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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

World news

Rallies and social posts are great, but here’s how you can really stand with Israel right now

Rallies and social posts are great, but here’s how you can really stand with Israel right now

By Bill Motchan, Special to the Jewish LightPublished April 28, 2025

When the St. Louis Jewish community gathers to show support for Israel and call for the release of hostages, those events do more than create a bond among those who attend. They are also noticed—and appreciated—in Israel. That was one of the revelations...

Nathan Fielder in a scene from Season 2 of "The Rehearsal."

Paramount+ pulled his Holocaust episode. Jewish comedian Nathan Fielder isn’t letting it go.

By PJ Grisar, The ForwardPublished April 28, 2025

This story was originally published in the Forward. Click here to get the Forward's free email newsletters delivered to your inbox. While the newest season of Nathan Fielder’s docu-comedy The Rehearsal aims to fix an epidemic of airplane crashes, episode...

US President Donald Trump speaks to journalists in the Oval Office on January 20, 2025. (Jim WATSON / POOL / AFP)

Trump on Iran: ‘If we don’t make a deal, I’ll be leading the pack’ into war

Philissa Cramer, JTAPublished April 28, 2025

President Donald Trump said he would not let the United States be “dragged in” to war with Iran by Israel — because he would join in an Israeli offensive willingly if Iran does not accede to his demands limitings its nuclear ambitions. He also...

Kosher milk production in the United States has largely relied on government oversight as a crucial component. (Getty Images)

Could milk lose its kosher status? Why the FDA news has some Jews concerned

Philissa Cramer, JTAPublished April 27, 2025

(JTA) — As soon as news broke this week that the Food and Drug Administration was suspending federal testing of commercially produced milk, the Orthodox Union’s hotline lit up. The flood of inquiries was “off the hook … crazy: emails, calls,...

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson presides over a city council meeting as the Council discusses a symbolic resolution calling for a ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hamas, January 31, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. The resolution passed by a vote of 24 to 23 after Mayor Johnson cast the tie-breaking vote. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Chicago mayor donned keffiyeh for Arab Heritage Month event, sparking outcry from Jewish groups

Grace Gilson, JTAPublished April 27, 2025

(JTA) — Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson came under fire from local Jewish leaders after he wore a keffiyeh, or a traditional Palestinian headscarf, to a public event this week. The Chicago chapter of the Council on American–Islamic Relations posted...

A shrouded portrait of Pope Francis sits on the altar Tuesday, April 22, 2025 at SS. Peter and Paul Cathedral. Pope Francis died on April 21, 2025, the day after Easter Sunday.

A rabbi’s appreciation of Pope Francis: ‘A man of peace’

Ron KronishPublished April 24, 2025

This story first appeared on AmericaMagazine.org and is republished here with full permission. When I first heard about the election of Pope Francis in March 2013, my first reaction was one of wonder and awe. The conclave of cardinals elected a man...

The Zionist Congress meeting in April 2023 in Jerusalem. (Oz Schechter/WZO)

US Jewish voting surges in Zionist election, with ballots open through May 4

By Debra RubinPublished April 24, 2025

At a time of heightened antisemitism and anti-Israel sentiment, American Jews have been voting in record numbers in an election that will help determine how billions of dollars in Israel-related funding will be spent. The election for the World Zionist...

Stan Polovets, left, co-founder and chairman of The Genesis Prize Foundation, with Argentine President Javier Milei. (Genesis Prize Foundation)

Chairman of ‘Jewish Nobel’ Stan Polovets hails non-Jewish laureate’s extraordinary support for Israel and Jewish people

Published April 24, 2025

When Argentina’s president Javier Milei was named in mid-January as the recipient of this year’s Genesis Prize, it marked the first time the $1 million annual award, sometimes called the “Jewish Nobel,” was given to someone who isn’t Jewish. Stan...

Visiting Israel on Birthright in the year and a half since Oct. 7, 2023, many trip participants said they felt safer in Israel than they did back home. (Idan Arad)

Birthright participants say visiting Israel in the post-Oct. 7 era is a transformative experience

By Larry Luxner, JTAPublished April 24, 2025

Maddison Spiegel of Westchester County, New York, had tried for years to go on a Birthright trip to Israel but somehow it never happened. The first time she was supposed to go the COVID-19 pandemic got in the way, freezing all trips. The next time...

Donald Trump and Rabbi Yehuda Kaploun light a candle during an Oct. 7 remembrance event at the Trump National Doral Golf Club, in Doral, Florida, Oct. 7, 2024. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Trump issues Yom Hashoah proclamation

JNS StaffPublished April 24, 2025

U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday issued a proclamation to mark Holocaust Remembrance Day (Yom Hashoah) in Israel. Below is the full text: April 23, 2025 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation On Yom HaShoah, Holocaust...

Protesters at the pro-Palestinian encampment at the University of Michigan, May 13, 2024, in Ann Arbor. (Adam J. Dewey/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Authorities raid Michigan homes that advocates say belong to pro-Palestinian activists

Andrew Lapin, JTAPublished April 24, 2025

(JTA) — Federal and state agents in Michigan raided at least three different home addresses connected to pro-Palestinian protesters Wednesday. The raids — at homes in Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti and Canton — were tied to a vandalism investigation...

US President Donald Trump speaks to journalists in the Oval Office on January 20, 2025. (Jim WATSON / POOL / AFP)

72% of American Jews disapprove of Donald Trump’s performance so far, poll finds

Ben Sales, JTAPublished April 24, 2025

Nearly three quarters of American Jews disapprove of the job Donald Trump is doing as president and most dislike how he is handling antisemitism in the United States, according to a new survey. But American Jews are less disapproving of Trump’s handling...

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