Dear Light Readers:

THANK YOU!

The response from thousands of you to our subscription campaign has been nothing short of extraordinary.  With your support, we are able to keep the community informed and connected about all the latest Jewish news, features and analysis happening in St. Louis, around the world and in Israel.

When I came on board at the Light in mid-2008, we talked about changing to give you more and better coverage, stronger features and cultural news, and a broader scope of opinions and analysis about matters important to our Jewish community.   And we wanted to implement all that before asking you to make the commitment to subscribe.

The results?

• A top-flight Editor in Ellen Futterman, who has introduced a number of exciting new features, including her own News and Schmooze, Fall and Summer Arts Guides, Earth Day and College sections.

• Exciting contributions from our Editor in Chief Emeritus Bob Cohn, including his fantastic new web feature, Cohnipedia

• Seven national awards from the American Jewish Press Association and National Newspaper Association

• Our quarterly OY! Magazine, including our spring Unsung Heroes edition and accompanying community event

• Our innovative Can We Talk? series, combining news and discussion in collaboration with the Jewish Community Relations Council and the JCC

• A new website that continues to increase in readership, along with a weekly e newsletter, and Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn presence

• A total redesign of the newspaper, to make it easier and more fun to read

We take our responsibility to the future of the Jewish community and Israel very seriously, which is why we have focused on Next Generation Jews through our Teen Page and by conducting Jewish journalism workshops to teens. It’s why we are introducing  our Israel Alive! feature in 2012,  to present a broader, three-dimensional picture of the Jewish homeland.

And we can always do more to accomplish these objectives, and fully intend to do so as we evolve.

We are so appreciative of the kind words and constructive input you have given us, and we hope you will keep the feedback coming as we strive to give you the best Jewish community publication possible.

Sincerely,

Larry Levin, Publisher/CEO