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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

Developing a killer infomercial speech

Alan LudmerPublished January 5, 2017

Over the past 20 years I have advised innumerable clients and others that a great infomercial speech is critical to their career campaign. It is an essential part of successful networking. As you probably know, an elevator speech is a personal marketing...

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.

Walk before you run; crawl before you walk

By Cathleen Kronemer, NSCA-CPT, Certified Health CoachPublished January 5, 2017

As we enter 2017, our family has many things to which we are looking forward, most notably the arrival (G-d willing) of our first grandchild in mid-May. As you can imagine, a hefty portion of our conversations these days revolve around this blessed and...

David A. Rubin is a local attorney.

Time for a change in Mideast

By David A. RubinPublished January 4, 2017

It’s been hard to miss all of the Israel-related activity of the past week. The U.N. Security Council passed a one-sided resolution, from which the United States abstained. The next day Secretary of State John Kerry gave a lengthy speech directed primarily...

Rabbi James Stone Goodman is Immediate Past-President of the St. Louis Rabbinical Association.

Come together to save lives, give hope

By Rabbi James Stone GoodmanPublished January 4, 2017

As I write this, President Barack Obama is signing his last major bill into law, a $6.3 billion medical research bill devoted to cancer and other diseases. Attached to the legislation is a strategy to take on the nation’s mental health crisis. The...

What’s in Trump’s heart? Time to find out

BY ERIC MINKPublished January 4, 2017

It’s now two months since the U.S. presidential election and just a couple of weeks until the inauguration. Can we agree on at least a couple of points?Donald Trump won the election by meeting the conditions set by the U.S. Constitution, and he will...

Blaming Obama doesn’t advance the cause of Middle East peace

Rick JacobsPublished December 30, 2016

President Barack Obama speaking with Secretary of State John Kerry during a bilateral meeting with President Juan Manuel Santos of Colombia in New York City, Sept. 21, 2016. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)(JTA) — What did Secretary of State John Kerry...

‘Casimir visits Esterka,’ an 1870 painting by Władysław Łuszczkiewicz. 

Affairs of state: How Jewish mistresses played major roles in history

BY ROBERT A. COHN | Editor-in-Chief EmeritusPublished December 28, 2016

“Show me the fiercest general and he will tremble before a skirt.” — Napoleon Bonaparte   Zsa Zsa Gabor, the Jewish-born actress and femme fatale who died Dec. 18 at the age of 99, collected nine husbands and countless lovers during her long...

Larry Levin has served as publisher/CEO of the Jewish Light since 2008. He is stepping down Dec. 31.

Publisher’s farewell: The Light’s mission endures

By Larry LevinPublished December 28, 2016

The first and most important thing I want to accomplish in this, my last column as publisher/CEO of the Jewish Light, is to thank everyone who has been so instrumental in our work — readers, subscribers, donors, foundations, advertisers, agencies, synagogues...

Max Levin, originally from St. Louis, is a former active Israeli soldier serving in the IDF Reserves. During his service, Levin served in Operation Protective Edge and spent 2014-2015 working in the West Bank until he was honorably discharged in 2015. Levin’s team has been openly acknowledged and awarded for their excellence during their service. He is currently an undergraduate student at Columbia University.

Could Israel fires be a spark for peace?

By Max LevinPublished December 28, 2016

Hashtag “Israelisburning” became a trend over Arabian social media outlets during November. The State of Israel was in flames during the worst arson attack in its history: 1,800 fires ravaged the country. That’s more than 225 fires a day. Israeli...

At the ADL’s  2016 Distinguished Service Awards ceremony last week are (from left:) Jennifer Winfield, Assistant U.S. Attorney, Eastern District of Missouri; Missouri State Highway Patrol Trooper Darrin Haslag;  ADL Regional Board Chair Robbye Frank;  Detective Joseph Cichacki of the St. Louis Police Department; Rabbi  Susan Talve of Central Reform Congregation; and Karen Aroesty, ADL regional director.

ADL event pays tribute to Missouri law enforcement

BY ROBERT A. COHNPublished December 21, 2016

Cops’ lives matter was illustrated at a recent police appreciation event sponsored by the Anti-Defamation League’s Missouri-Southern Illinois Region, which recognized two Missouri law-enforcement officers with ADL’s 2016 Distinguished Service Awards...

Gail Appleson is a freelancer who lives in St. Louis. She is a member of Kol Rinah. 

Christmas cheers can trigger holiday blues for some Jews

By Gail ApplesonPublished December 21, 2016

There are tons of articles describing how omnipresent Christmas festivities can cause or exacerbate depression among Christians. But the phenomenon, known as the holiday blues, also affects Jews.It’s irrelevant that Christmas — the centerpiece of...

At Hanukkah, finding light in a time of illness and darkness

Elicia BrownPublished December 16, 2016

Elicia Brown, left, and her family in November 2016. (Jennifer Bowles)NEW YORK (JTA) — It is the “the witching hour,” around 4:30 p.m., when darkness descends swiftly on the streets of New York, and exhausted children and their parents tend to quarrel.But...

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