Nearly 3,800 visitors attended the fourth annual St. Charles Jewish Festival on Sunday, August 25. They were treated to food, music, crafts and other examples of Jewish culture. As the festival opened, attendees also learned the Hebrew word for love (ahavah) from Rabbi Yosef Landa, regional director of Chabad of Greater St. Louis. That was fitting because the theme for the 2024 festival was “Share The Love.”
Dan Borgmeyer, mayor of the City of St. Charles, welcomed fair-goers and presented a special gift to Rabbi Chaim Landa, co-director of the Chabad Jewish Center of St. Charles.
“This is the key to the City of St. Charles,” Borgmeyer said. “It represents the key to the success you’ve had and the growth of the Jewish community in St. Charles, which is ever expanding and we’re very, very proud of your efforts.”
A new fair sponsor for 2024 was Peoples National Bank. Matt Milter, the bank’s head of information technology, is a Jewish member of the St. Charles area. Milter said he only recently learned that St. Charles was home to a vibrant Jewish community.
“I’ve lived in St. Peters for 10 years and I had no idea there was a community like this out here,” Milter said. “Now that I know about it, here we are. I have gotten a sense of community I that I haven’t had since I was a kid. Knowing that there are people like me out here and events like this, now I can get my whole family involved and it’s outstanding.”
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