Jewish Light Digital Edition: April 17, 2024

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2024 PUBLICATION DATES

The Jewish Light will publish print editions twice a month in 2024, on the following dates:

• May 1

• May 22

• June 5

• June 19

• July 10

• July 24

• Aug. 7

• Aug. 21

• Sept. 11

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Shabbat begins

Friday, April 19: 7:25 p.m.

Shabbat ends

Saturday, April 20: 8:25 p.m.

Torah reading: Metzora Passover

Monday, April 22: Light holiday candles at 7:27 p.m.

Tuesday, April 23: Light Holiday Candles after 8:28 p.m. from a pre-existing flame.

Wednesday, April 24: Holiday Ends 8:30 p.m. Passover

Shabbat, Intermediate Days of Passover

Friday, April 26: 7:31 p.m.

Shabbat ends

Saturday, April 27: 8:33 p.m.

PUBLISHER'S STATEMENT

Sunday, April 28: Light holiday candles at 7:33 p.m.

Monday, April 29: Light Holiday Candles after 8:35 p.m. from a pre-existing flame.

Tuesday, April 30: Holiday Ends 8:36 p.m.

OUR BOARD AND STAFF

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

OFFICERS

Michael Staenberg, President

Bethe Growe, Immediate Past President

Kara Newmark, Vice President

Ryan Rich, Vice President

Justin Krachmalnick, Treasurer

Todd Taylor, Secretary

DIRECTORS

Caroline Goldenberg, Mia Kweskin, Debbie Lefton, Steve Rosenzweig and Adam Schneider

JEWISH LIGHT PAST PRESIDENTS

Bernard Fischlowitz*, Milton I. Goldstein*, Morris Pearlmutter* (founder), Morris Moscowitz*, Melvin Newmark*, Rabbi Alvan D. Rubin*, Vivian Zwick*, Joseph Edlin*, Michael Newmark, Richard Stein, Yusef Hakimian*, Sanford Weiss*, Philip Isserman*, Linda Kraus, Richard Flom, Marvin Schneider, Barbara Langsam Shuman, Terry Bloomberg, John Greenberg, David Grebler*, Milton Movitz*, Gianna Jacobson, Jenny Wolkowitz, Gary Kodner, Jane Tzinberg Rubin, Steve Gallant, Laura K. Silver, Bethe Growe

* Of Blessed Memory

DR. BRUCE FRANK & ENID WEISBERG-FRANK (2023 UNSUNG HEROES)

Congratulations! Very much deserved. — Gerald & Sofia Kent

THE PASSOVER PROJECT

ALIZA HAKIMIAN

In honor and memory of Aliza With much sympathy, — Love, Joan and Sherman Silber — Alvin & Susan Kutner

One year later: A hopeful update

A good news update on 11-year-old Drew Patchin, who was diagnosed in 2019 with a rare form of brain cancer called Anaplastic ependymoma. After participating in a Car T-cell therapy clinical trial at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis that successfully killed some of Drew’s brain tumor, doctors were able to remove the remaining tumor — seemingly all of it.

“I talk with Drew’s oncologist on Friday (April 5) and asked her if she thought it was reasonable to hope (the tumor) doesn’t come back. And she told me she is hoping for that, of course,” said Drew’s mother, Jennifer Patchin. “The challenge is that there’s literally no data for any ependymoma kid who had Car T-cell therapy and a total resection of their third tumor. There are no percentages she could give me because the data doesn’t yet exist. She said she would be nervous from now to eternity with every scan they do for Drew because at any point it could be back but it’s reasonable to hope it won’t return.”

Currently, Drew is home in St. Louis, eager to return to his fifth-grade classroom at Bellerive Elementary School in the Parkway district. Although he has missed much of the school year because of his cancer illness, he hopes to finish the term and be able to start middle school in the fall after catching up as much as possible this summer.

But first comes another Disney cruise for the family, their second of the year. Jennifer Patchin and her sister, Debbie “Aunt Bebbie” Schultz, explained that the family had to move both of these cruises from when they originally were scheduled because of Drew’s hospitalizations and treatments. In fact, when the Jewish Light last caught up with Drew and his family a little more than a year ago, they were doing all they could to “make memories” because Drew’s prognosis was dire.

“All of this has been messing with

my brain in a really good way,” said Patchin. “Initially, we were told last February (2023) that he probably wasn’t going to make it to 2024. Now we are planning what he’s going to be doing in the fall. Wrapping my brain around making plans for the future — it’s just amazing.”

After the Light spoke with the family in March 2023, Schultz said they connected with a doctor in Houston who was doing a clinical trial for which Drew qualified. In July, the family went to Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston where Drew had a partial tumor resection.

“The doctor was able to remove about half of the tumor. Then Drew had a chemotherapy clinical trial,” said Schultz. “We found out in September that that trial had failed, and the tumor (the doctor) had resected had grown back. We came home with the sense that we were out of options.”

Then the Patchins learned of a clinical trial at St. Jude’s in Memphis for which Drew qualified called Car T-cell therapy. As Schultz explained it, “in October doctors removed a bunch of Drew’s white blood cells, then sent them off to a lab where we like to say they super-powered them — they trained them to attack cells with a particular protein that Drew’s tumor expressed.

“In December, he began getting infusions where they would put those T-cells back in to target his particular type of cancer cells. He had six weeks of infusions and at the end of January they told us that based on his scan, they believed his tumor was dying off, which was huge.”

Even more astonishing was when a week later Drew’s neurosurgeon said he felt he could successfully remove the remaining tumor. At the end of February, doctors removed most of

the tumor; two weeks ago, they operated at a different angle and removed the rest.

“The entire tumor is gone,” said Schultz. “He is at least for now having to have infusions on a monthly basis, so that if there are any tiny, microscopic cells that no one can see still there, the Car T-cells will target them and remove them.”

And while all of this is tremendous news, Drew still had residual effects from his surgery. He has lost all hearing his in left ear. He has facial palsy where he only half smiles and one of his eyes doesn’t close on its own. He has some swallowing issues, but a minor vocal cord surgery seems to have helped that.

“Those things are a result of surgery but the physical symptoms that were a result of the tumor, like some balance issues, all have been resolved,” said Schultz. “A couple of weeks ago, for the first time in so long, he ran enough to induce his asthma. He hasn’t been able to move like that for a year.”

Added Patchin, “We definitely got the Hanukkah miracle we wanted. I don’t think anyone is more excited than Drew to go back to school, and to be able to spend time with his brother and his friends.”

From left: Tyler, Drew, Jennifer and Doug Patchin with Snoopy.

St. Louis icon Ken Holtzman, three-time MLB champion and two-time no-hit pitcher, dies at 78

BY JORDAN PALMER CHIEF DIGITAL CONTENT OFFICER

Former Major League Baseball pitcher and St. Louis sports icon Ken Holtzman, who played for five teams, pitched two no-hitters and was a three-time World Series Champion, died Monday, April 15. He was 78.

Holtzman is the winningest Jewish pitcher in the major leagues with 174 wins.

“He was just so good,” said Bob Holtzman, Ken Holtzman’s younger brother. “And something people don’t know, but from his start in baseball in the Khoury Leagues through high school at University City, Kenny dominated, and was always the smallest kid on his team.”

In the Dec. 3, 1969, issue of the Jewish Light, N.T. Mendelsohn and Bruce Hendin wrote:

“Holtzman grew out of his youthful Khoury League days, winning 255 games between 1954 and 1963. In the Oct. 1, 1953, issue of the old ‘Y’ Journal, the paper headline read ‘Kenny Holtzman, 8-yearsold, strikes out 21 in perfect game.’”

From Khoury League to the Major leagues

A star at University City High School, he was selected the Most Valuable Player on the school’s state championship team in 1963, pitching a no hitter in the semifinals and relieving to seal the win in the finals. Holtzman compiled a record of 31-3 at U. City before moving on to pitch at the University of Illinois, while he studied business administration. He caught the eye of numerous MLB scouts, including ones from the New York Mets and the Chicago Cubs.

According to Bob Holtzman and a 1969 Jewish Light story, Henry “Hank” Holtzman, Ken and Bob’s father, played on the same varsity YMCA basketball team with future Cardinals general manager Bing Divine. In 1966, Devine was with the New York Mets and called his friend Hank to let him know they were interested in the younger Holtzman. But the Mets missed their chance when the Cubs drafted Holtzman in the fourth round of the first ever MLB amateur draft in 1965.

After playing in just 12 minor league games, he was called up to play for the Cubs, making his major-league debut on

Sept. 4, 1965. Holtzman pitched in three games for the Cubs that year, showing he had the stuff to make it in the big leagues.

Being a Jewish lefthander who was known for both velocity and control, Holtzman was being called “the next Sandy Koufax” as soon as he arrived in the big leagues.

The two greatest Jewish pitchers in history faced each other for the one and only time in their careers on Sept. 25, 1966, the day after both had attended synagogue services for Yom Kippur. Holtzman was finishing his first full season in the majors while Koufax was winding down his final season. Holtzman outdueled Koufax, throwing a no-hitter for eight innings and winning 2–1. Holtzman would be the last pitcher to beat Koufax.

Military service and baseball

During the 1967 season, Holtzman spent significant time serving in the National Guard. Despite pitching only on weekends, he managed to go 9-0 record in just 12 starts. Holtzman threw a no-hitter against Atlanta on Aug. 19, 1969, and threw another no-hitter on June 3, 1971, against Cincinnati. After the 1971 season, he was traded to the Oakland Athletics, where he contributed to three consecutive World Series championships.

Holtzman was slated to pitch in the second game of the 1973 American League Championship Series against Baltimore, but the game coincided with Yom Kippur, so he chose not to play. Instead, he was taken by limousine to the Baltimore Hebrew Congregation and seated in the front row next to Jerry Hoffberger, owner of the Orioles.

Before the start of the 1976 season, Holtzman was traded to the Baltimore Orioles. On June 15, 1976, the Orioles dealt him to the New York Yankees. After two underwhelming seasons in New York, Holtzman was sent back to the Chicago Cubs on June 10, 1978, where he retired the following season.

Life after baseball

Despite the fame and fortune of becoming a major league ball player and World Series Champion, Ken Holtzman’ family said he always remained unassuming and down to earth.

“He was always very humble,” said Bob Holtzman. “Even as kid, when he dominated everywhere he played, he never let it give him an attitude.”

“He was raised, and he raised us, with the value that you needed to serve others,” said Robyn Schuster, Ken Holtzman’s oldest daughter. “And he was generous and

supportive of his entire extended family. He always looked for ways that he could help people. He saw it as his mission in life to be there to support his kids and his family members.”

Schuster, who was born in Oakland,

Oakland Athletics pitcher Ken Holtzman in action during the 1975 season at Anaheim Stadium. PHOTO: DARRYL NORENBERG-USA TODAY SPORTS

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JCRC names new executive director

Rabbi Scott Shafrin assumed the role of executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Council on April 15. He previously served as JCRC’s deputy director and is the Lee & Milford Bohm Director of Social Justice, a position he began last July.

“We are thrilled that after a national search, we were able to look inside our organization to find the perfect person to lead JCRC into the future,” said JCRC Board Chair Joel Iskiwitch. “Scott’s passion for building meaningful relationships, his listening skills, and his ability to organize and mobilize others are what we need now to support the work of the Jewish community in fighting antisemitism and providing nuanced conversations about

Israel.”

As JCRC’s deputy director, Shafrin represents JCRC in a variety of interfaith and intergroup spaces and serves as a member of the Interfaith Partnership’s Clergy Cabinet. He also provides oversight to Student to Student, a program of the Newmark Institute for Human Relations. In his new role, Shafrin will continue representing the Jewish community’s interests in Jefferson City by advocating for JCRC policy priorities.

“JCRC provides a unique space to bring not only the Jewish community together in dialogue, but to connect us in deep and meaningful ways to the entire St. Louis region,” said Shafrin. “I am deeply honored to be continuing the work of the

Rabbi Jeffrey Gale to discuss new book at U. City Library

From 7 to 8 p.m. on Monday, May 6 author Rabbi Jeffrey Gale will discuss his new book, “The Secret of Redemption.” This book is the sequel to the author’s first book, “The Ballad of East and West,” which tells the story of Rabbi Isaac Levin’s devotion to the cause of Soviet Jewry in the early 1980s.

“The Secret of Redemption” delves into the intertwined lives of Levin and his daughter, Bracha, as they grapple with the echoes of historical trauma and contemporary injustices. Set against the backdrop of November 2013, the narra-

tive explores Levin’s reflections on the 75th anniversary of Kristallnacht, juxtaposed with the challenges faced by his congregation in northern Manhattan. A graduate of University City High School and Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, Gale focused his career on community relations, interfaith programming and social causes such as civil rights and immigration. This event is intended for adults but is free and open to all. It will be held in the auditorium. The author will have books available for purchase.

inspirational leaders before me who have taken new steps to create a more just and secure St. Louis over the past 85 years.”

Shafrin succeeds Maharat Rori Picker Neiss, who left the position that she had held for eight years in December, to become senior vice president for community relations at the Jewish Council for Public Affairs. Since Jan. 1, Cheryl Adelstein has served as JCRC’s interim executive director and will stay with JCRC for the next several months to assist in the leadership transition.

Shafrin is married to Rabbi Jessica Shafrin, manager of pastoral care for three SSM Health hospitals and a passionate teacher of Torah. They have two children, Amitai and Nadav.

Melton course will explore ‘Love, Loss and Wisdom’

The St. Louis community has another opportunity for adult learning beginning in May: Love, Loss and Wisdom, a sixweek course offered through the Florence Melton School of Adult Jewish Learning with Temple Emanuel Senior Rabbi Elizabeth Hersh on Thursdays from 7 –8:30 p.m. The six sessions will take place May 2, 9, 16, 23, 30, and June 6 and will be offered in person at Temple Emanuel, 12166 Conway Road or on Zoom.

Classes are recorded so if you miss one, you can always watch it later.

Discover Jewish responses and rituals that take us through mourning and arrive

at a place of healing.

The cost is $179. However, if you have taken this class before, contact Rabbi Janine Schloss at rabbijanine@testl.org before registering. For those taking this class for the first time, register here: www.meltonschool.org/st-louis

Confidential scholarships are available. In addition, a special tuition rate of $50 is available for any full-or part-time professionals working at Jewish organizations, including teachers and staff in St. Louis Jewish preschools, religious schools, day schools and youth groups. For the coupon codes, email rabbijanine@testl.org.

Rabbi Scott Shafrin will serve as the new executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of St. Louis.

Josh Schertz takes reins at SLU as new head coach of men’s basketball

BY JORDAN PALMER CHIEF DIGITAL CONTENT OFFICER

St. Louis University announced Josh Schertz has been hired as its new head coach of the Billikens’ men’s basketball program.

The former Indiana State coach was a 2024 Red Auerbach Coach of the Year nominee, an award presented by the Jewish Coaches Association to the top Jewish American basketball coach of the year across all levels of college basketball.

Prior to his stint at Indiana State, Schertz guided one of the most successful NCAA Division II teams in the country, Lincoln Memorial University, for 13 seasons from 2008-21. The Railsplitters registered a remarkable 337-69 record during Schertz’ tenure.

Schertz was also named the 2024 MVC Coach of the Year and was recently named the Hugh Durham National Coach of the Year, which is presented annually to the top mid-major head coach in college basketball.

“I am thrilled to welcome Josh, his wife Natalia, and sons Jordan and Jaden to the Billiken family,” SLU Director of Athletics Chris May said. “Coach Schertz has had considerable success throughout his career in the areas connected to our strategic objectives and values. He educates, competes and builds community at championship levels.”

“We are delighted to welcome Josh Schertz to the Billiken family,” SLU President Fred Pestello said. “Coach Schertz has a style of leadership that aligns with SLU’s values and our fans’ expectations. In Coach Schertz we have the right person to lead our team. We are eager to watch his impact as he takes the helm.”

In August of 2023, the Terre Haute Tribune Star reported that Schertz was a vocal supporter of the then new “Athletes Against Anti-Semitism and Discrimination Consortium,” which provides curriculum to educate student-athletes about the Holocaust and how to stand up against intolerance and injustice. Schertz is a 2000 graduate of Florida Atlantic. He also has a master’s degree in education from Lynn University. Schertz and his wife, Natalia, have two children, Jordan and Jaden.

Holocaust Museum to host April 21 program commemorating 30th Anniversary of 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda

In honor of Genocide Awareness Month, the St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum is set to host a program on April 21 commemorating the 30th anniversary of the 1994 Genocide Against the Tutsi in Rwanda. The program, “Voices of Survival & Resistance in Rwanda,” will take place at the Museum, 36 Millstone Campus Dr.

This public program will feature testimony from Rwandan survivor, Providence Umugwaneza, who lost her parents, five siblings and numerous extended family members. She now volunteers with fellow Rwandan Genocide survivors to advocate for the women and girls, who were assaulted and infected with HIV/AIDS during the Genocide. Umugwaneza will be in conversation

with Carl Wilkens, the only American who chose to stay in Kigali, Rwanda throughout the 1994 genocide and worked with Rwandan colleagues, to save hundreds of lives.

This program is sponsored by the Florence & Laurence Spungen Family Foundation.

“By commemorating the 30th anniversary of the 1994 Genocide Against the Tutsi in Rwanda, we highlight the powerful testimonies of Providence Umugwaneza and Carl Wilkens, embodying the spirit of resistance and resilience,” said Myron Freedman, executive director of the Holocaust Museum. “This program reflects our commitment to educating on the perils of unchecked hatred by hearing directly from survivors

and witnesses.”

More information on this program can be found at STLHolocaustMuseum.org/ Upcoming-Events.

THIS PASSOVER , ELIJAH’S WON’T BE THE ONLY EMPTY SEAT AT THE TABLE.

As we celebrate the seder, we remember those who should still be with us. Some of those seats belong to Magen David Adom medics, who gave their lives trying to save others. Your donation provides the equipment MDA needs so that next year only Elijah’s seat may be empty.

Join the effort at afmda.org or call 866.632.2763.

Josh Schertz. PHOTO: SLUBILLIKENS.COM

Myron Freedman is executive director of the St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum.

PHOTO: BILL MOTCHAN

JCRC announces 2024 Tzedek Awards recipients

Anna Goldfarb Shabsin and David Rosenstock, the Bohm Family, Barry Rosenberg and Heather Fleming will be honored at the Jewish Community Relations Council’s (JCRC) 2024 Tzedek Awards on May 21 at the Clayton Plaza Hotel.

Shabsin and Rosenstock will receive the Michael and Barbara Newmark Emerging Leader Award for their dedication to JCRC and commitment to the organization’s growth and wellbeing. Shabsin is a professor and assistant dean of the Master of Social Policy Program at the Brown School at Washington University. Rosenstock retired from the business of chemistry in 2022 after 37 years and has held several lay leadership positions at United Hebrew Congregation in addition to JCRC.

The Bohm Family will receive the Batya Abramson-Goldstein Legacy Award for their combined dedication to JCRC, the St. Louis Jewish community and their commitment to interfaith, social justice and community involvement both locally and at a national level.

Rosenberg, professor of practice at the Brown School of Social Work and former President and CEO of Jewish Federation of St. Louis, will receive the Joel and Joanne Iskiwitch Israel Award for his commitment to Israel over the course of his career.

Fleming, founder and director of the MO Equity Education Partnership (MoEEP), will receive the Norman A. Stack

Community Relations Award for her dedication to working with all groups of people to promote equity for all and for her ongoing partnership with the Jewish community.

In addition, five individuals will be honored with the Newmark Institute’s Pluralism Awards. This year’s honorees include Han Ko, a founding member of the Institute’s Jewish/Asian American Dialogue Group; Aubrey Taylor McClain, the Shapiro Chair for Jewish-Christian Studies and an associate professor in the Department of Theology at Greenville University in Greenville, Ill.; Kimberly Jade Norwood, the Henry H. Oberschelp Professor of Law at Washington University School of Law; and Jack Sisk, president of the Interfaith Partnership of Greater St. Louis and the Theology Department of Visitation Academy.

For more information and tickets, go to https://jcrcstl.org/take-action/tzedek-awards-2024.html. Event sponsorships are also still available. Email Elyse Picker at jcrcstl.org for details.

The event is co-chaired by Jeff and Carly Sparks and Dana and Barry Sandweiss.

ABOVE,

NEUROPATHY: MANAGE YOUR PAIN AND MAINTAIN YOUR BALANCE

By: Dr Beth Templin, PT, DPT, GCS Geriatric Physical Therapist

If you've been living with neuropathy, you may have experienced debilitating neuropathic pain or noticed you're feeling more wobbly on your feet due to numbness You may have been told there are no good treatment options available, so it's something you will have to learn to live with You may not know when it was that you started to have pain every day, but now it's starting to limit what you're able to do Maybe now you're even having pain that keeps you awake at night, not letting your body get the rest it needs Or the numbness has progressed to where you can't tell if you feet are on the ground, leading to decreased balance and even falls If this is happening to you, you're not alone

We hear this all the time In fact, Neuropathy is one of the most common issues we see at HouseFit

Most people have already gone the route of trying all the "traditional" pain management options If you're one of the many people who these options have not worked for, you're not alone Fortunately, there are newer treatment options available for managing neuropathy pain

Those experiencing balance issues due to numbness often resign them-

selves to this fate and don’t realize exercise can help Because of this, I've put together a FREE guide explaining that even though you're living with neuropathy, it does not mean that you should expect to lose your independence or live with pain for the rest of your life

Inside this guide you'll learn:

The 3 different types of nerves affected by neuropathy

Why medication are often not effective

How Radial Shockwave heals the nerves

Benefits of sensory integration to improve your balance

I want to make this guide available to you absolutely free of charge To claim your copy, simply call (314) 939-1377 or visit our website www housefitstl com/neuropathy to download the report

If you’re ready to take control of your neuropathy and lead an active lifestyle, this guide can help you get started with confidence!

FROM LEFT: Anna Goldfarb Shabsin, David Rosenstock, Barry Rosenberg and Heather Fleming.

BELOW, FROM LEFT: Lee Bohm (z’’l), Robert Bohm (z’’l) and David Bohm

New Moishe House South City fosters inclusive haven for queer and trans Jews

BY JORDAN PALMER CHIEF DIGITAL CONTENT OFFICER

The St. Louis Jewish community has recently welcomed a new addition to its cultural landscape: Moishe House South City.

The new house, or pod as the houses are commonly known, is in the Tower Grove South neighborhood in St. Louis. This unique residence is not just a home, it’s a sanctuary crafted by Avi Mazzeo and Mo Stein, two impassioned individuals committed to nurturing a safe haven for queer and trans Jews in the area, irrespective of their observance level.

Mazzeo, a native of Santa Clara, Calif., and Stein, from Boston, Mass., bring diverse perspectives and experiences to their mission. While Stein grew up in the Reform movement, Mazzeo embarked on a journey of rediscovery, reconnecting with their Italian Sephardi heritage and community as an adult. Together their distinct backgrounds and shared dedication are fostering a space where individuals can embrace their identities without fear or reservation.

Originating from a simple Shabbat dinner, Moishe House is now a pioneering organization empowering young Jewish adults to take active roles in their communities by hosting peer-led Jewish programming in shared living spaces. Their goal is to provide a platform for personal connections and community building among young Jews worldwide.

For Mazzeo and Stein, their arrival at Moishe House South City was a result of outreach by the organization. Rabbi Karen Bogard at Central Reform Congregation recommended Mazzeo, who quickly recruited Stein. Both had relocated to St. Louis in recent years.

“I moved here to live closer to my parents after I had a medical thing less than a year after I graduated college. They helped me recover, and I’ve been here ever since because I quite like it here,” said Stein.

“I moved here after I graduated from college in 2017 to study further, and because it was close to my parents, only about an hour and a half drive,” said Mazzeo.

“It’s just the two us and a lot of houseplants. A frankly ridiculous number of houseplants. And a snake named Oolong,” said Mazzeo.

The two are committed to living and running the house for at least a year, but say they’ll go longer if people keep coming to events. Meanwhile, their primary goal for the pod is to create a safe environment for queer and trans Jews in the St. Louis area.

“It’s important to have a community of shared experiences where you can exist as you are without censoring yourself. Celebrating the diversity within the Jewish community creates spaces where people can be themselves without worrying about judgment,” said Stein. “In the Reform movement, synagogues may be accepting, but finding a community of people who ‘get it’ without explanation is invaluable.”

Added Mazzeo: “In many queer and trans spaces, there’s pressure to suppress my religious identity, yet my Jewishness is intrinsic to who I am. Conversely, in some Jewish spaces, embracing my queer and trans identity can feel challenging.

It’s vital for me to seek or establish spaces where I can authentically embrace both aspects of my identity without compromise.”

Since its opening, the house has done a few different programs including a monthly Shabbat dinner, mezuzah painting, board game night and even a Leonard Nimoy night.

“It was Nimoy’s yahrzeit in February, so we had a movie night and watched ‘Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan,’ watched an interview with Nimoy conducted by the Yiddish Book Center and then said Kaddish,” said Stein. “It was a really amazing blend of Jewish pop culture, Jewish education and ritual observance that’s something we’re striving for at our Moishe pod.”

In the future, the two plan to continue the monthly Shabbat dinner and plan to collaborate with many local Jewish organizations.

Later this month, they are planning a seder with blended traditions to honor Stein’s Polish Ashkenazi family and Mazzeo’s Italian Sephardi family.

“It’s going to be a really fun night with tons of food, communal singing and plenty of Manischewitz,” said Stein.

For more information about the Moishe House South City or to join their mail list,

A Tu B’Shevat seder at the new Moishe House South City, located in the Tower Grove South neighborhood of St. Louis.

BY LUKE TRESS JTA

The number of antisemitic incidents more than doubled last year, shooting up particularly following Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel, according to the AntiDefamation League’s annual audit.

The ADL and other Jewish organizations, in addition to law enforcement agencies, have reported a spike in antisemitism after Oct. 7, as protests against Israel have taken place across the country.

But the ADL report found that antisemitic incidents were rising prior to Oct. 7, and that even after the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war, nearly half of the reported incidents did not directly

involve Israel.

The report, published Tuesday, tabulated a total of 8,873 incidents over the course of 2023. Of those, more than half — 5,204 — occurred after Oct. 7.

By contrast, the group tallied 3,697 incidents over all of 2022. At the time, that was a record in the more than 40 years since the ADL began issuing the reports. It has since been shattered.

Last year’s tally includes increases in the number of antisemitic assaults (161), acts of vandalism (2,177) and harassment (6,535). The number of swastikas reported, 1,117, represents a 41% increase from 2022. Ten percent of all anti-Jewish incidents, or 922, happened on college campuses.

California had the most recorded inci-

dents, with 1,266, followed by New York, with 1,218, and New Jersey, with 830. Missouri had 125 antisemitic incidents

in 2023, compared to 30 incidents in 2022 (and 15 incidents in 2021), according to the report. Missouri’s 2023 incidents included 20 cases of vandalism and 105 cases of harassment (zero assaults were reported in the state). Illinois had 211 incidents in 2023, compared to 121 incidents in 2022 and 53 in 2021.

Part of the increase in recent years is due to more robust reporting methods, such as including incidents reported by partner organizations, which started in 2021. Tuesday’s report also includes an update in the ADL’s methodology that classifies certain anti-Israel activities as antisemitic, which accounts for 15% of the annual total.

The ADL has come under fire from left-wing activists for portraying pro-Palestinian activism as antisemitism, a charge the group denies. But even without its methodology update, according to the report, 2023 still would have seen more than 7,000 acts of antisemitism, far more than any previous year. And the report says that even if all Israel-related incidents were removed, antisemitism still would have risen 65%.

“Antisemitism is nothing short of a national emergency, a five-alarm fire that is still raging across the country and in our local communities and campuses,” the CEO of the ADL, Jonathan Greenblatt, said in a statement. “Jewish Americans are being targeted for who they are at school, at work, on the street, in Jewish institutions and even at home. This crisis demands immediate action from every sector of society and every state in the union.”

To combat the rise in hate, the ADL is calling on governors to implement strategies to counter antisemitism in state-level programs analogous to the White House’s National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism released last year.

The report shows that even before Oct. 7, antisemitism was on the rise. From January to the beginning of October, there were 3,669 antisemitic incidents — close to the total for the entire previous year.

But the pace of incidents accelerated rapidly after Oct. 7. Just over half of them — 52% — directly concerned Israel. And the pace did not die down as the weeks passed following Oct. 7. The ADL found that there were 1,813 incidents in October, 1,575 in November and 1,938 in December.

The total number of post-Oct. 7 incidents, more than 5,200, is far higher than the 3,283 incidents tabulated during nearly the same period in a preliminary ADL report that was released in

mid-January. The number of incidents grew much higher, an ADL spokesperson said, because law enforcement agencies and other groups that track hate take time to compile their own tallies.

The ADL altered its methodology after Oct. 7 to include in the tally “certain expressions of opposition to Zionism, as well as support for resistance against Israel or Zionists that could be perceived as supporting terrorism or attacks on Jews, Israelis or Zionists.”

One example of that, the group said, were images of hang gliders — which Hamas terrorists used to infiltrate Israel during the Oct. 7 massacre. Another was the slogan “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” a common chant at pro-Palestinian rallies that many Jewish groups see as a call for the destruction of Israel.

The updated methodology accounted for 1,350 incidents, around a quarter of the post-Oct. 7 total, including 1,180 rallies.

Over the course of the whole year, 3,162 incidents, or 36% of the total, involved references to Israel or Zionism. That was a steep increase over 2022, when 241 incidents, or 6.5%, included anti-Israel sentiment.

At anti-Israel protests, the researchers cited antisemitic tropes, including accusations that Jews control the media or U.S. government, that Jews were involved in the 9/11 attacks, and accusations that Israel “harvests” Palestinian organs or imagery showing Israelis drinking blood, which the researchers linked to historical blood libels. Other speakers at protesters called Israelis and Zionists “bloodsuckers” or “parasites,” the report said.

At least one high-profile incident of harm to a Jew did not make the report. While the report tallied 161 incidents of antisemitic assault, it did not include the death of pro-Israel protester Paul Kessler because the circumstances are still under investigation.

Orthodox Jews, who tend to be more readily identifiable as Jewish, were targeted in 34% of assaults, despite, according to a 2021 Pew Research Center survey, making up around 9% of the Jewish population. Previous ADL reports have also found that Orthodox Jews are disproportionately victims of assault.

Nearly 2,000 incidents targeted Jewish institutions including synagogues, Jewish community centers and schools, a spike of 237% over 2022. The increase was partly due to a surge in bomb threats, mostly targeting synagogues. There were 1,009 bomb threats, up from only 91 in 2022.

On campuses, antisemitic incidents skyrocketed from 219 in 2022 to 922 last year — most of which occurred post-Oct. 7. The updated methodology accounted for more than a third of that total. In non-Jewish K-12 schools, antisemitic incidents also more than doubled.

White supremacist propaganda also surged, with 1,160 instances last year, compared to 852 in 2022. Most of those incidents were distributing fliers with antisemitic messaging. White supremacist groups also latched onto the Oct. 7 attack with propaganda that said “Death to Israel” and “End Jewish terror.” The most prominent of these groups was the Goyim Defense League, which was responsible for 529 instances of antisemitism.

The report came a day after pro-Palestinian groups lashed out at Greenblatt and the ADL after he compared keffiyehs, or Palestinian headscarves, to Nazi armbands during an interview with MSNBC. More than 60 Muslim, Arab and Palestinian groups signed a letter calling the comments “hateful” and “dan-

gerous.” The campaign echoes previous efforts urging civil rights groups to “Drop the ADL” as a partner.

The ADL, which has also faced criticism from the right in recent years, says it does not favor one side of the political spectrum over the other. It says it adheres to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance working definition of antisemitism, which has been endorsed by hundreds of countries, local governments, universities and corporations and has drawn criticism for classifying some Israel criticism as antisemitism.

ADL researchers compiled the data using information from victims, law enforcement, the media and partner organizations. The incidents include both criminal and non-criminal acts in public and private settings, and online incidents of harassment in cases of direct messages and some social media settings. “Sprees,” such as multiple instances of antisemitism at a single event, were counted only once.

Survivors of Hamas attack visit St. Louis, sharing painful memories and grateful testimony

PHOTO: BILL MOTCHAN

NEWSMAKERS

Newsmakers is a compilation of the Jewish community’s newsworthy professional and academic accomplishments. Submit your news to news@stljewishlight.org. Call 314-743-3669 for more information. Newsmakers is compiled by Elise Krug.

Phyllis Markus is one of the 10 local leaders who will be honored among the 2024 Women of Achievement (Markus is being recognized for Multicultural Advocacy). A luncheon on May 14 at the Ritz-Carlton will recognize the honorees for their commitment to improving the St. Louis region through volunteer work and leadership. For the past 40 years, Markus has worked to encourage collaboration between diverse religious, ethnic and racial groups in St. Louis. She served as chair of the Jewish Community Relations Council of St. Louis from 2012-2015 and chaired the Michael and Barbara Newmark Institute for Human Relations from 2017-2022. Markus created the Community Against Poverty coalition, a collaboration of interfaith and intergroup partners focused on poverty issues.

Among the 2024 inductees of the Clayton Alumni Hall of Fame are Naomi Cahn (1975), professor, University of Virginia School of Law; Daniel F. Feldman (1985), former U.S. ambassador, Chevy Chase, Md.; Benjamin Hochman (1998), journalist, Clayton; and Steve Sorkin (1973), advocate, St. Louis. They were honored at an induction and plaque unveiling last week at Clayton High School with a private gala celebration the following night at the Le Méridien St. Louis in Clayton The Hall of Fame recognizes the accomplishments of Clayton graduates who continue to bring pride and inspiration to the school district of Clayton, the community and society.

Rachel Wallis Andreasson is the coauthor of a new book, “The Sixth Level: Capitalize on the Power of Women’s Psychology for Sustainable Leadership.” Andreasson is the executive director of Congregation Temple Israel. The additional co-authors of the book are Stacy Feiner, Kathy Overbeke and Jack Harris.

The Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine in the Department of Medicine at Washington University School of Medicine created an endowed fund to support a lectureship in honor of Dr. Michael J. Holtzman. This endowment will provide support to bring a distinguished speaker to Washington University each year for a lecture and meetings with faculty and fellows. Holtzman was the Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine director for 10 years before concluding his leadership in 2023 to focus on his research, which includes the development of small molecule drugs and biologics for airway diseases. Holtzman attends Central Reform Congregation.

Abi Kornblum will star as the daughter/granddaughter in an upcoming short film about a family from the Ozarks (she cannot share the film’s title until it is released). The daughter of Monica and the late Mike Kornblum, Abi is a senior at Parkway Central High School and has been acting for the past four years. After graduation, she will attend college to study film and creative writing. “In the future I see myself as a storyteller whether acting, filmmaking or writing. That is what I am passionate about,” Abi said. The Kornblums are members of Congregation B’nai Amoona.

While a student at Clayton High School, Zachary Millner had two pieces of artwork chosen for the digital 2023 AP Art & Design Exhibit, which is currently online to view. His portfolio was one of 50 chosen out of the 70,000 submitted internationally. Now a freshman at New York University Steinhardt, Millner had a piece in the recent Oneness Togetherness exhibit at the Commons and Rosenberg Galleries in New York City. Millner, son of Jessica and Andy Millner, is a studio art major, minoring in education with the goal of becoming a college art professor.

Maya Levinson was selected as a 2024 Muny Kid. She

is in the Muny Kids Performance Troupe, which performs a 20-minute song and dance show 15 nights throughout the summer before each main show. Maya will perform in one of the main shows as well. A fifth grader at Highcroft Ridge Elementary School, she is the daughter of Becky and Rob Levinson. Maya and her family attend United Hebrew Congregation.

At the end of May, Audrey Prywitch is retiring as the news director of KTVI, Channel 2. After 16 years with the station, she said she is planning to spend more time with her family and traveling. Prywitch is a member of United Hebrew Congregation.

Multi-disciplinary artist Judith Shaw has a new sculpture installation in the Windows on Forsyth (7513 Forsyth Blvd., viewable 24/7 through June 29), presented by Bruno David Gallery. The installation “explores the fraying of human connection in our fractured world with amorphous sculptural forms made from spent bicycle inner tubes.”

Nicole Carey Kim and her husband, Sean Kim, have opened Kim’s Bop Shop, a scratch-made kitchen serving new Korean bowls and kimbap rolls, located in the Hill Food Co at 2360 Hampton Ave. Orders may be placed through UberEats, DoorDash and their website (kimsbopshop.com) for pickup or delivery.

TOP ROW, FROM LEFT: Phyllis Markus, Naomi Cahn (PHOTO: JULIA DAVIS/UVA LAW SCHOOL), Daniel F. Feldman and Benjamin Hochman. SECOND ROW: Rachel Wallis Andreasson, Dr. Michael J. Holtzman, Abi Kornblum and Zachary Millner. THIRD ROW: Maya Levinson, Audrey Prywitch, Judith Shaw and Nicole Carey Kim.

DELORES MAE “DEE” BERMAN, April 7, 2024

Beloved wife of the late Jack Berman; dear mother of Lori Coughlin (Jim Ball), the late Wendy Berman and Keith Berman; dear grandmother of Matty, Brendan and Carly (fiancé Darik), Siena, Gillia and Lucca; dear daughter of the late William and the late Sadie Shamsky; dear sister of Art Shamsky. Dear aunt, cousin and friend.

A funeral service was held Friday, April 12th at Congregation Shaare Emeth, followed by interment at United Hebrew Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions preferred to the St. Louis Zoo. Visit bergermemorialchapel.com for more information. Berger Memorial Service

JUDITH “JUDY” KESSLER BRANDVEIN, April 4, 2024

OBITUARIES INDEX

Berman, Delores Mae “Dee”

Brandvein, Judith “Judy” Kessler

Cohen, Joan

Finkelstein, Barbara G.

Frank, Ann Lee

Green, Mary S. “Merf”

Greenberg, Florence

Helman, BF (Bernard Frederick)

Holtzman, Kenneth Dale “Kenny”

Kent, Lois Marmon

Kohn, Bruce

Levin, Marilyn Joy

Livingston, Jerri

Sander, Joseph Raymond

JOAN COHEN, Sunday, March 31st, 2024

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

the convenience of the family in Mount Moriah Cemetery.

Arrangements are under the care of the Hetrick-Bitner Funeral Home, 3125 Walnut Street, Harrisburg, PA 17109.

To send condolences or to share memories with the family, please go to BitnerCares.com

Memorial contributions in Barbara’s honor may be made to Hospice of Central PA, 1320 Linglestown Road, Harrisburg, PA 17110.

ANN LEE FRANK died peacefully in her sleep at home on April 14, 2024, after reaching 90 years of age.

Congregation Shaare Emeth and donated her time to B’nai B’rith.

Mary was ever present and would provide love, care and support to her family and friends whenever help was needed. She enjoyed playing mah-jongg with her circle of friends, loved to dress up and wore stiletto heels until she was 94 years old. Mary will be missed by all who knew her.

Beloved wife of John Harrison Brandvein for 65 years. Dear mother and mother-in-law of Harvey (Teri) Brandvein and Rochelle (Randy) Aaranson. Loving grandmother of Rachel (Jeffrey) Spector, Jessica (Brian) Palans, Adam (Lindsay) Brandvein, Jeremy, Sydney and Ethan Aaranson. Cherished great grandmother of Carly and Avery Spector, Eliza and Caleb Palans, Austin and Chloe Brandvein. Dear sister, sister-in-law, aunt, cousin and friend.

Judy’s biggest strength was always putting family first. Sunday night dinners were a huge to-do in her world and literally filled her bucket. Judy loved traveling with both her “Johnny” and the extended family to places near and far. Annual family cruises and St. Thomas were her favorite vacation destinations.

A funeral service was held Sunday, April 7 at Congregation Shaare Emeth, followed by interment at Chesed Shel Emeth Cemetery, 650 White Road. Live stream available at https:// sestl.co/judy_brandvein. Contributions in her memory may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association, Congregation Shaare Emeth or to the charity of your choice.

A Rindskopf-Roth Service

Beloved wife of the late Dale Cohen; dear mother of Michael (Katya) Cohen and the late Sharon Cohen; dear brother of Alan (Marilyn) Rotenberg; dear sister-in-law of Jerry (Theresa) Cohen; dear Aunt, Great-Aunt, Cousin, Friend, and piano teacher to many.

A private funeral was held.

Memorial Contributions preferred to St. Louis Children’s Hospital Cancer Fund or the charity of your choice.

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

BARBARA G. FINKELSTEIN, 84, passed away on Monday, April 15, 2024 at Capitol Rehabilitation & Healthcare Center.

She was born in St. Louis, Missouri on October 3, 1939, and the daughter of the late Paul and Tillie (Schwartz) Paster.

Barbara was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Martin L. Finkelstein.

She was a wonderful wife, proud and caring mother and grandmother.

Beloved wife of Samuel Frank z’l, loving mother of Jill (Mark) Abrams, Aaron Frank, Sherri (Danny) Weintrop, Mark (Abbie) Frank, adored Baba of Joey (Lauren) Abrams, Devorah Abrams, Menasha (Haddas) Abrams, Ephraim (Jenna) Abrams, Jared (fiancée Zina) Frank, Maddie Frank, Emma Frank, Bryan (Lauren) Weintrop, Micah Frank and Great (Big) Baba of 8 great grandchildren. Older sister of Betty Packman z’l and Carol (Sig) Adler. Cousin, aunt and friend to many.

Ann worked all her life in various retail positions and finally retired at 84 years old as a cashier at Dierberg’s West Oak. She was a life long volunteer, making countless friends at Na’amat,Project Backpack and Shaare Zedek. We were all so proud when she was recognized as a 2016 Unsung Hero by the St. Louis Jewish Light.

A graveside service was held Sunday, April 14 at Chesed Shel Emeth Cemetery, 650 White Road. Contributions in Mary’s memory may be made to the American Cancer Society, P.O. Box, 6704, Hagerstown, MD 21741 or by visiting (https:// donate.cancer.org/).

A Rindskopf-Roth Service

FLORENCE GREENBERG, 93, St. Louis, MO passed away on April 4, 2024.

Dear wife of Frank Greenberg, mother of Debbie Frazin, grandmother of Justin and Erik Frazin, brother of Jerrold (Fran) Goldberg, aunt of Paula Goldberg (Harry) and Ellen (Marvin) Bowlin. She loved our pups, Bengey and Sasha.

She’s predeceased in death by her parents Esther and David Goldberg, her sister Shirley Goldberg, her brother Alvin Goldberg, niece’s Sherri and Patty Goldberg.

Surviving is her devoted and loving son, Michael Finkelstein and his wife, Kelley, their children Rachel and Marc Finkelstein, a daughter, Jill Miller, her children, Cory and Valery Miller, a sister, Sherie Polunsky and her husband, Phil, and her sister-in-law, Cynthia Paster. She was preceded in death by a brother, Gary Paster and her sonin-law, Scott Miller.

Funeral services will be held at 2:00 P.M. on Wednesday, April 17, 2024 in the Bookstaber Chapel of Mount Moriah Cemetery, with Rabbi Carl Choper officiating. Private burial will be at

A funeral service was held Tuesday, April 16th at BERGER MEMORIAL CHAPEL, 9430 Olive Blvd, followed by interment at Chevra Kadisha Cemetery. Contributions in Ann’s memory may be made to Na’amat, Project Backpack, BJC Hospice or a charity of your choice.

Visit bergermemorialchapel.com for more information. Berger Memorial Service

MARY S. “MERF” GREEN, May 16, 1923 - April 5, 2024

Beloved wife of the late Herman Green. Loving mother and mother-in-law of Sherrie (Nickey) Simpson and the late Ronnee Derylo. Dear stepmother of Linda Green and Richard Green. Cherished sister of the late Rosylin Fox. Beloved daughter of the late Manuel and Fannie Cloch. Our dear aunt, cousin and friend.

Mary was born and raised in St. Louis, MO and moved to Chesterfield, MO in 1969 where she came to love this home and her community for 50 years. She attended services at

Florence and Frank were married for 57 years. In her younger days, she loved to travel with her friend Mildred. Her career was spent as a lab technician for Dr. Levin and Dr. Scheff for 20 years, She was a founder and officer of the Lights of the Jewish Special Needs charitable organization. She loved to play Mah Jong and go to her Tai Chi class. In her last few years, her greatest joy came from following her favorite band at the wineries and dancing. While at home, she enjoyed craft projects of all kinds.

On Saturday, April 27th, 2024, there will be a celebration of life service held at 1pm, followed by a reception til 4pm at the Center for Spiritual Living, 12875 Fee Fee Rd., St. Louis, MO 63146 Burial is family only at Jefferson Barracks since Frank is a veteran.

Obituaries continue on following page

BF (BERNARD FREDERICK) HELMAN died peacefully Friday, Mar. 29, in suburban St. Louis, after a long illness. He was 76.

Actor, poet, writer, film expert and enthusiastic observer of politics, BF was truly a Renaissance man, with sharp wit and endless curiosity.

He was born in Granite City, IL, where his parents owned and operated a popular women’s clothing store, Helman’s.

He graduated from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University with a concentration in advertising followed by an advanced degree in Communications at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

BF held several positions in Chicago but his passion was the theater. He had numerous stage roles, and extensive on camera and voice over work, locally and nationally. He appeared in commercials and high profile corporate projects. A long time specialty was dramatic and comedic roles in syndicated radio dramas and programs.

BF’s passion project above all others was the Defiant Theatre Company in Chicago, where he acted and supported the group in countless other ways.

After more than 40 years, BF grew tired of the cruel Chicago winters and endless urban chaos. He relocated to St. Louis where he spent his last 10 years. He acted in Community Theater and actively participated in ROMEO groups, “really old guys eating out.”

His extended family in St. Louis, including his closest friend the late Barry Freedman, made sure BF was on the guest list for holidays and important occasions.

His friend group, locally and around the country, supported him during his illness: Johnny Heller, Don Rubin, Barbara Weiner, Allen Levin, Marshall Dyer, Barry Murov, Hedy Ehrlich, Ava Ehrlich and a close group of cousins.

He is preceded in death by his parents, Morris and Reeva Helman. He is survived by his brother Howard Helman (Phyllis), of Redondo Beach,

OBITUARIES

CA, numerous cousins and theater friends all over the country.

A graveside service was held Thursday, April 4 at Shalom Cemetery in Arlington Heights, IL. Contributions may be sent to the charity of your choice or KWMU, St. Louis Public Radio, 3651 Olive Street, St. Louis, MO 63108.

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

KENNETH DALE “KENNY” HOLTZMAN, April 15, 2024

Dear father of Robyn (Jonathon) Schuster, Stacey Holtzman (Andy) Steffens and Lauren (Paul) Fyle. Loving grandfather of Ariana and Zoe Schuster, Owen and Lily Fyle. Dear brother of Bobby (Paula) Holtzman, Janice Holtzman (Dan Ashdown) Koertel and the late Marc Holtzman. Beloved son of the late Henry and Jacqueline Lapp Holtzman. Former spouse and dear friend of Michelle Holtzman. Dear uncle, cousin and friend.

Graveside service Wednesday, April 17, 11:00am at Chesed Shel Emeth Cemetery, 650 White Road. Contributions in his memory may be made to the Jewish War Veterans, 12 Millstone Campus Drive, St. Louis, MO 63146 or to the JCC, 2 Millstone Campus Drive, St. Louis, MO 63146.

A Rindskopf-Roth Service

LOIS MARMON KENT, April 9, 2024

Beloved wife for 67 years to the late Edwin “Ed” S. Kent; dear mother and mother-inlaw of Steven Kanter and Shari (Mark) Schuver; loving grandmother of Jacob Kanter, Sarah Kanter, Anna Schuver, and Matthew (Codi) Schuver; dearest greatgrandmother of Maxwell Schuver; beloved daughter of the late Sara and the late Max Marmon; dear sister-in-law, aunt, great-aunt, cousin, and friend to many.

A funeral service was held Friday, April 12 at Temple Emanuel, followed by interment at

Chesed Shel Emeth Cemetery, 650 White Road. Memorial contributions in Lois’ name preferred to Temple Emanuel or the charity of your choice. Please visit bergermemorialchapel.com for more information. Berger Memorial Service

Our beloved BRUCE KOHN passed away peacefully Sunday morning, April 7, 2024 after a long and valiant struggle against cancer.

last day. He died far too soon, but peacefully in his home surrounded by family.

He is survived by Larysa (wife), Austin (son), Vlad (stepson), Joel and Daniel (brothers) and many life-long close friends. There will be a celebration of his life in Tucson, May 5 for close friends and family. Contributions in his name should be directed to the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, AZ or the Tucson Jewish Community Center.

Bruce Rudy Kohn (son of the late Martha and Robert Kohn) was born in St. Louis, Missouri (Sept. 13, 1959). He attended schools in the Clayton school district and then Washington University in St. Louis, graduating with a degree in electrical engineering in 1981. He moved to Tucson, Arizona where he spent the rest of his life. He worked as an environmental engineer in the automotive industry developing auto emission testing systems for entire countries, states and agencies around the world.

Bruce was the very definition of a “Renaissance Man.” A talented musician, he mastered piano, guitar, flute, and trumpet and loved to accompany group singing at parties and events. He was also drawn to auto engineering and in high school, purchased several brokendown cars and completely rebuilt them. A brilliant and talented engineer, his creative and innovative technical solutions were universally admired by colleagues and sought after by clients.

Bruce pursued a bewildering number of passions with an awe-inspiring degree of dedication and focus. While still in high school, he earned his private pilot’s license and flew small aircraft locally and across the country for pleasure and work trips. He especially enjoyed flying friends to the Grand Canyon for camping and backpacking trips. When considering applying to medical school, Bruce took on advanced medical studies and volunteered in local hospitals. He enjoyed motorcycling, riding horses, hiking, running and was meticulous about healthy eating and living.

Bruce found love and true happiness marrying Larsya and becoming a father later in life. He delighted in carefully planning all details of family trips around the world with his wife, young son and stepson. He found true fulfillment as a father and family man.

Even the diagnosis of cancer couldn’t slow him. He was driven to pursue all possible medical therapies until the end and worked solving professional challenges up to nearly his

MARILYN JOY LEVIN, 8/01/1930 – 4/13/2024

Joy Levin, 93, wife of the late Dr. Fred S. Levin for 65 years. Mother of Shelly Levin Rubinstein and Cyndi Levin. Grandmother of Betsy & Dr. Ed Nagel, Lindsay & William Gray and Michael Dicker and wife Jessie. She was so blessed with great-grandchildren Ben & Josh Nagel, Emma Dicker, Eva Gray and Sam & Jack Gray. Sister of Goldee Miller. Aunt and friend to many.

Joy was a loving mother, an active volunteer and a great friend and mentor to many and was loved by all.

In lieu of flowers, you may make a donation to any charity of your choice.

A funeral service was held Tuesday April 16 at Berger Memorial Chapel, followed by interment at Beth Hamedrosh Hagodol Cemetery on 9125 Ladue Rd., St. Louis, MO.

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

JERRI LIVINGSTON, April 3, 2024

Beloved wife of Bill Livingston, mother to Cindy Livingston and David Livingston (Charlie Taylor) died peacefully in her sleep at home on April 3, 2024 at the age of 72.

Born and raised in St. Louis, Jerri graduated from Ladue High School and Washington University. She married Bill in 1975 and moved to Chesterfield where they soon started their family. She was an active volunteer with both children’s schools and extracurricular activities. She spent more than 25 years teaching second grade Religious School at Shaare Emeth, as well tutoring Hebrew students who needed extra support. She served as the President of Shaare Emeth’s Sisterhood, and then became President of Women of Reform Judaism’s Midwest District, and also served on the WRJ national board. Jerri loved connecting with women of all faiths, and was active in the St. Louis interfaith community via Interfaith Partnership and as a leader in the St. Louis Women’s Interfaith Conference for many years.

As a Breast Cancer Survivor, she became an outspoken advocate, educator, and fundraiser. She participated in the Susan G. Komen More than Pink Walk as a volunteer where she worked with corporate teams and was regularly recognized throughout her 20 years of fundraising as one of the top individual fundraisers for the St. Louis walk. Through Haddasah’s Check It Out program, she spoke to women of all ages and backgrounds about breast cancer awareness, many of whom would not have had access to this information otherwise. She was recognized as an Unsung Hero by the St. Louis Jewish Light in 2017 for all her volunteer work throughout the community.

Jerri enjoyed spending time with her family,

and was an adoptive mother, aunt, and grandmother to many. There was always a spot at Rosh Hashanah dinner or the Passover seder table if you needed somewhere to go. She always remembered birthdays, anniversaries, and yahrzeits, and knit dozens of blankets for her family and friends’ new children and grandchildren. Her family and Jewish community were the center of her life, and both will carry her memory.

A funeral service was held Friday, April 5th at Congregation Shaare Emeth, followed by interment at New Mt. Sinai Cemetery. Contributions in Jerri’s memory can be made to the Grossman-Livingston Youth Enrichment fund at Congregation Shaare Emeth, the Susan G. Komen Missouri Chapter, or a charity of your choice. Visit bergermemorialchapel.com for more information and Live Stream link.

Berger Memorial Service

OBITUARIES

JOSEPH RAYMOND SANDER, April 13, 2024

Joseph Raymond Sander was born July 15, 1934 in St Louis, MO to Earl Sander and Sarah Gutenberg Sander. His father died when Joe was 12, and the family struggled financially. He entered the Navy following high school graduation, where he discovered his natural artistic abilities.

Following his discharge, Joe worked at McDonald Corporation, where he illustrated the how-to manuals for the astronauts flying the Mercury and Gemini spaceships. He completed 9 years of night school at Washington University in St Louis, while working and raising a family.

Venturing out on his own, Joe created an advertising agency, Joe Sander Advertising, which he ran for 20 years. After selling the agency, he bought a printing company, Business Cards Tomorrow, that produced over a million cards a week. He sold that company and retired

after 16 years. Joe married his first wife, Charleene Gitel, in 1958, and they raised two children, Steven Sander and Karen Sander. Charleen passed away in 1986, and he married Barbara Zwick Lewin in 1989. After retiring, Joe and Barb followed their dream, and lived and traveled on their boat, the “Never Better” for 5 years. They completed “the Great Loop,” circumnavigating the eastern US and Canada, earning their BaccaLOOPperate Degrees.

buddies, and became an avid nature photographer, especially enjoying the company of a group of like-minded photographers.

After selling the boat, and their house in St Louis, the couple settled into their home in Lakewood Ranch, FL. Joe found some poker

His daughter, Karen, died in 2022, but Joe is survived by his wife of 35 years, Barbara; his sisters, Ruby (the late Jay) Lapin, Jean (the late Bernie Cohen, the late Jack) Fridken, his brother, Leonard (Mae) Sander; his son, Steven, his stepchildren, Cynthia (Alan) Siegel and Bradley (Elizabeth) Lewin; 5 grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews.

There was a private burial, followed by a memorial service and reception at Temple Sinai in Sarasota. The family will sit Shiva at home. Memorial contributions preferred at The Audubon Society or Temple Sinai.

Condolences may be shared at www. rtsfunerals.com

Ken Holtzman: STL native who became a baseball icon dies at 78

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4

Calif., says growing up at the height of her father’s baseball career was definitely out of the ordinary.

“My first seven to eight years of life, at the height of his career, was definitely a whirlwind,” said Schuster, “But I think that being a baseball family and growing up Holtzman, you always understood the value of your teammates, and you always understood that competition was encouraged. And while I think our childhood looked a little different than other people’s, in some ways those core values were always there.”

And growing up in the shadow of Ken Holtzman was also source of pride.

“Huge pride. Yes, so much pride,” remembers Kim Holtzman Sloan, a niece of Ken Holtzman.

As a young employee at the Creve Coeur Jewish Community Center, Sloan remembers that before getting married, her name plate on her work cubicle said “Holtzman.”

“I always tease that every man over the age of 65 who walked by my cubicle would see Holtzman, take like two steps back, and say ‘Kenny Holtzman?’ So it was just one of those things. And growing up,

everyone always knew that we were ‘those Holtzmans.’”

In the late 1990s, Ken Hotzman moved back to St. Louis and began a new career giving back to the local Jewish community. Holtzman worked as the health and physical education supervisor for the J where he coached teams representing St. Louis in the Maccabi games.

Although he served in the National Guard only for a short time, his service was always a source of pride for Holtzman.

“He stayed committed to veterans causes throughout his life, supporting the Jewish War Veterans of America,” said

Schuster. “It was a brief time in his life, but it was definitely something he was proud of.”

Holtzman has also been honored as a member of multiple sports Halls of Fame, including the J’s St. Louis Jewish Sports Hall of Fame, the University City High School Hall of Fame, the St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame, the University of Illinois Athletics Hall of Fame and the Chicagoland Sports Hall of Fame.

Ken Holtzman is survived by his extended family including three daughters and four grandchildren, which includes 8-yearold Owen, a pitcher, of course.

In every generation

We carry on our traditions.

This Passover, as we gather around our Seder tables, we do more than recount the story of liberation from ancient Egypt. We a rm our commitment to the ongoing journey of our people.

In every generation, we ensure the Jewish community remains strong and united.

Learn more at JFedSTL.org.

FEATURES

Celebrating Passover in St. Louis

Families share their unique takes on holiday traditions

BY ELLEN FUTTERMAN & BILL MOTCHAN EDITOR-IN-CHIEF & SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH LIGHT

No doubt when Passover begins at sundown Monday, April 22, thousands of St. Louis Jewish families will be marking the holiday with a seder that evening and possibly the next during the eight-day holiday.

Just as likely as the seder itself is having a unique family tradition (or traditions) that accompany the meal and the retelling of the Biblical story of Exodus — where God free the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. What follows are some of those unique stories from a half-dozen Jewish St. Louisans.

Ding-dong, here comes Elijah

Rabbi Elizabeth Hersh’s father passed away in 2009. She says if she had the opportunity to ask him just one question, it would be: Did you take a sip out of Elijah’s cup at the seder?

“Because every year, wine went into my mother’s etched crystal wine glass. And every year, I sat staring at where the wine hit — like it was at the top of one of the etched leaves, or the middle of a leaf,” said Hersh, senior rabbi at Temple Emanuel. “I spent the majority of the seder staring so I would know exactly where the wine was and that way I would find out if Elijah really came.”

Hersh explained that as the youngest child in her family, she was the one who opened the front door for Elijah. “And I’d get back to the table and the wine would be moving back and forth in the cup. I wish I could have asked my father if he took a sip or knocked the legs of the table because every year I swore I knew exactly where it was. And when I got back to the table, the wine was moving, and I’d lost my surety. Of course, I could never figure it out.”

Hersh said that while she never believed in Santa Claus, or the Easter Bunny, or even the Tooth Fairy, she always believed in Elijah.

“Elijah was my favorite part” of the seder, she added.

No laughing matter

As a child, Carol Cohen says her family was more secular than observant, but they always had a seder at her aunt and uncle’s home with cousins, grandparents and other extended family. As she describes it, “it was a grand, formal affair complete with new outfits for all, fine china, silver, crystal and kitchen ‘help.’”

Cohen, who belongs to Temple Israel, said her uncle led the seder with an “iron fist.” Laughter was strongly discouraged.

“Each year, when it was time to find the afikomen, the kids were getting a little stir crazy and perhaps a bit punch drunk. We called it the ‘Alfred Kohlmann’ (an amalgam of family names) and cracked up hysterically each time one of us said the words,” said Cohen. “My uncle, wanting none of it, would put those who didn’t stop laughing in the corner, facing the wall, until we could contain ourselves. Always a highlight. One year he chose to make us eat a large spoonful of horseradish in lieu of the corner…this included my mother who was always a kid at heart and loved to play games.”

Apparently, the seder shenanigans

didn’t stop there. One year, upon opening the door for Elijah, Cohen’s 15-year-old cousin walked in dressed as the TV detective, Columbo.

“We still talk about that 50-plus years later,” added Cohen.

“Finally, there was the year that one of my brothers, he was about 10 at the time, managed to switch his grape juice for real wine,” she recalled. “When it was time to look for the afikomen, we found him passed out on my aunt and uncle’s bed. His response was that he thought all the bottles were the same. Today, at nearly 64, he still drinks but won’t get near wine, preferring the bourbon of our home state of Kentucky.”

Poor baby

Barb Hoffman, a retired Congregation Shaare Emeth preschool teacher and community educator, is a creative storyteller. According to Barb’s daughter Jenny Hoffman, her mom has a longstanding seder tradition regarding the 10 plagues.

“She has the ‘plagues’ in paper gift bags of different sizes. We each get one,” said Jenny, a licensed social worker who belongs to Shaare Emeth. “There are the fun random frogs, bugs, etc. And then we have the ‘dead baby.’”

The “dead baby,” says Jenny, “is this super creepy old baby doll. My mom drew Xs over both eyes. It is always a great laugh and special treat when you randomly pull the baby out of your bag to represent the killing of the first born. Usually, she saves it for a special guest — someone who hasn’t been to our seder before. It’s an honor to get it.”

As weird and unnerving as the doll is, Jenny Hoffman expects that when the time comes — and hopefully, she says, it’s many, many, many years away – she and her two brothers will likely fight over who gets the dead baby.

Setting the table for discussion

Every year, Naomi Fishman’s family seder holds a thought-provoking discussion. Fishman’s adult children attend the annual event and years ago, she decided to use the occasion to talk about issues in the news and their connection to Judaism. The 2024 Fishman seder will likely include a conversation about Israel and climate change. Last year, they discussed teachings of Rabbi Meir Soloveichik.

“He felt that that Judaism played an important part in American history,” said Fishman, a member of Congregation B’nai Amoona. “For example, he tells the story about the beginning of the country, and that there was a need for a seal for the United States. Either Franklin or Jefferson suggested a seal that was an image of the Jews or Israelites crossing the Red Sea. Neither of the seals were chosen, but he gave that as an example of the closeness between the United States and Judaism. I think we’ve come a long way.”

Fishman doesn’t tell her children and grandchildren the discussion topic ahead of time. She does prepare for the seder topic as carefully as she cooks the food and sets the seder table. Usually, there are about three subjects.

“If I can select three ideas that might make an impression, that’s my goal,” she said.

You don’t need to be Jewish to love a seder

Megan Higgins and her family have held a Passover seder for several years, focused on food and song. The Higgins’ also celebrate Hanukkah. But they are not Jewish. Higgins, a.k.a. “Miss Megan,” has been a music teacher and song leader at Temple Israel for 12 years.

“I have a 7-year-old and a 5-year-old and

See PASSOVER on page 20

Jenny Hoffman

Far left: Rabbi Elizabeth Hersh, senior rabbi at Temple Emanuel

At left: Carol Cohen (also pictured above) and her family hosted as many as 28 people at their seders, including local college students, friends of friends, cousins of cousins and more.

Exploring unique Passover food traditions

BY MARGI LENGA KAHN

SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH LIGHT

Many are surprised to learn that the menus for traditional Passover meals vary widely within the Jewish world.

For example, the traditional Sephardic Passover dishes might include Kodrero con Ajo Fresco (lamb with green garlic), Berenjena (savory eggplant stew), Fish chraime (fish in tomato sauce), Veal Breast Stuffed with Spiced Ground Meat, Apyo (braised celery root), and Tishpishti (orange-flavored nut cake with orange syrup)

By contrast, the traditional Mizrahi Passover dishes might include Tbit (chicken stuffed with rice), Oshi masozgoshak (traditional Bukharian soup), Nargesi (Persian egg pie with spinach and tiny meatballs), and Helwat Al Yaktin (Libyan butternut squash pudding).

But where, you may wonder, are the brisket and the chicken soup with matzah balls and the carrot tzimmes and gefilte fish and potato kugel? That is a question most of us here in America would ask. That’s because these are the traditional Passover dishes of the Ashkenazi Jews, who comprised more than 94% of the 2.8 million Jews who immigrated to the United States between 1870 and 1930.

In keeping with the “questions” on Passover, why are these Ashkenazi dishes so different, and why are they the one that are most familiar? The differences cannot be found in the laws of kashrut, which are integral to all Jewish culinary traditions, whether Sephardic, Mizrahi or Ashkenazi. These dietary laws are written in our religion’s sacred texts and inform Jewish culinary traditions worldwide. However, the cultural and regional differences between these three groups have been crucial to shaping each of their cuisines.

Because Sephardic Jews come from more temperate climates—Spain, Portugal and the Spanish and Portuguese diaspora—their cuisines incorporate a great deal of olive oil and an abundance of fresh vegetables, dried beans, lentils, dried fruits and rice. Lamb, not brisket, is the traditional main dish at a Sephardic Passover seder.

Also on Passover, Sephardic Jews include beans, corn, lentils and rice in their holiday fare. Ashkenazi Jews refer to these items as kitniyot,and classify them as the foods

The following is a recipe for a delicious Passover cake I adapted from my dear friend and cookbook author, Rabbi Robert Sternberg. The recipe, from his book “Yiddish Cuisine,” calls for matzah meal which can be substituted by flour to make an impressive gluten-free option year-round.

INGREDIENTS

6 eggs, separated

1 ¾ c. granulated sugar, divided Juice (a scant ½ c.) and finely grated zest of one large orange

1 lb. carrots, peeled and finely grated in a food processor or a handheld grater

3 c. blanched almonds, ground fine in a food processor or handheld nut-chopper

4 tbsp. matzah meal 1/3 c. golden raisins (optional)

¼ tsp. salt

3 tbsp. orange-flavored liqueur, divided ½ c. orange marmalade or apricot jam Strips of candied orange peel, for garnish (optional)*

DIRECTIONS

1.    Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Oil a 9-inch springform pan and cover the bottom with a circle of parchment paper; oil the paper.

2.    Beat the egg yolks in a mixer with half of the sugar, about 191 g. until frothy. Add orange juice and zest and continue beating until mixture is fluffy.

forbidden on Passover (chametz)- along with wheat, barley and oats, and thus do not include them in their Passover meals. By contrast, Mizrahi Jews are a desert

PASSIONATE PALATE

Margi Lenga Kahn is the mother of five and grandmother of ten. While teaching virtual cooking classes and preparing meals for the local “Meals on Wheels” program, she continues to work on a project to preserve the stories and recipes of heritage cooks. She welcomes your comments and suggestions at margikahn@gmail.com.

cake cool completely in pan.

7.    Use a sharp knife to loosen the sides of the cake from the pan. Release the spring and lift the cake out of the pan and onto a platter.

8.    In a small pan, combine the orange marmalade and the remaining 2 tbsp. of liqueur. Heat mixture to bubbling, stirring just until marmalade is dissolved. Spoon the glaze on the top and sides of the cake; let cool until set. Slice to serve. Makes 8-10 servings.

*Candied Orange Peels

Use a peeler to carefully remove long strips of orange rind from 1 large orange. (Try to avoid the white pith, which will make the strips a bit bitter.) Cut the strips into ¼-inch thin strips; set aside.

3.    Add grated carrots, ground almonds, matzah meal, raisins (if using), salt, and 1 tbsp. orange liqueur. Mix gently until everything is thoroughly combined; set aside.

4.    In a medium bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form. While beating, gradually add the remaining half of the sugar (about 191 grams) until stiff peaks form.

5.    Using a spatula, gently fold the eggwhite mixture into the cake batter in 3 parts. Fold until all the egg white disappears.

6.    Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and set pan onto a baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven for 55-65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Place the cake pan on a cooking rack- let

Fill a small pan a quarter of the way up with water; add the strips and bring to a boil; boil for 2 minutes. Drain the strips in a colander and repeat the process 2 more times.

Bring 1½ c. water and 1½ c. granulated sugar to a boil; add drained orange strips. Reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until the peels are tender.

Drain peels in a colander. Place ½ c. granulated sugar in a small bowl and toss strips, a few at a time, in the sugar. Place the coated orange strips on a sheet of wax paper and let dry for an hour or two at room temperature.

Once dried, the strips can be frozen in a ziplock bag for a couple of months. They make a lovely garnish for cakes, cupcakes, and even savory dishes!

people from Iran (Persia), Lebanon, Israel (Palestine), Syria and countries in North Africa such as Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria. Their cuisine includes a large variety of fresh and dried fruits and vegetables, bulgur (cracked wheat) and couscous. Additionally, the food of Mizrahi Jews incorporates a variety of spices, including cinnamon, cassia, cardamom, ginger, pepper, nutmeg, star anise, clove and turmeric, many of which were traded along the Silk Road through Persia. The main dish for a Passover seder would more likely be lamb or veal, and the matzos round rather than square. Mizrahi Jews also include kitniyot during Passover. Ashkenazi Jews are from Central and Eastern Europe, and it is their culinary traditions that are most prevalent in America. The Ashkenazi diet was based

MORE PASSOVER RECIPES ONLINE

View Margi’s recipe for Brisket with Portobello Mushrooms and Dried Cranberries and other Passover favorites

Visit stljewishlight.org/passover

on root vegetables, such as potatoes, turnips, beets, and carrots and grains such as barley and rye. All these crops could grow under less than favorable weather conditions and be stored throughout the long winter months in Eastern Europe.

Poultry was expensive and generally saved for special holidays or for the Sabbath meal each week. Tough cuts of meat such as brisket or flanken were most

PHOTO: MICHAEL KAHN

May the happiness you share this Passover remain all through the year.

Stopping unsolicited advice in its tracks

BY AMY FENSTER BROWN

Recently I read an article about home organization. The expert suggested vacuuming in natural light to really be able to see dirt and debris, so you won’t have to go back and do touch ups. Until that moment, I had no idea going back and doing touch ups was even an option. Now we readers are stuck feeling bad about our housekeeping abilities because the expert, who we no longer like, sparked the idea that our vacuuming skills are not up to snuff.

This is also a great time to consider throwing money at the problem and hiring a cleaning service.

Look, I can’t be a stunning beauty and a stunning housekeeper. Pick One. It’s either me or the house. We can’t both look good at the same time.

Since this was in a magazine, I can just put it down or throw it away (in the recycle bin, of course) and not read anymore advice from that horribly rude expert. But what about when people say these things to your face? We’ve all gotten unsolicited advice that leaves us a little shocked, not able to respond quickly or quick-wittedly enough, and usually biting our tongues to

be polite.

Well no more Mr. Nice Guy for this lady! If they want to tell us things that aren’t their beeswax, we should be able to respond the way we want to – honestly and unfiltered.

You know who is the worst in this area? Moms who have given birth. The worst. Pregnant women are literally growing the future of the world in their adorable bellies, and they also have to deal with the mouthy moms who labored before them. If you’ve ever carried the fruit of your loins in your loins, you know what I’m talking about. Everyone has a story for you about their pregnancy and how it was the worst, or their delivery was so painful, or their recovery was so awful. Worse are the stories of complications that really shouldn’t be shared with an expecting mother unless she asks. This is scary for the sweet Mommy-to-be. If you are the pregnant one, just remember, the mom made it through, the baby made it out, and you are going to be fine. You might not get to shower or eat every day, but you’ll be fine. When people give you unsolicited advice you should ask them for a gift receipt so you can return it and get something you

actually want. I also wish I could send an invoice to people who waste my time, because I really do deserve compensation for those billable hours.

Sometimes you need to stop the advice giver in their tracks. If you’re bored or need to escape their wordy wrath, ask them “Paper or plastic?” When they ask what you mean tell them “I’m checking out of this conversation.” That might work.

You know what else we could do? We could use reverse reverse psychology. With reverse psychology we try to get what we want by acting like we don’t want it. But with reverse reverse psychology we

Columnist

Fenster Brown is married to Jeff and has two teenage sons, Davis and Leo. She volunteers for several Jewish not-for-profit groups. Fenster Brown is an Emmy Award-winning TV news writer and counts time with family and friends, talking and eating peanut butter among her hobbies.

just say what we want right off the bat, unapologetically, without using tactics or manipulation. This is exactly the same as being forthcoming and honest, but since it has the fancy name of reverse reverse psychology it seems more like you’re using a tool in the toolbox your therapist helped you curate, which makes you feel like you really got your money’s worth from all of those sessions.

Side note – I would be a terrible therapist. Interrupting is my worst habit, especially when I have a joke that I think is so funny it would be a crime not to share it, and it’s probably super annoying for the person trying to talk, well, uninterrupted. Also, when the client would say something like “I’m filled with shame” I would say “Oh, me, too,” which I doubt would be helpful at all.

If you’ve learned anything here, it’s that you are allowed to stop someone giving you unsolicited advice. If you can’t come up with a comeback fast enough you can always respond with your own unsolicited advice right back to them by saying, “Ask your doctor if minding your own beeswax is right for you.”

Passover: St. Louis families share their holiday traditions

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 17

they basically were born here in this community and went to preschool here for nine years,” said Higgins, 43. “For us being in the community and learning about our friends here and what they celebrated has been an amazing journey for us. Once I started learning about all the holidays, we really embraced that for our family.

“We base the meal off of one of our favorite songs that we sing here about all the kinds of foods that you eat for the Passover, so we had matzah and we had gefilte fish,” she said. “My husband actually made homemade gefilte fish, which was really fun. And we have matzah ball soup, horseradish, and charoset —the six foods highlighted in the song.”

Higgins, who was raised Catholic, said there are a number of similarities between Catholicism and Judaism. She believes her Passover seder is a good way of introducing other faiths and customs to her children and teaching them respect and compassion for others.

“Truth be told, my daughter told her first-grade teacher this year that she was Jewish because we celebrate Jewish holidays as well as some of the Christian holidays, too,” added Higgins.

A plate that feeds connections

Marilen Pitler has a seder plate that holds great meaning. Every Passover, she looks at the plate and thinks about the many happy years she spent with her late husband Jordan. The plate was a gift to the Pitlers from friends at Temple Chai in Buffalo Grove, Ill., when they moved to St. Louis.

“It’s a Spode China seder plate,” said Pitler, 80. “I’ve had it for 42 years. It has always been a treasure in our household. We were founding members of Temple Chai and part of a chavurah. We had a large group of friends who gave it to us. I also still have a book with the names of

the members of that group. it has memories—the memory is associated with that that group of people.”

Pitler, a member of United Hebrew Congregation, doesn’t use her special plate for seders, but it holds a special place in her heart because of the memories it evokes.

Amy

At left: Megan Higgins, aka Miss Megan, leading her charges at Temple Israel.

Above, Marilen Pitler holds her special seder plate.

Learn from an insider about what the Kranzberg Arts Foundation has to offer

BY NANCY KRANZBERG

While the Kranzberg Arts Foundation (KAF) has programs for all the art disciplines, I’d like to focus on the visual and literary arts.

We have four art galleries as well as the outdoor “Walls Off Washington,” which feature over 25 thought provoking murals by renowned local, national and international artists. The murals are painted on (and off) walls between Josephine Baker Boulevard to N. Leonard Avenue and Locust Street to Samuel Shepard Boulevard.

Just a few of the mural artists represented are Lady Pink, Derrick Adams, Liz Marcus, Jose Luis Vargas and our own Maxi Glamour and Cbabi Bayoc.

The Kranzberg Arts Foundation visual arts program showcases outstanding, relevant works from a diverse range of artists in the St. Louis community. In collaboration with area non-profits, artists and educators, KAF challenges established concepts of what art is and does and engages the community in new and meaningful ways. This spirit of innovation,

experimentation and community make KAF a premier attraction in the Midwest.

The Kranzberg Art Gallery at the Kranzberg Art Center features a wide range of artists both on the local as well as the national level. Ken Konchel, a local but nationally known photographer, says about his most recent exhibition, “In Place of Context,” architecture is not a dismissible backdrop to our daily lives — it’s a dynamic force that shapes our society, connects our past and defines our relationships.” He wants us to look at the shape, line, pattern tone and texture of portions of buildings that he photographs.

The Dark Room, located within the Grandel on Grandel Square in Grand Center, is a contemporary art space dedicated to exhibiting dynamic bodies of works by emerging and mid-career photographers in St. Louis. It’s an intimate space where live music, wine and food merges with the works of art.

The Gallery at the High Low Literary Center is nestled within the High Low behind Blueprint Coffee. Its works spill out onto the walls of the coffee shop and

sometimes the center’s reading room features works of local artists. Melody Evans’ playful and colorful ceramic pieces were recently featured.

And there’s Sophie’s Artist Lounge, the “hippest” music room and gallery where art works are displayed within the lounge and in the long gallery adjacent to it. A large work by internationally recognized artist Katherine Bernhardt graces the wall. A recent exhibit showcased a retrospective by St. Louis’ own DL Warfield, also an internationally known artist, who I knew from his well-known record covers that he designed and created for great hip hop and rock-and-roll recordings.

The Kranzberg Arts Foundation also has an artist-in-residence program, which includes visual artists as well as artists in other disciplines. Each artist brings a unique hue to the vibrant tapestry of our local art scene, weaving together narratives that resonate deeply within our community.

The literary arts are well-represented at the High Low Cafe and Listening Room. A collaboration between KAF and the St. Louis Public Library is the High Noon

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.

Series, a free opportunity every Thursday at noon to learn from local thought leaders and artistic talent in the greater St. Louis area. This multi-disciplinary series, which takes place at the High Low in Grand Center or the Florissant Valley Branch of the library (check out which location at the KAF calendar at kranzbergartsfoundation.org/calendar) addresses cultural and artistic work in film, sculpture, photography, painting, architecture, public art, poetry, fiction, drama and various music presentations.

And I want to emphasize that there are many artists talks, readings and art tours of Walls Off Washington going on at various times. Check the KAF calendar or call 314-533-0367.

I am so proud of being exposed to what St. Louis has to offer in the visual and literary arts. The Kranzberg Arts Foundation is just the tip of the iceberg of what we have in our fabulous, art-filled town.

Margi Lenga Kahn: Exploring unique Passover food traditions

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 18

popular. Though they required long cooking time to become tender, they were less expensive and somewhat more affordable for poorer families trying to prepare a Passover meal.

Indeed, the poverty of most Ashkenazi Jews can be seen in many of their traditional dishes. Liver, tongue and other organ meats, which were also deemed inferior by wealthier gentiles, found their way onto the dinner tables of the Ashkenazi Jews, who also pickled root vegetables such as beets and turnips, and meats such as brisket, tongue and herring.

Goose and chicken livers were cooked and chopped with caramelized onions, hardboiled eggs, and schmaltz (rendered chicken or goose fat) to create gehakte leber, the iconic chopped liver. They also used intestines to create kishke, a savory sausage-like filled delicacy stuffed with flour, onions and spices, although on Passover matzah meal took the place of flour. Truly a people living under a strict budget.

Most Ashkenazi immigrants settled in New York City, others in east coast cities and cities in the Midwest such as Minneapolis, Cincinnati and St. Louis, and in the South.

From 1870 on, the popularity of Ashkenazi cuisine began to rise in New York City and gradually throughout the Midwest and South. Early on, the new immigrants would sell their knishes, bagels, pickled herring, and sausages from street carts. Today, so much of Ashkenazi food has become popular in both Jewish and gentile circles. Examples of these Ashkenazi foods that have gone mainstream include bagels, rugelach, babka, matzah ball soup and even our Passover brisket.

As is the case with any immigrants who adapt their cuisine to their new homes, so did the Ashkenazi Jewish immigrants. While honoring the laws of kashrut, they adapted their recipes to incorporate local ingredients and new methods of preparation, making today’s Passover dishes feel more American than what their ancestors once served back in Eastern Europe.

As an example, I am including a fabu-

lous recipe for a Passover brisket by a friend of mine, Linda Barter, senior sales consultant for Food for Thought. She has been making this same brisket for more than a decade, and our family has been

enjoying it as guests at their seders for the past three years. Portobello mushrooms, cranberries and fresh rosemary are Linda’s additions to this Ashkenazi traditional Passover brisket.

Berger Memorial Chapel wishes you and your loved ones the most joyous of Passovers. May happiness, peace and prosperity be with you this spring and the whole year through. 314-361-0622

OPINIONS

D’VAR TORAH: PARASHAT METZORA

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

Detective story: This shall be the teaching of the Metzora

BY RABBI JAMES STONE GOODMAN CENTRAL REFORM CONGREGATION

He was accustomed to the close reading of texts, but on that day he sat with eyes that had never seen before and watched words on the page before him grow legs and dance, legs became wings, and words flew off the page like pigeons off of cobblestones.

On that day, he sat in his fifth floor walkup where he lived and worked and read from the book of Leviticus. He read the clue words: zot tih’ye torat ha-metzora, this shall be the teaching of the Metzora, and he stopped. Words were clues, he a word detective.

The words began to change for him.

They grew legs and scampered over one another like mice. Then the words separated like mitosis and he read: ha-motzei ra instead of ha-metzora, he read “revealer of evil” instead of “the metzora” and he got no further that day than this one singularly devastating clue: the one word that had become two.

He searched his experience of the world but found nothing that resonated like the evil for which he felt he had been called to reveal.

He had trained himself to turn the world upside down by standing on his head. It was his business. Because he was willing to turn himself inside out or stand on his head if he had to, the detective often

Retracing my family’s painful history at the Paris Shoah Memorial

BY STACEY NEWMAN

Among all the other reasons one goes to Paris on holiday, I had one primary mission during my long-planned bucket-list trip there last month with my daughter.

I was compelled to visit the Wall of Names at the Shoah Memorial, in the old Jewish quarter of Marais, to say a prayer in person for 11-year-old Rosi, murdered at Auschwitz in 1944.

Rosi was the niece of Oma Sophie, my daughter’s great-grandmother and namesake. By sheer luck, Oma Sophie and her four children fled Nazi Germany and made it safely to St. Louis in 1938. One of her nine sisters survived World War II by being hidden underground by a spouse; the rest made it to France, where it was believed to be a safe haven for Jews during Hitler’s rule.

It was not to be. Eight of Oma Sophie’s sisters and their families perished.

Young Rosi, along with her sister Ilse and parents, became casualties after the Nazis invaded France in 1940. All we knew is that they were taken, died at a concentration camp and Rosi’s name somehow made it on the Paris Holocaust museum’s Wall of Names.

After the last year’s Israeli massacre, all I could think of was the torture and fear little Rosi endured at the hands of the Nazis. A terror unimaginable to most of us now but hauntingly revisited this past Oct. 7th. How could a child be brutally taken and murdered, just because she was Jewish? How could hate against Jews be that horrendous?

My daughter and I entered the museum and were immediately directed to a computer terminal to look up our family. We didn’t plan to stay long and were anxious

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

to just find Rosi’s name. An attendant immediately helped us navigate the language barrier and asked if we wanted to know more about Rosi’s family. She pulled up each of their names and said we could find out more on the fourth floor.

Without hesitation, my daughter looked at me and insisted we go up.

Upstairs, the archivist began pulling up document after document and translating the French and German for us. Through meticulous records kept of French Jews by the Nazis, Rosi’s story came alive. We were given a photograph of a little girl, with a huge smile and a cocky bow in her hair. We couldn’t help but get teary-eyed.

The most heart wrenching story though was of her 18-year- old sister, Ilse. Deemed able-bodied with a skill as a couturier, Ilse was taken from her family and sent to another camp to work. We were given copies of her arrest records with her Nazi identification number and a prewar photo of a smartly dressed young confident woman. On Feb. 3, 1944, Ilse was deported alone to Darcy, France, an internment camp outside Paris and then to Bergen-Belsen concentration camp.

See

cracked clues which left the guild detectives bewildered. There were no simple answers; the answer can’t be right if it’s simple, he used to say.

In the great tradition of kabbalists and saxophonists who play jazz, the detective was attentive to the bustling textural and tonal variety beneath surfaces. It was the rhythms and tones lurking beneath the obvious he heard.

He spoke the clue-words of the Psalmist: Save me, O God, for the waters are come into my soul (Psalm 69:2). At that moment, the right arm of God was extended, and the detective found the courage to take hold of it.

He was pulled out from a well, from his death-wrestle with all that is fragmented,

Rabbi

serves Central Reform Congregation and is a past president of the St. Louis Rabbinical and Cantorial Association, which coordinates the d’var Torah for the Light.

disintegrating, chaotic, death-dealing. He found purpose and hope.

Whenever the detective felt that way, he prayed.

He often prayed alone in his office. He began to recite the prayers. He felt the terrible weight of his summons being released, and by the time he reached the Kedushah, he was filled with an over-

See

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

JCRC thanks interim director

Thank you for publishing the article “JCRC names new Executive Director.” We are excited that Rabbi Scott Shafrin has taken the helm of the organization at this most challenging time. During the past 3½ months, Cheryl Adelstein came out of retirement to serve as interim executive director and will stay with JCRC for the next several months to assist in the leadership transition. The board and staff were thrilled that Cheryl accepted the offer to serve as interim director. She has led us through this period of uncertainty with strong guidance, empathy and a deep knowledge of our mission. On behalf of all of us, we thank her for her devotion to the JCRC.

Joel Iskiwitch Chair, Jewish Community Relations Council of St. Louis

‘Words, and their spelling, matter’

I’m writing regarding your use of the term spelling “handicap” in your article on AI (April 3 edition, “Columnist lets AI have a crack at News & Schmooze”). Especially given that the article discusses the rules of grammar and punctuation, I have to question your word choice to describe your spelling skills. The origin of the term handicap is “hand-in-cap” which refers to an old English trading game which involved players placing money into a cap. While the term has taken on various meanings over the years, it is now commonly considered offensive to people with disabilities and has been replaced by other words depending on the context. For example,

handicapped parking spots are typically referred to as accessible parking spots. Poor spelling abilities could be a learning disability, but I don’t believe that is what you were trying to suggest. Words, and their spelling, matter.

Joyce Opinsky Chesterfield

Support for rabbi’s commentary

I would like to express my appreciation to Rabbi Ze’ev Smason for his heroic and powerful defense of life (April 3 commentary, “Choose life: Jewish law forbids abortion except to save the mother”). Although it may not be a popular position in 21st-century America, it is totally consistent with time-honored, authentic Jewish values dating back over 3,000 years.

Michael S. Alter Chesterfield

I write in response to the abortion debate between Rabbi Ze’ev Smason (“Choose life…”) and Rabbi Susan Talve (“Pikuach Nefesh…”) in the April 3 edition of the Jewish Light

Rabbi Smason makes the point that integral to Judaism is the idea that all human life has value because we have a Godly soul. Into this category would fall, assumedly, people with special needs, abandoned children, those injured or with medical conditions that result in paralysis or comas and anyone feeling their life is worthless, in addition to a human fetus. At the same time, he is clear that in cases of danger to the mother, saving the mother’s life takes precedence over that fetus, perhaps as a form

James Stone Goodman

OPINIONS

Total eclipse: The lantern of the king

When you sit down at the table of royalty, remember there is no higher calling than service

BY RABBI YONASON GOLDSON

“What causes an eclipse to occur?”

That was the question posed by the sages over 1,500 years ago. Considering their familiarity with astronomical phenomena, it’s likely that the sages understood the moon’s passing before the sun perfectly well. If so, their question was not about the motion of heavenly spheres but rather the theological significance of the sun’s lost light.

In that context, we can better evaluate what the sages meant when they answered their own question with the following parable:

A king invited his servants to a feast and placed a lantern before them to illuminate the banquet hall. Subsequently, the king grew angry at his servants’ misbehavior and commanded one servant to remove the lantern from the table.

It was 9 a.m. on April 8 when my wife and I set out from St. Louis for a two-hour drive to see the total eclipse of the sun. The drive took 4½-hours, and highway gridlock forced us to hastily revise our itinerary. We gave up on Burfordville, opting for an alternate route that brought us to an ideal viewing ground outside of Fredericktown with half an hour to spare.

It takes the better part of an hour from when the moon begins eclipsing the sun before the lack of sunlight becomes noticeable. Even when the sun receded into a crescent through our filtered glasses, we didn’t notice our surroundings getting any darker.

What does it tell us that losing 80% of

our sunlight doesn’t seem to make a difference in how well we see? That’s a question worth pondering.

But in those final moments before the sun disappears behind the moon, the texture of the landscape begins to change, similar to but different from twilight. Colors become muted, and the sounds of night fill in the quiet of darkness.

And then there’s totality. The corona erupts like a spectral halo from behind the black disc of the invisible moon. Absolute darkness is broken only by the light of false dawn hovering at the edge of the horizon.

No photography or video can do it justice. Like the Grand Canyon, Niagara Falls and (I imagine) the aurora borealis, it has to be experienced. If you missed it this time, book your trip now for southern Spain in August 2026 so you don’t miss the next one.

But what message does the solar eclipse communicate to us, and how is it expressed through the allegory of the king’s lantern?

In the same way that good parents and teachers remain alert for reasons to reward their children and students respectively, enlightened leaders look for oppor-

tunities to honor and reward their people. Nothing energizes and motivates more than the sincere demonstration that diligence and commitment to excellence are appreciated. Nothing earns loyalty and respect more than the unclouded perception that leadership values the rank and file as partners and collaborators. That being said, expressions of recognition are not the real rewards of service. Neither is the paycheck. The true reward

of a job well done is the satisfaction it brings, the joy of achieving excellence, and the fulfillment that comes from being a positive contributor to something greater than oneself.

Gestures of appreciation are perks, concessions to our lesser angels that demand visceral and superficial gratification to keep the id and the ego in check. On the one hand, they are necessary, as is a paycheck. We need to feel our efforts recognized by others, even when we recognize the value of our own efforts ourselves, just as we need an honest wage for an honest day’s labor. But on the other hand, we too easily confuse the real and enduring rewards of good work with the transient baubles that delight our baser selves and distract us from our higher purpose.

Why does the king in the parable become angry with his servants? Because they have lost themselves in their revelry and forgotten the service it comes to reward. Realizing that his gift is undermining the very purpose for which it was given, the king orders his servant to remove the lantern, as if to say:

Rabbi Yonason Goldson is Executive Vice President of the Missouri Chapter of the Coalition for Jewish Values and host of the weekly podcast Grappling with the Gray. His latest book is “The Spiral of Time: Discovering New Insights and Inspiration in the Jewish Calendar.” Read more of Goldson’s commentaries on his blog, at www. ethicsninja.com.

“Clearly, you have lost your sense of self amidst too much celebration. Here is a job that will force you to return to your senses. Although you cannot appreciate my reward without forgetting the reason it was given, I still won’t deprive you of it. But I will conceal it beneath a layer of darkness that will make it more challenging for you to benefit from it. By doing so, perhaps you will recover your focus and remember why I gave it to you in the first place.”

In a world filled with bright shiny playthings, a few moments of darkness reminds us that we have to look with more discernment to discover real value, that we have to protect ourselves against temporal distractions, and that we need to constantly remind ourselves to appreciate the real gifts that we so often disregard even when they are right before our eyes.

A Tweedledee-Tweedledum election would be a relief

BY MARTY ROCHESTER

I have been writing an op-ed every month or so in the St. Louis Jewish Light for more than a decade. That’s a lot of commentaries. Not surprisingly, I have elicited both negative and positive letters to the editor. Given my conservative bent and the predominantly liberal readership of the Light, I probably have gotten more critical replies than supportive ones.

No matter. I have enjoyed the opportunity to share my views and have appreciated the Light editorial team’s willingness to publish them as well as its commitment to true diversity of ideas.

My first op-ed was “Reform parents learn to adapt after son embraces Orthodox Judaism,” about my son’s becoming a Lubavitcher. I noted that I had my 15 seconds of celebrity when my photo appeared in a 2007 USA Today newspaper opposite Beyoncé, Sting and Kanye West. It so happens the paper ran a story on “Children Get Holier Than Thou” and showed me with my son on a page adjoining an article on the famous singers.

Since that commentary, I have written op-eds on almost every subject imaginable: K-12 and higher education, crime, local and national politics, culture, media, religion, race, foreign policy and varied other topics.

I have reached the point where I have almost exhausted my inventory of ideas to write about without repeating myself. However, there is always some issue that triggers a concern of mine that I have not fully explored.

This month, it is the truly insane nature of contemporary American politics. Yes, I have written before about the “insanity” of our culture and politics. But it is fair to say this has reached new levels.

As a political scientist, I should not be shocked by anything that happens in the world of politics. However, what we are witnessing today, particularly in the presidential contest between Joe Biden and Donald Trump, is unprecedented: not merely a choice between two octogenarians, but two of the least popular candidates ever, both of whom have been incumbents. I am not aware of a more bizarre election in U.S. history.

In my Dec. 26, 2018, column, I wrote: “In the past, there has been frequent criticism of our two-party system typically offering little choice, with the Democrats and Republicans often resembling Tweedledee and Tweedledum [e.g., Bill Clinton and Bob Dole in 1996].” Today, few would characterize the two leading candidates in that way, with Trump catering to his MAGA base and Biden having moved much further left

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.

compared with his previous positions.

The problem we have is not lack of choice, but rather extreme choices.

As one writer states (Joel Achenbach, Washington Post, Jan. 20): “This country, though politically fractious since its founding, is more polarized than ever, the rhetoric more inflammatory, the rage more likely to curdle into hate. It’s ugly out there.”

Interestingly, though, the polarization seems less grounded in policy differences among the public than in frayed relationships.

“It’s polarization that’s based on feelings for each other, not based on extremely divergent policy preferences,” Achenbach writes.

Indeed, on most issues — crime, homelessness, gay rights, immigration, abortion, foreign policy and others – a major-

ity of Americans hover around the middle and are amenable to compromise. See the public opinion survey data collected by the Quinnipiac University poll reported in “Nearly Half of Voters Would Consider a Third-Party Candidate in 2024,” July 19, 2023.

Notwithstanding the seeming openness to compromise expressed by a wide segment of the American public, Achenbach writes that “recent survey data revealed that more than half of Republicans and Democrats view the other party as ‘a threat’ [and even] ‘evil.’”

Whether this is due to the divisive nature of social media or our primary system of electoral politics catering in the nominating process to ideologically extreme minority partisans, or other factors, we are at an unfortunate moment in our political life.

Can we somehow restore the “Tweedledee-Tweedledum” nature of American politics? It would surely be an improvement on the current situation.

One last thought: In my June 10, 2015, column, when I discussed the 2016 contest between Hillary Clinton and Trump, I wrote: “The country seems ready for a woman in the White House, not as first lady but as Madam President.” Did someone say Nikki Haley?

Darkness falls during the total solar eclipse, seen from outside of Fredericktown, Mo. PHOTO COURTESY RABBI YONASON GOLDSON

CHAI LIGHTS

YOUR CALENDAR OF ST. LOUIS JEWISH COMMUNITY EVENTS

Editor’s note: All Mirowitz Center events are free unless otherwise noted. To register for a Mirowitz Center event, visit http://bit.ly/ Mirowitz-registration, call 314-733-9813 or email info@mirowitzcenter.org.

THURSDAY | APRIL 18

‘Passover Project’ musical seder to benefit Jewish Light

Tickets are now on sale for “The Passover Project: A Musical Seder,” at the City Winery St. Louis, 3730 Foundry Way, at 7:30 p.m. (doors at 6). Attendees can expect a family-friendly, but decidedly grown-up seder, with music, readings, poetry, audience interaction and some Passover teachings connected throughout. Talent includes the Brothers Lazaroff, Rabbi James Stone Goodman, Peter Martin, Rob Koritz, Joey Ferber, Anita Jackson and more. For tickets and more info, visit bit.ly/Passover-Project

FRIDAY | APRIL 19

Big Muddy Dance 2024

The Big Muddy Dance Company returns to the Mirowitz Center for a free performance from 1-2 p.m. RSVPs are required.

SUNDAY | APRIL 21

Jewish War Veterans meeting

Jewish War Veterans Post 644 will meet in the Kaplan-Feldman Holocaust Museum at 10 a.m. on the third Sunday of each month (unless otherwise indicated). A Zoom option will be available for those not able to attend in person. For more information and the Zoom link contact Post 644 Commander Ellis Frohman at 636-519-7512 (leave a message if no one answers).

Holocaust Museum program to commemorate 30th anniversary of 1994 genocide in Rwanda

See related news brief on page 7.

TUESDAY | APRIL 23

‘The Week in Review’

Moderated by Harvey Gerstein and Marilyn Alton from 10-11 a.m., “The Week in Review” is a forum for thoughtful discussion about the most pressing news stories of the week. No cost to register, but RSVP is required. Provided by FEL (Friends Enjoying Life), the Mirowitz Center men’s organization.

Mind Matters at Mirowitz Center

This free, monthly group, which meets the fourth Tuesday at the Mirowitz Center, is led by licensed social worker Sharon Elliott,

trained facilitators with Provident Behavioral Health and provides a welcoming space to share experiences, feelings and thoughts with other adults who are also facing the challenges of aging. No cost to register, but RSVP is required. Supported by a grant from the Women’s Auxiliary Foundation for Jewish Aged.

WEDNESDAY

| APRIL 24

Intro to sleep technologies

Trainer Daniel Landsbaum reviews different devices and wearable technologies that track sleep patterns, monitor sleep disorders, and may even improve your sleep in this free class from noon to 1 p.m. No cost to register, but RSVP is required. Don’t wait, class size is limited!

Q&A about hearing loss

Are you able to hear as well as you used to? Or do you sometimes struggle to follow normal conversations? Come meet with Washington University Audiology graduate students and audiologists, who will be at the Mirowitz Center from 1-3 p.m. to answer your queries one-on-one. In addition, you can register for a special screening to help evaluate possible hearing loss. Snacks and light refreshments will be provided. No cost to register, but RSVP is required.

The rabbi is in

On the fourth Wednesday of every month, from 3-4 p.m., join Rabbi Neal Rose, chaplain for Jewish Family Services (JFS), for a monthly discussion with a Jewish theme at the Mirowitz Center. No cost to register, but RSVP is required. Program is co-sponsored by JFS of St. Louis.

THURSDAY | APRIL 25

Presidential legacies: Gerald and Betty Ford

Big Muddy Dance Co. returns to the Mirowitz Center for a performance April 19.

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.

SATURDAY | APRIL 27

Spring Prayer Lab services

At 10:45 a.m., join Rabbi Andrea Goldstein, Lucy Greenbaum and the Prayer Lab musicians for the Jewish Mindfulness Center of St. Louis’ monthly non-traditional Shabbat service combining poetry, participatory music, interactive teachings and time set aside for meditation and personal reflection. All are welcome. For more information or to register, call 314-569-0010 or email Stacy Jespersen at sjespersen@sestl.org

SUNDAY | APRIL 28

KoREH Open House

From 11-noon at the Mirowitz Center, learn more about Jerry Ford – who became President in 1974 when Richard Nixon resigned after the Watergate scandal – and the irrepressible First Lady Betty Ford, who once famously said that “being ladylike does not require silence.” Presented by Richard Weld, education specialist at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum. Attend all sessions of this three-part program, or just one (prior attendance is not required). No cost to register, but RSVP is required.

FRIDAY | APRIL 26

Finding Freedom – A Passover mindful movement class

During Passover, we recall our redemption from Mitzrayim, literally the “narrow place.” In this class, from 10-11 a.m., we will focus on opening and releasing those tight places in our bodies to help us recall the feeling of freedom. For more information or to register, call 314-569-0010 or email Stacy Jespersen at sjespersen@sestl.org

STARTING | APRIL 26

Six-part series: Guiding & writing autobiographies

Writing an autobiography is a great way to memorialize thoughts and emotions as well as your experiences. Maxine Mirowitz, registered yoga teacher and leader of the Storywriter’s Guild, helps provide six weeks of guidance and inspiration as you write your personal narrative from noon to 1 p.m. at the Mirowitz Center. No cost to register, but RSVP is required. This program supported by a grant from the Women’s Auxiliary Foundation for Jewish Aged. Sessions take place April 26, May 3, 10, 17, 24, 31.

From 9-10:20 a.m., learn more about KoREH (Kol Rinah Education Hub, the religious school at Kol Rinah). Join for Havdalah and then children can participate in classroom activities. Meet KoREH Director Cindy Kalachek along with other parents to hear about the programs that happen on Sundays. RSVPs are encouraged so organizers can plan accordingly. For more information, email cindy@kolrinahstl.org.

Family chocolate seder at Temple Israel

Imagine a Passover seder at Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory — now gather the kids, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and friends and join Temple Israel for a short family-oriented seder led by the congregation’s rabbis. Enjoy an array of chocolates and fresh fruit that represent classic seder plate foods as guests run through a condensed version of the Haggadah, from 10:30-11:30 a.m. The cost is $18 per household. RSVP for chocolate seder is required by April 24 at: www.ti-stl.org/Passover

THURSDAY | MAY 2

NHBZ Israeli wine tasting event

Join Dan Sigel, an Israeli wine expert, at 7 p.m. to learn about and taste the special wines of Israel at this Nusach Hari B’nai Zion fun and informative event. Sample Israeli hors d’oeuvres catered by Byte STL catering and buy raffle tickets for a chance to win an Israeli gift basket. All food is under the supervision of Rabbi Chaim Bogopulsky. RSVP by April 25th to office@nhbz.org. For more information call 314-991-2100, ext. 2.

MONDAY | MAY 6

Rabbi Jeffrey Gale to discuss new book at U.City Library

See related news brief on page 6.

Stacey Newman: Retracing painful family history at Paris memorial

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 22

She died in June 1945, not long after the camp had been liberated by the British. All because she was a Jew. We were overwhelmed by the number of records on file. Our eyes welled up again, learning that Rosi was remembered by more than just us, just 20 years ago by her father’s cousin and a former French classmate, both seeking any information they could find about her.

How is it that the world has learned nothing since 1945?

How could it be that in 2023, 1,200 Israelis were brutally

tortured and murdered, just because they were Jews?

How could antisemitism be exploding at unheard of rates, especially in the United States, these past six months?

How could “death to the Jews” signs be displayed on the streets of Clayton 80 years after the Holocaust, just days after Oct. 7th?

As we stared at the photographs of cousins who should have been a vital part of our close-knit family, we were struck by the dedication of the museum’s young archivists — helping connect missing pieces of families, all taken and killed just because they were Jews. I thought of my

baby grandson back home and how could we ever explain these horrors of his family.

With a fat packet to take with us, we were given a tall memorial candle with matches and directed outside. We traced Rosi and Ilse’s names with our fingers, as well as their parents, on the huge Wall of Names, said a prayer and watched the candle flicker for a minute at the base of the wall.

Then we wiped the tears from our cheeks, composed ourselves and headed back out to the cobblestone streets, seeking much needed sunshine.

SIMCHAS

BIRTHS ENGAGEMENTS WEDDINGS MITZVOT

SUBMIT YOUR SIMCHA ANNOUNCEMENT FOR FREE!

BAR MITZVAH: JOSH THOMADSEN

Josh Thomadsen, son of Jillian and Raphael Thomadsen of Olivette, became a bar mitzvah on March 30, 2024.

Josh is the grandson of Nancy Thomadsen of Chicago; Bruce Thomadsen and Louise Goldstein of Madison, Wis.; Tina and Chris Lynch of Baltimore; and Joseph Adler and Judy Sachwald of Baltimore.

Josh has twin brothers, Andrew and Ryan, who are 16 years old.

A seventh-grade student at Ladue Middle School, Josh plays soccer and baseball, and also participates in chess tournaments. For his mitzvah project, Josh packed bags and delivered items at the Harvey Kornblum Jewish Food Pantry. He is active in Boy Scouts and hopes to eventually earn his Eagle Scout.

BIRTH ANNOUNCEMENT:

LACIE BROOKE DESLOGE

Cassie Okenka and Rick Desloge of Brooklyn, N.Y., would like to announce the birth of their daughter, Lacie Brooke Desloge, on Jan. 12, 2024 in New York City, weighing 6 pounds, 15 ounces.

Lacie is the granddaughter of Nancy and the late Rick Desloge of St. Louis, and Helen and Stan Okenka of Toledo, Ohio.

She is the great-granddaughter of Don and the late Ruth Solomon of St. Louis, the late Richard and Kathleen Desloge of St. Louis; the late Sidney and Bernice Levinson of Toledo, and the late Joe and Alice Okenka of Toledo.

BIRTH ANNOUNCEMENT: ELEANOR MARION KODNER

Haley and James Kodner of St. Louis would like to announce the birth of their daughter, Eleanor Marion Kodner, on March 6, 2024.

Eleanor is the granddaughter of Nancy and Mark Kodner of St. Louis, and Debbie and Mike Johnson and the late Bruce Becker of Overland Park, Kan.

She is the great-granddaughter of the late Emma and Harry Becker of Kansas City, Ann and the late Elmer Schweiss of St. Louis, and Penny and the late Martin Kodner of St. Louis.

Eleanor has one sibling, Josie Kodner, who is 4 years old.

HKF

Harvey Kornblum Foundation

BAR MITZVAH: AVROM GOLDFEDER

Avrom Goldfeder, son of Adam and Emily Goldfeder of St. Louis, became a bar mitzvah on March 30, 2024.

Avrom has one sibling, Ezra Goldfeder, who is 8 years old.

An honor student at Parkway Northeast Middle School, Avrom chose to foster animals through the APA for his mitzvah project. He also collected items that the shelter needed and helped find homes for all the animals.

LETTERS

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 22

of self-defense.

Rabbi Talve similarly points out that Judaism supports putting the mother’s life first “if there must be a choice,” but how does she get from that qualification to her statement that Judaism permits abortion “when it is the right personal choice?”

Assuming she is correct that laws banning access to abortion will result in women seeking out illegal abortions that could be more dangerous to them, which is tragic, we are still left with the nagging moral question about whether that fetus, or any other deemed “unwanted,” is considered a life worthy of protection or not in Judaism. It seems both authors agree that it is, but only Rabbi Smason is willing to take this to its logical conclusion for the purposes of public policy.

Penina Nitsun University City

PHOTO COURTESY OF YANA HOTTER/ SPOONFUL OF SUGAR PHOTOGRAPHY

“Double Puzzle” Difficulty: Medium | Puzzle answers online: bit.ly/0417-crossword

47.

D’var Torah: This shall be the teaching of the Metzora

whelming sense of awe and well being. He spread his own arms like wings, and in the language of the angels he whispered, kadosh kadosh kadosh

He gobbled the words up like a handful of raisins and he felt himself being released from the now oppressive summons to which he had been called.

Like all creations in Nature whose purposes are certain, like leaves pushing through leaves to sunlight, the

detective surrendered, released himself from his unholy responsibility, ha-motzei ra, the revealer of evil, and turned it over. He continued praying in an ecstasy unmatched in his prayer existence. He was off the case. But like all good detectives, he couldn’t quite give it up. In a posture of obvious eligibility, the detective sat in his office, waiting for the phone to ring and watching the sign flash on and off outside his window.

He saw her profile through the smoky glass door of his office, outside of which she paused to collect herself. She didn’t bother knocking.

She came in like fresh air. She asked for his help. She told him a story of such wickedness, deceit, and corruption that it made his ears tingle to listen to it.

“Maybe this is the case I’ve been waiting for,” he said, and he told her the story of the clue of the one word that had become two.

Her story pointed to nothing beyond itself. It was the evil acts of evil people. This was evil for which there were no excuses left. He knew then that he was not free to relinquish the task.

“I’ll take the case,” he said, getting up and gathering his trench coat from the sofa on which he slept. “I know a nice little diner where I take my messages and meetings. We can talk there.”

He closed the door of the office behind them and headed for the stairs. Now part of a holy opposition of two, not yet in love (that would come later), but reaffirming his original summons, ha-motzei ra, the revealer of evil, was on the case.

A broken radiator was hissing steam in great billowing clouds into the hallway. The detective slung his trench coat over his shoulder, put his arm around her, and said out of the corner of his mouth, “You know kid. . .this could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.”

THERE’S A PLACE FOR YOU AT OUR SEDER oneof s.

Join a Passover Seder Near You.

Join one of our many community Seders at locations across the Greater St. Louis area. From the Central West End to St. Charles County, there’s a welcoming community waiting for you this Passover.

Did you know that handmade Shmurah Matzah is the preferred Matzah for the Seder? This Passover, as in past years, Chabad will be offering free traditional, round handmade Shmurah Matzahs,* to help enhance your Seder experience.