By Rabbi James Stone Goodman
• Published July 16, 2020
Matot is the word for tribes in the opening verse. We have another word for tribe: shevet. Matei (singular) and shevet both signify a branch, a staff, part of a tree, how a branch becomes a tribe. I am thinking about this as I stoop to kiss the ground...
BY BILL MOTCHAN, SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH LIGHT
• Published July 10, 2020
On the last day of June at 5 p.m., a vacuum cleaner whirred in a hallway at the Nest Early Childhood Education Center at Central Reform Congregation. Maxine Weil, director of congregational learning, recognized the sound.“You hear that?” Weil asked....
Listing below provided by the St. Louis Rabbinical and Cantorial Association, with additional information from congregations directly• Bais Abraham (Orthodox): Daily Tehillim, Halakha and Mishnah Monday through Friday at 7 a.m. Online at https://zoom.us/j/297962649...
By Eric Berger, Associate Editor
• Published November 14, 2019
The U.S. Army was monitoring a largely Jewish group of protesters who traveled in August from St. Louis to Fort Sill in Lawton, Okla., to protest the planned detention of migrant children at the facility, according to a report in The Intercept.The digital...
Every year, I struggle with the justice of the flood story. What was so bad about this society that the only option available to God was complete destruction, save Noah and his family? Isn’t there always hope for teshuvah, repentance, and realizing...
By Ellen Futterman, Editor
• Published October 10, 2019
Everything’s gonna be alright If pictures were used to explain the meaning of certain words, no doubt Randy Fleisher’s headshot would be found alongside “mensch.” The Central Reform Congregation rabbi personifies the definition of all-around...
By Rabbi James Stone Goodman
• Published August 29, 2019
Beginning with the month of Elul, we are into the Days of Awe ascent. In the synagogue we read the messages of consolation from the prophet Isaiah, leaving the descent of the three weeks of sadness drawn now towards the heights of awe. Where we have...
By Kayla Steinberg, Staff Writer
• Published August 8, 2019
“My name is Jaakelin Caal Maquin. At the age of 7, I died on Dec. 8, 2018, after being detained by the El Paso border patrol.”LAWTON, Okla. — The 100-degree southwestern Oklahoma heat beat down on Heartland for Human Justice trip participants as,...
The daughters of Zelophechad (Numbers 26ff) challenged the systems of power and inheritance that left them invisible and vulnerable. The Book of Numbers tells us that they understood that movements for social change often take generations. They planted...
We, the undersigned Jewish community leaders, take a public stand against the abortion ban (HB126) which Missouri Governor Mike Parson recently signed into law. The ban threatens the lives of women, their families, Missouri’s economy and our future. We...
By David Baugher, Special to the Jewish Light
• Published May 30, 2019
Standing in a field of sprouting collard and mustard greens, Karen Flotte surveys the 32-foot square of tilled land and the raised beds containing everything from turnips and beets to lettuce and potatoes — all of it standing in the shadow of Central...
Central Reform Congregation will hold a Prospective Member Brunch at 11 a.m. Sunday, April 7. Guests can meet the congregation’s rabbis and learn about CRC’s programs and education opportunities. CRC is located at 5108 Waterman Blvd. The event is...
