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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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Struggling to talk about antisemitism and hard topics? This event is for you

Struggling to talk about antisemitism and hard topics? This event is for you

Published May 21, 2025

Congregation Temple Israel, in partnership with Project Shema and the Anti-Defamation League Heartland, is hosting an interactive workshop for the community titled “Why We Are Polarized and What to Do About It.” The workshop, led by Project Shema,...

Raquel Scharf-Anderson

Mirowitz head of school planning to step down

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

The Saul Mirowitz Jewish Community School is bracing for a significant leadership transition. Head of School Raquel Scharf-Anderson has announced her resignation, effective June 2026 — though the change may come even sooner.  “Leadership is...

Professional WWE wrestler Sami Zayn hypes up the crowd during "Monday Night Raw" at T-Mobile Arena on April 21, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Mike Marques/WWE via Getty Images)

Antics or antisemitism? Pro wrestler Sami Zayn has Israeli WWE fans feeling betrayed.

Andrew Lapin, JTAPublished May 21, 2025

(JTA) — In 2021 at a viewing party for “WrestleMania,” the world’s flagship pro wrestling event, Oren Treitman and his fellow Israeli fans cheered for Sami Zayn. In the larger WWE storyline, Zayn had taken on the persona of a conspiracy theorist,...

Lynnsie Balk Kantor and Doug Gilberg were married May 18 at CRC, with Rabbi Daniel Bogard officiating.

Good cheer, open hearts inspire couple’s wedding despite St. Louis tornado

By Ellen Futterman, Editor-in-ChiefPublished May 20, 2025

Friday’s tornadoes may have knocked out power a day and a half before their wedding May 18, but Lynnsie Balk Kantor and Doug Gilberg never considered rescheduling. The lights were out, the AC was gone, and the parking lot and neighboring streets looked...

Environmentalist Alon Tal, who served as a Knesset member in 2021-2022 with the Blue & White party, says now is the time for action in Israel, not despair. (Oren Ben Hakoon/Flash90)

Israeli environmentalist Alon Tal: This war is no excuse for neglecting the environment

Published May 20, 2025

Alon Tal is one of Israel’s leading environmentalists and a former member of Israel’s parliament, the Knesset. Now the chair of Tel Aviv University’s Department of Public Policy, Tal will be hosting a landmark conference at Stanford University...

How a rabbi and a bishop built a lasting St. Louis interfaith legacy

How a rabbi and a bishop built a lasting St. Louis interfaith legacy

By Bill Motchan, Special to the Jewish LightPublished May 20, 2025

A set of ornate hand-carved oak doors lead to the baptistry at Christ Church Cathedral in downtown St. Louis. The doors were added to the 155-year-old Episcopal cathedral in 1942. They are inscribed with a commandment from Deuteronomy 6:5 in Hebrew and...

Andy Katzman spent decades coaching baseball — now his name is on the field

Andy Katzman spent decades coaching baseball — now his name is on the field

By Bill Motchan, Special to the Jewish LightPublished May 20, 2025

Andy Katzman has spent a good portion of his career as a baseball coach at John Burroughs School on the team’s home ballfield. On Saturday, May 17, he stepped out on the field again, but this time it felt different. The spacious field is now known as...

Minyan Everest climbers with their Torah scroll atop Mera Peak in northeastern Nepal, May 6, 2025. Credit: Minyan Everest.

A Torah on top of the world — why these Jewish climbers took their faith to new heights

Amelie Botbol, JNSPublished May 19, 2025

“We all do what we can. Some fight, others donate. We felt powerless, and we wanted to show the Israeli people that we haven’t forgotten them—or the 1,200 people murdered on Oct. 7. They are in our hearts,” said Charlie Taieb, creator of Minyan...

Local kids turned a day off into a day of giving after the St. Louis tornado

Local kids turned a day off into a day of giving after the St. Louis tornado

Jordan Palmer, Chief Digital Content OfficerPublished May 19, 2025

Just days after a powerful tornado tore through Clayton, knocking out power to their schools and even some of their homes, a group of Clayton students spent their Monday afternoon (May 19) at Kol Rinah synagogue, assembling care packages for first responders....

Michael Lourie

Michael Lourie steps into new dual role at JFed

Published May 19, 2025

Michael Lourie has been named vice president of public affairs and chief of staff for the Jewish Federation of St. Louis, a newly combined role that reflects the organization’s push for greater strategic alignment and impact. Lourie has served as interim...

100 and going strong: Jewish centenarian veterans share their WWII memories — one last time

100 and going strong: Jewish centenarian veterans share their WWII memories — one last time

Jordan Palmer, Chief Digital Content OfficerPublished May 19, 2025

Imagine living through one of the most pivotal conflicts in modern history — and making it to 100-years-old to tell the tale. That’s exactly what three Jewish Centenarian World War II veterans will do on Tuesday, May 20, at Washington, D.C.’s Arena...

A humanitarian aid truck moves at the Israeli side of the Kerem Shalom Crossing Point on May 19, 2025 in Southern Israel. (Amir Levy/Getty Images)

Netanyahu says he has ordered ‘basic’ Gaza aid amid widened offensive and starvation concerns

Philissa Cramer, JTAPublished May 19, 2025

(JTA) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he has ordered aid to enter Gaza, days after President Donald Trump joined the ranks of those saying that Gazans were starving under a months-long Israeli blockade. Israel had halted the entry...

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