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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

Josh Kazdan is a freshman at Stanford University.  Photo by Neshama Roash

Scholarships propel St. Louis native around the world

BY JESSICA GOLDBERG, SENIOR, JOHN BURROUGHS SCHOOLPublished September 15, 2016

Meet Josh Kazdan, a multi-talented and inspirational Jewish teen in St. Louis who is making a significant difference in the world through his remarkable commitment to community service, love of international travel and devotion to innovative scientific...

Blue Valley North High School junior Lexie Herman traveled to France over the summer, where she saw the Eiffel Tower.  Photo courtesy of  Sophie Baron

Teens uncover Jewish history through travel

BY SOPHIE BARON, JUNIOR, PARKWAY CENTRALPublished September 15, 2016

Traveling as a teenager is an experience that can have a lifelong impact. Whether it is with family, friends, school, youth group or even solo, discovering and learning enriches and engages the Jewish experience as a young adult. “Traveling is so important...

Left to Right: Harrison Friedman and Ezra Schwarz explore The Picasso in downtown Chicago. Photo courtesy of Harrison Friedman.

Ohr Chadash teen page writer attends high school at a Yeshiva in Illinois

BY HARRISON FRIEDMAN, Senior, Fasman YeshivaPublished September 15, 2016

For most teenagers, freshman year of college marks the first time they move away from home to attend school, live in a dormitory and make friends from all over the world. For me, this experience came in my freshman year as well — of high school.I decided...

Teens take part in a 2013 JOLT event. File photo

Program for St. Louis Jewish teens ends after enrollment decline

By Eric Berger, Staff WriterPublished June 23, 2016

Jewish Federation of St. Louis has decided to discontinue its afterschool education program for teens because of declining enrollment in recent years, leaders say.The Jewish Opportunities and Learning For Teens (JOLT) program offered courses such as Jews...

David Bryfman, Ph.D., is the chief innovation officer at The Jewish Education Project, which is a beneficiary agency of UJA Federation of New York. Generation Now was commissioned by the Jim Joseph Foundation, Lippman Kanfer Foundation for Living Torah, the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation and The Marcus Foundation. His commentary was distributed by JTA.

Jewish teenagers want to engage. Just ask them.

By David BryfmanPublished May 26, 2016

NEW YORK (JTA) — Welcoming teens into Jewish life is both one of the most important and seemingly challenging endeavors of the Jewish community. The rapid decline in teen engagement in Jewish life post-b’nai mitzvah is well-documented and depressing....

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