Jewish Light Digital Edition: Feb. 22, 2023

BY CATE MARQUIS SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH LIGHT

After three years of going virtual, the Jewish Community Center’s 28th Annual St. Louis Jewish Film Festival is returning to an in-person format at the Marcus Des Peres Theater. The festival, which takes place March 12-16, will presents 14 Jewish-themed films from the United States and around the world.

There are seven narrative features, ranging from bittersweet comedy to gripping drama. Among these are a gripping tale set in a concentration camp called “Persian Lessons,” the harrowing drama “Farewell Mister Haffman,” set in occupied Paris about a Jewish jeweler and his non-Jewish employee, and the bittersweet Israeli comedy “Karaoke,” about an older middle-class couple who meet a new neighbor who has karaoke nights in his apartment.

The festival’s seven documentaries include “Fiddler’s Journey to the Big Screen,” on the making of Norman Jewison’s “Fiddler on the Roof” and “Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, a Journey, a Song,” a sort of dual biography of the singer/songwriter/poet and his most famous song “Hallelujah.”

This year’s festival includes a few major changes: the change in location to Marcus Des Peres Theater (previous in-person film festivals were held at Plaza Frontenac Cinema) as well as a new festival director, John Wilson, director of Cultural Arts at the J, and a new partnership with Cinema St. Louis, the nonprofit presenter of the St. Louis International Film Festival.

The change to Des Peres will give festival patrons stadium/lounge seating and help improve parking access, Wilson said. The Marcus family, which owns the chain, is Jewish, and were

Supreme Court declines to hear challenge to Arkansas state law prohibiting contractors from boycotting Israel

BY ANDREW LAPIN JTA

In a major victory for pro-Israel advocates, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal against an Arkansas state law requiring all companies that contract with the state to sign a pledge promising not to boycott Israel.

The Tuesday dismissal allows the Arkansas law to stand, ending its challenger’s effort to overturn one of many state laws that had been crafted in opposition to the Boycott, Divestment and

Sanctions movement targeting Israel.

Fewer than four Justices believed the case warranted a review by the Supreme Court.

The case had pitted the Arkansas Times, an independent alt-weekly publication, against the former chairman of the University of Arkansas. Under state law, all companies seeking to do business with Arkansas state entities must sign a pledge promising not to engage in any Israel boycotts. The Arkansas Times does not boycott Israel, but had refused to sign the pledge. That refusal led one of the university system’s affiliates to end an advertis-

ing agreement with the Arkansas Times, prompting the publication to sue.

Arkansas’ law is one of several nationwide that restrict business with companies that boycott Israel or refuse to sign anti-boycott pledges. These laws largely sprang up amid the growth of the BDS movement and have been criticized by progressive groups as well as by First Amendment advocates.

Federal courts have struck down similar state laws in the past, but last year, a federal appeals court ruled that Arkansas’ law is not unconstitutional because financial

regulations should be considered “noncommunicative” speech. The Supreme Court did not set a new precedent by declining to hear the Arkansas case, but the move was still seen as a promising development for the so-called anti-BDS legal strategy.

Tuesday’s decision was celebrated by pro-Israel groups including the American Jewish Committee and the Brandeis Center For Human Rights Under Law, which had filed briefs on behalf of

See PRO-ISRAEL on page 19

See JEWISH FILM FEST on page 6

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Jewish siblings’ book chronicles St. Louis life during pandemic lockdown

Kate Colton was looking for something to do with her pent-up energy. It was March 2020 and St. Louis, like the rest of the world, had come to a screeching halt because of COVID-19.

So Colton, 46, who is a professional photographer, part-time hairdresser and lives in Chesterfield with her husband and 7-year-old daughter, started driving around and shooting pictures. Lots and lots of pictures.

By the time a couple of weeks turned into a couple of months, she had enlisted her twin brother, James A. Williams, in her pursuit to photograph various people, places and things across the St. Louis region during the pandemic shutdown. Although Williams is a professional writer for an engineering company – and has a Ph.D. in literature from Washington University – he enjoys taking pictures as well.

Much of their inspiration to chronicle the shutdown came from their maternal grandmother, who is nearing her 98 th birthday.

Colton explains that until a year or so ago, before enduring a stroke, her mind was “tack sharp.”

“Talking to her was like opening a history book based on a 16-year-old young woman navigating World War II in St. Louis,” said Colton, who is Jewish and grew up attending Congregation B’nai Amoona. “Her memory of where she was when the war broke, the blackouts and so much more was so vivid. We realized this was a gift and if you

could just bottle all her knowledge into a book, it would be amazing.”

That realization figured into Colton and Williams’ decision to put together a book that documents St. Louis during the many months so much of the region was locked

rich, color photographs with short interviews, including ones from a first responder, COVID patient, emergency room doctor and educator.

Entitled “Stay Home St. Louis: Images and Stories from the Gateway Region

question.”

Perhaps most striking about the book is the multitude of signs – in various shapes, sizes, colors and lettering —either cautioning the public to “social distance” or requiring masks be worn or signaling the closure of a building. One particularly eye-catching photo, in which Colton used a drone, is a double truck spread of Lafayette High School’s 2021 commencement at POWERplex STL. It depicts rows and rows of cars in the parking lot with many of the occupants seated in folding chairs or atop their vehicle watching the graduation ceremony from a giant screen. Another poignant one, especially if you are a Cardinals fan, is a near-empty Busch Stadium during a September 2020 game.

Colton and Williams know that their book may not be for everyone – some people would like to forget the pandemic altogether -but they feel it is important to preserve the past.

down.

“When we started, I didn’t think we’d be doing a book,” said Colton. “But then it was like, ‘This is going to be history.’ Let’s just document it. And as two weeks turned into seven weeks and longer, we thought we should probably do a book on this. And the feeling of the book was that you would open it up and it would take you back to a time that you lived through, much like talking to my grandmother and she’s taking me back to a time and place.”

The siblings, who at the time knew nothing about putting together a 160page glossy coffee table book, did a masterful job balancing dozens of

During COVID-19,” the book is divided into 11 chapters or sections, with each focused on a different category such as healthcare and public policy; sports; local business and retail, education and outreach; arts and entertainment; and dining and hospitality. An interview with Rabbi Randy Fleisher of Central Reform Congregation is featured in the “Places of Worship” chapter, where he talks about the “immediate and dramatic impact” lockdown had on CRC congregants, especially those who had an already scheduled b’nai mitzvah or had lost a loved one.

“The number of funerals I officiated during this time went up exponentially,” Fleisher explained in his book interview. “I think 10 were directly due to COVID. But others were indirectly caused . . . In 2020 to 2021, I did more funerals than I did in the 20 years I’ve been a rabbi without

“Human nature is to want to move past it but there is a piece of us that also wants to remember,” Colton said. “Whether people are or aren’t ready to look back on this time, it is something we all lived through. Forgetting is not healthy. This is something we all experienced, and we felt the ability to photograph and write about it is something that needed to be shared.”

“Stay Home St. Louis: Images & Stories from the Gateway Region During CODID19” by Kate Colton (above left) and James A. Williams (above right) retails at $44.95 and is available at www.katecoltonstudios. com.

Views of a bat mitzvah at United Hebrew Congregation (top) and the parking lot ceremony for 2021 Lafayette High School graduates(bottom).

Visting the Holocaust Museum —from a student’s perspective

BY BILL MOTCHAN SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH LIGHT

A first-time visit to the St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum can be a moving experience, especially for a 13-year-old.

“It was eye-opening,” said Pranav Matthew.

“Sorrowful,” said Gergo Szilagyi.

“It made me think. . . why would somebody do this to someone because of their religion?” said Jackson Brinton.

“I learned about how my religion was struggling years ago,” said Baleigh Swillinger.

These were some of the reactions from students in the Ladue Middle School second-period social studies class after their field trip to the St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum on Feb. 6. One day later, the Jewish Light sat in during the morning class where the students deconstructed what they saw and heard. In the discussion, they answered the question: “What was something you learned at the museum that you didn’t know before about the Holocaust?”

“I think it was the fact that people thought it would just blow over,” said Emily Tinnin. “The hatred and people being biased, and they didn’t think it would spiral into this kind of issue and that’s why they didn’t get out of Germany until it was super, super risky to get out.”

“I didn’t know they weren’t referred to by their names, but as numbers. They had all of their identity stripped away,” said Emiliah Brown.

The museum trip was the culmination of a lesson plan focusing on the Holocaust, said Erin Hurley, a Ladue Middle School

social studies teacher.

“The goal was to wrap up our learning,” Hurley said. “We’ve spent about two weeks on the Holocaust and we wanted to make it personal. It’s part of our curriculum. During the past two years during COVID, we Zoomed with the Illinois Holocaust Museum in Skokie.”

Now that the St. Louis Holocaust museum has reopened, it provides an ideal resource for schools to supplement their classroom learning. Nearly 20,000 stu-

AT CONGREGATION SHAARE EMETH

In 2025, all Missouri school districts will be required to provide Holocaust education for students in grades 6 through 12

SHUSHAN HOOTENANY SHUSHAN SHAMBOREE

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“A Purim Story” Purimspiel for kids with Toy Story characters, costumes, music, and lots of silly jokes. 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Fun for all ages & everyone is welcome!

Trackless Train, inflatable pony racing, balloon animals, carnival games, face painting, line dancing, lunch & hamantaschen for purchase, and more!

Wristbands for Ages 3-4th Grade: $10 (members) • $15 (non-members)

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dents are expected to visit the museum in 2023. During the third week in February, about 200 Ladue Middle School seventh grade students viewed the museum exhibits, accompanied by a volunteer who provided context. Ladue Horton Watkins High School 10th grade world history students also spent time in the museum.

On July 1, 2022, Missouri became the 20th state to require Holocaust education in curricula for secondary schools. The legislation will implement a pilot program in 25

school districts in the 2023-2024 school year and expand to all Missouri school districts by the 2025-2026 school year. Some school districts have made Holocaust education a priority for years. In Ladue, raising awareness about the Holocaust is consistent with the school district’s emphasis on diversity, according to Dr. Jennifer Riesenmy, the district’s coordinator of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

NJT receives 10 St. Louis Theater Circle nominations

The New Jewish Theatre received 10 nominations for work it produced in 2022, the St. Louis Theater Circle announced earlier this month. Every aspect of NJT’s work was recognized, from acting to directing to design.

The award winners will be presented at a live, in-person ceremony (the first since 2019) on April 3 at the Loretto-Hilton Center for the Performing Arts in Webster Groves.

The full list of NJT nominees are:

For “Dear Jack/Dear Louise”

• Outstanding Production of a Comedy

• Molly Burris, Outstanding Performer in a Comedy, Female or Non-Binary Role

• Ryan Lawson-Maeske, Outstanding Performer in a Comedy, Male or NonBinary Role

• Amanda Werre, Outstanding Sound Design

• Dunsi Dai, Outstanding Set Design in a Play

For “Laughter on the 23rd Floor”

• Outstanding Ensemble in a Comedy

• Michele Friedman Siler, Outstanding Costume Design in a Play

• Eddie Coffield, Outstanding Direction of a Comedy

For “The Bee Play”

• Riley Carter Adams, Outstanding Supporting Performer in a Drama, Female or Non-Binary Role

For “Jerry’s Girls: the Jerry Herman Revue”

• Cullen Curth, Outstanding Musical Director

Mobile Mammography Unit Coming to the J

St. Luke’s Hospital Mobile Mammography Unit will be at the Jewish Community Center in Creve Coeur on Thursday, March 9 from 8 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. This service provides 3D screening mammograms for women 40 years of age and older.

Mammograms are one of the best tools doctors have to find breast cancer early and early detection is key in helping reduce the number of related deaths. By keeping up with regular mammogram screening appointments, health care providers can detect and treat breast cancer

much earlier which leads to better outcomes and increased survival rates.

All appointments must be scheduled by calling 314-205-6267. They do not accept walk-ins.

The fee for the screening will be billed to you or your insurance. St. Luke’s will submit claims for you to participating insurance companies and Medicare. Women who are uninsured or underinsured may be eligible for free mammograms. No physician order is required.

For more information, contact Debbi Braunstein at 314-442-3266.

Docent Vera Emmons leads Ladue Middle School students on a tour of the St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum earlier this month.

PHOTO: BILL MOTCHAN

New Jewish Theatre presents ‘Every Brilliant Thing’

What do you do when you are 6 years old and your mother is in the hospital for attempting suicide? You start a list of everything that is beautiful and fills you with wonder about the world. And you leave it on your mother’s pillow for her to read. That is the story that sets “Every Brilliant Thing” into motion, the next play in the New Jewish Theatre’s 2023 season, which will run from March 16 – April 2.

sound designer for the production. The stage manager is Megan Cahill.

“‘Every Brilliant Thing’ is a play about hope, resiliency and all of the brilliant things that make life worth living. It is also a testament to the power of theater and theater’s ability to build and create community--which seems almost more important than ever these days,” said Bonfiglio about the production.

Written by

Duncan Macmillan with Jonny Donahoe, this one-person show gives an uplifting look at the challenges of life and love and the joy of finding light amidst the darkness of depression. What started as a performance piece, installation art project and Facebook group where people were invited to list their own “brilliant things,” the play has become a phenomenon with productions all over the country and a successful HBO documentary special.

Director Ellie Schwetye and actor Will Bonfiglio are reuniting after last teaming up after NJT’s 2019 production of “Fully

Monthlong ‘Clean Speech’ initiative will start March 1

Clean Speech St. Louis announced it will run its second annual, month-long, community-wide campaign on mindful speech starting March 1. The successful 30-day education and awareness campaign will involve over 25 local organizations. Last year, thousands participated in a month of kinder, more respectful speech. This is the only program of its kind to bring our entire community together to rectify speech.

Last year’s campaign, Clean Speech Volume 1, focused on avoiding lashon hara, speaking negatively about another person when they are not present. Volume 2 will focus on avoiding onas devarim, causing a person pain with our words.

According to Rabbi Yosef David, executive director of Aish HaTorah, “We are excited to once again be launching a Clean Speech campaign and joining with other cities across North America who have and are planning to launch similar campaigns. The positive impact that we can make with our words, starts with our own relationships, families and community but extends far beyond, to the wider world. We hold tremendous power to either build people or God forbid, to destroy people with our words.”

With Clean Speech Volume 2, in two to three minutes a day, participants will learn powerful lessons about mindful speech that will help them become more aware of what they say and how they say it.

Last year’s campaign focused on how we talk about each other, avoiding gossip and slander. This year’s campaign will feature 30 new daily lessons and videos with a new focus on how we talk to each other, avoiding any kind of offensive, disrespectful, insulting remarks, the Hebrew term for which is onas devarim.

The 30-day campaign will start March 1st and run through the month with a series of daily videos and weekly talk show style streamed events, all of which are free of charge. Clean Speech Volume 2 will culminate with a community celebration at the Jewish Community Center in Creve Coeur on Sunday, March 26 featuring Hassidic rap artist Nissim Black, both in concert and a Q&A with the artist.

For more information on Clean Speech, visit https://cleanspeech.com/stl.

Committed.” Schwetye is also the co-producer for the Slightly Askew Theatre Ensemble while Bonfiglio is the director of COCAbiz and an accomplished St. Louis actor, having received three St. Louis

Theatre Circle Awards. The rest of the production team includes Bess Moynihan (scenery and lighting), Michele Friedman Siler (costumes) and Katie Orr (props supervisor). Schwetye will also be the

“The core of this play is joy and the wonder we can all derive from simple, everyday life, despite its sometimes enormous challenges,” added Schwetye. “

Of the inclusion in New Jewish Theatre’s season, Artistic Director Rebekah Scallet said, “This production fills an important role in our season as our tikkun olam play.”

“Every Brilliant Thing” will perform at the J’s Wool Studio Theatre, 2 Millstone Campus Drive, March 16 through April 2. Individual tickets for the show are $49$54. Tickets are available by phone at 314442-3283 or online at newjewishtheatre. org.

Will Bonfiglio (at left) stars in the New Jewish Theatre’s upcoming production of ‘Every Brilliant Thing,’ which is directed by Ellie Schwetye (above).

PHOTO: GREG LAZERWITZ

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

very accommodating.

“We’re very thankful for the partnership, and Marcus wanted to support the festival and sew into our Jewish cultural programming,” Wilson said.

Wilson said when he came on board, the festival’s committee, led by co-chairs Marilyn K. Brown, Jeffrey Korn and Paula Sigel, had already selected the 14 films and created the schedule. He said the festival’s organizers hope to draw in even more attendees than the last in-person festival in 2019.

“There’s just nothing that matches the communal excitement and bonding when we gather in person to take in all the festival has to offer,” Wilson said. “I’m hoping we will not only get our 1,500 previous festival attendees back but go beyond that as more friends and families see the festival as an opportunity for unique community experiences, artistic and intellectual engagement, and the joy of watching cinema in a full auditorium.”

• “Farewell Mister Haffman” opens the film festival at 4 p.m. March 12. The French-language film stars legendary French actor Daniel Auteuil as a gifted jeweler who owns a small Parisian shop. Haffman planned to escape before the Nazis arrived, and signed over his shop to his non-Jewish employee, with an understanding that it is only temporary. But the Jewish jeweler is unable to get out in time and is now stuck and at the employee’s mercy.

• “Karaoke” is an Israeli comedy, a sort of cautionary tale with wonderful performances, about a middle-class couple in their 60s, played by Sasson Gabay (“The Band’s Visit”) and Rita Shukrun, who befriend a charismatic neighbor (Israeli star Lior Ashkenazi) who holds karaoke nights in his home.

• “Persian Lessons” tells the story of a Jewish man in a concentration camp in 1942 who evades execution by lying to his German captors about his Jewish identity, claiming that he is Persian. The commandant in charge of the kitchen at this concentration camp hopes to open a German restaurant in Persia (Iran) after the war, so he enlists the man to teach him Farsi. However, the man knows only one word of Farsi and has to make up and teach an entire foreign language on his so that his deceit isn’t found out.

• “America” is an affecting drama, from the director of “The Cakemaker,” about a Chicago-based Israeli swimming

coach who returns to Israel after 10 years to bury his father but meets a childhood friend, which leads to unexpected consequences.

• Historical dramas fill out the rest of the narrative features. The Portuguese “1618” is set during the Inquisition, while the Polish “March ’68” centers on two young students falling in love during the social turmoil of Warsaw in 1968. “Schächten” is an Austrian drama set in 1960s Vienna, about a young Jewish businessman outraged when a court fails to convict the Nazi concentration camp commandant who killed his family, whose thoughts turn to revenge.

• Among the documentaries, “Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, A Journey, A Song” is a wonderful exploration of both the life of songwriter/singer/poet Cohen and his song “Hallelujah,” which had a life of its own.

• Other fascinating documentaries include “Fiddler’s Journey to the Big Screen,” which closes the festival at 7 p.m. March 16 and is about the making of Jewison’s movie “Fiddler on the Roof.” “I Am Here” is a life-affirming biography tracing the remarkable life of Shoah survivor Ella Blumenthal, a 98-year-old South African with an unsinkable spirit.

• “The Levys of Monticello” reveals the surprising story of a Jewish family who bought, and saved, Thomas Jefferson’s home after his death. “Bernstein’s Wall” explores the life and work of composer/ conductor Leonard Bernstein, tracing his rise from the son of Russian Jewish immigrants to status as musical icon.

Other documentaries are “The Jews and the Blues,” where a filmmaker/musician travels to Israel to explore how the blues ties into the mix of cultures there. “A Tree of Life” looks at the 2018 attack on the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, one of the deadliest antisemitic attacks in U.S. history.

by Certified Mohel Rabbi Michael Rovinsky

Alex Kahn has joined Booksource as the director of marketing. His responsibilities include positioning Booksource, a provider of books for classroom libraries, as the market leader through brand strategy and programming, lead and develop regional and national communication strategies, and new product marketing. Kahn was most recently with Nestle Purina PetCare.

MaTovu has hired Charlie Meyers as its first paid staff position; community and strategy lead. He is currently pursuing a master’s degree in theater and performance studies from Washington University.

Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies, an open, inclusive, diverse, and intellectually challenging Jewish learning community based in Jerusalem, highlighted former St. Louisan, Tony Westbrook Jr, as one of their 50 distinguished alumni in celebration of Pardes’s 50th anniversary. He is the

director of Jewish Service Learning at Repair the World. Prior to this, he was the assistant director of Hillel at Washington University.

Jeff Cooper has been named general manager of Ruth’s Chris Steak House in Chesterfield; located at 16493 Wild Horse Creek Road. He is a member of Shaare Emeth.

Marci Fine is one of 40 women who contributed a chapter to the anthology “Resilience: The Deconstructing G.R.I.T. Collection.” Her chapter, “Perspective,” is about the lens through which we look at circumstances and situations. Fine is a senior account executive with St. Louis at Q1Media and attends Congregation Shaare Emeth.

Marquette High senior Evan Canis was chosen as a U.S. Presidential Scholars Program candidate representing the Rockwood School District. The program

was established in 1964 by executive order of the president to recognize and honor some of our nation’s most distinguished graduating high school seniors. Each year, up to 161 students are named as Presidential Scholars, one of the nation’s highest honors for high school students. Evan is the son of Randy and Terri Canis and attend B’nai Amoona.

Former St. Louisan Allan Grafman was named CEO of IDW Media Holdings. He is tasked with accelerating their development and monetization of original properties. The company publishes and distributes comic books, collectible books, graphic novels as well as engages in gallery showings and television production. Grafman is an entertainment and publishing industry veteran living in White Plains, NY.

Steve and Joe Mathes, of Coldwell Banker Realty-Gundaker, received the President’s Premier designation, Coldwell

Banker’s highest honor. The father-son team ranked No. 11 in the company, placing them in the top 1% out of more than 1,400 agents. The Matheses work out of the Ladue office and service the central corridor, from Chesterfield to the Central West End. They are members of Congregation Temple Israel.

From left to right: Alex Kahn, Charlie Meyers, Tony Westbrook Jr., Jeff Cooper, Marci Fine, Evan Canis, Allan Grafman

Joe (L) and Steve (R) Mathes

OPINIONS

D’VAR TORAH

ABOUT THE OPINIONS SECTION

Viewpoints expressed in letters, commentaries, cartoons and other opinion pieces reflect those of the writer or artist, and not those of the Light. We welcome submissions of letters and commentaries to: news@stljewishlight.org

Parashat Terumah: Making space for G-d

BY RABBI BRIGITTE ROSENBERG

In parashat Terumah, following the exodus from Egypt and the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai, G-d requests that the Israelites now build a sanctuary so that G-d can dwell among them. Per G-d’s request, Moses asks the people to bring gifts - things like beautiful cloth, precious stones and metals, thread and other such items, and the people respond with gusto, bringing much more than was needed. This particular request of building a dwelling place for G-d is discussed in depth among our great rabbis. One of the biggest questions being, “why does G-d need a dwelling place?” So often the answer, it’s not for G-d, it’s for the people. They are the ones that need a tangible symbol of

MARTY ROCHESTER

G-d’s presence among them.

Based on a teaching in Avot d’Rabbi Natan, Rabbi Jason Rosenberg (no relation), teaches, “Holiness doesn’t just happen. Spirituality isn’t an accident. We’ll feel the presence of the sacred when we DO something to help make it real.”

Too often we believe that holiness is something we’ll just experience, like a grand miracle. When we hold on to this idea, we forget that we hold the key to holiness, because it is we, who make holy moments. We feel G-d’s presence when we stop and invite G-d in.

This is the essence of parashat Terumah, building a sanctuary gave the Israelites something to DO, it allowed them to create a space for holiness, a space where they could experience the sacred. Judaism isn’t

about what happens to us, rather it is about what we DO — from mitzvot, to Torah, to prayer, to how we act and interact with the world around us, all of these are opportunities for holiness.

Ask yourself, “what I am DOing to bring holiness and make real the presence of the sacred in my life?” If you’re not sure, no worries, just start DOing. Help a neighbor by shoveling their sidewalk or driveway, call a friend who isn’t feeling well, light Shabbat candles, and/or spend a minute and offer a prayer of thanks for three things that happened this week — just say it out loud — it doesn’t have to be a formal prayer in Hebrew. G-d hears all words! When we DO, this is when we invite holiness and G-d’s presence into our lives.

“Make Me a sanctuary that I may dwell

Youth today could learn lessons from hardships of past generations

BY MARTY ROCHESTER

I recently turned 77 years of age—an occasion for reflecting about what I have witnessed over my considerable lifetime. Among the things witnessed is a sense that Americans have become increasingly soft.

Why do I say this?

I was born in 1945, as “the Greatest Generation” was giving way to the “Baby Boomers.” My parents had spent much of their youth living through the Great Depression and two world wars, with they and their cohorts by all accounts engaged in far less whining than what we see today from “Gen Z,” who can claim no comparable experiences.

The Mayo Clinic (July 19) notes that “up to 44% of college students reported having symptoms of depression and anxiety” with a high number contemplating suicide. Jonathan Haidt of New York University states that Gen Z Americans have “extraordinarily high rates of anxiety, depression, self-harm, suicide, and fragility” ( Wall Street Journal, Dec. 31).

I do not wish to dismiss or minimize mental health problems among our youth, since they must be taken seriously. My only point is that, when it comes to dealing with problems, contemporary youth seem to have fewer coping mechanisms than their earlier counterparts.

Haidt blames this on social media and a culture of “victimhood,” including a felt need for “safe spaces” and avoidance of any “offensive” messages inside or outside school. Today’s youth often have been called “snowflakes,” given their inability to accept criticism, contrary opinions and difficult circumstances.

I once wrote that as part of the bar or bat mitzvah rite of passage, Jewish kids should be required to visit the Tenement Museum in Lower Manhattan in New York City, to see what previous generations of Jews had to experience, when there was no welfare state to cushion against poverty and much of the population, newly arrived in the United States, had to endure incredibly squalid, horri-

ble living conditions.

I have just thought of an alternative requirement that might encourage young Jews (as well as non-Jews) to appreciate the relative blessings they enjoy today compared with what others have had to cope with in the past and, thus, to develop a more positive perspective. I am referring to reading “Honor Bound,” written by Stuart Rochester and Frederick Kiley, which is the definitive history of American POWs during the Vietnam War.

My brother Stuart was the chief historian in the Pentagon. With his coauthor, he spent six years researching and writing an incredibly detailed account of the torture and other horrors experienced by some 800 U.S. captives between 1961 and 1973. Admiral James Stockdale, the leader of the POWs, called the 700-page book “a monumental achievement, not only in its depth and breadth of treatment but in its honesty and accuracy.”

Eugene Rostow of the National Defense University called it “a masterpiece.”

Here is a sample of what the POWs had to cope with: “Whole afternoons were consumed in passive observation of the insects and rodents that wandered in and out of their cells. . . [Navy Lt. Everett Alvarez, the first U.S. aviator captured in North Vietnam] would stare hypnotically at the steady procession of spiders and scorpions that crawled through his door. Many of the PWs developed a peculiar fascination with the gecko, a multicolored lizard whose . . . efficient devouring of mosquitos and cockroaches made it an agreeable companion. . . . Others befriended spiders, mice, even the huge

rats that were as big as opossums.” Most prisoners were pilots who had crashed-landed their planes and suffered broken backs and legs and arms and other injuries that were rarely treated properly. Regarding their medical treatment: “The prisoners lanced boils with razors and needles, made mud casts and wood splints for broken bones, applied pig fat to chapped or cracked lips, . . . nibbled on charcoal to check diarrhea and flu . . . To heal cantankerous wounds or burns incurred on shootdown, they allowed flies to lay eggs on the decaying skin, the newly hatched maggots cleaning the infection as they dined on the putrescence. . . . For many ailments there was neither cure nor relief, only the will to endure.”

Yet another example of how they were tested: “We were eating approximately three coffee cups of vermin-infested rice per day. . . People had malaria and dysentery, so that they were perhaps defecating . . . 50 or 60 times a day, could not make it to the latrine so that the prison yard was littered with human excrement.”

Perhaps the most famous POW was John McCain, who was to become a U.S. Senator and 2008 presidential candidate. “McCain had been taken prisoner [in 1967] when “he was forced to bail out [of his A-4 plane] upside down at a high speed. The awkward ejection broke his right leg, his right arm in three places, and his left arm. . . He was carried on a stretcher [into prison] . . . where, despite the trauma of his wounds, he was worked over for military information. . . He diverted interrogators with useless information, once listing the offensive line of the Green Bay Packers as the members of his squadron. . . [Fellow prisoner and Medal of Honor winner Major Bud Day] cited McCain’s ‘fantastic will to live.’”

McCain and his colleagues set an example of the courage – and simple determination – it takes to cope with the challenges, big and small, life often presents. It is a lesson all of us, especially young people today, can benefit from.

Rabbi Brigitte Rosenberg serves United Hebrew Congregation and is a member of the St. Louis Rabbinical and Cantorial Association, which coordinates the d’var Torah for the Jewish Light.

among them” (Exodus 25:8)

The Kotzker Rebbe was once asked, “where does G-d dwell?” His answer, “wherever we let G-d in.” Perhaps it’s time for us to make space for G-d to dwell in our lives.

Take action to oppose Missouri’s anti-LGBTQ+ legislation

BY YARA CHANGYIT-LEVIN

I never imagined my identity as a queer teenager would intersect profoundly with my Jewish heritage. But when my fifthgrade religious schoolteacher at Congregation Shaare Emeth reappeared in my life as my ninth-grade history teacher at John Burroughs School, I was luckily proven wrong. Each year, I got to do independent studies of Jewish history with her outside of class. By my senior year, starting a little over a year ago, we thought it would be cool to study LGBTQ+ Jewish history together, though I wondered if there even was such a thing.

My working hypothesis was that LGBTQ+ Jewish people had existed throughout history, of course, but always been marginalized — not just by the majority culture, but also by their fellow Jews. I was wrong. In fact, as we analyzed primary sources from the first century to 1969, we found many examples of acceptance and accommodations being made for gender diversity. (So long as that expression was compatible with Jewish law and traditions— you can be a transgender man, but make sure you are a Jewish man. And so on.)

For example, Yeshaye Kotofsky, an Orthodox Jewish immigrant living in Brooklyn, N.Y. in 1936, felt compelled to

See OP-ED on opposite page

Yara ChangyitLevin (they/them) is a freshman at Johns Hopkins University studying Public Health and Anthropology, with a minor in Jewish Studies.

J. Martin Rochester, Curators’ Distinguished Teaching Professor of Political Science Emeritus at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, is the author of 10 books on international and American politics.

What would you do if your child’s life was attacked?

BY STACEY NEWMAN

What would you do if your child’s life was threatened? If your child required specific healthcare in order to thrive, to survive?

For most parents, the question is absurd.

Of course, we would go to the end of the earth, exhaust our capabilities and resources, to find and provide the best of care with every ounce and breath of our being. It is what we would instinctively do, out of endless love and complete devotion. It is what responsible caring parents do and what our faith teaches we must do, a no-brainer of a question.

Now imagine what you would do if your state government was not only attacking and dismissing your child’s right to be but attempting to criminalize your physicians at a leading national medical research institute for providing lifesaving medical care for your child.

You read that correctly.

Imagine the state attempting to prohibit the very care your child requires.

It sounds like a nightmarish episode of the “Twilight Zone,” unthinkable in a world that is supposed to run on logic, common sense and science.

But for several hundred families in Missouri, these attacks have been a recent disturbing reality as state legislation threatening their children increase in intensity and number.

Never mind that many of these parents

OP-ED

CONTINUED FROM OPPOSITE PAGE

write a letter to the editor in his local Jewish paper (much like the ones published regularly in the Jewish Light) defending the perception of transgender athletes competing in the 1936 Summer Olympics. He explained that gender transition was no big deal, and quite familiar to members of his shtetl in southern Ukraine. Kotofsky used the story of Beyle, a neighbor who transitioned to a man named Berel. The shtetl welcomed them with open arms, and called them Berel-Beyle. Kotofsky explained that Berel-Beyle married a well-regarded young woman and attended synagogue every day: “Berel-Beyle always had a good name as a fine, upstanding Jew.”

This letter was consistent with rabbinical

with their children consistently spend hours and hours, year after year, missing work and school, testifying in Jefferson City against dangerous bills, some of which would penalize themselves for being conscientious parents. Never mind that these parents have faced numerous personal threats at their homes, worry when and how they need to quickly move out of state, and stay awake at night in fear the state will eventually come take away their children. Never mind that these parents are our friends, community and religious leaders we love and cherish, including Maharat Rori Picker Neiss, executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Council, and Rabbis Daniel and Karen Bogard of Central Reform Congregation.

It is not lost on us that bill sponsors who are enthusiastically restricting transgender health care for minors categorize their attempts as “protecting children from abuse.”

They include State Sen. Mike Moon, R-Ash Grove, who filed SB49, “Save Adolescents from Experimentation (the SAFE Act), which recently passed out of committee and is advancing towards full Senate debate.

Moon, who is not a trained medical professional, wants to ban doctors from providing minors with gender-affirming care or even referring them to other doctors for those services. A cattle rancher, Moon is the same legislator I served and argued within the Missouri House, who often

commentaries in which rabbis interpreted Jewish law to be inclusive of gender-bending identities, so long as the individual in question didn’t challenge other Jewish norms. Rabbinical writing from the third century codified the status of the gender-bending androginos, acknowledging non-binary identities and clarifying how gendered Jewish laws applied to them. For instance, an androginos could marry a woman and cut their hair like Jewish men, but like Jewish women, they were not permitted to be alone with a man and forbidden from providing testimony in court. That last part isn’t the most empowering for women, but hey. At least there’s proof non-binary Jews existed.

While I expected to study a Jewish diaspora that became more inclusive over time to LGBTQ+ identities, what I found in the evidence suggests that Jewish transphobia

compared abortion to the Holocaust, filed a bill that would outlaw contraception and beheaded a chicken on camera to call attention to his embryo as a person bill.

When asked about accredited national medical experts such as the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics who definitively recommend access to gender-affirming care for children, Moon told the New York Times, “Maybe the doctors are wrong”.

Instead of taking up his concerns with the medical community, he replied, “That could take 20 years.”

Moon isn’t alone in his targeted vengeance.

His side of the aisle has filed the most anti-LGBTQ bills of any state this year, a record of 31 to date, according to the American Civil Liberties Union. Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey announced he is investigating the Washington University Transgender Center at St. Louis Children’s Hospital, the only clinic in the entire state that provides critical standards-based mental and physical care for transgender youth. Missouri’s Department of Social Services and the Division of Professional Registration along with U.S. Senator Josh Hawley, R-Missouri, are also launching their own investigations.

It sounds eerily reminiscent of the conservative backlash against reproductive healthcare, waged by Missouri’s GOPcontrolled legislature for years, culminat-

is a surprisingly recent development. The modern, western Jewish community was pressured to alter their gender and sexual norms to avoid hostility and judgment while living among a Christian majority. I don’t think we need to fear that anymore, though. Being our best, most inclusive selves at home, at temple, and everywhere, is far more important.

Activism in support of LGBTQ+ Jews isn’t actually about changing tradition – it’s about reclaiming our history of being comfortable with questioning and adjusting.

So, what do we do with this information? There’s no time to lose: LGBTQ+ community members, especially children, are under attack from the Missouri state legislature. One such bill, SB 134, would even make it illegal for public school teachers to talk about gender and sexual orientation with students unless they both are a

Stacey Newman, a former Missouri state representative, is the executive director of ProgressWomen, a statewide social justice group focused on justice and equality issues.

ing in our state’s abortion ban signed into law just minutes after the fall of Roe v. Wade last June. As Moon indicates, it doesn’t matter who might be affected or that many of these bills contradict established medical expertise (on which he depends for his own care), it’s about much more.

It’s a bigoted agenda sweeping the nation designed to fire up hate and interject intrusive conservative government again into private family medical decisions. These are the same elected officials who advocate for additional “parental rights” except when it can be used to fire up their political base of support through fear and ignorance.

Three people in Missouri can stop this dangerous fury: Missouri House Speaker Dean Plocher, R-Town and Country, Senate President Pro Tem Caleb Rowden, R-Columbia, and Governor Mike Parson

Ask yourself. What would you do if your child’s life was at risk?

Then do it now.

licensed therapist and have parental permission. Given that all my LGBTQ+ Jewish studies began because I came out personally to my teacher, I’m keenly aware my life would have turned out differently if those conversations had been outlawed. We must banish the ignorance, secrecy, and shame surrounding gender and sexual orientation in Missouri. Plenty of Jewish advocates — especially students, educators, and parents— are already mobilizing to stop the anti-trans bills, but we need everybody to call their state senators and representatives. It only takes a few minutes out of your daily routine, and if you’re new to the movement, we welcome you! Our people have a proud, if obscure, legacy of queer experiences. I am honored to continue it and advocate for myself, my friends, and my family in front of the legislature.

Education: Visiting Holocaust Museum, from a student perspective

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4

“It’s really important because in our district we have about 60 languages spoken and we’re very diverse,” Riesenmy said. “We’re not just diverse racially and ethnically, but in religion and socio-economic status. I like to see examples of that and advocate for promotion that diversity goes beyond ethnicity and race. We have a large Jewish population here at school so to be able to learn about that part of your heritage is essential.”

As part of the middle school social studies lesson plan, each student created a Holocaust memorial based on their studies and experiences at the museum. The day after their visit to the museum, Hurley’s class members described their memorial projects. Some students used 3D imaging and video memorials and others developed dioramas and poignant handmade displays.

Irene Murphy held up her memorial, a pair of glasses and a shoe. Alyssa Wong made a paper flower with torn edges to symbolize broken glass. Mia Rossetti put together a book with Holocaust victims’ names. She said her memorial also symbolized burning books.

Emily Tinnin made a small house.

“It’s a typical living room from the 1940s,” Tinnin said. “Instead of a normal room, the furniture has been knocked over to show how Nazis came in and raided homes, and took away what the homeowners had worked for, then put them in concentration camps

all because they became scapegoats. It was unfair and unjust.”

Baleigh Swillinger’s memorial was, she said, “A Jewish star over torn pieces of paper to represent the 1.5 million children who died in the Holocaust.”

Saydee Edrington created a small, cramped home to symbolize life in the ghetto. The residents, she said, had few possessions remaining but “they still fought through it.”

Emiliah Brown also built a small structure as a memorial to those who lived in the ghetto. “It was inhumane,” she said, “And on the outside, it says, ‘We resist.’”

As the class discussion of the museum visit ended, Hurley explained the importance of studying the Holocaust.

“This is why we spend the time to go over this piece of history with you,” Hurley said. “I know it’s a hard piece, but it’s a cautionary tale about what can happen if a group is targeted and becomes a scapegoat and at what point do we try to stop it. There’s a display at the museum that says, ‘The Holocaust was not inevitable.’ There was a time when it could have been stopped, while it was happening. What could have happened differently?

“It’s important as we move to the future and for you in the next generation to make sure you learn from the past and be mindful of what can happen if you don’t stand up for a group of people who are targeted.”

2022 Missouri law mandates Holocaust education in the state for grades 6-12 starting with 2025-2026 school year

Some Missouri school districts have included Holocaust lesson plans for many years. In 2025, all school districts in the state will be required to provide Holocaust education for students in grades 6 through 12. Senate Bill 681 and 662, signed into law last June by Gov. Mike Parson, mandated the change.

Prior to full implementation in the 2025-26 school year, a pilot program will commence beginning this fall. Holocaust education materials will be made available for up to 25 schools or districts, with at least one represented within each of the nine Missouri regions. Those regions cover defined geographic areas of the state. Region 8 includes St. Charles County, St. Louis County, the city of St. Louis and Jefferson County. A professional development plan will be given to teachers in the schools participating in the pilot program. The curriculum is being developed by the Missouri Holocaust Education and Awareness Commission, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., and the St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum. In early June, the state Holocaust commission will share curriculum materials with the pilot schools at a meeting in Columbia, Mo.

— Bill Motchan

How has the tour been so far?

It’s been great. It’s been a complete change of my life since September. Navigating it as I go, but it’s been a dream.

Do you think you connected more easily with Noah Kahan because you’re both Jewish?

I think there are a lot of factors into what

he and I connect with, but I do think there’s a whole different category of connecting with people when you find somebody else [who is] Jewish. It’s like a mutual understanding of hardships and a similar culture growing up. So, when I meet somebody else who’s also Jewish, I think there’s an added layer of connection there. So [our shared religion] probably had a lit-

A Helping Hand

Jewish teens volunteer in New Orleans on an NCSY relief mission

BY BELLA SOYFER

SOPHOMORE, LADUE HORTON WATKINS H.S.

On Thursday, Jan. 12 at 6:30 p.m., a plane carrying advisors and teens from St. Louis, Kansas City and Memphis departed from St. Louis for a weekend of volunteering and exploring New Orleans as part of the 2023 National Conference of Synagogue Youth (NCSY) relief mission.

NCSY relief missions have been running since 2005, when Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans, creating a disaster for many residents, especially the homeless population. As of 2020, there were 1,314 homeless people in New Orleans, according to the nola.gov website. Previously, homelessness rates in New Orleans had decreased by 90% but climbed back up due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

NCSY has now run more than 180 missions to over 20 different locations struck by disaster throughout the United States and across the Atlantic. On its website, NCSY states its mission:

“Through these relief missions, teens gain a new perspective, connect to the Jewish value of tikkun olam (repairing the world) and experience a newfound desire to help those in need by being taken out of

their comfort zone and placed on the front lines in the aftermath of natural disasters.”

Harper Witbrod, a Kansas City teen who went on the relief mission, described his experience helping the homeless in New Orleans.

“As soon as we got there, we went to a little underpass where there was a high population of homeless people and handed out coffee, socks and flashlights to them. They were all super thankful,” Witbrod said.

Witbrod also detailed the difference in the homeless community of New Orleans compared to Kansas City, where there are currently 1,733 homeless individuals, according to Project Homeless Connect.

“New Orleans is a lot different than Kansas City in that the homeless population is really nice and grateful for the help they get rather than Kansas City, where they [can be indifferent],” Witbrod said.

In addition to helping the homeless, teens on the relief mission worked on other projects to assist New Orleans residents such as building fences around community gardens and helping with weeding and planting at a locally owned farm. Witbrod explained why all kinds of volunteering opportunities are important for

tle bit of an effect on [our connection], but, just in general, there’s another layer of connection with [other Jews].

I noticed you’ve been wearing a Star of David necklace while on tour. Where did you get the necklace, and what is its significance to you?

My aunt is a rabbi, and she picked it up for me on her last trip to Israel. Judaism has been a strong part of my upbringing. I grew up going to temple and Sunday school, and I went to URJ camp every summer. It’s really been a part of something that has shaped who I am and my personality, and, especially in today’s day and age, I think it’s more important than ever to be able to wear [Judaism] proudly and not be afraid.

What is the significance of Judaism to you?

[Judaism has] had more of a social-cultural impact on me. I grew up going to URJ camp in Indiana. I made some of my best friends there, [and we] really connected through Judaism. That camp specifically is a very music-heavy, singing-heavy camp. So, I was able to combine and integrate my music, [which] has always been a big part of my life, and Judaism and learn how to function as a human being [along the way]. I was living in a cabin with 12 other boys, and there’s just a whole lot of character-building that I credit to the URJ camps like that.

Have you ever faced any antisemitism?

Yeah, I grew up in Texas. A lot of places in the south are not as exposed to cultures other than their own, so I sort of grew up thinking that to be treated differently for my religion was a norm. As I would talk and make friends with other people in other places, I quickly realized that that’s

2022-2023

Ohr Chadash

Teen Page Staff

Editor-in-Chief: Molly Levine

Staff members:

Noam Buch

Benjamin Kruger

Maya Sagett

Daniel Shanker

Bella Soyfer

Avital Vorobeychik

Katie Wallace

Ella Wertman

Advisor: Caroline Goldenberg

not a normal thing and shouldn’t have been happening. Antisemitism has been pretty normal growing up for me.

How do you combat antisemitism?

I have no tolerance for it now. You know, I used to because I thought it was the norm when I was younger. People would tell me to learn how to take a joke, be able to laugh at it and that it was in the past, so that’s how I was sort of forced to operate for a while. After really seeing the rest of the world and learning a lot more about the history of the Holocaust and the history of our people, [antisemitism] is something I really don’t have any tolerance for. I make it very known that that’s not something I’m comfortable with if somebody thinks they can joke about that with me.

Have you been to Israel?

I have, in the summer of 2019, I believe. It was one of the best trips of my life. It was beautiful. You know, growing up going to temple and Sunday school, Israel always seemed like a fake place, something that was only in fables and fairy tales. I went there, and it was interesting to see [a place] you’ve been told all your life supposedly happened right here. It’s very powerful, and the people there are so nice and wonderful. I am trying to go back as soon as possible.

Do you have any advice for Jewish teens on how to embrace being Jewish?

The biggest thing for me is to stay proud of who you are. I wear my Jewish star at every show, and the crowds are just getting bigger and bigger. I’m very aware that, by wearing it, I opened myself up to potential criticism and hate from people who don’t like our people. I think it’s more important now than ever to be able to be proud of [being Jewish].

young people.

“It helps them see the kind of work that it can do and can lead them on future career paths. I think it’s extremely important,” Witbrod said.

Sam Zitin is an NCSY advisor who also attended the 2023 New Orleans trip. He is a strong advocate for the merits of relief missions and volunteer work.

“I think volunteering is essential for everyone… especially during developmental years to come to appreciate how much the world needs helpers and how much good we can all do by being helpers,” Zitin said.

Zitin has been working with NCSY and Jewish Student Union (JSU) for 13 years and has connected with many Jewish teens through his work. Zitin regularly talks with teens about a multitude of Jewish topics.

“The amount and quality of time that

you can have with teens on a trip like this allows you to build relationships and access topics and ideas that you frequently just don’t have time to at an after-school club,” Zitin said.

As well as volunteering and helping the homeless, the teens also got to dive into New Orleans and its culture. The group explored the historic French Quarter, toured monuments and took a horse-andbuggy ride through the streets of the city.

“I’m a French speaker myself, so it was really fun talking with people,” Witbrod said.

Throughout the 2023 NCSY relief mission to New Orleans, Jewish teens forged lasting friendships and connections to Torah.

“We went from being 25 staff and kids from all over the place to feeling very much like a family [very quickly],” Zitin said.

PHOTO BY: CASS ANDERSON

FEATURES

ARTS AND CULTURE FOOD

HOLIDAYS LIFESTYLES

Artist delights in creating ‘little edgy mysteries’

BY ELLEN HARRIS SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH LIGHT

Look at the image at top left, Untitled #1. Is he a cowboy posing with a hot-shot attitude? Is she so thrilled with her pink dress that she can’t resist showing it off by twirling? Are they a couple dancing together? Apart?

Whatever story you make up is the right one, says artist Carol Crouppen Schucard. “I like to create staged fictions. Little edgy mysteries.” She selects 1-inch plastic figurines from her stash of 1930s and 1940s flea market and garage sale finds and creates her vignettes as she goes along.

“I make the visceral visual,” she says. Then she photographs the scenes. Nineteen of them comprise her new show at the Duane Reed

Gallery in the Central West End, which runs until March 18.

You decide what you see. My husband calls the red-headed drum majorette in sunglasses, Untitled #17, “Dangerous. The Bride of Chuckie.” A young woman stands facing a bowling ball and a set of bowling pins in Untitled #8. The image reminds Crouppen Schucard’s husband, Pat Schucard, of Wyeth’s “Christina’s World.”

Crouppen Schucard’s art is playful and accessible as she is. Who else set giant concrete pigs flanking the path to her old house? She transforms bad life experiences into humorous stories.

“I’m optimistic,” she says. Lately, she beams with happiness. “I’m in a very good place now.”

Arriving there took courage. Around her 60th birthday, her long-

term marriage imploded. Instead of moving to Los Angeles to be near two of her four children or to a warm climate like some of her peers, she stayed in Clayton. She continued her 25-year career as a studio artist, exhibiting her fiber art and retina prints in galleries across America and abroad. And she began post-grad studies at Washington University and Fontbonne College.

She also began hanging out with her old pal, the artist Pat Schucard. She’s petite and he’s football player size. While she was being confirmed at United Hebrew Congregation, he was taught by the nuns. But the two look at the world with the same view: search and rescue old buildings. They married the

The intersection of art, food This week, columnist’s husband gets his say

BY NANCY KRANZBERG

Three of my favorite restaurants in our fair city stand out in my mind because of their incredibly talented chefs who I consider artists.

I searched for articles on food and art and found a great one by Elena Martinique, editor of Widewalls, an international art and architecture magazine based in London.

“As a cornerstone of our very existence food has always played a significant part in our social and cultural lifestyles,” she writes. “Thus, it is no wonder that the depiction of food in art spans across cultures and all recorded human history.”

Appearing in myriad contexts, this practice stretches back to Ancient Greece and Rome where banquets and bacchanals were consuming passions celebrated in literature, paintings and mosaics. Drawings of food could also be found inside Egyptian pyramids.”

Rob Connoley of Bulrush describes the food at his downtown restaurant as rooted in Ozark cuisine. He explains the concept: “Through our research of family journals and letters from the early 1800s we have uncovered over 200 years of history. History that includes the bold families of indigenous people, enslaved residents and Euro-Appalachian immigrants that tamed the wild lands of northern Arkansas and southern Missouri (and

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.

tips of Oklahoma and Kansas). These are the people who defined what has become known as Ozark cuisine.”

When I met with Connoley, I ask him to tell me how creating his food is an art.

“When I create new dishes, I can’t help but think about flavor and aesthetics simultaneously,” he said. “I don’t do this because we live in an Instagram world where pretty food equals social media likes, but rather I know that beauty touches the soul as much, if not more than a delicious spoonful.

“And with food a chef should be thinking in 3D about color, texture and light. These aspects should be included to lift up a dish, not merely for a pretty picture, and so you’ll never find a random flower on our plates. All beauty must pull double duty in flavor and texture. Regardless of how fancy the meal, I love being able to

BY JEFF BROWN

Hi there, I’m Amy’s husband, Jeff. You know me from Amy’s columns, especially the ones where she includes crazy pictures of me.

In her last column, Amy told a story of something funny I did, so she handed over the reins of this column for me to take my own crack at it. Keep in mind I’m not a writer. My talents are based on the other side of my brain. I’m a mathematician.

You guys must think our house is a laugh a minute, like a comedy club, with joke after joke cracking us up. That’s not quite true all the time, but when there are laughs they come from my jokes half the time. And I laugh at my own jokes all of the time. In math terms, that means 50% of the total house laughs are a direct result of my jokes, and I laugh at those in particular 100% of the time.

When it comes to who is in charge in this house, I’ll surprise you. It’s me. I get 51% of the votes here. I’m the boss of this house… and I have my wife’s permission to say that.

My intentions are good, but sometimes my delivery is off. The best example is from years ago when the kids’ school bus was about 30 minutes late bringing them home. It happened every day for two solid weeks. I grabbed a paper the school gave

us in case of any bus issues. It was from Parkway Schools’ Transportation Director Will Rosa. So I was looking at the paper while calling, and also very frustrated with the situation, and when the receptionist answered I said “I want to talk to Rosa Parks.” There was some silence, followed by “Excuse me?” I said “Yes, I want to talk to Rosa Parks, I have a problem with the bus.” I guess I jumbled Rosa, Parkway and bus in my brain, and what came out wasn’t anything close to what I meant to say. Oops.

Watching sports and attending games is my biggest passion whether the teams are pro, college or high school (my kids’ games, I’m not just going around to high schools watching random games.) While I’m not exactly an athlete, I make a great athletic supporter (see, I’m funny.) However, I did have a moment to shine in college.

Jeff Brown

My friends and I attended a Miami (of Ohio) University hockey game. One lucky fan had a paper in their program inviting

Artist Carol Crouppen Schucard in her studio, inside a former church in St. Louis.

PHOTO: ELLEN HARRIS

Selections of Carol Crouppen Schucard’s work on display at the Duane Reed Gallery through March 18.

Psychologist’s book helps unravel the ‘knots’ and ‘nots’ of trauma

ELLEN FUTTERMAN EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Jerry Finkelstein, a clinical psychologist for more than 35 years, says he never had a burning desire to write a book about psychology. But when one of his students suggested he do so, he thought about it for a while and, with a mental health crisis in our midst, he decided the time was right.

“I wanted to write something that was very simple, and I wanted it to be accessible to anybody,” said Finkelstein, who received his doctorate at St. Louis University and lives in East Hampton, N.Y. “I had no idea until I began showing it to people and getting their responses that I was even going to publish it. I just kept getting this feedback that was overwhelmingly positive.”

Finkelstein was in private practice for many years in Manhattan before becoming senior director of the New School Counseling Services for 16 years, where he helped train 150-plus psychologists. And while he just published his first professional book at age 68, Finkelstein is no stranger to writing.

His resume includes a young adult novel, “Dog Days of Summer,” an allegory about 9/11; two satirical political blogs (grandoffgalparty.com and omfgtrumpblog.com); and a one-person show, “Peristalsis (Look it Up!),” about surviving excruciating back pain and surgery, which he wrote and performed at the International New York Fringe Festival in 2014.

His new book is “Where are Your (K) nots?: Getting Unstuck in Your Life.” At under 50 pages, it can be read easily in one sitting. But it packs a lot into those pages, as it attempts to create a framework for how and why people develop the psycho-

logical and emotional challenges they face. It’s a must-read for anyone thinking about starting therapy or for people who want to deepen their understanding of themselves. The book cuts to the chase and asks, in the title to its introduction, the age-old question: “Where the hell am I and how the hell did I get here?”

The Jewish Light recently spoke to Finkelstein to find out more about the importance of understanding and accepting our past and unraveling the knots in our lives that so often get us stuck.

Who is the audience for the book?

Anyone who could use a tool to think about their lives. It’s a great tool if you’re going to start therapy, but I also call it a book of curiosity. The title of the introduction kind of sums it up: “Where the hell am I and how the hell did I get here?” That’s the patient’s question, and the therapist and the client go on a journey to answer that. So that was the intent of the book: to help people widen the lens and look at the narrative of their lives and see where they are stuck and why. That’s what therapy is, from my point of view, the unraveling of knots and all the emotional stuff that gets stuck there.

You said the goal of the book is to create a template for thinking about the emotional arc of your life, to be curious about your experiences. Why is that so important?

As they say, history tends to repeat itself. The ways you learn to be in the world when you are young manifest itself later and can limit the freedom and flexibility to live as fully as possible. That can be restricting. I use the analogy of physical injury like scar tissue. If you have a lot of

The Objects that

scar tissue, your mobility is limited. If you have a lot of old scar tissue from traumatic or painful emotional experiences that you never resolved, your life can be compromised by that. That’s why we need to be curious about our experiences.

In simplest terms, how do you define a “knot”?

It’s an emotional experience or series of experiences that are too difficult to process, the feelings are too much. For example, if you hurt yourself physically, all the blood rushes to where the injury is, and then you develop scar tissue. Well, emotional scar tissue can also form due to life traumas, often in childhood.

There are these points of experience. It could be repetitive behaviors like a parent undermining and humiliating you growing up, or it could be a major trauma like being sexually abused as a child. Either way, you don’t have the psychological tools to work through the experience, so you get stuck there. You compensate, and you work around it. And when you do that, you are limited in your capacity to find healthy solutions to experiences you confront later in life.

You discuss how knots can form in very early childhood, often based on the reaction the child has to a parent’s reaction to something the child is or isn’t doing? I know understanding this is key to the process, but can we really change what happened to us in childhood and fully heal?

The earlier the trauma, the more difficult the process. The goal is to create the awareness of what that initial experience was and develop the capacity to understand how it made you feel. If the goal is not to feel the

Jerry Finkelstein’s book “Where are Your (K) nots? Getting Unstuck in Your Life” is available for $12.99 ($5.99 for ebook) at amazon.com or jerryfinkelstein.com. Fifty percent of the proceeds go to the Trevor Project, whose mission is to end suicide among LGBTQ young people, and the Steve Fund, which is dedicated to supporting the mental health and emotional well-being of young people of color.

pain of the past, and that’s where you’re tied up, then you have to have the wherewithal and desire to work through the pain in the present. It’s hard work. The thing that motivates you is the “nots.” Why can’t I do this? Why can’t I experience my emotions? Why can’t I have a meaningful relationship with a partner? Why do I have so much trouble following through on a career path? There are things you come up against and keep failing at them. The motivation comes from wanting things to change, so if it means going through some pain to get there, that’s what I need to do.

As you explain, often these “knots” turn into “nots” — stopping people from moving forward in their lives. What are some things we can do to keep from

HOW TO AVOID "ACCELERATED" AGING

BY: DR BETH TEMPLIN, PT, DPT, GCS GERIATRIC PHYSICAL THERAPIST

you to learn that ne does not lead ependence and issues With normal aging you can expect a small decline of about 3% each year Even though you will experience declines each year, they are not enough to make significant changes to your daily life

See BOOK on page 22

Please

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Laura Levitt TEMPLE UNIVERSITY

CAMP + EDUCATION SUMMER PROGRAM GUIDE

stlouisartistsguild.org/camp-stlag-summer-2023

Camp STLAG: Summer 2023

Our camps allow students to take art classes that develop their abilities and imagination as they push themselves beyond what they knew they were capable of achieving! Camp STLAG will allow our campers to explore new mediums and find their creativity in fast-paced 5-day sessions. Check out our Summer 2023 camp themes for Budding Artists (ages 6 - 9), Young Artists (ages 10 - 13) and Teen Intensives (ages 14).

12 North Jackson Ave., Clayton, MO 63105 314 · 727 · 6266

"I WISH HE COULD SPEND THE "I WISH HE COULD SPEND THE WHOLE SUMMER WITH WHOLE SUMMER WITH YOU...BECAUSE I KNOW HE IS YOU BECAUSE I KNOW HE IS TTHRIVING" HRIVING"

-SARA EVANSTON -SARA, EVANSTON

"THE BEST THING TO HAVE "THE BEST THING TO HAVE HAPPENED TO OUR FAMILY" HAPPENED TO OUR FAMILY"

LEAH HOUSTON LEAH HOUSTON

"CAMP MADE MY DAUGHTER "CAMP MADE MY DAUGHTER FEEL RESPECTED AND FEEL RESPECTED AND INCLUDED...CAMP BEN INCLUDED...CAMP BEN FRANKEL HAS GIVEN HER A FRANKEL HAS GIVEN HER A SENSE OF BELONGING" SENSE

--ANONYMOUS ANONYMOUS

cocastl.org/summer-arts-camps/

Ignite your creativity at COCA Summer Arts Camps! Campers have the opportunity to learn and experience new things, build their skills, and—most importantly—have fun. Choose from camps in singing, dancing, acting, visual art, cooking, circus, filmmaking, fashion, and more, taught by our talented teaching artists who also work professionally as exhibiting artists or performers. At COCA, we pride ourselves on offering some of the most creative Summer Arts Camps for kids and teens.

6880 Washington Ave, St. Louis, MO 63130

314 · 725 · 6555

CAMP EMETH campemeth.org

Camp Emeth is an eight-week Jewish day camp located on the grounds of Congregation Shaare Emeth for campers entering grades K-8. Our campers have summers that last a lifetime, participating in swimming, arts and crafts, Israel programming, music, shiur (Jewish lessons), chuggim (electives), field trips, spirit days, and so much more. They learn new skills, make new friends, and enjoy traditional and innovative camp activities. Our goal is to provide a safe, nurturing camp environment where children can learn about their world, discover their strengths, and feel connected to our community in the context of Reform Judaism. Contact Laura Horton for more information.

--ANONYMOUS ANONYMOUS

"HE MADE GREAT FRIENDS "HE MADE GREAT FRIENDS AND WAS IMMEDIATELY AND WAS IMMEDIATELY ASKING IF HE COULD GO ASKING IF HE COULD GO BACK NEXT SUMMER" BACK NEXT SUMMER"

-SARAH ST LOUIS -SARAH, ST LOUIS

"MY CHILD TRIED NEW "MY CHILD TRIED NEW ACTIVITIES THAT HE WOULD ACTIVITIES THAT HE WOULD NEVER TRY AT HOME" NEVER TRY AT HOME"

--ANONYMOUS ANONYMOUS

Ages 7-17

Makanda, IL

campbenfrankel.org

OF BELONGING"

"THE RELATIONSHIPS THEY "THE RELATIONSHIPS THEY BUILD WITH OUR CHILDREN BUILD WITH OUR CHILDREN MAKE A LASTING MAKE A LASTING IIMPRESSION." MPRESSION "

CAMP STLAG

COCA SUMMER ARTS CAMP

CAMP + EDUCATION SUMMER PROGRAM

J DAY CAMP jccstl.com/daycamps

Make new friends and learn new skills! J Day Camps gives campers options on their activities – sports, arts, gymnastics and more. Plus, ON-SITE SWIMMING! 78% of campers improved swim skills. We’re at two convenient locations – Creve Coeur and Chesterfield. ELEVEN weeks of camps and programs for kids ages 3-8th grade. 84% of campers rated our staff as excellent or very good. Lunch option available. ACA accredited.

314 · 442 · 3432

Budding Artists (ages 6 - 9)

Budding Artists (ages 6 - 9)

Monday - Friday | 10am - 2pm

Monday - Friday | 10am - 2pm

Young Artists (ages 10 - 13)

Young Artists (ages 10 - 13)

Monday - Friday | 10am - 2pm

Teen Intensives (ages 14 - 18)

CRAFT ALLIANCE craftalliance.org/camp

Craft Alliance provides arts education and craft experiences to the St. Louis community. Whether your young artist wants to sculpt with molten glass, learn to weave, or throw on the potter’s wheel, we have a camp for them. Our team of teaching artists know how to engage students with new skills while having fun. Our summer camps provide young artists the outlet for exercising both critical and creative thinking through clay, fibers, glass, and more.

SUMMER AT SLU

slu.edu/summer-and-extended-studies

What kind of summer do you want your family to have? Whatever your answer is, you’ll find it at Saint Louis University. SLU offers camps and academies for Pre-K through high school students. From diving into creative arts to immersive experiences in our STEM programs, there is bound to be something that sparks your family’s interest and leads to their best summer yet. summer@slu.edu 314 · 977 · 3534

CAMP BEN FRANKEL campbenfrankel.org

Camp Ben Frankel is a small camp that welcomes campers from all Jewish backgrounds. We have a reputation for high quality: programming with 100+ activities, experienced counselors (avg age 21), and award-winning leadership. CBF is located less than two hours from St. Louis in the picturesque Shawnee National Forest near Carbondale, IL. We value being welcoming and inclusive while creating a warm Jewish environment full of fun. Ask us about grants of up to $1000 for first time campers!

618 · 235 · 1614 info@campbenfrankel.org

Monday - Friday | 3pm - 5:30pm

Monday - Friday | 10am - 2pm nsives (ages 14 - 18)

Monday - Friday | 3pm - 5:30pm

Jump into Summer Fun

Make New Friends & Learn New Skills

Profile: St. Louis artist delights in creating ‘little edgy mysteries’

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 12

day after Valentine’s Day in 2009, and began their quest for quirky properties. In the Rocky Mountains, they bought a barn once used by a stagecoach company and developed it into the Stage Stop, a cafe, bar and dance hall where Judy Collins once sang.

Returning to St. Louis, they’ve turned three old, unloved buildings into snazzy large event venues for corporate parties, charity fundraisers, rehearsal dinners and weddings. “Where else could we find such beauty, but in St. Louis with its old architecture,” Crouppen Schucard says.

First came the Artists Guild building, 812 N. Union, in 2014, where Tennessee Williams once directed his plays. The Schucards turned the 1908 Arts & Crafts masterpiece into the Boo Cat Club. Its name came from the pet saying of the late philan-

thropist E. Desmond Lee: “You don’t know boo cat chicken.” [Schucard has been an art professor and the Des Lee Professor for Community Collaboration at Wash U. He later developed public art projects, such as the Delmar Boulevard Master Plan and the University Lofts downtown as spaces for artists.]

After the success of Boo Cat, the Schucards found an old furniture store in Maplewood now reborn as the Majorette with an open-air interior courtyard.

Crouppen Schucard’s face lights up talking about Das Bevo, formerly Gussie Busch’s Bevo Mill in south St. Louis, where she dined as a child with her family. She oversaw the aesthetics of the rehabbing as well as selecting the lighting and furnishings for the interior and the biergarten. Schucard Event Spaces couldn’t resist buying Tim’s Chrome Bar next door. On week-

ends, it offers oldies for those who remember Ike and Tina, and the space where they can hit the dance floor to “Proud Mary.”

The couple’s latest acquisition is the former Immaculate Conception Church on Lafayette. The architects of the St. Louis Cathedral, Barnett, Haynes & Barnett, deigned this 1908 Gothic beauty, which is on the National Register of Historic Places. Shafts of light pour through the two roseshaped stained-glass windows like the ones in Notre Dame de Paris and Chartres Cathedral, making the huge space magical. It inspires Crouppen Schucard who claimed it as her studio.

She passed her creative gene onto her son Samson Crouppen. You can watch his comedy “Proof I Was Here,” on Amazon Prime. If the background looks familiar, it’s because his special was taped at Das Bevo.

Nancy Kranzberg: Exploring the intersection of food and art

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 12

express myself in a way that can be enjoyed by the masses that often don’t find themselves in galleries or museums. It’s truly an honor and a thrill to create beautiful food every night.”

An article in the London-based lifestyle online magazine, The Upcoming, says that restaurants have been galleries for decades. In the decadent Mad Men era of the 1950s and 60s, New York restaurants began buying and commissioning paintings to hang on the walls for the visual enjoyment of admiring diners. This trend has continued to the present day. Michael

Roux told The Independent that the art hung in his Michelin star French restaurant, Le Gavroche, asks questions and “feeds your mind while we feed your body.”

Chef Bernie Lee of Akar in Clayton maintains that food is art on numerous levels.

“Growing, cooking and the presentation of food all qualify as art in my eyes,” he said. “It is also connected to love, a sense of well-being and creates an intimate connection between souls. I still think of my mom and grandmother as I take a bite of curry, it brings me a source of connection and comfort.”

CAMP + EDUCATION

And then there is David Kirkland of Turn Restaurant in Grand Center who says,” I am a DJ and a chef. Art, music, sound and touch are part of my everyday life. When creating a menu item, I think about what vegetables are in season, what styles and herbs are trending in the culinary world. I set up my mise en plate, pots, pans, knives, cutting boards all ready to cook.

“I take a bit of this, chop a little of that, simmer it all, stirring, boiling, creating a dish to satisfy hungry mouths.

“Using ears to listen for timers and boiling pots, using my eyes to ensure everything is cooking properly and my hands to

touch, stir and feel. A natural muscle memory.

“While DJ’ing I use the same muscle memory in a similar way. While selecting vinyl LP’s or digital tracks, I organize different styles of music to curate a set list. A mise en place of beats and sounds. With two turn tables and a mixer, I will select tracks that blend and complement each other to create one sound that will make you dance and nod your head. Using my hands to cue, scratch and mix music. Again a natural muscle memory.”

Yes, I think these chefs are artists of the highest ranking and that the culinary arts should be included in the art world.

Carol Crouppen Schucard and Pat Schucard.

PHOTO: ELLEN HARRIS

CHAI LIGHTS

YOUR CALENDAR OF ST. LOUIS JEWISH COMMUNITY EVENTS

SATURDAY | FEB. 25

Lunch and learn at Bais Abe

Join Bais Abraham for its annual lunch and learn in memory of Micah Abraham Lemerman Shilcrat, z”l. Dr. Randi Mozenter will discuss issues related to one’s mental health immediately following Shabbat morning services (at approximately 11:30 a.m.). Register at www.baisabe.com/event/mental-healthmemorial-lunch-and-learn.html.

“Jewish History through a Reconstructionist Lens”

Rabbi Lane Steinger will be the second featured scholar in Shir Hadash Reconstructionist Community’s four-part Shabbat community education series. He will lead a Shabbat morning service and Torah discussion on parsha Terumah at 10 a.m. Immediately following the service and kiddush, Steinger will present a Lunch and Learn program titled “Jewish History Through a Reconstructionist Lens.” A vegetarian or vegan box lunch will be provided. Both the service and Lunch and Learn will take place in the Arts and Education Building of the J’s Staenberg Family Campus. Reservations are required and can be made online at www. shirhadashstl.info/events/steingershabbat or via e-mail to stlshirhadash@gmail.com.

SUNDAY | FEB. 26

NHBZ All-You-Can Eat Pizza Night

From 5 to 7 p.m., Nusach Hari B’nai Zion will offer a dine-in all-you-can-eat buffet of kosher pizza, pasta, salad and garlic bread plus a dessert and beverage. There are even movies for your kids. Prices are $15 for adults, $7 for kids ages 4-10, and free for kids ages 3 and under. The pizza cheese is Cholov Yisroel and pareve crusts are available upon request. For more information, call 314-991-2100.

‘You Are Not Alone: A Service of Wholeness, Healing

and Hope’

From 4 to 5 p.m. join the Kehillah Center at Congregation Shaare Emeth for “You Are Not Alone: A Service of Wholeness, Healing and Hope” led by Rabbi Andrea Goldstein and Shaare Emeth’s Musician-in-Residence, Lucy Greenbaum. Open to the community, but registration is required to Stacy Jespersen at sjespersen@sestl.org.

TUESDAY | FEB. 28

Aish Men’s Over 55 Club talk

At 3 p.m. Aish’s Men’s Over 55 Club will offer a discussion with Rabbi Shmuel Greenwald on “Why did God Create a Seemingly

Imperfect World and What Does Tikkun Olam mean?” at Kohn’s Deli, 10405 Old Olive Street Road. Refreshments will be served. For more information, call 314-862-2474 or email sgreenwald@aish.com

NCJWSTL Coffee Talk

At 8:30 a.m. join NCJWSTL for a coffee talk with Howard Katzman about potential problems in the air quality at one’s home, and how to mitigate those risks. He will structure his presentation around attendees’ interests and concerns, so send questions to arothman@ ncjwstl.org by Feb. 22 so he may review them in advance. Visit https://bit.ly/Feb23CT to register. For more information, email Alec Rothman at arothman@ncjwstl.org or call 314-993-5181.

THURSDAY | MARCH 2

Breakfast at NHBZ to meet students of Technion

NHBZ and American Technion Society invite the community to a breakfast at 9:15 a.m. to meet two graduate students from Technion to discuss their personal journeys and studies. Technion, Israel Institute of Technology, is Israel’s largest scientific-technological university. NHBZ membership is not necessary to attend and RSVPs are not required. For more information, call 314991-2100, ext. 2.

SLU presents workshop, lecture with Amy-Jill Levine

From noon to 1:30 p.m. Thursday, March 2, Professor Amy-Jill Levine will present a free workshop at St. Louis University on “Understanding Jesus and Paul Means Understanding Judaism.” Levine is the Rabbi Stanley M. Kessler Distinguished Professor of New Testament and Jewish Studies at the Hartford International University for Religion and Peace. For more information on the workshop, visit https://bit.ly/slu-workshop. At 7 p.m. Levine will give SLU’s 21st annual De Lubac Lecture, looking at “Jesus and Judaism: The Connection Matters.” In-person attendance is encouraged. To attend a livestream of the talk, register online at https://bit.ly/slu-0302. Both events will be held in SLU’s Sinquefield Stateroom (DuBourg 409).

FRI.-SUN. | MARCH 3-5

NCJWSTL Advocacy Conference

During the weekend of March 3-5, the National Council of Jewish Women St. Louis (NCJWSTL) will host an advocacy conference at the Sheraton Westport Plaza, 900 Westport Plaza. NCJW CEO Sheila Katz will be the Friday evening keynote speaker. Additional information and online registration for the conference can be found at bit.ly/23conference. For more information, contact Jen Bernstein at 314-993-5181 or JBernstein@ ncjwstl.org.

SATURDAY | MARCH 4

J Associates Fabulous Feud Live

at Traditional, 12437 Ladue Road, for coffee/ bagels. The group will leave at 9:30 a.m. as the tour begins promptly at 10 a.m. (guests can also meet at the museum by that time). Registration is required by Feb. 24: http://bit.

ly/3H2NhqU. Minimum donation is $5 to offset the cost of our private tour; additional donations welcome. If you need a ride, please let us know when registering. Call 314-5765230 for more information.

Purim at Shaare Emeth

Shaare Emeth kicks off Purim festivities at 10:30 a.m. with “A Purim Story,” a family-friendly Purim spiel for families with children ages 0–12. “Toy Story” characters will help re-tell the story of Purim with costumes, music and humor. Everyone is invited and costumes are encouraged. From 11 a.m.-1 p.m., join Shaare Emeth for its Shushan Hootenany, with fun for all ages, including a trackless train, inflatable pony racing, balloon animals, carnival games, face painting, line dancing, a magic show and more. Lunch and hamantashen are available for purchase from the Purim Food Committee. Wristbands are required for children ages 3 – 4th grade (allowing unlimited game play, plus each child will receive a hamantashen and a large prize). $10 for Shaare Emeth Members or $15 for non-members. Purchase at the door or in advance at SESTL.CO/PURIM. Adults, children in 5th grade+, and children under 3 years old get in free, no registration required.

Purim shpiel and carnival at TI

Join Temple Israel from 10:30 to 11 a.m. for a Purim shpiel. Led by TI member and artistic director of the J’s New Jewish Theatre, Rebekah Scallet, TI’s religious and Hebrew school students are practicing for an entertaining shpiel called Purim Pop Palooza, a new retelling of the Purim story with Purim characters singing parodies of songs by artists like Billie Eilish, Lil Nas X, Lizzo and even a little Baby Shark. Free to attend. Immediately following the shpiel, head to TI’s annual Purim Carnival (11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.) for games, prizes, entertainment, food and hamantashen, and a costume contest. Games and prizes are geared toward littles through kids in grade 6. Wristbands are $15 and include entrance and complimentary hamantashen. Guests can order pizza, snacks or extra hamantashen in advance (by Feb. 27). Visit www.ti-stl.org/ PurimHub for more information.

MONDAY | MARCH 6

Purim Megilla reading at NHBZ

Bring your noisemakers and your entire family to hear the whole Megilla at Nusach Hari B’nai Zion at 6:45 p.m. All are invited, and costumes, merry-making and fun are highly encouraged! For more information, call 314-991-2100, ext. 2.

Local Jewish organizations and congregations can submit calendar items to news@ stljewishlight.org. All items received by 5 p.m. Friday will be considered for the following week’s edition.

the Not-So-Ready-for-Prime-Time Purim Players. Wear your finest country attire and join us for a good ole Megillah reading and a knee-slappin’, yeehawing shamboree of a show. Enjoy hamantashen and refreshments. This show is geared toward adults, but you can bring the youngins, too. No registration is required.

A very festive Purim at Kol Rinah

From 5:15 to 9:15 p.m. join Kol Rinah for Purim festivities, from costumes and activities, to dinner and Megillah reading with a spiel - there will be something for everyone. At 5:15 p.m. our Young Families Group and Families Group can partake in Purim-related crafts and activities. At 5:45 p.m. Kol Rinah’s Young Families Group (families with kids under age 6) can enjoy a Purim Shadow Puppet Show and Purim songs with Morah Karen. The Families Group (families with kids over age 6) can join a special interactive Purim experience with Rabbi Scott Shafrin. Mincha in the sanctuary (no Zoom) is at 6 p.m., followed at 6:15 by a synagogue-wide Purim dinner with pasta, salad and garlic bread. RSVP for dinner required by Wednesday, March 1 at www.kolrinahstl.org/event/ a-very-festive-purim.html. Maariv is at 6:45 p.m. in the sanctuary, followed at 7 by a costume parade for all, and then a Megillah reading with our very silly Kol Rinah Purim spiel interspersed throughout.

Purim dinner and a show at Bais

Abraham

After hearing the Megilla reading at 6:30 p.m. at Bais Abraham, come downstairs and finish your fast with a vegan feast from Gokul. At 8 p.m. we will welcome Elliot the Entertainer from Circus Kaput for a fully interactive show. Admission to dinner and the show is $18 per person. Register in advance at www.baisabe.com/event/PurimNight2023. For more Information, contact the Bais Abe office, 314-721-3030 or abby@ baisabe.com.

TUESDAY | MARCH 7

Annual

U.

City Purim reenactment parade

All residents of the “kingdom” are invited to hail Mordechai the Jew as he rides through the streets on the king’s steed, led by Haman the Aggagite. The annual grand procession beginning at 2 p.m. at the corners of Cornell and Gay avenues in University City, ending at Saxony Court.

NHBZ Purim seudah, costume contest & Sshtick nite

Alan

Spector

on ‘Nicknames: What & Why’ at Crown Center

At 3 p.m. author and speaker Alan Spector will lead this fun event, focusing on having a good time with nicknames, yours, if you have one, Spector’s nicknames and many of the sports, entertainment and political celebrities. Free and open to the community but RSVP required to 314-991-2055.

Let’s talk politics

From 10 to 11 a.m. Mark Stern returns with political analysis about what to expect as the 2024 presidential election nears. In this free, online Mirowitz Center program, he will analyze the aftermath of the November 2022 elections and their impact. Register online at http://bit.ly/Register_MirowitzCenter, call 314-733-9813, or email skemppainen@ mirowitzcenter.org.

J Associates will hold its third annual Fabulous Feud Live fundraiser on Saturday, March 4 at the Pageant. In the same spirit as the popular television game show “Family Feud,” Watch contestants battle it out while having fun and fundraising for the Jewish Community Center. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. for dinner, and at 7:30 the games begin. The game show host for the evening is Ben Nordstrom. Tickets are $140 and are on sale now. For tickets, sponsorships or to fund a need in advance, visit jccstl.com/fabulousfeud or contact Kim Petersen, special events manager, at kpetersen@jccstl.org or 314-442-3109.

SUNDAY | MARCH 5

Traditional Congregation plans tour of Holocaust Museum

Traditional Congregation is planning a private group tour of the St Louis Feldman Kaplan Holocaust Museum. Guests will meet at 9 a.m.

Artisan hamentashen bake and wine pairing

Chabad of Chesterfield invites the community to an interactive artisan hamentashen baking workshop and wine pairing followed by the Megillah reading at 7 p.m. at Chabad of Chesterfield’s temporary location in Chesterfield Mall. Participants will roll up their sleeves to make a tray of their own hamantashen, using a variety of fillings and toppings. The evening will conclude with an in-person megillah reading. Suggested donation is $36; sponsor $108. RSVP by March 1 by visiting bit.ly/purimhamentash or calling 636-778-4000 or emailing chanalar@gmail.com.

Shushan Shamboree Show at Shaare Emeth

At 7 p.m. Shaare Emeth welcomes the community for a Wild West Purimspiel, written and directed by Patrick Siler, featuring

Purim fun continues at Nusach Hari B’nai Zion with the second reading of the Megillah at 7 a.m. Later that day enjoy hot dogs, hamburgers and all the fixins and sides at 5:15 p.m. Come in costume and participate in NHBZ’s famous costume contest which has three categories: children, adults and couples/family. Get your “schtick” together and show off your talent with a skit, game, poem, jokes or musical entertainment. NHBZ membership is not necessary to participate. RSVPs are required, no walkins. Prices are: $18 adults (12 and over); $15 children ages 4-11; FREE kids 3 & under, free. Family cap $62. RSVP by February 28 at 314-991-2100, ext. 2 or email office@nhbz.org.

Author discusses STL Soccer

At 10 a.m. former sports journalist David Lange, author of the book “Soccer Made in St. Louis: A History of the Game in America’s First Soccer Capital,” will discuss St. Louis soccer during a free talk at the Mirowitz Center. Provided in conjunction with FEL (Friends Enjoying Life). Register online at http://bit.ly/Register_MirowitzCenter or call 314-733-9813.

TAXMAN-WEITZEL ENGAGEMENT

Bianca Taxman, daughter of Maria and Philip Taxman of St. Louis, and Joseph Weitzel, son of Sally Zureick of Cincinnati, Ohio and Beth and Joe Weitzel of Cincinnati, Ohio, have announced their engagement.

Bianca is the granddaughter of Phil and Toby Taxman, both of blessed memory and Delia and Augusto Mendoza, both of blessed memory.

Joesph is the grandson of Rose Zureick and Hank Zureick of blessed memory.

Bianca graduated from Cornell University and pursued a successful career as a creative art director and copywriter before launching her own company, Mizzfit, where she is a TV/Digital Host and creative director of all in-house productions. She is TV personality and show host most known for her passions in fitness, beauty & skincare.

Joseph graduated from Columbus College of Art and Design and works as lead developer and software engineer for his company, Box Creative, which creates groundbreaking digital marketing and dynamic online presence for Fortune 500 companies.

Joseph proposed on March 19, 2022 at Edge NYC overlooking the Manhattan skyline. You can watch their proposal on YouTube called “Romantic Proposal Video at Edge New York City.”

A late August wedding is planned at an exclusive Hudson Valley location overlooking the Hudson River. The couple will reside in Williamsburg, Brooklyn New York with their chihuahua, Frida.

TRIBUTES IN MEMORY OF

ADAM DREIBLATT

“To Bethe and Gary Growe –We’re sorry for your loss. May his memory be a blessing.”

- The Jewish Light Staff -

KRAINEN-KLEIMAN WEDDING

Carly Krainen and Elliott Kleiman were married Sept. 4, 2022 at Le Meridien Hotel in Clayton, where Rabbi Mike Moskowitz and Cantor Josh Goldberg officiated.

Carly is the daughter of Gordon and Cindy Krainen of West Bloomfield, Mich., and the granddaughter of Fred and the late Marilyn Krainen of Detroit, and the late Sam and Dorothy Shepard of Detroit.

Elliott is the son of Danny and Lynn Kleiman of St. Louis, and the grandson of the late Ralph and Ora Levine of St. Louis, and the late Manuel and Eula Kleiman of Lake Charles, La.

Carly and Elliott got engaged during the height of the pandemic on the back porch at the home of Carly’s grandfather, Fred Krainen, so that he and Carly’s parents could be involved in that special moment in a safe way.

ADAM DREIBLATT - Hortense & Judy Growe -

ROGER BERENT

“So sorry to hear about the passing of Roger Berent. Roger was such a wonderful person. Hope you have no more sorrows.”

- Adinah Raskas -

Amy Fenster Brown: Columnist’s husband takes the reins this week

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 12

them onto the ice at halftime to make a shot and win a prize. That lucky fan was my friend, who didn’t want to do it, so I grabbed the paper and went for it.

There was a slab of wood over the net with a small cutout at the bottom for the puck to go through. The organizers made it really difficult by setting me pretty far back from the goal. The chances were slim. Somehow I was able to smack the puck and it sailed through the little open slice of wood straight into the net! I won the cash prize and, possibly more impressive, the prize of having pizzas delivered to one of my classes the next day. I was the hero of my Differential Equations class. Top that!

I love being a dad, though sometimes I have to lower the boom when the boys are

acting up. The hardest part is keeping my composure when their questionable choices are funny. For example, last week Davis woke up earlier than normal and was ready for school before Leo was even out of bed. So Davis sneaked into Leo’s room, hid a Bluetooth speaker, and left. Then he blasted the Burger King theme song at top volume for a musical wake up call. We heard lots of colorful words before the sun was up. Years later I was picking up the boys from summer camp at the Jewish Community Center, wearing my Miami Ohio Hockey T-shirt. The camp counselor saw it and said “I go to Miami Ohio. Were you on the hockey team?” I replied, “No, I tutored the hockey team.” I bet he’d heard the legend of my halftime shot and pizza prize but tried to play it cool and not be too eager of a fan when he approached me. I’ll never know.

It doesn’t happen too often, but occasionally I like to play a little prank. Sometimes just as Amy is falling asleep, I’ll say something like, “What if they accidentally swapped our kids with another baby at the hospital and we’ve been living a lie all these years?” That leads to her having weird dreams and talking in her sleep. Once she literally said “I have a question. Did we get a dog?”

Speaking of sleep, your good friend Amy tends to fall asleep mid-task, like reading magazines or watching a video on her phone, surrounded by many pillows. The lights will still be on, so she usually has her hands over her eyes or a pillow on her head, because why would she actually get up to turn off the light when I could do it for her? I’ve included actual photographic evidence for proof including one super fun selfie photo op. Turnabout is fair play.

Pro-Israel: Supreme Court declines to hear challenge to Arkansas law

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Arkansas in lower court decisions, and IAC For Action, which helped draft the Arkansas law in 2016.

“The Supreme Court has confirmed our view that state statutes opposing BDS are indeed constitutional,” AJC General Counsel Marc Stern said in a statement. “The primary aim of the BDS movement is to eliminate the state of Israel. The court’s action gives a boost to efforts to put a stop to the pernicious effort to isolate Israel economically and morally.”

Brandeis Center founder Kenneth Marcus said in a statement, “Anti-Israel boycotts will

now be seen for what they are: discriminatory conduct rather than political speech.” Shawn Evenhaim, the chair of IAC For Action, said the ruling “will allow even more states to do what’s right and prevent publicly funded commercial interests from discriminating against the Jewish state.”

Alan Leveritt, publisher of the Arkansas Times, said in a statement that he was “disappointed” with the court’s decision not to take the case. “Permitting state governments to withhold state contracts from citizens who voice opinions contrary to those held by a majority of their state legislators is abhorrent and a violation of the Bill of Rights,” he wrote.

Leveritt added that his paper had “zero interest” in getting involved in Israel politics, and that it had been opposing the law on freespeech grounds. It was backed in its legal battle by the American Civil Liberties Union and progressive Jewish groups including T’ruah and J Street, as well as by the rabbi of Arkansas’ largest Jewish congregation, who said the state had not consulted with its Jewish population when it drafted the law.

Lara Friedman, president of the Foundation for Middle East Peace, criticized Jewish groups that celebrated the court’s decision not to take the case. She tweeted that AJC and others like it “are celebrating a court ruling that undermines

Americans’ right to boycott ANYTHING as a matter of protest/conscience.”

Friedman recently authored a memo arguing that anti-BDS laws were being used as templates for other state laws dealing with different kinds of boycotts, including against the firearms and fossil fuel industries, as well as in state-level efforts to reduce the growing trend of environmental, social and corporate governance investing.

“This is a missed opportunity but not a ruling on the merits of the case,” tweeted documentary filmmaker Julia Bacha, whose new film “Boycott” tracks the Arkansas Times’ legal battle. “The fight to protect boycotts continue[s].”

PHOTO COURTESY OF LIZ SLOAN/ L PHOTOGRAPHIE

OBITUARIES

FRED CURTIS ASHNER, February 12, 2023.

Beloved husband of Eva Ashner. Dear cousin and friend.

A funeral service was held Wednesday, February 15 at United Hebrew Congregation. Interment at New Mt. Sinai Cemetery. Memorial contributions preferred to United Hebrew Congregation.

Visit bergermemorialchapel.com for more information. Berger Memorial Service

ROBERT R. BERG, February 11, 2023

Beloved husband of the late Dolores Berg for 69 years. Dear father of Terrence (Lisa), Martin (Dana) and Gary (Anita) Berg. Dear grandfather, “ PaPa”, of Eric Berg (Megan), Ryan Berg, Andrea Straus (Samuel), Gina Berg, Chastity Gowen (Tom), Emily Zwilling (Jim). Dear greatgrandfather of Griffin and Eleanor, Isabella, Aubrey and Leo. Beloved brother of the late Harold Eisenberg (Adeline), the late Goodman Eisenberg (late Betty), the late Hyman Eisenberg (Phyllis), the late David Eisenberg (Joyce), the late Rose Ragin (late Eli). Dear brother-in-law, uncle, cousin, and friend.

Robert was an honored WWII US Navy Veteran. He was proud of his career as Director of Symphonic Band for 33 years. After 2 years directing the Union High School band, Robert joined Parkway School District, retiring from Parkway Central in 1985 after 24 years of service. In 1973, he received the Master of Music Degree from St. Louis Institute of Music. His instrument of choice was the trumpet, and he played at local St. Louis jazz clubs in the late 1940’s and early 1950’s. Known to his friends and family as Bob, he loved taking care of his pristine yard, basking in sunshine, and hosting family barbecues on the patio. He and Dolores took many cruises to the Caribbean Islands and trips to Las Vegas where he played Blackjack with expert skill. During retirement, Bob enjoyed weight training and won numerous awards at Bally’s gym in his age group.

Above all, Bob loved his family. Every year, “Pop”, as he was endearingly named by his kids, and Dolores hosted numerous holiday and special-occasion gatherings. Bingo was a yearly tradition on New Year’s Day with his three sons, daughters-in-law, and grandkids.

Robert was addressed as “Mr. Bob” by his extraordinary caregivers. Because of them he was able to stay in his home surrounded by photographs and paintings of family. A special thank you to Audrey Sanders and her team of caregivers for their loving support and tireless patience, grace and respect during the past 2 1/2

years. Thank you to Nurse Julie for her compassionate care and guidance, as well as the staff of the Visiting Nurse Association of Greater St. Louis.

A graveside service was held Friday, February 17, at Chesed Shel Emeth Cemetery, 650 White Road. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions preferred to the Alzheimer’s Association, 9370 Olive Boulevard, 63132 (alz.org/greatermissouri). Please visit bergermemorialchapel.com for more information. Berger Memorial Service

RUTH ANN BYERS, February 10, 2023

Beloved wife of the late Robert Louis Byers; dear mother and mother-in-law of Bruce (the late Maija Meijers), Linda (Ed Piccolo) and Tom (Eileen O’Toole) Byers; dear grandmother of Ivars Byers and Varis Mohler, Matthew, Logan and Evan Piccolo, Daniel and Collin Byers; dear great-grandmother of Soren Byers; dear sister of the late Janice Finkelston (Marvin) and Harry Himmelstein (Gail); dear companion of Bernard Salkey, dear sister-in-law of the late Connie Reitzes (the late Jack), the late Paul Byers (Thelma) and Reta Hans (the late Richard); our dear aunt, cousin and friend.

A graveside service was held Wednesday, February 15 at Kehilath Israel Blue Ridge Cemetery in Independence, MO. Please visit louismemorialchapel.com for Live Stream details. Berger Memorial Service

GERALD NORMAN “JERRY” COHEN, February 7, 2023

Beloved husband of Rose Cohen.  Dear father of Neal Matthews, Molly Cohen, Eve Cohen, Sheila (Kevin) Makler and Mark Bates.  Loving grandfather of Avigale Cohen, Samuel Bates, Jonathan Makler and Jessica Makler.  Beloved son of the late Nathan and Victoria (nee Fagin) Cohen.

Gerald Cohen attended University of Missouri and Saint Louis University where he obtained his Bachelors in Business Administration in 1963 and his Masters in Science in Commerce with a Major in Management Sciences in 1969, respectively.  He wrote a book called “Find a Job…,” and worked over 44 years in various companies in the St. Louis area as a Computer Programmer, IT Consultant and Manager of Training. Gerald was also in the USMC in the 50s, stationed in Okinawa and made rank of Corporal. He thoroughly enjoyed being a member of The Ethical Society of St. Louis and attending services, as well as making memories at Congregation Shaare Emeth. Gerald was an avid

Families may submit an obituary for a loved one through the funeral home they work with or by using a form on the Jewish Light’s website: stljewishlight.org/submit-obituary

OBITUARIES INDEX

Ashner, Fred Curtis Berg, Robert R. Byers, Ruth Ann Cohen. Gerald Norman “Jerry” Fagin, Irvin Fallek, Richard Bernard  Gilden, Herbert “Herb” Goldbaum, Dr. Richard I. “Dick”

Heller, Jeane Jackoway, Sally (Krause) Mason, David I. Polinsky, Norman E. Prince, Harry Roth, Donald F. Runett, Darryl Harvey Schwartz, Arthur “Arty” Willick, Sara Doris

Mizzou football fan, adored fishing with his granddaughter; and a family man who cared deeply for his wife, Rose, and his many children and grandchildren.

A funeral service was held Monday, February 20 at Rindskopf-Roth Funeral Chapel, 5216 Delmar Blvd, St. Louis, MO 63108.  No visitation prior to service.  Interment Private.  Contributions in his memory may be made to the American Heart Association (https://www. heart.org/en/get-involved/ways-to-give).

A Rindskopf-Roth Funeral Service

IRVIN FAGIN, March 4, 1929 – February 17, 2023

Beloved husband of Ileane Kanter Fagin. Son of the late Sylvia and Harry Fagin. Brother of the late Richard Fagin (Mimi) . Father of Julie Fagin Steinberg (Michael) and Michael Fagin (Karen). Grandfather of Joshua Steinberg (Shani), Carly Steinberg, Kelly Fagin and Zachary Fagin. Cherished brother-in-law, uncle, cousin and friend to many.

A proud native of St. Louis, Irv attended Blewett High School, went to Mizzou and graduated from Washington University. He then served in the United States Air Force during the Korean conflict.

He started his profession as a talented young artist. His first full-time position was at McDonnell Douglas; however, his career was in the shoe business, first as an executive at Edison Brothers and later owning his own business on Washington Avenue.

Upon early retirement, Irv helped manage finances, both for private clients and as a volunteer for the elderly.

Irv’s life of service was a family tradition that began for him at the age of ten. He was an active member of many Boards including the Jewish Family and Children’s Services (JFCS), CAJE, the JCC, Crown Center and the Brodsky Library. He dedicated countless hours to starting financial management programs for retirees and served on numerous committees. He was a mentor for Junior Achievement and volunteered for the Red Cross during the 1993 floods, collecting contributions from around the country and counseling victims. He was an active member for 55 years of United Hebrew Congregation where he regularly attended Torah study.

Irv was known for his intellectual curiosity, a love of history and world travel, and his quick wit. Above all, he put his family first and was quoted as saying, “Of all the things I’ve accomplished, I’m most proud of the two kids I’ve raised with Ileane. The smartest thing I ever did was marry my wife.” Irv and Ileane met on a blind date, were engaged six weeks later, and enjoyed 57 years of a happy marriage. His family is honored and humbled to be his legacy and his memory will forever be a blessing.

A graveside service was held Sunday, February 19 at Beth Hamedrosh Hagodol Cemetery, 9125 Ladue Road. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to United Hebrew Congregation or a charity of your choice.

Please visit bergermemorialchapel.com for more information. Berger Memorial Service

RICHARD BERNARD FALLEK, February 10, 2023

Beloved husband of Susan Silverman Fallek for 53 years; dear father and father-in-law of Carlye (Gregory) Prinz and Laura (Devin) Staley;  dear grandfather of Caroline and Conrad Staley and Lucas and Madelyn Prinz; dear brother-in-law of Patricia (Larry) Carney and Barbara Ellison;  dear cousin of Audrey (Robert) Rubin; dear son of the late Sidney and late Louise Fallek; son-in-law of the late Ben and late Isabel Silverman; dear uncle and friend to many.

Richard served in the Army, and retired after 40 years as an Electrical Engineer from the Boeing company. He enjoyed golfing, bridge, and time with his family.

A graveside service was held Tuesday, February 14, 2023, at Bellerive Gardens Cemetery, 740 N. Mason Rd. 63141. Memorial contributions preferred to the American Heart Association.

Visit www.bergermemorialchapel.com for more information. Berger Memorial Service

HERBERT “HERB” GILDEN, July 14th, 1928 — February 15th, 2023

Beloved husband of Suzanne Gordon Gilden for 67 years; dear father and father-in-law of Robbyn (Michael) Roth and Aaron (Jonelle) Gilden; grandfather of Alicia (Andrew) Alberts, Justin (Allison) Roth, Scott Roth, Adena Gilden and Gabe Gilden; brother of the late Donald Gilden; dear uncle, cousin and friend to many.

Herb was a passionate model railroad builder with his prize being a replica of the Southern Railroad line in HO scale. He was a published author in Model Railroad Magazine and was involved in many local St. Louis train exhibitions showing his “Hy Sioux” Railroad layout to people from around the world. Herb loved everything about life; especially being married to his “sweetheart” Suzanne for 67 wonderful years. They did everything together: outings to plays, operas weekly bowling couples leagues but most of all “just being together and taking care of each other.” He was a fierce “hearts” card player often winning trophies in the family and friends tournaments he played; Jon never stood a chance. Herb enjoyed traveling with his friends and family going to spots like Marco Island, London, Chicago, Las Vegas or a cruise. He lived every day with a smile on his face and a joke to tell and was loved by many.

A graveside service was held Friday, February 17, at Chesed Shel Emeth Cemetery, 650 White Rd. 63017. Memorial contributions preferred to the Alzheimer’s Association, The ALS Association or a charity of your choice.

Visit www.bergermemorialchapel.com for more information. Berger Memorial Service

DR. RICHARD I. “DICK” GOLDBAUM, February 11, 2023

Husband of Jo Ann Kriegshauser Goldbaum; father of Lauren Kliska (Doug) and Bob Goldbaum; step-father of Laura Laske (Tim) and the late Adam Miller; dear grandfather of Isaac and Leia Kliska, Mason and Ross Goldbaum, and Gabe Laske; brother of the late Stuart Goldbaum; dear uncle, cousin, and friend.

Richard’s career began with serving youth programs and the developmentally challenged as the Executive Director of the St. Louis Arc and then as the E.D. of St. Louis County’s Productive Living Board.  He then started his own consulting firm advising non-profit organizations, remaining

in demand into his eighties.

A celebration of life is being planned for this summer.  In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the St. Louis Arc (www.slarc.org) or a charity of choice.

Please visit bergermemorialchapel.com for more information. Berger Memorial Service

JEANE HELLER, December 1, 1929 – February 10, 2023

Loving wife of the late Kenneth Heller; daughter of the late Irvin Sobelman and the late Elizabeth Curtis; beloved mother of Steffy Neidenberg, Donna Waldman (Mark), Bob Heller (Agnes); dear grandmother of Cori Neidenberg, Matt Neidenberg (Stefanie), James Bruce (Jade), Marni Waldman Goldberg (Ben), Justin Waldman (Lindsay), Alex Heller and Nic Heller (Tori); dear great-grandmother of Marin, Nolan, Owen and Elliot; dear sister of the late Ruth Weinberg (late Mel); dear sister-in-law of Stanley Heller (Susan); dear aunt and friend to everyone she met.

Jeane Sobelman married Ken Heller when she was just shy of 19 years old, fresh out of high school.

They were married for 72 years. After raising their family in St. Louis, Kenny retired and they began living their dream of traveling around the U.S in their motor home while also visiting 12 countries. Finally settling in Florida for 22 years, they enjoyed their time fishing, boating, swimming and made many close friends.

They moved back to St. Louis in 2016 to be close to family. As the family expanded and some members moved away from St. Louis, family gatherings became very important.

Jeane was most happy when surrounded by her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren.

Thank you to Karen and her team of caregivers for their loving care of Jeane  and also the front desk ladies at Brookdale Creve Coeur who continually watched out for her wellbeing.

A graveside service was held Monday, February 13 at Chesed Shel Emeth Cemetery, 650 White Road. Memorial contributions preferred to United Hebrew Congregation, 13788 Conway Road, 63141 or Evelyn’s House, 1000 N. Mason Road, 63141.

Visit bergermemorialchapel.com for more information. Berger Memorial Service

SALLY (KRAUSE) JACKOWAY died February 4, 2023, after a brief illness at the age of 89.

Sally and her late husband, Malkom, were married for 67 years and were educators in the St. Louis area during the 1960s, ’70s, and ’80s. In 1967, Sally graduated from the University of Missouri-St. Louis and received a prestigious Woodrow Wilson Fellowship, which enabled her to pursue a master’s degree in English literature from Washington University in St. Louis. After graduation, she returned to UMSL as an English instructor. There, Sally also founded the university’s Writing Lab. Formerly having worked as a human “computer” doing calculations for McDonnell Douglas, Sally used her technical knowledge to develop the Lab’s first computeraided instruction station. She also taught English as a Second Language to, among others, newly arrived members of the St. Louis Blues hockey team.

After Sally and Malkom retired, they moved to La Jolla, Calif., where they lived for 37 years enjoying their shared passions for tennis and bridge. Throughout the pandemic, they played pingpong and gin rummy nearly every day until Malkom died in July 2021.

Sally is survived by her son David, whose wife Claire died in 2021; son Gary and his wife, Ingrid; son Richard and his wife, Sallyanne; grandsons Alan and his wife, Sarah; Daniel and his wife, Annie; and Scott and his fiancé Erin; granddaughters Emily and Rebecca; and greatgrandsons Wesley and Rowan.

Memorial plans are pending. Donations may be made to Jewish Family Service of San Diego or the American Civil Liberties Union

DAVID I. MASON, February 12, 2023

Beloved husband of Deborah Mason; dear father and father-in-law of Matthew Mason (Abby), Daniel Mason (Eileen), and Benjamin Mason (Kelly); dear grandfather of Henry, Russell, Sophie, Ian, Luke, and Hailey; dear son of the late Irving and the late Alice Mason; dear brother and brother-in-law of James Mason (Mary Ann), the late Mary Sayles (Robert), and Suzanne Mason; dear uncle, cousin, and friend. Visitation Monday, Feb. 27th at 1 PM at the Mausoleum at New Mt. Sinai Cemetery, 8430 Gravois. Funeral service follows at 1:30 PM. Memorial contributions preferred to Central Institute for the Deaf, 825 S Taylor Ave, St. Louis, MO 63110. Visit bergermemorialchapel.com for more information. Berger Memorial Service

HARRY PRINCE, 6/15/1929 to 2/7/2023

Beloved husband of the late Alice for 59 years.  Dear father and fatherin-law of Mark (Risa) Prince, Larry (Theresa) Prince, and the late Cheryl Prince.  Dear grandfather of Korin Prince (Zaid Khalil), Michael (Kara) Prince, Kati Prince, and Jenna Prince; and greatgrandfather to Addison and Emma Prince.

Harry was born in Zwolen Poland and a Holocaust survivor.  He was a proud Army veteran of the Korean War and ran a successful plumbing contracting business.

A private graveside service and burial will be held.  Memorial contributions to the St. Louis Kaplan-Feldman Holocaust Museum are preferred. Berger Memorial Service

NORMAN E. POLINSKY, February 6, 2023

Beloved husband of Marcia Sobel Polinsky for 63 years. Dear Father of Dr. Barry Polinsky (Randi). Loving grandfather of Erin Rubin (Andrew), Dr. Adam Polinsky, and Daniel Polinsky. Great-grandfather of Olivia Rubin and Jaxson Rubin. Devoted son of the late Edward I. Polinsky and the late Dorothy (Samuels) Polinsky and brother and brother-inlaw of the late Eileen Polinsky, Marcia Wiesman (Mel), and Ellen Goldstein. Loving uncle, cousin and friend.

Norman was born in St. Louis where he lived his entire life. He attended Washington University and was active in the Sigma Alpha Mu Fraternity and continued to play softball/Indian ball with his fraternity brothers on Sunday mornings till he no longer could. Norman was in the Army and served two years in Korea. He was an avid St. Louis Cardinals baseball fan who loved to watch or attend all the games he could. He would also talk anyone’s ear off about the subject, whether they wanted to hear about it or not. He was a devoted son and loved his parents dearly. When his father become ill, he was there day and night to help his mom care for his father. This lasted for at least 15 years. He was a quiet man who enjoyed the simple things in life and spending time with his family. We will miss him dearly.

A graveside service was held Thursday, February 9, at Beth Hamedrosh Hagodol Cemetery, 9125 Ladue Road. Memorial contributions of your choice preferred. Visit bergermemorialchapel.com for more information. Berger Memorial Service

DONALD F. ROTH, Saturday, February 11, 2023.

Beloved husband of the late Louise B. Roth (nee Friedman); dear father of Stephen (Lori) Roth and Andrew (Fran) Roth; dear grandfather of Anne and Claire Roth.

Services: Chapel service held on Wednesday, February 15 at New Mount Sinai Cemetery. Charitable contributions to the Humane Society of Missouri appreciated. Kutis Affton service.

DARRYL HARVEY RUNETT

On February 11, 2023, Darryl Harvey Runett of Potomac, Md., left the world too soon.

Throughout his 84 years, he touched the lives of family, friends, co-workers, and neighbors, who were so kind with their support during his last days. He is survived by his wife of 51 years, Edythe Goodman Runett; his children Robert (Jen Chaney) and Karin; grandchild Luke Chaney-

Runett, his sisters Marsha Laird (Tom) and Allene Davis and many cousins, nieces, and nephews.

Born to Harry and Lena Runett on September 26, 1938, in St. Louis, Missouri, Darryl dearly loved his parents and younger sisters, Marsha and Allene. He also enjoyed having so many aunts, uncles, and cousins nearby, and he stayed close with them throughout his life. Darryl’s life in St. Louis revolved around his family, many friends, and the beloved St. Louis Cardinals.

As a child of the WWII era, he was absorbed in history at a very young age and that curiosity stayed with him throughout his life. He was a member of the US Army in different capacities, including US Army Reserve, from 1956 to 1966. He also served at the U.S. Air Force’s Aeronautical Chart and Information Center in St. Louis from 19621966.

He stayed in St. Louis to attend Washington University, graduating in 1960 with a degree in History and achieved a Masters Degree in Education in 1962 from the same university. Darryl moved to Washington, DC, in 1966 to begin a lifelong career in Personnel Management with the Federal Government, including roles at the Federal Aviation Administration and Department of Transportation. His children loved hearing his many stories of his adventures, flying all over the world and being invited to many exciting events at The White House. Darryl had a clever wit and keen sense of humor and had a flair for storytelling.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the National Center for Children and Families in Bethesda, MD (nccf-cares.org), or Fisher House Foundation in Rockville, MD (fisherhouse.org). Information on a future memorial service is forthcoming.

ARTHUR “ARTY” SCHWARTZ, July 15, 1936February 12, 2023.

Husband of Susan Lippman Schwartz. Son of the late Emmanuel and the late Lillian Gelfand Schwartz.

Brother of the late Jacqueline Ann Schwartz Cooper and Kenneth Schwartz (Lucy). Brother in law of Richard Lippman (late Anita).

Loving father of the late Brad Schwartz (Janet Robey), Joel Schwartz (Mary Ann), Lori Schwartz Currans (Dennis), and Lindsey Schwartz Terry (Jack). Loving grandfather of Jamie, Jacob, Jonah,

Gabriel, Mattea, Lola and Cal.

A talented performer with a beautiful singing voice, Arty entertained audiences at the Muny Opera, the JCC, and various local community theaters. He passed his love of musical theater onto his children and grandchildren.

A private family service was held.

Memorial contributions preferred to the Alzheimer’s Association, 9370 Olive Blvd, 63132.

Please visit bergermemorialchapel.com for more information. Berger Memorial Service

SARA DORIS WILLICK, February 14, 2023

Loving wife of the late Sanford Willick, dear mother and mother-in-law of Lynda (Mitch) Baris, Laurie Willick (Alexi Zentner) and Larry Willick (Lori Goldman); dear grandmother of Justin (April Aguillard) and Alec Baris, Zoey and Sabine Zentner, Joel, Ethan and Ari Willick; dear great-grandmother of August Baris; dear sister of the late Rita (Leon) Rennard and Maurice Edelstein; dear sisterin-law of the late Paul Willick and Jerry (Mary) Willick; special friend of Billy Sherman; our loving aunt, cousin, and friend.

Sara was a small woman with a big heart. When she hugged you, she held onto you long enough that you knew you’d been hugged, counting to twenty but only starting to count once she’d already been holding you for ten seconds. A successful realtor, a licensed nurse, and an occasional professional clown, Sara was an active volunteer with B’nai Brith Women. An avid baker, like everything she did, she made her challah with love, but most of all, she was a kind and generous mother, grandmother and greatgrandmother, and her marriage to Sandy was a model of joy.

A funeral service was held Sunday, February 19 at United Hebrew Congregation, 13788 Conway Road at Woods Mill, followed by interment at Chesed Shel Emeth CemeteryWhite Road. Memorial contributions preferred to the American Heart Association or the Harvey Kornblum Jewish Food Pantry. Visit bergermemorialchapel.com for more information. Berger Memorial Service

When you make your final arrangements in advance, you can plan a memorial that truly reflects your faith and passions. Whether planning for yourself or a loved one, rely on us to help you design a funeral that honors the customs and rituals you cherish.

American Flag symbol denotes a United States military veteran.

JEWISH LITE

JEWISH CROSSWORD PUZZLE

By Yoni Glatt, koshercrosswords@gmail.com | ‘Paper Products’ Difficulty: Easy

Across

1. Paper product brand for the Clouds of Glory?

6. White water boat

10. TV host Kelly

14. Trey Anastasio’s jam band

15. “Female” magazine, in 29-Down

16. Discordia’s Greek counterpart

17. Paper product brand for one looking to save a shekel or two?

19. They’re not kosher, at the farm

20. They’re not kosher, at the sushi restaurant

21. Bit of pain

23. Paper product brand for one observing the mitzvah of redeeming captives?

27. Paper product brand for a lil maideleh?

28. Type of reef

29. Home of the Seminoles, for short

31. It’s used to make challah and rye

32. Like New Jersey in January

33. “The Count of Monte ___”

35. Bright students’ org.

36. Paper product brand for Gavriel, Michael, or Raphael?

39. .docx alternative

42. Made a noise like

19-Across

43. Uses +

47. Give a dvar Torah, perhaps

49. HTML formatting language

50. Start a game of pool

51. Paper product

Book: Trying to unravel the ‘knots’ and ‘nots’ of trauma

brand for those living during the time of Enoch? (with 58-Across)

53. Paper product brand for Samson?

54. One who might observe strict halakhot

55. Young Hawk star?

57. The truth of Torah?

58. See 51-Across 64. Torah unit volume

65. Aussie birds

66. “I agree”

67. “I agree”

68. Jewish retirement investor?

69. Paper product brand for actor Wolf?

Down

1. Jordan had 30.12, highest in NBA history

motto

2. ___ Kasdim (Var.)

3. “Fee, ___, foe, fum”

4. Gov. tax-free option for paying health care costs

5. “Fiddler on the Roof” village

6. Legitimate 7. Word with cover or over

8. It’s more than just a 32-Across

9. They’re in your mouth

10. Bring back on to the team

11. Avenger with a memorable snap

12. Like gluttons and 19-Across

13. Goes along with

18. Oy follower

22. The ___ of the Fist, “Cobra Kai”

23. Secretly add to an email

24. Scoreboard line in a perfect game

25. Modern link

26. Zilch

27. Uses foul language

29. Like Chagall or Rashi

30. Worm-made cloths

33. “Avatar” effects, briefly

34. “Dracula” director Browning

37. “There’s ___ in sight”

38. O’Hara’s plantation

39. Fashionable to the max

40. Joseph or Pharaoh, e.g.

who also directed THIS WEEK’S PUZZLE ANSWERS Find the answers to this week’s puzzle by visiting the following link: http://bit.ly/0222-crossword

mastermind 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 I 1 S 2 S 3 M 4 U 5 S 6 A 7 F 8 A 9 H 10 A 11 V 12 A 13 N 14 A H A 15 N O D E V 16 O M I T S 17 W E E 18 T C H I L D 19 O M I N E O 20 B A M A N 21 I E C E L 22 I V I N O 23 N 24 A P R A Y E 25 R 26 E 27 T E O 28 L E E 29 N D L 30 A U 31 S 32 T A N S 33 O 34 D 35 O R S T 36 H 37 O 38 U F 39 A I T 40 H 41 O 42 N E S S 43 E L M A 44 T 45 E A C 46 H A 47 N I N 48 S 49 C 50 A 51 D O A 52 T 53 F 54 S 55 M O 56 O T H C 57 R I M I 58 N A L F 59 R A I L B 60 O D H I A 61 N 62 Y 63 W A Y Y O U 64 W 65 A N T I T B 66 L E A K U 67 N M E T E 68 N E S 69 E A R S V 70 E S T S D 71 I S

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 13

thwarting our own success in relaxing these nots and moving ahead?

For example, let’s say you were bullied as a kid, and you realize some of the hypersensitivity you experience, the belief that people are often judging you, comes from the experiences of being bullied. You can then go, “Yeah, I feel this way, but that’s not really what’s happening here.” That realization and working through what it felt like allows you to take more risks. But if you’re paralyzed by anxiety and don’t really know what it is about, it can control your life. It doesn’t always solve things, but it can give you the perspective that you need to begin to change the dynamic. Otherwise, you’re going to act like that frightened kid who was bullied.

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Being raised in a Jewish family helped me develop an ethics of caring and empathy, which is one of the fundamental principles of Judaism. I believe the exact word for that is chesed, which translates into “loving kindness.” I was the child who defended the bullied and took unpopular stands if I thought it was the “right” thing to do. My discomfort with injustice and the pain others felt because of this injustice is an integral part of who I am. Pursuing a profession that was focused on helping others was in the works long before I knew what a psychologist was.

What do you hope people will get from the book?

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What I hope is that it allows people to develop a framework to help them tell the narrative of their lives. To look at a timeline and reflect on all the different things that influenced their lives and have had an impact on their emotional experiences. And that’s just the beginning part.

I want any person who picks this book up to say, “I never thought that way about that. This book gives me a different way of thinking about my life or understanding where I’m at.”

Then I want people to say, “What can I do about that?” Well, I can get help. But just the awareness alone is great. It gives you opportunities to challenge yourself, take risks. Sometimes, we get in our own way and cannot see our blind spots, particularly if there are things we are scared of.

“Democracy 101” event

The Ashrei Foundation and ProgressWomen offered a “Democracy 101” event on Jan. 31 at Central Reform Congregation. The event included a primer on the Missouri State Legislature, led by Stacey Newman of ProgressWomen, as well as a panel discussion of bills in the Missouri legislature, including Rabbi Daniel Bogard of CRC, Heather Fleming of the Missouri Equity Education Partnership, Denise Lieberman of the Missouri Voter Protection Coalition and Sara Ruiz of the Ashrei Foundation.

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PHOTOS FROM RECENT JEWISH COMMUNITY EVENTS

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mirowitz center

St. Louis ValentinesSymphony Concert

b ’ nai a moona

Men’s Club Axe Throwing

The Congregation B’nai Amoona Men’s Club channeled their inner Paul Bunyan on Thursday evening, Jan. 26 at The Axe House in Valley Park. The event, “Axe Throwing With A Mohel,” needs not much of an explanation: Participants threw axes at targets while listening to inspirational remarks by Rabbi Michael Rovinsky—the mohel.

PHOTOS: BILL MOTCHAN

On Valentine’s Day, there was a full house for the love-inspired St. Louis Symphony Orchestra concert at the Mirowitz Center. The music was extraordinary, and so were the four incredibly talented women playing. The quartet performed a varied repertoire of pieces ranging from Pachelbel’s Canon in D to Radiohead’s “No Surprises.”

central reform congregation & ashrei foundation

Above: Rabbi Michael Rovinsky (far left) and B’nai Amoona mens club members.

Top Left: Rovinsky evaluating the throw of Scot Fowler; Michael Nathanson (lower left) and Raphael Thomadsen (lower right) look like naturals.