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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

Daniel B. Shapiro

What Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg taught us about the gift of time

Daniel B. ShapiroPublished September 21, 2020

(JTA) — As Jews in the United States prepared to light candles to welcome Rosh Hashanah, they were hit with the last terrible news of a terrible year: the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. At 87, and with a lifetime of accomplishments...

I’m an Orthodox rabbi who takes COVID-19 very seriously. Here’s why my congregation is praying in person during the High Holidays.

Rabbi Yosie LevinePublished September 16, 2020

NEW YORK (JTA) — On March 11, we decided to close The Jewish Center, the large Orthodox congregation in Manhattan where I serve as senior rabbi. To some, it seemed like a drastic step for a century-old institution that’s been open every day of the...

I was on a plane hijacked by Palestinian terrorists. Why did a public university invite one of them to speak?

Moshe RaabPublished September 14, 2020

(JTA) — As my calendar announced the approach of September, I began to relive an event that took place exactly 50 years ago. On Sept. 6, 1970, my mother, my four siblings and I were on a plane that was hijacked by terrorists.TWA flight 741 was one of...

Cartoon: Steve Greenberg

Dark Clouds and Silver Linings: A challenging New Year 5781

JEWISH LIGHT EDITORIALPublished September 10, 2020

The Jewish year 5780 is about to end and not a moment too soon. Still, while world events have upended almost all of our conceptions about the way modern life works, we remain hopeful that 5781 will allow us to again find our footing on stable ground. But...

Letters to the editor: Sept. 9, 2020

Letters to the editor: Sept. 9, 2020

Published September 10, 2020

Cultural Leadership builds understanding I was lucky enough to spend the first six years of my life in the inner city of Chicago, in a very diverse neighborhood, where my best friends were first-generation immigrants, Blacks, Jews and people from every...

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.

A bit of soul searching before the Days of Awe

By Cathleen KronemerPublished September 10, 2020

This year, the celebration of Selichot - the official “kickoff” for the High Holy Days – commences with sundown on Saturday, Sept. 12th. Jewish tradition instructs us to regard this time as a period of soul-searching and reflection, as we prepare...

Steve Rabinowitz

What synagogues streaming High Holiday services can learn from the political conventions

By Steve RabinowitzPublished August 31, 2020

(JTA) — For months now, the rituals that mark our lives have been disrupted by the coronavirus. As the pandemic grinds on and the High Holidays approach, communities are grappling with how to organize Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur services that are both...

Jeffrey Stiffman is Rabbi Emeritus at Congregation Shaare Emeth. 

Remembering ‘Rabbi Joe’

By Rabbi Jeffrey StiffmanPublished August 27, 2020

During a recent meeting of the rabbis of St. Louis with Jewish Federation of St. Louis President and CEO Brian Herstig, a colleague expressed our collective sadness at not being able to attend a funeral for our friend Rabbi Joseph Rosenbloom, who passed...

J. Martin Rochester, Curators’ Distinguished Teaching Professor of Political Science Emeritus at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, is the author of 10 books on international and American politics.

The growing illiberalism of liberalism

By Marty RochesterPublished August 27, 2020

In my earlier life I was a liberal, drawn by liberalism’s traditional focus on individual liberty, open-mindedness and other such values. However, as I explained in my 2002 “Class Warfare” book: “All the while … as I was aging, I was becoming...

Rabbi Noam Marans, left, said something good has emerged in engaging with Nick Cannon.

I spoke to Nick Cannon about anti-Semitism. This is what I learned.

By Rabbi Noam E. MaransPublished August 27, 2020

TEANECK, N.J. (JTA) — I did not know who Nick Cannon was until he said horribly hurtful things about my people. I now know that he is a very big celebrity, and enormous numbers of people listen to and respect him — that unlike some people who say...

Holocaust / TikTok

Why are teens pretending to be Holocaust victims on TikTok? Please stop.

By Maddy AlbertPublished August 27, 2020

This commentary originally appeared on Alma.TikTok has become a central part of my social media diet while spending more time inside during the pandemic. Among the mix of very funny people and powerful political statements, a number of trends have popped...

Letters to the editor: Aug. 26, 2020

Letters to the editor: Aug. 26, 2020

Published August 27, 2020

Organization expresses support for Israel-UAE peace agreementOn behalf of St. Louis Friends of Israel (SLFI), a non-profit, bi-partisan, St. Louis-based organization, we would like to express our support for the historic peace agreement signed between...

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