Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, former Chief Rabbi of the United Kingdom, lost his third battle with cancer last Shabbat, at the age of 72. He was called a ‘towering intellect’ by former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and admirers in Jewish communities throughout...

JERUSALEM (JTA) — American presidents often vie for the designation as the best friend Israel ever had in the White House. That competition sometimes starts early. Joe Biden first brandished his pro-Israel credentials to me at a Christmas party in...

I’ll never forget the day I converted to Judaism — after all, it was one of the best days of my life!After years of studying, learning and teaching, I finally achieved the goal I’d had from the age of 16. But while it was an amazing day, it was...

Twenty-five years after Yitzhak Rabin’s murder and still, the debate about his legacy heats up every year as the date of his memorial ceremony approaches. A few object to the statement that the Oslo process failed because the Palestinian national...

Praise for Mirowitz Center programming Kudos to Susan Kemppainen and Stephen Cohen on the diverse programming via Zoom offered to the entire community through the Mirowitz Center. I especially enjoyed the recent program on Ruth Bader Ginsburg given...

The Jewish Community Relations Council of St. Louis released the following statement on behalf of a coalition of local Jewish congregations and organizations: The bedrock of American liberty is a strong, thriving democracy and an engaged citizenry. The...

Help Americans by passing relief bill Without time to mourn the passing of a remarkable woman of integrity and compassion (“Ruth Bader Ginsburg, first Jewish woman to serve on the Supreme Court, dies at 87,” Sept. 18), our country leapt into political...

The World Zionist Congress (WZC), which most people have either never heard of or know little about, convenes every five years in Israel and last week concluded its first virtual session due to pandemic restrictions preventing global travel. The WZC...

Through sheer luck, I belong to one of this year’s most coveted sororities. Our membership is more diverse than ever, encompassing a wide range of ages, education levels, cultural and ethnic backgrounds. In 2020 we are highly in demand to affect...

Community rabbis deserve thanks This year, 2020, has been a year of disappointments, worry, stress, loneliness, and even fear. How refreshing, however, to sit down to read the Oct. 7 Jewish Light and see a story highlighting Rabbi Larry Glestein, currently...

There is a raging debate today between liberals and conservatives, even though few people can really identify what each camp stands for.  Much of the distinction traditionally revolves around the view one has of Big Government, although even here the...

The Torah portion Shoftim contains a series of laws directing the nascent Israelite community on how to establish a just society. Their guiding principle is found at the beginning of the portion in Deuteronomy 16:18-20: “You shall not judge unfairly:...