What would you do if one day you were told: “It is your time to die, get your affairs in order.”  What would you be thinking about? What would you want to get done? Need to get done? Can you even imagine how you would feel?In this week’s parashah,...

Daniel ShermanUnited Hebrew CongregationIt is really hard to lose a parent when you are a young child. Daniel “DJ” lost his mother, Karen Sherman, more than four years ago, but thanks to Annie’s Hope he was given the support he needed during his...

What do ancient history, musical theater, Judaism and Olympic-level javelin throwing have in common? It’s taken Cantor Ron Eichaker the better part of a lifetime to figure it out. These seemingly disparate interests all perfectly align when you delve...

In our Torah portion, B’midbar, we find the Children of Israel in the wilderness of Sinai. In fact, our Hebrew name for the portion has a different meaning than that of the English.  In Hebrew, B’midbar refers to the “Wilderness” (or desert),...

At United Hebrew Congregation on Sunday, there was a meeting that participants described as rare.While Rabbi Rick Jacobs, the president of the Union for Reform Judaism, spoke in a synagogue sanctuary about the movement’s role in Israel, across the hall,...

Sydney Kolker, United Hebrew CongregationAfter returning home from Union for Reform Judaism Goldman Union Camp Institute (GUCI) last summer, Sydney, daughter of Debra Klevens and Michael Kolker of unincorporated St. Louis County, decided to organize...

Jamie Levine United Hebrew Congregation  A love for art runs through Jamie’s family and she has inherited this passion. “I have a strong interest in all areas of art including photography, sketching, painting and pottery,” she said. “Since art...

In mid-June, my wonderful stepson, Jesse, proposed marriage to his wonderful girlfriend, Cody. The wedding is planned for next June, and I think I’m as excited for the occasion as Jesse and Cody, mostly because I feel very deeply that these two are...

Congregation Temple Israel is partnering with the Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life (ISJL) to introduce a new education program to St. Louis and the Midwest.  The ISJL is a trans-denominational Jewish nonprofit that provides educational,...

Earl Payne had some great experiences at Jewish Hospital but one of the most memorable was when he took a Passover meal up to an elderly woman. He had been warned that the lady seemed angry at the world and wouldn’t speak with staff. “I said ‘shalom,’”...

Planning a bar or bat mitzvah can be stressful, so imagine what it’s like to coordinate a double (or triple!) simcha where more than one tween shares not only a Torah portion but the limelight as well. Actually, when it comes to hosting a special b’nai...