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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

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Judy Gold.

Judy Gold won’t shut up—and that’s exactly why you’ll want a front-row seat

Ellen Futterman, Editor-in-ChiefPublished May 22, 2025

If you’re of a certain age and Jewish and aren’t familiar with Judy Gold, well, sorry, but that seems wrong. For more than 40 years, this 6-foot-2 comedy force of nature has been making audiences laugh — and occasionally squirm — with her no-holds-barred...

Law enforcement officials work at a crime scene where, according to the U.S. Homeland Security Secretary, two Israeli embassy staff were shot dead near the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., U.S. May 22, 2025.  REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein

Apparent manifesto of alleged DC shooter Elias Rodriguez found

Andrew Bernard, JNSPublished May 22, 2025

(JNS) -- The FBI raided the Chicago apartment of Elias Rodriguez on Thursday, searching for clues in their investigation of the 30-year-old, who is accused of shooting and killing two Israeli embassy employees in Washington on Wednesday night, as they...

Sarah Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky were identified as the two Israeli embassy staffers killed in a shooting outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., on May 21, 2025. They had attended an embassy event to mark Israel's 77th Independence Day on May 10. (X)

‘She was one of us’: St. Louis reacts to murder of Kansas City native in DC shooting

Jordan Palmer, Chief Digital Content OfficerPublished May 22, 2025

St. Louis and Kansas City Jewish leaders are reacting to the murder of two Israeli embassy staffers—one an Overland Park, Kan. native—outside a Jewish museum in Washington, D.C. Sarah Milgrim, 26, and her partner, Yaron Lischinsky, 28, were gunned...

A TikTok post celebrating Elias Rodriguez. (Screenshot)

‘More Elias’: These people are celebrating the Capital Jewish Museum shooting

Ben SalesPublished May 22, 2025

(JTA) — At 12:52 a.m., just minutes after the name of one of the victims of the Capital Jewish Museum attack began to trickle out online, a social media user by the name of Mejd S tweeted a short message: “F— Yaron Lischinsky.” Ten minutes...

Remembering Sgt Alvin Yale Esrock: A St. Louis hero lost over the Pacific, remembered at TI

Remembering Sgt Alvin Yale Esrock: A St. Louis hero lost over the Pacific, remembered at TI

Jordan Palmer, Chief Digital Content OfficerPublished May 22, 2025

It started with a name. A quiet plaque on the “Wall of Honor” at Congregation Temple Israel, tucked across from the sanctuary, honoring Alvin Yale Esrock. It was dedicated by his brother, Elmer—and it caught the eye of a staff member, curious to...

Capital Jewish Museum shooting suspect killed two ‘for Gaza.’

By Louis Keene, The ForwardPublished May 22, 2025

The man who allegedly walked up to two Israeli embassy staffers and shot them dead Wednesday night reportedly told eyewitnesses he “did it for Gaza.” But the event those staffers had just left at the Capital Jewish Museum highlighted an organization...

A man, standing behind police tape, talks on his cell phone outside the Capital Jewish Museum following a shooting that left two people dead, in Washington, DC, in the early hours of May 22, 2025. Two Israeli embassy staffers were killed in the shooting. (Alex Wroblewski/AFP via Getty Images)

2 Israeli embassy staffers shot to death outside DC Jewish museum event

Ben Sales, JTAPublished May 22, 2025

(JTA) — Two people were shot dead outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., where the American Jewish Committee was hosting an event. Both of the people killed were staffers at the Israeli embassy in Washington, according to Jewish...

Five questions with my Jewish allergist

Five questions with my Jewish allergist

Jordan Palmer, Chief Digital Content OfficerPublished May 21, 2025

A few months ago, I asked our readers a simple question: If we offered some service journalism that wasn’t necessarily “Jewish” but still useful, would you read it? The answer was a resounding yes. So here we are. Recently, I woke up congested....

1975 Jaws Movie Poster

The surprising Jewish story hiding beneath the surface of Jaws— screening in St. Louis for its 50th anniversary

Jordan Palmer, Chief Digital Content OfficerPublished May 21, 2025

It’s also the perfect time to revisit the surprising Jewish angles woven into “Jaws.” You see, the Jewish identities of director Steven Spielberg and star Richard Dreyfuss have sparked a cottage industry of critics and scholars trying to decode...

A Tzitzel Bagel from Lefty's

The tzitzel bagel — a crunchy St. Louis classic with a century-old story

Jordan Palmer, Chief Digital Content OfficerPublished May 21, 2025

When it comes to food history, St. Louis is known for a few... let’s say, distinctive inventions. There’s toasted ravioli, the deep-fried, marinara-dipped snack that no one outside the 314 seems to understand. There’s gooey butter cake, a sugar...

Emily Baker as Heidi. Photo by Patrick Huber

Going — or thinking of going — to The Heidi Chronicles? Here’s your pre-show cheat sheet

Jordan Palmer, Chief Digital Content OfficerPublished May 21, 2025

If you’re planning to catch the New Jewish Theatre’s upcoming production of “The Heidi Chronicles,” here’s a quick primer to help you get the most out of the show. Whether you’re a longtime fan of playwright Wendy Wasserstein or just curious...

Jeremy Piven

No entourage: Solo Jeremy Piven brings stand-up comedy tour to Chesterfield

BY ELLEN FUTTERMAN, EDITOR-IN-CHIEFPublished May 21, 2025

One of the first things Jeremy Piven will do when he steps onto the stage at the Factory in Chesterfield on June 8 is let the audience know he’s Jewish — just in case anyone was wondering. “You know how you can tell someone’s Jewish?”...

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