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

Rabbi James Stone Goodman

D’var Torah: Our shalom is broken; we look for connection

RABBI JAMES STONE GOODMANPublished July 21, 2022

We are dreaming peace all the time now, the evidence of that broken letter vavin the word shalom of briti shalom, covenant of peace, in Numbers 25:12, that may be what's holding it up. The vav in shalom is broken. Let's fix the vav in the...

Sonya J. Vann. Photo: Eden Theological Seminary website

Central Reform Congregation hires new executive director

Published May 16, 2022

Sonya J. Vann has been named executive director of Central Reform Congregation, the congregation announced in a news release this week. Vann, who has a Master of Divinity degree, served as the Director of Admissions and Financial Aid at Eden Theological...

Photo: Bill Motchan

D’var Torah: Do not remain silent; pour out your hurt

Rabbi James Stone GoodmanPublished April 29, 2022

We begin with sadness in this portion. And so the maqam, the musical figure in our communities of the eastern Mediterranean  associated with this portion, is maqam hijaz. A maqam is a musical figure, a partial scale, a modal form. The word maqam is a...

Central Reform Congregation. Photo: Bill Motchan

Rabbi Karen Kriger Bogard: This is not the time to sweat the small stuff

RABBI KAREN KRIGER BOGARDPublished September 2, 2021

This week, we read from Parshah Nitzavim, the same parshah we read on Yom Kippur morning. We are near the end of the book of Deuteronomy, as well as the death of Moshe rabbeinu, Moses our teacher. Even though the end of the Torah is near, Moses continues...

Central Reform Congregation. Photo: Bill Motchan

Rabbi James Stone Goodman: Justice and righteousness meet myth and rationality

Rabbi James Stone GoodmanPublished August 12, 2021

Justice is elusive. We learn this from this week’s Torah portion,  the famous tzedek tzedek — justice reiterated and pursued (Deuteronomy 16:20) — a reminder that justice, true justice, transformative justice, necessary justice, requires us to...

Virtual CRC Cooks event

Virtual CRC Cooks event

Published April 29, 2021

Join Central Reform Congregation for its next YUMMY CRC Cooks! class. Please register in advance at the following link.  The group will learn from CRC's very own Brad Hartman-- Former Executive Chef at The Muny, Former Chef, Owner, Operator at Pumpernickles...

Central Reform Congregation

CRC’s ‘Shabbat Kulanu’ offers chance for community to eat, mingle (virtually) and learn

Published February 15, 2021

For those who miss celebrating Shabbat together, Central Reform Congregation is offering an opportunity to do so virtually — while also sharing the same foods.On Friday, Feb. 19, the Reform synagogue is hosting Shabbat Kulanu (all of us), which will...

Elana Hertel

Newsmakers: January 2021

COMPILED BY ELLEN FUTTERMAN, EDITOR-IN-CHIEFPublished January 15, 2021

Elana Hertel has joined Central Reform Congregation as executive assistant to the rabbinic team. She graduated from Missouri State University with a bachelor’s degree in business and event management, holds a Certified Special Events Professional (CSEP)...

TOP ROW FROM LEFT: Rabbi Hershey Novack, Debbie Bram, Maxine Weil, Mark Morgan and Erin Wolfman May. BOTTOM ROW: Alyssa Banford, Anita Kraus, Ashley Stockman, Diana Matthis and Bonnie Solomon.  

JProStl’s Annual Recognition event takes place online Jan. 28

Published December 31, 2020

Nine professionals have been chosen as honorees for the Annual JProStl Recognition Event, which will take place Thursday, Jan. 28, from 1 to 2 p.m. online. The theme of the program is “Seeing the Silver Lining.” JProStl, an initiative of the Jewish...

Rabbi Daniel Bogard of Central Reform Congregation is participating in Pfizers Phase 3 COVID-19 vaccine trial.

Why volunteer for a COVID-19 vaccine trial? Central Reform rabbi says: To build trust in the process

By Eric Berger, Associate EditorPublished October 13, 2020

Normally, a sacrifice might make a Jew feel weak and lay in bed on Yom Kippur.For Rabbi Daniel Bogard of Central Reform Congregation that weakness hit him two days before the Jewish Day of Atonement, when Jews typically fast.He had made a different sacrifice:...

Congregation Shaare Emeth offered free drive-through notary services in advance of the primary election in August. The congregation is again offering the service on eight days in October in advance of the Nov. 3 election. 

CRC, Shaare Emeth offer notary services for absentee ballots

Published September 30, 2020

Volunteer notaries at Central Reform Congregation and Congregation Shaare Emeth will mask up once again to welcome anyone, free of charge, who needs their Missouri ballot notarized in advance of the Nov. 3 election. Notarization is required for most ballots...

Rabbi James Stone Goodman

You became thick, and you kicked

By Rabbi James Stone GoodmanPublished September 24, 2020

So you got fat [Deut. 32:15], G*d would have suckled you with honey from a rock and oil from a flinty stone butter of cattle milk or sheep fat of lambs, but you became thick and you kicked. Of course, we will get fat if we eat like that. The honey alone...

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