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

ABOVE: In a 2017 file photo, David Feit Mann, then a sophomore at Yeshiva Kadimah High School, closed a Student to Student presentation for 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 going national

ELLEN FUTTERMAN, EDITOR-IN-CHIEFPublished January 20, 2022

The Student to Student program, founded 30 years ago by the Jewish Community Relations Council of St. Louis, is going national. It will be headquartered in St. Louis, under the auspices of a new nonprofit, Student to Student Inc. “Given the bigotry,...

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

Student to Student adapts to connect teens virtually

BY ERIC BERGER, ASSOCIATE EDITORPublished September 24, 2020

The question from the Catholic high school student to the Jewish students could have been from any Student to Student presentation in the two decades since the program’s inception.“How do you go about choosing which branch of Judaism you belong to?”...

JSU service trip to New Orleans

Chesed down on the Bayou

By Sam ZitinPublished March 6, 2020

Over President’s Day weekend, I was pleased to help chaperone a Jewish Student Union (JSU) relief trip to New Orleans. Eight students, Rabbi Yitzchak Staum and I traveled there Wednesday, Feb. 12 to join other staff and students from all over the Midwest....

A scene from a previous ‘Jerusalem Journey’ Israel trip led by Jewish Student Union.

JSU plans summer trip in Israel for high school students

Published November 15, 2019

Jewish Student Union invites high school students in ninth through 12th grades to spend four weeks in Israel as part of JSU’s The Anne Samson Jerusalem Journey. The Israel trip is for Jewish teens attending public and private non-Jewish high schools. Supported...

Ohr Chadash teen pages from 2008 through 2017.

A decade of news by and for St. Louis Jewish teens

Published September 13, 2018

Ladue high graduate Abby Abrams, 25, now lives in New York where she works for Time magazine as a reporter and fact-checker. It’s a job she covets and feels lucky to have, and she credits her time during high school on Ohr Chadash with helping her to...

Federation announces teen Israel trip

Published November 8, 2017

Jewish Federation of St. Louis is accepting applications for Israel Bound 2017, a three-week trip to Israel bringing together Jewish high school students from around the community. Participants will have the opportunity to:• Explore ancient Jerusalem...

Emily Goldstein

Teen runs toward helping others with juvenile arthritis

Ellen Futterman, EditorPublished November 1, 2017

Emily Goldstein does not remember life without arthritis.“I was a very active 3-year-old when one day I could not get out of bed, and my family knew something was wrong,” explained Emily, 17. “One of my knees was almost the size of a grapefruit....

Ohr Chadash creates new opportunities for students

BY Lily Hauptman, JUNIOR, LADUE HORTON, WATKINS HIGH SCHOOLPublished April 13, 2017

Before I entered the big, seemingly daunting doors of my high school, I knew that I wanted to join the school paper. I took two journalism classes, eventually rising in the ranks from writer to editor, and I have loved every second. Journalism brings...

John Burroughs School freshman Samanth Remis  placed second individually in state.

Tennis teens play for national stardom

BY MADDIE LEE, Sophomore, PARKWAY CENTRAL High SchoolPublished March 8, 2017

John Burroughs School freshman Samantha Remis and Parkway Central High School sophomore Zoe Hahn are nationally ranked tennis players.“I love most parts of tennis,” Samantha said. “I really like being out there, and I just really enjoy playing....

Marquette High School sophomore Lauren Bayne (right) stands with friends, protesting the Muslim ban at Capitol Hill on Jan. 27. Lauren traveled to Washington D.C. with her confirmation class, where they had the opportunity to attend the protest. Photo courtesy of Lauren Bayne.

Jewish teens discuss their thoughts about the future

BY GREG SVIRNOVSKIY, Junior, Marquette high schoolPublished March 8, 2017

Protesters gathered on the steps of Capitol Hill, waving signs, marching stoically. Braving the chilly air and drizzling skies, they yelled proudly in cries of desperation.“Show me what America looks like,” they said, their chants permeating through...

Rabbis and other leaders in the Jewish community encourage students to take a gap year in Israel. They believe that waiting one year in between high school and college will allow for growth.  Photo courtesy of Avi Rubin.

Seniors prepare for gap year in Israel

By Harrison Friedman, Senior, Fasman Yeshiva High SchoolPublished January 11, 2017

The idea of taking a gap year between high school and college has long been common in places such as Europe, but it has not been very popular in America until recently. Religious gap year programs, however, have been around for many years, and Jewish...

Jewish teens speak out about the future of the nation

By Anya Tullman, Sophomore, Ladue Horton Watkins High SchoolPublished January 11, 2017

Unprecedented. Shocking. Upsetting. Uplifting. These words and many others have been used to describe Donald Trump’s election as America’s 45th president. Some cheered. Some cried. However, no matter which candidate a person voted for, most Americans...

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