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

“Head of the Mossad: In Pursuit of a Safe and Secure Israel,” by Shabtai Shavit, 434 pages, University of Notre Dame Press, $29

Ex-Mossad chief shines light on reality of Mideast today

BY REPPS HUDSON, SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH LIGHTPublished January 21, 2021

Shabtai Shavit was the top man at Mossad, Israel’s spy agency, from 1989 to 1996, so he knows lots of state secrets. He shares many of them, to the extent he can, with readers in a memoir that is at times absolutely fascinating and at other times absolutely...

Back From the Brink in Iran

Back From the Brink in Iran

JEWISH LIGHT EDITORIALSPublished January 16, 2020

President Donald Trump’s temperate remarks from the White House last week in response to the “revenge firing” of long range missiles into a large air base in Iraq hosting U.S. forcesshould be reassuring to Americans on all points of the political...

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...

As Trump Betrays Allies, Israel Gets Nervous

As Trump Betrays Allies, Israel Gets Nervous

JEWISH LIGHT EDITORIALPublished October 17, 2019

In perhaps the most serious and consequential blunder of his controversial presidency, Donald Trump essentially gave a green light for the brutal Turkish invasion of Kurdish controlled sections of northern Syria, abandoning brave allies in that dangerous...

The dark side of ‘America First’ should worry Israel

The dark side of ‘America First’ should worry Israel

By Jonathan S. Tobin, JNSPublished October 10, 2019

In retrospect, no one should be shocked by the news that the United States has given the green light to Turkey for a military incursion aimed at sweeping Kurdish forces out of northern Syria. Trump has been very clear about wanting to cut and run from...

Cartoon

Calculated Confusion Over Iran

JEWISH LIGHT EDITORIALPublished June 27, 2019

With his last-minute decision to back away from a military strike against Iran, President Donald Trump dodged a dangerous bullet for the United States and his own presidency. But despite the positive outcome, no one should be happy about the unorthodox...

Israel at 71: Progress Amid War Clouds

Israel at 71: Progress Amid War Clouds

JEWISH LIGHT EDITORIALPublished May 16, 2019

Israel is in the midst of celebrating its 71st year as an independent modern nation-state — an event well worth celebrating — to note the end of stateless exile in which Jews were at the mercy of other nations. After more than 2,000 years of persecution,...

Jonathan S. Tobin

Despite UN vote, Palestinian terror still a losing strategy

By Jonathan S. Tobin, JNSPublished December 13, 2018

The U.N. General Assembly narrowly defeated a resolution last Thursday that would have condemned Hamas for its terror campaign against Israel. Three days later, a Palestinian gunman opened fire on a group of Jews waiting at a bus stop near the West Bank...

Sandstorms in the Middle East — and At Home

Sandstorms in the Middle East — and At Home

JEWISH LIGHT EDITORIALPublished December 13, 2018

Chamsim is Arabic for “sandstorm,” and that term is an apt metaphor for the always-roiling Middle East.  Consider these major ongoing developments:• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife, Sara, are in legal jeopardy.  Israeli...

Ben Cohen

Abbas, Netanyahu UN speeches signal that 30-year peace process is now dead

By Ben CohenPublished October 4, 2018

There was one corner of New York City last Thursday where the Senate Judicial Committee hearings into the accusations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh went largely unnoticed: the United Nations building perched on the East River, site of...

The Rockets of August

The Rockets of August

JEWISH LIGHT EDITORIALSPublished August 16, 2018

August is usually associated with the “dog days,” when  time seems to stand still and the chaos and tumult of the other 11 months dies down. But the surface calm of the month often masks issues that can boil to the surface at a moment’s notice. In...

President Donald Trump and Jared Kushner, left, at the Western Wall in Jerusalem on May 22. Photo: Israel Bardugo

A Good Start in the Middle East

Jewish Light EditorialPublished May 25, 2017

Donald J. Trump’s first overseas trip as president deserves praise not only for its optics, but also for its geopolitical significance and his temperate presentation. Now, the tough work begins to turn a good start into a lasting accomplishment.During...

Load More Stories