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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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Rabbi Randy Fleisher, nicknamed “Dylan,” with a cool, tassled jacket, a guitar and a head full of curls that made him look like Bob Dylan.

From campfires to CRC: Rabbi Randy marks 25 years of connection and community

Jordan Palmer, Chief Digital Content OfficerPublished April 30, 2025

This year, Rabbi Randy Fleisher and Central Reform Congregation are marking a trio of 25-year milestones. Today, May 1, Fleisher will receive an honorary Doctor of Divinity, honoris causa, from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in New...

St. Louis community gathers to honor Israel’s fallen

St. Louis community gathers to honor Israel’s fallen

Bill Motchan, Special To The Jewish LightPublished April 30, 2025

A solemn gathering of 300 community members commemorated Yom Hazikaron (Israel’s Memorial Day) at the JCC on Tuesday evening, April 29. The ceremony consisted of readings and poems in Hebrew and English, a torch lighting, and a one-minute siren....

This St. Louis native made a Jewish indie anthem with her bubbe—and it’s beautiful

This St. Louis native made a Jewish indie anthem with her bubbe—and it’s beautiful

By Evelyn Frick, ‘Hey Alma’Published April 30, 2025

Originally published April 28, 2025 by "Hey Alma" via JTA St. Louis was first introduced to Allison Becker and her band Wetsuit back in 2023, when the Jewish Light reported on her viral “Hora do-over” music video. That project, which transformed...

New York Sen. Chuck Schumer, a Jewish Democrat who is the majority leader, delivers a speech on antisemitism in the U.S. Capitol, Nov. 29, 2023. (Senate website/screenshot)

Progressive Jewish groups oppose Antisemitism Awareness Act ahead of Senate vote

Grace Gilson, JTAPublished April 30, 2025

As the Antisemitism Awareness Act heads to a Senate committee for a crucial vote, 10 progressive Jewish organizations have signed a letter opposing the legislation for representing an endorsement of the Trump administration’s “efforts to weaponize...

Wally Rosen in uniform in 1942, and the record he recorded for his family in 1943.

A lost voice, a found family and a record coming home: A Jewish Light story closes the circle

Jordan Palmer, Chief Digital Content OfficerPublished April 30, 2025

After 82 years, a forgotten WWII recording is heading back to Wally Rosen’s family Sometimes, the reason for storytelling really pays off. When we first reported the story of a lost 1943 phonograph record—discovered by legendary broadcaster John...

Members of the band Kneecap including Mo Chara and Moglai Bap perform onstage during Day 1 of Coachella on April 18, 2025 in Indio, California. (Scott Dudelson/Getty Images)

Facing police investigation, Irish band Kneecap denies supporting Hamas, Hezbollah

Grace Gilson, JTAPublished April 29, 2025

The Irish rap group Kneecap denounced Hamas and Hezbollah after Micheál Martin, the Irish prime minister, called on them to “urgently clarify” their stances. The group is from Belfast, the capital of Northern Ireland in the United Kingdom, and...

He survived the Nazis, married in a camp, and forged for the Mossad—now his story hits the screen

He survived the Nazis, married in a camp, and forged for the Mossad—now his story hits the screen

Published April 29, 2025

Before he was a Mossad forger, before he became one of Israel’s animation pioneers and long before his cameo in “Schindler’s List,” Joseph Bau was just a guy in a Nazi camp who fell in love. His real story—equal parts horror, romance and resistance—is...

Barry Edelstein.

The Spielberg of Shakespeare is coming to St. Louis— How Jewish tradition helped him unlock the Bard

Jordan Palmer, Chief Digital Content OfficerPublished April 29, 2025

If people describe you as “the Spielberg of” anything, chances are you’re doing something right. Or at least you know what you’re doing. In the world of Shakespeare, that guy is Barry Edelstein. On May 15, Edelstein will headline the St. Louis...

Former UH president, Ron Gieseke, turned his baseball obsession into a book—and a second act

Former UH president, Ron Gieseke, turned his baseball obsession into a book—and a second act

Jordan Palmer, Chief Digital Content OfficerPublished April 29, 2025

Baseball is dying, or so they say. But for Ron Gieseke, longtime fan, former United Hebrew Congregation president and now author, baseball is alive and well. And if you ask him, it’s more than just a game—it’s a conversation. Gieseke is bringing...

A bust of Louis Brandeis is exhibited in a courtroom in the Old
Courthouse.

Old Courthouse reopening shines light on Louis Brandeis’ early legal career in St. Louis

Jordan Palmer, Chief Digital Content OfficerPublished April 29, 2025

With the reopening of the Old Courthouse set for May 3, after a major $26 million renovation, it is a fitting time to revisit one of the building’s quieter but important connections: the story of Louis D. Brandeis, the Jewish legal legend who briefly...

A temporary billboard displayed by Nike was meant to inspire runners in the 2025 London Marathon, April 27, 2025. (Via X)

Nike apologizes for marathon ad using the Holocaust phrase ‘Never Again’

Andrew Silow-Carroll, JTAPublished April 28, 2025

Sneaker maker Nike has apologized for using the phrase “Never Again” in a billboard placed along the route of Sunday’s London Marathon. Critics of the billboard — featuring a red background and large black letters reading “Never Again. Until...

Teen leaders, Torah vibes, and a trip to Israel—meet the 2025 Pessin winners

Teen leaders, Torah vibes, and a trip to Israel—meet the 2025 Pessin winners

Published April 28, 2025

They’re student leaders, Shabbat organizers and regulars at youth programs across the St. Louis Jewish community. Now, four high schoolers are adding a major honor to their resumes—the 2025 Stuart I. Pessin Award. Jewish Federation of St. Louis...

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