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RACQUETBALL’S (very Jewish) ST. LOUIS STORY THE PIVOTAL ROLE ST. LOUIS JEWS PLAYED IN THE ’70s AND ’80s Read more on page 12-13
A N O N P R O FIT, IN D EP EN D EN T N E W S S O U R CE TO I N F O R M , I N S P I R E , E D U C AT E A N D CO N N E C T T H E S T. LO U I S J E W I S H CO M M U N IT Y.
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Jewish Family Services connects older adults with social support services BY BILL MOTCHAN SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH LIGHT
Brian Byers is a Jewish widower who spent his career working as a paramedic in Texas. His job often meant transporting and caring for older adults with physical limitations. Byers moved to St. Louis last year to be near family after he wa s d ia g no se d w it h Parkinson’s disease. Suddenly, he found himself in the same situation as many of the patients he used to assist. “I never thought about it before,” said Byers, 69. “I thought, ‘Oh, I’ll be fine. I’ll be able to get around and do everything I want to do.’ I’ve had to use EMS services a couple of times. I’ve fallen at times, and I just couldn’t get up. I was too weak. My brother and his wife noticed that I couldn’t clean my own toilet. And they wondered about the apartment where I planned to move in. Like if it was going to be upstairs or downstairs, and how many stairs I’d have to climb to do my laundry.” Earlier this year, Byers made a phone call that opened up a new world of freedom. That call was to Jewish Family Services (JFS) and the ElderLink assessment, information and referral service. The specialists at JFS connected Byers with numerous resources, just as they do every day for many other older adults in the St. Louis area. The JFS ElderLink assessment team often gets calls from potential clients like Byers, or a caregiver who may be a family member or friend reaching out for lifeline. “Usually, they’ll call and talk with our case manager,” said
Miriam Seidenfeld, JFS CEO. “The case managers have a wealth of knowledge on all sorts of resources and other programs for the elderly. There’s definitely a growing need for assistance. It has been growing for a number of years, and it’s expected to continue for the next two decades.”
ing situation. It’s not a one-sizefits-all approach, said Bethany Goff, JFS older adult services director. “We look at everything that may impact the person,” Goff said. “For example, is their housing secure and safe? Often, we find people can’t afford their living sit-
Cantor Seth Warner PHOTO: BILL MOTCHAN
Warner to helm national cantorial association BY BILL MOTCHAN SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH LIGHT
This month, Congregation Shaare Emeth Cantor Seth Warner will be installed as president of the American Conference of Cantors (ACC) for a three-year term. The Jewish Light recently checked in with Warner, 48, to learn more about the ACC, his work and how he decompresses.
Sarah Levinson, Brian Byers and Bethany Goff. PHOTO: BILL MOTCHAN About 52 million people age in the United States are 65 or older, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. In the next 10 years, seniors are predicted to outnumber children. Seidenfeld said caring for older adults is one of JFS’ most important services and one that’s consistent with Jewish values. “JFS of St. Louis definitely uses a holistic approach,” she said. “We’re really proud of the work we do to make sure that we have all the things that Brian and others need.” When a new client contacts JFS, the first step is to determine what services would best meet their liv-
uation because their support system has changed, so they need to look for other housing options. Are they able to get transportation? That’s often a barrier to get to doctor appointments. We look at food insecurity, which is significant. For older adults, nutrition may start to deteriorate, and that causes other problems. And so we look at things holistically and comprehensively to make sure we address all the areas a person needs help with.” For Byers, one of the first needs See JFS on page 7
What has the ACC meant to your professional development? It has provided me with a community of colleagues who I can trust across the planet, friends and colleagues and mentors and people who get the work that we do in a very deep way, and I can learn so much from them just by their friendship. The ACC challenges me to be a better version of myself and to challenge myself to look ahead. Is the ACC working to encourage interest among students to consider a career as a cantor? The American Conference of Canters works very closely with especially the director of the Debbie Friedman School of Sacred Music at Hebrew Union College to help send potential students to the school. The hardest thing right now is finding people who are willing to give five years of their graduate school to learn the music of today, the music of yesterday and history, and be willing to move to Israel for a year and then study in New York for four more years. When did you realize you wanted to do this for a living? The cantor I worked with in my conservative synagogue growing up in Southern California made the synagogue a safe See WARNER on page 7
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SUBMIT YOUR NEWS Send story tips, news releases, calendar items and photos of recent Jewish community events to news@stljewishlight.org. For more information, call 314-743-3665.
NEWS & SCHMOOZE
Farewell to HoJo’s, a Futterman family favorite
Y
ou know how sometimes you see a headline, or catch a snippet on the TV news and bam, you’re transported back in time? Often, it’s the innocuous stuff that does it, something you haven’t thought about for decades. But then, once that headline or snippet enters your consciousness, it’s all you can think about. That happened to me last week when I read that the last Howard Johnson’s restaurant had closed. HoJo’s, as it was called, played a featured role throughout my childhood in the 1960s and ’70s. The closest one to my hometown of Westbury, N.Y. was located a mile or so away, on Jericho Turnpike. I loved the creative children’s menu, in the shape of a baseball cap, with entrees named after nursery rhymes like “Little Boy Blue,” (hamburger) “Humpty Dumpty” (tuna fish) and “Jack Horner” (peanut butter and jelly). On certain nights HoJo’s boasted all-you-can-eat specials, be it fried fish filets on Fridays, fried chicken on Wednesdays or fried clam strips on Mondays. I’m going back 50 years, so it could be that the chicken was on Mondays and the clam strips on another night, but you get the idea — fried food, all-you-can-eat. What could be better? My family heartily indulged in these specials, which were served with coleslaw, fries and sometimes cornbread. My absolute favorite was the “New England-style” toasted buttered hot dog-like bun that I tucked my clam strips into. I also like those buns with the grilled-in-butter “frankfort” (aka hot dog) HoJo’s served, though my mother claimed they were “dreck,” because who the heck knew what was in them. That said, I remember them as quite delicious. The Futtermans were also big proponents of pretty much all of HoJo’s 28 flavors of ice cream. The way I understand it, Howard Deering Johnson, the brains behind the operation, came up with a creamier recipe by doubling the content of butterfat found in other hard ice creams, and then added flavored syrups to create new flavors. Success came quickly when he opened summer-only ice cream stands in three Massachusetts beach towns in the mid-1920s. My top flavor was buttercrunch, followed by black raspberry. Mom adored maple walnut while dad wavered between strawberry and pistachio and my brother usually went for the orange sherbet. When I got to junior high — that’s middle school in today’s speak — either my parents or one of my friend’s parents would drop off a group of us girls at HoJo’s after Friday night dinner. We’d all squish into a booth and sit there until our 10 p.m. curfew, enjoying some kind of ice cream treat while yakking about school, music and boy crushes, until one of our parents came to pick us up. HoJo’s also figured into every driving vacation my family took growing up. You think I’m kidding, embellishing, or stretching the truth, but I promise, I’m not. Not only would we regularly eat dinner at HoJo’s on our 2 ½-day road trip from Westbury to south Florida, we’d sleep there as well. Back in the day, HoJo’s was the preferred motel chain of the Futterman family. I can vividly recall heading south on I-95, eyeing billboards along the way, waiting to spy
At left, a view of the inside of a Howard Johnson’s restaurant in the 1960s. Below, the HoJo’s kids menu shaped like a baseball cap. PHOTOS FROM HARLEY HAMMERMAN’S ‘LOST TABLES’ WEBSITE, LOSTTABLES.COM
a single sit-down location in Quincy, Mass. in 1929. The chain eventually grew to include about 1,000 restaurants, including the first one west of the Mississippi in 1954, on St. Charles Rock Road in St. Ann. So much a part of mid-century Americana, HoJo’s even starred in an episode of “Mad Men,” when Don Draper and his wife Megan visit “the flagship” in Plattsburgh, N.Y. so that he can better pitch potential client Howard Johnson’s. According to the website HoJoLand.com, Howard Johnson’s was sold by the founder’s son to a British conglomerate in 1980 for about $630 million. However, competition from fast-food giants such as McDonald’s and Burger King as well as ownership changes, franchise disputes and corporate dissolutions contributed to the decline — and ultimate end — of the HoJo’s name. The hotels, now owned by Wyndham, still have about 300 locations. My childhood affection for HoJo’s followed me to college at Washington University, where I frequented the Clayton Road/Richmond Heights location. Sure, there were cooler, hipper joints in mid-’70s St. Louis for a college student to hang out, but I found comfort in the familiarity of HoJo’s menu, décor and family-friendly atmosphere, not to mention a cone of buttercrunch. R.I.P. HoJo’s. Thanks for all the memories. the iconic orange roof and turquoise cupola, with the Simple Simon & Pie Man weathervane, of whatever HoJo’s motor lodge was being advertised. “Is this the one we’re staying at?” I’d ask. The response was usually the same: “Not this one Ellen. We still have five hours of driving before we stop for the night.” When I read about the last Howard Johnson’s restaurant closing, which happened to be in Lake George, N.Y., I also learned that once upon a time it was the largest restaurant chain in America, with a history dating back to
NEWS & SCHMOOZE News and Schmooze is a column by Light Editor-in-Chief Ellen Futterman. Email Ellen at: efutterman@ stljewishlight.org
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June 8, 2022
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In St. Louis talk, a ‘Muslim Zionist’ shares how he became an IDF officer and a voice of peace Yahya Mahamid shared his story in a recent talk at United Hebrew Congregation BY BILL MOTCHAN SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH LIGHT
The phrase “Muslim Zionist” may sound a bit contradictory, but it is exactly how Yahya Mahamid describes himself. Mahamid is an Israeli-born Muslim and a staunch defender of the Israeli state. So much so that he volunteered to be drafted into the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). After defending his country, Mahamid is now committed to educating others about antisemitism and misinformation about Israel. On Sunday, June 5, Mahamid visited United Hebrew Congregation and told members why he has dedicated his life to serving his homeland during his presentation, “A Young Man’s Journey To Peace.” The event was co-sponsored by St. Louis Friends of Israel and facilitated by Traci Goldstein. Mahamid grew up in Umm el-Fahm, one of Israel’s largest Arab cities. Like many Muslims who grew up in Israel, he was warned at an early age not to trust Jewish people. In high school, during a lesson about the Holocaust, his teacher told the class that “Hitler did a good thing.” Eventually, Mahamid got a job in a Tel Aviv hotel as a busboy. He was nervous about working with Jewish Israelis, compounded by the fact that he spoke no Hebrew. Then he met his coworkers. “They just accepted me for who I am,” said Mahamid, 25. “I remember thinking, ‘I have Jewish friends now.’ And our friendship kept growing and growing.” One day after work while waiting for a bus, Mahamid was confronted by a Chabad rabbi, who explained the importance of prayer. The rabbi asked if the young man had wrapped tefillin that day. Mahamid told the rabbi that he was sorry, but he wasn’t Jewish. “The man looked me straight in the eye and said, ‘It doesn’t matter if you’re Jewish or not. What really matters is that you’re a good person,’” he said. “I came to the decision maybe I should change my mind about everything I was taught about Israel and about the Jewish people.” On June 14, 2014, Mahamid was watching the news and a report that three teenage students went missing in the West Bank after being kidnapped by a terrorist organization. One of the students was Mahamid’s age. He joined a campaign
Above, Yahya Mahamid speaks at United Hebrew on June 5. His talk, ‘A Young Man’s Journey To Peace,’ was co-sponsored by St. Louis Friends of Israel. PHOTO: BILL MOTCHAN At left, Mahamid served two years in the Israel Defense Forces.
called “Bring Back Our Boys” and posted a photo of himself on Facebook holding the Israeli flag. The reaction came fast. The Muslim community denounced Mahamid for supporting Israel. His relatives were targeted by threats. “I saw my friends turn on me,” he said. “I couldn’t go to school. I was on house arrest for two months.” Mahamid relocated to Jerusalem and began advocating for Jewish Israelis. He felt many Muslims were misled about Jews and he wanted to educate them. Eventually, he made the decision to join the IDF. He was turned down twice but remained tenacious. On the third try, he
was accepted, making him one of a small minority of Muslims who have joined the Israeli army. He found that difference was of little consequence in the military, where all soldiers are equal. “I learned very fast that the IDF is the best melting pot there is because we are all soldiers,” he said. “Your background doesn’t matter. There’s a bond that builds up between the people.” Mahamid served two years in the IDF in the infantry, then as a shooting instructor and a disciplinary officer. After his service, he was asked to participate in a special mission. He knew little about the specifics but discovered he would be part of a delegation in Dubai working toward the
Abraham Accord, the treaties normalizing diplomatic relations between Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco. “The people we met were very warm, very welcoming,” Mahamid said. “They were very supportive of Israel and the Jewish people and of the culture that we have in Israel. They took us in with open arms and admiration.” Mahamid is currently touring the United States, spreading his message of hope and peace. He believes it’s a goal that can be reached because polls in Israel show increased support of the government by Arabs like him. “I think the Arab world is waking up since now we’re facing a mutual enemy— Iran—in the region,” he said. “They are waking up to the real danger in the area and they are uniting with Israel because we have been facing terrorism for a really long time and this extremist agenda. “My vision for Israel would be that Israeli Arabs and Israeli Jews can live side to side peacefully. One day I hope that in the Middle East, we’re going to be able to cross borders just like you can cross the Mississippi River.”
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JEWISH LIGHT
June 8, 2022
Jewish War Veterans observe Memorial Day
Page 5
Above, Ellis Frohman, Commander JWV Post 644, makes opening remarks. Seated are members of Post 644 Terri Riutcel, Chuck Reed, Ed Cohen (Past Commander, Post 644), Larry Chervitz (Quartermaster) and William Gold (Vice Commander).
Jewish War Veterans Post 644 held a Memorial Day observance May 29 at Jewish Federation’s Kaplan Feldman Complex. Below right, Thoman McHugh, Chairman of the 2022 Scholarship Committee, presents The Chuck Sandroff Scholarship to Noah Kleinlehrer, who will be attending George Washington University in the fall.
Above, Leslie Birenbaum prepares to raise the flag at the program’s close. At right, Rabbi Chaim Landa, co-director of the Chabad Jewish Center of St. Charles delivers the keynote address. PHOTOS COURTESY JEWISH WAR VETERANS POST 644
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LOCAL NEWS
June 8, 2022
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From left, Larry and Roberta Gornish, Elissa Schachter and Tamar Shulman
The Sababa Jewish Arts & Culture Festival will return to Washington University on Sept. 18. Above is an image from the first Sababa festival, held in 2018. FILE PHOTO: ZACH DALIN
Sababa returns Sept. 18; musical lineup released Sababa, the area’s largest Jewish arts and culture festival, will take place Sept. 18 at Andrew and Ann Tisch Park on the east entrance of the Washington University campus. “We are thrilled to announce that we have the opportunity to celebrate the vibrancy of contemporary Jewish culture again,” said Brian Herstig, president and CEO of Jewish Federation of St. Louis. Sababa (which means “cool” in Hebrew) features local, regional and national visual artists, food and live musical performances, as well as activities from local Jewish organizations. New this year, the festival will host a dedicated pavilion area for families and children’s activities and entertainment. Among the musical headliners expected are the Jewish a cappella group Six13, Sheldon Lowe, and the Brothers Lazaroff. The festival, last held in 2018, is planned and coordinated by the Jewish
Community Center with generous support from Federation. “Now, more than ever, we are all in need of reuniting as a community. The J could not be more excited to orchestrate this celebratory gathering to showcase Jewish culture for the entire region,” said Lynn Wittels, President & CEO of the J. Plans to bring Sababa back last year were postponed because of COVID. Organizers said they will continue to monitor guidance from public health officials but are hopeful that the outdoor festival will be able to return safely in September. For up to date information, to volunteer, or to receive Sababa news visit sababastl. com or contact Judy Kramer at jkramer@ jccstl.org. All Jewish organizations, congregations, schools and other groups are asked to designate a representative and contact Kramer with the name and contact info.
Young Israel of St. Louis plans gala dinner June 19 Young Israel of St. Louis will be celebrate its Annual Dinner at the Foundry Art Center in St. Charles on Sunday, June 19. Young Israel will honor longtime members Roberta and Larry Gornish, who are being recognized for their steadfast service to the shul and the broader community over the years. Elissa Schachter and Tamar Shulman are this year’s Young Leadership Awardees. For three decades, Roberta Gornish has designed, typeset and proofed Young Israel’s Dinner Tribute Journal and led the Journal Committee amongst many other chesed and fundraising projects at the shul, as a vibrant member of the congregation’s Women’s Division. Larry Gornish is Young Israel’s “unofficial go-to guy for repairs and handywork at the shul and he can always be counted on to be back up for leining (Torah reading) when needed,” according to a news release. “Over the years, Larry, who is an exceptional Ba’al Korei (Torah Leiner), has spread his skill amongst several synagogues in the University City area, from
Chabad to Nusach Hari B’nai Zion and Young Israel.” Rabbi Moshe Shulman of Young Israel had high praise for the couple’s dedication to the congregation. “We are excited to honor Roberta and Larry Gornish, who are stalwarts of our shul community. They are always there to answer the call to serve and assist and they do so in a humble and sensitive manner without fanfare.” Elissa Schachter and Tamar Shulman are both Young Israel board members who serve as co-chairs of the congregation’s Social Programming Committee. “Elissa and Tamar have such incredible energy and passion and our shul is indebted to them for all they do,” said Jonty Felsher, outgoing President of Young Israel’s board. This year’s Gala Dinner Chairs are Sabrina and Max Gornish and the Tribute Journal Chairs are Judy Haber and Elissa Schachter. For more information, contact the shul office at 314-727-1880 or email: info@ youngisrael-stl.org.
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JFS: Working to connect older adults with social support services Miriam Seidenfeld is the CEO of Jewish Family Services. Seidenfeld said caring for older adults is one of JFS’ most important services and one that’s consistent with Jewish values.
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 was fairly basic: keeping his apartment clean and tidy. JFS arranged for an aide from its Homemaker Program. Nearly 150 other St. Louis area older adults use this service. JFS matches the client with a professional, vetted aide who will handle light housekeeping and other chores. “They found me a homemaker through AW Healthcare,” Byers said. “She comes once every two weeks and she cleans my house for four hours. It has made a huge difference. My house looks fantastic. That’s when I invite somebody over right afterward.” Byers said his homemaker aide also takes care of his laundry. That’s not insignificant because the washer and dryer at his apartment building requires negotiating stairs, which can be precarious. “She comes in and she goes right to the laundry and she sorts it,” he said. “Usually, I have a lot of it after two weeks. She vacuums for me and she cleans my kitchen and straightens everything up. It usually is a little cluttered by the time she gets here.” Many older adults like Byers want to live independently, and JFS offers a support system to help them achieve that goal. They do it by providing a connection to other services, according to Sarah Levinson, St. Louis NORC manager. “St. Louis is filled with so many wonderful community resources and opportunities,” Levinson said. “It’s a partnership, listening, finding out what gets the person excited. Once we’ve taken care of things like making the bed, doing the laundry, then we can focus on what makes you feel good. We know socialization and reduction of isolation plus physical health and mental health are important. In our conversations, we’re always listening to what Brian is interested in and trying to connect him with that. We also looked at congregations
PHOTO: BILL MOTCHAN
that might be the most appealing to him.” For some older adults, meal preparation is a challenge, but Byers enjoys cooking for himself. His homemaker aide will run to the grocery and do some shopping for him if he needs something. Being on a fixed income, he takes advantage of another JFS service: the Harvey Kornblum Jewish Food Pantry. He also stops by the Mirowitz Center at Covenant Place every Monday to pick up prepared food via Meals on Wheels. “Sarah helped get me involved with Meals on Wheels,” Byers said. “It’s really nice. I get a variety of things to eat, and that’s my dinner. It could be a salmon dinner, meatloaf or beef brisket. They’re good-size portions.”
Another Jewish community service — the Jewish Community Center — has been significant for Byers and is directly related to his physical well-being. Parkinson’s disease is a neurodegenerative disorder. Byers is an upbeat person who’s determined to remain active. Exercise is one of the best options for him. “Exercise is the one thing that will help stave off Parkinson’s,” Byers said. “It helps me with my balance a great deal, too. So I get on the bike for about 45 minutes three times a week at the J. I found out that the J has an agreement with United Healthcare, and they covered the cost of my fitness center membership.” Some older adults with United Healthcare Medicare plans have access to
the company’s Renew Active no-cost fitness program. The J joined the Renew Active program recently and it is available to United Healthcare clients with Medicare Advantage coverage. The resources and connection points available to older adults from JFS can make a real difference in quality of life, Byers said. “It has enabled me to function, and it’s enabled me to be active in the community as much as I can,” he said. “This program had made my life very possible, and it has made my apartment home. It’s been a godsend.” For information about JFS resources and services for older adults, call ElderLink at 314-812-9300.
Warner: New American Conference of Cantors (ACC) president CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
really attractive to me.
place. Middle school is not the easiest place to be. And I was the short, overweight kid with glasses and a stutter and didn’t have a lot of friends in school. The temple became a place where I could be not just safe but listened to and appreciated. Music for me was something that I could express myself with in a way that I was unencumbered. So I was inspired then, and that inspiration has never left.
What do you do to relax away from work? I just love to sit and read and to spend time with my kids, especially my younger son. Isaac will be 14 (this month). Watching him experience the world now that we’re sort of post-COVID is really, really beautiful to me. I love his curiosity. I love to go to Cardinals games with him.
When you were teenage, what kind of music did you enjoy listening to? My mom converted before my parents were married. She was born and raised in a small country town in Oklahoma to a sharecropper and a corner store owner. She moved to Los Angeles, met and married my father. And her first love -- solid old country music. Every morning driving to school, we’d listen to country music, and it was the emotionality of music, the really open, beautiful harmonies, the lap steel and the easy electric guitar, that just was
My wife Shayna and I love to just find a night to go out to eat and talk. You’re a chaplain for first responders in the Monarch Fire District, the Creve Coeur and Olivette Police Departments and the Greater St. Louis Crisis Interventions Stress Management Team. What is that experience like? The critical incident stress management team is probably the most rewarding
endeavor. It’s a group of first responder peers. When something bad happens, like a house fire and someone dies in the house fire, the agency will do a debriefing, and they call a peer review. Trauma is cumulative. They have to deal with these trauma situations every day. And it takes a toll on them and their psyche and causes stress that they may bottle up. We go through the incident so that they can let steam off so it has less of a chance of building up.
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The J celebrates award winners at 142nd annual meeting The St. Louis Jewish Community Center held its 142nd annual meeting on May 25. This year, current board chair Greg Siwak was named immediate past president and a lifetime board member, and Ted Flom was elected as new board chair. The J recognized Bryan Sanger with its J Associates Emerging Leader Award. Sanger joined the J’s Board of Directors in 2019 and currently serves as an at-large member of its executive committee. Lisa Wallis received the J’s I.E. Millstone Community Service Award in recognition of her work in creating and maintaining a resource library for all the J’s early childhood teachers. Matthew Schultz received the Mark C. Kodner Inspiration Award, which honors those who live life to the fullest and thrive in the face of adversity. This year’s Richard S. Weiss Presidents’ Award was presented to clinical psychologist Lynne Kipnis, who was instrumental in securing funding that helped create the St. Louis chapter of Sharsheret, a national organization that supports Jewish women and families facing breast and ovarian cancer. Also, during the annual meeting, new officers and board members were elected, including Flom as board chair; as well as Jeff Cohen, Jenny Hoffman-Mentle, Brian Pultman and Art Weiss – vice chairs; Ted Isaacs – treasurer; Thom Kuhn – asst. treasurer; Stuart Block – Secretary and Michelle Schwerin – asst. secretary. In addition, the following people were elected to serve terms as members of the board of directors: David Dresner, Michael Ferman, Evan Raskas Goldfarb, Michael Goldstein, Rachel Katzman, Debbie Lefton, Jacob Murov, Steven Rosenzweig, Jane Rubin, Ellen Schapiro, Tracey Singer, Lisa Suffian and David Wright.
At left, Lynne Kipnis receives the Richard S. Weiss Presidents’ Award from the J’s current Board Chair Greg Siwak. Above, Bryan Sanger received the J Associates Emerging Leader Award.
At left, Jewish Community Center CEO Lynn Wittels with Matthew Schultz, recipient of the Mark C. Kodner Inspiration Award. Above, Lisa Wallis, recipient of the J’s I.E. Millstone Community Service Award, with Thom Kuhn.
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JEWISH LIGHT
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. Published the first edition of each month. Newsmakers is compiled by Elise Krug.
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Saraann Parker was selected for the Women’s Justice Awards by Missouri Lawyers Media in the Information and Technology category. Those selected in this category are women who advise companies, startups and entrepreneurs with legal issues regarding intellectual property, technology and other aspects of their business. Parker is a partner with Armstrong Teasdale and a member of Congregation Shaare Emeth. Cindy Platzer Becker has been named the new executive director of Beth Hamedrosh Hagodol Cemetery. Michelle Brooks received an honorary doctorate from Hebrew Union College Jewish Institute of Religion’s Zelikow School of Jew ish Nonprof it Management. Since receiving her master’s degree from HUC 25 years ago, Brooks spent the first 15 years of her career working in the St. Louis Jewish community and the last 10 volunteering with various Jewish organizations. She is currently a senior client liaison at Insperity and attends Shaare Emeth. The Jewish War Veterans of St. Louis, Post 644, recently held their annual election meeting. The following officers were elected for the 2022-2023 year: Ellis Frohman, Commander; Monroe Ginsburg, Senior Vice Commander; William Gold, Junior Vice Commander; Thomas McHugh, Adjutant; Larry Chervitz, Quartermaster and Jack Lite, Judge Advocate. Becca Near has joined the St. Louis Zoo as the new manager of philanthropy and will be working primarily with major gifts. She is a member of Young Israel of St. Louis. Chase Pultman joined the St. Louis Zoo as an education interpreter. As a liaison between the education department and zoo guests, he educates guests about conservation initiatives, environmental issues and global animal extinction concerns. Bridget Rennard was recognized as the outstanding speech-language pathology graduate student in Missouri at the Missouri Speech-Language-Hearing Association State Convention. She graduated in May from the University of Missouri-Columbia with her master’s degree. Bridget is the daughter of Mindy and Gordon Rennard and is a member of Shaare Emeth.
TOP ROW, FROM LEFT: Saraann Parker, Cindy Platzer Becker, Michelle Brooks, Ellis Frohman, Monroe Ginsburg and William Gold. SECOND ROW: Thomas McHugh, Larry Chervitz, Jack Lite, Becca Near, Chase Pultman and Bridget Rennard. THIRD ROW: Dr. Ken Ludmerer, Joan Berkman, Alice Handelman (z’’l), Debbie Bindler Strimling and Harriet Goldberg. Dr. Ken Ludmerer, of the Washington University School of Medicine, has been elected to membership in the Johns Hopkins Society of Scholars. The Society of Scholars was established in 1967 by the university’s Board of Trustees and it “honors individuals who completed their graduate, postdoctoral, professional or performance training at Johns Hopkins, but are not currently affiliated, and who have achieved marked professional or scholarly distinction in their fields,” according to a news release. Joan Berkman received first place for a single entry, her “Velvet Hammer” column in Town & Style Magazine, in the Missouri Professional Communicators’ statewide competition. Alice Handelman (z”l) earned first-place writing awards for six of her “Movers and Shakers” columns in the Ladue News. The entries are now in consideration for the 2022 Communication Contest of the National Federation of Press Women. Handelman, who was a Vice President of the Light’s Board of Trustees, died on May 16.
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June 8, 2022
OPINIONS
JEWISH LIGHT
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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
OTHER VIEWPOINTS Voices on Jewish topics from St. Louis and beyond
Stacey Newman: If you’ve had it with gun violence, then it’s time to get busy BY STACEY NEWMAN
How many gun deaths is enough? In the week after the mass shooting at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas on May 24th killing 19 fourth graders, two teachers and injuring 17, there were an additional 20 mass shootings in the United States. That’s not counting the six mass shootings this past weekend including several at graduation parties, tallied by the nonprofit Gun Violence Archive, or any of the other gun deaths in the past several days. It’s horrifying to imagine our kids not being able to outrun a shooter at school with an AR-15 style rifle or us doing the same at the grocery store as in Buffalo or in a doctor’s office as in Tulsa. We post our disgust on social media and shudder at the news before becoming distracted by the next media event. The gun violence survivors club grows while the rest of us simply move on with life. Missouri legislators have systematically loosened state gun laws each year since 1999, when they chose to overturn a concealed weapon ballot proposition, which passed by the majority of us. Those same elected officials repealed permits to purchase concealed guns with almost as many liberal Democrats voting yes as did Republicans. A study in 2014 by Daniel Webster at the Johns Hopkins
Center for Gun Policy and Research showed Missouri had an immediate spike in gun violence and murders after the repeal with our gun homicide 47% higher than the national rate. Meanwhile, the federal government has done nothing to stop our sick rampage of guns, even though after each major mass shooting some in Congress have tried. Time after time after time. President Bill Clinton signed the 1994 assault weapons ban but when it expired after 10 years and not renewed by the George W. Bush administration, mass shootings suddenly spiked. The NRA’s hold on Congress is just as powerful as it is in the Missouri Capitol. Our state solution to gun violence? Pass the Second Amendment Preservation Act, rejecting all federal gun laws, which Gov. Mike Parson signed into law in 2021. Really. The polling is clear. The majority of Americans want bans on assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition, universal background checks and red flag laws, which allow law enforcement to intervene when guns are an imminent threat to gun owners or others. So, what’s the problem? It’s us. When do we decide to take responsibility, insist officials work for us and stop the
insanity? We tell you to vote. But when we talk to many of you at your door in election years, you tell us you care most about lowering your taxes. Or you’re concerned about the economy or stopping abortion. But hardly anyone remembers by election day to vote against those aligned with the gun lobby. Guns aren’t a top priority of most candidates except those who are compelled to make ads and mailers with their fancy firearms. If the majority of us don’t vote for candidates who care about making assault weapons harder to get or even basic background checks on gun sales — what the majority of Americans insist we want — why should we expect any change? As a former state legislator, I recall many gun bills on the floor when barely a handful of us were willing to stand up in debate and challenge gun lobby talking points. Even after Columbine, Sandy Hook, Aurora and Las Vegas. Regardless that gun violence prevention has become a national partisan issue, the past two sessions suburban Missouri Democratic state representatives voted to arm teachers and allow guns on public transport. They’re hoping you didn’t notice and will elect them anyway. If you have actually had enough, it’s vital to hold elected leaders responsible. Every
Stacey Newman is the executive director of ProgressWomen, a statewide social justice group focused on justice and equality issues. She served nine years as a legislator in the Missouri State House, retiring in 2019. single one of them. Demand to know if they support the gun lobby and if not, what they intend to do to stop senseless deaths. Call out those from either party when they vote for more guns, even when you like their votes on other issues. Stop excusing those legislators by saying they’re still more palatable than the other side. If you’re angry enough, act like it. Make your friends show up with you on election day with guns at the top of your list. Stop accepting hollow promises and fire those not willing to do the right thing. The gun lobby cares not one hoot about kids. Or the number of mass shootings. Or the number of endless funerals, especially by those parents having to bury their kids. Congressman Eric Swalwell asked his GOP colleagues in frustration during hearings last week in the House Judiciary Committee, “Who are you here for? Our kids or the killers?” Have you really had enough? You owe the kids. You hold the power to not let the guns win.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Submit letters to letters@stljewishlight.org
Author/advocate sets inspiring example In response to “Advocacy leaders work inspires others to become activists” (May 4, 2022) about Cynthia Changyit Levin: Like many people, I wanted to “do something” about global health but was paralyzed into inaction because every effort seemed too small. I joined Results in 7th grade because I was friends with Levin’s daughter but did not become an active member until March 2020. Levin has been so supportive as she helped me draft emails to representatives and op-eds. Because of her, I have learned so much about health policy on the national and international level. One of Results’ goals right now is to convince lawmakers to extend the Child Tax Credit and Earned Income Tax Credit. These pieces of legislation provide qualifying low-income families with tax breaks and help front line workers access affordable housing. As a result of these policies in 2021, child poverty sank to record lows and many workers could make ends meet. I have been making phone calls to the offices of Senators Roy Blunt and Josh Hawley asking them to extend these provisions. In the past, my friends and I have also gotten together to write members of congress emails and handwritten notes- In some cases we have even received replies
from their offices. My favorite Results memory is sitting in Congresswoman Ann Wagner’s office talking about maternal and child health bills. She was patient and responsive, listening to each of us as we presented the cause before she agreed to sign onto it. It is conversations like these that make me continue advocacy, because I feel that I can influence the priorities of my representatives. I think that more and more people are turning to advocacy organizations because we believe policy changes are the most effective solution to issues like climate change, wealth inequality and the spread of disease. If you are interested in joining Results, you can find instructions on how to get involved at https://results.org We would love to see any new members at one of our meetings. Arushi Katyal Chesterfield
Jewish Learning. Cyndee Levy was excellent as its head, and it is terrible to have lost her service and commitment to our whole community. Years ago, a group of us enrolled in the Melton two-year course and it was fantastic. We studied with Pearl Borrow and Esther Zimand. I took classes from CAJE’s rich offerings every year. It showcased the many Jewish educators in our community. While the Federation’s response to Russel’s piece sounds good on paper, the whole notion of not duplicating offerings is an idea with no basis. The people who study at a specific congregation are in large part members of said congregation. The community that CAJE served was broad and included both members of various synagogues as well as the non-affiliated. It provided a place for Jewish educators in our community. The loss of our Jewish adult educational program is very sad and was a huge mistake. Susan Shender St. Louis
CAJE served treasured role in the community Jewish law and the I wholeheartedly thank Russel Neiss for abortion debate his excellent piece in the Light’s May 25 edition, “It’s time for Jewish Federation to revisit education priorities.” I thought it was ashame to get rid of the Central Agency for Jewish Education (CAJE) and then eliminate the Center for
The May 11 op-ed (“The Fall of ‘Roe’ would also be an attack on religious liberty”) calling Roe’s overruling an attack on religious liberty misses the mark in form and substance. The Talmud (Eruvin 13b)
teaches us to argue by first stating the other side’s position. Instead, the op-ed starts with an opinion poll and a statement by pro-Roe Reform Jews. The op-ed then grossly mischaracterizes Justice Samuel Alito’s draft opinion, following up with an irrelevant sexist attack on the Founders. This attack in fact undercuts the op-ed’s insistence that a constitutional right to abortion exists. Finally, the op-ed misstates Alito’s analysis of the 14th Amendment and distorts common-law attitudes towards abortion. If the op-ed writers had real confidence in their argument (or had a real argument), they could have made it by following rather than violating Talmudic principles. Nor does the op-ed — while claiming concern for Jewish religious freedom — bother addressing traditional Halakha’s deep-seated aversion to abortion. Trends in Halakha favor Maimonides and Unterman, in allowing abortion “only for the gravest of reasons” (Feldman, HM 425:2.1983a), which is what the Mississippi law before the Supreme Court provides by permitting abortions after 15-weeks gestation for a mother’s medical emergencies or severe fetal abnormalities. Robert Zafft St. Louis
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OPINIONS
June 8, 2022
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D’VAR TORAH: NASO
Seeking serenity, one day at a time BY RABBI JAMES STONE GOODMAN
PHOTO: DAVID PEREIRAS/STOCK.ADOBE.COM
Here are 8 rules of the road for navigating grandparenting BY RICHARD LAZAROFF SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH LIGHT
Who hasn’t heard a friend claiming that being a grandparent is better than being a parent? You get to play with the child but can give them back when you want. Is it really that simple? Aren’t there “rules” that grandparents ought to abide by? Let’s address those first, then discuss the opportunities. The following list appears on grandparents.com as the “7 Unbreakable Laws of Grandparenting.” I’ve taken the liberty to change the wording somewhat and added an eighth “law.” 1. Do not give advice unless asked. This is pretty obvious. New parents receive a constant stream of unsolicited advice from relatives, friends, strangers at the grocery store, you name it. I tell parents to inform their own parents (the grandparents) that it is now their turn to make the best decisions they can for their child. By the way, when is it ever a good idea to give unsolicited advice to anyone about anything? This does not mean you will never have an opportunity to weigh in on your child’s parenting methods. They are now young adults and have probably called for advice about money, a leaky faucet or an employment interview. Now facing the most important job of their lives — raising their child — they will probably be calling for advice frequently. That will be the best time to give it. 2. You will feel like grandchildren are “yours,” but they’re not. This is the toughest “law,” in my opinion, because it’s true. If your relationship with your grandchild’s parents is based on trust (not money, help provided, obligation or guilt), there will be many opportunities to nurture your grandchild in a healthy manner. 3. Follow the parents’ rules. When you are babysitting, you may find yourself questioning the parents’ instructions for care. This is particularly true when the instructions, and the technologies and equipment used, are different from those you were accustomed to using with your children. Remember, nobody knows your grandchild better than the parents. And since information on child rearing keeps changing, it is best if you let your grandchild’s mother and father put their trust in the advice of their pediatrician and reliable websites.
SIGN UP FOR THE LIGHT’S FAMILY EMAIL NEWSLETTER Dr. Lazaroff’s commentary was shared first through the Light’s Family email newsletter, sent every other Wednesday. Sign up for this and other newsletters (including Israel news, obituaries, simchas and the daily (except Shabbat) Your Morning Light email:
stljewishlight.org/newsletters Three websites to check out are aap.org, immunize.org and babycenter.com. 4. Accept your role. You are a relief pitcher. What’s so bad about that? Bruce Sutter and Mariano Rivera are in the Hall of Fame. I had families in my pediatrics practice in which the “relief” role for the grandparents was vital in terms of time committed to such duties as daily daycare or babysitting to give their kids a night out. Whatever the role, embrace it. 5. It is not a competition. We are talking about competing with the other set (or sets, in cases of blended families) of grandparents. Your grandchild can only be better off if more people love them. Sharing a grandchild often allows couples to become good friends. 6. Respect boundaries. Being a grandparent can create boundary issues. A good rule thumb is whether you would have wanted your parents to be involved in a particular activity, decision or life event of your children. This infers there are some events and decisions a grandparent should
never miss, and other times when it is best to step back and not be involved. 7. Let go of all expectations. This a good suggestion in life, but especially in your closest relationships. All of us have experienced situations in which people or life circumstances do not meet our expectations. Being a grandparent is not an exception. It has highs and lows. It will be unpredictable. It will change you, and if you have the right attitude, those changes can be for the better, whatever the outcome. 8. Praise good parenting efforts and behaviors. Your child and his or her spouse will do a lot of things well when it comes to caring for their new baby. Initially, however they may have little confidence in their abilities. Praise is invaluable. Do not be shy about giving it. Following these rules should result in your child trusting you with their child. Isn’t that a strange concept? Trust is a critical element to successfully navigating the adolescent years, but now the relationship has been flipped. You, the grandparent, need to demonstrate that you can follow these rules and earn your child’s trust. Once this trust is established, we should be granted the full access to our grandchildren that we desire. It comes with the opportunity to watch them develop, to see the world again through a child’s eyes, to provide encouragement and support to both our grandchildren and their parents, and to maybe have them spend the night, so that we are the first ones to hold them when they wake up in the morning smiling in their crib. Dr. Richard Lazaroff is a retired pediatrician who practiced in St. Louis County for nearly 40 years. Married for 42 years, he is the father of two and grandfather of four and the author of “Some Assembly Required, A Guide to Savvy Parenting.”
Researchers have observed increases in substance use and drug overdoses in the United States since the COVID-19 pandemic was declared a national emergency in March 2020. — NIH (National Institutes of Health) One year on Shabbat Naso one of the guys from the Thursday night Shalvah meeting (Shalvah means serenity, support on addictions) was sitting in the minyan, many nights fresh off of heroin — that night, he was fresh on. I can generally tell from looking at him. Later that night he whispered to me: I used today. I gotta stay close to this, he said. I want this so bad. You are here with nothing (I was thinking Rashi but I didn’t say it our loud) your dearest possession right now is your sobriety (that I said). Get clean and that one possession will open onto all other blessings, without that blessing you have nothing. He knows this. Yeah, yeah, he said. We were talking in code. It’s a test man, all of it, you will be tested daily (I said out loud). Today a test, tomorrow a test, each day a deadly quiz and if you fail it today you might make it tomorrow. But it’s dangerous. One day at a time (I was thinking the Italian Luzzatto in addition to AA). Go home to your mom’s house tonight and take tomorrow fresh. Do-over, every day new. That’s not a blessing? That’s a blessing, I said out loud, and he nodded in agreement. The trip is internal, find your peace the inner point of truth within, this from the Sefas Emes (Numbers 6:24 on the three-fold priestly blessing) and every other spiritual guide I’ve known. The blessing is inward, and it’s more than three-fold, it’s more like six-fold: G*d bless and protect. G*d’s face shine on you and be gracious to you. G*d’s face lifted to you and give you peace. That’s six-fold by my count, so generous. Even more generous by the Sefas Emes (R. Yehudah Aryeh Leib Alter of Gur, who passed in 1905), reading: each part is a whole, each instance opens onto the All. This is how the Sefas Emes understands the threefold blessing, six-fold, one-fold really: only Everything is everything. Find your peace, from the Sefas Emes, the inner point of truth: that’s shalom, shleimut. Humble and opening Up. That’s not a blessing? Every day new. Every year another chapter on the story as it winds Up. I didn’t say all this that night at shul, I thought it. “Keep coming back here,” I did say, “you’ll get your soul back.” Rabbi James Stone Goodman serves Central Reform Congregation and is a past president of the St. Louis Rabbinical and Cantorial Associaton, which coordinates the d’var Torah for the Light. Goodman also leads the Shalvah support group on addictions. For more information on the group, contact Goodman at james@ centralreform.org.
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JEWISH LIGHT
stljewishlight.org
A SPECIAL FEATURE SUPPORTED BY THE MELVIN A. NEWMARK FUND
Racquetball’s (very Jewish) St. Louis story How the J and local Jewish teens played a pivotal role in the sport in the ’70s and ’80s BY JORDAN PALMER CHIEF DIGITAL CONTENT OFFICER
It’s well known that many St. Louisans are prideful about living in a “baseball town.” Perhaps, less well known is that St. Louis was once also known as a “racquetball town.” More specifically, the Jewish Community Center is front and center in the story of St. Louis becoming a hotbed for professional racquetball and why so many Jewish St. Louis kids found success and changed the game in the 1970s and ’80s.
The birth of the game According to the U.S. Racquetball Museum, the game was created by Joseph Sobeck, a professional tennis and handball player who ran a YMCA in Greenwich, Conn. In 1950, Sobeck invented the new game based on squash and handball rules and designed the first short strung racket. Sobeck’s new game, referred to as paddleball, quickly caught on with both YMCAs and Jewish Community Centers, where an estimated 40,000 courts were already in existence. In St. Louis, the Jewish Community Center Association (now the J) and its 21 courts, along with its director of health and physical education, Phil Smith, were early proponents and supporters of Sobeck and his game.
1969 The game grew steadily in popularity through the 1960s, but 1969 was the year the game changed, and St. Louis became a part of the next wave. Four significant events occurred during the year. First, the U.S. Handball Association helped create the International Racquetball Association (IRA). Second, a San Diego tennis pro named Bob McInerny coined the term, “racquetball” giving the sport a new name. Third, the first metal racquet was introduced, and lastly, St. Louis and the J were chosen to host the first International Racquetball Association Nationals Singles Tournament.
A history of excellence It was this tournament whereby several future national and international racquetball champions first learned to play and hone their skills. “I remember going and watching Bud Muehleisen edge out Charlie Brumfield in a close tiebreaker during the finals of the first national racquetball championship in 1969,” said Jerry Hilecher, 67, a former racquetball champion who grew up in St. Louis but now lives in the Los Angeles area. “After the match, my parents bought me my first Muehleisen racquet.” Hosting the 1969 tournament was a catalyst for the J and interest in racquetball quickly grew among Jewish kids. The J hosted the tournament again in April 1970 and attracted entries from all over the country. “Racquetball is in its infancy,” said Phil Smith during an interview with the Light’s Bobbi Linkemer in 1970. “The sport is still in its developmental stages, and we have a lot to learn about strategy, new shots and general potential for the game.” Smith, who worked at the J for 32 years, was instrumental in making St. Louis one of the leaders in the country by developing a comprehensive racquetball
THE NEWMARK PAGES
Marty Hogan
program. He passed away in 2009 at the age of 87. “We’re physical educators here, and we believe in this sport,” Smith said. “We make the equipment available, encourage people to play and we give instruction to anyone who wants or needs it.” In preparation for the 1970 tournament, the J revamped all its courts and added a few new ones. The tournament was a total success despite St. Louis favorite Steve Schneider losing in the second round. Another local highlight remains a part of racquetball history: St. Louisan Fran Cohen won the first U.S. Racquetball Association Open National Singles Championship. To date, Cohen, who was inducted into the St. Louis Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 2010 and later the Fran Cohen, z’’l Missouri Racquetball Hall of Fame, is the only woman from Missouri who has accomplished this feat. A former disability advocate and Jewish Light Unsung Hero, she passed away in 2012.
pions, including Marty Hogan, Jerry Hilecher, Steve Serot, Ben Koltun, and Andy and David Gross, all honed their skills at the J and became legends of the game.
St. Louis power racquetball Until the mid-1970s, the sport of racquetball was played with modifications of the standard tennis swing, with a full-motion swing and wrist snap to add spin. “While most racquetball players know that power racquetball was forged in St. Louis, they don’t usually know when and who really started the fire,” wrote Bo Keeley in 1976, in what many have called the bible of the sport, “The Complete Book of Racquetball.” Before the “St. Louis boys,” a moniker Keeley coined, he himself was one of the top racquetball players in the world from 1971 to 1976. In his day, Keely was among the biggest hitters with an average speed of 73 mph. But this new generation of players from the J in St. Louis would elevate that speed into the 90s and 100s, and quickly turn the game into one of sheer power.
The St. Louis boys In the early 1970s, the J was one of the only facilities in St. Louis allowing teens to play, including with older players. This gave kids exposure to the game that no one else had. The J’s Smith is responsible for allowing this access and is credited by many as the one who introduced young J members to both handball and racquetball. He would soon become a mentor and advisor to many of the youngsters who began showing promise in racquetball. “Phil was like always around. He was a presence in those days,” said Jerry Zuckerman, 67, and one of the “St. Louis boys,” as they would come to be known. “He was someone you could go to for advice or ask a question about the game,” Zuckerman continued. “All of us teens were allowed to play with people much older and more skilled than us. (That’s) why St. Louis was the first hotbed.” Along with Zuckerman, the J boasted some of the biggest names in the sport and became known as a “feeder” of the top talent in racquetball. Several national and international cham-
Jerry Zuckerman
ABOUT THE MELVIN L. NEWMARK PAGES These pages are dedicated to the memory of Melvin L. Newmark, St. Louis attorney and Jewish community leader, who served as president of the St. Louis Jewish Light Board of Trustees from 1969 to 1972. In his memory, Mr. Newmark’s family and friends established the Melvin L. Newmark Memorial Fund, which funds and sponsors Op-Ed commentary articles and special features on a topic of current Jewish interest. The Jewish Light is grateful to Melvin Newmark’s family and friends for establishing this generous fund.
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JEWISH LIGHT
At left, Steve Serot (left) and Steve Keeley play racquetball during a game in 1975 in Burlington, Vt. Below, Steve Serot dives for the ball as Jerry Hilecher looks on during a game in 1974 in San Diego.
Meet the ‘St. Louis Boys’ of racquetball BY JORDAN PALMER CHIEF DIGITAL CONTENT OFFICER
In his 1976 book, “The Complete Book of Racquetball,” author Steve “Bo” Keeley includes a chapter titled “St. Louis Power Racquetball.” In it, Keeley introduces readers to the young men he calls the “St. Louis boys” and details how they changed racquetball by evolving it into a game of power. Meet some of the St. Louis boys:
Jerry Hilecher
“The St. Louis boys would go high on the backswing and with an exaggerated body torque and wrist cock, would make ball contact as far back as the rear heel, and a sweeping follow-through,” wrote Keely. “Hilecher’s hits were estimated at 105 mph, Serot’s at 115 mph and Hogan at 130 mph before hitting 142 mph in 1978.” The St. Louis power machine would produce more hard hitters, but none matched the original forgers of the early ’70s. “Serot and Hilecher were great athletes who became great racquetball players,” wrote Keeley. “Each learned to play power racquetball at the St. Louis JCC. As much as they had in common their games were totally different.”
1975 - 1977 By 1975, St. Louis Power Racquetball dominated the professional circuit. The leading moneymakers included Marty Hogan, who won his first pro title in 1975 in Burlington, Vt., followed by another tournament win in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. “Hogan, despite his Irish-sounding name, is a practicing Jew, and is only an 18 years old youngster who has taken over the pro ranks,” wrote Haskell Cohen, in a Dec. 26, 1975 article for the Jewish Light. In the same article, Cohen talks about Hilecher having earned $4,000 on the tour, and the “up-and-coming star Ben Koltun, an 18-year-old out of St. Louis who was the national junior amateur champion, has joined the pros and is beginning to knock off some of the money on the gravy train.” In 1977, both Hogan, 19, and Hilecher, 22 were ranked among the best in the world.
St. Louis power domination Near the end of the 1976-77 NRC Pro Tour, four of the world’s topped ranked players had started their playing careers at the J. Hogan, Serot, Hilecher and Koltun all played their new brand of power racquetball. That same year, the finals of the 1977 IPRO Pro National Doubles consisted of Charlie Brumfield and three St. Louis J players, as Brumfield and Serot defeated Hilecher and Zuckerman for their third national doubles title. (They would not lose a match until 1981.) “With faster balls and bigger and better racquets, the St. Louis power game totally eclipsed the strategy and control game that Brumfield and I played,” wrote Keeley. “The power backhand of Serot has been slightly adjusted to less
wrist snap and more body torque by today’s pros, and the players now use the top third of the racquet instead of the dead center sweet spot that Hilecher hit his forehand serve and kills, but there is no mistake that these St. Louis boys pioneered power racquetball and the game has forever changed.” The decade was ending, but not St. Louis’ dominance. Something special had happened at the J during the 1970s. A community was created. The seeds were planted, they took root and continued to grow. “For me, it was just such a good time,” said Serot, 66, who still lives in St. Louis. “From winning the first Pro Stop in 1974 to playing against all the guys at the J. It was a second home, and all the players were not your enemy, but one big family. I think, the group of us, we laid the foundation for the sport. It was good times back then.” The 1970s ended with racquetball at a new peak in popularity, and the St. Louis boys continued to thrive. Tournament money and sponsorship deals all followed, but soon many had to begin to think about life after racquetball. “All of the St. Louis boys dominated the game in every division,” said Zuckerman. “As we went into the 80s, some continued to play, while others continued on to new careers. Hogan and Hilecher made a go of it for a long while.”
The ’80s By the 1980s, yet another generation of players began to emerge from the J. By the time David Henschel of the Jewish Light wrote his July 1980 story, 18-year-old Doug Cohen was the sport’s National Rookie of The Year. Henschel wrote, “He attained the title mainly because of his exceptional ability, partly because of winning the IRA Nationals for 17-year-olds and younger, runner up in the NRC Nationals, and attaining the world’s number 7 ranking.” Added Cohen, who owns Douglas Properties, a residential homebuilder, “Never in the relatively short history of the sport have the opportunities to become a successful touring professional been better than right now.” Like the young men in the 1970s, Cohen grew up near the J and its famed courts. He started playing at the age 6, and by his late teens was Koltun’s practice partner. Cohen would remain on the professional circuit through 1986, maintaining a ranking of 14th in the world. See RACQUETBALL on page 17
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Jerry Hilecher grew up in St. Louis, graduating from Parkway West High School in 1972 and receiving his undergraduate degree in economics at the University of Missouri in 1976. He found racquetball at the age of 10 at the Jewish Community Center, after Phil Smith, the director at the time, introduced him and other boys to handball. “That motion from handball led to power racquetball,” said Hilecher, 67. “It was that stepping through, whipping of the arm of handball that really changed the game of racquetball.” Considered one of the 10 best racquetball players of all time, he played in the finals of more than 100 professional events. He has performed in over 1,000 clinics and exhibitions around the world and has 10 national and international titles including the World Racquetball Professional Championships in 1976. “Hilecher ignored the strategy of all the top players of the ’60s and ’70s and brought to tournaments a power style all his own,” wrote Keeley. “He was the first true serve-and-shoot big game player. Hilecher was the first to rely on and dominate aces and on the ensuing setup of near-aces. He was murder to play.” Hilecher was ranked in the top 4 on the Pro Tour for 10 years in a row and held the No. 1 ranking in the world in 1981. He has served as president of the Professional Players Association and coached the U.S. Junior Olympic racquetball team in 1992 and 1993. He has been inducted in the Missouri Jewish Sports Hall of Fame, and the USA Racquetball Hall of Fame. Hilecher currently is president and owner of Gateway Telnet, a communications and data company, and resides in Northridge, Calif.
Marty Hogan Hogan grew up around the J, where his mother, Goldie, worked. It was Goldie who handed Marty his first racquet at age 8 and would be his first coach. He would later be considered by many to be the greatest player to ever play the game. “With the help of the elders Marlow Phillips, Joe Zelson, Irv Roselman and Phil Smith, the JCC cultivated many of the top players such as myself, Jerry Zuckerman, Ben Koltun, Andy and David Gross and Doug Cohen,” said Hogan. “The JCC was instrumental to the tutelage of these great players and the success of the early days of racquetball.” “He won the second-ever Junior National Championship in 1975 and months later became the secondyoungest player to win a pro event behind Serot,” wrote Keeley. “Hogan did it by beating Brumfield, Serot and me consecutively on his way to his first victory in an incredible racquetball career.” For many years he was the face of the sport and is also credited with catapulting it into an era of speed and youth. Known for his brash style of play,
Hogan’s play revolutionized the game with his powerful serve. Clocked at 142 mph, his serves were almost impossible to see, until it was too late. By age 23, Hogan was already a threetime national champion. He even began creating videos to show new players the tricks of the trade. He was named to the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame, the U.S. Jewish Hall of Fame, World Racquetball Hall of Fame, and the Ladue High School Sports Hall of Fame. Hogan, 64, who currently lives in Wildwood, was ranked the No. 1 player in the world from 1976-1981 and in 1989. He was an eight-time Professional National Champion, a 1975 USRA National Champion, 1975 Junior National Champion, and 1976 Canadian National Champion. He has won National Doubles three times (1994, 1996 and 2001). In 1997, he won the state championships and in 1999 won the seniors at the U.S. Open.
Ben Koltun
Ben Koltun
Ben Koltun was born and raised in St. Louis and came from the same courts at the St. Louis J. He started playing at age 12, and soon won the USRA Junior and Open National Tournaments in 1976 before being named the 1977 Pro Racquetball Rookie of the Year, for which he received a scholarship and a new Datsun 280Z. In addition, the same year he finished in the top 4 ranking and was a semi-finalist in Pro Nationals. He had many career wins over top players including Hogan, Brumfield, Keeley, Hilecher and Serot. “He scared me,” said Brumfield. “Koltun was so turbulent and then so cool. Once, in a close match as I wound up to push a ball off the back wall, he dropped his racquet by the thong to his side and watched me roll it off, quipping, ´I just wanted to study your stroke.’”
Steve Serot Serot, 66, grew up in University City, but his family moved west to be closer to the J. He was first introduced to racquet sports at age 8 when he got a solid wood paddle from his father for paddleball. “I’m left-handed now, but originally I was right-handed,” said Serot, who lives in South County. “I was pitching in Little League baseball. One time I was a primary pitcher and pitched a no-hitter, but hurt my right arm really bad.” He continued playing paddleball, however, using his backhand instead of the more common practice of switching the paddle between both hands. See ‘ST. LOUIS BOYS’ on page 17
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FEATURES ARTS AND CULTURE
FOOD
It’s all in the
HOLIDAYS
JEWISH LIGHT
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LIFESTYLES
THE BURGER THAT’S BEEN A SMASH IN ST. LOUIS SINCE 1934 BY BILL MOTCHAN SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH LIGHT
Like toasted ravioli and provel cheese, St. Louis is inextricably linked to the hamburger. The 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition in Forest Park was a coming-out party for the hamburger. Three decades after that grand world’s fair, another burger took center stage in the Midwest: the smashburger, which made its debut in February 1934 at the venerable chain Steak ’n Shake. We used to simply call the restaurant “Steak” when I went to University City High School. It was a favorite for many Jewish St. Louisans who came of age in the 1960s, when carhops brought shakes and burgers out to our cars, “American Graffiti”-style. Going inside was also a treat because we could watch up close as the burgers were cooked to order.
Memories of burgers past The memories of what we as kids thought of as fine dining are still vivid for Steve Friedman, author and former editor of St. Louis Magazine. “My memory is that my dad would take my brother Don and me out to dinner at Steak ’n Shake on Sunday night to give my mom a break from cooking,” said Friedman, who graduated from Ladue Horton Watkins High School in 1973. “He’d say, ‘Whatever you boys want for dinner, you can have,’ and we thought, ‘He must be the richest man in the world — we can have double burgers and milk shakes.’ It was a huge deal. Those were big times.” The Steak ’n Shake experience was also notable for a young Danny Meyer, the Jewish founder of the massive international, publicly traded Shake Shack. Meyer has mentioned Steak ’n Shake in past interviews about the inspiration behind the burgers and shakes at Shake Shack. I wondered whether Meyer had the
same magic experience of watching the burgers grilled at Steak ’n Shake that Friedman and I had. And if the Shake Shack burger is truly an homage to Steak. Harley Hammerman, host of the Lost Tables website, corresponds with Meyer, so I asked him if there was a simple answer. Calling Meyer “a true diplomat,” Hammerman passed on Meyer’s reply: “Fond memories of so many St. Louis burgers I grew up with: Carl’s, Fitz’s, Steak ’n Shake, Straub’s, Crown Candy Kitchen, Schneithorst’s, Parkmoor …” So perhaps the Shake Shack burger is an
amalgamation of all the burgers Meyer remembers growing up in St. Louis. As his list indicates, there’s no shortage of great burgers here. The smashburger, though, is special.
A French lesson The smashburger is flat. Very flat. The cook must exert great pressure on the burger patty with a spatula. That enhances contact of the meat with the heat source. The burger’s juices are locked in and don’t drip out. The result is also a distinctive browned, charred appearance and
intense flavor. To fully understand the science behind the smashburger, you need to learn the French word maillard (pronounced my-yard). My high school French is un petit, so I consulted Frederick J. Tiess, a master instructor in the College of Food Innovation & Technology at Johnson & Wales University in Providence, R.I. “The maillard reaction is the development of flavor and aroma in food that results in a change in color from its natural state to amber to a mahogany color on the surface,” said Tiess, a certified master chef. “The application of heat directly to the hamburger from a hot pan or griddle rearranges the amino acids. “The greater the surface area of the food, the greater the proportion of maillard reaction and flavor development. This process changes how light reflects, thus a brown color develops on the surface, which changes the texture. “My grandfather had a bar next to his brother-in-law’s butcher shop in New York, and he used to make burgers using a press in a cast iron pan with julienne onions. There is something about that crisp texture on the surface of the burger that is so special.”
The first smashburger Food history gets a little fuzzy when establishing credit for the first smashburger. It’s often credited to Bill Culvertson, the creator of Dairy Cheer in Pikesville, Tenn. But Culvertson smashed his first burger about 60 years ago, more than 25 years after Steak ’n Shake began. In St. Louis, another tiny diner, Carl’s Drive-In on Manchester Road in See SMASHBURGER on page 16
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June 8, 2022
Page 15
NEW JEWISH THEATRE
Parents’ wartime letters inspired playwright BY JUDITH NEWMARK SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH LIGHT
Ken Ludwig has no idea why his mother destroyed the letters that she and his father exchanged during World War II. “Maybe they were too intimate” for anyone else to read, mused the playwright, a man whose many credits include the sparkling musical “Crazy for You” and such popular comedies as “Moon Over Buffalo” and “Lend Me a Tenor.” But he’s just guessing. And there’s nobody left to ask. So, Ludwig filled in the blanks for himself. That’s why “Dear Jack, Dear Louise” — the play opening June 9 at the New Jewish Theater — is, technically, a work of fiction. Still, it’s based on a true story — a story uncommonly close to the writer’s heart. And gene pool. Ludwig isn’t even sure how his grandfathers, who set the romance in motion, knew each other to begin with. Two immigrants from Eastern Europe, both men were tailors — Ludwig in Coatesville, Pa., Rabiner in Brooklyn, N.Y. Did they come to America on the same boat? Did they meet at a tailors’ confer‘Dear Jack, Dear Louise’ ence? Do tailors have conferences? This detail, their grandson concedes, also is lost WHEN: June 9-26 to time. Nevertheless, as America entered the WHERE: New Jewish Theatre’s Wool Studio war each tailor was thinking about the Theater in the Jewish Community Center’s Arts & Education Building, 2 Millstone future – no doubt about the future of the Campus Drive war and all it implied for America and for Europe, no doubt about their children’s HOW MUCH: $52.97 - $63.78 future as well. MORE INFO: newjewishtheatre.org Dr. Jack Ludwig, fresh out of medical school, was in the service, stationed at an Army hospital in Oregon. Louise Rabiner, And they were two vivid characters. who loved the theater, was a dancer and Louise, just 20, was absorbed in singing actress, trying to make it on Broadway. and dancing lessons as she pursued what That’s in New York. her parents considered “crazy show-biz But with their father’s encouragement, dreams.” Leaving Brooklyn behind, she they began a correspondence that spanned moved into the kind of theatrical rooming a continent, along with the long, uncertain house for young women made famous in war years. the Katharine Hepburn-Ginger An epistolary courtship Rogers movie “Stage Door.” might sound like something “She wanted nothing more out of Jane Austin. But playthan to be in a Broadway musiwright Ludwig presents his cal,” Ludwig said fondly. “And parents as they were, modern she was!” “Hellzapoppin’” may Americans with complicated not be slated for imminent lives and feelings that the revival, but it was a hit in its audience can relate to. day. She toured in road shows, “I started to turn a little too. inward, to look at my own past,” Jack, 29, had gotten a slightsaid Ludwig, who holds degrees ly late start in medicine, He’d from Haverford College, become a pharmacist first, but, Cambridge Universityand like Louise, he was drawn to Harvard Law. Today he lives in Playwright Ken Ludwig wider horizons than his quiet Washington, D.C., with his parents imagined. Working in wife, Adrienne George; they have two chil- a steel mill to pay his way through school, dren, Olivia and Jack. “But the more I made he had plenty to do without making room notes (for the play), the more I focused just for romance. on them.” But it was time for Jack to settle down.
Molly Diane Burris (above) and Ryan Lawson-Maeske (left) star in New Jewish Theatre’s production of ‘Dear Jack, Dear Louise,’ which runs June 9-26. PHOTO: JON GITCHOFF
And who better for Louise to marry than a Jewish doctor? Besides, their fathers were already friends (somehow?). What followed, despite the many complications of time and place, now seems “b’shert,” Ludwig explained in a phone interview from England. There, he had two plays opening at the famed Chichester Festival Theatre — a stage adaptation of Agatha Christie’s “Murder on the Orient Express” and a revival of “Crazy for You.” He’s also turning “Lend Me a Tenor” into “Lend Me a Soprano,” restyled for a female cast; it opens at the Houston’s Alley Theatre in September. Often called America’s premiere comic playwright, Ludwig also loves opera.
Small surprise, then, that his new comic opera, “Tenor Overboard” — its music drawn from the vast Rossini oeuvre – debuts in July at the Glimmerglass Festival in Cooperstown, N.Y. “I’ve been kind of busy,” he said mildly. But Jack and Louise Ludwig are never far from his thoughts. “My parents were really fine people, deeply decent people,” said the writer, the younger of their two sons. “I wanted to capture the spirit of their age, the heroism of living through World War II. “It was a time when America — when Western civilization — had to show real courage, real integrity. “I knew two people who did that.”
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JEWISH LIGHT
Smashburger: It’s all in the sizzle CONTINUED FROM PAGE 14 Brentwood, started smashing burgers around the same time as Dairy Cheer. Carl’s seats just 16 people at two counters and does a brisk business. The building was originally a Lubrite Service Station when it opened in 1918. In 1959, 25-yearold Carl Meyer (no relation to Danny Meyer), whose family delivered meat to the restaurant, bought it and renamed it Carl’s Drive-In. In 2021, it was purchased by longtime customer David Kraemer. “I was sitting here one day at lunch and I said I wished that I had bought the place when it was sold a couple of years before,” Kraemer said. “I found out the owner had just walked out the door, so I caught up with him in the parking lot and the next day we shook hands on a deal. It was the right place at the right time. “I was a big fan of Carl’s, and I used to come every week. That was a big plus, and the fact that it’s an iconic institution. It’s been featured on national TV. We get professional athletes here, we get executives. We get Cardinals and Blues players. That included longtime Cardinals announcer Jack Buck.”
The gourmet smashburger Ground chuck is generally the go-to smashburger cut of beef. Some St. Louis burger joints take the extra step of a specialty grind, like Jack Nolen’s in Soulard. It looks like a dive bar, but Nolen’s offers a gourmet version using a combination of brisket, short ribs and chuck. The ultimate local smashburger may be the dry-aged version at Mac’s Local Eats on Oakland Avenue. On Sundays at Mac’s, you can forgo a standard bun and choose a Pharaoh’s glazed donut, proof that not all pharaohs are bad. “The flavor of the meat, that’s where we differ from everyplace else in the country,”
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Peter Barg of the St. Louis Burger Club cooks up a batch of smashburgers on his backyard griddle.
said Chris “Mac” McKenzie, owner of Mac’s. “Dry-aged beef is just much more flavorful than regular beef. We use a 2-ounce patty in a puck form, and we portion everything by hand. We try to handle it as little as possible. Around the circumference of the patty, we call it the meat skirt, and it is thinned out so it gets crispy on the flat top. It cooks all the way through and we use a different instrument to scrape it because we want all of those little brown bits to stay on the burger.”
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Sauced up Native St. Louisans may remember Medart’s, which started in the sprawling Tudor building on Clayton Road near Highway 40 (I-64) that now houses Cheshire Inn. Medart’s sauce is available on the smashburger served at the Drawing Board on Chippewa Street in south St. Louis. The original Medart’s burger was not a smashburger, but it was popular. The sauce was concocted from a mayonnaise base and green relish, said the Lost Tables’ Hammerman, who recalled another famous sauce on a legendary University City burger at Hamburger Heaven on Olive Boulevard. “Hamburger Heaven’s burgers were not smashed on the griddle, so technically they were not smashburgers,” Hammerman said. “I confirmed this with Dr. Alan Londe, who started making burgers at Hamburger Heaven when he was 15 years old. But the patties were indeed relatively thin and came off the griddle with a charred crust. You couldn’t order them medium rare. “The sauce is what made Hamburger Heaven’s burgers and fries special. As a kid, I would order both the burgers and the fries with double sauce, and I was indeed in heaven. The secret sauce was simply Brooks’ barbecue sauce mixed with simple syrup, but that recipe wasn’t divulged until long after Aaron ‘Ernie’ Shriber had
closed his restaurants and passed on.”
Smash it yourself If you try to make a smashburger at home, a grate on a barbecue grill won’t cut the mustard. Most of the burger will fall in the fire. A very hot cast iron skillet will do nicely, though. That’s what Steve Friedman uses now, along with his other secret to successful burgers. “I can now make the perfect smashburger,” Friedman said. “The key I discovered by happy accident is to use two spatulas [to press down the burgers on the grill], and it was like muscle memory from watching the cooks at Steak ’n Shake.” The specialness of the smashburger may be due to how unfussy it is, according to Peter Barg, founder of the St. Louis Burger Club and a member of Congregation B’nai Amoona, who has a commercial grade flattop grill in his backyard. “There’s a beauty in the simplicity in
Burgers at Carl’s Drive-In. making a smashburger,” Barg said. “It’s the meat, the salt, the pepper. It’s kind of like the everyman burger that you know exactly what you’re going to get.”
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Jurassic Park returns, new Rob Reiner projects and ‘E.T.’ BY NATE BLOOM SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH LIGHT
The sixth “Jurassic Park” movie, “Jurassic World Dominion,” opens in theaters on June 10. In this sequel, humans and dinosaurs now live near each other all over the world and the question is: Who will emerge as the “apex predator?” The film was directed by COLIN TREVORROW, 41. He also directed the last two “Jurassic Park” films. Both grossed well over a billion dollars at the box office. Trevorrow’s mother is a Sephardic Jew and his father is not Jewish. JEFF GOLDBLUM, 69, reprises his role as Dr. Ian Malcolm, an expert in chaos theory. Goldblum co-starred as Malcolm in the original “Jurassic Park” film (1993), which was directed by STEVEN SPIELBERG. Goldblum appeared in the first “Jurassic” sequel (1997), and he returned for the fifth film (2018). Probably not by coincidence, Apple+ is now streaming “Prehistoric Planet” a fivepart documentary about the “last days” of the dinosaurs. The series features the latest CGI and other special effects (some pioneered by the “Jurassic Park” movies) to make the dinos “come alive.” The series incorporates the latest scientific research about dinosaurs. JON FAVREAU, 55, was the head producer of the series and two-time Oscarwinner HANS ZIMMER, 64, wrote the musical score. Sir David Attenborough,
Colin Trevorrow in 2015. PHOTO: RED CARPET REPORT ON MINGLE MEDIA TV, CREATIVE COMMONS
the 95-year-old legendary English biologist, narrates the series. I always like to “plug” Sir David. His parents took in two German Jewish refugee sisters, IRENE and HELGA BEJACH, aged 13 and 12, respectively, weeks before World War II broke-out. David’s parents formally adopted the sisters after it was confirmed that their father died in Auschwitz (their mother died young of natural causes). David, and his famous actor/director brother, the late Sir Richard Attenborough, often said that that Helga and Irene were always like sisters to them. The sisters, who were practicing Jews, moved to New York in 1946 and stayed, for a time, with an uncle. Helga and Irene are now deceased, but not forgotten. In 2020, Sir David hosted a reunion for the sisters’ descendants. Helga’s daughter said: “We wouldn’t exist if not for their humanitarian kindness.”
RACQUETBALL
‘ST. LOUIS BOYS’
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 13
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 13
“The JCC is a prime breeding ground for up-and-coming pros,” said Cohen. By 1984, teenage brothers David and Andy Gross were on top of the game. “More professional players come from St. Louis than other cities,” said then-19-yearold David Gross in an interview with Jack Herman of the Jewish Light in October 1984. “The J makes it so convenient to play regularly and improve our games.” The brothers grew up watching Hogan, who became their mentor and sponsor. By the fall of 1984, David Gross was ranked 18th nationally, with brother Andy right behind him at 19th. They even made the cover of National Racquetball Magazine. Both brothers would remain on the pro tour through their mid-20s.
“When I was about 10, they came out with a wood frame racquet with strings, Most people went to using a backhand so I was ahead of the game by accident,” Serot said. Serot would soon become one of the top players of all time and the first of the “St. Louis Boys” to become a racquetball superstar. In 1973, at the age of 17, he upset Charlie Brumfield to win the first “Pro Stop” ever and took home the top prize of $1,500 for first place. To this day he also holds the title of the youngest player ever to win a pro racquetball tournament. He held the No. 2 ranking in singles, finishing in the semis or better 50 times. Serot held the No. 1 ranking in doubles for both indoor and outdoor winning four international doubles championships between the years of 1973-1976. He won
1989 | Bringing the St. Louis boys together In the spring of 1989, the J held its Second A nnual JCCA Pro-A m Racquetball Tournament. More than 250 pro, adult and junior players turned out for the competition. The event attracted a large number of touring pros including St. Louis’ own Marty Hogan, who won the tournament, the Gross brothers, and retired pros Jerry Hilecher, Doug Cohen and Benny Koltun.
Today, the J hosts racquetball lessons and leagues for all skill levels. Find more information on the J’s website: jccstl.com/ programs/adult-racquetball-leagues.
Rob Reiner at the Montclair Film Festival in 2016. PHOTO BY NEIL GRABOWSKY/ MONTCLAIR FILM FESTIVAL
the Sportsmanship of the Year award in 1978.
Jerry Zuckerman Zuckerman, 66, lived within walking distance of the J and began playing racquetball when he was 16. He was quickly hooked. “I had good eye-hand coordination, and I developed an understanding of the angles, but part of it was just fun and I just loved hitting the ball where the other person wasn’t,” said Zuckerman. In 1974, at the age of 18, Zuckerman won the first-ever Junior National Championship beating Steve Trent. In 1977, Zuckerman played a tournament in Topeka, Kan. that change his life. “I took a one-way Greyhound bus from St. Louis to Topeka,” said Zuckerman, who lives in Wildwood. “It was a good thing I won because first prize was a new Toyota.
now-largely forgotten music producer and songwriter. Berns wrote many rock classics, including, “Twist and Shout,” “Hang on Sloopy,” “Piece of My Heart” and “Here Comes the Night.” Reiner says, “He only lived to 38 [due to a lifetime heart ailment]…[But] the list of his hits is just insane and he had a really interesting life.” vvv The 40 anniversary of the American release of “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” (usually referred to simply as “E.T.”) is June 11. This truly beloved film was made for $10.5 million and grossed almost $800 million. No one expected that. The box office returns and the outpouring of plaudits from critics and audiences put its director Spielberg, now 75, into the rarefied universe of “tippy” top filmmakers. Here are a couple of Spielberg “E.T.” factoids: while Spielberg didn’t write the film, he gave the screenwriter, Melissa Matthison, her “script start.” He told her he long thought about making a film about his childhood — a lonely childhood in which he had an imaginary friend. In some ways, Spielberg has said, E.T. is a combination of that imaginary friend and his beloved father. Another story: some writers said E.T. was a Jesus-like figure. Spielberg replied that this came as a surprise to him, and to his mother, who he pointed out was the owner of a kosher restaurant. th
I could pick from a new Celica or a Corolla, I chose the Corolla because I could not drive a stick. It was also there, that I met my future wife, Linda.” That same year, he won the IRA Nationals in Detroit with over 150 players. He also won the National Racquetball Clubs Nationals in San Diego in seven rounds with wins over Marty Hogan and Trent. “Because I won, I got endorsements from Catalina Sportwear for $15,000, which was a lot,” remembers Zuckerman. “Ektelon became a sponsor and took care of expenses. I earned money playing in tournaments and clinics.” Zuckerman spent two years on the protour. He topped off his career by being named the Male Athlete of the Year for 1977-1978 and placed second in doubles with Hilecher at Pro Nationals.
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Racquetball at the J today The flashy days of tube socks pulled up to the knees, and headbands are long gone, but the game and the J remain as strong as ever. USA Racquetball boasts a membership of 7,000 nationally and continues to promote national and international tournaments. In 2021, National Masters Racquetball Association held its National Championship in St. Louis. Doug Cohen was even the winner in the men’s 55+ age bracket.
vvv Variety recently reported that ROB REINER, 75, is now shooting a documentary about his great friend, ALBERT BROOKS, 74. Brooks isn’t quite a household name, but he is something special. Brooks has co-starred in good films made by others and in really good films that he wrote, directed and acted in. The former includes “Broadcast News,” which earned Brooks a best supporting actor Oscar nomination. Reiner has a big-name list of documentary interviewees. The Jewish ones include JONAH HILL, SARAH SILVERMAN, JUDD APATOW and BEN STILLER. Variety also reports that Reiner is going full guns again with new projects. This includes producing a dramatic bio-pic about BERT BERNS (1927-69), a
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Sidney Brenner and Toby Lerman were introduced at a wedding, by a mutual friend. On their first date, Sidney proposed. They were married the next year, on June 15, 1947 in the midst of a bus strike. The Brenners, who live in University City, said they feel blessed to have their children, Gary (Terri), Michael (Jo Ann), and Scott (Cheryl); grandchildren, Adam
(Kandice), Josh, Damon (Cecilia), Jeremy (Lauren), Corey (Amanda), Clayton (Carlye) and Nicole (Aaron); as well as their “wonderful great-grandchildren,” Ethan and Evelyn, Isabella and Victoria, Max and Ari, Paige, Hunter and Jordan, and Savannah, Brynlee and Olivia. “Would wish this ‘nachas’ for everyone,” Sidney and Toby said.
MOSELEY-WEISEL WEDDING Emily Moseley and Daniel Weisel were married April 23, 2022 at the Third Degree Glass Factory in St. Louis. The ceremony was officiated by their dear friend, Amanda Dube. Emily is the daughter of Juli and Tad Moseley of Springfield, Mo. Daniel is the son of Marsha and Larry Weisel of Chesterfield. The bride’s twin sister, Anna Vanatta served as Matron of Honor. The groom’s brother, Ben Weisel, served as Best Man. Emily and Daniel met during their first year at Washington University School of Medicine. They dated throughout their out-of-town residencies and moved back to St. Louis in 2020 to begin their medical practices. Currently, Emily is an Emergency Medicine Physician at St. Joseph’s Hospital in St. Charles. Daniel is a Family Practice Physician with BJC at Progress West Hospital. Daniel and Emily, both lifelong nature and animal lovers, have planned to go on safari in Africa this July for their honeymoon.
BAT MITZVAH: DAHLIA GOLDSTEIN-LAROCCO Dahlia Goldstein-Larocco became a bat mitzvah May 14 at a private residence. Rabbi Brigitte Rosenberg of United Hebrew Congregation officiated. Dahlia is the daughter of Traci Goldstein and Tyler Larocco of St. Louis. She is the granddaughter of Dolores Goldstein (z’’l), Harold Fishmam (z’’l), Alan Larocco (z’’l) and Martha Larocco of St. Louis. A straight-A student in the sixth grade at Parkway Central Middle School, Dahlia plays hockey and soccer, and she swims. Dahlia likes to spend her free time with family and friends, being on the ice and exploring the outdoors. Dahlia’s mitzvah project supports the Dead Sea Revival Project, which seeks to address the shortage of water in the Middle East by working with experts throughout the Middle East as a result of the Abraham Accords. Dahlia hopes this collaboration will not only help address the water crisis in the world but also bring much needed peace to the Middle East via water diplomacy. PHOTO: JJ LANE AT BE LOVELY PHOTOGRAPHY
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Sara Rachel Frieberger of Brentwood and Todd William Brooks of Peoria, Ill., have announced their engagement. Sara is the daughter of Drs. Susan and Judel Lew of Chesterfield, and the late M. David Frieberger of St. Louis. She is the granddaughter of the late Naomi Knable of Bethesda, Md., and the late Sydney M. Hurwitz of Silver Spring, Md., and the late Gordon and the late Miriam Aurnett Frieberger of Clayton. Todd is the son of Janice and Thomas Boylan of Mapleton, Ill., and Joseph and Ruth Brooks of Florissant. He is the grandson of the late Ruth and the late William Diegel and the late Betty and the late William Brooks, all of Pekin, Ill. Sara attended Ladue Horton Watkins High School. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in journalism and mass communication with an emphasis in publication design and a minor in graphic design at the University of Iowa. She is a senior strategic marketing manager with Aetna. Todd attended Limestone Communit High School in Bartonville, Ill. He earned a Bachelor of Science in business administration at Illinois State University and is currently senior regional sales director with Aetna. Sara and Todd met by phone 12 years ago while collaborating on a work project. Their partnership grew into friendship, and they often discussed work, family and life events. In late 2020, they spoke of the sadness and loss they each endured that year and ways they could bring happiness and hope into the new one. They celebrated New Year’s Eve in St. Louis. And in the year to follow, through video chats, road trips, walks and talks, they fell in love. Then, on a beautiful evening in October, Todd invited Sara to join him outside for a drink by the fire. He brought out a uniquely shaped bourbon bot-
PHOTO : SPOONFUL OF SUGAR PHOTOGRAPHY
FRIEBERGER-BROOKS ENGAGEMENT
BAR MITZVAH: ARI BERNSTEIN PHOTO: SARAH CORBETT PHOTOGRAPHY
tle, and Sara was so curious to see what distillery it was from that she began reading the label before Todd could set it down (and also before he could get down on one knee). On the bottle was etched: “If I did anything right in this life, it was giving my heart to you. Will you marry me?” And as she read his beautiful words, Todd pulled out the ring and asked Sara to marry him. A September 2022 wedding is planned.
Ari Bernstein, son of Jen and Scott Bernstein of St. Louis, became a bar mitzvah on May 28, 2022 at Congregation B’nai Amoona. Ari is the grandson of Susie and the late Rik Knopf of St. Louis, and Mitch and Melanie Bernstein of St. Louis. A rising eighth grader at Saul Mirowitz Jewish Community School, Ari loves playing hockey and golf, going to concerts, attending Blues and Cardinals games, aviation, playing video games and hanging out with friends and his rescue dog, Scout. For his mitzvah project, Ari is donating a portion of his bar mitzvah gifts to the St. Louis Rockets 47 Fund, his hockey organization’s scholarship fund. He and a friend also had a craft stand where they sold stress balls, friendship bracelets and masks. They donated proceeds from the craft stand to Stray Rescue.
TRIBUTES IN MEMORY OF
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“Sincerest condolences. Our thoughts are with you all at this sad time.” - Donna Moog & Lenny Landsbaum - Shep & Cindy Hyken -Barbara & Michael Newmark - Rochelle Popkin - Marilyn Young -
LORRIANE ROSENBERG “In Celebration of your 100th Birthday!” Love, - Joan & Sherman Silber -
- Barbara & Michael Newmark JULIE AND GREG YAWITZ “We’re so sorry for your loss of your father and father-in-law Floyd Emert.” - From the Board and Staff of the Jewish Light -
THE SILVER FAMILY “In honor of Katie & Ryan’s graduation from LHWHS!” - Bethe & Gary Growe -
AUDREY FRIEDMAN “In loving memory of Audrey Friedman on her Yahrzeit. Sending love to Susie, Nancy and Bengie Schmidt.” Love, - Betsy -
HARRY RUBIN “In honor of your graduation!” - Beth Rubin -
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OBITUARIES
OBITUARY NOTICES UPDATED DAILY AT STLJEWISHLIGHT.ORG/OBITUARIES
SANFORD “SANDY” BAUM, May 30, 2022, age 90, passed away peacefully with his family by his side. Father of Tracy (the late Steve) Finkel. Dear brother of Gail (Charles) Eisenkramer, Judy Baum and Richard (Carol) Baum. Beloved step-brother of Jackie (Martin) Lipsitz. Dear uncle, great uncle, cousin and friend. Sandy was a graduate of the Washington University School of Architecture. He had a diversified career as a designer, artist, author and construction superintendent. He worked at his various careers well into his 80’s, and never one to sit around, he was still sending out his resume at the age of 90. He had a wide range of hobbies including flying and photography. Private family services were held. Contributions in Sandy’s memory may be made to the National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW), 295 N. Lindbergh Blvd., St. Louis, MO, 63141. A Rindskopf-Roth Service
OBITUARIES INDEX Baum, Sanford “Sandy”
Mamroth, Perry H. Markman, Dr. Wayne Solon
Dahl, Erich Gibstine, Marjori Mae “Peggy” Francis
Nadler, Minette
Ginsparg, Dr. Sylvia Levine
Trochtenberg, Larry
Goldberg, Gregory I. Kusmin, Arlene Levinson, William S.
Sandler, JoAnn Weiner, Dr. Morris David “Dave” Wolf, Nancy
ERICH DAHL, Age 102, of Creve Coeur, Missouri was born on February 29, 1920 in Geilenkerchen, Germany and passed away on June 1, 2022. In November, 1938, he fled Nazi Germany where most of his family perished and emigrated to Kansas City, Missouri, later settling in St. Louis, Missouri. Erich proudly served in the Army from 1941 until 1945, spending much of his time in the Pacific. When he returned from his tour, he met his future wife, Hilda. They were married over 55 years until her passing in 2002. He is survived by his children Jackie (Ken) Kleban and Edward (Linda) Dahl; grandfather of Lauren (John Tomich) Kleban, Robbie Kleban, Michael Kleban, Brandon (Stephanie) Dahl and Allison (Jeff Kurson) Dahl; great grandfather of Miles, Romy, and Lila Tomich and Owen and Clara Dahl. Erich worked for Famous-Barr for many years as Director of Food Services before taking a similar position with the May Company in Cleveland, Ohio and finally having his own food brokerage company. Erich and Hilda returned to St. Louis in 1986 to be with family. Erich is known in St. Louis as the creator of the Famous-Barr French onion soup and the John White burger. He participated in the Senior Olympics thru age 94, winning numerous medals at local, state, and national levels. He attributed his longevity to his daily exercise routines and continued exercising until a couple of months before his death. A graveside service was held Friday, June 3 at Chesed Shel Emeth Cemetery, 650 White Road. Donations in Erich’s memory can be made to the St. Louis Feldman Kaplan Holocaust Museum, the Harvey Kornblum Jewish Food Pantry or the charity of your choice. Please visit bergermemorialchapel.com for more information. Berger Memorial Service
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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 American Flag symbol denotes a United States military veteran.
MARJORI MAE “PEGGY” FRANCIS GIBSTINE passed away on 06/03/2022. She was 95 years old. She spent her life bringing treats to friends and relatives and asking questions about their daily lives. In hospice care, she expressed condolences for a second cousin’s dog. And she never missed a birthday. She was the loving wife of the late Dr. Marvin H. Gibstine, a pediatrician, and mother of three daughters and a son: Dr. Connie F. Gibstine [late Jerry Altman], Kathy Connors [Terrance] of Denver, Colorado, Michael Gibstine [late Mimi], and the late Susan Jaeger. She and her late sister, Geraldine Francis Allina of Palm Beach, were close. Peggy stayed in constant contact with her eight grandchildren who called her “Gma: Samuel H. Altman, Max Altman, Jack [Julia], all of San Francisco, and Annie Altman of Hawaii; Kevin Connors [Jill] of Denver; Kendra Roberts [Rhett] of Clarkston, Washington; Erin Shepherd, [Jordan] of Indianapolis; and Jennifer Serralta [Michael] of Greenville, South Carolina. Her nine great-grandchildren made her laugh. After she graduated University City High School, Peggy attended Fontbonne College. She graduated from Washington University while raising her children. After she was widowed, Peggy went to work as a substitute teacher in the Clayton, Parkway, and Pattonville School Districts. After retiring, she took classes at Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Washington University. She never stopped reading American history. Missouri Conservationist and Missouri Life magazines always lay on her coffee table. Peggy and her husband hiked the parks in St. Louis County and in Illinois. Before one Francis family Thanksgiving dinner, she took a cousin and a thermos to Shaw Nature Reserve where they walked in the snow sipping coffee and watching the deer. At home, Peggy enjoyed her bird feeder which she set up outside the window in her breakfast nook so she could watch the hummingbirds. As newlyweds, Peggy and her husband, a U.S. Army physician, were sent to post-WWII Germany. In their free time, they toured the wartorn cities of Europe. Later, she returned, taking one grandchild at a time. A longtime resident of Clayton and Creve Coeur, Peggy recently lived in Brookdale Creve Coeur. A memorial service will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, contributions in Peggy’s name can be made to Lydia’s House, a domestic violence shelter, at Lydiashouse.org. Berger Memorial Service DR. SYLVIA LEVINE GINSPARG Ph.D., beloved mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, colleague, and friend to many, passed away Sunday, May 29, 2022. She was 90. Dr. Ginsparg excelled academically, graduating high school at age 16 and then receiving her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Roosevelt University at age 19, her Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology from Roosevelt University at age 21, and her Doctor of Philosophy in Clinical Psychology from Washington University at age 24. After a couple of postdoctoral appointments, Dr. Ginsparg became a staff psychologist at the prestigious Menninger Foundation in Topeka, Kansas. She practiced there until 1976 when she moved to St. Louis to go into private practice and to begin her studies to become a psychoanalyst at the St. Louis Psychoanalytic Institute. Dr. Ginsparg graduated in the theory of psychoanalysis in 1982 and in child psychoanalysis in 1985. She then continued in her private practice as a psychoanalyst. She became a member of the faculty of the St. Louis Psychoanalytic Institute and a clinical professor of psychiatry and pediatrics at St. Saint Louis University Medical School. Dr. Ginsparg was a Fellow of Sigma Xi and a member of the American Psychological Association, the American Orthopsychiatric Association (member editorial board), the
Kansas Psychological Association (member board of governors), the Topeka Psychological Association, the Missouri Psychological Association, Psychologists Interested in the Study of Psychoanalysis (program chairman, president for multiple terms, and secretarytreasurer), the American Psychoanalytic Association, the International Psychoanalytic Association, the New York Freudian Society, and the St. Louis Psychoanalytic Society. Dr. Ginsparg was a Life Member of the St. Louis Psychoanalytic Institute. Dr. Ginsparg was a prolific author of papers and articles including a co-authored research paper titled Reactions of Young People to the Kennedy Assassination, which was cited in an Appendix to the Warren Commission report. She also wrote a book titled Never Again: Echoes of the Holocaust as Understood Through Film based on over twenty years of her reviews of films created by writers, directors, and actors who were either first or second-generation survivors of the Holocaust. Dr. Ginsparg had a lifelong commitment to Judaism and to Jewish causes. She was one of the founding members of Central Reform Congregation and a long-time member of Temple Shaare Emeth, a member of the Board of Directors of both the St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum and the Heartland Chapter of the Anti-Defamation League, and a member of the St. Louis Jewish Film Festival. She also loved music, a love that she learned from her beloved parents, Sidney (z”l) and Helen (z’’l) Levine. Taught by her mother, a piano teacher, she played the piano her entire life. She was a season ticket holder to the Topeka Civic Symphony and the St. Louis Symphony and traveled to see concerts at Ravinia, Tanglewood, and several cities in Europe. Dr. Ginsparg was the dear mother of Joel (Lynda) and Dan (z”l) (Lori), dear grandmother of Ben, Jacob, Rebecca, Ari, and Aaron, dear sister of Mickey Berman, dear aunt, cousin, and friend to many. A graveside service was held on Wednesday, June 1 at Chevra Kadisha Cemetery, 1601 North and South Rd, St. Louis, MO 63130. Please visit bergermemorialchapel.com for more information. Memorial contributions preferred to the St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum https:// www.jfedstl.org/community-engagement/ holocaust-museum/, the St. Louis Psychoanalytic Institute https://www.stlpi.org/, or a charity of your choice. Berger Memorial Service GREGORY I. GOLDBERG, PhD, a researcher at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, died of heart failure on Saturday May 21, 2022, at Barnes-Jewish Hospital. He was 75. Dr. Goldberg was a professor in the departments of Biochemistry and Biophysics and of Dermatology. He spent most of his 50-year research career at Washington University School of medicine, retiring in June of 2019. One of his scholarly works describing a mechanism of activation of an enzyme that degrades collagen was cited nearly two thousand times and was a seminal contribution to that field. His life motto could be summarized by a quote at the entrance to his office: “One ought, every day at least, to hear a little song, read a good poem, see a fine picture, and, if it were possible, to speak a few reasonable words.” ― Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Dr. Goldberg was born in Moscow on October 3rd 1947 to Isaak Goldberg and Galina Ginsburg. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Moscow University, and PhD in Molecular Biology from Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel. Dr. Goldberg joined the School of Medicine in 1980, as a postdoc and remained there through retirement as a professor. Greg was also an avid sailor, cook, devoted father, and a beloved larger than life personality. He is survived by his three children Ilya Goldberg, Avi Shimon Goldberg and Rebecca Ellen Goldberg; three grandchildren Ariel P Goldberg, Sophia I Goldberg and Alexander I Goldberg. A Private Graveside service was held. Memorial contributions may be made to Forest Park Forever and Forsyth School. Visit www.bergermemorialchapel.comfor more information. Berger Memorial Service
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JEWISH LIGHT
ARLENE KUSMIN, 86, died May 29th in the comfort of her home surrounded by family. Arlene courageously and graciously lived with an Alzheimer’s diagnosis for the last 8 years but a recent stroke was too much for her to overcome. Arlene is survived by her husband and soulmate of 66 years, Stanley; their children; Bruce (Carolyn), Lisa, Michael (Beth); their grandchildren; Ryan (Tom), Caylin (Robert), Daniel (Shea); three great grandchildren and her nieces and nephews with whom she had very special relationships. Arlene was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York and graduated from City College of New York in 1958 with a degree in statistics. Her professional life began as a statistician for Lerner’s of New York and after staying home to raise children, she reentered the workplace as an entrepreneur and owned her own retail store, The Bright Side, for 11 years. Arlene spent the final 19 years of her career as a sales rep in the fashion industry working and traveling together with her husband. But Arlene’s greatest joy was giving joy to others, both friends and family, but especially family. Her unconditional and unwavering love, her willingness to help others, her empathy and her compassion will continue to be a source of strength and inspiration to us all. Arlene was especially proud of the work she did with the St. Louis Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association. After being a caregiver to her father Aaron, Arlene worked tirelessly to “pay it forward”. Not only did she volunteer in their office as a caseworker; Stanley and Arlene are recognized as two of the largest “private” fundraisers for the Walk to End Alzheimer’s for their efforts over the last 20 years. Arlene’s dedication was recognized in 2014 when she was awarded the citywide St. Louis Volunteer of the Year and featured in Town & Style Magazine. A graveside service was held Wednesday, June 1 at Chesed Shel Emeth Cemetery-White Road. Visit bergermemorialchapel.com for more information. Please support Arlene’s dream of finding a cure for this horrible disease by donating to The “A” Team (Aaron & Arlene) here: https://bit.ly/Kusmin-team Berger Memorial Service WILLIAM S. LEVINSON, June 3, 2022 Beloved husband of 55 years to the late Ellen M. Levinson; Loving companion and special best friend of Mimi Kaskowitz; Dear father and fatherin-law of Judy Duneman (Ron), Carol Leidner (Jay), Susie Levinson, and Laura Rose; Dear grandfather of Julie Reinkemeyer (Ben), Sarah Pearcy (Ryan), Danny Brown (Ann Hier), Rachael Platt, and Rebecca Oberkrom (Kyle), and Melanie Seleman; Dear greatgrandfather of Elliana and Ethan Pearcy and Josie and Jack Reinkemeyer; Son of the late Joseph and the late Alma Levinson; Dear brother and brother-in-law of Richard Levinson (Horty); Dear brother-in-law of Daniel Magidson (Luz); Dear uncle, cousin, and friend to many. Born in St. Louis, Bill graduated from Delmar Harvard elementary school, Ward Jr. High, and University City High School. He was an Eagle Scout. Bill attended Washington University. After serving a stint in the US Army, he returned to
Wash U to obtain his bachelor’s degree in psychology. He went into the retail business selling men’s and children’s clothing. He and his brother Richard founded Shane and Assoc., a private security firm. Shane was acquired by Wells Fargo Security Services and Bill continued to officiate, as vice president of the St. Louis office. He was able to utilize his degree in psychology in becoming an expert in the use of polygraph. He was also very active in Creve Coeur government, serving as an alderman and police commissioner for many years. Then, in 1977, when the opportunity presented itself, he moved to southern California, acquiring an international camera and photographic accessories business. Twenty years later, he retired and found time to travel often back and forth to St. Louis, and around the world. In 2005, Bill returned to St. Louis after losing his dear wife Ellen. He enjoyed being with his three-generations of family here, as well as volunteering often. He was a docent at the St. Louis Holocaust Museum as well as volunteering at the Harvey Kornblum Food Pantry for many years. Bill will be terribly missed for his kindness and generosity, his sense of humor and unconditional deep love for his friends and family. A graveside service was planned for Wednesday, June 8 at Beth Hamedrosh Hagodol Cemetery, 9125 Ladue Road. Please visit bergermemorialchapel.com for Live Stream information. Memorial contributions preferred to The Alma and Joe Levinson Goldfarb School of Nursing Scholarship Fund, the St. Louis Feldman Kaplan Holocaust Museum, the Harvey Kornblum Jewish Food Pantry, or the charity of your choice. Berger Memorial Service PERRY H. MAMROTH, May 31, 2022 Beloved husband of Florine Mamroth; dear father of Douglas Mamroth (Sonia) and the late Randy Mamroth (Lori Frank); dear grandfather of Benjamin (Joan), Rachel, and Kasenna Mamroth; dear great-grandfather of Oliver and Leland Mamroth; dear brother of the late Leona Dreyfus (Al) and the late Harold Mamroth (Bernice); our dear brother-in-law, uncle, cousin, and friend to so many. Perry lived a full life, spending seventy years married to his greatest love, Florine. At the start of his marriage, he served as a United States Marine in the Korean War as a radio operator signaling ground locations to air forces. During his career, he was a talented engineer, contributing to the Mercury and Gemini spacecraft missions as well as serving as a technical liaison on two of the U.S. Air Force’s most versatile fighter aircrafts ever built. Perry, along with his wife, Florine, was a member of United Hebrew Congregation for over fifty years and always considered being called up to the bima for an aliyah as one of his greatest honors in front of the Congregation. He was the all-around family man, picking up sports with his kids, driving the family around on vacations, and always lending an ear to listen. Perry will be remembered for the many fond memories of time spent with his wife, kids, grandkids, great-grandkids, nieces, and
Providing traditional, dignified funeral services
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June 8, 2022
nephews, and the occasional competitive game of ping pong or blitz. A graveside service was held Friday, June 3 at Beth Hamedrosh Hagodol Cemetery, 9125 Ladue Road. Memorial contributions preferred to the American Brain Tumor Association (8550 W Bryn Mawr Ave, Ste 550, Chicago, IL 60631,) the American Cancer Society (P.O. Box 22478, Oklahoma City, OK 73123,) United Hebrew Congregation (13788 Conway Road, St. Louis, MO 63141,) or the charity of your choice. Please visit bergermemorialchapel.com or unitedhebrew.org for more information. Berger Memorial Service DR. WAYNE SOLON MARKMAN, 72, while in his home, suffered a stroke and passed away on Thursday, May 26, 2022. Born at Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, Wayne was the eldest of four children of the late Dr. Daniel A. Markman and the late Iris Haffner Markman. He attended University City High School, graduated from St. Louis University and earned his DDS at University of Missouri Dental School at Kansas City. Wayne is survived by his two beloved sons Ellis Levy Markman and Perry Ross Markman, former wife Jodi Levy Markman and his sisters Elyse Ann Markman Grosz and Linda Markman Klein. He never forgot his much loved younger brother, Ellis Barry Markman, deceased 1979. He is also survived by nieces, nephews, cousins and many friends. Wayne practiced dental surgery for thirty years, joining his father’s dental practice in the Missouri Theater Building. He brought great enthusiasm to every aspect of his life and his ebullient personality filled the room. As a young man, Wayne got his pilot’s license, sharing his sense of adventure and the joy of discovery, with family and friends. Wayne committed his life to helping others, and was willing to give of himself and live each day to its fullest. He touched many lives in the AA Program, generously giving his time and vast energy to mentoring and sponsoring others. He will be sorely missed. A memorial service was planned for Wednesday, June 8, 2022 at 11:00 AM. In person attendance is private for the family only, but the service may be accessed via live stream at www. rindskopfroth.com. Contributions in Wayne’s memory may be made to the AA Program, AA
Central Services, 14 Sunnen Drive, Suite 144, St. Louis, MO, 63143; or to Ladue High School - The Iris Haffner Markman Fund (314-994-7080); or to the charity of the donor’s choice. A Rindskopf-Roth Service MINETTE NADLER, May 23, 2022 Age 101; Beloved daughter of the late Harris and the late Dora Radunsky; dear wife of the late David Nadler; dear mother of Harry Nadler (Ellen), the late Garry Nadler (Susan), and the late Rebecca Nadler Hays (Dennis); dear grandmother of Bodhi Nadler, Barry Nadler (Cindy), Ben Nadler (Raina), Julie Martin (Tony), Andy Nadler (Rachel), and Tamar Sternfeld (Scott); dear great grandmother of Becca Nadler, Bella Nadler, Jonah Nadler, Hadassah Sternfeld, Cason Nadler, David Sternfeld, David Martin, Miriam Nadler, Kira Nadler, Evelyn Martin, Seth Nadler, Shaun Nadler, and Noam Sternfeld; dear sister and sister-in-law of the late Leonard Radunsky (late Jeanette), the late Marvin Radunsky (late Florence), the late Bernard Radunsky, the late Rose Radunsky, and the late Ida Radunsky. Our dear cousin and friend to so many. Minette loved all of her nieces and nephews and great-nieces and great-nephews as if they were her own children or grandchildren. She especially loved being with her niece, Helen Radunsky Rudy, when they both lived in Boca Raton, and her summer visits to nephew Carl and Linda Radunsky in Colorado. In Charleston, Minette shared many wonderful times with Judy Lutz, the daughter of one of her cousins. She was especially close to her cousin the late Leonard Luhby (the late Sarah Luhby) and their daughter Tami Luhby (Ed Purce), who Minette treated as if she was her own granddaughter. A graveside service was held Thursday, May 26 at Beth Hamedrosh Hagodol Cemetery, 9125 Ladue Road. Donations in memory of Minette may be made to Addlestone Hebrew Academy 1675 Raoul Wallenberg Blvd, Charleston, SC 29407 or to the charity of your choice. Please visit bergermemorialchapel.com for more information. Berger Memorial Service
Obituaries continue on following page
sanford weiss in memory of our past board president and ardent supporter. thank you for all you did to help the light shine. the board and staff of the st. louis jewish light
(314) 367-0438
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Obituaries continued from previous page JOANN SANDLER, April 29, 2022. Surrounded by family, JoAnn Sandler passed away April 29, 2022 as her huge and caring heart failed. She was married to Ronald Sandler for more than 66 years. Loving mother of Brad Sandler and Linda (Pearl) Sandler, Mark Pearl. Loving grandmother of Melissa Sandler, Jason Sandler, Max Sandler, Colin Sandler, Rachel Pearl and Jeffrey Pearl. Dear sister of Myrna Crane, the late Barbara Bayer. Dear aunt, cousin and friend of too many to name. Born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri and Denver, Colorado. She met Ronnie at a St. Louis Browns baseball game. Subsequently attended the University of Missouri at Columbia. When Ronnie was drafted into the Air Force, she left Mizzou, got married and together they lived in Cheyenne, Wyoming, Indianapolis, Indiana, and Washington D.C. before returning to St. Louis; where they spent their remaining years together with family and friends. JoAnn and Ronnie traveled throughout the United States, and all over the world. They saw the world’s grandest entertainers, like Frank Sinatra, Elton John, Johnny Carson and numerous Broadway shows. JoAnn was thoughtful, warm, generous, caring and kind. With her business partner, Mary Horwitz (deceased), of 48 years, they helped many people with their estate, moving, downsizing sales through J&M Estates Sales. She was an avid bridge player and also enjoyed playing Canasta and Mahjong with her many friends. Her top priority was her family. There was no better wife, mom, and grandmother. Named JoJo by her oldest
grandchild, nothing gave JoJo more pleasure than playing with, helping and traveling with her children and six grandchildren. A memorial service was held Tuesday, May 3, 2022 at Temple Israel. Memorial contributions preferred to Evelyn’s House, Harvey Kornblum Jewish Food Pantry or Lynne’s Light. LARRY TROCHTENBERG, May 22, 2022 Beloved husband of Roberta Trochtenberg; dear father of Dr. David Scott Trochtenberg (Randi) and Mark Trochtenberg (Erin McGlothlin, PhD); dear grandfather of Dr. Alyssa Trochtenberg (Dr. Josh Infantine), Seth, Ben (Samantha) and Dylan Trochtenberg; dear greatgrandfather of Delilah Trochtenberg; dear friend to many. A graveside service was held Wednesday, May 25 at Beth Hamedrosh Hagodol Cemetery, 9125 Ladue Road. Memorial contributions preferred to the charity of your choice. Please visit bergermemorialchapel.com for more information. Berger Memorial Service DR. MORRIS DAVID “DAVE” WEINER, age 89, passed away peacefully on May 27, 2022 Beloved husband of Vivian (née Rosen) Weiner for sixty-five years. Dear father of Susan (Craig) Silver and Barry Weiner. Loving grandfather of Julie (Bill) Schwent, Jessica (Ryan) Neumann, and Daniel (Eric Jizba) Silver. Proud and cherished great-grandfather of Lucie Neumann, Cassidy Neumann, and Callan Schwent. Dear brother of the late Judith Peters. Beloved son of the late Sonia and Julius Weiner of Waltham, Massachusetts. He also leaves several nieces and nephews and their children, plus many cousins around the world. David was valedictorian at his high school graduation in Waltham where he graduated with top honors and scholarships. He obtained his Doctor of Optometry degree from Columbia University. After serving in the army, David
JEWISH LITE JEWISH CROSSWORD PUZZLE
20. British title of honor
1. Shmooze
22. Food company that makes tiny bites?
4. Pick up, as a bill 8. Ogle 13. One of Alcott’s March sisters
26. Lab eggs
14. Gunslinger’s challenge
29. Flight stat. 30. He’s best known for playing Evan Hanson
16. Fashion brand named for an Israeli port city?
33. Dictator of Rome in 82-79 BC, whose name is one letter away from Mike (Wazowski’s)
18. Got up 19. “Get!”
PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWERS 1
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37. Eight, to 33Across
68. Jewish reactions by some to this puzzle’s shtick
41. Gives five to 43. Animated Springfield residents 45. Ending for ether or arbor 47. UK music label 48. Mishpacha 49. Footwear from a top financial company? 54. Get ripped off, maybe 55. Moses’ face had one 58. Canned brand with a star in its name 59. Cute joke from an Israeli bakery? 63. Aquarium scum
53
56
67. Kind of lashon
40. Attends
28. Hebrew parent
15. Avalanche or Lightning member
best friend
38. Byte lead-in
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64. Cat’s feet 65. Up in the air, on a sched. 66. Hangs heavy
opened his own optometric office in Waltham where he practiced his profession for nearly forty years, with Vivian as his front office assistant. David and Vivian moved to Creve Coeur, Missouri from West Palm Beach, Florida just six months ago to be nearer to family. Prior to living in Florida, the couple lived in Massachusetts in the towns of Waltham, Framingham, Marlboro, and Auburn. David and Vivian spent about thirty summers camping around the United States and enjoyed many cruises. They also visited many countries overseas, highlighted by their trip to Israel where their son had his Bar Mitzvah at the Western Wall. David was always so happy being with his family and always looked forward to the next family gathering. In his spare time, David enjoyed fishing, bowling, and following the news and politics. He was an avid fan of the Boston Red Sox and the Boston Celtics. David was a life member of the American Optometric Association and Hadassah. His knowledge and passion of Judaism was remarkable. David will be remembered with love and admiration. A funeral service was held Tuesday, May 31 at United Hebrew Congregation, 13788 Conway Road, followed by interment at Chesed Shel Emeth Cemetery, 650 White Road. Contributions in his memory may be made to Hadassah/360 Degrees, P.O. Box 1100, New York, NY 10268-1100 (360degrees@hadassah. org), American Diabetes Association, P.O. Box 7023, Merrifield, VA 22116 or to a charity of the donor’s choice. A Rindskopf-Roth Service American Flag symbol denotes a United States military veteran.
1
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Down 1. Some put these in cholent...which others feel will completely ruin the cholent 2. Jewish length 3. Burning desire? 4. Govt. testing org. 5. “Mork & Mindy” planet 6. Strong wood 7. A decade before 9 CE
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NANCY WOLF, May 30, 2022 Beloved wife of the late Richard C. Wolf; dear mother and mother-in-law of Carol Solomon (Jeffrey), Lynn Wolf, Karla Deboer (Arthur) and Edward Wolf; dear grandmother of David Solomon, Adam Solomon (Ashley), Cynthia Lea Simpson (Dean Wienstroer), Jonathan Simpson (fiancée Alyssa Bridick), Colin Drake, Alan Drake, Resah Drake, Maday Wolf and Benjammin Wolf; dear great-grandmother of Aurora Solomon and Finnigan Solomon; dear sister and sister-in-law of Marilyn Siegel (Barry); dear aunt of Brian Siegel (Christina) and David Siegel; dear greataunt of Elijah Siegel; dear cousin and friend. Nancy will be remembered for her devotion to and unconditional love of her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends. She showed tremendous strength and courage after becoming widowed at age 50, following the death of her beloved Richard after nearly 31 years of marriage. She insisted on living life to its fullest, including traveling alone to Venezuela for the birth of a granddaughter. She also joined the fulltime workforce, becoming a friendly and welcoming presence in the office of Congregation Shaare Emeth for 18 years, and later Congregation Kol Am. Nancy bravely faced a series of health challenges throughout her adult life, most recently a long and arduous battle with Alzheimer’s disease. Her family expresses gratitude to her special friend and caregiver, Brenda Cunningham, and to Pathways Hospice for their compassionate care in her final days. A graveside service was held Thursday, June 2nd at 1 PM at New Mt. Sinai Cemetery, 8430 Gravois. Please visit bergermemorialchapel.com for Live Stream details. Memorial contributions preferred to Shir Hadash Reconstructionist Community, shirhadashstl.info/donate, or to a charity of your choice Berger Memorial Service
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By Yoni Glatt, koshercrosswords@gmail.com | ‘Off Brands’ Difficulty: Medium
Across
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8. Trap setters 9. Floor coverings 10. “Beauty Queen of Jerusalem” star Michael 11. “Go back to zero” button
23. 0
plumber?
44. Insta post
56. Red gem
24. “___ a loss for words”
32. Gives a go
57. They make connections
25. Completely fills
34. Really admires
46. Anaheim nine, on scoreboards
35. Nazi filmmaker Riefenstahl
49. Purim’s pur 50. Curved molding
60. 1.5 volt battery size
36. Part of N.B.A.
51. “Unhand me!”
39. It’s loaded
52. Maiden of mythology
12. Israeli land
26. “Well, duh!”, in a text
17. Kind of pond
27. Wedding wear
21. “Take On Me” group
31. Hope for a starlet or an aspiring
42. Bakery freebies
53. “Cobra ___”
61. ‘80s presidential monogram 62. Doubled, a Gabor
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JEWISH LIGHT
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WASHU HILLEL
Above left, Noah Kaplan, president of WashU Students for Israel, encouraged students to practice some self care going into final exams with make-your-own Dead Sea Salt Scrubs. Above right, student Bonnie Segel, and Hillel staff members Rabbi Jordan Gerson and Avery Friedman recreate the Shuk and give away T-shirts, hummus and freshly-fried falafel.
SP
TLIGHT
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PHOTOS FROM RECENT JEWISH COMMUNITY EVENTS SUBMIT A PHOTO: Have a photo of a recent Jewish community event you would like to submit? Email the image and a suggested caption to news@stljewishlight.org. VIEW MORE ONLINE: stljewishlight.org/multimedia
KOL RINAH
Kol Rinah held its Mitzvah Day on May 15. The day’s activities included a variety of projects, including packing food and healthy snacks for the Harvey Kornblum Food Pantry, putting together greeting cards and family dinners for Operation Food Search, decorating flower pots and planting flowers for residents of Crown Center, making blankets for Crisis Nursery, making cat toys for the Humane Society of Missouri, and signing up to volunteer for Ready Readers.
WashU Hillel celebrated Israel Week with a series of pop-ups highlighting Israeli culture on campus. Hillel partnered with student leaders from WashU Students for Israel (WSI) and the WashU-Israel Public Affairs Committee (WIPAC) to support over 800 students throughout the week. Students enjoyed make-your-own Dead Sea Salt Scrubs, limonana and blue & white cupcakes, a recreation of the Shuk with fresh hot falafel and hummus, build-your-own candy bags and T-shirts, and authentic Aroma iced shoko. Above, students took a break from studying for exams to enjoy authentic Aroma iced shoko at Cafe Tel Aviv at Hillel.
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CHAILIGHTS
JUN
Y O U R C A L E N D A R O F S T. L O U I S J E W I S H C O M M U N I T Y E V E N T S
STARTING | JUNE 9
Max Levin, a St. Louis native who served in the Israel Defense Forces and fought in the 2014 Gaza War, will speak at B’nai Amoona June 11 and 12. He will also sign copies of his book, ‘Under the Stretcher.’
‘Dear Jack, Dear Louise’ at NJT See story on page 15.
FRIDAY | JUNE 10 On the Record with Bob Cohn
At 11 a.m. on the second Friday of every other month, join On the Record hosted by Bob Cohn, Editor-In-Chief Emeritus of the Jewish Light, to discuss films, plays and books on issues of concern to our community. This program is provided in conjunction with FEL (Friends Enjoying Life), an organization supported by the Mirowitz Center. The program topics will be the war in Ukraine, the anniversary of Israel’s founding and Israel’s government coalition crisis. Free. Register online at http://bit.ly/Register_MirowitzCenter, 314-733-9813, or email skemppainen@mirowitzcenter.org.
SAT. & SUN. | JUNE 11-12 B’nai Amoona plans ‘Operation Max Levin: A STL homecoming’
Congregation B’nai Amoona will welcome Max Levin and his mother, Judy Levin, to St. Louis for a special weekend homecoming June 11-12. Max Levin, a 2007 graduate of Solomon Schechter Day School of St. Louis, will discuss his experience as an Israeli soldier in “Operation Protective Edge,” the 2014 Gaza-Israeli conflict. He will sign copies of his book, “Under the Stretcher.” Sponsors will be invited to join Saturday, June 11, for Havdalah and a safely COVID-distanced Sponsor’s Dinner where Levin will entertain questions about his experiences. At 1 p.m. Sunday, B’nai Amoona will host a community-wide program to hear Levin speak. After, the community is invited for the official ribbon-cutting and grand re-opening at 2:30 p.m. of the Gallant Family Judaica Shop. For more information, visit www.bnaiamoona. com. Tickets are $18 each; two or more family group are $36. Books are $18.
SUNDAY | JUNE 12 Missouri Torah Institute plans 15th annual dinner
Missouri Torah Institute will hold its 15th Annual Dinner at 5:45 p.m. at the Ritz Carlton in Clayton. The event will honor Yosef and Chaya Bernath, celebrating the Bernath Family Bais Medrash dedication, as well as Rabbi Shlomo Soroka, who will receive the school’s Community Service Award. To RSVP and/or to put in an ad, call 636-7781896, visit missouritorah.org/dinner or email dinner@missouritorah.org.
STARTING | JUNE 13 June schedule of authors at the J Book lovers and those who fully appreciate the craft of book writing are in for a
treat, as a new partnership between the St. Louis County Library and the St. Louis Jewish Book Festival will keep the library’s author series going during the construction at the Library Headquarters. The new program, “SLCL Authors at the J,” is taking place at the J’s Staenberg Family Complex in the Mirowitz Performing Arts Center (2 Millstone Campus Drive). Additional information about St. Louis County Library’s author series is available at www.slcl.org/authors. Unless otherwise noted, all events are free and open to the public. The remaining June events are: • Monday, June 13, 7 p.m.: B.A. Shapiro, “Metropolis” • Wednesday, June 15, 7 p.m.: Michael Loynd, “The Watermen: The Birth of American Swimming and One Young Man’s Fight to Capture Olympic Gold” — in Conversation with Olympic Legend Jackie Joyner Kersee • Thursday, June 23, 7 p.m.: Lynne Cox, “Tales of Al: The Water Rescue Dog” • Wednesday, June 29, 7 p.m.: Louis Bayard, “Jackie & Me”
TUESDAY | JUNE 14 Online talk about the stock market/Wall Street
At 10 a.m. Mike Ferman, a former financial advisor at RubinBrown, will discuss the stock market and Wall Street during an online Mirowitz Center program provided in conjunction with FEL (Friends Enjoying Life). Free. Register online at http://bit.ly/Register_MirowitzCenter, 314-733-9813, or email skemppainen@mirowitzcenter.org.
WEDNESDAY | JUNE 15 Tech Tutor: Understanding cloud computing
At 10 a.m. Tech Tutor instructor and computer expert Larry Edison will lead a discussion demystifying “cloud computing” and looking how it can be helpful, how safe it is and other aspects. Tech Tutor is supported by a grant from the Women’s Auxiliary Foundation for Jewish Aged. Free. Register online at http://bit.ly/Register_MirowitzCenter, B.A. Shapiro will discuss her book, ‘Metropolis,’ on June 13 at the J’s Staenberg Family Complex — part of the SLCL Authors at the J series.
314-733-9813, or email skemppainen@ mirowitzcenter.org.
Sharsheret’s Breast and Ovarian Cancer Support Group
This monthly group provides support, connection and education to women in the St. Louis Jewish community who have been diagnosed with breast or ovarian cancer and are anywhere along their treatment path – before, during, or post-treatment. Facilitated by a licensed clinical social worker, this group meets from 6:15 to 7:30 p.m. on the third Wednesday via Zoom. Newcomers are welcome along with female family and friends. Free, but pre-registration is requested to Debbi Braunstein at 314-442-3266 or dbraunstein@jccstl.org. Sharsheret Supports STL is a program of the J’s Nishmah.
JEWISH LIGHT
stljewishlight.org
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.
Kol Rinah’s Tot Shabbat for young families
Join Morah Karen Kern for a short musical Shabbat service, perfect for kids ages 5 and under and their families and siblings. Service will be outdoors in the Kol Rinah courtyard or Guller Chapel (10:30 to 11:30 a.m.). Masks are required for ages 2 and up. Registration required. For more information, email office@kolrinahstl.org.
SUNDAY | JUNE 19 Kol Rinah Jews in Science series continues
Kol Rinah’s Jews in Science Series will continue with a 4 p.m. Zoom discussion led by Dr. Ralph Graff about the life and work of Dr. Gus Schoenfeld (z’’l), who chaired the Department of Internal Medicine at Washington University School of Medicine and whose research focused on cholesterol-lowering drugs. As a child, Schoenfeld survived the horrors of Auschwitz and would eventually make his way to St. Louis, where he became an eminent doctor and researcher. Registration is required. Visit https://bit.ly/ Kol-Rinah-16.
Jewish War Veterans meeting
Jewish War Veterans Post 644 meetings will take place via Zoom for the foreseeable future at 10 a.m. the third Sunday each month. For more information, contact Post 644 Commander Ellis Frohman at 636-5197512
THURSDAY | JUNE 16
Young Israel gala dinner
Lunch & Learn: LGBTQ+ inclusion matters
MONDAY | JUNE 20
In honor of Pride Month, National Council of Jewish Women - St. Louis will welcome PROMO’s Executive Director, Katy Erker-Lynch, who will lead a lunch and learn on how to help build a truly inclusive community. The group will also hear from representatives from Metro Trans Umbrella Group and the local peer support hotline for LGBTQ+ youth, SQSH. For more information, contact Jen Bernstein at jbernstein@ncjwstl.org or 314-993-5181, or visit https://bit.ly/ JUNE22LLncjwstl.
Kathleen Sitzer to discuss opera about Harvey Milk
See news brief on page 6.
Dale Sharon discusses African American art
At 10 a.m., St. Louis Art Museum docent Dale Sharon will lead an online Mirowitz Center discussion about African American art, as represented in the museum’s permanent collection. Free. Register online at http://bit.ly/Register_MirowitzCenter, 314733-9813, or email skemppainen@mirowitzcenter.org.
THURSDAY | JUNE 23 Living Well with Vision Impairment
At 10 a.m. Opera Theatre of St. Louis docent co-chair Kathleen Sitzer will lead a Mirowitz Center online discussion about the biographical opera “Harvey Milk,” which OTSL is present- Kathleen Sitzer ing June 11-25. Free. Register online at http://bit.ly/Register_ MirowitzCenter, 314-733-9813, or email skemppainen@mirowitzcenter.org.
At 2 p.m. Brenda Wendling of the St. Louis Society for the Blind & Visually Impaired will lead an in-person Mirowitz Center discussion about “Living Well with Vision Impairment.” She will look at the organization’s services and the various diseases that can cause visual impairment and/or blindness and will bring along examples of adaptive equipment and magnifiers for attendees to test. Free. Register online at http://bit.ly/ Register_MirowitzCenter, 314-733-9813, or email skemppainen@mirowitzcenter.org.
SATURDAY | JUNE 18
TUESDAY | JUNE 28
NHBZ Discussion: How Fathers Change Lives
Coffee Talk with SnL features Polly Blitzer
Just in time for Father’s Day, NHBZ Rabbi Ze’ev Smason discusses “How Fathers Change Lives: Stories of Remarkable Dads.” Join the discussion at 10:15 a.m. This talk is part of NHBZ’s weekly “Starting Points: Wisdom for Daily Living,” which features interactive discussions that explore relevant, contemporary topics. NHBZ membership is not necessary to attend and RSVPs are not required. For more information, call 314991-2100, ext. 2
At 8:30 a.m., join NCJWSTL for its virtual monthly coffee talks hosted by NCJWSTL Past President Susan Katzman and Vice President of Membership Lisa Gubernik. The special guest will be Polly Blitzer, a leading beauty expert, writer and brand consultant whose work has been featured in publications like Vogue, Allure and The New York Times. Blitzer regularly talks beauty tips and tricks on The Today Show, CNN Weekend News, and other shows. For more information and to RSVP visit: https://bit.ly/ JUNE22CT