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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

Courtesy of Soundofmusic.com

Why ‘The Sound of Music’ matters, even after 50+ years

Ellen Futterman, Editor-in-ChiefPublished December 21, 2022

Sunday night I did something I don’t often do these days. I watched a movie — with commercials — on “regular” TV. It happened to be “The Sound of Music,” one of my all-time favorites, which clocked in at four hours on ABC. I realize I could...

St. Louis region to get lit up for Hanukkah

St. Louis region to get lit up for Hanukkah

Published December 6, 2022

When it comes to celebrating Hanukkah, Chabad in the St. Louis area likes to go big, as in really big. Among noteworthy events, there will be a menorah lighting near the Arch and on Historic Main Street in St. Charles, just a stone’s throw away...

Vivian Zwick in 2017 and the late Dr. Michael Freiman.

St. Louis’ Pro-choice pioneers are snapped back 50 years by end of Roe

Ellen Futterman, Editor-in-ChiefPublished August 10, 2022

After the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June and Missouri immediately activated the state’s “trigger law” banning legal abortion, I got to thinking about those who fought hard for reproductive rights before the passage of Roe in 1973. In...

Lindsey Marglous center  with her nephew Sawyer Merlin left and niece Lila Merlin hamming it up at Candytopia a candy themed pop up in New York City in 2018    

How “Aunt Lindsey” left a legacy of lovingness

Ellen Futterman, Editor-in-ChiefPublished July 27, 2022

Lately, I’ve been thinking about legacies — how they happen, what they mean, how we hope to be remembered, how we actually are remembered. Maybe these thoughts have something to do with the realization that I have lived many more years than are likely...

Synagogue changing name of B’nei Mitzvah program

Synagogue changing name of B’nei Mitzvah program

ELLEN FUTTERMAN, EDITOR-IN-CHIEFPublished May 26, 2022

What’s in a name? Maybe more than you think. In a letter to Shaare Emeth members, Cantor Seth Warner explains how the Reform congregation has renamed its B’nei Mitzvah program to B’Mitzvah Program. “This shift reflects Shaare Emeth’s commitment...

Artist Loren Ludmerer created a Passover charcuterie board by reimagining the various components typically found on the seder plate.

From seder to sewing: St. Louis artist creates from what she collects

ELLEN FUTTERMAN, Editor-in-ChiefPublished April 13, 2022

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I walked into Loren Ludmerer’s Ladue home on a recent Wednesday. Our meeting had been scheduled for 10 a.m. but that morning the rain was coming down hard.  At 7:59 a.m. I got an email from Ludmerer asking if...

Picture books for little kids link learning with Jewish ideals

Picture books for little kids link learning with Jewish ideals

ELLEN FUTTERMAN, Editor-in-ChiefPublished February 23, 2022

They say necessity is the mother of invention. Boy, was that ever the case for St. Louis native Sarah Hirsch Maddali. After she and her husband had two children, now ages 3 and 6, Maddali grew frustrated that she couldn’t find age-appropriate...

Supported by JNF-USA, LOTEM helps people with disabilities experience nature throughout Israel. Here, a group explores Jerusalem’s surrounding parks.

Anonymous STL donor supports JNF accessibility project

ELLEN FUTTERMAN, Editor-in-ChiefPublished February 18, 2022

A generous St. Louis donor who wishes to remain anonymous is helping to fund technology that will create an interactive, accessible and autonomous experience for visitors with visual impairments at many of Israel’s museums.  With support for the...

Hallmark movies and the pandemic  — and how the twain shall meet

Hallmark movies and the pandemic — and how the twain shall meet

Ellen Futterman, Editor-in-ChiefPublished January 11, 2022

Forgive me as I continue to shake the cobwebs from my brain after a month-long binge of the Hallmark channel. As regular readers may recall, I am a sucker for totally predictable made-for-TV holiday movies, especially ones that go heavy on the cheese. It...

Car parade celebrates 3rd grader's return home after brain cancer surgery

Car parade celebrates 3rd grader’s return home after brain cancer surgery

ELLEN FUTTERMAN, EDITOR-IN-CHIEFPublished January 7, 2022

The Creve Coeur police and K9 unit and the Creve Coeur Fire Department showed up as did Louie, the mascot of the St. Louis Blues. The principal of Bellerive Elementary was also on hand, along with the school’s roadrunner mascot, as well as massive tow...

Woman meets Jewish St. Louis bone marrow donor who saved her life

Woman meets Jewish St. Louis bone marrow donor who saved her life

ELLEN FUTTERMAN, EDITOR-IN-CHIEFPublished December 21, 2021

Eight years ago, when Rebecca “Becca” Berg went on a Birthright trip to Israel, her group met with volunteers from Gift of Life. The nonprofit runs a bone marrow and blood stem cell registry that helps facilitate transplants for children and adults...

A holiday miracle? Times three.

A holiday miracle? Times three.

Ellen Futterman, Editor-in-ChiefPublished December 16, 2021

One of the realities of being a journalist is that you’re always on the lookout for your next good story. Rarely, do we find time to look back, or update readers on stories that in some ways are still works in progress. So as 2021 winds down, I’d...

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