Cool memories of summer

As a little girl in the late 1960s, no time of year was better than summer. It wasn’t just being out of school and going to sleep away camp, both of which I adored, but also the Good Humor truck circling our neighborhood with its familiar jingle and strawberry shortcake ice cream bars, playing with friends after dinner because it stayed light until late and enjoying my most favorite invention at the time, air conditioning. 

Our home had bedroom units that rumbled throughout the night. I’m not sure how any of us slept. Nevertheless, I can remember shoving my pillow in front of the unit before bedtime so that it would be freezing cold when I put my head down to sleep. In retrospect, I suppose it was strange thing to do, but it’s as vivid a memory as getting up for the first time on water skis or being chosen as Blue Team color war captain at Raquette Lake Girls Camp in the Adirondacks.

My point is that summer is the season for memories, be it at camp, or on a family vacation, or a night out at Ted Drewes or the Muny. 

The Jewish Light would like you to share a summer memory through words and pictures so that we in turn can share them with readers in the coming weeks. Please send a picture electronically and write a caption — no more than 150 words — depicting a 2019 summer happening or event that is likely to become a fond memory for you and/or your family. Be sure to include your name, municipality (Creve Coeur, Ballwin, Clayton, St. Louis city, etc.), daytime phone number (so we can reach you, if necessary) and the names of everyone in the picture in the order that they appear. Send them to [email protected] and write “summer memory”in the subject field. 

And just so you know, we welcome pictures of kids shoving their pillow in front of an air conditioning unit so that it will be freezing cold when they go to sleep.

Social justice trip

The National Council of Jewish Women St. Louis and the Heartland for Human Justice Coalition are planning a bus trip to Fort Sill, Okla. to protest the opening of the newest detention center and participate in an interfaith vigil in remembrance of the children who have died while in detention. The bus will leave from St. Louis the morning of Wednesday, July 31 and return late on Thursday, Aug. 1. 

Immigration and supporting new Americans is a focus for NCJWSTL. The Heartland for Human Justice Coalition formed as a result of the recent announcements concerning mass deportations as well as the treatment of children in detention centers, family separation, and anything that causes undue harm and trauma to those who enter this country. Other organizations included in the coalition are Women’s Voices Raised for Social Justice, Jewish Community Relations Council, United Hebrew Congregation, Congregation Shaare Emeth and Central Reform Congregation.

See the Jewish Light for more information next week about how to sign up for the bus trip and the cost, including hotel accommodations. For more information or to join the coalition, contact Cheryl Adelstein at [email protected] or NCJW at 314-993-5181. 

Listen to this

Jewish Federation of St. Louis has debuted a new podcast looking at the events of the day in the St. Louis Jewish community.

“Hear for Good” is hosted by Karen Sher, Federation’s Vice President of Community Engagement. The first three episodes are available at www.jfedstl.org/news-events/hearforgood/ or can be downloaded from iTunes. The podcasts include discussions about Federation’s search for a new CEO and president, a recent interfaith couples mission to Israel and the work of the JDC, an international Jewish humanitarian organization, with Jews in the former Soviet Union. Future episodes will feature guests from a broad range of St. Louis Jewish community organizations, congregations, schools and programs. 

If you have ideas about interesting people, topics and events to feature on “Hear for Good,” contact Richard Jackoway at 314-442-3840 or [email protected].

Take a chance

Chabad at University of Missouri-Columbia is raising money this summer through an online raffle, first prize of which is $10,000. 

“We thought this would be an easy summer fundraiser,” explained Rabbi Avraham Lapine, director of Chabad at Mizzou. He said proceeds from the raffle, at $36 per ticket, would help fund weekly Shabbat dinners on campus as well as special holiday dinners and services and other Jewish programming at the university. Roughly 600 of Mizzou’s 23,000 undergraduate students are Jewish, said Lapine.

In addition to the grand prize, second place is a trip for two to Israel, third place is $1,000 and fourth place is $360. Five fourth place winners will be drawn.

To enter the raffle and for more information, go to www.jewishtigers.com/raffle. Entries must be received by 11:59 p.m. on July 24.