Jewish Light Digital Edition: July 26, 2023

one chili pepper at a time

‘Tikkun olam’

BY RORY LUSTBERG SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH LIGHT

“Rock, paper, scissors, shoot!”

Two students face off at the front of the classroom, eyes locked on the outcome of the game as a group of their peers watch intently. A “Jeopardy”-like screen glows behind them, as does the score: Tied.

The two are vying for the final point in a game of financial literacy, and while the prizes might be small, the knowledge gained is not. At InvestNow Clubs, founded and led by incoming University City High School senior Dani Wasserman, the meetings are designed to be fun.

Wasserman, 17, founded InvestNow Clubs at her high school when she was a freshman. The goal is to increase financial literacy at the high school level, especially for traditionally marginalized groups in an effort to achieve better economic equality.

Recently, Wasserman was honored with the Diller Teen Tikkun Olam Award. This highly selective award recognizes up to 15 Jewish teens who are making a difference in their world with the values of tikkun olam — repairing the world — at heart. The prize comes with $36,000 that can be used to further the impact these teens are making, as well as their education.

Wasserman said the club started small.

“Originally, we started all on Zoom, [and] there were about five who started in my freshman year,” she said, explaining the club started in the 2020-21 academic year during the pandemic. “We saw this response that even though it’s a small cohort, they’re very interested and they are really engaged. Given that response from these students, we continued to grow and decided to expand the club within the University City School District [and] other schools.”

Since starting the organization three years ago, InvestNow Clubs has become a 501(c)(3) organization and raised more than $7,000, expanded its member base to more than 200 participants across four chapters (three in U. City schools and one in Ohio, begun by a friend of Wasserman’s) and is committed to alleviating intergenerational poverty by increasing the net worth of the families of its members.

In expanding her organization, Wasserman

Taking a stand against Israeli domestic policy

Dani Wasserman and InvestNow Clubs peers

BY RON KAMPEAS JTA

WASHINGTON — For months earlier this year, mainstream American Jewish groups waffled on how much to weigh in on Israel’s internal political debates, something many had avoided in the past.

But that felt like a distant memory on Monday after Israel’s parliament approved a law that its authors and critics — including many of those American Jewish groups — said would reshape the country.

Reactions poured in immediately, many of them deeply critical of what Israel’s right-wing government had just done in signing off on a law that diminishes the power of the Supreme Court to review government decisions.

The American Jewish Committee had a statement ready to go as soon as the law passed expressing “profound disappointment” over the passage of the law which removes from the courts the right to judge laws against a standard of reasonableness.

“The new law was pushed through unilaterally by the governing coalition amid deepening divisions in Israeli society as evidenced by the hundreds of thousands of Israelis who have taken to the streets,” the AJC said.

The Anti-Defamation League soon followed. “This initiative and other judicial overhaul proposals could weaken Israeli democracy and harm Israel’s founding principles as laid out in the Declaration of Independence,” its statement said.

The Jewish Federations of North America said it was “extremely disappointed that the leaders of the coalition moved ahead with a major element of the reforms without a process of consensus, despite the serious disagreements across Israeli society and the efforts of President [Isaac] Herzog to arrive at a compromise.”

The ADL, the AJC and the JFNA, like President Joe Biden did in a statement, urged the Israeli government and its

U. City teen receives major award for her work to improve peers’ financial literacy

PHOTO CREDIT : A FRAME MEDIA

After pivotal judicial reform vote, US Jewish groups march across the Brooklyn Bridge in a show of support with protesters in Israel

The Newspaper of the Jewish Community of Greater St. Louis — Founded 1963

CONTACT US

PHONE

314-743-3600

EMAIL

news@stljewishlight.org

MAILING ADDRESS

For payments

P.O. Box 790372, St. Louis, Mo. 63179-0372

For general correspondence please email news@stljewishlight.org

CONNECT WITH US

FACEBOOK

facebook.com/stljewishlight

TWITTER

@stljewishlight

INSTAGRAM

@stljewishlight

OUR BOARD AND STAFF

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

OFFICERS

Bethe Growe, President

Laura K. Silver, Immediate Past President

Laurie Chod, Vice President

Beth Manlin, Vice President

Ben Weiss, Vice President

Justin Krachmalnick, Treasurer

Debra Klevens, Secretary

Joan Silber

TRUSTEES

Dan Bindler, Jerry Ehrlich, Richard Flom, Mark Gershenson, Caroline Goldenberg, Mia Kweskin, Debbie Lefton, Lauren Murov, Kara Newmark, Ryan Rich, Steve Rosenzweig, Bruce Sandweiss, Adam Schneider, Alan Spector, Todd Taylor, Dan Winograd

JEWISH LIGHT PAST PRESIDENTS

Milton I. Goldstein*, Morris Pearlmutter*

(founder), Morris Moscowitz*, Melvin

Newmark*, Rabbi Alvan D. Rubin*, Vivian

Zwick, Joseph Edlin*, Michael Newmark, Richard Stein, Yusef Hakimian*, Sanford

Weiss*, Philip Isserman*, Linda Kraus, Richard

Flom, Marvin Schneider, Barbara Langsam

Shuman, Terry Bloomberg, John Greenberg, David Grebler*, Milton Movitz*, Gianna

ChaiLights

Event

Calendar 18

STAFF

EXECUTIVE

Betsy Schmidt, Chief Executive Officer

Ellen Futterman, Editor-in-Chief

Jordan Palmer, Chief Digital Content Officer

EDITORIAL

Robert A. Cohn, Editor-in-Chief Emeritus

Mike Sherwin, Managing Editor

BUSINESS AND ENGAGEMENT

Stacy Wolff Smart, Director of Business Development and Communications

Terri Green, Administrative Assistant

SALES

Angie Rosenberg, Senior Account Executive

Kelly Morris, Account Executive

Elaine Wernick, Account Executive

PRODUCTION

Erin Eason, Creative & Design Manager

CANDLE LIGHTING TIMES

Shabbat begins

Friday, July 28: 7:58 p.m.

Shabbat ends

Saturday, July 29: 9 p.m.

Torah reading: Va’etchanan

Shabbat begins

Friday, Aug. 4: 7:51 p.m.

#STLJEWISHLIGHT

Connect with us on all our social media using

Jacobson, Jenny Wolkowitz, Gary Kodner, Jane

Tzinberg Rubin, Steve Gallant, Laura K. Silver

* Of Blessed Memory

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Bill Motchan, Amy Fenster Brown, Eric Berger, Patricia Corrigan, Barry Gilbert, Margi Lenga

Kahn, Nancy Kranzberg, Elise Krug, Cate Marquis, Eric Mink, Judith Newmark, Martin Rochester

PUBLISHER'S STATEMENT PUBLICATION DATES FOR 2023

The ST. LOUIS JEWISH LIGHT (ISSN 0036-2964) is published bimonthly by the St. Louis Jewish Light, Inc., a not-for-profit corporation, 7201 Delmar Blvd. Suite 201, St. Louis, MO 63130. Periodical postage paid at St. Louis, MO. Copyright 2023.

Postmaster: Send address changes to the St. Louis Jewish Light: 7201 Delmar Blvd. #201, St. Louis, MO 63130.

The Jewish Light will publish print editions twice a month in 2023, on the following upcoming dates:

• Aug. 9 and 23

• Sept. 6 and 20

• Oct. 4 and 18

GENEROUSLY SUPPORTED BY

• Nov. 8 and 22

• Dec. 6 and 20

Shabbat ends

Saturday, Aug. 5: 8:52 p.m.

Torah reading: Eikev

BROUGHT

The Jewish Light is a community partner of Jewish Federation of St. Louis.

The Jewish Light is a member of the American Jewish Press Association

85 years of friendship and counting: Lifelong buddies plan a 75th high school reunion

Stanford “Stan” Towerman and Burton M. “Burt” Greenberg met in first grade at Pierre Laclede Grammar School in the city of St. Louis.

“We were about to be promoted — at least he was,” Greenberg said jokingly. “He was standing at the back of the classroom, and he was the tallest of all the students. That’s what caught my attention. And we’ve been friends ever since.”

And when he says, “ever since,” he’s talking more than 85 years. Towerman is 93 and Greenberg will be 93 in late October.

Not only did they attend grade school together, but they also graduated from Soldan High the same year, in 1948. In many ways, they have led parallel lives.

Both went to college locally and received four-year scholarships, Greenberg to Washington University and Towerman to St. Louis University. Both spent two years in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War, Greenberg as a sergeant, Towerman as a second lieutenant.

And then there was the matter of Towerman’s wife, the former Elaine Richman, who had gone to Soldan with both men.

“I dated his wife on occasion,” said Greenberg slyly, looking dapper in a navy sports jacket with matching navy-andwhite pocket square.

“Wait a second,” countered Towerman, who got married before he went into the Air Force. “I didn’t know that.”

“Sure, you did,” Greenberg added, laughing. “She was a lovely girl.”

Greenberg married Phyllis Trugman, whom he met at a frat party at Wash U after the service and before attending Notre Dame Law School.

As young married couples, the Greenbergs and Towermans lived in University City, where Stan was an insurance executive and Burt practiced law. Both couples eventually moved west with their families, Towerman to Creve Coeur, Greenberg to Frontenac.

Both couples had three children: two boys and a girl, and nine grandchildren, though Towerman also has 11 great-grandchildren. And both families belonged to United Hebrew Congregation, where Greenberg and Towerman each served as synagogue president.

They also eventually became widowers: Towerman’s wife died 19 years ago and Greenberg’s in 2019 (after nearly 65 years

of marriage).

The two men meet for lunch at least once a month; over the weekend, they invited me to join them at Lester’s in Ladue. The wanted to tell me about their 75th Soldan High School Reunion, which they had extensively planned. I was especially interested since I am on the planning committee for my 50th high school reunion, scheduled for fall 2024. Maybe I could pick up a few tips?

Greenberg had suggested a luncheon for the 75th, explaining that unlike the two of them, most people their age don’t drive and if they do, they don’t drive at night.

“We had organized our 50 th class reunion,” said Greenberg, estimating that about 50 members of their class of 167 students had turned out for that event. Greenberg has amazing recall, by the way. He never skips a beat when responding to a question — it’s as though the answer is right at his fingertips.

Towerman is quick minded as well,

explaining that he contacted Brookdale Creve Coeur, a senior living facility, which offered to host a complimentary lunch for members of their class and their “dates” from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Thursday, June 29.

“Dawn, a marketing specialist at Brookdale, sent out a wonderful invitation,” said Towerman. He explained that she had worked from a list of attendee names he and Greenberg had amassed at their 50th reunion.

“Dawn discovered that a substan tial number of the class had passed away,” Towerman contin ued. “Many (of those surviving) were living in other parts of the country, without the funds or inclination to travel back.”

And so, on that fateful June 29th day, how many of the 167 members of the Soldan High Class of June 1948 showed up for their

75th reunion?

That would be two, said Towerman and Greenberg, pointing to each other. The three of us couldn’t help but laugh.

Despite the paltry (or pathetic, as the two men admit) turnout, neither Towerman’s nor Greenberg’s spirits were dampened.

Greenberg, a self-admitted workaholic, still practices law full time, specializing in medical malpractice cases. He says he has no desire to ever retire.

“I’ll work until I drop,” he said, noting that his mother lived to 104 and his father to 97.

Towerman, who retired from the insurance business after 65 years, now spends his days volunteering to recruit and to arrange Honor Flights, which celebrate America’s war veterans by inviting them to share a day at our nation’s war memorials. Since 2018, he says he has arranged more than 270 Honor Flights.

He also has a “life partner,” Arlene Goodman. The two have tried to set Greenberg up on a date, but to no avail.

“I’m just not interested,” said Greenberg, emphatically.

And as for whether Towerman and Greenberg will plan an 80th high school reunion, well, neither is committing to the cause.

“We’re looking for volunteers,” joked Towerman, noting that with Greenberg’s genes, “They should call Burt.”

News and Schmooze is a column by Jewish Light Editor-in-Chief Ellen Futterman. Email Ellen at: efutterman@stljewishlight. org.

LEFT: Burton Greenberg (left) and Stan Towerman in front of Brookdale Creve Coeur, where their 75th reunion luncheon took place on June 29.

2023 Gala

On June 13th, congregation members of Young Israel gathered to honor Jonty and Juli-Ann Felsher. The celebration was a great success.

To view all of the images from the event, visit flickr.com/photos/yi_stl/sets/72177720309144089

RIGHT COLUMN FROM TOP TO BOTTOM

1. Max Oppenheimer

2. Epstein Hebrew Academy Head of School, Shmuel Miller and Rabbi of Young Israel of St. Louis, Moshe Shulman

3. Elissa Schachter, board VP, and her husband Michael.

4. L to R: Dinner Chairs: Hilton & Rene Price and Chaim & Keryn Stobezki

SP TLIGHT

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.

GENEROUSLY SUPPORTED BY

VIEW MORE ONLINE: stljewishlight.org/multimedia

LEFT COLUMN FROM TOP TO BOTTOM

1. A record crowd enjoyed a beautiful evening celebrating the honorees and Young Israel of St. Louis

2. Honorees Jonty and Juli-Ann Felsher with sons (L to R): Adam, Joshua and Gabriel

3. L to R: Judy Haber, office manager, Evan Axelbaum, board member, and Gary Shanker, long time shul member

young israel of st. louis

PHOTOS COURTESY OF YOUNG ISRAEL

BY BILL MOTCHAN SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH LIGHT

The Back To School! Store (BTSS) returns to Temple Israel on Aug. 6 and for the first time, it will be a hybrid offering in-person shopping and pre-packaged delivery. The latter method was used the past three years as COVID forced the National Council of Jewish Women-St. Louis to innovate its delivery of school supplies and personal care products to thousands of underserved area children.

The 2023 BTSS co-chairs (Alissa Arst, Chris Bomze, Alison Fox, Judy Grosz and Sarah Beth Matt) have been planning the event for months. Volunteers are still needed and can sign up at ncjwstl.org.

Ellen Alper, NCWJ-St. Louis CEO, offered some insight into the behind-the-scenes work to make it happen.

How does your team turn an activity room at Temple Israel into a fully functioning store?

Our volunteers actually start staging the Tuesday prior to the event. We have deliveries from three different locations. We have offsite storage at Jewish Family Services in the basement and here in our building. So we have literally three moving trucks that are moving merchandise from those three locations all over to Temple Israel.

The personal shopper volunteers will be back this year to assist the kids. Is it accurate to say those volunteers are having as much fun as their young “customers?”

For in-person volunteers, it’s a way to really connect. And you know that you’re making a difference in a child’s life by spending those 45 minutes with them and making them feel important and making them feel like there is a community out there that cares about them and their success and wants to make sure they have everything they need so that they can start school ready and prepared.

Do you update the inventory of supplies to meet changing needs?

Every year, we look at the school supply list that the schools put together, and then we pick the things that are most common to all of them. We are actually going to be doing some research in September and October where we’re going to go out and see what’s changing. What do we need to do differently? How do we adapt? Are there things we should drop and things we should pick up? And we’re going to try to hit every single school district in the region, not just where the kids are coming from, to make sure we’re not missing anything.

During COVID, NCJW volunteers drove in a caravan to pick up supplies and drop them off at area agencies. Will you continue to offer that option this year?

Yes, we gave the agencies the option of choosing delivery or in-person, whichever is easiest for the agency and their clients. We are really trying to change the focus— it’s called the empowerment model of direct service. We want to do not just what we think is best, but what the people on the receiving end need.

Is NCJW always looking for ways to improve the event and the community impact?

Yes, we want to make sure that we are adapting with today’s educational needs. A couple of years ago, we had kids who complained when they were coming through the store that they were hungry. So we set up a new partnership with Operation Food Search, and they provide snacks for all the kids.

Since its inception in St. Louis in 2000, the Back To School! Store has had significant community impact, including:

PARKINSON'S DISEASE: YOUR GUIDE TO A CONFIDENT JOURNEY!

BY: DR BETH TEMPLIN PT DPT GCS GERIATRIC PHYSICAL THERAPIST

rprised to hear ercise is highly r a progressive disorder such as Parkinson's Disease (PD) In fact, research has shown that this is the approach that is most successful

Whether exercising in a group setting, with a physical therapist, or on your own, people with PD have some unique needs that must be taken into consideration

The following guidelines should be strongly focused on and prioritized when designing your workout:

High Effort Workouts

Complex Movements

Big Movements

Whole Body Exercises

Upright Posture

Intense workouts may sound challenging for people with PD

Since PD is a progressive condition, meaning it gets worse the longer you have it, you're not only fighting back against the normal aging process, but PD as well Intense exercise allows you to stay active and independent If you want to learn more about how to manage the symptoms of PD,

We've put together this FREE guide to show how PD specific exercise is truly one of the best things you can do to manage your symptoms and slow down the progression of the disease

Inside you'll learn:

The primary and secondary symptoms of PD

How exercise manages all of your Parkinson's symptoms

The most important things to get in your exercise routine

The top recommendations for managing PD longterm

AND much more!

This guide is available to you absolutely FREE of charge! To claim your copy, simply call our office at (314) 939-1377 or go online to our website at www housefitstl com/parkinson s-journey to download the guide directly to your computer

A Free 1-on-1 assessment with one of our PD experts can help you on this journey if you're not sure where to begin

Jewish Light wins awards for Jewish journalism

BY BILL MOTCHAN SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH LIGHT

The Jewish Light received four Rockower Awards at the 42nd Annual Simon Rockower Awards for Excellence in Jewish Journalism. The awards, which honor achievements in Jewish media published in 2022, were announced at the American Jewish Press Association (AJPA) annual conference July 11 during a presentation at the National World War II Museum in New Orleans.

“Fleeing Putin’s Russia: Tatiana Glezer’s Story” by Tatiana Glezer took second place in the award for excellence in personal essay. Judge’s comment: “A story of strength and determination.”

“A life well-lived: Award-winning journalist and friend, extraordinaire Susan Fadem dies at 73” by Editorin-Chief Ellen Futterman received honorable mention in the excellence in personality profiles award. Judge’s comment: “The profound love the author had for her colleague shines through this life-affirming account.”

“Family Caregiving 101: What it really means” by contributing writer Bill Motchan took second place in the excellence in writing about health care category. Judge’s comment: “This piece represents a challenge most children will face, through the first-person angle of the author. I particularly liked the checklist for readers.”

“Olivette teens take goal of ‘tikkun olam’ into their own hands” by Futterman won honorable mention for excellence in writing about young families/people. Judge’s comment: “I’m sure it happens much more than we know, but spotlights on creative and charitable deeds by youth are heartwarming and hopeful. These boys deserve to have the world know what they did. Especially with trees. Trees last on through generations and help the world.”

During the conference, Futterman was also elected president of the AJPA, succeeding past president Alan Smason, editor of the Crescent City Jewish News.

Jewish cemetery in Ladue announces renovation plans

Beth Hamedrosh Hagodol Cemetery has initiated major new construction and beautification of its grounds that will help make visits to the cemetery at 9125 Ladue Road aesthetically and spiritually more satisfying.

An old garage on the property, which housed grave-digging equipment, has already been razed. Within weeks, ground will be broken on a new, approximately 2,400 square foot building that will serve as both a replacement for that garage and as a site for offices. Once the new building is completed in late 2023, the existing office building will be torn down.

“We want visits to the cemetery to be as meaningful and consoling as possible,” said Roberta Gutwein, president of Beth Hamedrosh Hagodol Cemetery Association, the nonprofit that operates the cemetery.

“The staff and I meet with families every day,” said Cindy Becker, executive director of the cemetery. “We want them to find solace when they are at the cemetery. The work we are undertaking will help create a space for peace and reflection.”

The renovations will include improvements to the parking area fronting the cemetery on Ladue Road and to the interior roads and walkways. New landscaping is envisioned.

Another upgrade will be a computerized database that will enable visitors to readily find grave locations. These records are currently on paper.

The cemetery covers 9.3 acres and contains about 9700 graves. The original land was purchased in 1900 and the first burial took place in 1901, long before Ladue was incorporated. The striking stone gates were built in 1931. The current office and

An artist’s rendering of the 2,400-square foot building under construction at Beth Hamedrosh Hagodol Cemetery.

garage were built in 1935, after a fire destroyed the original office.

The entire effort will cost over $1 million.

“Donations to help us cover the costs of construction and improvements will be deeply appreciated and acknowledged” Gutwein said. “Beth Hamedrosh Hagodol Cemetery has served the St. Lous Jewish community for over 120 years. With the support of our community at this critical time, the cemetery will be a place of comfort and care for the Jewish community long into the future.”

Donations may be mailed to:

Beth Hamedrosh Hagodol Cemetery

9125 Ladue Road

St. Louis, Mo. 63124

For more information on donations or the capital campaign contact: Cindy Becker, Executive Director, at 314-9910264.

Levy Fellows accepting applications

Levy Fellows, a cohort for board leaders of Jewish organizations in the St. Louis region, is now accepting applications for programs to take place in October and November. The program is sponsored by Jewish Federation of St. Louis’ Millstone Leadership Initiatives and will be led by local consultant, Leslie Peters. She is the author of “Finding Time to Lead” and has been chosen for her expertise in board leadership and group facilitation.

This 2nd Levy Fellows cohort will be limited to 20 individuals referred by their organizations. Components include an opening reception at a private home on Wednesday, Oct. 11, and three core ses-

sions at the Jewish Federation Kaplan Feldman Complex on Wednesdays, Oct. 18 and Nov. 1 and 15. Topics to be discussed include personal leadership, board engagement and generative decision making. The Levy Fellows participants will also be recognized at the Millstone Presidents’ Circle on Wednesday, Nov. 29.

For information about the Levy Fellows go to www.jfedstl.org/levy-fellows-fall-

2023-board-development-program/ Interested board members should speak with their organization’s CEO/ Executive Director or Rabbi and contact Marci Mayer Eisen for additional information, MEisen@JFedStL.org, 314-4423810.

The Levy Fellows honors the ongoing leadership of Mont Levy, past president of Jewish Federation of St. Louis. The program, which is free of charge, is made possible by support from Karen and Mont Levy and the Lubin-Green Foundation, a supporting foundation of the Jewish Federation of St. Louis.

Joshua David Robinson & Firdous Bamji, The Lehman Trilogy

The Huntington 2023

Photo Credit: T Charles Erickson Photo

Leslie Peters

‘St. Charles Jewish Festival’ to feature ‘Shtetl Village’

The third annual St. Charles Jewish Festival will take place on Sunday, Aug. 13 from 11 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. outside the Foundry Art Centre, celebrating Jewish life and culture and bringing Jewish sights and sounds from around the world to St. Charles.

This year, organizers are planning a new addition: the ‘Shtetl Village,’ which will take participants back in time to a whimsical reenactment of life in the shtetl — the small Eastern European Jewish town that was a hallmark of Old World Jewish life for centuries. The shtetl, made famous in “Fiddler on the Roof,” will include crafts, traditional delicacies and a petting zoo to complete the rural village feel.

Attendees will also encounter other characters dressed in costume, representing Jewish communities from across the globe who will share the history of Jewish life and culture. With a unique blend of storytelling and charm, participants will be welcomed into a lesser-known world, as an array of international Jewish guests invite them to explore Jewish culture and tradition.

The festival is organized by the Chabad Jewish Center of St. Charles County and The Gan St. Charles Preschool, which serves the estimated 6,000 Jews who live in St. Charles County.

“We’re excited for year three and to

share this new immersive shtetl experience with St. Charles,” said Bassy Landa, who, together with her husband Rabbi Chaim Landa, directs the Chabad Jewish Center of St. Charles County. “It will be a joyful opportunity for our county to come together, celebrate our diversity and learn about Jewish culture.”

This year’s festival carries added significance as Jewish communities worldwide celebrate the Year of Hakhel or “Gathering,”

The J plans Used Book Sale

The St. Louis Jewish Community Center’s biannual Used Book Sale returns to the Staenberg Family Complex Arts & Education Building from Sunday, Aug. 27 to Thursday, Aug. 31. Patrons can stock up on reading materials of every genre— including mysteries, general fiction, nonfiction, children’s books, and much more—while benefiting the Cultural Arts Department of the J. Book lovers, collectors and avid readers all anticipate this biannual event. The thousands of titles include mystery and intrigue, novels, biographies, politics, religion, sports, cookbooks, history, animals, art, science, science fiction, business, women’s issues, foreign languages, gardening, poetry, psychology, self-help, humor…the list goes on.

“There is truly something for everyone at this sale,” said Hannah Dinkel, director of Literary Arts at the J. “We have an expansive, impressive array of books and other materials for our overflowing tables this August. As an avid reader myself, I continue to be astounded by the fantastic finds that are donated for our sale.”

Parents and educators will find a large selection of books for children and youth as well as educational materials for homeschoolers. Multiples of titles are available for book club reading along with miscellaneous videos, books on tape/CDs and DVDs. Books are priced from 50 cents to $3. Special items—collectibles, antiques,

DVDs and more—are priced as marked. The dates and admission prices for the St. Louis Jewish Community Center’s Summer Used Book Sale are as follows:

• Preview Day – Sunday, Aug. 27 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

$10 at the door – all proceeds fund future Used Book Sales.

• General Admission – Monday, Aug.

28 -Wednesday, Aug. 30 from 10 a.m.-7 p.m., Free

• Bag Day – Thursday, Aug. 31 from 10 a.m.- 6 p.m.

Fill a bag for $5

For updated and complete information visit https://jccstl.com/programs/usedbook-sale/.

a once-in-seven-years Jewish tradition, and organizers are expecting record crowds. Admission, music, and family activities are free. Food will be for sale.

Participants will enjoy world-class live Jewish music, with the festival’s musical lineup anchored by Boruch Sholom, a popular Jewish vocalist from Brooklyn, N.Y.

Building on the shtetl theme, U City Klezmer — the region’s newest Jewish

music group — will bring their unique blend of Jewish folk music to this year’s festival. The musical lineup will also include a musical performance by pre-college Strings of St. Charles County, a local youth music group, whose beautiful renderings of classic Jewish string-instrument pieces are sure to inspire.

Attendees will enjoy Jewish cuisine from around the world, adding to the popularity of the varied food options at previous years’ festivals. This year’s festival will offer a smorgasbord of delicious Jewish-themed foods, including Mediterranean dishes such as chicken kebabs, falafel and shawarma. Other favorites will include kugel and matzah ball soup, as well as various kosher deli sandwiches.

The festival promises to be especially exciting for children, as a wide variety of kid-friendly activities will be on offer, including a massive bubble party featuring a bubble machines and giant wands; cultural crafts; inflatables and a wide range of family entertainment and activities.

“A major focus is families with young children — it will be nonstop fun and excitement for all,” says Landa. “The entire family will have the opportunity to learn about, and engage with, Jewish culture and traditions in a fun and meaningful way.”

For more information about the festival,

A scene from the 2022 St. Charles Jewish Festival. This year’s festival takes place Aug. 13.

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.

Former St. Louisan Jonathan Blitz is co-founder of Mystic Farm and Distillery in Durham, N.C. Out of 500+ bourbons and 90+ medalists, his double-oaked bourbon, Broken Oak Release 6, recently won the highest accolade in the distilling industry: double-gold at the 2023 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. Double gold spirits are those that received a gold medal rating by every member of the judging panel. Blitz is an attorney on the side.

NFTY Missouri Valley has announced its 2023-2024 Regional Board. President is Emma Malter (United Hebrew), child of

Felicia and Steve Malter. St. Louis board members are Sadie Rosenberg (UH), child of Rabbi Brigitte and Lee Rosenberg; Matt Loiterstein ( Congregation Shaare Emeth), child of Karen Loiterstein and Andrew Loiterstein; Lila Goldstein (SE), child of Rabbi Andrea Goldstein and Brett Goldstein; and Amelia Swier (SE), child of Rachel Goltzman and Paul Swier. On the local level, Isabella Dyson, child of Julie and Larry Dyson, is the Shaare Emeth SETYG president.

Joey Carson was recently elected AZA’s president of the St. Louis Council of B’nai

Brith Youth Organization (BBYO) for the 2023-24 school year. Son of Lisa and Larry Carson, he attends Marquette High School and Shaare Emeth. Norah Gross is the next president of BBG (B’nai Brith Girls). Daughter of Stephanie and Geoffrey Gross, Norah attends Clayton High School.

Nina Needleman and two friends initiated and co-sponsored an art exhibit entitled Artists First: Connection, Cohesion & Changeability. It features 20 Artists First artists, each with their own unique story to tell. Artists First is a non-profit open art studio that fosters independence through

TOP ROW: Jonathan Blitz, Emma Malter, Sadie Rosenberg, Matt Loiterstein, Lila Goldstein, Amelia Swier

MIDDLE ROW: Isabella Dyson, Joey Carson, Norah Gross, Nina Needleman, Drew Gladstein, Harper Buxner

BOTTOM ROW: Ryn Bonney, Dr. Jeffrey I. Gordon, Sarah Davidovits, Seth Albin, Cori Neidenberg, Diane Maier

creative self-expression for adults with pervasive mental illness, developmental disabilities and traumatic brain injury. The exhibit takes place in the Nancy Spirtas Kranzberg Gallery at the Sheldon through Aug. 6.

Drew Gladstein and his parents opened Tint World in St. Charles. Tint World is America’s fastest growing automotive styling company, including window tinting, audio and video entertainment and auto accessories. They plan to open two more stores in the St. Louis area.

Harper Buxner and her Ladue Horton Watkins High School squad came in first place in the 4x400m relay mat the Missouri State High School Championship, Class 4. She only started running as a freshman and missed six months of training due to an injury. Harper and her squad were then invited to the New Balance National Competition at Pennsylvania State University and ultimately finished 13th out of 92 teams. Daughter of Courtney and Evan Buxner, Harper is a junior and attends Shaare Emeth.

Ryn Bonney received a Game Changer in Education Award from the Opportunity Trust for her work as a parent leader with Activate STL. She was the catalyst for the June 7th cover story in the RiverFront Times about college kid savings accounts. The Game Changers in Education Awards honored those for their work in advancing educational excellence and equity throughout St. Louis. Activate STL is an advocacy non-profit dedicated to educating, training, and uplifting public charter families and youth leaders to ensure access to quality school options. Bonney is the executive assistant to the executive director at Central Reform Congregation where she is a member.

Cheryl Adelstein received the Outstanding Community Relations Award by the St. Louis County Branch of the NAACP at the 86th Annual Freedom Fund Dinner. She is the outgoing deputy director and Lee and Milford Bohm director of Social Justice at the Jewish Community Relations Council of St. Louis. Adelstein, who attends CRC, passionately advocates for a variety of social justice causes, testifies regularly in Jefferson City, and authors JCRC’s Advocacy Update Newsletter.

The “Father of the Gut Microbiome,” Dr. Jeffrey I. Gordon, was honored with one of three Princess of Asturias Awards in Spain for his contributions to research into the essential role of communities of microorganisms in life on earth. These awards are given to individuals, entities, or organizations from around the world who make notable achievements in the sciences, humanities, and public affairs. Gordon is the Dr. Robert J. Glaser Distinguished University Professor and director of the Edison Family Center for Genome Sciences & Systems Biology at Washington University School of Medicine.

Sarah Davidovits was named assistant principal at Gotsch Intermediate School in the Affton School District. She previously served as a Special School District (SSD) teacher for the Ladue School District. Davidovits attends Agudas Israel of St. Louis.

The Twenty-First Circuit Judicial Commission announced that Seth Albin was one of three nominees to be submitted to Governor Mike Parson to fill the associate circuit judge vacancy in St. Louis County created by the appointment of Judge John R. Lasater to circuit judge. He is an attorney at Summers Compton Wells LLC and a member of Congregation B’nai Amoona.

Elyse Picker was promoted to Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) program director. She was recently its program manager. Picker oversees the planning and execution of all programming at JCRC including our dialogue group meetings, annual Aurelia Konrad Charitable Foundation community seder and Tzedek Awards.

Cori Neidenberg is the new executive director of United Hebrew Congregation. She was previously the senior director of Congregational Life.

Diane Maier has joined TSG (The Staenberg Group) as its director of operations of the Gallery and the Hub at The District in Chesterfield. The Gallery is a modern art gallery and showroom that hosts a wide array of fun and unique works, many of which are from the collection of businessman and philanthropist Michael Staenberg. The Hub is the centerpiece for The District offering outdoor space that includes a pavilion for performances, four restaurants, a brewery and beer garden. Maier is a member of CRC.

Jewish Fund for Human Needs awards grants to six organizations

In June, the Rabbi Robert P. Jacobs Jewish Fund for Human Needs announced it had awarded small grants to six nonprofit organizations. The organizations are not affiliated with the Jewish community but are working to help those in need throughout the St. Louis region.

The Jewish Fund for Human Needs is coordinated between the Jewish Community Relations Council and the St. Louis Rabbinical and Cantorial Association and is funded in part through a grant from the Lubin-Green Foundation and through the support of individual donors.

“JFHN’s work had unfortunately been paused during the COVID years, so it was especially meaningful to get back to doing what Rabbi Jacobs founded JFHN to do: give tzedakah and help people in need,” said Rabbi Janine Schloss, president of STLRCA.

This round of grant recipients includes:

• Empower Missouri – works to secure basic human needs and equal justice for everyone in Missouri. The JFHN’s grant was specifically awarded to support Empower Missouri’s clean slate expungement criminal justice reform initiative.

• Immigrant Home English Learning Program – empowers immigrant families by providing English language education and other tools to navigate their new community.

• Lifewise STL – supports the needs of Latinx and Somali immigrants. The JFHN’s grant was specifically awarded to support Lifewise STL’s Emotional and Physical Wellness Department.

• Metro Trans Umbrella Group – coordinates services among the St. Louis transgender community and provides direct support to individuals who identify as transgender.

• A Red Circle – addresses health and equity issues in north St. Louis County through a variety of programs including

employment and access to healthy foods.

• River City Journalism Fund – promotes local news in the St. Louis region and strives for better representation of historically marginalized communities.

Upon receiving notification that they were awarded the grant, Richard Weiss, chair of the River City Journalism Fund, said: “We were honored that JFHN recognized our work to advance the cause of social justice at such a critical time for our region. In recent months, we have been able to broaden and deepen our work on behalf of marginalized communities. This grant will allow us to tell stories that will make a difference in the lives of our fellow citizens. We look forward to future collaborations with JFHN, JCRC and the STLRCA.”

Donations to the Jewish Fund for Human Needs can be mailed to the Jewish Community Relations Council, 12 Millstone Campus Drive, St. Louis, MO 63146; or made online at https://jcrcstl.org/donate.

Kol Rinah plans Summerfest on Aug. 20

Kol Rinah will hold Summerfest — an inclusive outdoor community event for all ages — from 3 to 6:30 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 20.

The event will include live music by Shakshuka, Will Soll and Karen Kern; lawn games and family activities, including a balloon artist and a Make & Take Booth by Mad Science of STL; food, refreshments and treats; and raffle prizes.

Admission is free, with options to purchase food and other promotional items.

For more information about the event, visit www.kolrinahstl.org/event/kol-rinah-summerfest.html.

Kol Rinah is looking for volunteers to help staff the event, as well as additional sponsors. Contact Co-Chairs Dan Rosenthal (danr@bsistl.com) or Alissa Duel (aduel@ me.com) for more information.

Kol Rinah is partnering with the J, Saul Mirowitz Jewish Community School and PJ Library to plan the event.

Wasserman: U-City teen awarded grant for student financial literacy program

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

worked with University City High staff, specifically school counselor April Lawrence, who has seen Wasserman’s impact on her high school community.

“Everyone loves Dani,” Lawrence said. “You’ll see her walking around the building, [and] she’s always pleasant. She’s always smiling. She’s just a very positive role model for her peers. We admire her a lot in our building.”

The admiration is mutual. With Wasserman’s $36,000 prize, she plans to give back to her school.

“We will be donating a portion of the money back to the University City district with the goal of continuing to expand financial literacy within the curriculum and through all their elementary, middle and high schools,” said Wasserman, whose family belongs to Congregation B’nai Amoona. “We cannot thank [the staff] enough and appreciate their help. They have been some of the greatest supporters, and we definitely want to give back to them.”

Each InvestNow Clubs chapter meets at

Temple Israel will host Intro

to Judaism course

From 7 to 9 p.m. on Tuesdays, Aug. 22 through Dec. 19, join St. Louis-area Reform rabbis at Congregation Temple Israel in Creve Coeur, for Intro to Judaism, an engaging deep dive into Jewish faith, culture and community. Designed for beginners from any religious background, this program is perfect for interfaith couples, in-laws of Jews, unaffiliated Jews, individuals exploring conversion and anyone seeking more knowledge about Judaism. The cost is $72 per household. Registration is required to join the course. Tuition includes the cost of materials and students will receive a copy of the course book at the opening session. RSVP at www.ti-stl.org/Intro.

least once a month, where members learn about the stock market and how to use a credit card, among other skills. As the year advances, so does the curriculum.

“We ultimately move into actually investing money in the stock market, which I think is a unique experience for investment club students as they have very little exposure outside of the club,” Wasserman said. “Every club at the moment is given $500, and with the Diller Teen Tikkun Olam Award, we will provide the clubs with more money to invest in the stock market.”

Though InvestNow Clubs has grown, Wasserman faces challenges in making the curriculum interesting for students and dismantling the idea that learning about finances is boring.

“[We’re] learning how to maneuver around that stigma and approach the students in a very fun and engaging way,” she said. “Financial literacy can be a really fun, unique experience. You get some free food, make some great friends, build a community and learn how to invest in the stock market and help to alleviate intergenerational poverty.”

Now that she’s won the award, Wasserman is looking to the future of InvestNow Clubs.

“Our goal is really just to contin ue to expand, not only within the high school demographic, but also within elementary and mid dle schools so that we can instill these values at a young er age,” she said. “I think that with the funding from the Diller award, we will be able to achieve these goals.”

As for Wasserman’s future plans, she wants to major in business in college and pursue a career in real estate development.

Sharonica Hardin-Bartley, University City schools superintendent, hopes that InvestNow Clubs will grow even after Wasserman graduates. Hardin-Bartley submitted Wasserman’s application for the Diller award and has watched InvestNow Clubs grow since Wasserman’s freshman year.

“I think that Dani represents the diversity and richness of our students,” HardinBartley said. “I’m just excited and thrilled that she has received this honor. I know that her impact will be felt in University City schools for many years to come.”

Tikkun olam is a value that Wasserman

tries to instill in InvestNow Clubs, applying the “teach a man to fish” philosophy to create positive financial habits and a more equitable economic society for the future.

“We’re going to work with you over the course of the next four, five or six years to instill these values and to help you understand how you can create a financially stable life,” Wasserman said. “So by teaching those skills, which for me is what tikkun olam means, is to uplift lives and provide a level of self-sufficiency and community for all members.”

Dani Wasserman

PHOTO: A FRAME MEDIA

Shakshuka will be among the musical guests at Summerfest, ‘an inclusive outdoor community event for all ages.’

JTA: Jewish groups march in a show of support with Israeli protesters

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

opposition to continue to seek a compromise even in the wake of the passage of the momentous law. Groups to their left, including the Reform movement, urged American Jews to step up the pressure on Israel to make changes, and J Street said the Biden administration had a role in leveraging that pressure. The Conservative movement said that the passage of the law “represents a clear and present danger to the country’s independent judiciary, which may still come under further assault.”

The force of the pronouncements shows how much has changed since as recently as March when some of the same legacy organizations were struggling with how far to go in objecting as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared ready to ram a package of judicial legislation through with alacrity. A bid to come up with a statement uniting all the legacy Jewish groups nearly collapsed amidst last minute changes.

Speaking out forcefully against an Israeli government has never been a happy place for the legacy groups. For decades, their doctrine had been to let Israelis decide what’s best for them unless it directly impacted Diaspora Jewish communities. The years-long battle over organized non-Orthodox worship at the Western Wall was one of the exceptions that proved the rule.

But in recent months, the reluctance to speak out changed, and not just because weakening the courts undermines the branch of Israeli government that has protected the non-Orthodox. American Jews, rattled by perceived antidemocratic tendencies at home, seem more attuned to the threat the same tendencies pose in Israel, according to a poll last month by the

Jewish Electorate Institute. It showed pluralities of U.S. Jewish voters concerned about erosions of democracy in both countries.

“This is our fight too – and the vast majority of American Jews believe in a Jewish, democratic Israel that lives up to its founding values of equality, freedom, and justice for all,” said Amy Spitalnick, the CEO of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, a national public policy group, in a statement on Monday.

The Israel Policy Forum, a group with deep roots in the American Jewish establishment that advocates for a two-state outcome to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, said the changes in the law risk alienating the Diaspora.

“This move is particularly dismaying to many American Jews, who support Israeli democracy and will now have a more difficult time identifying with Israel and defending it from those who seek to demonize it, leaving Israel today more of a state exclusively for Israeli Jews and less of a state for Jews around the world,” it said.

Liberal American Jews, who have taken the lead in the past in protecting the rights of women and the LGBTQ community, have raised alarms about pledges by some of Netanyahu’s coalition partners to diminish the rights of both sectors.

“The Israeli LGBTQ community has been protesting these proposals for months because it is the Supreme Court that has helped to safeguard the civil rights of all Israelis, including the LGBTQ community,” said a fundraising appeal emailed after the vote from A Wider Bridge, a group that has advocated for Israel in the American LGBTQ community.

Not all U.S. Jewish groups expressed dismay. Some groups on the right praised the enactment into law of the “reasonableness” bill, the piece of the legislation

SAME VICTOR SHADE FAMILY, NEW LOCATION!

approved on Monday.

“What’s unreasonable to one is reasonable to another,” said Mort Klein, the president of the Zionist Organization America, in a statement praising the new law. “This is an absurd basis and power the Supreme Court has arrogated to itself, which is nothing short of judicial tyranny and judicial dictatorship.”

The Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations maintains under its umbrella groups as diverse as ZOA and the Reform movement. It sounded alarm without weighing in on the specifics of the legislation.

“We must remember the dangers that discord and division can pose to the Jewish people,” the group said in a statement. “We call on Israel’s leaders to seek compromise and unity. Responsible political actors must ease tensions that have run dangerously high.”

The American Israel Public Affairs Committee declined to comment on the legislation. Democratic Majority for Israel, a pro-Israel advocacy group within the Democratic Party that often reflects policies close to those of AIPAC, took a cautious approach.

“While we believe it was a serious mistake for this government to ignore the pleading of the majority of its citizens, as

well as its president, and pass this bill without significant compromise, it was done democratically,” it said in a statement. “As in any democracy, including the United States, governments are empowered to make decisions however disappointing or unwise we may believe them to be.”

Nathan Diament, who directs the Washington office of the Orthodox Union, told The New York Times that his community generally favored the legislation, but feared the repercussions of its passage.

“There are many people in the American Orthodox community whose view on the substance is sympathetic or supportive to the reforms,” he said, “but nonetheless are worried about the divisiveness that the process has caused.”

People march across the Brooklyn Bridge in a show of support with protesters in Israel on July 23. PHOTO: ROY ROCHLIN/GETTY IMAGES

OPINIONS

D’VAR TORAH — PARASHAT VA’ETCHANAN

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

‘Shema Yisrael’: A love letter to one another

BY RABBI ELIZABETH HERSH

My earliest memory of prayer is my mother, of blessed memory, tucking me into bed with a kiss and the words of the Shema. To say that God is One, to know that this declaration of faith embraced me in the circle of love and belief of all Jewish souls who had once lived or who would be born, made me feel safe and welcomed. From an early age, I knew who I was.

In this week’s Torah portion, Va’etchanan, we find the Shema and Va’ahavta, foundations of our faith and services. When we say OUR God, not yours or mine, we infer that God is accessible to all. According to Moses Maimonides, “The Shema affirms the unity of all that exists and will exist. God’s unity is eternal and unique … and God has no body or form.”

As I grew, I focused on the word “Shema,” translated as “hear,” which felt incomplete. What does it mean to hear? According to Rashi, “Sh’ma is entendre” — the French verb that means both “hear” and “understand.”

How many times do you not feel like you have not been heard or understood? When we say “Shema Yisrael,” we are declaring that we are focused. When we take the Hebrew letters “ayin” (the last letter of Shema) and “dalet” (the last letter from Echad) it forms the word “witness.” We are witness to the declaration of the oneness of our God. A witness must be present and aware.

When we silence the noise around us, turn off the devices and remove the ear buds, we are present to those around us. Without the many distractions, we may declare “Shema” and mean it.

The Torah has 4,875 verses. And yet, it is this verse that defines much of who we are.

Rabbi Pinchas of Koretz went to spend Shabbat with a certain sage. Rabbi Pinchas asked this sage to speak on a certain topic in which he was known to have some expertise. The sage humbly suggested to Rabbi Pinchas that to truly learn this topic, he should read a specific chapter in a certain book. Rabbi Pinchas replied: It would please me greatly to hear this matter directly from the lips of the tzaddik. One who learns from a book gains knowledge, but one who hears with his own ears from the lips of the teacher has acquired the soul of the teaching. (—Otzar HaHasidut in Iturei Torah 6:33)

Our tradition instructs that we should find ourselves a teacher. Of course, we can learn from everyone if only we are available. The Shema reminds us of how we should treat one another. Rather than interacting with a screen, we rejoice in a panim el panim, a face-to-face encounter with another human soul. We do best when we gaze into the eyes of one another. When we look at facial expressions, we understand so much more than just the words. It is active listening that says we are open and ready to comprehend.

Earlier in this portion (Deuteronomy 5:5) we read, “I

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

JCRC responds to senator’s tweet

On July 4th, Sen. Josh Hawley tweeted the following quote, which he attributed to founding father Patrick Henry, “This great nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religions, but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”

This quote was not from Patrick Henry and was, in fact, from the editorial board of the April 1956 edition of the virulently antisemitic, white nationalist magazine

The Virginian. Both the source and the quote itself are deeply troubling to the Jewish Community Relations Council and the Jewish constituents Hawley represents throughout Missouri.

On July 10, JCRC sent the attached letter to Hawley expressing these concerns.

Dear Senator Hawley,

We are reaching out to express concern about your recent tweet, which you attributed to founding father Patrick Henry, quoting, “This great nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religions, but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”

As has been pointed out by historians, the line was never said by Patrick Henry or any other founding father; in fact, it comes from the editorial remarks of the publishers of The Virginian in 1956. This publication was known to support white nationalist and antisemitic views.

As representatives of the Jewish community and your constituents, we are particularly troubled by this tweet not simply

because of its connection to a hateful periodical that specifically targeted Jews, but because any language that seeks to promote America as a country built by and for Christians alone disenfranchises and erases millions of people, including our Jewish community. For millennia, our Jewish community has been expelled from countries in which they have lived and denied citizenship on the belief that we could never truly belong. The United States is the first modern country that has provided our community with the rights and liberties that have allowed us to truly thrive across the country, and in our wonderful state of Missouri.

We welcome the opportunity to meet with you in order to continue to strengthen the relationship between you and leadership of our St. Louis Jewish community and to discuss the priorities of our community — including fighting antisemitism, a goal that we know from prior interactions that you share.

Joel Iskiwitch, JCRC Board Chair

Rori Picker Neiss, JCRC Executive Director

Readers respond to rabbi’s commentary on Jewish families, marriage

Over the course of my career as a scholar and teacher of literature, I’ve come to recognize a type of reader who looks to a proof text to confirm their own biases, and

stood between God and you …” There is a Chasidic teaching that says, “The ‘I’ of [humanity] is the barrier that cuts off [the individual] from [one’s] creator. As long as [one] thinks about [one’s] ‘I’ it is difficult to approach Holiness.”

When we learn to appreciate and listen to the voice of the “I,” we embrace holiness. We can only become closer to God when we remember and act upon the notion that all of us are created in an image of God. We do so when we engage in an interactive and healthy manner.

Rabbi Jacob ben Isaac Ashkanazi of Yanof implied that reciting the Shema is similar to reading a love letter “which was written to you. … You listen to each and every word.”

What are the love letters you are reciting, and who is listening? Are you understanding the letters expressed to you? Shema Yisrael is a foundation of our faith. It is also a foundation of our relationship with one another.

then uses that confirmation to justify their own bigotry. This practice is particularly associated with medieval Christianity, where it was used repeatedly against Jews. Never did I expect to find it in the pages of the Light, practiced by Rabbi Ze’ev Smason as a cudgel against the LGBTQ+ community (July 12 commentary, “Look to ‘eternal truths of the Torah’ for Jewish view of marriage, family”).

Would that he were willing to learn about the lives of others, but instead he announces the “truth,” as if from Sinai, to those he seeks to marginalize, who are now expected to undo our lives, dissolve our marriages, disown our children, rewrite our identities, all to fit his narrow-minded view of human life. With his closure to the wonder and complexity of humanity as God created it, and the real harm to actual human beings that his argument intends and effects, he dishonors his title.

Michael Sherberg St. Louis County

Thank you for printing Rabbi Ze’ev Smason’s opinion piece “Look to the Eternal Truths of the Torah for the Jewish View of Marriage and Family” in the July 12 edition. The ideas expressed in the article resonate strongly with me. I also believe that most of the St. Louis Orthodox community as well as many other traditionally minded Jews would appreciate Rabbi Smason’s presentation of the timeless Torah values of Jewish marriage and family. I commend the Jewish Light for printing a Torah-oriented view of a contemporary issue.

Martin Olevitch University City

Rabbi Smason’s eloquent essay on the Jewish view of marriage is in fact a bitter monologue that would, I am sure, bring tears of joy to the likes of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green and Sen. Josh Hawley. Congratulations Jewish Light for joining the culture war.

John S. Daniels, M.D. Town and Country

Jewish marriage and gender are clearly defined in the Torah. One can live and let live in secular circles, but some things in my opinion are incompatible with traditional Judaism.

Everyone can still and should be treated with compassion, and no one deserves more compassion than the parents of children who are going through a mental health crisis and seemingly questioning their gender. However, should children be allowed to make irreversible choices about their bodies, even by proxy? As adults, do you make the same decisions or have the same beliefs about what is best for you as when you were 12? Probably not.

It is well documented that the brain doesn’t completely mature until well into the mid-twenties. What about non-surgical gender-affirming care? Are we saying that puberty blockers and hormones do not have profound and permanent effects on a young person’s physiology and psyche, even if treatment is stopped later?

Yes, youths experiencing these types of crises should be helped, but how they should be helped is what I question. It seems to me that calling them trans overly simplifies what could be much more complex underlying issues that require different, more complex treatments.

Carole Granillo St. Louis

Rabbi Elizabeth Hersh serves Temple Emanuel and is a member of the St. Louis Rabbinical and Cantorial Association, which coordinates the d’var Torah for the Jewish Light.

We can only become closer to God when we remember and act upon the notion that all of us are created in an image of God.

OPINIONS

The power of mindfulness meditation

BY RABBI ANDREA GOLDSTEIN

One of the most beautiful teachings in Judaism is that every human being is created b’tzelem Elohim, in the image of God. One of the practical implications of this teaching is that we all have enormous potential to realize the values of generosity, holiness, compassion, justice and peace. While the potential is there, we sometimes find it difficult to act from the wells of goodness that each of us possess.

Why is this the case?

In part because our lives are overscheduled, without a moment to stop and catch our breaths. In part because technology has made us more distracted and less present. And mostly because we have been habituated to live in a reactive mode, responding to events and emotions without measured thought or intention.

One counterbalance to this way of being is the practice of mindfulness. In particular, I have found over the past 15 years of practice and study, that mindfulness meditation helps to center and ground me. Through the cultivation of moment-to-mo-

ment attention, mindfulness meditation trains the mind to be less reactive and more intentional, less distracted and more present. We tap more easily into those

wells of goodness within and learn to treasure each day for the miracle it is.

Jewish mindfulness meditation combines the core practices of mindfulness

meditation with rich access to the meaning of Biblical stories, prayers and rabbinic texts allowing us to experience the wisdom of our tradition in deeper and more integrated ways. Jewish mindfulness meditation helps us to experience relaxation, stillness, healing, personal transformation and deep connection to our Source.

Interested in learning more about mindfulness meditation? Join us for our free Monday Morning Meditation Sits by contacting Stacy Jespersen at sjespersen@ sestl.org. All are welcome.

A few dollars can go a long way for many nonprofits

BY NINA NEEDLEMAN

During the earning years, financial priorities for individuals are in two phases:

First, finding a home and navigating life on one’s own; and second, starting and supporting a family with all their related expenses and needs.

Nonprofits also have two phases.

Initially, it can take a year or so to get started after getting a 501(c)3 (tax-exempt) status from the IRS. That means creating infrastructure: hiring human resources, renting a place to provide services, starting to provide programs, and beginning grant writing and fundraising.

The second phase for nonprofits is the building phase. The time this takes varies significantly according to a myriad of factors. But the need to grow programs, grow revenues, create some sustainability, accumulate assets for the future — all are parallel, in a sense, to what an individual household needs to do.

With all that in mind, how do you assist charities you care about while staying on track with your personal financial goals and budget? I can think of five ways:

1. Contribute to the sustainability of your favorite nonprofit by making systematic monthly donations; $50 per month would be $600 per year, $100 per month would be $1,200 per year and so on. Regular monthly revenue an agency can count on can help with rent, utilities and overhead. These are things many grants and funders do not cover.

2. Sponsor a table at your favorite agency’s gala. That means paying for a table of eight or 10 seats. Invite co-workers, friends, associates whom you want to educate about this agency. Don’t let them reimburse you for the seat; ask instead that they make a donation or participate in the fund-a-need or auction.

3. Budget, for example, $500 a year for four in-kind silent auction items $125 each for donation to your four favorite nonprofits’ events. Because many silent auctions include booze and sports stuff, I try to think outside the box. I get a luxury dog basket from my favorite pet store and contribute this in-kind donation, which I can also write off. Be creative. What’s something else gala attendees might want?

4. Provide staff or board training funds.

Author Nina Needleman is a retired financial planner. She spent the first three decades of her career in the financial services industry. She uses her business skills to help nonprofit organizations with Capacity Building and, more importantly, volunteers to teach people about personal finance and philanthropy.

Many small nonprofits (budgets under $1 million) do not and cannot budget for staff or board training. A gift of $500, $1,000 or $2,000 can go a long way toward providing staff skills as well as elevating the skills of staff and board members. I give $1,500 a year to one favorite agency. It’s used to fund a class on how to start a planned-giving program; classes on donor database

reporting; board building and increasing board effectiveness; and much more.

5. Offer to be a matching donor when your favorite agency participates in Give STL Day. Say you’ll match up to $2,500, for example, to the first donors who contribute up to that amount. What a great thing for another donor or new donor to know they’re doubling their donations.

Looking at these options, each is in the $500 to $2,500 range. Could you divvy up your budget among several nonprofits, say a favorite Jewish organization, favorite cultural institution, your alma matter or your child’s school? Or could you pick any three or five agencies that are meaningful to you?

It may not seem like a lot of money, but I promise you the agency or agencies will be grateful for your focus on what they need.

Most of these strategies are not commonly undertaken. They will position you as a unique donor in the eyes of the agency. You can be a prized donor without a big commitment. Donors who provide consistent support are gold.

BY EVA FOGELMAN & MENACHEM Z. ROSENSAFT JTA

When the U.S. Supreme Court sided last month with a Colorado web designer who refuses to do work for same-sex couples because of her religious objection to samesex marriage, it risked opening the floodgates to a host of discriminatory acts under the guise of First Amendment freedom of expression.

Most of us thought that we had made progress in eliminating government-sanctioned bigotry. Justice Neil Gorsuch’s 6-3 majority opinion in 303 Creative LLC v. Elenis, saying that her refusal to serve a same-sex couple is “protected speech,” reminds us, however, that discrimination endorsed by the high court remains a clear and present danger, first and foremost for

the LGBTQIA+ community, but also for the rest of us.

As a daughter and son of Holocaust survivors, we tend to understand social and political events through the prism of the destruction of European Jewry. The Jews were deprived of their rights in Nazi Germany immediately after Hitler came to power in 1933. And we know that excluding Jews and others from commercial and civil life was one of the earliest stages before their eventual annihilation.

The 303 Creative case forces us to contemplate the possibility that white supremacists, antisemites, Islamaphobes and other hate-filled individuals and groups will now be allowed to recast their bigotry in First Amendment or religious freedom terms. As Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote in her dissent, the decision “threatens to balkanize the market and to allow the exclusion of

other groups from many services.”

With this new ruling, what is to prevent a devout Christian who believes that Jews killed Jesus from selling wedding dresses only to brides who accept Jesus as their savior or from refusing to print bar mitzvah or Ramadan invitations? What about a white supremacist caterer who believes that interracial marriages violate his or her religious beliefs? Will his lawyer use this SCOTUS decision to construct a clever First Amendment or Free Exercise defense that allows him to get away with not serving such couples?

We are reminded of Gregory Peck who, masquerading as a Jew in the 1947 film “Gentleman’s Agreement,” is turned away from a “restricted” resort, as so many Jews were in real life. Jackie Robinson, Louis Armstrong and other African-Americans were denied entry into hotels, restaurants

Eva Fogelman (above left) is a social psychologist and psychotherapist and the author of “Conscience and Courage: Rescuers of Jews During the Holocaust.”

Menachem Z. Rosensaft (above right) is a lawyer and human rights activist, Adjunct Professor of Law at Cornell Law School and the author of “Poems Born in Bergen-Belsen.”

and other central institutions of American society until the civil rights revolution of the 1950s and 1960s put what we thought was an end to such nefarious practices. A previous generation of jurists also thought that legally sanctioned discrimination was accommodating sincere religious beliefs. “Almighty God created the

Rabbi Andrea Goldstein of Congregation Shaare Emeth is Director of the Jewish Mindfulness Center of St. Louis.

The Supreme Court ruled that discrimination is protected speech. As children of Holocaust survivors, we understand where this leads.

FEATURES

ARTS AND CULTURE FOOD HOLIDAYS LIFESTYLES

‘Oppenheimer’ tells epic story of remorseful Jewish American ‘father of the atomic bomb’

BY CATE MARQUIS SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH LIGHT

Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” is a breathtaking epic about the rise and fall of J. Robert Oppenheimer, the Jewish American theoretical physicist known as the father of the atomic bomb, who led the Manhattan Project, the World War II secret U.S. program to build an atomic bomb before the Nazis could.

This impressive, engrossing film depicts Oppenheimer’s personal life and follows the race to build the first atomic bomb. Then it traces Oppenheimer’s postwar fall when the scientist, filled with guilt over creating a weapon with the power to destroy the world, pushes for limits on nuclear weapons only to find himself the target of an investigation. It is a tale of conscience and hubris, set against the sweep of history and a technology that changed the world.

“Oppenheimer,” based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning biography “American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer” by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin, tells the scientist’s story largely from his point of view.

Relentlessly gripping, “Oppenheimer” is perhaps Nolan’s best film in a career that includes “The Dark Knight,” “Inception” and “Dunkirk.” A certain Oscar contender, it is epic storytelling — and epic in its three-hour runtime. But it is so engrossing, dazzling and brilliantly acted that one does not feel the length. It was shot on 65mm film in the large-screen IMAX format with 10 times the resolution of standard film, so it is best seen on a large screen.

This excellent film has much to recommend it: riveting storytelling, significant content, a timely message about the ethical consequences of technology, and outstanding performances, particularly

Cillian Murphy in the title role.

Oppenheimer seemed an unlikely choice when he was recruited by Lt. Gen. Leslie Groves Jr. (Matt Damon) to lead the Manhattan Project. The New York-born Oppenheimer was the son of a wealthy Jewish family, an autodidact who read poetry, spoke several languages and shared his family’s left-leaning political views. He had an interest in Hindu religious texts and a complicated relationship

with Judaism. Yet he actively sought the job, partly as a way to join the fight against what the Nazis were doing to Europe’s Jews.

Oppenheimer recognized immediately that the United States had an edge over Germany, despite the Nazis’ head start on developing the bomb. He knew Hitler’s hatred of Jews would drive the Nazis to purge Jewish scientists from their research effort. Having visited Europe,

Oppenheimer knew many of the top physicists were Jewish. So he set out to recruit as many of them as possible, using Hitler’s hatred against them.

Although Oppenheimer and Albert Einstein (Tom Conti) were friends, he did not invite Einstein to join the project. However, he did seek Einstein’s advice and the famous scientist appears in the film at

See FILM REVIEW on page 17

They’ve got the beat: A look at the history of percussion

BY NANCY KRANZBERG SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH LIGHT

I was fascinated with a performance at Jazz St. Louis by drummer Allison Miller. Bob Bennett, artistic director of Jazz St. Louis, refers to Miller as one of the best drummers today and makes no reference to the fact that she is a woman. I Googled female drummers and found that there are many, but Bennett reminded me that Miller leads the pack regardless of gender.

Another famous female drummer who captured my attention was Viola Smith, who should have a documentary written about her full story. Possibly the first professional female drummer, Smith began performing in the 1920s, later playing in the NBC Symphony Orchestra, and made her Broadway debut in the original run of “Cabaret.” She has been compared to Gene Krupa whose 1937 recording of “Sing, Sing, Sing” elevated the role of the drummer from an accompanist to an important solo voice in a band.

Another drummer who is more known for her pop status as a singer but was a drummer as well was Karen Carpenter. A critic once referred to her drumming as having a solid feel that was just right for

her elegant pop vocals.

I called upon two of my favorite famous drummers in St. Louis to get their take.

Rich O’Donnell, retired principal percussionist of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, says drumming has a history of spiritual and meditative exercise and shouldn’t be taken lightly. One must relax

to play the drums, which then gives a sense of discipline and becomes very energizing.

O’Donnell was the director of the electronic music studio at Washington University from 1980 to 2018. He invented a revolutionary playing technique with new type sticks and new pedals. Seesaw

For more of Nancy Kranzberg’s commentary, listen to KWMU (90.7) St. Louis on the Air the first Friday of each month at approximately 12:50 p.m. She also hosts a weekly Arts Interview podcast for KDHX (88.1), available at artsinterview.kdhxtra.org.

drumming is based on reciprocal motion that allows him to play twice as fast as his normal technique.

Matthew Henry is director of percussion studies and assistant professor of music at University of Missouri-St. Louis. Henry says, “Anyone can watch someone drumming and realize that they themselves could pick up a stick, hit the drum and get a sound out of it immediately. I think that’s what makes drumming so intrinsically attractive to people. The lack of complexity it takes to make drum sound is pretty unique in an acoustically based ensemble

NANCY KRANZBERG — THE ARTS IN ST. LOUIS

Matt Damon (left) as General Leslie Groves and Cillian Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer, in Christopher Nolan's ‘Oppenheimer.’

PHOTO COURTESY OF UNIVERSAL

PHOTO: STOCK.ADOBE.COM

St. Louis couple pursues Sriracha dreams

Local brand of green Sriracha stands out in shortage of red Thai competitor

BY BILL MOTCHAN SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH LIGHT

Pepper sauce is a hot commodity. That is, it’s very popular. The Huy Fong brand of hot, red Sriracha chili sauce, with its distinctive rooster logo, is hard to find these days because of a weather-related shortage of chili peppers in Thailand.

That’s good news for other brands of Sriracha sauce, which takes its name from the Thai town of its origin. In St. Louis, the Sriracha Granada brand of mild green pepper sauce is owned by Jewish St. Louisan Nathan Litz and his wife, Caitlin Stayduhar. The couple had sold it in 2019 but recently reacquired it.

“The people to whom I sold it had a lot of industry connections,” said Litz, 35. “They had a big vision for the brand, and it was very exciting. It was really time for us to let go, let the brand continue with new leadership and management and people that had more resources. Over time, it came to light that they may have underestimated the amount of work that it really takes to build a pioneering brand.”

Litz and Stayduhar’s journey from cooking pepper sauce at home to building a popular restaurant and store brand was described in a 2017 Jewish Light profile. For Litz, Sriracha Granada started as a hobby. He is a network architect at World Wide Technology; Stayduhar is a lawyer and equestrian rider. The couple also have

a family to care for: a clowder of cats. Why jump back into the pepper sauce pot?

“Over time, the market share fell, and brand awareness fell,” Litz said. “Sales obviously followed suit and fell as well. We had the opportunity to buy the brand back, so we bought it back at a discount.”

To reinvigorate Sriracha Granada, Litz is back on the promo trail. It’s time consuming, but he and Satyduhar are committed to getting it back to the level they achieved originally, with about 350 retail locations and a solid number of local restaurants. Product space in grocery and specialty stores is always at a premium, so one change Litz

made was modifying the size of the bottle. That also makes it easier to fit on a refrigerator shelf. He also updated the label design.

“If you just ask people, ‘Hey, what kind of hot sauce do you like?’ they immediately say something like Tabasco or Sriracha,” Litz said. “Sriracha is a ubiquitous type of hot sauce, and that’s a flavor profile I personally really enjoy. But a lot of commercial sauces use chemical preservatives and artificial colors. None of them are low sodium, low sugar, vegan and green. We use no artificial colors, no chemical preservatives.”

The recipe for Sriracha Granada has also been updated, and it’s being produced by a local commercial food company. Litz

St. Louis couple Caitlin Stayduhar and Nathan Litz own Sriracha Granada, a locally produced green Sriracha brand.

FILE PHOTOS: BILL MOTCHAN

and Stayduhar are partnering with the distributor Two Men and a Garden. Litz said he’s eager to introduce new fans of pepper sauce aficionados to both the classic green pepper sauce and companion spice blend.

“When I initially made Sriracha Granada years ago, there were not any publicly available green Srirachas,” he said. “It was truly unique at the time. And it’s something that I’m very proud of, of being able to have built one of the first green Sriracha sauces.”

Sriracha Granada is available at Straub’s, Fields Foods, and Wine and Cheese Place locations.

HEALTHWATCH

Healthwatch is a monthly feature focusing on a health- or fitness-related topic with a Jewish angle. The feature is published the second edition of each month. Have a suggestion for a potential Healthwatch subject? Email news@stljewishlight.org.

Clear some rocks off the road to trust between parents, teens

Trust is the key to all successful human relationships. This is definitely true when considering the dynamic between an adolescent and a parent.

Prior to adolescence, trust is pretty much a one-way street with an infant or young child trusting their parent to provide food, clothing, a safe environment and intellectual stimulation. But almost by definition, the adolescent period is signaled by freedom from parents and the need for an adolescent to begin making important choices and decisions. If not

intention? Whether raising your child as a single parent or together with a significant other, you need to make a plan and see it through. In the case of trust, you must define, with the input from your adolescent, what trust will look like in your home. If broken by either the parent or the child, rebuilding it ASAP will be key.

A parent’s job is to lovingly, fairly, respectfully and consistently set limits and hold your child to them. While doing so, expect your adolescent to push these boundaries and seek to become more independent.

When negotiating the household rules, it is prudent for parents to acknowledge the

community laws before moving on to the true safety risks of being out too late. Perhaps you are worried about automobile accidents because many people on the roads late may have been drinking.

In setting limits, expect pushback from your child.

When you must punish because curfew wasn’t adhered to, it’s not only best if the punishment fits the crime but, if possible, rules and potential violations should be anticipated, allowing the adolescent to know in advance what the consequences

Our specialty is superior heart care.

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.” His latest book is the novel “Illumination.”

nothing left to lose, so the behavior continues. Studies suggest that adolescents, in contrast to adults, are more motivated to seek rewards than to avoid punishment. It reminds me of the time a patient inadvertently asked two girls to a school dance and got grounded, intentionally, in order to avoid having to explain his mistake to the

If you are truly trying to motivate an adolescent to make better decisions, consider rewarding them with car privileges, a few dollars or lifting a grounding period a day or two early.

If you do use grounding, make sure you do not strip your child of every choice and every freedom. Try to avoid taking away nonacademic activities where they excel (e.g., sports, theater, chess), as this is where they receive their self-esteem.

Do not cut them off from all social contact (for example, they cannot go out but may use social media to some degree) and make the restrictions for a reasonable length of time (no more than one week).

The sooner an adolescent can resume their normal routine and face the same difficult decisions, the sooner they can demonstrate that a lesson was learned.

When parents deny an adolescent the opportunity to correct or learn from an ill-advised behavior, they have no means of regaining your trust. Navigating the relationship with an adolescent is difficult enough; don’t make it harder on yourself. The sooner you can again trust your child, the sooner you can relax when they are out of your sight, off in the world, trying to make good choices.

One last point I’d like to stress: An often unrecognized conflict occurs when parental decisions involve a matter of safety versus control. It can be hard at times to tease out the difference. An example might help.

Our specialty is you.

At St. Luke’s Heart and Vascular Institute, you’ll find a full range of state-of-the-art procedures, treatments and services to keep your heart strong and healthy. Whether you’re dealing with a history of heart disease, need follow-up care, or are simply seeking a second opinion, our diagnostic tools and surgical expertise are second to none.

Suppose your child wants your permission to go to a theme park with friends for the evening without any adult supervision. You can just say no and meet your own need not to deal with the worry of a possibly unsafe outcome. This is control. Or you could allow the adolescent to go but indicate that you plan to go, too, perhaps before your child does, and assess the situation. Then, the next time they ask to go, you can make a decision truly based on safety.

Safety is a place where parents must

Continues on opposite page

Strong relationships that help you navigate every step of your health and wellness journey.

DR. RICHARD LAZAROFF SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH LIGHT

Dr. Lazaroff: Building mutual trust between teens and parents

CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

assert their authority. In our example, the theme park might seem unsafe, and you have every right to see it for yourself. On the other hand, you might find that your anxiety is mostly unwarranted and that the experience will provide an excellent opportunity for your adolescent to make their own “safe” decisions and grow in the process. As a parent, watch out for decisions where controlling your own anxiety is the major factor at work.

As I’ve said, trust is at the core of the adolescent-parent relationship. The issue of trust came up countless times in my office. The teen breaks the rules, and the parent responds by threats, invasions of privacy and guilt trips. The relationship is

breaking down and needs to be reset. How can this be accomplished in a way that helps your child?

Here a few suggestions:

Stop talking at each other, screaming and threatening, and start communicating. Try to decide with your child what trust will look like in your home. What can you expect of each other? Negotiate the rules together and get to a better place, even as you recognize and acknowledge the difference between safety and control. There should be more give than take on your part, if the latter is primarily at work. Motivate with rewards, not punishment. When expectations are being met, give your child praise and new privileges when appropriate.

As a parent, be prepared for bumps in

Film review: ‘Oppenheimer’ tells epic story of remorseful ‘father of the atomic bomb’

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 14

a couple of points.

From the start, ethical and moral questions are part of the equation. Why try to create the most destructive weapon ever known? In one scene, the physicists discuss those ethics, but one fact remains: Hitler’s Germany is already working on such a weapon. If they can’t be stopped, the next best thing is to get the weapon first.

“I don’t know if we can be trusted to have such a weapon, but I know the Nazis can’t,” Oppenheimer says.

The impressive cast includes Robert Downey Jr. as Lewis Strauss, a Jew who led Princeton’s Academy for Advanced Studies, where Einstein was based; Josh Hartnett as Ernest Lawrence (as in Lawrence Livermore laboratory); and Matthias Schweigh ö fer as Werner Heisenberg; plus a host of famous faces in small roles. Florence Pugh plays Jean Tatlock, a psychiatrist with whom Oppenheimer had an on-and-off romance. Emily Blunt plays Oppenheimer’s wife, Kitty, a biologist frustrated by domestic life.

A number of Jewish characters and Jewish actors appear in the film, including David Krumholtz as Oppenheimer’s friend Isidor Rabi.

Antisemitism looms over the first half of the film, set in a time when antisemitism was openly expressed in the United States and the Nazis were on the rise in Germany. Several times we see Oppenheimer respond warily to non-Jewish people he meets, suggesting he has had experience with antisemitism. In one scene, a non-Jewish colleague wonders

whether trying to beat the Nazis to the atomic bomb really matters, but Oppenheimer cuts him short, reminding him that it is Oppenheimer’s people, not the colleague’s, who are being murdered by the Nazis.

The film generally gets the history and science right, although it is careful not to overload the audience with the science.

“Oppenheimer” jumps around in time somewhat, as Nolan’s films do, following three narrative threads: Oppenheimer and the Manhattan Project, a guilt-racked Oppenheimer’s treatment postwar, and a congressional confirmation hearing for Strauss for a Cabinet-level post. How the latter connects isn’t immediately clear but becomes devastatingly so by the film’s end. It may sound confusing, but it really isn’t because Nolan gives us signposts, such as using black-and-white for the Strauss thread, and all comes together in the powerful ending.

The pivotal moment in “Oppenheimer,” its showstopper, is the test of Trinity, the first nuclear device. The spine-tingling sequence divides the film’ s two parts, before the bomb and after. The scenes of people witnessing the test are jaw-dropping, as what had been only theoretical become shockingly real. It was the world changing moment when Oppenheimer famously quoted the Bhagavad Gita:

“Now I am become death, the destroyer of worlds.”

“Oppenheimer” is an outstanding epic story of a complicated genius, a technology with the power to destroy humankind and the ethical choices around it.

`“Oppenheimer” opened in theaters July 21.

the road. When the next “mistake” occurs, do not compound it by going back to your old behaviors of being a frustrated parent and further breaking down whatever trust you have built. Count to 10 or maybe wait until the next morning before reacting. Ideally, you and your adolescent should both be finding your way together toward a more mature and mutually rewarding relationship.

When mistakes are made, do not compound the situation by “enabling” the bad behavior. When an adult steps in to make the situation “right” or takes on the responsibility or blame themselves, it robs the adolescent of a learning experience and may shield them from the real need to change their behavior and make more responsible choices in the future.

Find an interest to share or make time for a one-on-one breakfast to learn something about one of your adolescent’s interests that you do not share. After all, your children are going to leave soon enough, and you will no longer have this opportunity to see each other as people is a realistic and rewarding goal.

Even when conflict occurs, make sure your adolescent knows that they are loved unconditionally.

Eat dinner as a family as often as possible, if not nightly.

I hope this has long been an integral part of your family routine all along. Whether the resulting discussions are far reaching or trivial, I am certain the time spent together will contribute greatly to an improved relationship with your child.

Tom Conti as Albert Einstein and Cillian Murphy as J Robert Oppenheimer, in Christopher Nolan's ‘Oppenheimer.’ PHOTO COURTESY OF UNIVERSAL

CHAI LIGHTS

SATURDAY | JULY 29

‘Shira Lishma – A Celebration of Song’ at MaTovu

At 7 p.m. MaTovu, 4200 Blaine Ave., will host Shaare Emeth’s Lucy Greenbaum, Rabbi Andrea Goldstein, Cantor Seth Warner, the Prayer Lab musicians, and other talented members and friends for an evening of singing and stories sure to lift the soul. Registration is required, and a $10 minimum donation per family is suggested. These donations will go to PROMO Missouri. Sign up at sestl.co/shiralishma.

TUESDAY | AUG. 1

Mirowitz Center plans Yiddish

Class with Rabbi Neal Rose

Join Congregation B’nai Amoona’s Rabbi Neal Rose from 2 to 3 p.m. for a beginner’s Yiddish class. To register for this free Mirowitz Center program, visit http://bit.ly/Mirowitz-registration, call 314-733-9813 or email skemppainen@mirowitzcenter.org.

THURSDAY | AUG. 3

‘Origins of Sepharad: From King Solomon to the Ends of the Earth’

The Sephardic saga evokes both great achievements and depths of despair. Join Isaac Amon from 3 to 4 p.m. (in-person or virtual) for a presentation on the Jews of the Iberian Peninsula. This story begins with their earliest arrival, including the legendary “Golden Age” – a time of intellectual, social, and cultural achievements – and culminates with the darkest periods of riots, massacres, and forced conversions. This Mirowitz Center program is co-sponsored by St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum. To register for this free Mirowitz Center program, visit http://bit.ly/Mirowitz-registration, call 314-733-9813 or email skemppainen@ mirowitzcenter.org.

STARTING | AUG. 3

10-session Melton course on Jewish Mysticism planned

Rabbi Elizabeth Hersh will teach “Jewish Mysticism: Tracing the History of Kabbalah,” a 10-session Melton School course, starting in August. The course will be offered on Thursdays from 7 to 8:30 p.m., from Aug. 3 through Oct. 12 (with no class on Oct. 5) and will be in a hybrid format: in-person at Temple Emanuel, or online via Zoom. The cost is $295. Confidential scholarships are available by contacting rabbijanine@testl.org. A special tuition rate of $50 is available for full- or part-time professionals working at Jewish organizations. Email rabbijanine@testl.org for the coupon code. For more information, visit www.meltonschool.org/st-louis.

SATURDAY | AUG. 5

Matisyahu at The Factory

Jewish-American singer Matisyahu and G. Love & Special Sauce are pairing up for a series of 2023 summer tour dates that will include a stop here in St. Louis at The Factory in Chesterfield. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., and the show starts at 7:30. For tickets or more information, visit www.thefactorystl. com/event/matisyahu-g-love-special-sauce.

SUNDAY | AUG. 6

Filmmakers to discuss making “Big Sonia” documentary

The directors of “Big Sonia” are inviting the public to join them at a discussion of the documentary film at 3 p.m. at the St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum. For

years, octogenarian Sonia Warshawski has been a public speaker at schools and prisons, where her stories of surviving the Holocaust as a teenager have inspired countless people who once felt their own traumas would leave them broken forever. “Big Sonia” explores what it means to be a survivor and how intergenerational trauma affects families and generations. During this program, directors Leah and Todd Warshawski will share clips from the film and hold a discussion about the importance of telling this powerful story. The presentation will be followed by an audience Q&A, which will include St. Louisan Debbie Warshawski, who is Sonia’s daughter. Tickets are $5 and free for Holocaust museum members and guardians. Visit https://bit.ly/Big-Sonia-2023.

TUESDAY | AUG. 8

at Mirowitz Center for the ABCs of Judaism to discuss a different topic with a Jewish theme. This month’s topic is “Antisemitism: Why the Jews?” To register for this free, in-person Mirowitz Center program, visit http://bit.ly/Mirowitz-registration, call 314733-9813 or email skemppainen@mirowitzcenter.org.

WEDNESDAY | AUG. 9

Mirowitz Center presents The Rabbi is in

Rabbi Neal Rose will lead this free, online Mirowitz program from 3 to 4 p.m. Visit http://bit.ly/Mirowitz-registration, call 314733-9813 or email skemppainen@mirowitzcenter.org to register.

STARTING | AUG. 10

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.

ed by a licensed clinical social worker, this group meets from 5:30 – 7:15 p.m. on the third Wednesday at the J near Creve Coeur. Newcomers are always welcome along with female family and friends. Sharsheret Supports STL is a program at the J and a partner of the national, not for profit Sharsheret organization. This program is free but pre-registration is requested to Debbi Braunstein at 314-442-3266 or dbraunstein@jccstl.org.

THURSDAY | AUG. 17

The Beatles: ‘Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’

From 3 to 4:40 p.m. University Instructor Neil Davis is back with another set in his popular series about The Beatles. “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” is one of the most influential albums ever produced. Rolling Stone magazine described it as “the most important rock n’ roll album – unsurpassed in concept, sound, songwriting, cover art, and studio technology by the greatest band of all time. To register for this free, in-person Mirowitz Center program, visit http://bit.ly/Mirowitz-registration, call 314-733-9813 or email skemppainen@ mirowitzcenter.org.

SUNDAY | AUG. 20

ADL leader to discuss antiSemitism

Temple Israel will welcome Jordan Kadosh, regional director of the Anti-Defamation League, for a discussion of “The current state of anti-Semitism and what we can do about it,” from 10 to 11:30 a.m. RSVP required at www.ti-stl.org/AdultEducation.

‘The Uranium

that Shaped Us: Nuclear Production in St. Louis’

During World War II and the Cold War, the St. Louis region made essential contributions to the nation’s security with nuclear research and development. Producing nuclear weapons hinged on a key ingredient: chemically pure uranium. Gwendolyn Verhoff, professor of history at St. Louis Community College–Wildwood, will explore how this production contributed to America’s nuclear aspirations – and left long-term legacies of environmental damage from 10 to 11 a.m. This program is provided with FEL (Friends Enjoying Life), the Mirowitz Center men’s organization. To register for this free, online Mirowitz Center program, visit http:// bit.ly/Mirowitz-registration, call 314-7339813 or email skemppainen@mirowitzcenter.org.

Mirowitz Center presents The ABCs of Judaism

Judaism has its own “ABCs” – teachings to guide your life. On the second Tuesday of each month from noon to 1 p.m., join the engaging and inspiring Rabbi Ze’ev Smason

Mirowitz Center series looks at Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter

Learn more about the lives and achievements of President Jimmy Carter and First Lady Rosalynn Carter, including the Camp David Accords. Joshua Montanari, Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum Education Specialist in Atlanta, is presenting this three-part online program:

From 2 to 3 p.m., part one is on “The Extraordinary Life of Jimmy Carter,” exploring the circumstances that propelled him into a life of public service and humanitarianism. The second part (Sept. 7) will cover The Camp David Accords, the historic treaty negotiated with Egypt and Israel in September 1978. The third part (Oct. 19) will look at “The Extraordinary Life of Rosalynn Carter.”

To register for this free, online Mirowitz Center program, visit http://bit.ly/Mirowitz-registration, call 314-733-9813 or email skemppainen@mirowitzcenter.org.

TUESDAY | AUG. 15

Summer blood drive at Kol Rinah

Kol Rinah’s Tzedek Team has partnered with ImpactLife for a blood drive from 3 to 5:45 p.m. at Kol Rinah. Appointments are required for all donors. Kosher snacks will be provided. Donors must be healthy, weigh at least 110 pounds, and be 17 or older (16 with a signed parent/guardian consent). Mask optional. Participants should hydrate ahead of their appointment. Sign up at https:// login.bloodcenter.org/donor/schedules/ drive_schedule/124921

WEDNESDAY | AUG. 16

Sharsheret Supports STL Breast & 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. Facilitat-

Jewish War Veterans Meeting

Jewish War Veterans Post 644 will meet in the Kaplan-Feldman Holocaust Museum meeting room at 10 a.m. on the third Sunday each month (ask for directions at the desk). A Zoom option will be available for those who are unable to be at the meeting. For more information and the Zoom link contact Post 644 Commander Ellis Frohman at 636519-7512 (leave a message if no one answers).

Kol Rinah plans Summerfest

See related news brief on page 10.

TUESDAY | AUG. 22

Mirowitz Center presents Lighten Up Your Life

George Carlin once said, “A house is just a place to keep your stuff while you go out and get more stuff.” The question is, what do you do with your stuff when you’re ready to downsize, the stuff your kids don’t want?

Join Design Consultant Linda Kusmer from 10 to 11 a.m. as she talks about the positive side of downsizing and what to do with the things you don’t need. This program is provided with FEL (Friends Enjoying Life), the Mirowitz Center men’s organization. To register for this free, online Mirowitz Center program, visit http://bit.ly/Mirowitz-registration, call 314-733-9813 or email skemppainen@mirowitzcenter.org.

WEDNESDAY | AUG. 23

Aish plans Hebrew Reading Crash Course

At 7 p.m. join Aish and learn to read Hebrew in six easy lessons. The course is free, but registration is required by contacting Rabbi Yosef David at 314-862-2474 or ydavid@aish.com. Location: Aish Firehouse, 457 N. Woods Mill Road in Chesterfield.

The filmmakers behind the documentary ‘Big Sonia’ will speak at the Holocaust Museum on Aug. 6.

Matisyahu, shown in a 2018 file photo, will perform at The Factory in Chesterfield on Aug. 5. PHOTO: BILL MOTCHAN

SIMCHAS

BIRTHS ENGAGEMENTS WEDDINGS MITZVOT

SUBMIT YOUR SIMCHA ANNOUNCEMENT FOR FREE!

Harvey Kornblum Foundation

GENEROUSLY SUPPORTED BY at stljewishlight.org/simchas

RENNARDS CELEBRATE 75TH ANNIVERSARY

Dr. Marvin and Marilyn “Mimi” Rennard of Clayton celebrated their 75th wedding anniversary on June 22, 2023 with their family. Dr. Rennard is a retired OBGYN physician who practiced in the St. Louis area for several decades. Together, they enjoy hosting superb din-

BIRTH: BENJAMIN RICHARD ROSENFELD

Brandon Rosenfeld of St. Louis and Adrielly Aguasvivas of New York, N.Y. would like to announce the birth of their son, Benjamin Richard Rosenfeld, on June 6, 2023, weighing 6 pounds, 14 ounces.

Benjamin is the grandson of Meryle and Barbara Rosenfeld of St. Louis, Yroneli Mejia of New York and Adriano Aguasvivas of New York. He is the great-grandson of the late Richard and Mollie Rosenfeld of St. Louis; the late Harold and Norma Segal of St. Louis; Maria and the late Juan Alberto of Villa Altagracia, Dominican Republic; and Dalila Reyes Blas and the late Sergio Mejia of Villa Altagracia.

Benjamin has one older sibling, Alara Delilah, who is 4 years old.

ner parties, playing bridge, performing on the banjo and ukulele, and providing wit and wisdom to their many children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren around the world. Mimi and Marvin are beloved by all who meet them.

BIRTH: KAMERON LEIGH MITCHELL

Courtney and Brian Mitchell proudly announce the birth of their daughter, Kameron Leigh Mitchell, on May 27, 2023 in Phoenix, Ariz., weighing 7 pounds, 9 ounces.

Kameron is the granddaughter of Carol and Don Mitchell of St. Louis; Becky and Ken Bateman of Scottsdale, Ariz.; and Cindy and Dave Haworth of Phoenix.

PHOTO COURTESY OF IRINA ADAMS PHOTOGRAPHY LLC, WWW.ADAMSIRINAPHOTOGRAPHY.COM

- Robert M. Steiner - - Robin Steiner FoxBERNARD

OBITUARIES

JACQUELINE LEE BERLINER, (74) predeceased by parents William and Marie Anderson and brother William Anderson Jr., died on July 10, 2023, at her home in St. Louis, MO.

She is survived by her husband Howard, daughters Kelly Morris and Kati Berliner (Russ Williams), granddaughters Megan Morris (Teva Klages-Mundt) and Samantha Morris, plus brother-in-laws Alan Berliner (Peg Ising) and Alan Friedman (Debra) plus many nephews, nieces and cousins.

Family was always her biggest priority, including her friends. She loved all animals and flowers and loved to walk in the Botanical Gardens. Her backyard though was her pride and joy. She could look at her flower garden forever.

A graveside service was held Wednesday, July 12th at Mt. Lebanon Cemetery, St. Charles Rock Road at Lindbergh. In lieu of flowers please send donations to Susan G. Komen Foundation. Please visit bergermemorialchapel.com for more information. Berger Memorial Service

SUSAN TARKOW COOPER passed away early Thursday morning (July 13, 2023) surrounded by family.

A native St. Louisan, she was born in 1948 to the late Edwin and Hortense Tarkow.

Susan is survived by her loving husband of 52 years, Barry Cooper, and their three children: Meredith Cooper, Katherine Holt and Daniel Cooper.

She also had the joy of being mother-in-law to Steven Holt and Emily Cooper, and grandmother to Mason, Griffin and James Holt, and Edward (Teddy) and Charlotte Cooper. Susan also is survived by her sister Karen Zorensky, brother-in-law Mark Zorensky, niece Julie Ernst, and nephews Brent Zorensky and Michael Zorensky, and their families.

Funeral services were held Sunday, July 16th at Temple Emanuel, 12166 Conway Road, followed by private family interment. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions of your choice are

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

HELEN JEAN FLEGEL, January 13, 1936 – July 15, 2023

Loving mother and mother-in-law of Julie, Jeff (Carol) and Todd (Kirsten) Flegel; beloved grandmother of Jason, Josh, Keenan and Noah Flegel; dear sister and sister-in-law of Elaine Rothman and Sally Gorman (Ron); dear aunt and friend. She will be forever loved, and deeply missed.

Funeral services were held Thursday, July 20th at BERGER MEMORIAL CHAPEL, 9430 Olive Blvd, followed by interment at New Mt. Sinai Cemetery. Memorial contributions preferred to the  Harvey Kornblum Jewish Food Pantry. Visit bergermemorialchapel.com  for more information. Berger Memorial Service

THOMAS S. HYATT, July 14, 2023

Beloved son of the late Erving and the late Gertrude Hyatt; dear brother of Carolyn Silverstein (Barry); dear uncle of Craig Silverstein (Laurie) and Kathryn Silverstein (Brian Henry); dear great-uncle of Jacob, Alison, Evan, Oliver, and Adelaine; dear friend and companion of Denise Minette for many years.

Tom, the managing attorney at St. Louis Workers’ Compensation Center, was dedicated to ensuring that injured workers were aware of their rights to legal compensation. He was fascinated with history and languages, and was fluent in both German and Spanish.

A Memorial Service will be held at a later date. Memorial contributions preferred to the charity of your choice.

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

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

DR HARVEY LEE IMBER, 93, passed peacefully at Meridian Village Memory Care in Glen Carbon on June 9 with his life partner, Linda Perry, at his side.

Dr. Imber was born December 1, 1929, in Belleville, Illinois and graduated from Belleville Township High School in 1948. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Washington University in 1952 and Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from the University of Illinois Dental School class of 1955.

He was a captain in the U. S. Army Dental Corp stationed at Fort Leonard Wood from 1955-1957. He then practiced dentistry in Belleville and O’Fallon and was a co-founder of the Spring Valley Dental Group in 1975 in O’Fallon, Illinois. He retired from dentistry in 2001.

Dr. Imber enjoyed music and flying. He played the oboe and was principal oboist with the St. Louis Philharmonic Orchestra for 25 years. He also played in the Belleville Philharmonic intermittently from high school years until after his retirement. He was an avid pilot and flight instructor and particularly enjoyed turning upside down in his Decathlon aerobatic airplane.

Harvey is survived by the love of his life, longtime partner Linda Perry, son Jeffrey Imber (Troy, IL), daughter Amy Williams (Queen Creek, AZ), two granddaughters, Emily Imber and Dannielle Williams, great-grandson, Jemion Antoine, and sister-in-law Barbara Imber.

He was a member of Agudas Achim Beth Israel synagogue in Belleville.

Memorial contributions can be made to St. John’s Adult Day Care, 222 Goethe Avenue, Collinsville, IL 62234, or Vitas Healthcare, 16 Executive Drive, Suite 100, Fairview Heights, IL 62208.

ALICE (DUBINSKY) LADD

Beloved wife, mother, grandmother, aunt & dear friend Alice (Dubinsky) Ladd passed away on July 2, 2023 at the age of 86.

Alice was born & raised in St. Louis, MO, and lived her retirement years in Boulder & Steamboat Springs, CO. Her love for all things outdoors and her love for teaching was only surpassed by the love she had for her family.

The 70-year relationship she had with her husband & soulmate Dave, was like no other. They shared an unbreakable bond. The times Alice & Dave spent hiking and enjoying the serene beauty of the mountains brought out the happy, free spirit that defined her.

Alice is survived by her husband Dave, son Matt, daughter Kathy, daughter-in-law Kris, and grandchildren Tyler, Kara, Katy, and Thomas. A memorial service was held at Crist Mortuary on Friday, July 7th.

We’re proud to serve the friends and families of our Jewish community with personal, compassionate care. You can rely on us to help you create a meaningful memorial that truly honors the life it represents. >

SIDNEY LEVIN, 99, passed away on July 17, 2023.

He will be fondly remembered for his kind-hearted nature and his love and dedication to his family. He had a gentle soul and always tried to make others comfortable around him and enjoyed making them laugh.

Born on April 3, 1924, he had a remarkable and long life. Sidney was one of the last living members of America’s ‘Greatest Generation’. He served in the army in WW2 and fought in the Battle of the Bulge. His bravery, dedication and commitment to his fellow soldiers earned him two silver medals in recognition of extreme courage when engaged in bitter hand to hand combat against the enemy in

the European battlefield.

We will be forever grateful for his service and sacrifice.

After returning from the war, he completed his education at Washington University. He eventually entered into the Levin Brothers Kosher Poultry Business which he owned and operated with his late brothers Milton and Jerry. He was a dedicated husband, father and friend. He took pride in his children and grandchildren. He was married to Ruth (nee Roman) for 67 years until her death in 2020. They created a strong foundation for their family. He was a devoted son to his parents Kalman and Goldie. He admired his older sister Jeanette Brent and worked side by side with his two brothers for decades. He was the last surviving member of his immediate family. He was a loving father to Nancy (Gary) Essman, Rick Levin, and Tom (Heather) Levin and devoted grandfather to Charlie, Allison and Matthew Levin.

The family would like to thank Friendship Village Chesterfield and Diane, dad’s caregiver, for their kindness, help and support during these last years.

Private funeral service will be held. Memorial contributions preferred to the St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum, the American Heart Association or a charity of your choice.

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

KAREN T. LEVINE - Forever loved and deeply missed

Karen T. Levine, 78 of St. Louis, Mo., passed away peacefully at Evelyn’s House hospice on Thursday, July 13, 2023, with her daughter Abby by her side.

Karen was born in 1945 to Sylvia and Harry Taylor in Philadelphia, Pa. She was predeceased by her parents and her brother Stephen Taylor. Karen is survived by her daughter and son-in-law Abby and Bryan Podkul of St. Louis, Mo.; a niece Corinne Taylor-Cyngiser (Yoram); and Corinne and Yoram’s children Theodore and Nova Mae, of Los Angeles, Calif.

Karen lived in many places throughout her life, including Philadelphia, Pa., Highland Park, N.J., South Florida, and most recently St. Louis, Mo. She taught in elementary and middle schools in New Jersey and South Florida. She was passionate about her students’ success, especially the underdog or disadvantaged students who needed a little extra help or nurturing. Upon retirement in South Florida, Karen moved to St. Louis to live close to Abby and Bryan. She loved the four seasons of weather, the many local parks and natural areas, cultural activities, and opportunities to develop new hobbies and friendships in St. Louis.

Karen enjoyed lifelong learning, which led to her completion as an adult of a master’s degree in gifted/ exceptional student education from Nova University and an Architecture Studies Program at Harvard University. She was an avid reader and participated in several book clubs and discussion groups. A lover of art, music and nature; she was creative and curious. She enjoyed painting and drawing, creating beautiful hooked rugs, playing Rummikub, spending time in nature (especially the woods), attending the symphony, and traveling. She delighted in spending precious time with family and friends, especially her beloved daughter Abby and son-in-law Bryan.

A Memorial Service was planned for Wednesday, July 26 at Berger Memorial Chapel, 9430 Olive Blvd.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Karen’s memory to American Kidney Fund, Arbor Day Foundation, Humane Society of Missouri, or a charity of the donor’s choosing. Please visit  bergermemorialchapel.com for more information. Berger Memorial Service

Obituaries continue on opposite page

American Flag symbol denotes a United States military veteran.

GARY JAY MORRIS (b. 1936) passed away surrounded by his beloved family on July 15, 2023.

Gary attended University City Schools until grade 10 when he transferred to Western Military Academy in Alton, Illinois. He then attended Washington University for undergraduate and law school. He practiced law in the St. Louis area for over 50 years and was an active member of the St. Louis Bar Association and a devoted Washington U alumni.

Gary had a passion for both tennis and travel. And every world city he visited, he would arrange to play tennis. He played in Stockholm, Acapulco, London, Paris and Messina, Sicily, where he missed going to Mount Etna to play one more set. He also won the state championship for the Senior Olympic Games twice in tennis and once in ping-pong.

Gary’s philosophy of life was “Work hard, play hard.” He did that enthusiastically. One of his last statements was, “I had a wonderful life.”

Gary truly treasured his many relatives and friends and was very emotional about the many phone calls and visits from friends and family near and far. He was quick to say, “I am proud of you,” to his children and grandchildren over their many achievements.

Gary was proud of his 6 years in the Army Reserves and his athletic achievements.

He treasured his health and was very thankful to Dr. Haikel, Dr. Leidenfrost and the caring professionals of St. Luke’s Hospital who spent the past 8 years keeping him alive.

Gary was grateful to have “had it all.”

Gary is survived by his sweetheart, life partner and wife, Susan Saxe. He had two amazing children Margy Weisman (Doug) and David Morris (Susie). He also had two loving bonus children, Matthew Saxe and Adrienne Saxe (Andrew Borches.) Gary was the grandfather of 7 wonderful grandchildren, Jake and Cal Weisman, Blair, Kayla, and Evan Morris, Caitlin Saxe and Ben Borches.

A funeral service was held Wednesday, July 19th at New Mt. Sinai Mausoleum, 8430 Gravois, followed immediately by graveside burial. Memorial contributions may be made to New Mt Sinai Cemetery, 8430 Gravois, Affton, MO 63123; St. Luke’s Hospital Heart Services, Office of Development, St. Luke’s Hospital, 232 S. Woods Mill Road, Chesterfield, MO 63017; or the  International Institute of St. Louis, 3401 Arsenal, St Louis , MO 63118. Please visit bergermemorialchapel.com for more information. Berger Memorial Service

OBITUARIES INDEX

Berliner, Jacqueline Lee

Cooper, Susan Tarkow

Flegel, Helen Jean Hyatt, Thomas S.

Imber, Dr. Harvey Lee Levin, Sidney Ladd, Alice (Dubinsky)

Levine, Karen T. Morris, Gary Jay Newman, Rabbi Joshua “Neaman” Schear, Marilyn Schwartz, Susan (nee Lippman) Tallman, David Winograd, Bernard

RABBI JOSHUA “NEAMAN” NEWMAN passed away on July 17, 2023 in Jerusalem, Israel. He was 91.

Loving husband of 65 years to Shulamit, beloved father of Aharon (Sherri Zaslow), Jay Newman, Joe Newman, Jon (Irene) Newman, Miriam Rousso and brothers Ray (Marilyn) and the late Dick Newman. He leaves many adoring grandchildren, great grandchildren, nieces and nephews.

He was a scholar, a linguist, a musician, a jokester and a storyteller who tirelessly gave to those in need. He was a friend to all. He and the love of his life Shulamit are known all over Jerusalem as “that cute little couple.”

He will be dearly missed. May his memory be a blessing.

MARILYN SCHEAR passed away peacefully on July 14th in the presence of her daughters surrounded by love.

Beloved mother and mother-in-law of Lisa Zerman, Laura Schellenberg (Joseph) and Leslie Zerman; dear grandmother of Samuel and Adam Schellenberg; dear sister and sister-in-law of Sharon Schomer (Fred); former wife of the late Allan Zerman; significant other of Rob Lowenstein; dear aunt and friend. We would like to honor and celebrate Marilyn Schear as she was a great example of how to dance through life and live to the fullest. She will be deeply missed by many.

Funeral services were held Monday, July 17th at  BERGER MEMORIAL CHAPEL, 9430 Olive Blvd,  followed by private family internment. Please visit bergermemorialchapel.com for more information. Berger Memorial Service

SUSAN ( NEE LIPPMAN ) SCHWARTZ , 4/14/1938-7/19/2023

Loving wife of the late Arthur Schwartz.  Mother of the late Brad Schwartz (Janet Robey), Joel Schwartz (Mary Ann), Lori Schwartz Currans (Dennis), and Lindsey Schwartz Terry (Jack).  Loving grandmother of Jamie, Jacob, Jonah, Gabriel, Mattea, Lola and Cal.

Loving daughter of the late Olga Greenberg and the late Sigmund Lippman. Sister of Dick Lippman (the late Anita) and sister-inlaw of the late Jacqueline Schwartz Cooper and Kenny Schwartz (Lucy).

A talented dancer and choreographer, Suze created and directed The Klassy Kickers, performing for audiences around St. Louis. Always active, she helped bring dance aerobics to the community, and specialized in working with seniors as a certified personal fitness trainer.

A private family service will be held. Please visit  bergermemorialchapel.com for more information. Berger Memorial Service

DAVID TALLMAN of Austell, GA passed away earlier this month.

David was born in Chicago in 1964 and grew up in St. Louis before settling in the Atlanta area after a few years in Florida. His passion and talent for cooking became his career as he moved through the restaurant and food service industry before becoming a catering chef for many years.

He is survived by his mother Rebecca (Bobbi) Levin, sister Marcia (Gale) Armfield and brothers Scotty and Lee (Nica) Tallman, David’s aunt and uncle, Janet & Richard Mintzer and many cousins who will miss his humor, wit and gentle nature greatly. He was predeceased by father Allen Tallman, paternal grandparents Ann and William, and maternal grandparents Bernice and William Levin. He left behind his many nieces and nephews which were such an important and special part of his life.

We are overwhelmed by sadness and shock with his sudden and much too early passing but take comfort with the memories of his life which were filled with so much love.

Donations to BestFriends.org to honor David’s lifetime love of animals.

BERNARD WINOGRAD, July 21, 2023

Beloved Husband of Nancy Winograd; dear father and fatherin-law of Michael Winograd and Dan (Melanie) Winograd; dear grandfather of Emily and Ethan Winograd and amazing Buka of Jake, Ben and Evie Winograd; dear brother and brother-in-law of Flora (late Kalman) Flomenhaft, Geri (Harris) Tish and Leonard (Kathryn) Winograd.

Bernie had an incredible spirit and drive about him that was displayed at home, in his professional life, and on the court of his sport. He earned a lot of success in his sales career and exhibited tremendous loyalty at his one and only job at Dun & Bradstreet for 30 years. Additionally, Bernie spent a good portion of his leisure and retirement playing tennis and handball at the J. He was either on the court or hanging out in the locker room. Most importantly, his devotion to his family was admirable. He rarely missed one of his kids’ and grandkids’ sporting events and was always on the sideline encouraging and cheering them along.

He leaves behind his adored wife Nancy of 57 wonderful years, in which their personalities perfectly complemented each other. Bernie loved to root for the (Brooklyn) Dodgers where he was born, and cheer on the Denver ‘Orange Crush’ Broncos, where he grew up. He loved to ski in the winter and go to Broadway to catch a play in the summer.

Bernie had a positive impact on everybody who knew him. His unique personality will definitely be missed, but his spirit will be carried by those that he has touched.

A graveside service was held Monday July 24 at Chesed Shel Emeth Cemetery, 650 White Rd. 63017. Memorial contributions preferred to  St. Louis JCC (The J) or a Jewish charity of your choice.

Visit  www.bergermemorialchapel.com for more information.

Berger Memorial Service

American Flag symbol denotes a United States military veteran.

Commentary: Supreme Court’s ruling sets a troubling precedent

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 13

races white, black, yellow, malay and red,” wrote County Circuit Judge Leon M. Bazile of Caroline County, Va., in his now notorious Jan. 6, 1959, ruling sentencing Mildred Loving, a woman of AfricanAmerican and Native-American descent, and Richard Loving, a white man, to one year in jail for violating Virginia’s miscegenation laws.

Bazile continued by saying that God placed the races on separate continents. “And but for the interference with his arrangements there would be no cause for such [i.e., interracial] marriages. The fact that he separated the races shows that he did not intend for the races to mix.”

It was not until June 12, 1967 — more than eight years later — that the Supreme Court overturned the Lovings’ criminal conviction and declared Virginia’s prohibition of interracial marriages to be unconstitutional.

Do we now have to worry that the Court in the future might validate some version of Bazile’s bigotry under the guise of the First Amendment?

Americans are witnessing the legal legitimization of an “us vs. them” society. It comes at a point when the LGBTQ+ community was just beginning to gain legal ground. Now, the community is again

legally seen by many as “the other.”

We don’t believe it is alarmist to say that such delegitimization may be the beginning of a process of dehumanization. History has taught us that when we no longer see others as equal to ourselves, we grant license to bigots to treat such individuals as less than human.

Why are we compelled to speak out and feel strongly that all of us have an obligation to speak out? Because of the warning for the ages that German pastor Martin Niemoller taught us, a warning which we, present-day Americans, ignore at our peril:

First they came for the socialists, and I

did not speak out — because I was not a socialist.

Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out — because I was not a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out — because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me — and there was no one left to speak for me.

We are here to speak out for and stand with the LGBTQ+ community and for all who may eventually be adversely affected by this misguided ruling. For all we know, it could be us.

JEWISH LITE

JEWISH CROSSWORD PUZZLE

By Yoni Glatt, koshercrosswords@gmail.com | ‘Shalom!’ Difficulty: Easy

Across

1. “Mah?”

5. 4th and long play, often

9. “Don’t talk! ___! Just Daven...” (Miami Boys Choir)

13. Morays and congers

14. It gives the eye color

15. Guitar gadget

16. Getting down to the heart of the matter

19. ___ Lanka

20. It beats a king

21. Alerted to

22. Stories in Gemara

26. Loch of note

27. Beginner, in video game lingo

28. Harry Potter summoning word

30. Baking oven

31. Regret

34. Eitan Bernath or Jamie Geller

35. “Shalom”, to a Brit...or another title for this puzzle

36. Kotel direction

37. Bro’s sib

PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWERS

38. Has a bit of kiddush

39. Five-star reviews

40. Org. whose website has a “Know Your Rights” tab

41. NYC Park where you’re likely to see a Jew

42. Tzitzit strings

47. ___ Base (“The Sign” band)

48. Rachel or Leah, e.g.

49. Fraternity “T”

51. Trying a notable Israeli condiment

55. Turkish bigwig (Var.)

56. ASICS rival

57. Shabbat lead-in

58. Roger of “Cheers” and “Robin Hood: Men in Tights”

59. Phnom ___, Cambodia

60. Baseball team head coaches: Abbr.

Down

1. Preps a sponge

2. Compassion

3. Israel has them with India and America

4. “Shame”

5. Barry Manilow’s real last name

6. Pushed hard

THIS WEEK’S PUZZLE ANSWERS

Find the answers to this week’s puzzle by visiting the following link: https://bit.ly/0726-crossword

7. Secondary March Madness tournament

8. Org. that constantly thwarts

Al Qaeda, in a Key & Peele skit

9. Investment bigwig Charles

10. “Kosher”, to Muslims

11. Many skyscrapers have one

12. Synonym for 1-Down

17. “You are not!” comeback

18. “___ a Hot Tin Roof”

23. Explorer Erikson

24. JFK or FDR, e.g.

25. Ballpark drink

28. They beat the heat: Abbr.

29. “Windy City,” briefly

30. No longer working

31. Like Matilda’s children, to Trunchbull

32. Handle and operate

33. “Avatar” figures

35. Compete in a joust

36. Suffix with spy or flat

38. “Interstellar” genre

39. Prickly flowers

40. Greetings from Maui

41. “___ tova!”

42. Certain Central Asian (with

a sauce-like name)

43. “Despite all my rage...rat in ___”

44. Milk, in Madrid

45. Portrayer of the hobbit

(Samwise) Gamgee

46. More with it

50. Aussie footwear

52. Shabbat inactivity?

53. NYC’s Fifth, for one

54. He played Forrest and Woody

Nancy Kranzberg: A brief look at the history of percussion

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 14

of instruments...you don’t have to have a reed, mouthpiece, or worry about being in tune. Couple that with the rhythm of our body and brain (heartbeat, stride, blinking, breathing) and voila, we have liftoff.”

Specializing in non-Western percussion, such as the drumming of the Malinke people of West Africa and Cuban styles, Henry has presented numerous clinics, master classes and residencies on these topics. In addition to educational engagements, he performs regularly around the St. Louis area and has played with The Who, the St. Louis Symphony and many more well- recognized artists and groups. Drumming dates back thousands of years. Before drum sets were invented, other percussive instruments were used and even before that one’s own body was

“beat” to produce musical sounds as was the ground. Drumming sounds were used for communication and often as an accompaniment to dance. Some of the earliest drums, which date back to 5500 B.C., were made of natural materials such as alligator skins. Drums and percussion instruments play a rhythmic role in nearly every genre of music, spanning centuries and continents.

Here is a very brief timeline of the history of percussion instruments from 1475 starting with the Middle Ages:

• Instruments consisted of bells, jingles, side drums, tabors, tambours and timpani.

• Drums were played by the king and his guests quite often being accompanied by other musicians.

• Drums were also played at weddings, festivals, social events and at times of despair.

The Renaissance from 1600 consisted of:

• Tabors, timbrels, long drums, jingle bells, snare and monk bells — although many were the same as those of the Middle Ages, they were highly improved

• Drums were used in the military and in times of battle.

• During performance drums were mostly played along with the accompaniment of a singer and dancers.

The Classical period from 1820 consisted of:

• Kettle drums, vibraphones, snare, gong, whip, triangle, marimba and tambourine.

• During this period orchestral music and symphonic bands lead by composers had completely taken over.

• In orchestras, cymbals and bass were-

added to give songs more excitement and energy.

• In most orchestras, the snare was the main percussion instrument.

The 20th century and modern times:

• Bands that used a drummer need only one instead of four or more.

• Music was no longer limited to concerts, opera houses, clubs and domestic music making.

• Technological advances led to new styles of music such as techno, rap, pop, etc.

• Recording music made distributing it to the public easier and much faster.

Whether you are you are a music scholar or have no real sense of rhythm remember that everybody’s heart beats and occasionally skips a beat for one reason or another. And as the song says, “The beat goes on.”

national council of jewish women st. louis

INSTALLATION EVENT

On Wednesday, May 24, the National Council of Jewish Women gathered to celebrate the incoming officers and board members along with retiring members.

SP

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.

GENEROUSLY SUPPORTED BY

VIEW MORE ONLINE: stljewishlight.org/multimedia

From left, retiring Board members Dianna Fine, Melissa Forrester and Jane Tzinberg Rubin.

From left: President Nancy Litz with new board members Wendy Flusser, Diane Friedman, Amy Gallant, Laura Newman, Georgee Waldman and Amy Stone.

From left, Nancy Litz, NCJWSTL President; Phyllis Langsdorf, President-Elect; Mindy Grossman, VP Leadership; Marilen Pitler, VP Advocacy, and Michelle Brooks, Treasurer.

Melissa Forrester (left) with Ellen Alper, CEO of NCJWSTL.

Miranda Dereak (left), sales associate/Ecommerce with shop manager Peggy Levin.

Gail Eisenkramer, Immediate Past President of NCJWSTL, and husband Charles sit in front right row of the audience.

PHOTOS: PHILIP DEITCH

- Arlen Chaleff - Evelyn Cohen - Linda Cohn - Marilyn Cohn -

Gloria Cotlar - Linda Dahl - Reva Davis - Susie Edelstein - Rabbi Amy Feder - Carla Feuer - Barbara Finch - Susan Fisher - Dianna and Dick Fine -

Wendy Flusser - Beverly Fogelman - Melissa and Wade Forrester - Julie Frankel - Diane Friedman - Cynthia Frohlichstein - Deborah Gilula - Jessa Glick

- Margie Gold - Nan Goldberg - Kim Goldenberg - Sherri and Rick Goldman - Jo-Ann Goldstein - Jessica Goltzman - Nancy Green - Melissa

Greenstein - Carol Gusdorf - Zoe Hahn - Farilyn Hale - Kohenet Dr Claudia Hall - Amy Hammerman - Marlene and Harley Hammerman - Lynn

Harris - Joyce Heiman - Myrna Hershman - Ilene Horenstein - Randee Jacobs - Maureen Jordan - Betty Kagan - Phyllis Katz - Sally Katzif - Susan

Katzman - Jackie Kleban - Joyce Kolker - Dr Robert and Judy Kramer - Dr Nicole Kruger - Mary Kutheis - Phyllis Langsdorf - Gail Lapin - Debra

Cannamore Lee - Myra Levine - Gay Lipman - Marilyn Lipman - Nancy Litz - Cynthia Lloyd - Ann Loiterstein - Rhona Lyons - Lynn Lyss - Sarah

Martin - Julia Mendelow - Myrna Meyer - Gail Mielziner - Andrea Newstead - Sherri and Steve Newstead - Barbara Newmark - Merle Oberman -

Ilene Ordower - Lisa Oxenhandler - Judy Pass - Marilen Pitler - Brooke and Ray Pratt - Marci Ranger - Marilyn Ratkin - Diana Rothbarth - Joellen

Rubenstein - Michelle Rubin - Debbie Sachs - Dana Sandweiss - Carolyn Satz - Emilie Schaffer - Nadine Schneider - Miriam Schwab - Joanne

Schwartz - Valerie Shapiro - Linda Sher -Barbara Langsam Shuman - Barbara Silver - Heather Silverman - Christy Singer - Merle Singer - Vicki

Singer - Nancy Siteman - Ruth Siteman - Rose-Lynn Sokol - Rosalie Stern - Roberta Stoltz - Sharon Summers - Karen Tabak - Sandra Taryle - Nancy and Bob Taxman - Elaine Tenzer - Patti Teper - Jillian Thomadsen - Laura Tishey - Pam and Craig Toder - Sally Tofle - Roslyn Sherman VoellingerPeggy Cohen Voss - Stacy Wagerman - Amy Wallerstein - Gail Wechsler - Enid Weisberg and Bruce Frank - Esther Weltman - Judy Willett - Susan

Witte - Carol Wofsey - Kathryn Zigler - Hillary Zimmerman