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Native Ukrainian who moved to STL as teen mounts refugee relief effort Native Ukrainian’s family came to St. Louis with help from Jewish Federation
Gene and Marina Litvin and their family are shown outside their Olivette home.
BY BILL MOTCHAN SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH LIGHT
PHOTO: BILL MOTCHAN
Gene Litvin is a proud Ukrainian. He’s lived in the United States for 30 years, but his country of birth is still close to his heart. After watching the devastation of his homeland for weeks, Litvin was compelled to help. It had to be a meaningful act to bring some relief to refugees and the Polish people who are providing them with safe harbor. So Litvin traveled to Lublin, Poland, on March 13 with money to spend and four suitcases filled with toiletries. A week later, he returned home to Olivette knowing he accomplished his mission: • He gave supplies to families who had to relocate suddenly. • He provided translation assistance (Litvin speaks Ukrainian, Russian, English and some Polish). • He helped open a store in a Warsaw mall that provides clothes and other goods to refugees. • He helped a refugee family get across the border from Ukraine into Poland through his network of friends and contacts. “My Polish friends said that what I did
started an avalanche of goodwill, which was amazing,” said Litvin, 46.
Planning the trip It began when Litvin and his wife, Marina, decided to take action to support Ukrainian refugees. They got a report See RELIEF on page 8A
Westward expansion
READ MORE • INSIDE: 30 years ago, Federation program helped Litvin family settle in St. Louis See page 9A • ONLINE: Jewish Federation’s Yawitz, Goldstein return from Ukrainian border after bringing aid to refugees stljewishlight.org/ukraine-story
Chabad receives donation of 9.6 acres in O’Fallon, Mo.
BY BILL MOTCHAN SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH LIGHT
A 9.6-acre tract of land in O’Fallon, Mo. will be the future home of the Chabad Jewish Center of St. Charles County. The property was donated by the family of the late Leonard Kaplan. The site is located at East Wabash Street and T.R. Hughes Blvd., close to I-70. The location is in the heart of the O’Fallon, close to neighborhoods with many young families. It’s also near popular community gathering spots. For example, the Ozzie Smith Sports Complex is just a half mile north. Chabad is now assessing the best uses for the land, which could include a multi-purpose structure. It plans to announce a capital campaign in 2023 to develop the property to meet the needs of the growing St. Charles Jewish community. It’s estimated that 5,800 Jews live in St. Charles County, based on a Jewish Federation of St. Louis study.
A rendering of a proposed Chabad Jewish Community Center-St. Charles County. IMAGE COURTESY BAALMAN ARCHITECTS
That represents 10% of the Jewish community in the greater St. Louis metropolitan area. See GIFT on page 10A
RELATED STORY The cover story of the latest Oy! Magazine (inserted in this issue) looks at the growing Jewish community in St. Charles County.
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Kohn’s goes up for sale Kosher deli and butcher shop has been open in St. Louis since 1963 BY ELLEN FUTTERMAN EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
What, no more killer pastrami sandwiches? That may come to pass as the only freestanding, full-service kosher grocery left in St. Louis, Kohn’s Kosher Meat and Deli, is for sale. Listed by Lawyers Realty Co. LLC, the 59-year-old business is listed at $875,000 while the property, situated on an acre lot, is going for $1.4 million. There also is an option to buy the business and lease the building, at 10405 Old Olive Street Road. Co-owner Lenny Kohn said he would also consider offers for the building only. “I’ve been doing this for a long time and I’m just ready to not retire but do something at a smaller scale,” said Kohn, who said none of his three adult children is interested in taking over. “They all have their own professions,” he said, adding that the same is true of his sister’s two children; Kohn owns the business with his sister, Rosemary Kohn Cooper. In 1963, their parents, Simon and Bobbi Kohn, opened their namesake kosher grocery, which eventually grew into Kohn’s Kosher Meat and Deli. Lenny Kohn, who is 64, has had the business listed for sale for several years, albeit quietly, though “no one has jumped in,” he said. He realizes a buyer may choose to use the property for something other than a kosher grocery and deli, adding that “whatever the result will be, will be.” “Most cities don’t have businesses like mine because they aren’t diversified enough to survive against the chain stores and Trader Joe’s, Costco and Albertson’s,” said Kohn. “Right now, my business is better than it ever has been. That’s what bothers me. It’s great to sell it but if I don’t have any takers over X amount of time, it bothers me just giving a business away.” Kohn says he would like to do something else in the food business, though he isn’t sure what. However, if a new buyer decides to continue with the kosher business, Kohn says he would not compete against that. “It’s a great livelihood for a whole family plus the staff,” he said. “You can walk in and make a great salary from Day 1.” David A. Wright, chief deal officer for Lawyers Realty, is handling the sale. For more information, contact him at 314-422-1689 or at david@lawyersrealtyco.com.