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

A man stands next to orphaned Russian Jews upon immigration to the U.S., New York, July 1919.No Credit Given

Our relatives immigrated with little help. How you can change that for new arrivals

Jordan Palmer, Chief Digital Content OfficerPublished December 12, 2021

In the first half of the nineteenth century, most Jewish immigrants came from Central Europe. In addition to settling in New York, Philadelphia, and Baltimore, groups of German-speaking Jews made their way to Cincinnati, Cleveland, Louisville, Minneapolis,...

JCRC: Medicaid expansion measure deserves support

JCRC: Medicaid expansion measure deserves support

By Cheryl Adelstein, Nancy Solomon Desloge & Rachel ThimanguPublished July 30, 2020

So many of us feel powerless these days. Two inter-connected and seemingly intractable issues — the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) and the call for racial equity — challenge our Jewish values of preserving human life and protecting the vulnerable. It’s...

JCRC, NCJW offer notary services for absentee voters

Published July 17, 2020

The local chapters of Jewish Community Relations Council and National Council of Jewish Women are collaborating to offer notary services for absentee and mail-in ballots in advance of the August election.The effort comes after Missouri Gov. Mike Parson...

Lauren Abraham (left) has been hired to direct JCRC’s Student to Student program, succeeding longtime director, Fawn Chapel (right), who will become the program’s national coordinator.

JCRC hires new director of Student to Student program

Published April 2, 2020

The Jewish Community Relations Council of St Louis (JCRC) has hired Lauren Abraham as the new director of Student to Student effective July 1. The current director, Fawn Chapel, will be continuing to work with the JCRC as the National Coordinator of Student...

A JCPA delegation recently visited the southern U.S. border during a three-day fact-finding mission. 

JCPA delegation bears witness on the border

BY PAUL KRAVITZ, MAHARAT RORI PICKER NEISS & KAREN SHERPublished October 10, 2019

When we bear witness to acts of injustice and inhumanity against our fellow human beings, we have a responsibility to tell their stories. When we bear witness to a system that criminalizes children, women and men fleeing violence, corruption and poverty,...

Julie Williams leads students on a tour of the Holocaust Museum and Learning Center of St. Louis earlier this month. Photo: BILL MOTCHAN

Julie Williams: Holocaust museum docent wants to be agent of change against discrimination

By David Baugher, Special to the Jewish LightPublished May 30, 2019

As Julie Williams speaks about her volunteer work, the message emblazoned on the wall behind her at the Holocaust Museum and Learning Center says as much as she can about why she does what she does. “Change begins with me,” it reads. “This is...

JFHN announces grant, fundraising to support DACA renewals

JFHN announces grant, fundraising to support DACA renewals

Published August 9, 2018

The Jewish Fund for Human Needs (JFHN) announced last week that it will award an emergency grant to enable DACA recipients to apply for renewal of their status. It also will launch an effort to fundraise for additional support within the Jewish community....

Campers at the International Institute Day Camp played a game of duck-duck-goose on Monday morning. Photo: Eric Berger 

Jewish groups, International Institute offer summer camp for immigrant families

Eric Berger, Staff WriterPublished July 18, 2018

 A 13-year-old boy from Afghanistan stands outside in south St. Louis, listening as firefighters explain to him and other campers how their truck and equipment works. He wears a blue baseball hat emblazoned with the word “Hollywood.” It provides...

Jacqueline Thompson’s performance in the New Jewish Theater’s production of ‘Intimate Apparel’ won the St. Louis Theater Circle’s award for  Lead Actress in a Drama. Photo: Eric Woolsey

Seder humor, guns and art, NJT wins, JCRC honors

Ellen Futterman, EditorPublished March 28, 2018

Prelude to PassoverLast week I was having lunch with a fairly new friend who asked if I would like to join her for Passover. She and her husband were having 18 guests to their home — two more would be no trouble at all, she assured me.I politely declined...

Rigo, an 18 year old from Mexico, spoke during a press conference Monday, Feb. 27 at Central Reform Congregation to advocate for Dreamers, the name often used to described undocumented immigrants who entered the United States as children.  Photo: Eric Berger

Clergy urge action on ‘Dreamers’

By Eric Berger, Staff WriterPublished February 28, 2018

Rigo is an 18 year old from Mexico who entered the country illegally with his mother as a small child. Shortly before an event Monday at Central Reform Congregation, he received a letter informing him that he could renew his application for Deferred Action...

Learning to converse about Israel, civilly

By Eric Berger, Staff WriterPublished November 8, 2017

The Jewish Community Relations Council and Anti-Defamation League local chapters are collaborating on a program designed to empower people who usually avoid discussions about Israel.The Jewish nonprofits are targeting people who have never attended an...

ABOVE: David Feit Mann, a sophomore at Yeshiva Kadmiah High School, closed a presentation for students in an AP English class at Affton High School by explaining how a ram’s horn is used in Judaism.Photo: Eric Berger

JCRC’s Student to Student program to expand to other cities

By Eric Berger, Staff WriterPublished October 4, 2017

The Jewish Community Relations Council of St. Louis plans to expand its Student to Student program to other cities after receiving a $15,000 grant.JCRC, which started the program in 1992, sends Jewish high school students in the St. Louis area to schools...

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