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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

Washington Institutute for Near East Policy 1828 L St NW #1050 Washington DC 20036

What Israel still needs to learn from Ariel Sharon

By Dennis Ross & David MakovskyPublished September 12, 2019

With Israelis heading to the polls on Sept. 17, it is worth reflecting on the last Likud leader, Ariel Sharon, and the decisions he made on the Palestinian issue. Sharon, the 11th prime minister of Israel, was a large man who did not think small. As...

Poland grapples with legacy of WWII death camps

By Robert SteinPublished September 5, 2019

The walls, higher in memory than in reality, form the central path that leads to the gas chamber. Stacks of inorganic, valueless furnace slags raked from the top of molten steel are strewn about a vast acreage, lifeless. I stood at the entrance to the...

Letters to the editor: September 4, 2019

Letters to the editor: September 4, 2019

Published September 5, 2019

Action needed to end gun violenceWe’ve lost more than a dozen children in the St. Louis area this summer from violence. As a mother, I am so tired of seeing headlines with precious faces of children lost to gunfire yet I feel like our elected officials...

Letters to the editor: Aug. 28, 2019

Letters to the editor: Aug. 28, 2019

Published August 29, 2019

No partner for peaceNinety years ago this week there was no Israel, there was no Gaza, there was no “occupation.” There was no PLO, no Hamas.There was no border, no security checkpoints, and no red, yellow or green lines.  There were, however, Jewish...

Laura Ben-David

Israel was right to deny entry to Tlaib and Omar

By Laura Ben-DavidPublished August 22, 2019

TEKO’A, WEST BANK — When Israel announced that it would be banning lawmakers Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar from visiting Israel, it caused a huge debate to erupt in the Jewish community for all sorts of reasons. Supporters of the ban argue that if...

Jonathan S. Tobin

Israel should have ignored pressure from Trump

By Jonathan S. TobinPublished August 22, 2019

Unlike his predecessor, Barack Obama, President Donald Trump doesn’t think more “daylight” between the United States and Israel is needed, and he has had Israel’s back on all the major issues regarding the peace process and threats like Iran.But...

Letters to the editor: August 21, 2019

Letters to the editor: August 21, 2019

Published August 22, 2019

Cost may be difficult for some seniors to coverAs a resident of the greater Jewish community of Creve Coeur, my wife and I have been attending the classes at Covenant Place for the last three years with no out-of-pocket expense.We have been informed that...

Tsilla Hershco

Forgotten heroes: The Jewish resistance and ‘Exodus 1947’

By Tsilla HershcoPublished August 22, 2019

It is a regrettable injustice that the major contribution of the resistance to the creation of the State of Israel is almost entirely absent from our collective memory.This July and August mark the 72nd anniversary of the journey of the Exodus 1947 (originally...

By Marty Rochester

Equal pay arguments rest on unequal playing field

By Marty RochesterPublished August 15, 2019

I suspect I will get in trouble for saying this, even though it would clearly seem a logically and morally grounded statement: Men and women should get equal pay for equal competence at the same job. As compellingly simple as this proposition might...

Susan Block

‘No Shanda’ group removes shame, stigma from mental health discussion

By Susan BlockPublished August 15, 2019

Sitting around the table in the Central Reform Congregation library earlier this month, the meeting of No Shanda, a mental health group led by Rabbis Susan Talve and James Goodman, was about to start. Several of the participants chatted with one another....

Joel Frankel

Times have changed; the importance of the Jewish Federation Annual Campaign hasn’t

By Joel FrankelPublished August 15, 2019

Ring ring. Ring ring. Hi, this is Jane. I am calling today as a Super Sunday Volunteer on behalf of the Jewish Federation of St. Louis. Thank you for your past support of our Annual Campaign. Last year you pledged $X, can we count on you for $X this year?...

Rabbi Scott Shafrin

In holding ourselves, others accountable, words matter

By Rabbi Scott ShafrinPublished August 8, 2019

“These are the words that Moses spoke to all of Israel on the banks of the Jordan River …”The opening of the Book of Deuteronomy is a look back into the history of the Jewish People making their way through the wilderness. In it, Moses does not...

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