City rankings rankle reader

Once again, St. Louis is underrated — this time by the Jewish Light’s Ohr Chadash Teen Page (“City Showdown,” Oct. 10) in their unscientific study. We just don’t have ‘two’ campuses at the JCC; these are outstanding recreational and cultural assets that few cities can enjoy — the Millstone Campus location includes  the excellent and creative New Jewish Theatre, which has earned numerous Kevin Kline awards. On the same campus is the Jewish War Veterans Military Museum and Memorial Centre. Next to the Holocaust Museum and Learning Center is the Saul Brodsky Jewish Community Library, a rare resource.

The teens list “a book festival” — it’s much more than that. The annual (this is its 34th year) two-week event hosts some of the best Jewish authors in the nation including the likes of William Shatner, Helen Hunt and in recent years, Kirk and Michael Douglas.

The Jewish Film Festival held each June is growing and last summer showcased 13 feature films never before seen in St. Louis.

Based on the quality of these resources, a rating of at least a “B” is justified.

However, I do agree that we need another Jewish museum besides the exceptional Holocaust Museum. That museum could honor those Jewish citizens who played a role in building our community as well as improving the quality of life of St. Louis as a whole over the course of 175 years from culture and recreation/sports to medical care and education.

Involving teens and college students in a conversation regarding such a cooperative project as this museum could help encourage them to stay in St. Louis. And that can benefit us all.

Michael R. Fixman, Creve Coeur