may not agree with its laws, policies or...

Letter: Seeking justice rather than political points

Published June 22, 2017

In reference to the (June 14 commentary, “Governor shouldn’t use prayer, women’s reproductive rights for political gain”), rather than the pro-choice versus pro-life narrative that our Republican Governor is politically a part of, defining the...

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