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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

Maharat Rori Picker Neiss met up with some rabbis from St. Louis, who are also studying at the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem this summer, as well as former Jewish Federation of St. Louis president and CEO, Andrew Rehfeld, who was speaking at the institute. From left to right: Rehfeld, Picker Neiss, Rabbis Karen and Daniel Bogard from Central Reform Congregation, Rabbi Michael Alper from Congregation Temple Israel and Rabbi Mark Fasman, formerly of Kol Rinah.  

JCRC leader studying in Israel, NCJW trip, musicpalooza

By Ellen Futterman, EditorPublished July 18, 2019

Summer learning (for rabbis)It’s always fun to see old friends, especially when you’re thousands of miles away from home. That’s the situation that Maharat Rori Picker Neiss, executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Council, found herself...

Jon Marans

An updated ‘Paint Your Wagon’ is en route to the Muny

BY JUDITH NEWMARK, SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH LIGHTPublished July 18, 2019

If you know Jon Marans strictly as the author of “Old Wicked Songs,” the Muny has a surprise in store for you, a surprise called “Paint Your Wagon.”True, the musical about the California Gold Rush is not an obvious follow-up to the sensitive,...

Singer-songwriter Lucie Silvas will open for Sheryl Crow and Heart when their tour comes to the Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre on Tuesday, July 9. Photo: Sonya Jasinski

Singer-songwriter Lucie Silvas brings ‘magic moments’ to St. Louis stage

By Kayla Steinberg, Staff WriterPublished July 5, 2019

Singer-songwriter Lucie Silvas pours her heart into her songs, and it’s paid off. Silvas, 41, will open for nine-time Grammy award-winning singer and Missouri native Sheryl Crow and rock band Heart when they come to St. Louis on July 9. Silvas has...

Israeli musician Ori Naftaly (left) and his band, Southern Avenue, will perform in St. Louis on June 27 at Old Rock House. Photo: David McClister

Israeli Ori Naftaly and his band Southern Avenue bring mix of soul and blues to STL

By Kayla Steinberg, Staff WriterPublished June 20, 2019

Our hockey team isn’t the only Blues group in St. Louis: Israeli-born guitarist, composer and producer Ori Naftaly and his band, Southern Avenue, are bringing their soul-blues blend to the Old Rock House on Thursday, June 27. The Memphis-based quartet...

Zoe Farmingdale

Theatrical homecoming, concert for the Rebbe, Light survey

Published June 13, 2019

Truth, immigration, loveIn any given week, numerous email pitches come my way, but here’s one from last week I couldn’t resist:Hello! I’m a St. Louis native, Solomon Schechter graduate and B’nai Amoona member. I’m based in Los Angeles, but I’m...

From left, Jordan Gelber, Kendra-Kassebaum, Jared-Gertner and Orville-Mendoza perform in the Muny production of "Guys and Dolls." Photo: Phillip Hamer/THE MUNY 

Muny’s 101st season opens with a spectacular ‘Guys and Dolls’

BY ROBERT A. COHN, Editor-in-Chief EmeritusPublished June 12, 2019

For its 101stseason opener, the Muny selected “Guys and Dolls,” considered by many to be the best American musical comedy of all time, whose fame was enhanced by a film based on the Broadway show.Unveiling state-of-the-art renovations, including a...

From left: Cristina Buciu, Lucy Dhegrae and Dana Hotle are three of the featured artists in this year’s Gesher Music Festival.

2019 Summer Arts Guide

BY MIKE SHERWIN & ELLEN FUTTERMAN, MANAGING EDITOR & EDITORPublished May 22, 2019

The big chill of this past winter finally thawed, just in time for the weather — and the St. Louis arts scene — to sizzle. As the temperature heats up, so does the local entertainment scene, with literally dozens of live performances, concerts, festivals...

Graham Emmons and Jessica Kadish play the bride and groom in New Jewish Theater’s ‘I Now Pronounce.’ Photo: Jon Gitchoff

Say ‘I do’ to ‘I Now Pronounce’ at NJT

By Judith Newmark, Special to the Jewish LightPublished May 22, 2019

A wedding is a lot like theater, complete with stars, costumes, sets and, not infrequently, plot twists. So, if writers take inspiration from the altar, why not? After all, the source material is abundant.Playwright Tasha Gordon-Solmon draws from that...

For more of Nancy Kranzberg’s commentary, listen to KWMU (90.7) St. Louis on the Air the first Friday of each month at approximately 12:50 p.m. She also hosts a weekly Arts Interview podcast for KDHX (88.1), available at artsinterview.kdhxtra.org.

Musical theater: The enduring, dynamic art form thrives in St. Louis arts scene

By Nancy Kranzberg, Special to the Jewish LightPublished May 2, 2019

Whether or not you’re a lover of musical theater, one can’t help but notice that it surrounds our culture.  In 2017, “La La Land” won Academy Awards galore and other recent movie musicals such as “Mary Poppins Returns” and “The Greatest...

Ed Asner will star in "The Soap Myth" on Thursday, May 2 at Temple Israel.

In St. Louis performance, Ed Asner will star as Holocaust survivor struggling with memories

By Judith Newmark, Special to the Jewish LightPublished April 25, 2019

This story was originally published on April 25, 2019, and is being republished to honor Ed Asner.  Lou Grant wasn’t Jewish. He was Roman Catholic, opines the one person who really ought to know: actor Ed Asner. Asner famously portrayed...

Matthew Broderick (left) and Géza Röhrig star in ‘To Dust.’ 

Unfunny script, queasy graveyard scenes reduce film ‘To Dust’

BY CATE MARQUIS, SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH LIGHTPublished February 21, 2019

“To Dust” features Matthew Broderick and Géza Röhrig in a film about a bereaved Hasidic cantor obsessing about how his late wife’s body is decaying. To help him understand what is happening underground, he enlists the help of a reluctant, non-Jewish...

Gary Wayne Barker and J. Samuel Davis in The New Jewish Theatre production of 'District Merchants.'

‘District Merchants’ reimagines Shakespeare’s most controversial play

BY ROBERT A. COHN, Editor-in-Chief EmeritusPublished February 1, 2019

At one time not long ago, it would have been unthinkable for a Jewish theater company to produce William Shakespeare’s “Merchant of Venice,” the lead character of which is Shylock, a bloodthirsty and corrupt moneylender in the fabled city during...

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