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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

Dictionary definition of antisemitism.

Antisemitism: Why the Jews?

By Rabbi Ze’ev SmasonPublished November 9, 2023

Our Israeli brothers and sisters are under attack. So many lives have been taken. Families are bereft. So many are suffering the horrors of captivity. The depth of the evil perpetrators is unthinkable. In the midst of our pain as a People and as a Nation,...

‘Robust Semitism’ — Jewish college students’ secret weapon against hate

‘Robust Semitism’ — Jewish college students’ secret weapon against hate

By Rabbi Hershey NovackPublished November 9, 2023

Over a month has passed since Hamas’s heinous terrorist attacks, shocking the world and leaving a gaping wound in Israeli society and the global Jewish community.  What began as a horrifying massacre of 1,400 children, parents and families and some...

The aftermath of a party where hundreds of Israelis were killed by Hamas terrorists, in southern Israel, Oct. 10, 2023.

This is the big one

Mort Rosenblum, Professor Emeritus of Journalism at the University of ArizonaPublished November 9, 2023

DRAGUIGNAN, France — In 1982, I followed lead tanks into Lebanon and first saw Israel’s approach to Palestinian militants who dig in – and under – refugee camps, hospitals or densely populated neighborhoods: blast away at a...

Jewish students and supporters rally near New York University in Washington Square Park, Oct. 26, 2023.

With US campuses roiled by Israel-Gaza war, college presidents must speak up for what’s right

Alan Kadish, JTAPublished November 6, 2023

Like many Jews, I am watching with a mixture of horror and grave concern as college campuses around the United States convulse with anti-Israel demonstrations and, in many cases, overt antisemitism and vocal support for terrorism. More, as a university...

Let’s embrace our Jewish brothers and sisters – in St. Charles

Let’s embrace our Jewish brothers and sisters – in St. Charles

RABBI CHAIM A. LANDAPublished November 3, 2023

Wherever we look, whether at our synagogues, schools or a host of other communal organizations, it is easy to notice the decline of many of our local Jewish institutions. To be sure, this is something that is taking place all across the United States. We...

A demonstrator holds a sign at a rally in support of Israel in Los Angeles on Oct. 10, 2023.

Why Jews feel that people who criticize Israel’s response are, or might be, antisemitic

Dov Waxman, University of California, Los AngelesPublished October 30, 2023

In the wake of the Hamas terror attacks on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and the Israeli military response, Jewish people in Israel and around the world have, at times, been posting on social media or otherwise saying publicly that people who criticize Israel’s...

We dare to unlock the teenage mind to learn what your teens really wants to talk about

We dare to unlock the teenage mind to learn what your teens really wants to talk about

By Amy Fenster Brown, Special To The Jewish LightPublished October 30, 2023

Teenagers can be scary - beware! One teen alone can take on many different forms, and often parents don’t know which one they’re going to get.  Happy and hyper? Surly and sullen? Agitated with attitude? When one approaches you must be prepared...

Students and community members from Michigan State University Hillel hold a vigil after Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel.

College leaders must act to protect students

Adam Lehman, JTAPublished October 30, 2023

Imagine being a Jewish college student on campus today. You wake up on Saturday, October 7, and learn of the most violent and murderous attack against the Jewish people since the Holocaust. In those first few hours during which the extent of Hamas’s...

Amid dark times, let’s remember some of the best things about being Jewish

Amid dark times, let’s remember some of the best things about being Jewish

AMY FENSTER BROWN, Special To The Jewish LightPublished October 19, 2023

Let me be honest: The state of events in Israel made me question what to write about this week. My usual attempts at comedy and wit just don’t seem appropriate. Those kinds of verbal shenanigans seem tone-deaf and uncalled for right now.  Trying to...

Your letters to the St. Louis Jewish Light

Your letters to the St. Louis Jewish Light

Published October 18, 2023

Representative should condemn terrorism In our efforts to improve the wellbeing of the women, children and families in our region, National Council of Jewish Women St. Louis works productively with many elected officials. But Congresswoman Cori Bush’s...

Alissa Barnholtz

Fight with Hamas is about basic human rights

By Alissa Barnholtz, Senior, Parkway Central High School.Published October 18, 2023

I can’t stay quiet anymore.  I am proud to be Jewish. I am scared to be Jewish. I am highly aware that I’m not an expert on this topic, but I do know that what happened at 6:30 a.m. on Oct. 7 in Israel was an act of terrorism. More than 4,400...

Hamas apologists are ignorant, inaccurate and antisemitic

BY NATHAN ARST, Senior, Parkway Central High School.Published October 18, 2023

The Hamas terrorist attacks on Oct. 7 changed Israel and the world forever. An astounding 1,300 people were killed in a brutal rampage that murdered more Jews in a single day since the Holocaust.  As soon as I heard about the attacks, I reached out...

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