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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

On Sunday, St. Louis Jewish teens gathered at the Jewish Community Center’s Day Camp Pavilion for last minute instructions and a meet-and-greet before embarking the next day (June 13) on a three-week Israel Bound trip under the auspices of Jewish Federation.

Federation program helps St. Louis teens take Root One to Israel

ELLEN FUTTERMAN, Editor-in-ChiefPublished June 29, 2022

Sarah Rumfelt and Katie Wallace happily chatted as they waited Sunday afternoon for the meeting at the Jewish Community Center’s outdoor pavilion to start. It was uncomfortably hot and humid, with temperatures hovering around 100 degrees, but that...

St. Louis Israeli Folk Dance (IFD) group though the years.

Folk dance group connects St. Louisans with Israel

BILL MOTCHAN, SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH LIGHTPublished May 24, 2022

Every Monday night the Saul Mirowitz Jewish Community School hosts a dance party in the gym. The participants, who range from teenagers to octogenarians, learn and practice the art of Israeli folk dancing. The St. Louis Israeli Folk Dance...

Rabbi Hershey Novack of Chabad on Campus says Birthright Israel
trips like the one above (led by his wife, Chana Novack), are an
important part of getting students to connect with Israel - and
bringing an understanding of the Jewish State to campuses.

Do you know a teen or twentysomething headed to Israel in the next few months?

Ellen Futterman, Editor-in-ChiefPublished May 5, 2022

The Jewish Light is looking for local high school and college-age students traveling to Israel this summer who would be willing to take a few short videos on their phone of the people, places, and events on their trip that most inspire them and/or make...

Cantor Ronald Eichaker leading Israeli scouts singing “Hatikvah”

Photos: Yom Hazikaron at the JCC remembers Israel’s fallen soldiers

Bill Motchan, Special For The Jewish LightPublished May 4, 2022

Americans celebrate Memorial Day every year with outdoor family barbecues, concerts and parades. Like the U.S. version, the Israel memorial day, Yom Hazikaron, acknowledges the sacrifice of fallen soldiers, but the occasion is far more solemn. Businesses...

An image from Yokneam.

St. Louis, Atlanta raise a virtual toast of partnership with sister city in Israel

BILL MOTCHAN, Special to the Jewish LightPublished April 21, 2022

More than 6,000 miles and eight time zones separate St. Louis from the Yokneam-Megiddo region in Israel, but the distance hasn’t stopped the communities from regularly celebrating holidays together. The sister cities participated in their latest Zoom...

Edie Roodman (at right) is shown on a mission trip to Israel with friends formerly from St. Louis.

The St. Louis native at the helm of the Oklahoma Israel Exchange

ELLEN FUTTERMAN, Editor-In-ChiefPublished April 10, 2022

Often, when we write about people who grew up in St. Louis but went on to prominence elsewhere, that elsewhere is the East or West Coast. Not so for Edie Roodman. Roodman staked roots in Oklahoma City, Okla. where she was the executive director of Jewish...

Israeli teens (from left to right) Shelly Udovik, Eshel Ben Dor, Roi Mast and Maya Shapira take part in the 2021-2022 St. Louis Shinshinim Program.

Israeli teens foster connections between Israel and St. Louis

MOLLY LEVINE, Ohr Chadash Teen PagePublished March 24, 2022

This past August, as summer vacation came to an end and the religious school year began again, you may have noticed four new faces at your congregation or school. From speaking on the bimah during Friday night services to teaching Sunday morning religious...

A recent catchball practice at Chesterfield Athletic Club. Photo: Bill Motchan

Israeli sport catches on in St. Louis

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

The most popular recreational sport among adult women in Israel is relatively unknown outside of the Jewish state. And even though it has its own international association and is spreading to countries worldwide, including the United States, most people...

How the Mideast met the Midwest: An Israel-St. Louis love story

How the Mideast met the Midwest: An Israel-St. Louis love story

ELLEN FUTTERMAN, Editor-in-ChiefPublished February 24, 2022

Love stories aren’t just for Valentine’s Day. This one, between the former Galia Gudai, a native Israeli, and Milton Movitz, a born and bred St. Louisan, has fairytale written all over it. As you will read, theirs was a relationship that defined...

Roni Lavi

The J offers free Israel engagement programs with shlichah Roni Lavi

Published February 18, 2022

The Jewish Community Center’s shlichah, Roni Lavi, continues to offer ways for the community to engage in Israeli culture. Among them: • Fauda Watch Club: Join an in-depth discussion about “Fauda,” the Israeli thriller on Netflix, about a top...

Photo: stock.adobe.com

Jewish Federation offers teen travel opportunities to Israel

Published February 10, 2022

Israel Bound Israel Bound is a life-changing experience for St. Louis teens who want to explore their Jewish identity, strengthen their connection to Israel and have the adventure of a lifetime with their friends. The three-week trip began in 2008 and...

Looking for information on Birthright Israel? Call or text Chabad on Campus

Looking for information on Birthright Israel? Call or text Chabad on Campus

Published February 10, 2022

To help make it easy for local students to register Chabad on Campus has opened a telephone ‘warmline’ (available during waking hours). The line will be answered by local trip experts who will help with the trip registration process and answer questions....

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