Professor, author/filmmaker and social justice champion Rick Stack, a St. Louis native and 2021 University City High School Hall of Fame inductee, is channeling his lifelong commitment to social justice into a new initiative honoring his mother, Ida Stack.
Stack’s latest book, “We Who Grieve: Understanding Our Most Painful Emotion,” serves as both an exploration of grief and a tool for charity. From October through December, Stack pledges to donate all royalties from the book’s sales when purchased using a specific coupon code from the publisher directly to the scholarship fund established in his mother’s name. Stack and his brother, Jerry, created the Ida Stack Scholarship to honor their mother’s legacy as a beloved Hebrew teacher and stalwart of the Jewish community in St. Louis.
Remembering Ida Stack
Ida Stack dedicated 52 years to teaching at Congregation Shaare Emeth, earning numerous accolades, including being named a Mitzvah Star for her contributions to Jewish education and her work with elderly community members. Her motto was “to teach is to touch.”
Reflecting on his mother’s influence, Stack shared, “On my mother’s next yahrzeit, it will be 15 years since her passing. Not a day goes by that I don’t think of her. I feel lucky, just as I hope everyone does, to have been born into the family I was.”
This deep connection to his family inspired the scholarship as a fitting tribute.
“When she died, Jerry and I thought long and hard about how we could honor her memory. It was my wife, Bev, who came up with the perfect tribute: a scholarship fund to perpetuate Ida’s dedication to Jewish education,” said Stack. “I believe ‘We Who Grieve’ resonates strongly with her values and aligns lovingly with her legacy.”
‘We Who Grieve’
Stack’s book, “We Who Grieve,” goes beyond being just a book; it offers a comforting companion for those navigating the difficult journey of bereavement.
“’We Who Grieve’ is meant to be a comforting companion to those in the throes of grief. It reassures readers they are not alone,” Stack explained. “The book provides guidance to process bereavement and to reassure that life, though different, can be fulfilling again. That resonates with my mother’s outlook on life.”
Supporting the local scholarship
Through this charitable endeavor, Stack says he hopes his mother’s spirit of teaching and giving will endure.
“The most gratifying element of the Ida Stack Scholarship Fund to me is that a major measure in determining the recipient is the rising Shaare Emeth sixth grader’s love of learning,” said Stack. “That joy guarantees that Ida Stack’s spirit lives on and will impact countless generations to come.”
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