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

Editorial: For Art’s Sake

Published June 22, 2011

Art is life. Art isn't life.It's life because it's so often from here-and-now reality that artists derive their inspiration. The water lilies Monet obsessed upon were most definitely real. Shakespeare and Moliere poked much fun at the social niceties...

Letters to the editor: week of June 22

Published June 22, 2011

Can We Talk? series draws responsesIn the op-ed piece by Karen Aroesty (June 8), she concludes, "Terrorism can never be justified, even when cloaked in the respectability of artistic license." I absolutely agree.However, after seeing the dress rehearsal...

Brian Mulligan and Nancy Maultsby perform in rehearsals for Opera Theatre of Saint Louis’ production of ‘The Death Of Klinghoffer. Photo: Ken Howard/OTSL

The artistry of ‘Klinghoffer’

By Lew Prince, Special to the Jewish LightPublished June 15, 2011

Let's set the politics of "The Death of Klinghoffer" aside for a moment and look at what you're getting into if you spend an evening at Opera Theatre of St. Louis (OTSL) with John Adams' music and Alice Goodman's libretto. Ultimately, any artwork intended...

Rabbi Emeritus Howard Kaplansky

Commentary: Opera serves as springboard for interfaith discussion

BY RABBI HOWARD KAPLANSKYPublished June 15, 2011

The June 8 issue of the Jewish Light included, as part of its "Can We Talk?" series, two perspectives on "The Death of Klinghoffer," an opera to be presented by Opera Theatre St. Louis. The opera derives its title from the murder, by Palestine Liberation...

Tim O’Leary

Opera Theatre director on ‘The Death of Klinghoffer’

By Timothy O’LearyPublished June 8, 2011

In 2003, I experienced perhaps the most moving performance I'd ever seen in a theater. I was attending a concert of John Adams's "The Death of Klinghoffer" at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. In an auditorium with 2,000 other post-September-11th New Yorkers,...

 Karen Aroesty

ADL’s Karen Aroesty on ‘The Death of Klinghoffer’

By Karen AroestyPublished June 8, 2011

The year 2010 ushered in the 25th anniversary of the killing of Leon Klinghoffer by PLO terrorists aboard the Achille Lauro. Klinghoffer and his wife, Marilyn, were celebrating their 36th wedding anniversary - double chai. Having suffered strokes, he...

Marilyn Klinghoffer places flowers on the casket of her late husband, Leon Klinghoffer on Oct. 21, 1985. Leon Klinghoffer, was an American citizen killed by terrorists who hijacked  an Italian cruise liner.  Composer John Adams’ opera ‘The Death of Kinghoffer,’ stirred controversy from its inception. Opera Theatre of St. Louis is staging the opera in June — its first North American production in 20 years. 
File photo: Religious News Service photo

Culture and conflict

By David Baugher, Special to the Jewish LightPublished June 1, 2011

Kathleen Sitzer was braced for the impact but it never came. "Surprisingly, it was extremely positive," she said. "I was all prepared for a lot of flak about it. I didn't get it and I was delighted." It was 2005 and Sitzer, artistic director of the New...

Can We Talk?

Can We Talk? aims to spark community conversation

By Larry Levin and Ellen Futterman, Publisher/CEO and EDITORPublished June 1, 2011

When we envisioned our new series that combines news analysis with public discussion, we had a working name, News and Views, which described the concept but didn't bring it to life. So when in a working meeting with our friends and partners at the Jewish...

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