The Midwest Area Cooperative of Hadassah will host two simultaneous institutes on Feb. 23-25 in St. Louis.

The first event is a Young Women’s Institute focusing on women age 45 and under.

In this institute, participants will network, learn and empower themselves with a variety of sessions to benefit mind and/or body.

Keynote speakers for the upcoming event will include Karen Kalish, founder and president of Kalish Communications, who will discuss successful methods of networking and communications.

Another speaker will be Brenda Janowitz, and author and attorney who will read a few selections from her newest book of short stories and pursue dream exploration with interested attendees.

The second event is a new initiative targeted to women ages 46 and up.

All events for the Midwest Area Cooperative conferences will be held at the Hilton Frontenac Hotel (at Lindbergh and Interstate 64).

For information on either conference, please contact the St. Louis Hadassah Chapter office at 314-991-0434.

Doctor’s Lounge to focus on death and dying

The Maimonides Society of Jewish Federation will feature “Perspectives on Death and Dying” at the next “Doctor’s Lounge” from 10 to 11: 30 a.m. Sunday, Feb. 25, at the Jewish Community Center in “Steve’s Room.” Panelists include Gary Ratkin, M.D., medical director of Missouri Baptist Cancer Center and Palliative Care Program, who will give the medical perspective, and Rabbi Ephraim I. Zimand of Traditional Congregation, who will offer a Jewish perspective. RSVP to Stella Bilbrey at [email protected] or call 314-442-3818.

Author Fishman will deliver Brodsky’s Lazaroff Lecture

Sylvia Barack Fishman, Ph.D. will discuss her new book, The Way into the Varieties of Jewishness, at the first Lazaroff Lecture at the Saul Brodsky Jewish Community Library at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 27. Fishman is professor of contemporary Jewish life at Brandeis University and also co-director of the Hadassah-Brandeis Institute. Admission to the program is free to members of the Friends of the Brodsky Library and $7 per person for all others. Reservations are required by Feb. 26. For more information or to make a reservation call 314-442-3720 or email [email protected]. The Brodsky Library is located in the Jewish Federation Kopolow Building, 12 Millstone Campus Drive.

60’s+ singles group schedules music program

The Reform Singles Together 60’s+ Group will present a musical program featuring Howard Sutherland, a professional opera singer, and his wife, Mary, a pianist, on Tuesday, Feb. 27 at Shaare Emeth Congregation. Dinner will be served at 6 p.m. followed by the program. The cost of the dinner and program is $8.50 per person. To make a reservation, mail a check payable to RST to Ken Schwartz, c/o United Hebrew Congregation, 13788 Conway Rd., St. Louis, Mo. 63141. For more information, call Ruth at 314-432-4247.

Temple Israel presents ‘Purim on the Rocks’

Congregation Temple Israel will present “Purim on the Rocks” on Sunday, Mar. 4. Martini happy hour will be from 7 to 7:30 p.m. The Hevrah of Young People (HYP) will present “The Purim Monologues” at 7:30 p.m.

60+ musical programand lunch is planned

The St. Louis Conservative Synagogue Joint Initiative for “60+” Programming will present a luncheon and musical program at 12:30 p.m. Thursday, Mar. 8, at Brith Sholom Kneseth Israel Synagogue, 1107 Linden Ave. The cost is $6. To make reservations call Jeanne at 314-725-6230 by Tuesday, Mar. 6.

Author will help kick off Jewish women’s group

Jennifer Weiner, author of In Her Shoes, will help kick off a new Jewish Federation women’s group, Women’s Connection, at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 12, at The Coronado Ballroom, 3701 Lindell Blvd. KSDK Newschannel 5’s Leisa Zigman will emcee. The original event, scheduled for Nov. 30, 2006, was cancelled due to an ice storm. A reception, limited to 50 women, will begin at 6 p.m. The cost for the reception is $75. The kickoff event is $36. Everyone who registered for the first event, even those who paid, must register again. RSVP and/or pay online at www.jewishinstlouis.org/inourshoes or contact Stella Bilbrey at 314-442-3818 or [email protected].

Lecture Series set to begin this month

The 24th Annual Interfaith Lecture Series will center on the issue of the needs of the community or “the many” versus the needs of the individual or “the one”. Speakers will present both Christian and Jewish ideas that may question individual rights and will discuss of communal responsibility versus autonomy. The Rev. Dr. John Kavanaugh, SJ, will present the keynote address. Father Kavanaugh is a professor of philosophy at St. Louis University.

The response will be given by Jane Sherwin Shapiro, founder of Jane Shapiro Associates, a consulting firm for Jewish education and curriculum design.

The series begins at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 25, at Congregation Temple Israel. Related topics will be discussed Wednesdays, Feb. 28, Mar. 7 and Mar. 14. Each of these sessions will start at 11:45 a.m. at Temple Israel. Registration for the entire series, including the keynote address, three afternoon sessions including a catered kosher lunch is $45 per person. Registration for Sunday night’s keynote address only is $10 per person. The cost of any individual afternoon session with the provided lunch is $15 per person; if you choose to bring your own lunch, the cost is $6 per person. For further information or to receive a registration form, contact The American Jewish Committee, 7730 Carondelet, Suite 417, St. Louis, Mo. 63105 or call 314-721-8866 or e-mail [email protected].

Holocaust Museum screens area premiere of ‘Fateless’

The Holocaust Museum and Learning Center monthly film series will feature Fateless on Sunday, Feb. 25, at 2 p.m. at the Jewish Federation Kopolow Building. This St. Louis premiere, based on the autobiographical novel by Imre Kertesz, tells the powerful story of a 14-year-old boy who is swept up in the cataclysmic events of the Shoah in Budapest in 1944. The film is directed by Lajos Koltai and done in Hungarian and German with English subtitles.

Pier Marton, filmmaker and senior lecturer in the Film and Media Studies Program at Washington University, will present introductory remarks and facilitate a discussion following the film.

This program is free; reservations are not required.

The 2007 Film Series is generously sponsored by Sandra and Mendel Rosenberg.

For additional information, call 314-442-3714.

Registration is open for summer Israel trip

Chabad on Campus will facilite a trip to Israel this summer break for college students and their peers. This program is free to qualifying applicants and is a gift of Taglit-birthright israel and organized by Mayanot. Registration is open at www.mayanotisrael.com.

The tentative itinerary includes a visit to the Western Wall in Jerusalem, the Holocaust memorial museum, and a trip to St. Louis’ Partnership 2000 sister-city, Yokneam Megiddo. Educational touring and social events will round out the packed schedule. The trip is offered to all Jewish young adults between the ages of 18 and 26 who have never been to Israel on an organized peer trip. The program includes airfare from New York, all hotels and tours, and most meals. Participants need to provide a $250 deposit to reserve a space. The deposit will be refunded after the trip. For more information visit www.ChabadonCampus.org/israel.

JDC offers teens international opportunity

Fifty high school students will be selected to represent North America this summer at The Ronald S. Lauder Foundation JDC International Jewish Summer Camp in Szarvas, Hungary.

The program is open to North American high school students who will be completing 10th or 11th grade this year. The program accepts mature, motivated students with strong leadership skills who are eager to learn from and share their own experiences with their peers from around the world. The program welcomes kids from all Jewish backgrounds and no prior Jewish experience is required. Session 1 will be held June 28-July 13 and session 2 July 26-Aug. 10. The cost for the program is $950 plus airfare. The applications deadline is Mar. 1. For information, visit the Szarvas Fellowships website at www.szarvas.org, e-mail [email protected], or call 212- 362-3361.