Jewish Light Digital Edition: Sept. 7, 2022

BY ELLEN FUTTERMAN EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

They say all good things are worth waiting for. That’s certainly how orga nizers of the second Sababa Jewish Arts and Cultural Festival are approaching this year’s event, after postponing it twice, in 2020 and 2021, because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This is not an art, music or food festival — this is a Jewish cultural fes tival and a celebration of us,” said Diane Maier, director of the St. Louis Jewish Film Festival and cultural arts

at the Jewish Community Center. “We haven’t been out in several years and haven’t seen one another. Sababa is outside, it’s free, it’s fun, it’s food and it’s festive, so why the heck not? It’s time to celebrate.”

Added festival producer Judy Kramer, smiling: “And we ordered perfect weather.”

This year’s free festival takes place Sept. 18 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the parking lot outside Simon Hall at Washington University, near the

See

Sababa Jewish Arts & Cultural Festival

WHEN: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 18

WHERE: Washington University’s parking lot outside Simon Hall (south entrance, near Forsyth Boulevard and Olympian Way)

HOW MUCH: Free admission

MORE INFO: sababastl.com

MUSIC SCHEDULE:

Staam: 11 a.m.

Sheldon Low: noon

Klezundheit!: 2 p.m. Six13: 3:30 p.m.

RELATED STORY:

On page 11A, meet Klezundheit!, one of the featured musical acts at Sababa. The group bills itself as the only klezmer big band in Missouri.

NJT readies for a world premiere

Life of bees, Jewish thought bring buzz to New Jewish Theatre

BY JUDITH NEWMARK SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH LIGHT

New Jewish Theatre fans are excited that, for the first time, the troupe will stage a world premiere: “The Bee Play” by Elizabeth Savage.

Savage is excited that “The Bee Play” will open just before the High Holidays.

“It’s a perfect play for Elul,” explained the playwright, whose sparkling conver sation artfully weaves together every thing from off-Broadway shows to variet ies of Jewish practice to household orga nization. “It’s all about forgiveness.”

“The Bee Play” was among the most successful scripts submitted to the Jewish Play Project, an organization set up to encourage fresh work at theaters like NJT around the country. Productions like this one are exactly what the Project was meant to inspire.

But the four-character drama might be just as apt at a different kind of ethnic theater, such as the Black Rep. Or at sci ence theater, if such a thing exists.

Because it explores themes of sustain able living, Savage says, she understands why people assume that “The Bee Play” is

See NJT

‘The Bee Play’

WHEN: Sept. 8-25

WHERE: New Jewish Theatre’s Wool Studio Theater in the Jewish Community Center’s Arts & Education Building, 2 Millstone Campus Drive

HOW MUCH: $53-$64

MORE INFO: newjewishtheatre.org

A SOURCE INSPIRE, EDUCATE AND CONNECT THE ST. LOUIS

The New Jewish Theatre will present the world premiere of ‘The Bee Play’ by play wright Elizabeth Savage (above).

Jewish music, food, art and family fun are lined up at the Sababa Jewish Arts and Culture Festival.

PHONE 314-743-3600

EMAIL news@stljewishlight.org

MAILING ADDRESS

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

CONNECT WITH US

FACEBOOK facebook.com/stljewishlight

TWITTER @stljewishlight

INSTAGRAM @stljewishlight

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

OFFICERS

Bethe Growe, President

Laura K. Silver, Immediate Past President Ben Weiss, Vice President

Laurie Chod, Vice President

Justin Krachmalnick, Treasurer Debra Klevens, Secretary

TRUSTEES

Dan Bindler, Jerry Ehrlich, Richard Flom, Mia Kweskin, Beth Manlin, Lauren Murov, Ryan Rich, Steve Rosenzweig, Angela Sandler, Bruce Sandweiss, Adam Schneider, Helene Sherman, Joan Silber, Alan Spector, 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 Jacobson, Jenny Wolkowitz, Gary Kodner, Jane Tzinberg Rubin, Steve Gallant, Laura K. Silver

* Of Blessed Memory

SUBMISSIONS AND COMMON INQUIRIES

• Send editorial submissions (calendar items, news releases, event photos and letters to the editor) to news@stljewishlight. org.

• For information on subscrip tions, visit stljewishlight.org/ subscribe, email us at office@ stljewishlight.org or call 314743-3600.

• For information on advertis ing, call 314-743-3676 or email advertising@stljewishlight.org.

• To submit information on a simcha announcement (engage ment, wedding, birth, bar/bat mitzvah, anniversary), please visit stljewishlight.org/simchas, email news@stljewishlight.org or call 314-743-3665.

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 Angela Jolly, Administrative Assistant

SALES

Angie Rosenberg, Senior Account Executive

Kelly Morris, Account Executive

Elaine Wernick, Account Executive

PRODUCTION

Erin Eason, Creative Lead

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Bill Motchan, Amy Fenster Brown, Eric Berger, Burton Boxerman, Patricia Corrigan, Barry Gilbert, Margi Lenga Kahn, Nancy Kranzberg, Elise Krug, Cate Marquis, Eric Mink, Judith Newmark, Martin Rochester

PUBLISHER'S STATEMENT

The ST. LOUIS JEWISH LIGHT (ISSN 0036-2964) is published bimonthly by the St. Louis Jewish Light, Inc., a notfor-profit corporation, PO Box 411487, St. Louis, MO 63141-9998. Periodical postage paid at St. Louis, MO. Copyright 2022. Postmaster: Send address changes to the St. Louis Jewish Light: 7201 Delmar Blvd. #201, St. Louis, MO 63130.

GENEROUSLY SUPPORTED BY

CANDLE LIGHTING TIMES

Shabbat begins Friday, Sept. 9: 7:01 p.m.

Shabbat ends Saturday, Sept. 10: 7:57 p.m.

Torah reading: Ki Teitzei

Shabbat begins Friday, Sept. 16: 6:50 p.m.

Shabbat ends Saturday, Sept. 17: 7:46 p.m.

BROUGHT TO YOU BY

Torah reading: Ki Tavo memorial wall

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

ShowMeChabad.com

Send story tips, news releases, calendar items and photos of recent Jewish community events to news@thejewishlight.com For more information, call 314-743-3665.

Some people cannot help but make you feel good. The minute they enter the room, you break into a smile. It’s an involuntary reaction. They encapsulate the essence of what it means to truly brighten one’s day.

That was Susan Fadem. She was one of those people.

It’s almost as though she couldn’t help herself — her glee for life was so infectious. She charged into each day eager to learn, curious about her surroundings, genuinely interested in people, listening to them, and in how she could help leave this world in better shape than it was the day before.

When she learned of her diagnosis of Stage IV melanoma last fall, she made a deliberate decision to face each day with hope, and not take anything for granted. And she stayed true to her word until the end, which came late Saturday night, Sept. 3. Her daughters, Kimmie Fadem Donlon and Michelle Fadem Kashinsky were by her side in Portland, Ore., where Susan had moved in May, to be with them, their spouses, and her beloved “grand girls,” referring to this third chapter of life as the “Promised Land.” She would often remark after family dinners, tea parties and prin cess fashion shows with her three young granddaughters, “It’s days like this you just never want to end. I wish they could last forever.”

Susan Fadem was 73 years old. I casually met Susan decades ago, when we were both young(er) reporters, she at the Globe-Democrat, me at the PostDispatch. But I didn’t get to know her until I started as editor of the Jewish Light 13-plus years ago, and Susan contacted me soon after about an article she wanted to write.

Thankfully, that article was the first of many outstanding contributions Susan made to the Light in the ensuing years. Her writing in so many ways perfectly reflected her persona — bright, witty, energetic, rhythmic, detail-oriented and filled with humanity. Check out this snip pet from a 2016 Light magazine piece she wrote about an upsherin, the Jewish cere mony marking the first-time cutting of a 3-year-old boy’s hair:

“It might have been a Jewish hootenan ny — tuneful rabbi playing guitar, various ly garbed kids entwined on moms’ laps and legs, and large table with ample kosher buffet, still being amplified.

“But this gathering, on a recent Sunday in a chandeliered ballroom at the Clayton Plaza Hotel, was a cut above, as well as multiple snips and whacks below, especial ly when it came to young Leo Goldenberg’s flowing mane.

“His was not just any hair. It had not been cut during his first three years — waist length, poker straight and a red many admirers would have ‘dyed’ for.”

Susan won numerous awards for her journalism, including several for stories she wrote in the Light. And those were nice, sure, but what Susan deeply cared about was doing full-tilt justice in telling someone else’s story. Then again, she had an ease about her — and a megawatt smile that could light up Times Square — that made people want to open up and trust her, to tell her about themselves. She knew that good writing starts with listening, and Susan was a champion listener, as well as an authentically kind-hearted, caring human being.

She was born on Jan. 23, 1949 in St. Louis to Charlotte (Sigel) and Nat Sherman. She grew up in Olivette with her

brother, Mark, and sister, Wendy, wanting to be Lois Lane. She received her bache lor’s degree in English and journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia, before landing her first newspaper job at the Globe-Democrat in the late 1960s.

Globe colleague Lucyann Boston was editing the weekend “Women’s/Society” section at the time and needed help writ ing wedding and engagement stories. She recalled: “Susan polished off those stories without even breathing hard and had time on her hands. I asked her if she would like to go out and cover some event; I have no idea what it was. What I distinctly remem ber was that she covered whatever it was, came back, wrote a story, handed it to me promptly, it read beautifully, was interest ing and I was in heaven. She was a pro from the start.”

She stayed at the Globe for roughly 17 years in various stints as a news reporter, features writer, columnist and medical reporter, until the paper folded in 1986. She then worked for the St. Louis Sun before taking on editor positions at the Ladue News and St. Louis Homes & Lifestyles. She also authored four books — three about cats and one

NEWS & SCHMOOZE

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

on kids.

She married Rod Fadem on Nov. 12, 1973, whom she was introduced to by the Globe’s gossip columnist at the time, Jerry Berger. They were married for 37 years (he died in 2010) and had two daughters, Kimmie and Michelle. Susan took pride in being the first woman to go back to work full time at the Globe after having a baby (Kimmie).

A self-described “cultural Jew” with a flair for colorful fashion, Susan was a fan of arts extravaganzas and after noons exchanging ideas about books, movies and plays. She loved art muse ums, film festivals (the St. Louis Jewish Film Festival was a favor ite), traveling and learning about

SUBMIT

Above, journalist Susan Fadem, who died Sept. 3.

At left, Fadem is shown in a 2018 photo with her daughters, Kimmie Fadem Donlon and Michelle Kashinsky, and two of her grand daughters, Rosie and Fiona Kashinsky.

See IN

The St. Louis Jewish Community Center and its partners will host a Pride Shabbat pic nic in honor of Pride Month on Friday, Sept. 9 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Anyone who identifies as LGBTQIA+, their allies, and families of all kinds are invited to the community-wide event at the J’s Day Camp Pavilion on the Staenberg Family Complex campus.

“Pride is more than just one month of cele bration and parties in June. Programming that is inclusive of the LGBTQIA+ members of our community should be happening yearround,” said Michelle Almengor, director of Early Childhood Education and Family Engagement.

Attendees are asked to bring their own din ner and blanket to enjoy picnic style. There will be ice cream and activities like, face painting, music, a photo booth, and a com munity art project.

Jennifer Baer, director of Family and Young Adult Engagement at the Jewish Federation of St. Louis, adds that this Pride Shabbat is in keeping with Jewish values as it embraces b’tzelem elohim (we are all created in the image of God), kavod (respect) and adam yehidi nivrah (every person is uniquely beauti ful).

“We want to inspire and promote deeper lessons about self-love and that it is okay to be different,” said Baer. “It’s a powerful message to be comfortable with who we are, to love ourselves and be kind to one another.”

To RSVP for the event, visit https://jccstl. com/event/pride-shabbat-september-2022/.

The J is proud to offer this event in partner ship with the J Associates, PJ Library, Keshet and the Jewish Federation of St. Louis.

New program matches young adults with low-cost mental health therapy

BY BILL MOTCHAN SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH LIGHT

COVID-19 has left a trail of unpleas ant byproducts over the past 2½ years, including mental health issues.

A study conducted by the COVID States Project found that young adults are the group hardest hit by COVIDrelated depression. A National Alliance on Mental Health study found COVID affected young adults with feelings of isolation and impact ed their sleep habits.

Compounding the problem: Young adults tend not to seek therapy for depression.

To address the problem, a trio of concerned individuals from the St. Louis Jewish community have created a low-cost therapy program for young adults, which includes a free initial therapy session specifically for them, followed by four sessions at $10 each.

The program, which began in late August and is funded for one year, is made possible by a Jewish Federation of St. Louis grant. The primary archi tects are Shira Berkowitz, board pres ident of MaTovu; Liessa Alperin, direc tor of innovative learning, youth and engagement at Congregation B’nai Amoona; and Dena Tranen, founder of the Care Collective.

One key to success in the program is matching therapists with young adults who need help. Those potential patients may be reluctant to enter ther apy for any number of reasons, like simply taking time off from work, Berkowitz said.

“When therapy is not talked about, it’s one of those things that is stigma tized and then just falls away,” she said. “So when this grant opportunity came available, Liessa approached me and said, ‘I have an idea of how we can work through some of the things, let’s take a stab at it and try it.’ ”

Tranen said the Care Collective was a natural fit to partner with B’nai Amoona and MaTovu.

“We’re a group of therapists who support an intentional community to share space and support families,” Tranen said. “We also help launch new therapists into private practice. And we had a similar program at the very beginning of COVID, where we got volunteer therapists on board to pro vide lower cost counseling to first responders and frontline workers, and we had a lot of success.

“We’re drawing from some of those people, as well as some of the clini cians in the Care Collective directly who are passionate about using their expertise to work with folks that don’t necessarily come into the traditional channel. In the last couple of weeks, we’ve already had between eight and 10 new folks coming in. Our goal is to get people matched within a day. Our success is in the community respond ing by saying mental health matters and these folks in our community mat ter.”

Among mental health professionals, the program is open to any therapist who is trauma trained. To create awareness among young adults that the program is available, Alperin said,

the team has shared information with every St. Louis area congregation. And while it was developed by the Jewish community and funded by Federation, it’s open to young adults of any faith.

“One of the greatest things I think about this program is that barrier isn’t there,” Alperin said. “The Jewish Federation does not just serve the Jewish population.”

That made MaTovu an effective organization for the program, too, Berkowitz said.

“We are a neighborhood center and are formed under the Jewish umbrel la,” she said. “That is why we exist, to be a convener in our community under Jewish principles. But most people that come through our building are city residents and would not necessar ily identify as Jewish.”

Tranen said the program is especial ly important, given the stresses young adults face.

“September is Suicide Prevention Month, so I’m very grateful that there is an opportunity to let people know about mental health programs and normalize mental health,” Tranen said. “And I think we’re off to a really great start. I think the work that Shira and Liessa put into this to launch this is extraordinary.”

The collaborative low-cost therapy program is completely confidential and open to any 20-to-40-year-old age group. For more information, visit Care Collective at http://thecarecollective.co/ ya-support.

Chabad of Chesterfield plans groundbreaking for new building

With a mission to reimagine how people experience Judaism, Chabad of Chesterfield breaks ground this fall on a campus in Chesterfield. The 15,000-squarefoot building will feature a library, Judaica shop, a cafe, a learning center, social hall and meeting spaces.

Led by Directors Chana’la Rubenfeld and Rabbi Avi Rubenfeld, the planning for the new campus began several years ago with the vision of offering a place of warmth and a welcoming hub for Jewish life in Chesterfield.

“The Chabad Center for Jewish Life will welcome every single Jew, regardless of affiliation, religiosity, status or orienta tion,” said Rabbi Rubenfeld.

Chabad of Chesterfield, under the auspic es of Chabad of Greater St. Louis, has been serving the Chesterfield, Ballwin and Wildwood areas for the past 17 years as a local center of the worldwide Chabad Lubavitch movement. Chabad of Chesterfield has hosted a variety of commu nity-wide events, such as the Family Hamentashen Bake-Off, Shabbat Socials with a twist, challah baking workshops and

an annual Hanukkah menorah car parade.

The permanent home of Chabad of Chesterfield is expected to open its doors in the summer of 2023.

“We plan to have a full calendar of events that will host our community in unique and joyful ways,” said Chana’la Rubenfeld. “It is our sincere hope that the center will serve as a comfort and home to our Jewish neighbors.”.

The groundbreaking event is open to the community and includes activities for families and children, along with music and special guest speakers. The program will begin at 5:30 p.m. on Sept. 14 at the 15310 Conway Road location.

Rabbi Hyim Shafner speaks with Lil Goldman at a 2017 event at Bais Abraham wishing Shafner and his family a farewell. Shafner had been Bais Abe’s rabbi since 2004. Peace

Bais Abraham welcomes Rabbi Hyim Shafner for Shabbaton

Bais Abraham Congregation is welcom ing its former spiritual leader, Rabbi Hyim Shafner and his wife, Sara Winkelman, back to St. Louis Sept. 9-10 for a weekend of learning at the shul, 6910 Delmar Blvd. The schedule of events is as follows:

Friday night

- 7 p.m. - Kabbalat Shabbat followed by Community Shabbat Dinner and Discussion, “The Mission of a Modern Orthodox Community” (in conversation with Rabbi Garth Silberstein)

Shabbat Day

- 9 a.m. - Morning services (Dvar Torah by Rabbi Shafner); Kiddush Lunch and Learn following Shabbat Morning Services, “Gender Diversity and Halacha” - 6:45 p.m. - Mincha - Seudah Shelishit with teaching by Rabbi Shafner - Maariv and Havdalah

Registration is required for Friday night dinner, but walk-ins are invited for the talk and for all other parts of the weekend. Guests are asked to register at www.baisabe.com/ event/ShafnerShabbaton.

An artist’s rendering of the new Chabad of Chesterfield building, which is expected to open in the summer of 2023.

Rabbi Avi and Chana’la Rubenfeld direct Chabad of Chesterfield.

Holocaust Museum announces inaugural membership program

The St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum, which will reopen to the public Nov. 2 after undergoing a $21 million expansion, has created a new membership program and giving society.

Memberships start at $36 annually. All members receive complimentary admis sion to the permanent Holocaust exhibi tion, invitations to special exhibit pre views, discounts at the museum gift shop and more.

“Here in St. Louis, we know that change begins with us,” said Helen Turner, director of education. “All of our members play a crucial role in helping to preserve this unique museum and enact ing positive change in the region and beyond. We look forward to welcoming them to this special place later this year.”

In conjunction with the membership program, the museum is also launching

Helen Turner is director of education at the St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum.

its new annual campaign: the Guardians of Remembrance Society. Giving levels begin at $500 annually. Society members will receive all-access membership bene fits as part of their contribution, with additional benefits included for higher levels.

Memberships are available for pur chase on the museum’s website. Find out more at STLHolocaustMuseum.org/ Members.

Kolot Women’s Choir returns; new members welcome

Kolot, the St. Louis Jewish women’s choir, will begin its first full season since the start of the pandemic with a rehears al on Tuesday, Sept. 13, from 7:30-9 p.m. in the May Chapel of Congregation Temple Israel, #1 Rabbi Alvan D. Rubin Dr. in Creve Coeur. Face masks will be required.

Participation in Kolot is open to women of all ages who share a love of singing Jewish music in Hebrew, English and Yiddish; show tunes, and standards from the great American songbook. There is no audition required, though the ability to read music is helpful. The choir rehearses most Tuesday evenings, September-May.

Kolot was founded in 2005 by Jackie Gerson and currently has more than 30 members. The choir is directed by music educator Betti Blumoff, a member of the St. Louis Circle of Jewish Music. Kolot performs at Jewish community-wide

events and presents concerts for local organizations and retirement centers.

For more information and to RSVP for the Sept. 13 rehearsal, contact Choir Director Betti Blumoff, bettiblumoff@ gmail.com or 314-757-6683.

Upcoming event to support Harvey Kornblum Jewish Food Pantry

Families in need have relied on the food pantry for 30 years, and on Sunday, Sept. 11 the JFS Harvey Kornblum Jewish Food Pantry is hosting Party for the Pantry to recognize those 30 years of alleviating hunger in the St. Louis region. The evening will feature JFS’s version of the hit Netflix show “Is it Cake?” where skilled cake artists create mouth watering replicas of handbags, sewing machines and more in a mind-bending baking contest inspired by a popular meme. Jewish Light columnist Amy Fenster Brown is hosting the fun.

Guests will enjoy cocktails and hors d’oeuvres stations and will have the oppor tunity to be a part of the live gameshow.

All proceeds from the event will benefit the Harvey Kornblum Jewish Food Pantry, helping to ensure that JFS continues to offer nutritious food to more than 15,000 St. Louisans each year.

The party is from 5 to 7 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 11 at The Hall at Olive + Oak located at 216 W. Lockwood Ave. in Webster Groves.

Visit https://jfsstl.org/party-for-the-pan try/ for more information or to purchase tickets (tickets are $150, or $75 for those 40 and younger).

Levy Fellows cohort for Jewish board leaders forming

The Levy Fellows, a cohort for board leaders of Jewish organizations in the St. Louis region, will launch in late October through Jewish Federation of St. Louis’ Millstone Leadership Initiatives.

The program will be led by local con sultant, Leslie Peters. Peters is the author of “Finding Time to Lead” and has been chosen for her expertise in board leadership and group facilitation. The pilot program will be limited to 18 individuals referred by their organiza tions. The Levy Fellows honors the ongo ing leadership of Mont Levy, past presi dent of Jewish Federation of St. Louis.

The program will include an opening reception at a private home and three core sessions, including personal leader ship, board engagement, and generative decision making. The Levy Fellows par ticipants will also be recognized at the Millstone Presidents’ Circle in December.

Levy’s contributions to the Jewish community and St. Louis are extensive. In addition to Jewish Federation and launching the Millstone Institute in 2010, he has held board leadership positions with the Jewish Community Relations Council, American Jewish Committee, Regional Arts Commission, Opera Theater of St. Louis, Shakespeare Festival of St. Louis, Craft Alliance, John Burroughs School, Forsyth School and Clayton Century Foundation. Levy is a graduate of Washington University School of Law and worked for Buckingham Asset Management as a principal and wealth advisor for 23 years until his retirement.

For information about the Levy Fellows, interested board members should speak with their organization’s CEO/Executive Director, or contact Marci Mayer Eisen, MEisen@JFedStL. org, 314-442-3810.

The coach and the kid reunite after 30 years to help others at Paraquad

BY BILL MOTCHAN SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH LIGHT

In the mid-1980s, Jerry Ehrlich oversaw a Jewish Community Center youth sports camp where he met a talented young base ball player. Thirty years later, the coach and player have reconnected and are help ing improve the lives of people with dis abilities.

That role has a special meaning for Johnny Itzkowitz, the sweet-hitting ball player who first caught Ehrlich’s attention. Itzkowitz suffered a sudden and unexpect ed stroke while in college and, through hard work, regained much of his strength. He now serves as an inspiration for the cli ents he assists.

The First Meeting

Ehrlich, who attends Central Reform Congregation, had done some sports announcing when he was offered a posi tion at the J rebuilding its youth sports program.

“Little by little, it started growing,” said Ehrlich, 64. “My approach with the league was teaching the kids, caring for the kids and making sure they had fun. Did we always go according to curriculum? No. I needed to teach kids to slide into second base. So we would take a hose and water around second base and use a slip-andslide. We wanted the kids to have fun, and we wanted to teach them what sportsman ship was about.”

One of the kids who joined the program was Itzkowitz, a 5-year-old natural hitter and infielder.

Johnny Itzkowitz (left) and Jerry Ehrlich.

PHOTO: BILL MOTCHAN

“The camp was a perfect mix because I was a very competitive person” said Itzkowitz, 39. “It was a great mix of com petition and still fun and relaxed, but it was still competitive when it needed to be.”

Itzkowitz had talent that other coaches immediately noticed, Ehrlich said.

“When I think of Johnny, he just said he was a kid who liked have fun, and he was a good athlete,” Ehrlich said. “I think the counselors fought to have him on their teams. We would do some back door trades, and it was like, ‘You give me Itzkowitz, I’m going to give you these

two players.’ ”

The program flourished and Ehrlich moved up from sports camp director to overseeing all the J camps. Itzkowitz pro gressed, too, eventually becoming a youth

See PARAQUAD

Anything Grants awarded to 17 local Jewish organizations

17 local Jewish organizations receive grants of more than $57,000 for a variety of projects

This year, 21 applications were received, representing over $89,000 in funding requests. The 2022 projects being funded include new computer equipment and Wi-Fi access points, exterior security cam eras and lighting, mental health and well-being programs.

Anything Grants are awarded by the Staenberg Family Foundation, a support ing foundation of the Jewish Federation of St. Louis. Each grant will be equal to 50 percent of the project budget; organiza tions are responsible for raising the remaining 50 percent from other sources.

With the matching grants the recipients

raise, these grants will bring $115,000 new dollars into the St. Louis Jewish community.

The 2022 Anything Grant recipients:

• Agudas Israel of St. Louis – Technology Upgrade to Improve Operations

• Bais Abraham Congregation – The Safer Torah Initiative

• Crown Center for Senior Living –Essential Equipment Upgrades

• Esther Miller Bais Yaakov – Mental Health and Well-Being Program

• Jewish Community Relations Council

St. Louis – Technology Request for Hybrid Meetings

• Jewish Family Services of St. Louis –Process Improvement for Food Distribution

• Shirlee Green Preschool/Congregation Shaare Emeth – The Body Lab (Playspace Equipment)

• Kol Rinah – Entrance Exterior Lighting

• National Council of Jewish Women St. Louis – Technology for Hybrid Meeting

• New Mt. Sinai Cemetery – Mausoleum Art Glass Restoration Project

• Maryville University Hillel – Muslims and Jews in Conversation (MAJIC)

• Saul Mirowitz Jewish Community School – Rain Mitigation Project

• Shevet Keshet – Friends of Israel Scouts

– Educational Enrichment: Leadership

Seminars and Hebrew Instruction

• Shir Hadash Reconstructionist

Community – Reconstructing Judaism for American Life (4-Part Series)

• Temple Emanuel – New Computers and Wi-Fi Access Points

• Traditional Congregation of Creve Coeur – New Sukkah

• UCity Shul – Exterior Security Cameras

A lay advisory committee reviewed all applications and made recommendations to the Staenberg Family Foundation Board of Directors, who made the final decisions. Grant recipients must complete their proj ects by May 2 in order to receive funds.

Contact Marla Guggenheimer at MGuggenheimer@JFedSTL.org or 314442-3764 for more information about the Anything Grants.

In memoriam: Remembering award-winning journalist Susan Fadem

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3A

other cultures. She and Rod were mem bers of the Alliance Française.

She was an expert Scrabble player, a lover of poetry and a voracious reader. And she was always, always up for an adventure.

Her friend, clinical psychologist Helen Friedman, described Susan’s parties as legend. “She asked me to facilitate a ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ book discussion/costume party. I accepted. What initially was to be a small soiree of friends in her Central West End apartment morphed into hun dreds of invitees, along with professional photographer Marian Brickner, at the Mahler Ballroom. It was a blast!”

Friedman also is a charter member of the monthly movie salon Susan founded in 2002. In January, I wrote a story marking its 20th anniversary, in which Susan recalled its beginnings: “We went from maybe five peo ple to eight people. Over the years, I have amassed three different email lists and there are now well over 300 people.”

Not all 300 people show up each month, she explained. As her friend Dr. Ken Haller noted at the time, “Susan, in many ways, is a collector of strays.”

That’s probably because she never met a stranger. When news of her death began circulating among her friends over the weekend, I heard from dozens wanting to share fond memories of Susan. She mat tered to so many people.

Susan Fadem spends time with grand daughter Cecilia Charlotte Donlon in Portland, Ore., on July 4.

any people living re always looking control your pain y e idea of taking pain pills every day or waiting months to get painful injections that don't always work Maybe you re trying to put off a joint replacement because you don't want surgery

Or you've waited too long and now you are no longer a surgical candidate and feel doomed to live with arthritis pain for the rest of your life If you feel this way, you're not alone

What if there was another way? A way to manage your arthritis without pain pills, injections and surgery? What if you could reduce your pain and get your strength and independence back? Or avoid losing it in the first place The good news is you have options

The first step in being able to successfully manage your arthritis long term is to have a better understanding of what causes arthritis in the first place and what makes it worse

Unfortunately, there is so much misinformation out there about arthritis pain and this often leads to not knowing about all of your treatment options If you're ready to learn more about the causes and treatments for your arthritis pain,

I invite you to attend our upcoming FREE workshop “Arthritis & Aging".

During This Workshop You'll Learn:

What osteoarthritis is and what actually causes it.

The myths of arthritis that keep you from enjoying life.

The most highly recommended treatment options for arthritis. Why "wear and tear" should be replaced with "wear and repair".

Is it safe to do an exercise that is painful?

And More!

When: Friday, September 23rd at 2:30pm Where: 3809 Lemay Ferry Rd, 63125

*Attend in-person or join us online from your home. Call (314) 9391377 to register. Space is limited.

I look forward to seeing you there, Dr. Beth

At HouseFit, we help adults 55+ maximize their independence and fitness, so they can continue to enjoy a full and active life.

In 2019, she allowed me to tell Light readers the story of how she had found her true soulmate, Richard Andersen. The two met on Match.com. Richard was there, too, to tell his part. Clearly, theirs was a love that was very special, perhaps even more so given their ages at the time. At 70 (Susan) and 68 (Richard), these bike-rid ing vegetarians with a passion for the arts, gardening and the outdoors married in Portland, with their families in tow. Both vowed to take nothing for granted.

“There are so many things that happen in the course of a day that we get to share,” Susan told me at the time. “I would be hard-pressed to say there is a time of day when all the highlights happen. But there is a joy and security of really being there for each other every day that makes my heart full.”

Sadly, Richard passed away in February, after being diagnosed with glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer.

After Susan passed away at 10:25 p.m. Saturday, Kimmie and Michelle sent out the following message:

“Our radiant and glorious mother, Susan Fadem, transitioned from the world last night as we each held her hand. Hers was the most gentle and peaceful letting go. She had the faintest of almost smiles as her soul left her body like sparkling silver dust rising into the air. She is reunited with her beloved Richard after 7 months and 2 days. And we know she is on to celebrate greater adventures. We will always cele brate her.”

A funeral service will be held in Friday, Sept. 9, at 11:30 a.m. at Bellerive Gardens Cemetery, 740 N. Mason Road, followed by a Shiva at 3 p.m. at Congregation Temple Israel, 1 Rabbi Alvan D. Rubin Drive. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to The OLLI Scholarship Fund of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Washington University.

political, “and I hate political theater!”

That means, she clarifies, that she hates theater that virtue-signals, smugly telling the audience how to think.

“The Bee Play” does, in fact, deal with hot issues. But it’s fundamentally about people striving to live meaningful lives in a challenging world.

And bees. It’s also about bees.

“The idea for the play came down all at once,” Savage said. “I have lived with these characters for 10 years.”

She started with Carver Washington, a high school senior who lives in the Bronx with his disabled grandmother and little sister.

A smart kid with a scientific mind, Carver cultivates bees on the roof of their rundown apartment. He’d like to go to col lege, would like to live someplace — any place — else. In the meantime, he sells his honey at a local farmers market, a bright spot in the Bronx food desert.

Savage said she had “known” the Washington family for a while “when I realized, oh! There’s also a girl.” That turned out to be Devora (whose name does, indeed, mean “bee”).

Fresh out of Yale, Devora is very interested in “intentional communities” where like-minded people choose to live and sup port each other. She wants to set up a kind of kibbutz in the Bronx, where she has moved.

“Her parents in Scarsdale can’t under stand what she is doing,” Savage said, per haps superfluously. She puzzles Carver, too.

“All he wants is to get out of the Bronx, and all she wants is (to get) into the Bronx,” Savage said.

But once they meet at the farmers mar ket, each senses a kindred spirit in the other, and a relationship develops.

That isn’t what anyone might have pre dicted, including Savage. But she’s com fortable with that.

“Jewish journeys,” she observes, “are always long and winding.”

Take, for example, hers.

Savage is Jewish by choice. She grew up in the Maine woods, riding her horse and doing some work as a child actor.

Remember the film of Stephen King’s “Pet Sematary”? She was in that: the little girl in the flashback. “I was in the scariest scene,” she maintains.

Neither her Ukrainian-American father, a writer and editor, nor her “totally WASP” mother, passionate gardener who taught school, is Jewish.

They always encouraged her to follow her interests, which took her to New York University’s esteemed Tisch school to study theater.

“I went to Manhattan and never looked back,” Savage said. “The great love affair of my life is with New York City.”

Now 44, Savage spent years acting and ultimately starting her own business as a professional organizer. This, it turns out, is not a bad gig for an actor or a playwright.

“People tell me everything,” she said. “I would never betray their trust, but I learn a lot from them.”

New York is also where she met the other great love of her life, her husband, Nigel Savage.

“Nigel is Jewish-famous,” she says with a little blush.

He founded and, until last year, headed Hazon, the largest Jewish environmental organization in North America.

Originally from England, Nigel Savage is spending the current shmita year, 5782, in Jerusalem. (He is, however, coming to St. Louis for the world premiere, as are his in-laws.) A shmita year is “like Shabbat on steroids,” the playwright said, noting that “the Torah is, among other things, an agri cultural document.”

During shmita, farmers in Israel let their fields rest. This is smart in agricultural terms, and not unlike the advice that Carver’s namesake, the great agricultural scientist George Washington Carver, gave to black sharecroppers after the Civil War.

Their small plots were not good land. By the second half of the 19th century, most Southern farmland was used up, depleted by King Cotton. Carver advised planting crops that restore nitrogen to the soil, includ ing legumes like (you guessed it) peanuts.

In other words, Carver advocated sustain able agriculture, just like Hazon. But Savage says that her husband’s ideals did not deter mine the direction of “The Bee Play,” just as his religion did not determine her choice to be a Jew. She had already begun the transi tion before they were a couple.

“There wasn’t a ring for me at the end,” she said. “I did that under my own steam.”

Savage has chosen to be a very active Jew, now involved in a number of New York congregations.

In fact, she visits synagogues all over the country.

“Because of Hazon, Nigel is often invited to speak for Jewish organizations and at synagogues,” she said, “and many times, we are invited to an aliyah.

“That’s so thoughtful. I have always felt completely welcome among Jews, never been made to feel ‘other.’

“But I always say no. I have actually had two conversions: first Conservative, then Orthodox. But I haven’t been bat

mitzvah yet, which is what an aliyah would be for me.”

Savage is looking forward to a special cer emony of her own, when the time feels right.

Nothing pointed her way to the hive. She traces the beginning of her “obsession” — that’s her word for it — to articles in The New York Times. First, in 2007, she found herself very disturbed by an article on Colony Collapse Disorder. In this syndrome, the majority of worker bees disappear from their hive, leaving behind the queen, plenty of food and a few nurse bees to care for her and the remaining immature bees.

At that time, many observers feared CCD posed a long-term threat to the whole species. Today, the situation is much bet ter, according not only to Savage but to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

She began reading everything about bees she could get her hands on, including

another article three years later that fasci nated her. Beekeeping, it reported, had been legalized in New York City.

“Who knew it wasn’t legal?” she asks with a laugh. “Bees are hip now.”

Gradually, the whole thing — CCD, bee keeping in New York City, her maturation as a Jewish woman who belongs to a large community both ritually and culturally — combined to resonate with Savage, gather ing force until she had made … a play.

“When I was studying colony collapse, I had a sudden realization: The things that kill bees, kill us,” she said. “Carter is obsessed with colony collapse. Devora is obsessed with another kind of collapse, a collapse in human society. And both are determined to fix the problems that they see.”

“That’s a deeply Jewish ethic,” Savage said. “And I think that makes this a deeply Jewish play.”

From left, Miles Brenton, Margery A. Handy, Ellie Schwetye and Riley Carter Adams make up the cast of ‘The Bee Play’ at New Jewish Theatre.

south entrance to the campus. Festival goers can park for free nearby at the underground Danforth University Center Garage, 6475 Forsyth Blvd. Festival co-chairs are Diane Balber and Blair Kweskin.

Both Maier and Kramer were beyond enthusiastic to discuss the festival particu lars, which include roughly 30 juried art ists displaying their work for sale in media such as metal, fiber, jewelry, wood, ceram ics and watercolors; kosher food vendors selling everything from pastrami to sha warma to falafel to cotton candy (yes, kosher cotton candy); and a full line-up of international and regional music acts.

Among the latter are Six13, the acclaimed six-man Jewish a cappella group, featuring Creve Coeur native Lior Melnick (performing at 3:30 p.m.); Klezundheit!, a 13-piece klezmer band and the only klezmer big band in Missouri (at 2 p.m.); native St. Louisan and Jewish rocker Sheldon Low (at noon); and Staam, a Jewish a cappella group from Washington University (at 11 a.m.).

The first Sababa festival was held in October of 2018 as a collaboration between the J and the Jewish Federation of St. Louis. The initial plan was to hold the festival every other year. Of course, the initial plan didn’t include a global pan demic.

“We planned for 2020 and then when we couldn’t have it then, we planned it for 2021, so we’ve been through this a few times,” said Maier. “We are so close and so ready for this to happen.”

One new feature of the 2022 festival will be the Family Pavilion.

“Our goal is to have constant entertain ment, so you can wander in and wander out (of the Family Pavilion) and not have to wait in line or have to be there from the start,” said Kramer. “You can walk in during the middle of a magic show or yoga class or mad science presentation.

“There will be sensory tables, bubbles, sidewalk chalk for drawing, a giant Jenga and Connect 4. There’s an art project to make Jewish New Year cards and a honey plate kids can make to take home.”

Children from kindergarten to fifth

grade can take part in an on-site scaven ger hunt of sorts for the chance to win free popcorn and cotton candy. And more than 30 Jewish organizations will have booths at the festival, with each offering festival goers some sort of fun, interactive activity. Word on the street has it that the Jewish Community Relations Council’s social jus tice, Jewish values-themed booth will be hard to top, though the Friends of Israel Scouts are teaching knot tying and the Jewish Light will be awarding prizes for correctly answering age-appropriate cur

rent events and trivia questions.

Metal jewelry artist Sarah Burack looks forward to joining her grandmother, Marilynne Bradley, an accomplished painter, and her mother, Suzanne Burack, a printmaker who teaches art at the Saul Mirowitz Jewish Community School, at Sababa where these three generations of artists will share a booth to display and sell their work.

“My mother has been an art teacher for Jewish Arts & Culture Festival returns

The Sababa Jewish Arts and Culture Festival will feature performances by (clockwise from top left) Staam (Washington University’s Jewish a capella group), St. Louis native Sheldon Low as well as Six13. SHELDON LOW PHOTO: ZACH DALIN PHOTOGRAPHY

10 years and I think she’s ready to become an artist selling her own creations,” said Sarah Burack, who grew up attending Temple Emanuel. “She reached out to me and my grandma, who is a gallery artist and has been a professional artist forev er, to see if we would do this with her.

“I’m very excited to spend time with them – art is a shared passion,” she continued. “I’m looking forward to seeing how the public interacts with my mom’s and my grand mother’s and my art, and I’m excited to try the food and just soak up the atmosphere.”

Maier and Kramer hope that Jewish festival goers feel pride and inspiration in seeing all that the St. Louis Jewish community has to offer and that non-Jewish festival goers enjoy learning about Jewish culture and experiencing it.

“I feel that ours is a pretty loving community, and the lines get erased at Sababa. When we’re inside Sababa we (as Jews) are all the same,” said Maier, explaining that it’s one place where members from each denomination – Reform, Conservative, Orthodox and so on -- as well as the unaffiliated feel unit ed just by virtue of being Jewish.

“For people who are not Jewish, I want them to see we have a lot of similarities,” added Kramer. “Our kids play the same way your kids do. We like pastrami and so do you.

“But also, especially with all the (Jewish) organizations that will be there, this is the way we teach our children. This is way we connect with our community. This is the way we repair the world. These are the things that we have to offer and it’s just a small portion, a sliver.”

Missouri’s band Sababa

BY BILL MOTCHAN SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH LIGHT

Few musical styles bring as much energy to the stage as klezmer, a genre with Eastern European Jewish roots. Klezmer blends jazz with Greek and Balkan melo dies to create a unique sound that usually includes a fiddle, clarinet and accordion.

On Sept. 18, the Sababa Jewish Arts and Cultural Festival will feature Missouri’s only klezmer big band, known as Klezundheit! The Jewish Light caught up with Bob Herman, the group’s leader and conductor, for a preview of their upcoming performance.

How did Klezundheit! originate?

We formed as a temple project at Central Reform Congregation 22 years ago. My very good friend Paul Wexler, who is a very talented clarinetist, and I played the oboe when we were playing in an orchestra together. I said, ‘There’s not a lot of Klezmer music going on here, and I’m interested in it.’ He grew up in Manhattan and heard it everywhere, but never played it. So we started exploring it.

How would you describe klezmer music to someone who hasn’t experienced it?

Generally, it’s happy music. Even the sad music is happy music.

Does Klezundheit! perform a specific type of klezmer?

We model ourselves after a group called the Klezmer Conservatory Band, which was out of Boston and the Berklee School of Music. They were a large ensemble doing transcriptions in the klezmer style, and

they’re no longer in existence, but we are.

What’s the most challenging part of conducting a big band?

It’s like herding cats. I stay out of their way. My job is to set the tempo and push it and make sure it’s got energy. Music on the page just lies there like a turtle on its back. You need somebody to really push it in places that need pushing and make it into the happy music that it is.

The Klezundheit! big band has 13 mem bers. Any notable musicians in the group? We have a violinist who was in the origi nal band, Marc Hochberg. I have written music specifically for him. I hope to do one of the pieces specifically for him. I wrote a piece for him 20 years ago called ‘Marc’s Hora.’ He’s just wonderful at it. He’s a ter rific musician. I met him playing classical

music and he was a violin prodigy.

When audiences hear Klezundheit! what kind of reception do you receive?

There was a series called ‘Garden Live!’ on KFUO back in the days when they were still a classical station. We had a great fol lowing, mostly non-Jews. They dug the music. There were happy people clapping and I taught them call and response in Yiddish. It very funny to see all these peo ple who never had the experience of that really enjoy the music. We played at Baptist churches where they did everything but get up and dance.

During klezmer performances, is it common for audiences to get up and dance?

It has been known to happen so it may very well happen at Sababa.

Marc Hoch berg will perform with Klezundheit!, a klezmer big band based in St. Louis, at the Sababa Jewish Arts and Culture Festival on Sept. 18.

FILE PHOTO: BILL MOTCHAN

NEWSMAKERS

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

National Council of Jewish Women St. Louis (NCJWSTL), was recognized by the Women’s Foundation of Greater St. Louis as a top place for women to work in the fifth annual Women in the Workplace: Employment Scorecard. NCJWSTL was recognized as one of 24 St. Louis employ ers demonstrating excellence in four areas of workplace gender equity: leadership, compensation, flexible work policies and recruitment and retention.

Marc Schreiber will be the new president of the St. Louis Sports Commission begin ning Jan. 1. He is currently vice president of marketing and development. Schreiber is a member of Congregation Shaare Emeth.

Rabbi Hershey Novack, director and senior campus rabbi at Chabad on Campus, was on a winning team at an “engagement hackathon” competition at a recent confer ence hosted by the Chabad on Campus International Foundation, held in New Jersey. The hackathon’s goal was to develop a practical and scalable solution to a com mon challenge facing college students.

Cultural Leadership, a local nonprofit that educates middle and high school students to recognize and resolve issues of privilege and injustice through the lens of the African American and Jewish experience, will honor Rabbi Daniel Bogard, Bob Fox and Cheryl Adelstein at its Golden Gala on Tuesday, Sept. 15. Rabbi Bogard, of Central Reform Congregation, will receive one of four Inaugural Ginsburg-Lewis Awards. It recognizes individuals and entities who

are working to create “good trouble” and bring about disruptive, innovative change to our communities. Fox, co-founder of the Clark-Fox Family Foundation, will be hon ored with the Freedom Fighter Lifetime Achievement Award, which honors those who have dedicated their life’s work to ensuring the freedom of the disenfran chised. Adelstein, the deputy director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of St. Louis, will be presented with one of two Troublemaker of the Best Kind Awards for Education Equity, honoring community members and organizations dedicated to shining a light on critical social issues and generating positive change.

BROUGHT TO YOU THIS MONTH BY:

Esther Miller Bais Yaakov High School welcomes new executive director, Rabbi Avi Feigenbaum. For the past nine years he was the direc tor of education of Etz Chaim Synagogue in Jacksonville, Fla., where he focused on creating inno vative learning opportunities for Jewish education outside synagogue walls.

Leslie Schwab Johnson is the co-founder of Alchemy, a Clayton-based workspace for female entrepreneurs, by female entrepre neurs. Alchemy offers private offic es, co-working memberships, and many amenities, including 24/7 access, conference rooms, and free garage parking. She is a member of Kol Rinah.

Demi Fine, Alyssa Smith and David Smith earned Herzl Camp›s Kol Hakavod Award. Each year, six staff members are chosen by their peers to receive this honor. Winners are recognized for outstanding job perfor mance, exceptional leadership abilities, consistently positive attitude, and their overall contribution to Herzl Camp. Demi is the daughter of Jenn and Kevin Fine and attends the University of Kansas majoring in education. Jennifer and Matt Smith are parents to Alyssa (Butler University) and David (University of Iowa). All attend Congregation B’nai Amoona.

Alan Spector ’s most recent book, “Playing Baseball with ‘Kids’ Our Own Age,” has been published. It explores adult

amateur baseball. Spector, a Jewish Light board member, continues to play in the older age divisions of his local league and of winter tournaments in warm weather locations.

Emma Gross will be competing in the pre-bronze Pattern Dance event at the U.S. Figure Skating National Solo Dance Finals in Santa Clarita, Calif. from Sept. 7 10. She qualified for this event by earning points at regional competitions over the past few months and was the top qualifier in the Midwest region. Emma, a 6th grader at Wydown Middle School, is the daughter of Matt Gross and Tracy Goldberg-Gross.

TOP ROW, FROM LEFT: Marc Sch reiber, Rabbi Her shey Novack, Rabbi Daniel Bogard, Bob Fox, Cheryl Adel stein and Rabbi Avi Feigenbaum.

Emma Gross

SECOND ROW, FROM LEFT: Leslie Schwab Johnson, Demi Fine, Alyssa Smith, David Smith and Alan Spector.

camp counselor. He also made an impact on the ballfield, setting nine records at Ladue Horton Watkins High School.

College Life

Itzkowitz entered college at the University of Miami in hopes of being a walk-on player. That was something of a long shot given the caliber of players on the team.

“I tried out for the team,” he said. “It’s hard when you’re next to (future major leaguers) Ryan Braun and John Jay and all these big players, and I’m just this husky little Jewish kid. The first thing they want to see is how fast you are. I knew I was done after that. They kept me on as a student coach my freshman year. I worked for the team as bullpen coach and bullpen catcher.”

His backup plan if baseball didn’t pan out was joining his father Jack Itzkowitz’s law practice. Sports was never far from his mind, though, and Itzkowitz got his fix playing flag football with his fraternity brothers. Halfway through his junior year, he was playing in a game for the frat league flag football championship when everything changed in his life.

“I was fine all morning, and I was in my fraternity,” he said. “I was just walk ing over to the gym to go play in the championship game, and I fell, and I couldn’t get up, like they say in the com mercial.”

He was seemingly young and healthy. The paramedics on scene didn’t immedi ately recognize that Itzkowitz had suf fered a stroke, either. It was the result of a possible blood clot and would have been difficult to predict or prevent.

He came back to St. Louis to rehab and regain his strength. Through hard work and therapy, Itzkowitz was able to go back to Miami and finish school, gradu ating with a degree in communications and psychology in 2006.

A New Career Path

Meanwhile, Ehrlich had moved on from the J to running a camp for kids with dis abilities. He had remained in contact with Itzkowitz over the years and reached out to him with a job offer.

“Jerry said, ‘Are you healthy enough to do this all day and be on your feet?’ Itzkowitz remembered.

And it was hard work, but it was mean ingful and that had an impact on Itzkowitz.

“It was awesome,” he said. “It was so much fun. Even the kids who were nonver bal, you could tell they were having a great time just by their expressions. That’s what got me into this field. Because I was very much on a different track before my stroke.”

Instead of law school, Itzkowitz in 2010 went back to study at Maryville University where he earned a master’s in rehabilita tion counseling.

Then, late last year, he and Ehrlich recon nected for a third time. Now the CEO at Paraquad, which offers disability services and support, Ehrlich had an opening on his staff for an employment coordinator.

“I said, ‘We’ve got this position if you’re interested, but I’m pretty much going to stay out of it,’ ” Ehrlich said. “I went to the person who was in charge of hiring and I

said, ‘Listen, Johnny and I go back a long way, I have good things to say about him, but this is your interview, this is your choice. And if for whatever reason he’s not

right in your program, that’s fine.’ ”

As it turned out, with Itzkowitz’s creden tials and positive, attitude, he likely would have been hired on his own merits. But,

he said, Jerry “put me in a nice place for the interview.”

In August, Itkowitz will hit the 10-month mark at Paraquad, where he is as busy as ever. On any given day, he might be work ing with the vocational rehab office, or one of the organization’s community partners, or just performing job coaching and help ing people with disabilities find employ ment.

Itzkowitz still crosses paths with his longtime coach/mentor/boss occasionally, and their conversation nearly always turns to their favorite topic: sports.

Itzkowitz’s current focus is on Paraquad’s Summer Work Experience Program.

“When I’m in the gym sometimes, I’ll notice other people who have similar inju ries to what I had. I see where they are in their rehab, and a lot of them talk to me and they say, ‘I want this or that like you have.’ I say, ‘Well, it takes a long time to get there. I started just like you.’ That’s been my favorite thing, just talking them and letting them know you can do it. But it’s going to take more than just you saying you want it, you’ve got to do it.”

Johnny Itzkowitz (left) and Jerry Ehrlich. PHOTO: BILL MOTCHAN

BY JON MARKS JTA

Bobby Jones headed to bed on Sept. 4, 1972, expecting a grueling practice sched ule the next day. After a standout sopho more season at the University of North Carolina, the future NBA Hall of Famer was in Munich as a member of the U.S. men’s Olympic basketball team, which had just advanced to the medal round.

Jones didn’t get the night of sleep he was expecting.

“We heard gunfire at night and the vil lage had turned into an armed camp by morning,” Jones told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.

A little after 4 in the morning on Sept. 5, eight members of the Black September Palestinian terrorist group hopped a fence into the Olympic village and within min utes broke into the hotel rooms where some of the Israeli team’s players and coaches were sleeping. They killed wres tling coach Moshe Weinberg and wrestler Yousef Romano, who attempted to resist, then wounded some of the others before keeping them under armed guard.

Monday marks the 50th anniversary of what has come to be known as the Munich Massacre, after the 11 Israeli coaches and athletes taken hostage were all killed after a botched hostage rescue attempt by West German police later that night. The German government is holding a com memoration ceremony in Munich on Monday, days after reaching a 28 million euro compensation agreement with family members of the victims and releasing a statement acknowledging the failures of “the German state” during the infamous day.

For years, the victims’ family members — along with the Israeli government — had alleged that Germany failed to protect the Israeli athletes and sought to cover up the police failings that transpired through out the course of the day. Lax security measures allowed for the terrorists to eas ily access the Olympic village apartments, and numerous reports show that miscom munication and the use of inexperienced police officers led to the chaos that marked the end of the crisis on an airplane tarmac. A 2012 report claimed that Germany was also tipped off about a possible terrorism incident weeks before the Games.

Germany’s announcement shows that it has upped its compensation figure to 28

million from around 10 million after recent negotiations with a group of the vic tims’ family members.

On the fateful day, confusion reigned for the non-Israeli athletes on the ground. Word gradually got out about a situation unfolding throughout the morning, but few in the Olympic village knew the spe cifics. Jones explained that the village was “three long buildings of apartments” and

that the basketball team could watch the situation from afar in the middle building.

Teammate Mike Bantom, a Philadelphia native who would go on to have a nineyear NBA career, connected the shooting to being back home.

“I remember standing on the terrace and looking across the courtyard seeing a cou ple guys with guns,” he recalled, “I put it in context that someone got shot in a dispute.

I didn’t know it was that type of incident.”

Jim Becker did. The journalist who had covered Jackie Robinson’s first game along with three wars — Korea, Vietnam and the Yom Kippur War — was awak ened early by his Associated Press col league Charlie Erb.

“Charlie got me out of bed at 5:00 a.m. and told me Arab terrorists had seized rooms of the Israeli Olympic team,” said the 96-year-old Becker, who now lives in Honolulu. “I could see out the window of the AP building, which was 200 yards away from the Olympic village, and could see guys with masks with rifles. I spent the next 36 hours on the typewriter.”

Meanwhile, Team USA practiced in vir tual ignorance of what was happening, even as official competitions were stalled. Bantam learned about the hostage situa tion only after calling home to the United States.

“The USA team used to go to an army base and train,” said Bantom. “This time they kept us there and didn’t bring us back.

“Very little information was given to us about what was going on,” he continued. “When we got back at the beginning of the evening we were held outside the village because they were arranging for the hos tages. We saw helicopters rise out of the village. It was then I was able to call home and find out from people here what was actually going on.”

The players eventually got within eye sight of the hostages.

“That afternoon when terrorists marched the Israelis out, we were 50-100 yards away,” said Jones. “I’m thinking, ‘How is this going to end?’”

No one would know for hours. Behind the scenes, the terrorists demanded the release of over 200 Palestinian political prisoners in Israeli jails, only to have Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir flatly refuse, saying she would not negotiate with terrorists. That left it to the German government to try to work things out.

The terrorists demanded to be trans ported to Cairo, and German authorities missed multiple opportunities to kill or arrest them en route. Buses brought the attackers and their blindfolded hostages to multiple helicopters, which then brought them to a nearby NATO air base.

Inexperienced sharpshooters planted at the scene were not provided with the cor rect guns to fire from long range; armored vehicles with backup help got stuck in traffic on the way to the base; and the Palestinians easily discovered that the plane they thought was taking them to Cairo was set up as a trap. After a gunfight with German police, one of the terrorists threw a grenade into one of the helicop ters, killing the Israelis inside; another ter rorist shot the remaining Israelis in the other helicopter.

“They’re all gone,” sportscaster Jim McKay famously said on an international broadcast, after providing hours of updates.

No one in the Olympic village was aware of the operation, or how it ended.

“The German government put out a fake press release that the hostage release had been peacefully concluded,” said Becker, pressed into duty on the news side that day, though he normally focused on sports. “I was writing that story.

“But I had a reporter [Erb] at the airport who said he had heard gunfire and explo sions. So I threw that story away and wrote a bulletin based on what he told me.”

His editor in New York called close to midnight. “They said ‘What you’re writing cannot be true, because we saw Howard Cosell and Jim McKay had gone on TV.’ So they made me write a bulletin that the

Israeli fans at the infamous 1972 Olympics in Munich, Sept. 5, 1972.

PHOTO: KLAUS ROSE/PICTURE ALLIANCE VIA GETTY IMAGES

German government announced the hos tage had been peacefully resolved,” Becker said. “In fact, The New York Times’ official history of the Olympics contains the statement that all of us in Munich went to sleep that night believing the hostage exchange had been peacefully concluded.”

When the truth came out by the follow ing morning, finishing the Olympics was the last thing on many of the athletes’ minds.

“Everybody’s initial reaction was ‘Let’s get the hell out of here and go home,’’’ recalled Bantom, who would go onto work for the NBA for 30 years after his playing career. “That was the first time anything like that had happened, where people were taken hostage for political reasons and killed. We were shocked at the time and upset about what happened and fear ful what could happen.”

Jones felt the same.

“When we heard what happened that evening we all thought surely we’re going to go home after this,” he said. “But they said they were going to press on.”

“I think it really hardened me a bit to the realities of the world,” Jones continued. “It made me aware of world situations and the animosity. Everything was not kum baya.”

After holding a memorial ceremony in the victims’ honor, International Olympics Committee President Avery Brundage decided to continue with the rest of the Games.

“Brundage was ticked off because this was going to be his last Olympics and they had messed it up,” said Becker. Brundage had held his position since 1952 and was planning to retire. “Brundage gets up there and says we shouldn’t let politics get involved. Eleven dead athletes, five terror ists and a policeman, and he’s comparing it to politics.”

The remainder of the Israeli Olympic delegation left Munich. Five days later, the U.S. basketball team went on to make it to the gold medal game against the Soviet Union, where it lost for the first time in its Olympic history, 51-50, in a controversial finish.

Doug Collins made two clutch free throws with three seconds left to play, giv ing Team USA a 50-49 lead, but the Russians were given extra opportunities and extra time — thanks to an array of malfunctions and miscommunication at the scorer’s table — and scored a layup in the final moment to win.

“My feeling was if we could honor those people killed by winning a gold medal that would’ve been great,” said Collins, who would go on to become a four-time NBA All-Star and later coach Michael Jordan and the Bulls.

“I just don’t think they would’ve wanted the Games stopped.”

Bagel shop in Columbia, Mo. goes viral for its Talmud-inspired effort to feed the needy

BY JACKIE HAJDENBERG JTA

“Whoever needs, come and eat.”

That’s the quote from the Talmud — the book of Jewish law — that welcomes cus tomers to Goldie’s Bagels in Columbia, Mo., telling them that people who cannot afford to pay can get a coffee and a bagel, with cream cheese, free of charge.

The promise is core to the shop’s mis sion: Launched as a popup in 2020, Goldie’s aims to imbue Jewish values into its daily operations.

“My whole thing in opening Goldie’s is we’re going to be so outwardly proud to be Jewish,” founder Amanda Rainey told JTA last week, after a sign about the “Neighbors Account” initiative went viral on social media. Rainey, who previously worked as a Jewish educator at the Hillel at the University of Missouri, first opened Goldie’s inside Pizza Tree, a restaurant owned by her husband. It moved to its own location last winter, bringing along a sourdough starter that’s used in its bagels.

In addition to bagels, Goldie’s serves tra

ditional Ashkenazi desserts such as babka and rugelach. Its Instagram account show cases fluffy round challahs; egg sandwich es made with zhug, a spicy condiment that originated with Yemenite Jews; and “tzit zel bagels,” a rolled-in-semolina confection that’s unique to St. Louis. (It’s not kosher: There’s a sandwich with both meat and cream cheese on the menu.) This spring, the shop hosted a Passover seder for staff.

The seder inspired the sign. The princi ple of feeding the needy is so ingrained in Jewish tradition that the Talmud quote posted at the counter is traditionally recit ed in Aramaic at the seder, when the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt is recounted.

Goldie’s had already been handing out free bagels to unhoused people in down town Columbia, just as Pizza Tree had been doing with slices. And it had already been subsidizing that effort with dona tions that other customers made informal ly. “Sometimes people would slip us some cash awkwardly,” Rainey recalled.

But after the seder, a staff member sug gested explaining the initiative and citing the quote from Talmud on a sign in the

store. The sign explains that customers who cannot pay can ask the staff to charge their meal to the “Neighbors Account.”

After the sign went viral, people from around the country offered to donate, Rainey said. But she said Goldie’s is com mitted to keeping everything local.

“We have so many generous people in our community,” Rainey said. “Those people should give money to somebody where they live; their own neighbors.”

Rainey says the shop gets maybe two $5 donations a day, which help pay down the balance of the account, and the store doesn’t take donations unless there’s an outstanding balance.

She said the point of the Neighbors Account is to welcome people into the store — and give them more than just a meal.

“It’s a bagel and a coffee but when you’ve slept on the street at 7 a.m., a bagel and a coffee is really helpful,” Rainey said. “And also we learn people’s names, we check in on them. We treat them like peo ple. And then other people in the commu nity see that and hopefully are inspired to act better.”

One of the defining images of the Munich Olympics in 1972: a member of the group that had taken the Israelis hostage seen on the apartment balcony in a face mask.

RUSSELL MCPHEDRAN/THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD/FAIRFAX MEDIA VIA GETTY IMAGES from opposite

OPINIONS

D’VAR TORAH — PARASHAT KI TEITZEI

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

Helping others helps us remember our roots

BY RABBI NOAH ARNOW

How many times have you heard the sermon about how, as Jews, we are commanded to remember and care for the widow, the orphan and the stranger because we were strangers in the land of Egypt?

Sometimes, the goal is to urge action: “Remember that we as a people have suffering in our collective memory, and since we know how it feels, we should be more sensitive and should care and help other people and peoples.”

I’ve given that sermon.

Sometimes, it’s given in a somewhat self-congrat ulatory tone: “Of course, we as Jews are helping because we know what it’s like to have suffered.”

I’ve given this sermon, too.

As I think about it, though, is there not some thing a little presumptuous and even arrogant about assuming I know what it feels like to suffer because my ancestors suffered, whether in 19th century Europe, or in pre-Exodus Egypt?

In this week’s Torah portion, we have a restate ment of this common commandment, but with a

subtle change. After instructing us not to oppress the orphan, stranger or widow, we are told, “Remember that you were a slave in Egypt, and Adonai your God redeemed you from there; there fore do I command you to do this thing” (Dt. 24:18).

The typical logic is reversed: Instead of the Exodus reminding us to help the vulnerable, help ing the vulnerable is supposed to remind us of the Exodus.

We should not oppress the stranger, the widow or the orphan, explains the 19th century Rabbi Naftali Tzvi Yehuda Berlin (the “Netziv”) on this verse, in order to accustom and condition our hearts to remember the Exodus, when we suf fered and sought mercy.

This reading problematically views helping oth ers not as an end in itself but rather as an instru mental and selfish act: My helping others will help remind me of when I suffered, and when God helped me. We should ideally help others for altru istic, not self-centered, reasons.

This critique, though, is obvious, and I suspect that the Netziv, the rabbi of the famed Volozhin Yeshiva, had something deeper in mind. What

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Look at evidence in school safety debate

In response to the letter to the editor from Gene Carton in your Aug. 24 issue (“Arming educators and clergy could help curb violence”), the author cites no study or evidence or any statistics behind his position that arming our teachers and clergy members would help reduce gun violence. In fact, on the issue of school safety, the evidence suggests this is not the way to address this crisis.

A recent report from Everytown for Gun Safety, endorsed by the American Federation of Teachers and the National Education Association, reveals that 60% of school age shooters were current or former students. In 50-75% of these cases, shooters acquired the firearm used from the home of a parent or close relative. Further, nearly all school shoot ing perpetrators exhibited some kind of concerning behavior before the shooting, behavior that in many cases was known by others.

Given all of this, the best way to reduce school shootings is to address the causes of these shootings at their root.

First, we should educate gun owners, including parents and guardians, about secure firearm storage (to prevent shoot ers from accessing the guns in the first place).

Second, we should pass extreme risk laws (where family members or law enforcement can petition a court to pre vent a student at risk from accessing or buying a firearm).

Third, we should increase funding to schools to support enhanced mental health training and resources so schools are better able to intervene and stop an act of violence before it occurs. These are important pieces of the toolkit needed to address and reduce school gun violence.

To learn more about evidence-based ways that you can support the reduction of gun violence and save lives, go to

momsdemandaction.org. To learn more about secure storage and other aspects of responsible gun ownership, go to besmartforkids.org.

Gail Wechsler, Missouri State Communications Lead Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America

Reader appreciates column on work ethic

I want to applaud Marty Rochester for his column, “Excellence? I’ll settle for simple competence,” in your Aug. 24 issue. I agree with much of what he talks about, but would maintain that, in many cases, it’s a case of laziness, rather than incompetence. His example of McDonald’s employees not promptly serving people is an example of that.

I feel that we, as consumers, have per petuated the laziness by not taking our business elsewhere often enough. When I hear people complain about poor ser vice, and then continue to patronize the establishment, it is almost as though they are purchasing the experience for which to complain about. As Jews, the work ethic is a very big part of our culture, and we are undermining it by continuing to patronize poor establishments. Nothing will get the message across louder and clearer than by affecting a company’s bottom line.

In line with Mr. Rochester’s column, good businesses also need to be singled out for praise, as he does in the case of Chick-fil-A. I would like to mention another business, and that is the Clayton Starbucks. On every occasion I have been there I have received both an excel lent product and extremely efficient ser vice.

Marty Rochester’s column certainly resonated with me.

Harry Toder University City

deficiency is his approach intended to remediate? In some sense, we are “good” at helping others. And we could be much, much better.

Those of us who live with a fair measure of priv ilege may not be so good at knowing or remem bering how vulnerability feels. Once we are more or less safe and secure, it’s so easy to forget our past (and even our current or future) vulnerability. And it’s especially easy to forget the feeling of vul nerability, of needing help, after the passing of decades, centuries and generations.

The Torah here isn’t demanding that we afflict ourselves in order to know suffering. But rather, the act of helping the oppressed should remind us of our own vulnerability, our own precarious exis tence, our blessings and life’s uncertainties. This can turn our hearts to the Source of Blessing, as well as to a deeper sense of gratitude.

And the next time we have the opportunity to help someone vulnerable, perhaps we’ll do so with increased sensitivity, understanding and compas sion, remembering more deeply our own hearts, our own history, and thus knowing better the heart of the stranger too.

Rabbi Noah Arnow serves Kol Rinah and is a past president of the St. Louis Rab binical and Cantorial Association, which coordinates the d’var Torah for the Jewish Light.

Saving the soul of the nation, one vote at a time

BY RABBI SUSAN TALVE AND SARA RUIZ

“Ashrei,” is the first word in the Book of Psalms. Often translated as “happy,” “ashrei” can also mean forward and upward.

For 38 years, Central Reform Congregation has worked to move our region forward on a path towards justice and dignity for all. This year, we’re thrilled to share that the latest tool we’ve developed to keep pushing forward is the birth of a new non-profit organization of CRC called the Ashrei Foundation.

The Ashrei Foundation, with Rabbi Susan Talve serving as founder and CEO along with Sara Ruiz as the first executive director, provides an engine for the mem bership of CRC to extend the social justice core values of the congregation not only within CRC, but throughout the region.

The Ashrei Foundation exists to empower and activate the St. Louis com munity and partners throughout the state of Missouri to promote economic justice, to relieve suffering and interrupt cycles of poverty. We imagine a just Missouri where the way we look, where we are from, or who we define ourselves to be does not limit our access to quality and affordable healthcare, education, hous ing, technology, and economic stability.

At Ashrei, we found ourselves in a unique space to address the most recent attack on democracy: the new restrictive photo ID requirements for voting that were included in House Bill 1878. There are many provisions of this law that unjustly restrict access to the polls and criminalize many who work (or volun teer!) to register people to vote.

This law makes Missouri’s require ments some of the most restrictive in the nation by eliminating all but two forms of previously established photo IDs to vote, thereby expanding the reach of this voter suppression tactic. Voters in Missouri are now required to present a valid, non-ex pired photo ID issued either by the state of Missouri or in some cases, the federal gov

Rabbi Susan Talve (left) of Central Reform Congregation is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Ashrei Foundation, a non-profit that works to empower and activate the St. Louis community and partners throughout the state of Missouri to promote economic justice, to relieve suffering and interrupt cycles of poverty. Sara Ruiz brings more than 15 years of interfaith non-profit experience working for immigrant rights, jus tice and dignity for all to her role as Executive Director of the Ashrei Foundation.

ernment. Your student ID? Not accepted. Your 90-year-old grandmother’s long-ex pired driver’s license? Not accepted.

These unnecessary restrictions make it harder — and sometimes impossible — for working families to take time off work, lose income, travel to the Department of Motor Vehicles office, wait in lines often more than 2-3 hours, compile and present the required documents (a two-page list even for a non-Real non-driver ID!), and in most circumstances, pay the fee. For many families, low-wage workers, stu dents, the elderly, the differently abled, the unhoused, communities of color already facing disproportionate barriers, these obstacles to the polls result in the suppres sion of these voices.

As Jews, we understand that democracy is strongest when the electorate reflects the population and that it suffers when cit izens are shut out from the democratic process. Voting is how we determine our

The U.S. and the Holocaust: A conflicted relationship

BY ERIC MINK

“The U.S. and the Holocaust,” a new documentary miniseries by filmmakers Ken Burns, Lynn Novick, Sarah Botstein and their colleagues, searches for the true essence of the United States of America in actions the country took and did not take in the years before, during and after the Holocaust.

The search unfolds through the small and large stories of people, nations and events we see and hear during three twohour presentations airing at 7 p.m. on three successive nights — Sept. 18, 19 and 20 — on PBS (Channel 9 in St. Louis and online at ninepbs.org).

An investment of six hours will bring a broader and clearer under standing of the elements that came together to make the Holocaust a reality and limited efforts to help Jews escape death: a worldwide economic depression, a world war, organized systems for mass murder created by Nazis for use against European Jewish populations, and ugly centu ries-old prejudices in the U.S. and elsewhere.

To tell these stories, Burns and his partner documentarians draw upon factual material from years of exhaustive research and rich archival film footage, much of it restored to pristine viewing quality.

The filmmakers then apply their award-winning profes sional skills to ensure that the stories hold together and the moving pictures, still photos and sounds connect with viewers’ hearts, as well as their brains.

Many of those emotional connections are made through the stories of people and families who were caught in the current of powerful forces of history they could not con

trol. You will see and hear from members of the Stern, Mendelsohn, Jaeger, Messinger, Hilsenrath and Geiringer families throughout the six-hour documentary.

I’ve watched all six hours, and it sometimes was as emo tionally challenging as it was historically enlightening.

Part One starts with the U.S. government’s enactment of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, the first time that admission to the United States was limited for people not born here. It concludes in 1938 just after Germany invades and occupies Austria.

It tracks federal and state policies and U.S. public opin ion opposed to immigration in the early 1930s, much of it

driven by outright racism and antisemitism among offi cials at the State Department and by a parallel vein of antisemitism that coursed just under the surface of U.S. society. And it describes the federal system for issuing entry visas to the United States that had the practical effect of denying admission to, among others, Jews in Europe trying to flee the growing Nazi threat.

Part One also explores the rapid growth during the Great Depression of U.S.-based Nazi supporters and other racist groups and the spread of fake-science claims that

future. It is how we fulfill the Talmudic teaching that a ruler is not to be appointed unless the community is first consulted.

Building community power and shifting racist systems that attack the very soul of our democracy, the right to vote, relies on building intentional relationships and deep trust. Partnering with the MO Voter Protection Coalition (led by CRC member Denise Lieberman), the State ID Access Coalition of St. Francis Xavier College Church, the League of Women Voters, the Tabernacle Community Development Foundation (TCDC) and others, Ashrei trained more than 60 volunteers in June and July, and then held the first North City Photo ID Clinic on Aug. 25.

With the support of roughly 25 volun teers from more than five congregations, and the dedicated staff of TCDC, College Church and Ashrei, the 4-hour clinic served 21 individuals and covered the costs of 21 Missouri birth certificates, 6 Missouri photo IDs, and 4 out of state birth

certificates. The overwhelming majority of clinic participants identified as Black, female and under 40 years old. We were

tinue to receive calls for help daily and have scheduled another clinic at the TCDC Hub on Sept. 10.

Truly moving our region forward does not mean a simple rearrangement of cur rent conditions, but rather, demonstrates the eradication of injustices and inequities and the introduction of the structures that guarantee the freedom, dignity and infinite worth of every individual. The fight for freedom and democracy in this country is the story of the fight for the right to vote, a fight the Jewish community has long been committed to.

What is happening in Missouri right now is part of the nationwide attack on the growing political power of Black, brown and minority communities. Working together, Ashrei and CRC and our many partners will continue to move our vision forward, to a more inclusive and more just community and nation for all.

To learn more about the work of the Ashrei Foundation and to get involved, please visit www.ashreifoundation.org

Eric Mink is a freelance writer and editor and teaches film studies at Webster University. He is a former colum nist for the St.  Louis Post-Dispatch and the Daily News in New York. Contact him at ericmink1@gmail.com.

even able to distribute 72 bus fares that day to ensure folks had the means to get to the DMV or Vital Records Office. We con

Ken Burns’ PBS series asks hard questions about how Americans treated Jews and immigrants during wartime

ABOVE: President Franklin Roosevelt in Washington, D.C., Nov. 9, 1943. PHOTO: NATIONAL ARCHIVES AND RECORDS ADMINISTRATION

LEFT: Immigrants wait to be transferred at Ellis Island, Oct. 30, 1912. PHOTO: LIBRARY OF CONGRESS

A German policeman checks the identification papers of Jewish people in the Krakow, Poland, 1941.

PHOTO: NATIONAL ARCHIVES IN KRAKOW

Rabbi Susan Talve, the founder and CEO of the Ashrei Foundation, leads a session at Central Reform Congregation training volunteers to help people get photo IDs, which will be required by law to vote in Missouri. The foundation will lead an upcoming training session on Sept. 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.

FRI. & SAT | SEPT. 9-10

Shabbaton with Rabbi Shafner

See related news brief on page 5A.

SUNDAY | SEPT. 11

Jews in Science series continues

Kol Rinah’s next Jews in Science online discussion takes place at 4 p.m. on Zoom. In advance of Isra el’s next election, Jewish Light Editor-in-Chief Emeritus Bob Cohn will discuss “Haunted by His tory: The Israeli elections and Political Science.” Cohn will share his expertise in political science, history and foreign affairs. To get the Zoom link, RSVP at https://bit.ly/KR-Sept11

Event to support Harvey Kornblum Jewish Food Pantry

See related news brief on page 6A.

MONDAY | SEPT. 12

Rabbi Smason on ‘7 Steps to Worry-Free Living’

Rabbi Ze’ev Smason will discuss “7 Steps to Worry-Free Living” from noon to 1 p.m. at NHBZ (650 N. Price Road) as part of the Crown on the Road series of events present ed by Crown Center and NHBZ. The cost is

Crown Café boxed lunch. Call 314-991-2055 for the menu, more information or to regis ter. Open to the community.

STARTING | SEPT. 12

Bais Abe plans 3-part ‘Forgiveness as a Spiritual Practice’

Join Bais Abe for a three-session prepara tion for the High Holidays through the lens of Mussar, co-facilitated by Cyndee Levy and Rabbi Garth Silberstein. Participants are asked to do their best to commit to all three sessions, which will take place at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 12 and 19 and Oct. 3 at the shul, 6910 Delmar Blvd. Register on the website (walkins are welcome as well) at https://www. baisabe.com/event/HighHolidayMussar, or call 314-721-3030 or office@baisabe.com.

TUESDAY | SEPT. 13

ABCs of Judaism with Rabbi Smason

From noon to 1 p.m., Rabbi Ze’ev Smason of NHBZ will continue the “ABCs of Judaism series” during an in-person session at the Mirowitz Center. Smason will discuss whether honesty is always the best policy and how to begin again in the Jewish New Year. Free and open to the community. Reg ister online at http://bit.ly/Register_Mirow itzCenter or call 314-733-9813.

Jewish Book Festival event with Michael Twitty

In his book “Koshersoul: The Faith and

Michael W. Twitty considers the marriage of two of the most distinctive culinary cultures in the world today: the foods and traditions of the African Atlantic and the global Jewish diaspora. To Twitty, the creation of Afri can-Jewish cooking is a conversation of migrations and a dialogue of diasporas offer ing a rich background for inventive recipes and the people who create them. Learn more at this St. Louis Jewish Book Festival event at

7 p.m. at the Jewish Community Center, 2 Millstone Campus Drive. Presented in con junction with Sababa Arts & Culture Festival. For more information, go to https://jccstl. com/festival-events-schedule/

Kolot Women’s Choir rehearsal

See related news brief on page 6A.

WEDNESDAY | SEPT. 14

Mirowitz Center trip to Heritage Museum in St. Peters

From 1-4 p.m., take a Mirowitz Center “field trip” to the Heritage Museum to view the new exhibit, “The American Revolutionary War in the West,” which has never been on display before. The exhibit features rare arti facts, original documents, uniforms, flags, and interactive components that explore life in the Mississippi River Valley region during the American Revolutionary War and western contributions to the war. Note: Community members will need to arrange their own transportation to the Heritage Museum located at 1630 Heritage Landing, St. Peters. Free and open to the community. Register online at http://bit.ly/Register_MirowitzCen ter or call 314-733-9813.

Chabad of Chesterfield plans groundbreaking for new center

See related news brief on page 5A.

Babka class with Giti Freedman

At 7 p.m. the Jewish Women’s Society will hold a welcome back event. Catch up with ST.

Continued on opposite page

Robert A. Cohn

Author Michael W. Twitty will discuss his book ‘Koshersoul: The Faith and Food Journey of an Afrian American Jew’ on Sept. 13 at the J.

friends, enjoy sushi and wine, and learn how to make babka. The event is hosted by Cindy Becker, Amy Herman, Bonnie Mann, Peggy Umansky and Melanie Winograd. The cost is $36 per person (includes a round challah and two babkas for Rosh Hashanah). The event will be held at the Aish Firehouse, 457 N. Woods Mill Road in Chesterfield. RSVP to Mimi David at 314-862-2474 or mimidavid@ aish.com.

THURSDAY | SEPT. 15

NCJWSTL plans lunch and learn Legal MO, the initiative that would legal ize marijuana for personal use for those 21 years old or older and allow individuals con victed of non-violent marijuana-related offenses to petition to be released from incarceration and/or have their records expunged, will be on the ballot in November. To find out about this and more, NCJWSTL is teaming up with the JCRC to welcome John Payne, campaign manager of Legal MO, and Sharon Geuea Jones, the founding member of the Jones Advocacy Group, for a free lunch and learn at noon. Visit https:// bit.ly/Sept22LnL to register. For more infor mation, email Jen Bernstein at jbernstein@ ncjwstl.org or call 314-993-5181.

Mirowitz Center talk on ‘Angels in Judaism’

From 2-3 p.m., Rabbi Avi Rubenfeld, director of Chabad of Chesterfield, will return to the Mirowitz Center for an encore presentation to his Angels, Demons & Magic class to discuss the Jewish belief in angels. This online program is co-sponsored by Chabad of Chesterfield and the Mirowitz Center. Free and open to the community. Register online at http://bit.ly/Register_ MirowitzCenter or call 314-733-9813.

‘Meet the Janes – The Heroes of Abortion Before Roe v. Wade’ NCJWSTL will present a screening of the film “Meet the Janes – The Heroes of Abor tion Before Roe v. Wade” and pre- and postfilm discussions, from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at the Ethical Society of St. Louis, 9001 Clayton Road. Prior to the screening, journalist Charles Jaco will give a brief introduction about his time spent with the real Janes. At the conclusion of the film, Stacey Newman of ProgressWomen, will discuss how to take action. The program is free, but RSVPs are required at https://conta.cc/3Peslzi. There will be no walk-ins allowed at the event. Proof of COVID vaccination or negative test is also required to enter. Masks are optional, but highly encouraged. For more informa tion, email Jen Bernstein at jbernstein@ ncjwstl.org or call 314-993-5181.

SATURDAY | SEPT. 17

Tot Shabbat at at Kol Rinah

At 10:30 a.m., join a one-hour musical Shabbat service for families with young kids. Service will be outdoors in the court yard or in the Guller Chapel. For questions, contact Karen Kern - karen@kolrinahstl.org

SUNDAY | SEPT. 18

Jewish War Veterans meeting

Jewish War Veterans Post 644 meetings will take place via Zoom for the foreseeable future at 10 a.m. the third Sunday each month. For more information contact Post 644 Commander Ellis Frohman at 636-5197512.

Sababa Jewish Arts and Culture Festival returns

See related story on page 1A.

MONDAY | SEPT. 19

‘Mamas in Pajamas’ with Mimi David

“Mamas in Pajamas: Lessons for Ladies from the weekly Torah portion” with Mimi David will meet from 8:30-9:30 a.m. Learn something meaningful and inspiring from the comfort of your home. Go to Zoom.

us/j/9699246316 or dial in to 312-626-6799 and enter meeting ID 9699246316.

TUESDAY | SEPT. 20

NCJWSTL Coffee Talk with SnL features Dianna Fine

There’s challah, and then there’s that memorable, melt-in-your-mouth challah like Dianna Fine’s special challah (egg bread). It’s no wonder it’s good - she has spent 47 years perfecting her sweet, deli cious recipe that she was expected to bring to every family holiday and celebration. When not baking challah and perfecting other recipes, she has worked in private practice for more than 25 years as a licensed professional counselor. Join Fine and NCJWSTL at noon to learn her how-to secrets for making delicious challah - just in time for the Jewish holidays. Visit https:// bit.ly/September22CT to register for the September Coffee Talk.

Chabad of Chesterfield offers Challah Baking Workshop

At 7 p.m., Chabad of Chesterfield will host an interactive and hands on Loaves of Love Challah Baking Workshop at its tem porary space in Chesterfield Mall in prepa ration for the Jewish New Year. The work shop will highlight the traditional Rosh Hashana round challah eaten at the Jewish New Year. Some believe the round shape represents a crown for God or that the cir cular shape represents the cyclical nature of the year. Everyone will leave with a challah for themselves as well as one to share with a friend. The event will be followed by a challah tasting and honey bar. RSVP required. $36 per person covers supplies and ingredients. For more info visit: www. ChabadOfChesterfield.com/challah.

Sharsheret’s Breast and Ovarian Cancer Support Group - via Zoom

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 ed by a licensed clinical social worker, this group meets from 6:15 to 7:30 p.m. on the third Wednesday via zoom until further notice. Newcomers are always welcome along with female family and friends. Free, but pre-registration is requested to Debbi Braunstein at 314-442-3266 or dbraun stein@jccstl.org.

THURSDAY | SEPT. 22

Mirowitz Center discussion: Rock the November Vote

The November general elections will determine U.S. House, Senate, and state legislature seats. Jennifer Lohman, regional coordinator for the Missouri Voter Protec tion Coalition’s Election Protection Field Program and Chair of MOVPC’s Anti-Disin formation Committee, will lead an online discussion from 2-3 p.m. about current reg istration and voting regulations. This pro gram is co-sponsored by the JCRC, NCJW STL, Women’s Voices Raised for Social Jus tice and the Mirowitz Center. Free and open to the community. Register online at http:// bit.ly/Register_MirowitzCenter or call 314733-9813.

SUNDAY | SEPT. 25

Chabad of Chesterfield Rosh Hashanah Dinner

Chabad of Chesterfield will offer their annual six-course community Rosh Hasha nah dinner, following the conclusion of ser vices, at the the Hilton Garden Inn, 16631 Chesterfield Grove Road. Services begin at 7 p.m. and dinner is expected to begin at 7:30 p.m. RSVPs for the dinner are required by Sept. 21. Limited space available. The cost is $54 per person before Sept.15 ($60 after). Services are free. RSVP required at www.chabadofchesterfield.com. Email rabbi@chabadofchesterfield.com or call 636-778-4000 for more information.

TRAVIS WAYNE BAKER, August 18, 2022

Beloved husband of Judy E. Schwartz-Baker.  Dear son of Norman Baker and the late Anna Mae Baker of Missouri.  Beloved son-in-law of the late Shirley Sarah Schwartz and the late Morton L. Schwartz, Sr. of St. Louis, MO.  Dear loving father of Samuel, Joseph, Justin, and Alex.  Travis is survived by many caring relatives and friends.

His father, Norman, helped Travis get a job at the Chrysler Plant in Fenton, MO in March 1995.  Travis was a dedicated worker and stood-up for Union jobs everywhere. He was well on his way to a 30-year retirement program working with the company, now owned by Stellantis.  In 2009 the Fenton plant closed and he transferred to the Illinois plant.  His family remained in St. Louis to enjoy the many opportunities (educationally and Judaically), and Travis would commute back to St. Louis bi-weekly to be with them. We love Travis and he will truly be missed here on Earth!  He loved family, work, G-d, and the word!  The family appreciates all of the kindness that has been bestowed upon them since this very unexpected tragedy.

Funeral services were held Thursday, Aug. 25 at New Mt. Sinai Cemetery Mausoleum Chapel, 8430 Gravois Road. Live stream available at www.rindskopfroth.com. Contributions in his memory may be made to a GoFundMe account that has been set up to help Travis’ family (https://gofund.me/f409f737).

A Rindskopf-Roth Service

SUZANNE DEE BIERMAN, August 21, 2022

Beloved wife of William Bierman; dear mother and mother-in-law of Richard Bierman (Lisa) and Beth Bierman (Angela); dear grandmother of Raven Bierman, Hannah Bierman and Gabriel Bierman; dear greatgrandmother of Orion Sogn and Leo Marshall; dear sister and sister-in-law of the late Harold Zager (late Emily) and Allen Bierman (Susan); dear aunt of Jamie Hinton and Alison Gutterman; dear cousin of Howard Hian, Marion Lowenfish and Caroline Edricks;

A graveside service was held Thursday, Aug. 25 at Chesed Shel Emeth Cemetery 650 White Road. Please visit bergermemorialchapel.com for more information. Berger Memorial Service

LUCILLE CUPPLES, September 1, 2022

Beloved wife of the late John “Jack” Naber Cupples. Dear mother of David Cupples, Janet Kolthammer and son-in-law, Peter Kolthammer, and the late Jay Cupples. Loving grandmother of Ryan Cupples, Jodi Hiland and Jason (Chevy) Hiland and great-grandmother of Caden Cupples, Evan and Nolan Akers. Beloved sister of the late Harriet Goodman.

Private family interment service. Please visit www.rindskopfroth.com for more information. Contributions in her memory may be made to the charity of the donor’s choice.

A Rindskopf-Roth Service

SUSAN FADEM, September 3, 2022. Age 73.

Pioneering career woman, veteran journalist, award-winning writer, author, movie facilitator, discussion catalyst, jewelry designer, St. Louis icon, and friend to all. After valiantly living with stage IV melanoma for over a year, Susan died peacefully with her daughters by her side, her hands gently folded in theirs, and her heart full of gratitude.

Beloved wife of the late Richard Andersen and the late Rod Fadem (father of her daughters); extraordinary mother of Kimmie (Ray) Donlon and Michelle (Josh) Kashinsky; glorious “Gaga” of Rosie and Fiona Kashinsky and Cecilia Charlotte Donlon; cherished sister of Mark (Audrey) Sherman, and Wendy (Mike) Flotken; adored aunt of Diane (Michael) Packman, and Bryan Fadem; loving great aunt to Amanda (Michael) Stein, Josh (Allison) Packman, Ben (Aviva) Packman, Cynthia (Sharon) Fadem, and Michael Fadem; and dear daughter of the late Charlotte and Nat Sherman.

Susan was an ebullient and ever curious soul with vibrant energy and “unsinkable optimism.” Known for her radiant Mary Tyler Moore smile and boundless sense of adventure, she was a self-described “joy-filled, true-blue proponent of rejoicing” who was the life of every party—most of which she threw!

Susan was a fan of “cultural arts extravaganzas,” afternoons of exchanging ideas, and “all-day birthday / potluck bashes.” A beacon for inclusion, she was often described as “the glue” that bonded her multitude of communities, including the beloved Movie Salon she founded 20 years ago and the Thinking Women’s Book Club (whose members are affectionately known as “Bookie Sistahs”) she co-founded in 2003.

After the recurrence of her melanoma, she wrote, “Life is sooo sweet, fulfilling. Brimming with boundless wonder and still uncharted appreciation that only seems to deepen with time.”

A funeral will be held on Friday, September 9, at 11:30 am at Bellerive Gardens Cemetery (740 N Mason Rd, St. Louis, MO 63141) followed by Shiva at 3:00 pm at Congregation Temple Israel (1 Rabbi Alvan D Rubin Dr, St. Louis, MO 63141).

Susan’s name will be read during Shabbat Services at 6:30 pm. To honor her vibrant life, please wear the spirited colors that always adorned her signature head scarves.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Susan’s memory to the OLLI Scholarship Fund of the Osher Lifelong Learning Classes at Washington University, which nourished her insatiable quest for knowledge up until her final week of life.

A Rindskopf-Roth Service

SHIRLEY POHN FINGER, August 26, 2022

Beloved wife of Norman Finger (Z”L) for 65 years; Cherished mother and mother-in-law of Laurie (Stuart) Cohen and Ira (Suellen) Finger; dear daughter of Jennie (Z”L) and Louis (Z”L) Pohn; dear sister of George (Z”L) (Lorraine, Z”L) (Millie, Z”L) Pohn; adored grandmother of Emily Cohen and Amanda (Joseph) Leibu; dear cousin, aunt, greataunt, and friend to many. Thank you to Vickie for taking care of our mother for 20 years and thank you to the Brookdale Creve Coeur caregivers.

A graveside service was held at Beth Hamedrosh Hagodol Cemetery, 9125 Ladue Rd on Sunday, Aug. 28. Memorial contributions preferred to the Brad Cohen Tourette Foundation and Congregation B’nai Amoona.  The service will be livestreamed at www.bergermemorialchapel.com.

Berger Memorial Service

Obituaries continue on opposite page

JULIE MYRA KALMAN passed away on August 7, 2022 after a long illness.

Julie was born in Lafayette, Indiana on September 4,1968, and lived in Olivette, Missouri.

She is survived by her parents, Barry and Sheila Kalman; aunts and uncles Linda Michelson (Lee); Bonnie Rosen (Steve); Andrea Kempf (Bill); Cindy Kalman; Sharon Kalman (Harlan deceased); Uncle Les Kalman DO (Sandy); her Dansker and Kalman cousins and special friend Steve Smith.  She was the granddaughter of Jack and Sylvia Dansker and Milton and Irene Kalman.

Julie attended Horton Watkins Ladue High School and graduated from Washington University School of Engineering with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science.  She was devoted to the family dogs Muffin, Barkley and Gilly.  She supported many non-profit organizations for animal welfare and advocated for women’s rights.

There will be a memorial service gathering.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Harvey Kornblum Jewish Food Pantry, 1060 Baur Blvd, St. Louis, MO 63132 or to the charity of your choice.

DAVID EMIL KANTROVITZ passed away peacefully on the evening of Monday, August 22nd, 2022 at the age of 78.

Beloved and devoted husband of 52 years to Barbara Brodsky Kantrovitz; adored father of Debbey (Glenn) Guy, David (Melissa) Kantrovitz Jr., Daniel (Brenna) Kantrovitz and Andrew Kantrovitz; proud Grampsy to Jordan, Andy, Adam, Emily, Katie, Lily and Vida; dear son of the late Doris Jane Herr and the late Nathan Kantrovitz; brother of the late Joel and the late Mark Kantrovitz; cherished cousin of Florann Kessell.

David was a Sergeant in the United States Army and was awarded the Purple Heart and Bronze Star medals for his service in Vietnam. The Kantrovitz family is forever grateful to Robert Taylor, Randy Taylor and Rena McGee for their love, care and support. The family would like to thank the staff at Parc Provence for their care and compassion.

A graveside service was held Friday, Aug. 26 at B’nai Amoona Cemetery, 930 North and South Road. Contributions may be made in David’s memory to Backstoppers (backstoppers.org), Disabled American Veterans (dav.org) or to the charity of your choice.

A Rindskopf-Roth Service

GAIL MADALEINE PERRY PERSKY passed on September 2, 2022, at the age of 68, peacefully after a brief battle with acute illness, with her children by her side.

Known for her selflessness, Gail was beloved by all who knew her - her family, friends, and almost anyone with whom she had the opportunity to become acquainted. While she leaves behind her children Jason Persky, Nicole (Jackson) McLemore, and Jessica Persky; grandchildren Lorelai, Raegan, and Annabelle McLemore; sister Lisa Perry (Bruce) Uhrmacher and nephews Ari and Paul Uhrmacher; her legacy and heart will forever continue.

Though she was proud of her teaching accomplishments, Gail was the consummate educator, obtaining her Master’s in Special Education in order to better help her students.  In addition, she was a skilled artist in the mediums of pastels and oils. More than anything was the core of her being in that she never met anyone to whom she did not give of herself and try to help in any way possible.

-Goodbyes are only for those who love with their eyes. Because for those who love with heart and soul there is no such thing as separation

Funeral services were held Monday, Sept. 5 at Berger Memorial Chapel, followed by Interment at Beth Shalom Cemetery, 650 White Rd.  The service was livestreamed at www. bergermemorialchapel.com. Memorial contributions preferred to Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation or Shriner’s Hospital for Children. Berger Memorial Service

DENNIS PRICE, August 26, 2022

Cherished son of Margie Price and the late Herschel Price. Dear brother of Melissa Price Smith, Teresa Price Bomkamp and Carolyn Koontz. Loving uncle of Luke and Grace Smith, William and Charlie Bomkamp. Beloved nephew of Emma Love Marshall, Jerry (Nam) Klich and Jack (the late Bubbles) Bolozky. Dear cousin and friend to many.

Dennis was a huge fan of Van Halen, and one of his prized possessions was a photo of himself with the band, which proudly hung in his room. The band made Dennis an honorary 5th member. When you think of Dennis, remember he was a shining example of how to overcome adversity. He never lost his beautiful smile. The family would like to thank the many family members and friends for their support throughout Dennis’ journey. Lastly, thank you to the staff of Delmar Gardens West for their love and care.

Private family services were held. Contributions in his memory may be made to the St. Louis Men’s Group Against Cancer, 12951 Olive Blvd., St. Louis, MO, 63141 (https://www. mensgroupagainstcancer.org/How-You-CanHelp/Tributes). A Rindskopf-Roth Service

OBITUARIES INDEX

Baker, Travis Wayne Bierman, Suzanne Dee Cupples, Lucille Fadem, Susan Finger, Shirley Pohn Kalman, Julie Myra Kantrovitz, David Emil

Persky, Gail Madaleine Perry Price, Dennis Scobel, Marilyn Steinback, Delores Sonya Williams, Daniel Scott

DELORES SONYA STEINBACK, 94. July 20, 1928 – August 27, 2022.

Our dear Delores, beloved wife of the late Harlan Steinback, passed away peacefully on August 27, 2022 in Scottsdale, Arizona with her sons Dale (Janet) and Gary by her side.

Daughter of the late Jack Gentle and the late Mathilda Sakowsky Gentle, ‘Snooky’ spent most of her life in St. Louis, before retiring to Rancho Mirage, California.

MARILYN SCOBEL, August 24, 2022

Beloved wife of 64 years of Gordon Scobel. Cherished  mother of Geoffrey (Christine) Scobel and Bradley (Kimberly) Scobel. Adoring grandmother of Benjamin & Emily Scobel and Ryan & Brendan Scobel. Dear sister of Sanford (Kim) Miller. Loving daughter of the late Edward & Miriam Miller.

She was a remarkable mother, forgoing career work while caring for infant sons and volunteering at their grade school to stay close to them when they got older. She was also a brilliant businesswoman who managed and assisted in merchandising a clothing department at Saks Fifth Ave., did freelance writing on Service Radio Programs for 4 radio stations, and was responsible for 3 H&R Block tax offices in all facets of the business for several years. After moving to Detroit she resumed work, consulting on a new retail business in Troy, MI for 2 years before becoming Regional VP for 9 Midwest Tennis Lady stores, culminating in an incredibly successful 17 year management stint for the wonderful Roz & Sherm Fashion store.

She did everything with an ease, grace and genuine concern for everyone she worked or interacted with and was treasured by many customers for whom she always told the truth about what looked good and what didn’t.

She loved her family and her husband with a fierce and undying love that defies description and made friends everywhere she went, even with the doctors and nurses she met while beating two bouts of Cancer, all while maintaining a positive, joyful attitude. She was a rare, unique and beautiful human being who will be loved and missed daily in the hearts of her family and the many people whose lives she touched during her active 83 years of a memorable life.

The Ira Kaufman Chapel, Southfield, MI

She was an avid golfer, bridge enthusiast, fashionista, and successful, self-taught businesswoman, adored by her many friends and family in St. Louis and in Palm Springs.

She loved her grandchildren Jay (Amanda Alejandro) Steinback, the late Julia Steinback, Jamie (Adam) Colombo, and Scott (Ashley) Steinback, and her great-grandchildren Clive and Orson Steinback.

She was pre-deceased by her late sister Marlene Gentle Haspiel, and her late brother-inlaw and sister-in-law Norman and Myrna Steinback.

A private service was held in Scottsdale. Memorial contributions can be made to Cystic Fibrosis Foundation – Gateway Chapter (8251 Maryland Ave #12, 63105) or to the charity of your choice.

DANIEL SCOTT WILLIAMS died on August 23, 2022, at the age of 36.

Husband of Stephanie Myles; father of Flannery Myles-Williams; son of Adam (Tania) Williams; brother of Sarah (Rhoda Nazanin) Williams and the late Brendan (Jessica) Williams; misanthropic friend of many.

Daniel grew up in Maplewood and attended Webster University, from which he received a bachelor’s degree and later a master’s degree (which he loved to lord over his wife). He was an audio engineer/ editor by trade and a writer by accident, working in the fields of on-hold messaging, podcasting, short films, and teaching. He played the drums real loud in a lot of bands around town, including Commichung, Bear Cub, The Campfire Club, From This We Escape, The Romans Were Right, Another Liability, The Aquatic Record, Everyone Else Is Robots, New Dad, This City of Takers, and Candy Lion (he was only kicked out of two).

Daniel could swing a hammer, place a microphone, change a tire, and cook a hearty breakfast. He once wooed a lady so hard she married him. She demanded a baby and he made it so, because he was a champion. He lived with circus folk and communed with animals.

American Flag symbol denotes a United States military veteran.

A private funeral will be held for immediate family only, with a memorial to follow when the time is right. In lieu of flowers (which will be eaten by cats), please send donations to: Missouri Abortion Fund, SURJ.org, Arch City Defenders, or Metro Trans Umbrella Group.

Sarah Gershenson and Andrew Andereck were married June 4, 2022 at the St. Louis Art Museum. Rabbi Howard Kaplansky of United Hebrew Congregation officiated.

Sarah is the daughter of Debbie and Dean Gershenson of Chesterfield and the granddaughter of Harvey and the late Audrey Gershenson of St. Louis, and the late Ruth and Melvin Miller.

Andrew is the son of Debbie and Roger Hunt of Manchester and the grandson of the late Mary Catherine Andereck.

Jennifer Sutton served as Maid of Honor. The brides maids included friends Ashley Specter, Caitlin Poelker and Karen Berman, as well as the groom’s sisters, Courtney Wells and Kyle McCool. The groom’s niece, Campbell McCool, served as the junior bridesmaid.

Andrew Sommer served as Best Man. The groomsmen were friends Matt Specter and Mason Poelker, as well as the groom’s brother, Patrick Hunt, and the bride’s brother, Scott Gershenson.

Flower girls were Ryann McCool, Winnie Wells, Barrett Wells and Thea Wells, all nieces of the groom.

Sarah and Andrew honeymooned in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. The couple resides in St. Louis.

Shea Scholl, daughter of Tim and Marty Scholl of Jackson, Mo., and Thomas Schmittdiel, son of Thomas & Randee Schmittdiel of Chesterfield, have announced their engagement.

Shea is the granddaughter of Marlene Scholl and the late Ray Scholl of Jackson, Mo., and Antonia Ponder and the late Norbert Ponder of Perryville, Mo.

Thomas is the grandson of the late Thomas and Margaret Schmittdiel of Detroit, and Sanford and Sandra Brickman of St. Louis.

The bride-to-be attended the University of Missouri-Columbia and graduated with a master’s in occupational therapy. She is an occupational therapist at the University of Chicago Medical Center.

The groom-to-be attended Parkway Central High School and the University of Missouri-Columbia. He received his M.D. from the University of Missouri School of Medicine. Thomas is cur rently a family medicine resident at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Chicago.

Thomas and Shea attended the same university, but their paths never crossed until Shea’s final semester of grad school, when they were introduced by a mutual friend at a Halloween party.

In December of 2021, Thomas proposed to Shea in Chicago surrounded by their friends, who disguised the proposal and engagement party as a holiday gift exchange. To make the night even more special, Thomas surprised Shea with a video of friends and family expressing their love and congratulations.

A June 2023 wedding is planned.

- Beth Feldman -

Samantha Joy Halpern, daughter of Randi Halpern and Chuck Halpern of St. Louis, and Jonathan Stuart Cline, son of Nancy and Steve Cline of Kansas City, have announced their engagement.

Samantha is the granddaughter of the late Doris and Alex Silverman of Kansas City, and the late Pearl and Jack Halpern of Kansas City.

Jon is the grandson of the late Helen and Marvin Gale of Kansas City, and the late Helen and Alvin Clutz of Kansas City.

Samantha is a graduate of Parkway Central High School. She received a Bachelor of Health Sciences degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia, a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from the Goldfarb School of Nursing at Barnes-Jewish College, and a Master of Science in Nursing from Texas Woman’s University. She is currently a hepa tology nurse practitioner at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

Jon attended Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy in Kansas City. He graduated from the University of Kansas where he earned his Bachelor of Arts, Juris Doctor, and Master of Business Administration. He is currently a real estate attorney for Honigman LLP.

The couple met at a Rosh Hashanah dinner at a mutual friend’s house. They shared a piece of gefilte fish and have been inseparable ever since!

- Mimi & Marty Levy -

- Judy & Larry Feldman -

- Howard & Jeannie Rader -

Marla and Pavel Belogorodskiy of Ellisville would like to announce the birth of their twin daughters, Susannah and Lyubov Belogorodskiy on June 17, 2022, at Mercy Hospital in St. Louis.

Susannah and Lyubov are the

granddaughters of Alla and Leonid Belogorodskiy of Ellisville, and Andy and the late Susie Zimmerman. They are great-granddaughters of the late Oleg and Lyubov Chauskina, the late Nate and Dolores Preston and the late Harriet and Monroe Zimmerman.

HALPERN-CLINE

PHOTO COURTESY OF SARAH CORBETT PHOTOGRAPHY

“Robin, so sorry to hear of your beloved Mom’s passing. Thinking of you and your family during this difficult time.”

- Joan Lingeman“Our deepest sympathy to you and your family.”

- Fran & Chuck Mannis“Robin, I am so sorry for the loss of your beloved mom.”

“Robin, We are thinking of you and your dad. You are an amazing daughter and we know that you are missing your beloved mother.”

“Beloved wife, mother, grandmother and friend.” Love,

non-whites were biologically inferior to whites.

It wasn’t by accident, the film notes, that 1935 Nazi laws stripping Jews of all rights and status in Europe owed much to Jim Crow laws already in use in southern American states to deny rights to Blacks.

Part Two covers the period from 1938 through 1942, including the Nazi seizure of Poland and, two years later, western parts of the western Soviet Union. These actions left large Jewish populations subject to escalating Nazi campaigns of mass murder.

This period also includes the widespread violence against Jews by Nazi SS troops, Gestapo secret police and German civil ians on Kristallnacht (Nov. 9, 1939), which drew substantial coverage and condemna tion in U.S. newspapers. The negative cov erage, however, did not lead Congress to lift or loosen immigration quotas that would have allowed more Jews to escape German control.

Neither did credible 1942 reports to Washington from diplomats and others that Hitler had begun speaking explicitly about exterminating all Jews in Europe.

The third and final night of the film doc uments the Nazi activation of an extermi nation plan to use poison gas chambers to significantly increase the death toll of Jews; U.S. entry into World War II in late 1941; and the later advance of allied troops and the eventual liberation of Nazi concen tration and death camps.

The film also reports how rebellious offi cials in the Treasury Department began urging a resistant President Franklin D. Roosevelt to increase actions to rescue European Jews facing death. He created a War Refugee Board that made progress in that direction.

A concluding section of Part Three addresses troubling questions about

antisemitism and white supremacy in the United States at the time of the Holocaust and how much those factors inhibited fed eral action to save Jewish lives before and during World War II. It then looks at the degree to which a resurgence of those ugly prejudices today interferes with America being able to live up to its ideals.

Taken as a whole, the documentary leaves no doubt that the U.S. government did not do as much as it could have to save Jewish lives during the early Nazi years and World War II. Nor is there any question that antisemitism at many levels of society here and abroad, including within the U.S. government, contributed to those failures.

But the film also grants that the situation in the United States was more complicated at the time than some analysts now con tend with the benefit of historical hind sight. Still, our country could have done

more and should have done better. And in the future, we should know better.

Finally, I want to describe a moment in the last half of Part Three that caught me completely by surprise.

It is a piece of archival film from 1945 — rare for having its original sound. It records an event at the Dachau concentra tion camp sometime after its liberation by U.S. troops.

In the segment, a man stands on a wood en platform before a large group of liberat ed prisoners. Speaking into a microphone, he identifies himself as David Max Eichhorn, a U.S. Army Captain and also a rabbi. He holds in his arms a covered Torah scroll. Behind him is what appears to be a small, portable wooden ark.

He speaks briefly to the gathered men, affirming his gratitude for their presence and their survival and his respect for them.

And then he begins to sing to them in Hebrew. It is a familiar prayer, though I could not name it. The camera shifts to the men standing and listening, and you can see some of them moving their lips to the words.

Now, I am proud to be Jewish. I am proud of my Jewish family heritage. But I am not observant.

Nevertheless, when Rabbi/Capt. Eichhorn began to sing on the screen I was watching, I was overcome with tears and sobbing that continued until the segment ended. I had the same reaction when I watched the segment a second time. And, truth be told, I have had to fight back the same reaction as I type this account.

I can’t explain this, and I don’t want to try to analyze it. But it was not some thing I anticipated as I watched this sixhour documentary as I prepared to write about it.

FAR Rabbi Stephen Wise address Madison Square Jewish

AT Statue Liberty from Ellis Island.

PHOTOS:

FEATURES

ARTS AND CULTURE FOOD HOLIDAYS LIFESTYLES

Serve up ‘unusual’ fruits this Rosh Hashanah

BY MARGI LENGA KAHN SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH LIGHT

Rosh Hashanah, which begins at sundown Sunday, Sept. 25, ushers in the 10 “Days of Awe,” which culminate with Yom Kippur. Rosh Hashanah is a beautiful holiday on its own, rich with symbolism and traditions that cele brate the New Year.

I have wonderful childhood memories of our family gatherings and traditions for Rosh Hashanah. My sister Bobbie and I would get new dresses to wear to services, and our dinner table would be set with our finest embroi dered tablecloth, china, crystal and specially polished sil ver serving dishes. By dinnertime, our house would be filled with family, close friends and the aromas of that holiday meal.

My mother made every part of that feast from scratch: raisin challah, Polish-style sweet gefilte fish, chicken soup with tender-filled kreplach, honey-glazed carrots, sauteed green beans, sweet-and-sour cabbage rolls, roast chicken, a colorful fruit-filled Jell-O mold, a munificent apple torte, and to-die-for chocolate-walnut rugelach. Before enjoying this special feast, we lit candles, chanted the kiddush, said the hamotzi over the challah, and dipped apple slices in honey, just as many of us still do.

But, as I recently learned, on the second night of Rosh Hashanah fruit has an added significance. I had always known that fruit played an important role in the Rosh Hashanah meal. Those apples that we dip in honey and the sweet apple cake are symbolic of our hope for a sweet year ahead. And though certainly not as prevalent in

Jeweled Farro Pilaf

(Recipe adapted from Flavors of the Sun by Christine Sahadi Whelan)

Don’t even think about skipping the first step of this recipe. The toasted farro is what sets this dish apart from all other grain dishes. Do pay attention, however, when toasting the farro. It can go from perfectly toasted to burned in a matter of seconds!

INGREDIENTS:

3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, divided

1 c. pearled farro (bulk or grain aisle section Whole Foods)

2 ½ c. vegetable broth or water

1 tsp. fine sea salt

¼ tsp. ground white pepper

1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper (optional)

½ c. dried apricots, cut into thin strips

½ c. golden raisins

1/3 c. finely minced red onion

½ c. chopped fresh cilantro

3 tbsp. pomegranate molasses (available at Whole Foods and most ethnic grocery’s)

2-4 tbsp. fresh pomegranate arils (seeds)

Ashkenazi cuisine as in Sephardic cuisine, many holiday dishes contain other fruit, as well. Examples include carrot tzimmes, fruit-infused gravy for brisket, that iconic “Silver Palate” Chicken Marbela (a popularized Jewish American holiday dish), green salad tossed with fresh or dried fruits, and a variety of rice and other grain dishes that are cooked or garnished with dried fruits.

There is, however, another tradition reserved for the second night of Rosh Hashanah: following the kiddush on that night, we are supposed to sample an “unusual” fruit. To qualify as “unusual,” the fruit should be one you have never had before (or at least not eaten during the past year).

According to the rabbis, this tradi tion comes from the fact that Rosh Hashanah, unlike Hanukkah, Sukkot, Passover and the other Jewish holidays, is the only holiday where we recite the Shehecheyanu blessing on not just the first night but also on the second night. The transla tion of that blessing is: “Blessed are You Eternal Spirit who has given us life, sus tained us, and allowed us to arrive in this moment.” It celebrates a new first experi ence, and by reciting it, we express grati tude for being present to experience that

See UNUSUAL FRUITS

DIRECTIONS:

1.     Heat 1 tbsp. olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add farro and toast, stirring frequently, until aromatic and golden brown.  Add salt, white pepper, and cayenne (if using) and stir. Add broth or water, stir, and bring mixture to a boil. Cover saucepan and simmer for 25-35 minutes, or until farro is just getting tender (avoid letting it get mushy). If farro is tender before all the liquid has been absorbed, drain excess liquid by putting the farro in a colander.

2.     Transfer farro to a large bowl and add apricot strips, golden raisins, minced red onion, and cilantro; gently mix until everything is evenly combined. Drizzle pomegranate molasses and remaining 2 tbsp. olive oil over mixture. Gently fold into grain mixture. Before serving, garnish pilaf with pomegranate arils. (Pilaf can be enjoyed warm or at room temperature. It’s even good cold on day #2!)

Makes 6-8 side servings.

RECIPE

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

What happened in Vegas isn’t staying in Vegas

BY AMY FENSTER BROWN

When you think of a wholesome family vacation Las Vegas probably doesn’t top the list. So that’s exactly why we went there. Jeff loves Vegas, but Davis, Leo and I had never been. With two teenage boys, Sin City sounded like a good option. (Mother of the year!)

It’s fun planning what to wear on vaca tion. Vegas screams sequins, low cut tops and micro-mini skirts. Unfortunately, my closet screams Ann Taylor Loft, Old Navy, and “Help!” The most daring thing I own is a sleeveless top, something far too ris qué for me to wear at home. (Mother’s upper arms aren’t her best feature.) I packed it because Jeff says I should change my rules in another city since nobody knows me there.

I boarded the airplane and saw two peo

ple I know. Luckily, I wasn’t wearing the sleeveless top. I would never because God forbid the plane crashed and I couldn’t fig ure out that whole “seat-as-a-floatation-de vice” deal, I could take off my sleeved shirt, tie the sleeves, and flop it around to fill it with air like we learned in high school water safety class.

Masks should be required on airplanes. Not due to COVID, but due to bad breath. Several passengers were in the heavy throes of severe halitosis. Airlines should hand out mandatory mints at the gate. Either that, or passengers have to swear on a stack of Bibles not to eat garlic within 24 hours of boarding.

There was a bit of turbulence, which always strikes while I am in the airplane bathroom. Being trapped in that broom closet 30,000 feet in the sky while the air craft is being shaken like a craft cocktail

made me feel the way a silver ball in a pin ball machine must feel. Tilt!

It reminded me of a flight I took years ago. Time for a flashback scene, a reenact ment of actual events.

On that flight, as predicted, I was in the bathroom when the pilot turned on the “fasten your seat belt” sign because of heavy turbulence. I was jostled about like a popcorn kernel in hot oil. When I got out a flight attendant greeted me.

AAANNNDDD ACTION!

Flight attendant – Are you OK?

Me – Yes, but I think I touched things I hadn’t planned on touching.

AAANNNDDD SCENE!

Surprisingly on our trip home we had that

same flight attendant from the previous week.

AAANNNDDD ACTION!

Me – You were our flight attendant last week!

Flight attendant – I remember you! You touched things you hadn’t planned on touching. I’ve been talking about you all week!

See VEGAS

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

View Margi’s recipes for Roasted Cauliflower with Lentils, Dates, and Pomegranate and a Fresh Fruit Sorbet Dessert— Page 4B

PASSIONATE PALATE

PHOTO: MICHAEL KAHN

BY GABRIELLE KAPLAN-MAYER KVELLER VIA JTA

This article originally appeared on Kveller.

The month of Elul is here! It’s a time leading up to Rosh Hashanah when we have the opportunity to tune in to our spiritual concerns, reflect on our dreams and challenges over the year that’s gone by, and consider areas for change and growth in the coming new year.

I didn’t grow up with an awareness of a month of preparation leading up to the High Holy Day season. But in discovering Elul as an adult, I embrace this time for spiritual reflection, and I’ve noticed how it’s deepened my experience of the holiday season. The personal work of Elul feels like the rehearsal period for a play, or the warm-up exercises before a sporting event — it’s the energy and dedication put in before the big day(s) that deepens the ritual experience of Rosh Hashanah worship.

Elul arrives as we parents are facing extraordinary demands and anxiety in our back-to-school preparations. Given how full our metaphorical plates are, is there a way to make time for spiritual reflection in this particular moment, during this particularly challenging month?

Absolutely! I believe that spiritual practice can be infused into our busy and sometimes uncomfortable lives — it doesn’t require us to escape to a retreat center, or ignore the realities that we face on a regular day. My experience is that taking a little bit of time and space for spiritual practice can actually give us renewed strength, energy and self-compassion as we navigate this new year, which, like the one before it, we can probably already describe as “unprecedented.”

Here are five ways that we busy parents can make some time and space for Elul reflection this year.

1. Make a special playlist.

Music is one of the most immediate ways that I access my deepest feelings and spiritual connections. I make playlists for occasions like holidays and birthdays, and I listen to them while I’m doing during chores like walking my dog, folding laundry or chopping vegetables for dinner — essentially, times when I can tap into the music’s energy and message. I created a Spotify playlist for Elul with songs that really stir my soul and help me think about the big questions. Visit https://spoti.fi/3cOUb8b to take a listen to mine if it inspires you, or

create your own Elul playlist!

2. Reach out to loved ones.

Elul is a month to consider our connections to our spiritual lives as well as to friends, family and community. During this past pandemic year, so many social connections were interrupted, and many, many people experienced isolation on a level they had never experienced before. If you have a friend you’ve lost touch with and have been meaning to check in on, this time is a great moment to send a text or email just asking how they are and letting them know you’ve been thinking of them.

3. Embrace the practice of free writing.

Writing is one of the practices that I use to connect to what I call my inner wisdom — the voice that I don’t always hear when I’m busy with the demands of parenting and work. I take 10 minutes several times a week to do some free writing, during which I sit down with my journal or a blank Google Doc and just write about whatever comes to mind. I always feel much better and more connected after

those sessions. The easiest way to do this is to schedule a few writing times into your calendar over the next few weeks. Then, simply open a blank document and use prompts like: “This year I hope to…” “One thing I’ve learned this year is…” or “My prayer for the world is…”

4. Reassess your schedule.

One thing I’ve learned about myself over the pandemic is that I thrive with more downtime. As such, I am entering this year with the intention and awareness that becoming “too busy” — even with good things — takes me away from feeling my most grounded and healthiest, and it also creates unnecessary pressure in my family. Use Elul to consider what you can take on this year, and what you can say no — or “not yet” — to.

5. Include your family!

If your kids aren’t back to school yet, they are probably busy savoring the end of summer. In other words, Rosh Hashanah probably feels very far away. But you can bring your children into your Elul practice in fun, gentle ways. If you’re out enjoying nature, for example, take a moment to

mention Rosh Hashanah, the world’s birthday, and invite them to share what they’re most grateful for in the natural world. Bring out your favorite Rosh Hashanah books and start reading them now (I also have a new set of plays that would be fun to read as a family — visit https://bit.ly/HHDplays). This social story (visit https:// jkidaccess.org/tag/ social-story/) can be especially helpful for children with intellectual disabilities to know what to expect on the holiday. If your kids enjoy art, start making some homemade cards to send to family and friends.

I hope that this month brings you and your family many opportunities for connection and growth!

Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer is a passionate Jewish educator and author. She serves as the Chief Program Officer at Jewish Learning Venture (jewishlearningventure. org). Gabrielle teaches online writing workshops at the intersection of creative writing and spiritual growth. mindset this

PHOTO: JORGE GUERRERO/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES

Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer

Meet family that has been making honey wine for 150 years

BY STACEY PFEFFER KVELLER VIA JTA

This article originally appeared on Kveller.

Rachel Lipman cares deeply about preserving her Jewish family’s fifth-generation winemaking business, Loew Vineyards, but the 28-year-old is keeping an eye on the future, too.

As one of the youngest winemakers in Maryland — if not the youngest — she’s pushing through boundaries in a traditionally male-dominated industry.

But that’s not all: Lipman is also educating customers about her family’s extraordinary legacy of producing unique wines — a 150-year-old family tradition that was nearly eradicated by the Holocaust.

Among the 14 wines currently available on the Loew Vineyards website, four are not wines in a traditional sense. They are meads, or honey wines, made from fermented honey — and therefore are well-suited for the upcoming High Holidays. Among the available varieties include cyser (mead with apple juice) and pyment (mead with grape juice).

A fifth-generation winemaker, Lipman’s method of making mead is not unlike the way her ancestors did it in Europe.

“My grandfather always says you can’t argue with success,” she said, referring to the family’s proprietary mead recipe.

These days, Lipman uses modern machinery and loves scouring local farmers markets to discover new honey producers with whom she can collaborate.

Mead is having something of a moment. Lipman is naturally thrilled by the development, though she believes there is a misconception that all meads are sweet.

Her family’s mead comes in varieties that are dry, semi-dry and semi-sweet.

“There is a lot of experimentation going on with mead right now, similar to craft beers,” she said. “I even heard of a peanut butter banana mead.”

Central to the story of Loew Vineyards is Lipman’s grandfather, who grew up in Lvov, Poland (now the Ukrainian city of Lviv) prior to World War II. Before the Holocaust, Lvov was home to Poland’s third-largest Jewish population, behind Warsaw and Lodz. The city had a Jewish population of some 200,000 — about onethird of the total — but only some 800 survived the genocide. The region also boasted many wineries, meaderies and distilleries, with the majority owned by Jews.

Lipman has spent much time uncovering her family’s mead-making past. During the long months of COVID, she has sifted through Polish documents, periodicals and newspapers to learn more. She discovered that the family meadery was in a district that housed warehouses, vodka distilleries, several meaderies and, yes, even a beer garden. In fact, the family meadery took up the length of an entire city block.

The patriarch of the Loew family in the mid-1800s was Meilech Loew, who made mead and distributed it internationally. Meilech and his wife, Malka, had 10 sons, two of whom created their own meaderies, while the others ventured into wine distribution and marketing. One son, Eisig, established the first national meadery and beeswax facility in Poland. He and his wife, Clara, had three sons, one of whom was Wolfgang — Lipman’s grandfather, who Americanized his name to William (Bill) upon immigrating to the United States.

During the Holocaust, the family’s winemaking business was decimated — as were nearly all the members of the Loew family. Bill survived serving as part of the Underground, where his multilingual

skills were highly prized. He was imprisoned in a Budapest political prison and two concentration camps, and eventually was liberated during a Dachau death march on April 23, 1945, by the U.S. Army’s 99th Infantry Division. Each year, the family commemorates this special day with Bill, 95, who remains involved with the business.

“It’s kind of like a birthday celebration for us,” Lipman said.

Once he arrived in America, Bill attended night school, married Lois Hendrickson and eventually became an electrical engineer. Yet the sweet smell of the barrels from his family’s meadery always remained a part of him. Upon retiring in 1982, he purchased a 37-acre plot in Frederick County, Md., with the aim of planting grapes and continuing his family’s wine and mead-making legacy.

“The way our family oriented ourselves,

everything was about preserving the past,” Lipman said. “There was little discussion of the future.”

COVID-19, however, served as a pivotal moment for the family business. Not only did Lipman have to safeguard her grandparents, who enjoyed interacting with customers in their tasting room, she knew she had to implement some operational changes if she wanted a sustainable future.

Citing Hillel the Elder’s iconic quote —

“if not now, when?” — Lipman and her family made a significant investment in new fermentation tanks, which has allowed them to increase production to meet growing demand. They also remodeled the tasting room, created an online reservation system and updated their website to showcase the family’s long history in the business.

See

Rachel Lipman’s family has been producing wines at Loew Vineyards for five generations.

PHOTO: JONNA MICHELLE PHOTOGRAPHY

‘Unusual’ Fruits: Rosh Hashana dishes with an unusual fruity twist

newness. And the way we experience it on the second night is by sampling a new or “unusual” fruit.

Jamie Geller, the bestselling cookbook author and chief media and marketing officer at Aish HaTorah, has a lovely interpretation of this tradition: “The very fact that we’ve sought out something new represents our deep-down desire to reinvent ourselves, to make ourselves better people

in the coming year. Look at how Judaism elevates a squishy bite [of a new fruit] to a token of commitment!”

But these days, finding an unusual fruit is a challenging assignment indeed. Kiwis, mangoes and papayas would have been considered “unusual” when I was a kid, but today they are standard items in the produce section of your supermarket. So where to find those illusive “unusual” fruits?

Consider visiting one of these exciting

grocery stores to find your special holiday fruit:

• Jay International Food on Grand Ave. (for dragon fruit, and guava, and others)

• Global Foods Market in Kirkwood (for yellow, red, and white dragon fruit, yellow dates, sapote fruit, mangosteen, and rambutan)

• United Provisions on Delmar in the U.City Loop (for Asian pears, lychee, dragon fruit, and others)

• Worldwide International Food Market

in Hazelwood (for yellow dates and cactus fruit)

Following with the fruit theme of this column, here are a few fruit-centric recipes for dishes to accompany your family’s traditional roasted chicken, brisket, or fish, and one to finish off your meal in style. If your festive meal this year will be vegetarian, both of the side dishes, along with a green salad, would make for a delicious and nutritious holiday meal.

Shanah Tovah.

Roasted Cauliflower with Lentils, Dates, and Pomegranate Arils

INGREDIENTS:

1 medium head of cauliflower, stem and greens discarded, and cauliflower broken into florets

½ tsp. ground cumin

¼ tsp. ground cinnamon

¼ tsp. ground ginger

Pinch of cayenne pepper

¼ c. + 1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

3/4 tsp. coarse kosher salt, divided

1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper, divided

½ c. dried brown lentils

3 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 tbsp. tahini (sesame seed paste)

1 tsp. honey

½ bunch scallions, cut into slices and separated by color

2 ½ c. loosely packed spinach or arugula

5 dates, pitted and chopped

½ c. roasted unsalted almonds, coarsely chopped Handful of fresh mint, torn, for garnishing 2 tbsp. pomegranate arils, for garnishing

DIRECTIONS:

1.     Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.

INGREDIENTS:

Regal Fresh Fruit and Sorbet Dessert

This is a simple, elegant, delicious, and healthy way to complete your holiday feast. For this composed dessert, you will need 1 of each for every serving: kiwi, red plum, and scoop of lime sorbet. The fruit can be sliced and even arranged on individual dessert plates in advance; keep refrigerated until you’re ready to top the fruit with a scoop of sorbet, garnish with coconut, and serve. Feel free to substitute other fresh, vividly colored fruits and your favorite sorbet flavor!

Kiwi fruits

Red-fleshed plums

Lime sorbet

Sweetened shredded coconut, for garnishing

DIRECTIONS:

1.     Peel and slice 1 kiwi per serving. Arrange slices in a circle on the outer rim of a small dessert plate.

2.     Cut 1 plum per serving in half, remove the seed and slice. Arrange the slices in a circle inside of the kiwi slices.

3.     Top each plate of fruit with a scoop of sorbet and sprinkle with shredded coconut.

Makes as many servings as needed.

2.     Rinse and pat cauliflower dry; reserve.

3.     In a large mixing bowl, stir together cumin, cinnamon, ginger, and cayenne pepper. Add ¼ c. olive oil and stir to combine. Add reserved cauliflower and toss to evenly coat with spice mixture. Turn cauliflower out onto prepared pan and sprinkle evenly with a ½ tsp. each of salt and pepper. Roast cauliflower in preheated oven until it is just tender and golden brown, about 30 minutes.

4.     While cauliflower is roasting, add lentils to 2 c. of lightly salted boiling water. Stir, cover pot, and reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer lentils for 15-20 minutes, or until tender but not mushy. Drain any excess water from lentils and reserve.

5.     Whisk together lemon juice, tahini, honey, and 1 tbsp. olive oil in a large bowl. Add 2 tbsp. of water and whisk mixture until it is smooth.

6.     Add the lentils to the tahini mixture, along with the white parts of the scallions, and ¼ tsp. of each salt (taste before adding) and black pepper. Mix gently to combine.

7.     Arrange spinach or arugula on a large serving platter. Evenly top with lentil mixture, followed by the roasted cauliflower. Garnish with dates, almonds, green scallion slices, fresh mint, and pomegranate arils… in this order.

Makes 6-8 side servings.

(Recipe adapted from Flavors of the Sun by Christine Sahadi Whelan)

PHOTOS: MICHAEL 428-7979

Loew Vineyards: 150 years of making honey wine

CONTINUED

Lipman credits her grandmother with helping to facilitate a lot of the recent changes.

“She knows we have something that cannot die,” Lipman said of her grandmother. “Without her, we wouldn’t have been pushing for a future.”

Locating historical documents about her family required perseverance. Lipman joined a global Facebook group of mead-makers and posted about her family’s long tradition. Doing so helped her locate mead labels from her great-grandfather’s business, and even an article in a Lvov newspaper about how her mead-making great-uncle collected tzedakah.

She also uncovered many documents that traced the history of mead in Europe — how it was predominantly produced by monks in the 1600s to its heyday in the 1800s through World War II.

“These documents just say the businesses disappeared after World War II,” Lipman said. “It doesn’t say that Jews owned these businesses and that is why they were gone. The people and the industry were destroyed by the Nazis. I intend to make that known.”

As the oldest grandchild, Lipman spent much of her childhood at her grandparents’ vineyard. From cooking Passover meals with her grandmother to riding on her grandfather’s tractors out to the vineyards, Lipman was and remains exceptionally close to her grandparents.

As she got older, her grandfather taught her chromatography, a technique that allows you to investigate the flavor of the wine. Lipman ultimately decided to study plant science at the University of Maryland and even interned at an organic vineyard in France’s Loire Valley.

Lipman doesn’t think her grandparents were intentionally grooming her to work on the vineyard, but does believe “they wanted me to love the vineyard as much as they do,” she said.

“When you are 21, you think, ‘Sure being in the alcohol business sounds great!’ I worked at beer and wine stores then, but the more I learned about the industry, the more serious I became about it [as a future career],” she said.

Lipman hopes to continue to produce wines well into the future and watch the roots that her family planted so long ago continue to flourish. In the meantime, the Loew family looks forward to saying “L’chaim!”— “to life!” — over their wines this Rosh Hashanah, knowing all too well the meaning of the phrase.

Vegas: Teachable moments and pungent smells

AAANNNDDD SCENE!

Our hotel in Vegas was the only non-smoking resort on The Strip. That was a major bonus considering the entire rest of The Strip was basically an ashtray with bright flashing lights. Smoke came from many sources… cigarettes, vape pens, weed. My family was able to create a new game… Name That Smell!

Our hotel room had two “queen” beds. I question the royalty title of them because we were smooshed in there like an airplane bathroom. I shared a bed with one of my teens, and all night felt his knees in places knees don’t belong. At one point I thought he was actually trying to get back into the womb.

I also learned that bras are optional in Las Vegas. Whether you’ve got small ones or big ones, you are old or young, you work in adult entertainment or not, it’s a full chest free for all on The Strip. I stuck to my plan to only go as far out of my comfort zone as the sleeveless top, even though the Vegas way would have probably been more comfortable.

There was a man on The Strip handing out what looked like baseball cards. He didn’t hand me any, as if he could tell I

wasn’t a collector. But Davis and Leo are, so I thought I would grab some for them. Turns out, the players on these cards were not men in baseball uniforms. They were young ladies wearing their birthday suits, and most of them seemed very cold. There were phone numbers shown, I assume for us to call and wish them Happy Birthday. It also said $50 on the card. I find it so helpful to know what young people actually want for a present because not everyone likes an Amazon gift card.

Of course we saw all the sights in Vegas, shopped, saw a show, had dinner

with Jeff’s delightful cousins, did the touristy things, and had a terrific time. It was really educational for Davis and Leo, what with all those smells and teachable moments.

Viva Las Davis. Luck be a Leo tonight.

FROM LEFT: Davis, Amy,

Lipman learning to prune vines from her grandfather.

COURTESY OF LOEW VINEYARDS

Milana Vayntrub, Jason Alexander among stars of of

BY NATE BLOOM SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH LIGHT

“Out-of-Office” is an original Comedy Central film that premiered on Sept. 5. The film focuses on how the private lives of “out-of-office” (at-home) workers often gets mixed-up with their work lives. The central character is a young woman who finds out that keeping her job is somehow tied to helping her boss save his failing marriage. (Oddly, character names aren’t available before the premiere.)

MILANA VAYNTRUB, 35, plays the young woman. Vayntrub, who is very youthful looking, is best known for play ing Lily, the store salesperson in the AT&T TV ads. JASON ALEXANDER, 62, and “Saturday Night Live” vet Cheri Oteri play her parents.

From the trailer, it appears that comic actor Ken Jeong plays Vayntrub’s boss. Two African American SNL vets, Jay Pharoah and Leslie Jones, round-out the remaining big-name stars.

The film was directed and written by PAUL LIEBERSTEIN, 55. He’s a member of the most remarkable Jewish entertain ment biz family that you probably never heard of. Lieberstein was an executive producer of “The Office,” wrote many “Office” episodes, and acted a bit in the series.

His brother-in-law, GREG DANIELS, 59, is a five-time Emmy winner—he was a top SNL writer and a top “Simpsons” writ

er before he successfully adapted the (original) British version of “The Office” for American audiences. He also co-creat ed “Parks and Recreation.” Daniels’ father, AARON, 87, the son of a Russian Jewish immigrant, was head of ABC radio broad casting.

Daniels’ wife, SUSANNE DANIELS, 57 (Paul’s sister) has helped develop many hit TV shows and she’s held many top enter tainment media posts. She’s now “Global Head of Content” for YouTube. She was LORNE MICHAEL’s (SNL creator) secre tary when Daniels met her. The couple have four, probably funny, children.

SHERYL SANDBERG, 52, the Chief Operating Officer of Meta (Facebook), married executive TOM BERNTHAL, 50, on Aug. 20. The couple reportedly bought out the Four Seasons Hotel in Jackson Hole, Wyo. for the weekend. The guests included Tom’s brother, actor JON BERNTHAL, 44 (“Walking Dead,” “King Richard”).

It’s likely a rabbi presided at the wed ding. People magazine reports that the couple did a modified version of the Jewish wedding tradition of the groom and bride circling each other seven times. Sandberg circled Bernthal once and he circled her— then his three kids (with his ex-wife) and Sandberg’s two kids (with her late hus band) circled Sandberg and Bernthal five times.

Sandberg’s late husband, high tech exec DAVE GOLDBERG, was 47 when he had

fatal heart attack in 2015. I presume that Bernthal’s ex-wife, Lauren Pomeranz, is Jewish, too. They divorced in 2020.

Reports say that Secretary of State ANTONY BLINKEN, 60, was at the wed ding. This makes sense – Tom Bernthal has long ties to the Democratic Party. He began his working life in the White House communications office during the Clinton administration. He went on to produce many NBC news programs. Currently, he is the head of a big marketing company.

Sandberg will step down from her Meta post this fall but will remain on the compa ny’s board. She got a lot of good press as the author of “Leaning In” (2013), a best-selling guide for professional women. In the last few years, she and Facebook founder MARK ZUCKERBERG have attracted fierce criticism for Facebook’s “shortcomings”— No. 1 being its glacial pace in removing hate speech and Russian/domestic disinformation.

Move Works on paper take the spotlight

BY NANCY KRANZBERG

I was thumbing through invitations to gallery and museum exhibitions that I had saved and noticed that Philip Slein of the Philip Slein Gallery recently had a large group show featuring works on paper of all sizes by both nationally known and local artists. The show featured abstract and figurative works.

I started thinking about what kinds of works would be included in the “works on paper” category and did a little research.

Brigham Young University, in a past exhibition of works on paper and photog raphy, described it this way: “Of the 18,000 works in the museum collection, the majority of works on paper are various

forms of prints, drawings and photo graphs. The works on paper in the collec tion include excellent examples by masters in the print medium such as Durer, Daumier, Rembrandt and famous Japanese woodblock artists.”

The Louisiana State Museum described works on paper in its collection as draw ings, prints, newspaper illustrations, sil houettes, watercolors and pastels, post cards and posters.

The LeWallen Galleries in Sante Fe, N.M recently featured an exhibition entitled “Fritz Scholder: Works on Paper.” Scholder (1937-2005) was a pivotal figure in American art history, credited with reimagining the portrayal of indigenous

people in contemporary art. Moving away from the traditional, romanticized stereo types that had dominated previously in American art, Scholder instead applied the visual languages of German Expressionism and Pop Art to convey the contemporary reality of indigenous peo ple.

Here’s how the gallery described the exhibition: “(It) highlights the wide scope of Scholder’s works on paper, including drawings, collages and paintings on paper, as well as examples of his contributions to printmaking in lithography, serigraphy, lincut, monotype etching and aquatint. His boldness as an artist is in full focus in his works on paper, which allowed him the opportunity to experiment with subject matter, composition and process inde pendently from his paintings on canvas.”

The Toledo Museum of Art has one of the best kept secrets. Its works on paper collection includes nearly 13,000 prints, drawings, photographs and artists’ books.

Recently, the Saint Louis Art Museum hosted an exhibition entitled, “Impressionism and Beyond,” an exhibi tion of post- Impressionism on paper. The exhibition focused on the paths towards modernity opened up by Impressionism. Artists such as Degas, Cassat and Renoir also drew with pastels, pen and ink and experimented with lithographs.

In fact, it is the period between about 1885 and 1905 that is of most interest in the exhibition. In a press release, the museum noted that, “Mary Cassat elevat ed color printmaking to new heights through her adaptation of the Japanese aesthetic that was taking Paris by storm in the 1890s, while her Impressionist col league Edgar Degas sought multiple ave

nues for experimentation in print. Degas and other Impressionists also developed inventive drawing styles that allowed them to capture movement and intense effects of color and light in their works.”

And I found an article about the curation of Paper West-2nd National Works on Paper from 2019, which took place at the University of Utah. The juror, Judith Brodsky, says that it was an exhilarating experience.

“The high quality of the work submited and broad variety of technique and con tent was at first overwhelming,” she had stated. “The question was how to develop a coherent exhibition from such a diverse group of works. After a while, the works fell into groups—woodcut landscapes, sur real collages, a surprisingly set of mezzo tints, some beautiful charcoal drawings, a large number of mixed media and a collec tion of artist’s books. While many works were based on photographic material, there were only a few straight photo graphs.”

As you can see, works on paper encom pass a wide range of materials and tech nique, but the creativity and imaginations of the artists put “the icing on the cake.”

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

NANCY KRANZBERG — THE ARTS IN ST. LOUIS

Milana Vayntrub (seated at center) and Jason Alexander (to Vayntrub’s left) are part of the en semble cast of Comedy Central’s new film, ‘Out of Office.’

PHOTO COURTESY OF COMEDY CENTRAL

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL

8th grade girls: Ayden Nelson, Eliana Wax, Jordyn Dudley, Shauna Kruger and Leah Weisenberg

Rabbi Andrew Terkel, Hannah Rubin-Schlansky, Rebecca Rubin-Schlansky, Mike Vredenburgh and 2nd grade cousins Avi Terkel and Ada Vredenburgh

Orli Roth and Lucy Rohlman (6th graders)

The Kushnir Family: Abby and Vlad and their children Meira (K), Max (7) and Maya (4)

Michelle Rosch taking a photo of her 4th grade twins, Laya and Davin.

Sella Picker (grade 5) read Torah and led a discussion about why we say a blessing after our meals.

Kindergartner Karinne Haimann prepping the organic gardens with our outdoor learning specialist, Lizzie Berkowitz.

Simchat Gan, a ceremony blessing the our kindergarten students as they begin elementary school. Members of the 8th grade class are holding the tallis.

ALL PHOTOS BY PATTY BLOOM