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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

Netanyahu Lands On His Feet — Again!

Netanyahu Lands On His Feet — Again!

Jewish Light EditorialPublished May 14, 2020

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has done it again. Last week, the Israeli High Court ruled unanimously not to overturn the painstakingly negotiated power deal between his center-right Likud Party and rival Benny Gantz’s center-left Blue and...

Pandemic Prompts Coalition Government

Pandemic Prompts Coalition Government

JEWISH LIGHT EDITORIALPublished April 23, 2020

The coronavirus appears to have accomplished in Israel what three inconclusive elections and long hours of debate have not: an emergency coalition government.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his main challenger, Benny Gantz, announced Monday that...

David Ben-Gurion

Meticulous research elevates Ben-Gurion biography

By Burton Boxerman, Special to the Jewish LightPublished February 20, 2020

David Ben-Gurion, known as the founder of the State of Israel, has been the subject of many books. His latest biographer is Tom Segev, an Israeli historian, author and journalist who is associated with Israel’s New Historians, a group challenging many...

Can Mideast Plan Finally Bring Peace?

JEWISH LIGHT EDITORIALPublished February 6, 2020

In the midst of a tumultuous news cycle that included the divisive impeachment trial of President Donald Trump, the formal split of the United Kingdom from the European Union under Brexit and the spread of the deadly coronavirus from China, Trump unveiled...

Jonathan S. Tobin

Trump’s critics shouldn’t encourage Palestinians to make another mistake

BY JONATHAN S. TOBIN, JNSPublished February 6, 2020

Contrary to the bad advice they’re getting from the Democrats and J Street,Palestinians need to accept that the U.S. plan is their best chance for statehood.As far as Americans who despise President Donald Trump go, as well as for many Jews and Israelis...

Can we still talk civilly about Israel?

Can we still talk civilly about Israel?

JEWISH LIGHT EDITORIALPublished November 21, 2019

The Sh’ma prayer, the eternal watchword of the Jewish faith, commands us to hear, to listen.  But recent public discussions about how American Jews should relate to the State of Israel have ignored that plea, devolving from legitimate passion into...

Kay Wilson

Terror attack survivor to visit St. Louis, share her story

By Eric Berger, Associate EditorPublished November 14, 2019

Kay Wilson used to lead tours around Israel but now travels around the world to tell her own story. She does so despite having to wear earplugs when she is in loud places to avoid triggering symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder and needing to rest...

Shaked Birenboim and Guy Nachum are the Israeli teens currently serving in the Shinshinim program in St. Louis. Read more about Guy and Shaked, as well as past Shinshinim on the Jewish Federation’s website: http://bit.ly/Shinshinim-STL. 

In year of service, young Shinshinit connects St. Louis Jews to Israel

By Jordan Eisen, Sophomore, Parkway NorthPublished November 14, 2019

Every year, the Jewish Agency for Israel’s Shinshinim program sends young Israelis to Jewish communities across the United States and Canada to serve as community educators and share what Israel is like.The Israeli teens who take part in the Shinshinim...

Levi Rose, a senior at Whitfield School, took part in Tichon Ramah Yerushalayim. 

High school study abroad programs in Israel beckon for some St. Louis teens

By Jamie Korenblat, Senior, Ladue Horton Watkins High SchoolPublished November 14, 2019

Studying abroad is becoming increasingly popular among high school teens in America. While this experience allows students to learn about a different culture as they go to school elsewhere, it also means living thousands of miles from home for months...

Crises Roil ISIS, Iraq, Iran, Israel

Crises Roil ISIS, Iraq, Iran, Israel

JEWISH LIGHT EDITORIALPublished November 7, 2019

The always tumultuous Middle East is on overdrive, with several major crises exploding at the same time. The instability on several fronts can be grouped underthe heading of the Four I’s: ISIS, Iraq, Iran and Israel.Consider these recent developments...

Jonathan S. Tobin

Why is Reform widening the divide between Israel and American Jewry?

BY JONATHAN S. TOBINPublished November 7, 2019

Friction between American Jews and Israel has never been greater. The divide between these two branches of the Jewish people has been exacerbated by differences about religious pluralism, the peace process, as well as over opinions about President Donald...

Yourself Bashir will be speaking at the Jewish Book Festival on Tuesday, Nov. 5 at 7 p.m.  

Author credits father’s wisdom for helping him deal with adversity

By Repps Hudson, Special to the Jewish LightPublished October 31, 2019

Simply stated, Yousef Bashir’s memoir “The Words of My Father: Love and Pain in Palestine” is worth reading because the attitude of this Palestinian from an old, established Gaza family is not what we might expect, given his experiences during...

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