The Jewish Light’s 2007 Patron Campaign is kicking into high gear this fall. The weekly newspaper hopes to raise $50,000 by Dec. 31 to reach its annual goal of $130,000.

Judy Pass, chair of the Jewish Light’s Development Committee, said her time serving on the Light’s Board of Trustees has demonstrated how vital Patron contributions are for the newspaper.

“My goal is to help friends and supporters understand that their financial support is necessary for the continued success of the Light. I choose the word ‘necessary’ deliberately,” Pass said. “When I first began making voluntary contributions to the Light years ago, I did it because I enjoyed the paper, and it was my way of saying ‘thank you, good job, well done.’ Until I joined the Light Board, I had no idea that contributions to the Light were absolutely necessary for the financial viability of the Light.”

Andrew Polin, CEO of the Jewish Light, said the paper could be 40 pages a week filled with news about the community if every family that receives the paper would give an annual donation. “Think of it as a de facto subscription. We hope many people will be able to contribute $50, $100, $200, or more, to support us, but we hope that all of our readers will say that the Jewish Light is worth paying for.”

Polin said supporting the Jewish Light helps all Jewish organizations and synagogues.

“The Jewish Light is their connection to the Jewish community. We promote the good work and the good deeds that all of these Jewish organizations accomplish. Without a financially healthy Jewish Light, we can’t do that, ” he said.

Milton Movitz, president of the Board of Trustees, echoed that sentiment.

“We are constantly striving to improve the newspaper, and that takes money.”

Movitz said he would like to increase our Patron Campaign to update the newspaper’s computer systems, and overhaul and expand the Jewish Light’s Web site.

Pass said contributions from readers enable the newspaper to focus on being a reliable and high-quality community resource.

“We all want the St. Louis Jewish newspaper to be a quality product — well-respected in the community, a source for news of all things Jewish.

“That can’t happen without all of our readers supporting the Light through our annual Patron Campaign,” Pass added.

“We hope every family that receives the Jewish Light will support us,” Movitz said. “With our readers’ support, we can be the best Jewish newspaper in the country.”

The annual campaign kicked off its fall drive by mailing patron cards to more than 10,000 families. If you haven’t received a patron mailer, you can make a donation online at www.stljewishlight.com or contact us at 314-743-3600 to request a patron card. You can also go to page 14 to see our Patron ad.