A nonprofit, independent news source to inform, inspire, educate and connect the St. Louis Jewish community.

St. Louis Jewish Light

A nonprofit, independent news source to inform, inspire, educate and connect the St. Louis Jewish community.

St. Louis Jewish Light

A nonprofit, independent news source to inform, inspire, educate and connect the St. Louis Jewish community.

St. Louis Jewish Light

Eric Berger

Eric Berger, Associate Editor

Eric is a graduate of the Missouri School of Journalism and started his journalism career in Boonville, Mo., a town of less than 10,000 people about 40 minutes west of Columbia. He is fairly certain that he was the only Jew in town. He spent one year at the Boonville Daily News as a reporter and then became news and online editor.

He then participated in a six-month internship in Israel at the Jerusalem Post, where he edited opinion pieces and helped manage the website. Next, he moved to Philadelphia to work as a staff writer at the Jewish Exponent, the second-oldest continuously published Jewish newspaper in the United States.

Over three years, he interviewed author Nathan Englander, a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, and actress Susie Essman, who stars on Eric's favorite comedy, "Curb Your Enthusiasm." He also wrote about the challenges Holocaust survivors face as they age; a deaf Jewish congregation that has been shrinking in numbers; and covered local and state elections, interviewing Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolfe and his predecessor, Tom Corbett.

He won Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association Professional Keystone Press and Philadelphia Press Association awards for his story about local Jews who were in Israel during the 2014 Gaza war and a feature about a 13-year-old boy taking classes remotely using a robot while undergoing cancer treatment.

He moved back to St. Louis and joined the St. Louis Jewish Light as a staff writer in October 2015. In addition to writing stories, he manages the newspaper's social media and shoots videos.

In October, he started teaching journalism classes at his alma mater, Ladue Horton Watkins High School.

He has written for the Philadelphia Daily News, Tablet magazine, and the St. Louis Beacon, an online newspaper covering the St. Louis area.

If you Google "Eric Berger journalist" you will find a science writer at the Houston Chronicle. This is not St. Louis Eric Berger, who has made it his life goal to overtake Houston Eric Berger and become the top hit on search engines. Eric can be reached at 314-743-3674 or [email protected].

All content by Eric Berger
Remembering MLK’s St. Louis speech on the future of integration

Remembering MLK’s St. Louis speech on the future of integration

Eric Berger, Special To The Jewish Light
Published January 15, 2023
Julie Frankel.Photo by Bill Motchan

Julie Frankel has become indispensable volunteer to many organizations

Eric Berger, Special To The Jewish Light
Published January 4, 2023
Missouris small towns are filled with rich Jewish history

Missouri’s small towns are filled with rich Jewish history

Eric Berger, Special For The Jewish Light
Published June 1, 2022
Mike and Jane Weinhaus are flanked by their extended family. The couple, along with their two adult sons and one of their son’s wives, were among the first St. Louisans to contract the virus in March 2020. Both Michael and Jane were hospitalized; she spent nine days on a ventilator.

How the Weinhaus family found a new normal, 2 years after COVID

ERIC BERGER, Special to the Jewish Light
Published March 8, 2022
Jewish Federation’s Community Security Director, Scott Biondo, speaks during a panel discussion on ‘Keeping Religious Communities Safe’ at Central Reform Congregation on Jan. 20. The event, planned by Interfaith Partnership of St. Louis and CRC, was broadcast via Zoom. Photo: Philip Deitch

St. Louis Jewish groups upping security after shul attack

ERIC BERGER, Special to the Jewish Light
Published February 2, 2022
Burton and Benita Boxerman

Jewish authors pen book on DeWitt family

Eric Berger, Associate Editor
Published December 2, 2021
Maor Elbaz-Starinsky, (left) the consul general of Israel in Miami, presents Gov. Mike Parson with a copy of the Torah on Thursday, Oct. 28 in Missouri. (Photo from Gov. Mike Parsons Twitter feed.)

Missouri governor meets with Israeli consul general

Eric Berger, Associate Editor
Published October 29, 2021
Cultural Leadership has hired Tamyka Perine as its new executive director.

Cultural Leadership hires new executive director

Eric Berger, Associate Editor
Published October 13, 2021
Joey Abeles, the new manager of the Maryville University Hillel, stands with the school mascot, Louie.

Maryville University Hillel hires new manager

Eric Berger, Associate Editor
Published October 3, 2021
Scott Berzon, director of business operations at Congregation Shaare Emeth, constructed a sukkah at his home in Ballwin for the first time this year. The project started when his wife, Jamie, spotted a large pile of bamboo in a neighbors yard with a sign: Free. Jamie convinced us it was time to try and build our first Sukkah. The process was just as rewarding as the end result, and we laughed along the way that our structure may very well be a symbol of impermanence, Scott Berzon explained.

PHOTO GALLERY: St. Louis Jews continue to celebrate Sukkot

Eric Berger, Associate Editor
Published September 26, 2021
Congregation Temple Emanuel build a sukkah again this year with the help of congregants such as Ethan Goldfeder, son of Andrew Goldfeder, executive director of Temple Emanuel
It was a beautiful morning when the Temple Emanuel Sukkah was erected, said Andrew Goldfeder. It was a wonderful Covid-friendly way for congregants to gather together for a fun and fulfilling time.

PHOTO GALLERY: Three sukkahs for the third day of Sukkot

Eric Berger, Associate Editor
Published September 23, 2021
PHOTO GALLERY: St. Louisans share their sukkahs

PHOTO GALLERY: St. Louisans share their sukkahs

Eric Berger, Associate Editor
Published September 23, 2021
Jason Kander, the Jewish  Democrat who served as Missouris secretary of state, is now president of the Veterans Community Project.

Jason Kander brings project to help veterans to St. Louis

Eric Berger, Associate Editor
Published September 10, 2021

Natan Sharansky headlines St. Louis Jewish Book Festival

Eric Berger, Associate Editor
Published September 2, 2021
Morgaine Rosenthal performs in the Cirque Italia Water Circus.

For this Jewish mermaid, life is a circus

Eric Berger, Associate Editor
Published August 17, 2021
Jewish Federation of St. Louis and the J sponsored the Sababa Jewish Arts and Culture Festival on Sunday, Oct. 14, 2018 at Washington University. Photo: Zach Dalin Photography

Sababa festival postponed until 2022 due to COVID-19

ERIC BERGER, Associate Editor
Published August 11, 2021
Epstein Hebrew Academy appoints new head of school

Epstein Hebrew Academy appoints new head of school

Eric Berger, Associate Editor
Published July 29, 2021
National Council of Jewish Women St. Louis helped provide school essentials; clothes and other items to 2,000 St. Louis-area children during the organizations annual Back to School! Store on July 19, 2020.  Pictured are Marci Ranger (left) and Chris Bomze.

NCJW again adjusts Back to School Store for COVID

Eric Berger, Associate Editor
Published July 27, 2021
Peggy Landsbaum is member services manager at the St. Louis Jewish Community Center.

The Lighter Side: Q&A with Peggy Landsbaum of the J

Eric Berger, Associate Editor
Published July 13, 2021
Harvey Gerstein speaks in September 2019 at the Mirowitz Center during a kickoff event for Friends Enjoying Life, a group Gerstein formed to provide social opportunities for active senior men.

Mirowitz Center opens for some in-person programs

ERIC BERGER, Associate Editor
Published June 24, 2021
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