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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

Unsung Heroes

Olivia Adams.Photo by Bill Motchan.

Olivia Adams shines a light for women in dark times

Bill Motchan, Special To The Jewish LightPublished January 8, 2023

It’s easy to pick Olivia Adams out of a crowd. She’s perpetually smiling. Adams is an upbeat, optimistic person who shares her positivity with everyone she meets. That includes many women and their families who have fallen on hard times. Adams is...

Nathan Goldstein and Ben Horwitz

These Olivette teens are taking ‘tikkun olam’ into their own hands

Ellen Futterman, Editor-in-ChiefPublished January 5, 2023

If there were a buddy movie made about tikkun olam, Nathan Goldstein and Ben Horwitz would have starring roles. The two 17-year-olds, who are seniors at Ladue Horton Watkins High School, led a successful effort to plant 1,000 trees in the St. Louis region...

Spreading cheer to hospitalized kids is Tamar Adler’s bag

Spreading cheer to hospitalized kids is Tamar Adler’s bag

Bill Motchan, Special to The Jewish LightPublished January 4, 2023

Avi Adler was hospitalized after an accident in June 2020. Adler, 18, recovered, thanks in part to a child life specialist, a key member of his healthcare team. Adler’s older sister, Tamar, was intrigued by the work that goes into helping children...

Julie Frankel.Photo by Bill Motchan

Julie Frankel has become indispensable volunteer to many organizations

Eric Berger, Special To The Jewish LightPublished January 4, 2023

After four decades as a teacher and guidance counselor, Julie Frankel retired in 2014. Like many people, she was unsure what she would do next. “I felt like I had lost my identity,” said Frankel, who spent 20 years as a guidance counselor in the...

Sam Deutsch’s good works come with ‘on the job’ philanthropy lessons

Sam Deutsch’s good works come with ‘on the job’ philanthropy lessons

Jordan Palmer, Chief Digital Content OfficerPublished January 2, 2023

For those who are lucky enough to go away to summer camp, the experience can be transformational. It becomes a part of your identity, of who you are. When this happens, you become a lifer. Camp is woven into your DNA. Like many in St. Louis, Sam Deutsch...

Ohr Chadash Teen Page Chair Caroline Goldenberg meets with teen page staff members in the October 2022. Photo Bill Motchan

Adult founders, co-chairs help teen journalists bring ‘New Light’ to readers 

ELLEN FUTTERMAN , EDITOR-IN-CHIEFPublished December 9, 2022

Mia Kweskin doesn’t actually work in journalism per se, but as senior communications strategist at Edward Jones, strong writing and interviewing skills are vital to her job. She credits working on the Jewish Light’s Ohr Chadash teen page during her...

Meet the Jewish Light’s 2022 Unsung Heroes

Meet the Jewish Light’s 2022 Unsung Heroes

Published September 21, 2022

Six individuals and three groups will be recognized as the 2022 Jewish Light Unsung Heroes on Wednesday, Dec. 7, at 7 p.m. This year’s 13th annual event will take place in person at the new St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum.  Unsung Heroes,...

Longtime ‘Light’ board member brings rocket scientist skills to the table

Longtime ‘Light’ board member brings rocket scientist skills to the table

Bill Motchan, Special to the Jewish LightPublished November 9, 2021

Talented, dedicated volunteers are worth their weight in gold. That’s especially true of Jeffry Golden, who has worked behind the scenes on the St. Louis Jewish Light’s Board of Trustees for a decade, sharing his business and financial expertise....

 Larry Edison (left) helps teach a student during a recent Tech Tutor program at the Mirowitz Center.

Volunteer tech programs bridge ‘digital divide,’ one senior at a time

Bill Motchan, Special to the Jewish LightPublished November 8, 2021

Jackie, 72 has a Samsung Android smartphone she uses to text with her daughter and grandsons. Until recently, she didn’t know how to do much else with the device. Now, she can view and send photos with her phone, she uses Google maps and a host of other...

In 2009, Arlen Chaleff joined the board of the St. Louis chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). She has been involved with a variety of nonprofit endeavors, with a particular emphasis on helping the mentally ill.

How ‘Unsung Hero’ Arlen Chaleff is helping bring better days to the mentally ill

Ellen Futterman, Editor-in-ChiefPublished November 7, 2021

Each year millions of Americans face the reality of living with a mental illness. Since May is Mental Health Awareness Month, the St. Louis Jewish Light is joining the national movement to raise awareness. This story was originally published on Nov. 7,...

From doctor to volunteer, helping people  is Dr. Laura Goldmeier’s true calling

From doctor to volunteer, helping people is Dr. Laura Goldmeier’s true calling

Bill Motchan, Special to the Jewish LightPublished November 5, 2021

During her career as an obstetrician-gynecologist, Dr. Laura Goldmeier cared for many women. Now retired, Goldmeier has a new goal. She helps hundreds of Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers obtain much-needed personal care goods, socks, T-shirts and...

‘She’s just magical’: Veteran puppeteer  Ginny Weiss uses her talents to give back

‘She’s just magical’: Veteran puppeteer Ginny Weiss uses her talents to give back

Bill Motchan, Special to the Jewish LightPublished November 5, 2021

Gilda Radner, Adam Sandler and Billy Crystal are just a few Jewish comedic actors known for their impersonations. Here’s another talented Jewish impersonator: Ginny Weiss. The St. Louis great-grandmother has mastered 100 different voices, ranging from...

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