Jewish Light Digital Edition: Sept. 21, 2022

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During

In May 2020, Lauren Abel knew she needed to find an activity other than pick ing up takeout food for her young family to do during the pandemic.

She wanted a project appropriate for her two children, ages 5 and 8 at the time, that not only would give them purpose but also help make the world — much of which was shut down at the time — just a little brighter and more joyful.

“We got really inspired by what our neighbors (Gerald Axelbaum and Ellen Schapiro) were doing and how they were doing it,” explained Charlotte Abel, who is now 10 years old (but going on 30!). “He released a butterfly one day and invited us to watch. Our mom started looking into it.

“When we first started all of this, we thought it would be fun and pretty but now it’s turned into something pretty serious.”

The Abel family, who live in Olivette and attend Congregation Shaare Emeth, have been raising monarch butterflies for the past three summers. In 2020, they released 12 monarchs, in 2021, they released 14 and this summer they released 43, though as of Monday, eight more were in the chrysalis stage, which occurs right before they become adult monarchs with vivid orange wings, black lines and white dots.

“Only about 10% of chrysalis turn into monarch butterflies in the wild,” said Lauren, who has become something of an expert when it comes to monarchs, which were classified as “endangered” in July by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

“We help them out by raising them in cages and containers,” Lauren continued. “We only lose three to four a season. I’d say we have an 80% success rate.”

“We’re better than nature,” enthusiastical ly added dad Brad Abel, who is a therapist.

“That’s the whole point,” Lauren retorted, laughing. Then she explained: “I remember telling (my kids) when we first planted the milkweed, if we could just help one mon arch survive, this will be worth it. And then the numbers just kept on climbing.”

Milkweed, as the Abels explained when I visited their backyard monarch raising operation earlier this month, is the only place monarchs will lay their eggs and the only food their larvae (also known as cater pillars) will eat, so as you can imagine, it’s vital to their survival.

“If you want to help the monarch population, you give them milkweed,” said Lauren, who is a reading specialist in the Pattonville School District. In fact,

reading, she says, played a key role in this family project.

“I have shared this experience with a lot of students and really try to emphasize that I didn’t know any

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

thing about monarchs. I learned all of this from reading and just how powerful that can be. You can learn anything you want by reading.”

Lauren’s reading and research led her and her kids to plant an entire garden functional to pollinators like monarch butterflies. They not only planted swamp milkweed, which is a kind of milkweed that grows easily in Missouri, but other nectar-producing plants that bloom in the fall to provide nutrition to the monarchs born in late summer that migrate south

Brad and Lauren Abel with their children, Charlotte and Levi. PHOTO: ELLEN FUTTERMAN

Meet the Jewish Light’s 2022 Unsung Heroes

Six individuals and three groups will be recognized as the 2022 Jewish Light Unsung Heroes on Wednesday, Dec. 7, at 7 p.m. This year’s 13th annual event will take place in person at the new St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum.

Unsung Heroes, which began in 2010, shines a light on individuals of any back ground or faith who generously volunteer or go above and beyond to help the St. Louis Jewish community, and Jewish St. Louisans who volunteer, either within the local Jewish community and/or the com munity at large. Since its inception, more than 110 St. Louisans have been honored.

This year’s honorees are:

• Olivia Adams, the economic stability and workforce devel opment manager at the YWCA St. Louis Women’s Economic Stability Program (WESP). In that capacity, Adams has been working with the National Council of Jewish Women-St. Louis as liaison to its Healing Hearts Bank program, which provides low-interest

microloans up to $500 to women and their families to help them further their finan cial independence. According to her nom ination and several NCJWSTL staffers, Adams goes above and beyond monitoring these borrowers so that they are highly successful making their payments and has also initiated financial workshops not only for YWCA borrowers but for all borrowers of NCJWSTL Healing Hearts Banks.

• Tamar Adler. When Adler could not volunteer in person at St. Louis Children’s Hospital due to the pandemic, she created a way to volunteer from a distance and began designing individually pack aged craft bags that could be dis tributed to chil dren in the hospi tal. The bags are seasonally themed and packaged with a message of hope and pictures of a cheery dog named Charlie, which is the mascot of her non-profit called Cheery Charlie Inc. Adler donates 300 craft bags every month to local hospitals.

• Sam Deutsch, who at just 17 years old, seems to have a knack for identifying a need and coming up with a solution. For example, when Sam determined that some tents at Camp Sabra used for overnight sleepouts were old and in disrepair, he took it upon himself to raise the $5,000 needed to replace them. He reached out to developer and philanthropist Michael Staenberg and asked if he would match the funds Sam raised. Staenberg agreed and, of course, Sam was able to raise the needed funds and Sabra now has new tents. In BBYO, Sam was voted to be the St. Louis Council Gadol (the highest male leader) this school year. According to Ben Panet, the BBYO regional director, Sam played a “giant role” in supporting all of the BBYO chapters in St. Louis with devel oping great programming, bringing in more Jewish teens to events and helping the St. Louis Council fundraise through out the year.

• Dr. Craig Reiss, chief of cardiovascu lar medicine at St. Luke’s Hospital, who is a founding member of, and has served for the past 12 years as chairman of the board for Missouri Torah Institute in Chesterfield. He has helped the yeshiva thrive as it grew from six boys to some 120

from across the United States and several other countries.

• Julie Frankel, who embodies what it truly means to be a volunteer. She was co-chair of the St. Louis Jewish Book Festival for three years and still serves on the committee. She is on the St. Louis Jewish Film Festival committee and reviews the films to determine which should be seen by the committee as a whole. She also volunteers two mornings a week at Congregation B’nai Amoona, one morning a week at Crown Center and is a Holocaust museum docent.

• Ben Horwitz and Nathan Goldstein

In the spring, when they were still juniors at Horton Watkins High School, Ben and Nathan started a St. Louis chapter of a non-profit called Planting Shade and planted 1,000 trees throughout the St. Louis area. They designed and sold T-shirts to raise funds to purchase 1,000 river birch saplings, which are native to Missouri. They reached out and contacted several area schools, hospitals, camps, community centers and private homes to get permission to plant trees on their respective properties. They contacted

Continued on opposite page

Olivia Adams

Tamar Adler

From left: Sam Deutsch, Dr. Craig Reiss, Julie Frankel, Ben Hor witz and Nathan Goldstein.

MSD to find homes in the area where sewer line construction was causing defor estation and contacted homeowners to plant some of the trees to reforest those areas. They also partnered with other local non-profits to secure shovels, mulch and other necessary supplies for planting.

• Founding members of MaTovu: Abby Bennett, Shira Berkowitz, Katie Garland, Barbara Levin, Russel Neiss, Paul Sorenson and Andrew Warshauer. Based in a former synagogue in south St. Louis, MaTovu is a volunteer-founded, volun teer-driven, diverse and open St. Louis Jewish community that aims to be deeply connected to its city neighbors, and actively grapples with important and complex issues relevant to who and where its partic ipants are now as Jews. It hosts a variety of spiritual, cultural and social programming — including Shabbat services, concerts, readings, neighborhood meetings, sim chas, youth programming, adult Jewish education courses, and more. MaTovu also seeks to connect Jews with other diverse communities in our region by providing an inclusive gathering place for both Jewish and non-Jewish programming.

• Michele Siler, who is a champion of social justice causes. As an active member of Congregation Shaare Emeth’s Mental Health Initiative Committee, she was instrumental in bringing awareness, knowledge and programming about men tal health issues to congregants during the pandemic. For years she has been the lead congregant for participation in gay pride celebrations with the local Jewish community. She also delivers pack ages to home bound congre

gants, makes bi-weekly phone calls to check on vulnerable seniors and became a notary last year as part of Shaare Emeth’s effort to help nota rize all voter’s absentee ballots.

• Advisers of the Jewish Light’s Ohr Chadash Teen Page: Caroline Goldenberg (current); and (past) Jenny Wolkowitz, Mimi Pultman, Peggy Kaplan and Lauren Sagel. The Ohr Chadash (which means “new light”) Teen Page began as a completely volun teer-conceived and volunteer-led effort in the 2008-2009 school year, and has been going strong ever since. Jewish Light former board members Jenny Wolkowitz and Mimi Pultman came up with the idea for a monthly Jewish Light teen page that would be staffed by St. Louis teens who would write and edit stories, take photographs and design their own pages. Co-Chairs Wolkowitz and Pultman enlisted the help of Jewish Light staff to pro vide some training and oversight to the teens, but the volunteer co-chairs — then and now — do the bulk of the work of recruiting and vetting staff, appointing teen page editors, organizing monthly meetings, and being available to help the teens plan and execute their stories, vid eos and photographs and layout their

pages each month. These are volunteers who have been completely hands-on and taken charge of the teen page project

from the start.

For more information, go to stljewish light.org/unsung. Tickets to the event

will be available for purchase online starting Oct. 3.

This High Holiday season, as we seek spiritual and physical renewal for ourselves and our loved ones, let us also remember those in Israel who nurture and renew life every day.

Whether it’s treating civilians wounded in terror attacks or responding to any number of at-home medical emergencies, no organization in Israel saves more lives than Magen David Adom.

No gift will help Israel more this coming year.

Support Magen David Adom by donating today at afmda.org/support or call 866.632.2763.

Shanah tovah.

“To save one life is to save the world entire.” The Talmud

Michele Siler

Former Ohr Chadash Teen Page Co-Chair Peggy Kaplan

Above, from left: founding members of MaTovu: Abby Bennett, Shira Berkowitz, Katie Garland, Barbara Levin, Russel Neiss, Paul Sorenson and Andrew Warshauer

Above, from left: Past and present Ohr Chadash Teen Page Co-Chairs Jenny Wolkowitz, Mimi Pultman, Lauren Sagel and Caroline Goldenberg.

The 2022 Sababa Jewish cultural festival on Sept. 18 treated thousands of visi tors to a wide range of music, art and food on the campus of Washington University. An early morning rain cleared in time for the biannual festival to begin. One culinary highlight was Lefty’s Bagels, which used the event to introduce St. Louisans to their chewy, New York-style bagels, with proceeds of sales going to BBYO.

Over on the music stage, the Jewish rock musician and St. Louis native Sheldon Low, was among the performers. Low, who attended Solomon Schechter Day School in St. Louis, was aided on one song by a group of children from the succes sor school to his alma mater, Saul Mirowitz Jewish Community School. Other groups included Staam, WashU’s Jewish a cappella group, St. Louis klezmer band Klezundheit! and internationally known Jewish a cappella group Six13, which include native St. Louisan Lior Melnick as a member.

PHOTOS: BILL MOTCHAN

A rainy morning turned hot afternoon couldn’t stop the thousands who turned out for the Jewish arts and culture festival.

ABOVE: Washington University’s a capella group Staam. BELOW: Volunteers are all smiles despite the heat.

Sheldon Low performs with Mirowitz School back-up singers

ABOVE: Epstein Hebrew Academy members (left to right) Itta Boyko, Rabbi Shumuel Miller and Ariela Ish-Hurwitz BELOW: Orna Bitton Dar and Lynn Wittels

ABOVE: Shelley Dean founder of Rhythm ‘N’ Ruach BELOW: Rabbi Mike Rovinsky and volunteers make cotton candy

Rabbi Mi cha Oden heimer is the founding director of the Jerusa lem-based non-gov ernmental organiza tion Tevel b’Tzedek.

Temple Emanuel hosts talk on ‘Sabbath in Somalia: The Global South and the Future of Judaism’

Rabbi Micha Odenheimer will give an in-person lecture (also on livestream www.testl.org/stream) entitled, “Sabbath in Somalia: The Global South and the Future of Judaism,” at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 29 at Temple Emanuel, 12166 Conway Road.

Odenheimer is the founding director of the Jerusalem-based non-governmen tal organization Tevel b’Tzedek. Originally, the organization brought young Israeli volunteers to villages in Nepal to support long-term change through building community and improving agricultural sustainability. Presently, Tevel b’Tzedek is engaging in Africa.

In the past 15 years, more than 1,300 young Israelis and Jews have come to Nepal to give and to learn and have returned to their home communities with a different view of the world and their place in it. Tevel is now partnering with local organizations in rural com munities in Zambia, which together with Tevel’s staff infuse the internation

Tzedakah

During the month of Elul we were lucky to have wonderful pointing out and

al volunteers with their commitment and knowledge of their country.

Registration is required for in-person attendance to office@testl.org or 314432-5877. Masks are required in the Temple Emanuel sanctuary. To learn more about Odenheimer and the critical work of Tevel b’Tzedek, go to https:// www.timesofisrael.com/the-rabbi-of-ne pal/

National Council of Jewish Women St. Louis announces 58th Annual Couturier

The Resale Shop, a charitable project of the National Council of Jewish Women St. Louis (NCJWSTL), raises funds to support women, children, and families in our community. This year marks the 81st anniversary of The Resale Shop and the 58th annual Couturier. Well known by local fashionistas for a selection of top-quality, discounted designer mer chandise, this year’s Couturier event will be stocked with high quality clothing and accessories from top fashion brands as well as unique home décor.

The event begins on Wednesday, Oct.19, with a VIP Preview Event, where purchasing a special VIP ticket in advance allows shoppers to shop all the unique designer items before anyone else. Later that day, at 4 p.m., VIP admis sion is $10 at the door. Couturier contin ues with no entry fee Thursday, Oct. 20 and Friday, Oct. 21. The event ends with a special, storewide sale on one-of-a-kind designer items on Saturday, Oct. 22. The

58th Annual Couturier is sponsored by Hindman Auctions & Appraisals.

Schedule of events:

October 19 | 1:00 PM CT – 4 p.m. | VIP Preview

October 19 | 4:00 PM CT – 8 p.m. | Preview Night

October 20 | 10 a.m. 6 p.m. | Open to the public

October 21 | 10 a.m.-6 p.m.| Open to the public

October 22 | 10 a.m.-5 p.m.| 25% off storewide

The Resale Shop’s proceeds help sup port the many programs and projects of NCJWSTL that improve the lives of women, children, and families in the St. Louis community. For more information, visit https://bit.ly/Couturier2022 or call Marketing Manager Yolonda Curtin at 314-993-5181.

St. Louis’ Jewish community has long supported Pedal the Cause

BY AMY BURGER SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH LIGHT

If you’ve been around St. Louis over the past 13 years, chances are you will be familiar with Pedal the Cause, the annual cycling challenge that has raised over $36 million in funding for cancer research at Siteman Cancer Center and Siteman Kids at St. Louis Children’s Hospital.

Members of the local Jewish communi ty have long been involved in the organi zation, including the family of its Executive Director, David Drier.

Drier and his wife, Julie Miller, were married in 1988 at Temple Israel and the family has remained members of TI ever since. Their three children, Victoria, Tommy and Alex all celebrated their b’nai mitzvahs and confirmation at the temple, and the temple community rallied around them when Victoria was diagnosed with brain cancer at age 16. It was through her illness that Drier first became involved in Pedal the Cause. Though Victoria passed away in 2018 at age 28, Drier remains strongly committed to continuing to sup port cancer research in St. Louis and across the country.

With this year’s Pedal the Cause taking place Friday, Sept. 23 through Sunday, Sept. 25 in Chesterfield, Drier reflects on the organization’s mission, his personal journey and the continued support of the local Jewish community.

How and when did you first become involved with Pedal the Cause?

Our only daughter, Victoria, was diag nosed with a brain tumor coinciding with Pedal the Cause launching. [Founders] Bill and Amy Koman were friends of my

wife’s and asked if we wanted to start a friends and family team called Team Victoria. We formed Team Victoria and got going and we are always one of the top three friends and family teams in the rankings as far as number of teammates and dollars raised. Team Victoria hit a life time fundraising of one million dollars last year, so that was a big milestone in our efforts, and I hit a personal milestone of $250,000 toward that million.

How did you go from being a team cap tain to becoming executive director of the organization?

In 2012, I joined the Board of Directors because I was so passionate about the cause and really believed in the model. Three years later, I jumped on the execu tive committee and eventually became President of the Board of Directors for two years, so that put me into a leadership role within the organization. All the while, I had Team Victoria going every year and was fundraising. My career was always in travel. When the founding executive direc tor retired after 10 years, I was on the search committee for his replacement and the light bulb went on that in my career I could switch from for profit to nonprofit and I had the history of the organization and the passion and leadership.

How can people participate or support the event?

You can ride one of 10 courses over Saturday and Sunday from 10 miles to 100 miles. You can spin for one of three hours or all three hours on Sunday morning if you don’t have a bike and don’t want to get out on the road. You can also sign up vir tually – which we call ‘inspired’ – to do

whatever activity you want. Walk, run, kayak, jump rope or play a round of golf and fundraise against that effort. 100% of what par ticipants raise goes directly to Siteman and cancer research.

How does Pedal the Cause allow fami lies to get involved together?

We have a separate category called Kids Challenge that is open to kids ages 5-12 that is a completely safe closed course. The event is the weekend before the main ride since it has gotten so big. At age 13, kids can join the main ride with their par ents.

What does the money do?

The full $36 million we’ve raised to date has been deployed here in St. Louis at the two beneficiaries. It’s really created an ecosystem at Siteman and Siteman Kids of researchers who come to St. Louis and are recruited by Wash U medical and the can cer center to say ‘yes’ to St. Louis because there’s seed capital here. We only support seed capital on projects that have not been supported in the past. The 194 projects that we have funded over the years, on average, have gone on to attract another $7 for every dollar we’ve invested from federal sources like the National Institutes

of Health. So our $36 million to date has attracted another $250 million in federal funds that would not have been brought in to St. Louis without these efforts.

How has the Jewish community sup ported Pedal the Cause over the years?

The Jewish community features promi nently in the Pedal Family from riders/ fundraisers such as John Flotken, Michael Pepper, Bruce Schneider and Michael Staenberg; Team Captains like Merle Fox and Justin Sperry; young riders in the Kids Challenge including Bernie and Jake Goldstein and Lila Merlin; Board Members Judy Glik, David Moons, Joe Berger and Dr. Ryan Fields; funded researchers Josh Rubin, Jeff Bednarski, and Ryan Fields; and the people we honor or remember with our teams including Greg Fox, Victoria Drier and Eli Abeles.

To register and ride in Pedal the Cause, volunteer or support a team, visit pedal thecause.org.

David Drier, second from left, and his family in a photo circa 2017.

Congregation B’nai Amoona’s new art gallery features an exhibit by abstract painter Mark Witzling (whose work appears above), and artist Tsila Schwartz (shown at left).

B’nai Amoona launches art gallery; new exhibit runs through December

Congregation B’nai Amoona created a space for an art gallery in the Oberman Community Room under the leadership of Lester Goldman, chairman of the Art Gallery Committee. Its latest exhibit, which runs until Dec. 4, features Mark Witzling, abstract painter, and Tsila Schwartz, calligraphy artist. A reception to meet the artists is scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 23, from 2-4 pm.

Witzling, who is the executive director of Craft Alliance, spent his professional brand marketing career around writers, designers and artists who visually shaped his ideas.

Schwartz, known as the Ketubah Lady, is a native of Jerusalem who makes her

home in St. Louis. She is a Jewish callig rapher and folk artist who specializes in traditional Jewish ceremonial texts, amu lets, tallitot (prayer shawls) and Torah covers.

Serving on the committee, along with Goldman, are artist Sandy Kapan; longtime St. Louis Art Museum docent Carole “Cookie” Simon; and Jan Baron and Rachel Spezia, who review the work sub mitted by artists in the St. Louis commu nity and welcome artists to request an application for future exhibits.

A portion of all sales benefit B’nai Amoona. The art gallery, located at 324 S. Mason Road, is open to the public Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Klezmer band to perform concert at Kol Rinah

The San Francisco Yiddish Combo (SFYC) will perform at 4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 16 at Kol Rinah, 7701 Maryland Ave. SFYC is a boundary- pushing, lively klezmer band that plays klezmer favorites along with exciting new klezmer tunes.

The band was formed by accident when a love of klezmer music collided with their collective backgrounds in every genre except klezmer. Now the SFYC is embarked on a journey around the world to present their own unique blend of everything that is klezmer, mixed with

years of experience in the jazz, blues, folk, and even hip-hop world.

Made up of classically trained musi cians who enjoy stretching musical boundaries, the SFYC is led by cellist Rebecca Roudman who has fronted groups all over the world bringing her virtuosic and fiery playing to stages from China to Iceland and beyond. Check out the SFYC for a fresh spin on klezmer with plenty of recognizable nods to an eclectic mix of genres.

Go to KolRinahStl.org for tickets.

The San Fran cisco Yiddish Combo will perform at 4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 16 at Kol Rinah

to Mexico.

Scientists estimate that the species’ population has dropped around 85% over the last several decades. They cite climate change — monarchs are very sensitive to temperature and weather changes — as well as habitat loss, urban development and pesticide use as reasons for their notable decrease.

But in the Abel backyard earlier this month, monarchs in various stages of development were flourishing. Charlotte and Levi, with some prompts from their mom, generously offered a Cliffs Notes version of a monarch’s successful life cycle, and how to tell whether the butter fly is male or female.

Essentially, they said, it takes around four to five weeks to go through a mon arch’s four stages — egg, caterpillar (larva), chrysalis (pupa) and adult butter fly. And while finding an egg or larva on the milkweed can be exceedingly diffi cult because they are so small, 7-year-old Levi happens to possess a certain super power.

“I remember we were talking to our neighbors, and I just looked on this milk weed plant and found this random larva,” said Levi, proudly.

“Levi can find the tiniest speck of larva, like 3 millimeters,” said Lauren. “Charlotte can run the whole show. She’s very good at maintaining the cages,

cleaning and giving the amount of food (milkweed) they need.”

Typically, after larva is spotted on the milkweed (usually by Levi), the family moves it to an enclosed mesh tent or con tainer (35-ounce Utz Cheese Ball Barrels work very well) to protect it from birds and insects. Charlotte makes sure the larva, which hatches from an egg in 3 to 4 days, has plenty of fresh milkweed to feed on during this time.

“They are eating nonstop,” said Brad. “All they do, their only job, is to eat and poop.”

Eventually, the larvae/caterpillars move to the top of the containers to enter their chrysalis or pupa stage; after about 10 to 14 days, a beautiful monarch butterfly usually emerges.

“It’s important to let them hang for a while and let their wings dry for at least two hours before they are released,” explained Lauren, adding that there have been several times during work and school hours when the family had to call on her parents, Steve and Ruth-Ellen Lichtenfeld of Clayton, to oversee the release of one of the monarchs.

Charlotte and Levi name all of their charges twice — once in the larva/cater pillar stage and again, when they become butterflies, after they learn the sex. Male monarchs have two black spots on their wing surface, females do not.

On the day I visited, I met Maintenance — as in high maintenance — whose name says it all. By the time the family and I were done chatting, they were ready to release Maintenance into the wild to flit from plant to plant, to pollinate flowers and to hopefully fly south — without inci dent — to Mexico. But first, the gender reveal.

“It’s a boy,” Charlotte announced, point ing out the black dots on his wings. She and Levi explained how last year they gave the butterflies names beginning with the letter “M.” This year, the names all start with “L.”

With that, Levi dug into a container filled with strips of paper bearing possible male butterfly names. And wouldn’t you know, guess what name he pulled out?

“It says Levi,” he proclaimed, grinning ear-to-ear.

Monarch larvae (above) and an adult butterfly (right) in the Abels’ Olivette backyard.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE FAMILY

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.

St. Louis resident Lilly Socha has joined Hillel International as a campus market ing and development manager supporting the communications and digital fundrais ing efforts of WashU Hillel, Cincinnati Hillel and Hillel at Miami University.

Ownership of “The Scout Guide Saint Louis” was acquired by brand and market ing firm Xplor, under the direction of CEO Angela Sandler and COO Lisa Litvag The guide is a celebration of the small businesses, artists, entrepreneurs and arti sans who make St. Louis unique. Volume V is currently in production and will debut in the fall.

Evan Canis and Sam Loiterstein were elected to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis Student Board of Directors for the 2022-2023 school year. Eighteen students were chosen through a competitive appli cation process that included an essay and letters of recommendation. Evan is a senior at Marquette High School and the son of Randy and Terri Canis They are members of Congregation B’nai Amoona. A senior at Ladue Horton Watkins High School, Sam is the son of Karen and Andrew Loiterstein. His family attends Congregation Shaare Emeth.

Harvey Wallace and Bruce Yampolsky are among the 11 who will be honored at the Ageless Remarkable St. Louisans Gala. St. Andrew’s Resources Charitable Foundation hosts the gala, which is cele brating the outstanding achievements of

inspirational and dynamic adults age 75 and older. The gala takes place Saturday, Oct. 1 at the Hyatt Regency St. Louis at the Arch.

Wallace, 76, is the co-founder of Brown Smith Wallace. His firm merged into Armanino LLP in 2021, and he currently serves as a Partner in Armanino’s Private Client Advisory Practice. A former Jewish Federation Board President, Wallace cur rently serves on several nonprofit boards. The Jewish Light recognized Wallace as an Unsung Hero in 2015.

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Yampolsky, 80, a member of Central Reform Congregation, has been an advo cate for the needs of older adults and mar riage equality in the St. Louis community. He has been on the board of the Missouri Silver Haired Legislature and has been the president of the city chapter for more than 20 years, promoting legislative advocacy for Missouri’s older adults. Yampolsky served as the first openly gay elected offi cial in the City of St. Louis, formerly serv ing as the 28th Ward Democratic Committeeman and a Member of the Democratic State Committee.

Seven-year-old Ryan Iken will be one of nine youth ambassadors for the upcoming JDRF Walk to Cure Diabetes on Oct. 16th A second grader at Saul Mirowitz Jewish Community School, he was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes three years ago and has been a youth ambassador since 2020. Ryan will also be walking with his family team, Iken Get Hammer. He is the son of Michelle and Corey Iken and attends B’nai Amoona.

Former St. Louisans Pamela Claman (Community & Non-Profit) and Dr. Morris Hartstein (Global Impact), are two of the seven olim (immigrants to Israel) from English-speaking countries who have been awarded the 2022 Sylvan Adams Nefesh B’Nefesh Bonei Zion Prize, recog nizing Anglos who have made a major contribution to the state of Israel.

Claman and her husband, Aba, are co-founders of Thank Israeli Soldiers, an

NGO (non-government organization) ded icated to educating, embracing and empowering Israel’s soldiers from the beginning of their service through transi tion into civilian life.

Hartstein is the founding director of Operation Ethiopia. A clinical associate professor of ophthalmology at Tel Aviv University School of Medicine and direc tor of ophthalmic plastic and reconstruc tive surgery at Shamir Medical Center, Hartstein has provided eyecare to the Ethiopian Jewish community and beyond for over seven years. Together with Struggle to Save Ethiopian Jewry, he established a feeding program for more than 500 malnourished children in the Gondar Jewish community.

Jay Steinback, former CEO of Rothman Furniture, is the is founder, chairman and CEO of yWhales Enterprises, a new startup seeking to advance technology focused on Web3. This term is used to describe the next version of the internet. Web3 is expect ed to be blockchain-based and include “cryptocurrencies, non-fungible tokens (NFTs), decentralized autonomous organi zations, decentralized finance and more.

Hi-Pointe Drive-In co-owner Ben Hillman announced that a mini version of the restaurant, Little Hi, will open this fall on Manchester Road in Ballwin. It will serve the restaurant’s signature burgers, fries and shakes.

Top row, from left: Lilly Socha, Angela Sandler, Lisa Litvag, Evan Canis, Sam Loiterstein and Harvey Wallace. Second row: Bruce Yampolsky, Ryan Iken, Pamela Claman, Dr. Morris Hartstein, Jay Steinback and Ben Hillman

New federation is on brink of collapse with or funding for programs

ASAF ELIA-SHALEV JTA

The Jewish Federation of New Mexico has nearly run out of money and staff, and all of its programs have been suspended or are being handed over to other community entities, according to interviews and court records.

The dysfunction is the result of mount ing acrimony at a 74-year-old institution responsible for serving the state’s estimat ed 24,000 Jews. After board resignations, lawsuits and the flight of many longtime donors over the past two years, the board has been discussing dissolving the federa tion entirely.

“All the programs are gone,” said feder ation board member Marina Rabinowitz, who agreed to join the embattled board in January in hope of turning things around. “The federation used to give grant money to almost all Jewish institutions across the state. But not anymore.”

Among the programs and grantees affected are the Jewish Care Program, which aids the elderly, including Holocaust survivors, and is being transferred to the Jewish Community Center of Greater Albuquerque; PJ Library, which provides books for free to Jewish families; the Santa Fe Jewish Film Festival; and the Hillel chapter at the University of New Mexico.

“The situation in New Mexico is unac ceptable and we will do everything in our power to ensure that the federation is able to continue serving the Jewish communi ty, supporting Jewish infrastructure,

uplifting Jewish life, and serving the most vulnerable,” said Eric Fingerhut, president and CEO of the Jewish Federations of North America, which represents 450 communities across North America.

What the future holds for New Mexico’s Jewish community is unclear. For now, all “central” programs traditionally supported through federation funding are still in operation, according to a JFNA spokesper son.

But even if the federation folds, donors could materialize to keep the programs afloat independently and the programs that have lost employees could be restaffed under new arrangements.

The dispute in New Mexico, which the Jewish Telegraphic Agency first exposed in March, centers on the tenure of Rob Lennick, the federation’s former executive director, who departed recently. He has since been hired to head The Jewish Federation of Volusia & Flagler Counties, serving the area of Daytona Beach, Florida, a JFNA spokesperson has con firmed.

Several staff members began complain ing in late 2020 that Lennick was prone to fits of rage and was at times intimidating and hostile. Lennick denied those allega tions, finding support among the execu tive committee of the federation’s board.

The executive committee moved to offer Lennick a loan and a contract extension and the board approved the offer in a vote in February 2021. But shortly after, several board members accused the executive committee of concealing the complaints against Lennick before the vote.

About half the board soon resigned and four members who stayed on filed a law suit. They are now asking a New Mexico court to take over the federation to ensure its management structure can be over hauled.

Lennick is now considering filing his own lawsuit because he says he has been unfairly maligned, according to his attor ney, Daymon Ely, who declined to say who might be targeted in the lawsuit.

“I’m not going to name names, but you have people that have a little bit of power and in my judgment, have abused that power,” Ely said. “We’re considering bringing a lawsuit because he has left and they continue to blame him for things that were not his fault. They’re still talking about the acrimony being his responsibili ty, but I think he really did try to turn down the volume and I think the facts will show that he tried to do a good job.”

Current members of the executive com mittee did not respond to requests for comment. David Blacher, who resigned as president of the federation, declined to comment.

In January, with many of the board seats vacant, the executive committee recruited Rabinowitz. An economist by profession, she agreed and saw an opportunity to con tribute by sorting out what appeared as messy financial accounting.

But she says that when she asked for access to the federation’s books, she was rebuffed by the executive committee. After repeatedly “begging,” she says she was finally given some numbers, such as a profit and loss statement, but not any doc

umentation that would validate the fig ures.

“I have no confidence that whatever is presented there is actually true,” Rabinowitz told JTA.

What she has been able to establish is that the federation coffers recently dwin dled to about $22,000, a minuscule amount for an organization with a proposed bud get of about $1 million in 2020, and a mas sive drop from three years ago when the federation reported that it had 18 months in operating expenses in its reserves.

Rabinowitz is not sure where the money has gone. At least some of it is going to pay the lawyer representing the executive committee members in court, according to court records.

“I do not know what here is mismanage ment and what is fraud,” Rabinowitz said. “The only thing that I can tell you is that an organization that has existed for over 70 years was destroyed in the last three years.”

Shelly Prant, the executive director of Albuquerque Jewish Community Center, said she believes the community will rally to ensure essential programs will continue and that her organization and others are prepared to pick up any slack created by the problems at the federation.

“There’s a core group of people in Albuquerque and around the state that are really caring, passionate and philanthrop ic,” Prant said. “And they’re really taking all this very seriously and trying to help, and so at the end of the day, we’ll be okay even though right now, it is challenging.”

Over 75,000 immigrants later, aliyah group is about a lot more than just charter flights

BY LARRY LUXNER JTA

Erica Weintraub, 18, long had dreamed of immigrating to Israel and joining the Israel Defense Forces. Originally from Brooklyn, N.Y., Weintraub got hooked on Israel from her first visit, when she came for a few weeks as a 9-year-old for her sis ter’s bat mitzvah.

“I kept reminding myself what that sum mer was like. For years, I would tell every one that someday I’d go and fight for Israel,” Weintraub said. “After you do the army, you are officially a part of Israel — sort of like marrying into the family.”

Batshevah Nagel runs an Orthodox Jewish survival camp in the forests of Vermont along with her husband, Ian. Born and raised in Monsey, N.Y., Nagel, 33, has four children and just moved to Efrat, a religious town in the West Bank near Jerusalem.

“I’ve always wanted to live here,” Nagel said. “It’s a spiritual thing — being part of the Jewish people and returning to this place after the Holocaust and all the histo ry we’ve been through.”

The two New Yorkers, who don’t know each other, were among 225 new immi grants on a recent charter flight that marked a milestone for immigration to Israel, or aliyah, from North America.

The flight was the 63rd charter flight organized by Nefesh B’Nefesh — the agen cy that coordinates aliyah from North America in partnership with Israel’s Ministry of Aliyah & Integration, the Jewish Agency for Israel, Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael (KKL) and Jewish National Fund-

USA — and on board was the 75,000th immigrant Nefesh B’Nefesh has helped bring to Israel.

In the 20 years since its founding in 2002 by Rabbi Yehoshua Fass and American Jewish businessman and philanthropist Tony Gelbart, Nefesh B’Nefesh has expanded from functioning as a pre-screener and coordinator of aliyah

flights to a full-service immigration and absorption assistance organization. That starts with helping prospective immi grants sort out their paperwork and get their free flight to Israel to helping them once they arrive find places to work, friends and the right community.

“For the last two decades, Nefesh B’Nefesh has been facilitating aliyah, edu

cating Jews worldwide to the centrality of Israel, advocating for olim past, present, and future, and celebrating their outstand ing achievements in all facets of life,” said Fass, now executive director. “And we’re looking forward to continuing to do so.”

For doctors, nurses and other medical

Continued on opposite page

Shanah

New immigrant to Israel Sam Leeman is greeted by Nefesh B’Nefesh co-founders Yehoshua Fass, left, and Tony Gelbart, right, upon arriving in Israel, Aug. 17, 2022.

PHOTO: SHAHAR AZRAN

professionals, Nefesh B’Nefesh works directly with Israel’s Health Ministry to streamline the medical licensing process and job placement. For fresh high school graduates considering staying on in Israel after a gap year, Nefesh B’Nefesh helps them explore various options available for Israeli national service, university study, IDF service and other opportunities.

Young women who choose to serve in Israel’s national service are served by a Nefesh program called Ori, which pro vides them with support programming and bureaucratic assistance. Nefesh also supports so-called Lone Soldiers, who serve in the IDF without the support of family in Israel.

Nefesh B’Nefesh runs free co-working space for young professionals in Tel Aviv; hosts an Israel job board that links Israeli employers with English-speaking immi grants seeking jobs; coordinates a special program to encourage and support immi grants who choose to move to Israel’s peripheral north or south; and runs sum mer camps to help immigrant children get used to Hebrew and Israeli culture in a fun environment with lots of field trips.

“There’s a lot more going on at Nefesh than just bringing people here on planes,” said Marc Rosenberg, vice-president of Diaspora partnerships at Nefesh B’Nefesh.

Nefesh’s Institute for Aliyah Policy and Strategy advances systemic changes relat ed to aliyah and proposes relevant legisla tion. Its Initiative for Zionist Innovation offers mentorship and financial grants for projects by olim that strengthen and improve local communities throughout Israel. Since Nefesh B’Nefesh opened its new Aliyah Campus in Jerusalem several months ago, thousands of people have come to events there.

“We’re trying to accentuate this meeting point for new immigrants and native-born Israelis to make sure their integration is more successful,” Rosenberg said.

This summer, some 2,000 new immi grants from North America arrived in Israel. Ranging in age from 2 months to 101 years, they included 494 families, 315 single people, 205 retirees and 626 chil dren. Their main destinations were the cities of Jerusalem, Beit Shemesh, Modiin, Tel Aviv, Ra’anana and Netanya.

Samuel Leeman, 26, of Bath, Maine, one of 27 medical professionals on board the mid-August charter flight, was awarded the distinction of being named the 75,000th immigrant. An aspiring ophthal mologist, Leeman just started his second year of medical school at Beersheva’s BenGurion University of the Negev.

“It was really nice of them to name me the 75,000th oleh,” he said. “Being here as an immigrant —finally — feels surreal.”

Leeman’s two sisters and his parents are now in the process of making aliyah together, so he won’t be leaving his family behind. Olim often say being far from family is the single-biggest challenge of aliyah.

“It’s hard being away from family,” Rosenberg said. “But people make aliyah for very practical reasons. They know the weather is hot and Israelis can be pushy. They also know that if they come to Israel, they’ll miss out on family gatherings back home. The question is do they want to pay that price?”

Increasingly, the answer is yes, Rosenberg says. Last year marked a record-breaking year for immigration from North America, with 4,478 new immigrants — up more than 50% over the average of the last 10 years and the largest single-year number since 1973. Israel is experiencing a surge in aliyah due to increased opportunities for remote work that the pandemic wrought, according to Rosenberg.

“For many people, a big obstacle to ali yah is their professional careers, and now that you can work from home, suddenly that’s opened a door for many people that wasn’t there before,” he said.

Officials at Nefesh B’Nefesh discount the notion that antisemitism is pushing American or Canadian Jews to move to

Israel, saying immigrants rarely bring it up in surveys.

Nagel, who ended up in Efrat, left a 130acre farm in rural Vermont, where for the last 12 years she and her husband, a for mer New Jersey yeshiva administrator, have been running a wilderness survival

camp for Orthodox Jewish kids.

“I’ve been doing freelance graphic design and marketing during the year, then camp during the summer,” she said. “We hope to spend summers in Vermont, where we can keep running the camp, and hopefully one day to open a similar camp

in Israel.”

The family chose Efrat mainly because Nagel’s brother lives there, and because it has a large English-speaking community.

“Knowing my children, they needed a cushy landing. Also, many kids on our block speak English, so they can commu nicate with people easily,” she said. “But our goal is for everyone in the family to eventually speak fluent Hebrew.”

Weintraub already knows some Hebrew and plans to live at Kibbutz Sde Eliyahu south of Beit Shean during her army ser vice.

“No one in my family has ever lived in Israel,” she said, adding that her parents have known for years that this was her lifelong dream. “Although it’s sad I’m not going to be with them for the next few years, they’re happy for me. And hopefully they’ll follow me here one day.”

This article was sponsored by and pro duced in partnership with Nefesh B’Nefesh, which in cooperation with Israel’s Ministry of Aliyah, The Jewish Agency, KKL and JNF-USA is minimizing the professional, logistical and social obstacles of aliyah, and has brought over 70,000 olim from North America for two decades. This arti cle was produced by JTA’s native content team.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog, center, helped inaugurate the opening of the Nefesh B’Nefesh Aliyah Campus in Jerusalem along with Nefesh B’Nefesh co-founders Yehoshua Fass, right, and Tony Gelbart, November 15, 2021.

PHOTO: ELI DASS

OPINIONS

D’VAR TORAH — PARASHAT NITZAVIM

ABOUT THE

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 commentaries to: news@stljewishlight.org

Facing the future with teshuvah

BY RABBI ELIZABETH HERSH

I was 6 years old when Harry Chapin’s song “Cat’s in the Cradle” debuted. It resurfaced in my life during my high school youth group years. Remember sitting around a campfire during Havdalah? The song session afterward always included this iconic hit.

I had not given the song much thought until my then 16-year-old announced that it was on his playlist. (Thank you, Sirius ’70’s hits!) Fast forward driving home from the East Coast and taking our son to college: I found myself meta phorically sitting in a song!

This week’s Torah portion, Nitzavim, begins, “You stand this day, all of you, before the Eternal your God …” Chapter 30, Verse 6 continues: “Then the Eternal your God will open up your heart and the hearts of your offspring to love the Eternal your God with all your heart and soul that you may live.”

The portion concludes by telling us we have a choice: life or death, blessing or curse.

This portion encompassed the mirage of feel ings as we had set out to move my only child into his dorm room. I thought about the Israelites standing on the precipice of a promised land. The barrage of emotions coursed over me, and I

am sure him, like the waves at high tide. He was looking forward. In his view was an array of endless possibilities. He was more than excited. He was in “the greatest city” in our nation.

My view was different. I was like Moses, look ing backward. Eighteen years played through my mind in a continual loop. As the car advanced eastward, I reflected upon the moments I could have been a better parent. It was not pretty. Somewhere in Pennsylvania, I spoke. I shared with my son that I could not see past the mistakes I had made or words spoken in carelessness.

Without missing a breath, he told me he had forgiven me the moment it happened. My heart was full of a lightness I so desperately needed. The remainder of the drive, move-in and good byes were flawless. No tears. He had granted me the forgiveness I needed. And I granted him what he needed: the ability to separate in an emotionally healthy manner.

The Hasidic master R. Shalom Noah Berezovsky (1911-2000), “maintained that while many of us genuinely want to repent, most of us lack the courage required to go deep inside our inner worlds and repair what is broken. … We thus prefer to tinker rather than transform.”

My soul was transformed as I sought and was

granted forgiveness. I was blessed with a whole ness, a genuine feeling of peace. It took courage to ask and courage to grant. We chose life.

This Torah portion, and Judaism in general, introduces us to the importance of a future. Our children are our future. As individuals, we can never think only of ourselves. We are about others and community. And without teshuvah, repentance and forgiveness, we cannot exist. My son gave me the greatest gift. I know his Jewish education, both formal and informal, taught him this lesson. This portion is also read on Yom Kippur morning, a time when our hearts are prepared for teshuvah, and our souls crave it.

We must look to the future for hope even as we actively address teshuvah. In Chapter 30, the root of the verb “to return” is utilized seven times. Seven is a number of creation and whole ness. Each time we seek repentance and forgive ness, we are creating anew.

In Exodus 33, Moses asked God to behold the Eternal’s Presence. God had Moses station him self in the cleft of a rock as God passed before him. God shielded Moses until God passed by him. Moses could only see his back. Like Moses, I am now facing forward, watching my son embrace his future.

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

Comparisons to Nazi era ‘revises and lessens’ tragic histo ry of Shoah

The recent cachet that has attached to comparisons of all things Nazi as a way of denigrating an institution or belief that does not lean to the right is curious. To invoke a Nazi comparison eliminates a genuine discussion of values. Doing so also automatically summons the abso lute horror of what is by far the greatest social failure of the modern age.

The horror of the Holocaust was the Nazi nightmare’s culmination of bigotry. Do you think there is masked antisemi tism in such comparisons? Is there a bit of ex post facto in blaming the victims? As Jews our social antennae are sensi tive, yet accurate.

There are now those who are permit ted to publicly admire Nazi dogma. For them antisemitism is an article of faith.

You now have to be at least in your early eighties to remember as a child when World War II ended. There was great public drama in the freeing of the concentration camps. Those of us of sufficient age remember it well. The creation of the state of Israel followed as a result of the Holocaust. The actual experience of hearing and reading the news has faded from the public memo ry. There is a lack of education as to the causes, massive scope, and conse quences of WWII. (The same may sadly apply to the Civil War.)

To bandy about comparisons to Nazi transgressions is to cheapen the discus sion. Doing so revises and lessens the terror and dread of what the Nazi regime did. Memory, history, are dese crated.

Norton Hoffman Clayton

Afghan Adjustment Act deserves public’s support

As previously noted in the Jewish Light, since the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan, nearly 80,000 Afghans have sought refuge in the United States, including several hun dred in the St. Louis area (see: “Jewish, Muslim and Christian Friends Unite to Welcome Afghan Family to St. Louis,” March 3, 2022). Many of them risked their lives to help the U.S. prior to the fall of the Afghan government.

Unfortunately, most of these Afghans entering the U.S. have done so under a program called “humani tarian parole,” which expires after two years, thus putting them at risk of being returned to Afghanistan, where they would face persecution by the Taliban.

Fortunately, proposed legislation has been recently introduced in both houses of Congress to remedy this sit uation. The bill, called the “Afghan Adjustment Act,” would allow Afghan refugees who have undergone addi tional vetting to apply for permanent legal residency in the U.S., thus ending their legal limbo and allowing them to restart their lives here.

The legislation is supported by HIAS and the Jewish Federation of North America, and was co-sponsored in the Senate by Missouri Senator Roy Blunt. We should call on our members of the House of Representatives to support and co-sponsor that chamber’s version of the Afghan Adjustment Act, HR 8685.

Greg Campbell Creve Coeur

Donations to Federation’s Annual Campaign are an investment in the Jewish community’s future

BY VICKI SINGER

As the 2022 Annual Campaign Chair, I am frequently asked to explain the role and importance of giving to the Jewish Federation of St. Louis. I feel Federation Board Member Melanie Winograd explains it best by saying, “Giving to the Federation’s Annual Campaign is like investing in mutual funds. Giving to an individual organiza tion is like investing in a stock. Both are important but I trust Federation to direct my gift in a way that takes care of the whole community.”

If you participate in Jewish life in St. Louis, then you have experienced the way the Federation’s work impacts all of us. From generation to generation — l’dor v’dor

access to live full lives with dignity and meaning.

Federation also invests in partners like our Jewish preschools, day schools, syna gogues, Camp Sabra, BBYO, Jewish Student Union, Hillels, Israel travel grants, MaTovu, and so many more to build a vibrant community for children, young adults and families.

If you participate in Jewish life in St. Louis, then you have experienced the way the Federation’s work impacts all of us. From generation to generation — l’dor v’dor — the Federation has united us in ser vice to the community we share.”

— the Federation has united us in service to the community we share.

Federation supports services like elder care, mental health, and alleviating food insecurity. Federation invests in partners like Jewish Family Services, Crown Center, Covenant Place, and Natural Occurring Retirement Community, to name a few, to make sure everyone has

As it has for over 120 years, the Jewish Federation of St. Louis continues to be the essential source of life-enriching funding for over 85 community partners in St. Louis, in Israel, and around the world.

Please join me, Melanie, and so many other caring donors with your gift to the 2022 Annual Campaign. Just like investing in a mutual fund, when we donate to Jewish Federation of St. Louis, we leverage our collective resources to achieve com mon goals. Visit jfedstl.org/donate today.

L’shana tova u’metukah! Wishing you and yours a sweet and happy 5783!

Vicki Singer is 2022 Annual Campaign Chair for Jewish Federa tion of St. Louis.

Ken Burns’ Holocaust documentary may be hard on America, but not hard enough

BY RAFAEL MEDOFF & MONTY N. PENKOWER JTA

Seventy-eight years ago last week, David Ben-Gurion rose before the Asefat Hanivcharim, Palestine Jewry’s elected assembly, and delivered an explosive “j’ac cuse” against the Allies for abandoning Europe’s Jews during the Holocaust.

The words of the man who would soon be Israel’s first prime minister take on added significance in view of the upcom ing release of Ken Burns’ three-part, sixhour PBS documentary “The U.S. and the Holocaust.” Its official website says the film “dispels” the “myth” that America “looked on with callous indifference” during the Holocaust.

By contrast, Ben-Gurion told the gather ing of Jewish community leaders in Jerusalem on Sept. 12, 1944: “As millions of Jews were taken to the slaughter — young and old, infant and newborn, moth er and daughter — the world leaders, those who shout slogans about democracy and socialism, looked away from the blood shed and did not undertake rescue action — they did not even try to rescue them.”

Two months earlier, Ben-Gurion had

Rafael Medoff (left) is founding director of The David S. Wyman Institute for Holocaust Studies and author of more than 20 books about Jewish history and the Holocaust. Monty N. Penkower (right) is Professor Emeritus of Modern Jewish History at the Machon Lander Graduate School of Jewish Studies and author of a five-volume study about the rise of the State of Israel between the years 1933-1948.

spoken in similar terms at a ceremony on the 40th anniversary of the death of Theodor Herzl. Addressing himself to the Allies, he thundered: “What have you allowed to be perpetrated against a defenseless people while you stood aside and let them bleed to death, never lifting a finger to help?….Why do you profane our pain and wrath with empty expressions of

sympathy which ring like mockery in the ears of millions who are being daily burnt and buried alive in the hell centers of Europe?”

These words were not uttered after the fact. The Holocaust still raged as BenGurion spoke. Trainloads of Jewish deportees were being sent to Auschwitz every day. On the day of the Herzl speech, July 10, three trainloads of Hungarian Jewish deportees arrived in Auschwitz. Over the course of four days that week, more than 30,000 Jews were gassed.

For a few weeks earlier that summer, Ben-Gurion and his colleagues in the lead ership of Palestine’s Jewish Agency had mistakenly believed that Auschwitz was a labor camp. But when they learned in late June that it was in fact a death camp, they lobbied Allied diplomats in Europe, the Middle East and the United States to bomb the railways and bridges leading to Auschwitz, or the gas chambers, or both.

Future Israeli president Chaim Weizmann and future prime ministers Moshe Shertok (Sharett) and Golda Meyerson (Meir) were among those pro moting the proposal in meetings with Allied officials. In early September, just

before the aforementioned meeting of the Asefat Hanivcharim, Jewish Agency offi cial Eliyahu Epstein (Elath) reported to Ben-Gurion about his unsuccessful efforts to persuade a Soviet diplomat in Cairo that the Allies should bomb the death camps. Roosevelt administration officials falsely asserted that the only way to strike the railways or the death camp would be to “divert” planes from distant battle zones, thus undermining the war effort. That claim is repeated in the Burns film as if it were a fact. In reality, American planes were already flying over Auschwitz, bombing the oil factories in the death camp’s industrial zone (where Elie Wiesel was among the slave laborers) — less than five miles from the gas chambers. One of those raids took place on Sept. 13, 1944, the day after Ben-Gurion’s speech to the Jerusalem assembly.

In Ken Burns’ film, interviewees belittle the proposals to bomb the railways on the grounds that the Germans could have quickly repaired them. But that was true for all U.S. bombing attacks on railroads in Europe, yet it never deterred the

BY ALEXANDER HAIMANN

My reflections in the wake of the pass ing of Queen Elizabeth II certainly will not match the grief of millions who lived for 70 years with her as their queen. But I’d like to share three connections I had with Her Majesty as I continue to grapple with my own sorrow surrounding her passing.

My first connection is the moment that I became aware of the queen as a major international figure. I had just started col lecting postage stamps at the age of 7 when I learned that Great Britain, starting in 1840, did not put its country’s name on its stamps. Instead, a representative image of the reigning monarch was all that was required.

That first stamp issued in May 1840 prominently featured the defining British monarch of the 19 th century, Queen Victoria, poised in black ink. It cost one penny.

Ever since that first stamp, famously known as the Penny Black, the monarch has been the primary subject of every British postage stamp or represented by a profile silhouette in the corner of the stamp’s design. As a result, stamps with Elizabeth’s head either in silhouette or fully featured began entering my child hood collection.

These were stamps not only from Great Britain; some other countries in the British Commonwealth also recognize the queen as their head of state. So, within a short period of time, I had stamps from Canada, Australia, the Bahamas, Jamaica, the Solomon Islands and other stamp-issuing countries featured an image of the queen in some form.

My second connection is the moment I realized that Elizabeth was not only a global stateswoman, but also a major fig

ure of history. In 2015, 22 years after I started collect ing stamps, I was in Scotland on a work trip a month before my first child was due to be born.

At the train station in Edinburgh, a TV crew was interviewing peo ple waiting for their trains. I overheard the reporter asking a man what he thought about Elizabeth passing her great-great grand mother, Victoria of Penny Black stamp fame, as the longest reigning monarch in British history.

I had about a minute to think of what I would say if asked the same question when the reporter put a microphone in front of my face and asked the same question. Judging from his reaction, the reporter clearly didn’t expect to hear an American accent.

I remarked that Victoria’s reign from 1837 to 1901 (I have a thing for dates) was remarkable; she influenced the histo ry of that period in ways that are hard to comprehend. Elizabeth also has reigned over a tremendous period of change in

Britain and the world. Pretty amazing, I continued, for her to have regularly met with every prime minister starting with Winston Churchill and to have met every U.S. president from Harry Truman to Barrack Obama — except for Lyndon Johnson.

My connection to the queen grew a bit deeper when I was elected a fellow of the Royal Philatelic Society London the fol lowing month. Since 1906, the philatelic society has had each reigning British mon arch as its patron. The queen visited the society’s London premises in 1969 for the 100th anniversary of the organization’s founding.

For an American who loved history and

Alexander Haimann is a proud St. Louis trans plant who lives with his wife, Sarah, and their three children in Chesterfield. They belong to Congregation B’nai Amoona. In his work life, Haimann is a partner at Less Annoying CRM, a 2014 Arch Grant recipient company.

As Haimann Chesterfield Elizabeth

QUEEN

Personal accountability is the key ingredient in success

BY MARTY ROCHESTER

I meet some folks for coffee a couple of times a week at a coffee shop in Clayton. I am the only conservative at the table. I value exposure to diverse perspectives.

Recently, the conversation started with one of my coffee-mates noting with horror a report that some teenagers were spotted in a quiet, tony Clayton neighborhood car rying AK-15-type rifles as they were apparently looking for cars to steal.

I asked a policeman standing near our table what the likelihood was that, even if the boys stole a car and were caught, they would serve any jail time. He said it was highly unlikely.

Whereas my liberal friends that morning focused on how terrible it was that permis sive Missouri gun laws allowed youths to carry assault rifles on Clayton streets, I said it was at least as terrible that such criminals would not be punished for stealing cars.

One of the progressives at the table then excused the criminal behavior as merely the end result of “poor delinquents,” whom we presumably should feel sorry for.

It so happened I had with me that morn ing a copy of Viktor E. Frankl’s classic work “Man’s Search for Meaning,” his memoir of his Holocaust experience in Nazi concentration camps during World War II, which I had just finished reading.

I pointed out to my progressive compan ion that Frankl’s core message in the book was that no matter how seemingly dire and hopeless one’s situation might be,

even in the Auschwitz or Dachau concen tration camps, where “the odds of surviv ing were no more than one in 28,” there is always the possibility of improving one’s life if you make the effort to overcome your challenges.

In other words, there is always an ele ment of choice that is available and ulti mately separates survivors from those who succumb to their environment. As Frankl states:

“I am fully aware of the extent to which man is subject to biological, psychological and sociological conditions. But in addition to being a professor in two fields [neurolo gy and psychiatry] I am a survivor of four concentration camps and, as such, I also bear witness to the unexpected extent to which man is capable of defying and brav ing even the worst conditions conceivable.”

Yes, even juvenile delinquents from the most deprived homes have choices to make, as do virtually all of us.

One of the main things that distinguish es conservatives from liberals today is that the latter tend to attribute poverty, bad health, criminality and other deficits to society’s failings, as opposed to being the result, at least in part, of one’s personal failings. Too often, we are unwilling to hold people responsible for their behavior. Nowhere is this more evident than in the growing laxity of law enforcement, but it is found in many other areas as well, whether in grade inflation in schools or whatever.

At this point I must concede that, of course, some individuals have more and

better choices than others. Some are born with more wealth or better health and well-being than others. It is true that researchers have found that if one does three relatively simple things — get a high school diploma, get a job and wait until marriage before having kids — one has an 80% chance of escaping poverty. That still leaves 20% who may not make it, perhaps because they have too much negative bag gage to deal with. But they are the excep tion. In general, choices matter.

I was reminded of the importance of choice when Bill Maher, on his Aug. 5 “Real Time” show on HBO, lamented our growing fat acceptance, reflecting our “Orwellian obsession with body positivity” and making sure everyone feels inclusive. We should not ridicule fat people, especial ly where they cannot help it due to genetic or other factors. But, as Maher says, we should not be celebrating and thereby enabling and encouraging unhealthy behavior. Maher argues that fat accep tance is a national security issue as onethird of potential recruits to the U.S. mili tary are ineligible for enlistment due to being overweight, and that “military recruitment is down by the most since the end of the draft, because mainly 17- to 24-year-olds are too fat to fight.”

As usual, Maher could stand to use more civil language. But his point is well taken, that whether one wants to blame food des erts or fast-food restaurants or other explanations, we are witnessing a clear obesity trend even if there are almost

J. Martin Rochester, Curators’ Distin guished Teaching Professor of Political Science Emeritus at the University of Mis souri-St. Louis, is the author of 10 books on international and American politics.

always alternatives to gluttony that are available to most of the population if they are willing to exercise self-restraint.

Frankl had to cope not with overeating but starvation in the concentration camps. With either challenge, as Frankl writes, one finds meaning by “striving and strug gling for a worthwhile goal, a freely cho sen task,” and “man is responsible and must actualize the potential meaning of his life.” He recommends that “the Statue of Liberty on the East Coast be supple mented by a Statue of Responsibility on the West Coast.”

None of this means we should not offer help to those who are suffering and in need of our support. Frankl is careful to thank those guards and others who had the grace and courage to contribute to his survival.

However, if we do not hold ourselves accountable for our actions, we are not likely to find meaning and success in our existence.

Liberals and conservatives alike should be able to agree on this.

Roosevelt administration and its allies from targeting them as part of the war effort.

George McGovern, the future U.S. sena tor and 1972 Democratic presidential nom inee, was one of the young pilots who undertook those raids (including bombing the oil factories at Auschwitz). In a 2004 interview, McGovern argued that even if the railway lines could have been repaired, the damage would have delayed the depor tations and saved lives.

“[I]t would have helped if we had bombed the railroad lines leading to Auschwitz. The purpose of those rail lines was to carry human beings to their death, and we might even have been able to use long-range fighter planes to get down right on the tracks and knock them out,” McGovern said. Regarding a junction through which trains passed on the way to

Auschwitz, he said: “We should have hit that junction and disabled it. We should have hit the rail lines, even if we had to go back several times.”

It is also important to remember that there were bridges along those routes, and bridges could not be quickly repaired. Some of the requests put forward by Jewish groups at the same time actually named bridges that should be targeted. Those pleas were no secret. On July 10, 1944, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency reported that recent escapees from Auschwitz were urging the following:

“The crematoria in Oswiecim [Auschwitz] and Birkenau, easily recognisable [sic] by their chimneys and watch-towers, as well as the main railway lines connecting Slovakia and Carpatho-Ruthenia with Poland, especially the bridge at Cop, should be bombed.”

Debating the options for Allied action, a commentator in the Ken Burns film

argues that bombing Auschwitz might have been a bad idea because some of the inmates could have been harmed. That argument is disingenuous for two reasons. First, the United States could have bombed the railway lines and bridges to Auschwitz without endangering inmates. Second, the presence of those prisoners was not the reason the Allies rejected the bombing requests; note that they bombed those oil factories in broad daylight, even though slave laborers were likely to be there.

Likewise, the United States bombed a rocket factory in the Buchenwald concen tration camp in daylight in August 1944, even though the workers would be there; many were indeed killed, but the Allies considered the attack to be justified despite that risk.

Nahum Goldmann, who was the Jewish Agency’s representative in Washington as well as co-chairman of the World Jewish Congress, repeatedly asked U.S. officials

to bomb Auschwitz as well as the railways, and heard their excuses about not wanting to “divert” planes from the war effort.

Three days after Ben-Gurion’s speech in Jerusalem, Ernest Frischer of the Czech government-in-exile reported to Goldmann and the WJCongress that the Allies had been bombing “fuel factories… in Oswiecim and Birkenau,” not far from the “extermination installations.” Goldmann pointed out that fact to Allied officials, to no avail. They were, as BenGurion put it, not willing to even “lift a fin ger” to rescue Jews.

In a recent JTA interview, Burns assert ed that President Roosevelt “could not wave a magic wand” but did his best to help the Jews during the Holocaust. BenGurion, who actually lived through those days and was an eyewitness to Roosevelt’s abandonment of the Jews, understood the reality far more clearly. on

Tell the Supreme Court: ‘We must not ever go back’

BY STACEY NEWMAN

When Justice Samuel Alito and five of his pals on the U.S. Supreme Court decid ed they would upend almost 50 years of legal precedent by overturning Roe v Wade in June, they had no idea what the consequences of their opinion might be.

Alito, in his majority decision in the Dobbs case, smugly wrote: “Women are not without electoral or political power.”

Like we needed his permission or some thing to respond to his misogyny.

He had no idea of the forces his callous opinion would unleash. By kicking abor tion rights to the states and removing a constitutional right to bodily autonomy, Alito was unprepared for the national backlash that surely some woman had told him might happen.

The outcry wasn’t just in front of the roped off Supreme Court building or in the streets that night throughout the coun try. I was there, yes, screaming my disgust at the court the day Roe fell, arm-in-arm with hundreds of others, older and young er, of all backgrounds.

It took Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt less than 15 minutes after the decision to declare that Missouri’s 2019 abortion trigger ban had become law. By the time I arrived at the Supreme Court building from my D.C. hotel, thousands of Missourians had already lost their free dom to seek abortion care, and Missouri physicians were subject to felony charges if they dared to practice reproductive med ical care as they had been trained to do.

The outcry didn’t take long.

First, Kansas voters loudly said “No,” 59-41%, to a state constitutional amend ment to ban abortion, showing up in a tra ditional low turnout August primary elec tion. My home state of predominately rural white Christian voters was adamant that the government had gone too far.

Political pundits and television talking people were amazed that people in Kansas angrily showed up at the polls. Yet for years, polling consistently showed that the majority of Americans did not want Roe overturned. Kansans are also Americans, and they understood that women would die if abortion was outlawed in their state.

It didn’t stop there. Later in August, Pat Ryan, a veteran who ran pro-abortion com mercials weeks before the Dobbs decision, won his upstate New York special congres sional race by 51-49%. His campaign mes sage as a combat veteran focused on his fighting overseas for personal freedoms, which included reproductive and privacy rights for women. How novel he under stood that women deserve freedoms too.

And then at the end of August, Democrat Mary Peltola won Alaska’s spe cial election to fill its at-large congressio

Stacey Newman is the executive director of ProgressWomen, a statewide social justice group focused on justice and equality issues. She served nine years as a legislator in the Missouri State House, retiring in 2019.

system. Peltola defeated Republican Sarah Palin, the state’s former governor and a former GOP vice presidential candidate, in a longtime GOP stronghold state. One of Peltola’s strong campaign messages was the right to abortion. Even voters in Alaska understood that Alito had crossed a line in determining that women couldn’t control their own bodies.

With fewer than 50 days until the Nov. 8th midterm elections, voters aren’t slow ing down.

After the Dobbs decision, new voter reg istrations in Kansas soared, and 69% of them were women. They knew despite Alito’s sarcasm that their political power was potent and contagious.

Tom Bonier, a pollster and Democratic political strategist, in a Sept. 3 New York Times op-ed headlined “Women are So Fired Up to Vote, I’ve Never Seen Anything Like it,” wrote that in states where abortion access was most at risk, large surges of women were registering to vote, especially in Idaho, Louisiana, and in key battle grounds states with high profile 2022 state wide races including Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin and Ohio.

If Alito had listened to Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg before she died, he would have understood how Jews would react to his ruling.

A September national survey by the Jewish Electorate Institute showed that 82% of Jewish voters strongly disapprove of the overturning of Roe, with the majority saying it made them more motivated to vote.

The future of democracy and abortion access are the top two issues driving the Jewish vote this year. Jewish voters get it.

Meanwhile in Missouri, despite our abor tion ban and physicians fearful of treating miscarriages and dangerous ectopic preg nancies because of the law’s ambiguity, state legislators are promising more restrictions. Bills banning women from traveling out of state for health care (abortion is health care) and criminalizing those who help them already have been drafted and are ready to be prefiled in December for the next session.

I’ve been screaming about the dangers of abortion bans for years, but now armies of women are screaming, too. And regis tering to vote. And showing up at polls in massive numbers.

Show Alito. Use your power.

#RoeYourVote in November.

Haimann: Meeting the Queen forever stamped in my memory

its many connections to the present day, I felt as close as I thought I would ever get to such an important, historic figure.

A few years later, I became aware of the fact that Anne Frank had a postcard of then-Princess Elizabeth pasted on the wall in her family’s hidden annex. Anne also wrote about Elizabeth in her famous diary. On April 21, 1944, just a few months before the family’s arrest, Anne wrote:

“Today is the eighteenth birthday of Her Royal Highness Princess Elizabeth of York. The BBC reported that she hasn’t yet been declared of age, though royal children usually are. We’ve been wondering which prince they’ll marry this beauty off to, but can’t think of a suitable candidate.”

In June 2015, the queen visited the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp where Anne Frank had died. Even today, I’m struck by how Elizabeth was one of the last living people whom Anne wrote about and had connected to in her own way during a life cut short by the Holocaust.

My third connection with Queen Elizabeth II is from Nov. 26, 2019 — the day I met her.

That September, I had been invited by the president of the Royal Philatelic Society to attend the official opening of its new headquarters building in London.

A few weeks before the day, each attendee received a memo about required dress, protocol for the day and instructions for a rehearsal before the official opening.

When we arrived for the rehearsal, it was confirmed that Elizabeth was com ing the following day. We received instructions on how to interact with her.

In summary: Follow her lead. If she extends her hand, extend yours. If she starts talking to you, engage her in con versation. Most important, the first time addressing her, be sure to use “Your Majesty” and from then on “Ma’am.”

On the day of the opening, when she finally entered our room, it was surreal. The society’s president guided the queen to our group and indicated the three of us from the United States and began introducing us.

Each time someone was introduced to the queen she extended her hand, so we extended ours to her. When she shook my hand, I said, “Your Majesty” and slightly bowed my head. She then made a comment about how the membership was clearly quite international in its scope.

When I mentioned that “there are over 300 members of the Royal Philatelic Society in the United States,” Elizabeth seemed somewhat surprised.

“Well, you now all have a beautiful new headquarters building to come to when visiting London,” she said.

I responded very enthusiastically, “Absolutely, ma’am!”

Over the course of an hour, she chat ted with about 40 people and walked unassisted around three floors of the new building. And don’t forget, she was 93 years old at the time.

A remarkable experience I will remember and cherish for the rest of my life.

TWO PATHS TO AGING: WHICH ONE WILL YOU CHOOSE?

BY: DR. BETH TEMPLIN, PT, DPT, GCS GERIATRIC PHYSICAL THERAPIST

people say they have decided to alth and fitness earlier in their lives I understand it s hard when you're busy living life before realizing how important it truly is

Most people don t understand what a huge role they have in choosing their aging path They don't believe they have control over how quickly they experience the decline of old age

As a result they don't believe they can make changes in their life They just accept the loss of strength and independence as a normal part of aging, when it is not

The truth is that your physical fitness plays a vital role in your ability to do the things you love and enjoy doing As you get weaker, it can get harder to participate in all the activities, from special events to regular hobbies

If you continue on this path, you'll soon start having more difficulty with everyday chores, like taking care of your home and yourself

With enough inactivity, you begin to become dependent on others for everything in your life This is the path most people want to avoid, yet not enough people are getting

enough exercise or regular physical activity

This is why we are providing a Free Community Talk "Fit For Life"

Attend this event to find out:

The key to fight aging and stay independent longer

Two Paths To Aging: You can choose your journey

The most important exercise factors for aging adults Being "too old" to exercise and other myths of aging

How our fitness options help you stay active longer

When: Friday October 14th at 2:30 pm

Where: 3809 Lemay Ferry Rd, 63125

*Attend in person, join us online from your home, or register for the recording Call (314) 939 1377 to reserve your spot 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

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The Jewish history of the Fabulous Fox

BY JORDAN PALMER CHIEF DIGITAL CONTENT OFFICER

On Sept. 7, the Fabulous Fox Theatre cel ebrated the 40th anniversary of its 1982 reopening. This remarkable achievement would not have happened without the efforts of two members of the St. Louis Jewish community, Mary and her husband Leon Strauss. But the entirety of the Fox Theatre’s Jewish history extends all the way back to the theater’s actual beginnings.

William Fox

The man responsible for building what is now the Fabulous Fox was William Fox, whose family name and legacy lives on to this very day. The empire he created is now known as the Fox Corporation, owned by Rupert Murdoch.

Born Wilhelm Fuchs in 1879 in the town of Tulchva, in what was then AustriaHungary, his parents were German Jews who brought their young son to America when he was only nine months old. His parents Americanized their names and settled into life in New York City’s Lower East Side, which would become known as the capital of Jewish America.

In a biography by Hal Doby, former President of Friends of the Fox Theatre, he writes, “William Fox worked hard and was quickly making a modest living in the fur and garment business. At the age of 20, Fox married 16-year-old Eve Leo on December 31, 1899.”

In 1900, Fox started his own fur busi ness, which he sold in order to start the Greater New York Film Rental Company in 1904 with the purchase of a run-down Nickelodeon in Brooklyn. As “moving pic tures” became more and more accepted, his theater moved away from live perfor mances, and he became a successful film exhibitor. Two years later he opened a pro jection-style theater on Broadway. With its success, he purchased more Nickelodeons and converted them into theaters.

In 1912, Fox, frustrated by what he called a “movie monopoly,” took on the Motion Picture Patents Company owned by Thomas Edison. The fight ended in 1912 when the Supreme Court ruled in Fox’s favor. Fox then founded Fox Hollywood stu dios and the Fox Theatre chain.

By 1929, Fox was not only a major force in the movie-making world but also owned more than 1,100 theaters and wanted more. The Fox Theatre chain had been continuing to build more and more opu

lent movie palaces. In 1929, the most lav ish of them all dubbed the “super-foxes” were built in Detroit, San Francisco, Atlanta and here in St. Louis.

Opulence to doom

The Fabulous Fox Theatre opened in 1929 as a movie palace. Its extravagant interior is reflected in plaster finishes (including the simulated-marble columns), hand stenciled walls, marble bathroom fixtures, leather-lined elevators, gilt paint, glass “jewels” velvet throne chairs and intricately cast brass.

One of the crowning features of the the ater is the 12-foot diameter, 5,280-pound chandelier. It is made of gilded pot metal, enhanced by 2,264 pieces of jeweled glass and illuminated by 259 light bulbs. The 90-foot grand lobby of the Fox was designed to recall ancient Indian religious buildings. The theater is also home to a majestic Wurlitzer organ, one of only five of its type ever constructed.

Despite its popularity, the Fox Theatre could not turn a profit. From the begin ning, it faced stiff competition from the Missouri and Grand Central theaters nearby. After William Fox went bankrupt in 1931, the Fox went into receiver ship and Harry and Ed Arthur became the owners of St. Louis Fox.

The fabulous Stan Kann

Stan Kann, the Jewish organ player, would become a major part of the history of the Fabulous Fox.

Stanley Gustavus Kann was born in St. Louis on Dec. 9, 1924, the son of the late Bessie (Marx) and Stephen Kann. He began playing the organ at age 4, and the piano as a student at Soldan High School. He majored in classical organ at

Washington University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in music.

According to the Post-Dispatch, Kann fell in love with show business when, as a graduation gift, his parents gave him a trip to New York, where he saw his first theater organ at Radio City Music Hall. He then convinced Ed Arthur, the owner of the Fox, to let him restore the theater’s Wurlitzer.

Kann played the Fabulous Fox Theatre’s Mighty Wurlitzer pipe organ from 1953 to 1975, performing between movies and at special events. Among his most memorable Fox performances was providing the organ “score” for a screening of the original blackand-white film version of “The Phantom of the Opera,” starring Lon Chaney, Sr. Kann also scored numerous films of the silent era, including several Charlie Chaplin ones.

Kann’s first run at the Fox ended in 1975 when he moved to Los Angeles. The Arthur Family kept the Fox in business, resorting to Kung Fu movies and occa sional rock concerts to stay open. In 1978, the doors were locked tight, ending the Arthur era at the Fox. Not quite 50 years old, the Fox Theatre seemed doomed.

The rebirth of the Fox

Banding together as Fox Associates in 1981, Leon Strauss, Robert Baudendistel, Dennis McDaniel and Harvey Harris pri vately purchase the movie palace from the Arthur family. The theater underwent an incredible one-year restoration under the direction of Strauss’ wife Mary.

Mary Burnett (Strauss), who was born

ABOUT THE MELVIN L. NEWMARK PAGES

These pages are dedicated to the memory of Melvin L. Newmark, St. Louis attorney and Jewish community leader, who served as president of the St. Louis Jewish Light Board of Trustees from 1969 to 1972. In his memory, Mr. Newmark’s family and friends established the Melvin L. Newmark Memorial Fund, which funds and sponsors Op-Ed commentary articles and special fea tures on a topic of current Jewish interest. The Jewish Light is grateful to Melvin Newmark’s family and friends for establishing this generous fund.

Continued on opposite page

Stan Kann

By 1980, the Fox Theatre was in need of a major restoration.

PHOTO: CHRIS CALDWELL

William Fox

in Chicago, was adopted when she was five weeks old and moved to St. Louis. Her father was an attorney, and her mother was a community activist and housewife. The family belonged to the old Temple Israel, and she attended Ladue schools.

Even as a young woman art would play a major role in her life.

“I’ve always had an interest in art. I drew and painted, but it wasn’t until college when I majored in art history that art became my life,” said Straus. “My professional life start ed when I became an art history instructor at Southern Illinois UniversityEdwardsville. In St. Louis, I developed the first class about women artists.”

Sometime in the late 1960s, Mary met a young man named Leon Strauss at O’Connell’s Pub in south St. Louis. In 1972, they were married.

Mary Strauss’ father was the attorney for the Arthur brothers who owned the Fox, and as a youngster, they would give her an annual pass to the theater. She fell in love with the magnificence of the place and was saddened when it closed in 1978.

“It wasn’t until January of 1981, when Leon and I went to look at the Humboldt Building and took a tour of the Fox, that I knew we had to save it and I was absolute ly adamant about it,” said Strauss. “That became my mantra until Leon relented and agreed to save the theater.

“When we would discuss (it), Leon kept asking ‘Who’s going to do it?’ One day when he again asked, I offhandedly said, ‘I’ll do it’ as I walked out of the room and that was the beginning of the adventure.”

Strauss was named “director of resto ration” and got to work.

“The initial months were spent research ing every facet of the building and devel oping a detailed work schedule. A conser vator was called in to test all surfaces and make recommendations for their clean ing,” said Strauss. “The burnt-out electri cal systems had to be fixed and the leaky roof had to be repaired and eventually replaced. Serious plumbing and mechani cal problems had to be overcome. With work lights in place, a huge crew climbed scaffolding, lifts and ladders to begin the massive cleanup and restoration job.”

During the restoration workers literally rediscovered the brass ticket vestibule and brought it back to life.

“The spacious opulent men’s and ladies’ smoking lounges were decorated and fur nished using 1929 original photographs. The stage and backstage areas had to be completely transformed and updated to accommodate a wide spectrum of contem porary entertainment,” said Strauss.

New state-of-the-art sound and lighting systems were installed. The original jew eled house curtain was cleaned, and a new traveling house drape was installed. Five floors of the dressing room stack were ren ovated with each floor receiving new plumbing, electricity, paint and carpeting.

Strauss and her team worked for one solid year to achieve her goal.

“I just wanted the Fox to look like it did when it opened in 1929,” said Strauss.

As for the total cost of the restoration?

“Leon’s famous quote was ‘Mary had an unlimited budget and exceeded it!’ But that’s not true. It was a one-year, $2-plus million restoration program under the aegis of Pantheon Construction Company,” said Strauss.

Opening night

On Sept. 7, 1982, the Fox Theatre reopened its doors. The opening show was “Barnum!”

“And the theater was packed. Leon and I were standing in the lobby and a man stepped inside the doors and started look ing around and proclaimed, ‘Big deal! Big

deal! It looks like it always did!’ I knew I had succeeded and turned to Leon and said, ‘We did it!’”

In May 1983, the importance of the res toration of this great movie palace was recognized nationally. The National Trust of Historic Preservation presented the Fox Theatre and Fox Associates with a 1983 National Trust Honor Award.

Peacock Alley

In 2007, the Fabulous Fox celebrated its 25th anniversary of the renovations with the opening of a new visual display in Peacock Alley on the fourth level of the Fox Theatre.

When the Fox Theatre originally opened in 1929, Peacock Alley was an art gallery displaying paintings, statues and “objects d’art” collected by Eve Leo, William Fox’s wife.

Mary Strauss and a creative team spent seven months creating, designing and mounting this special exhibit. Patrons can visit Peacock Alley while they are taking a tour of the theater or while watching a pro duction. While on the fourth floor visiting Peacock Alley, patrons can also view a tribute to Stan Kann.

Since its 1982 rebirth more than 20 mil lion guests have passed through the brass doors of the Fabulous Fox to see Broadway shows, concerts, dance productions, fami ly presentations, gospel plays and classic movies as well as to take tours and attend private events such as weddings, gradua tions and proms.

There have been 7,890 performances and 1,893 acts and productions presented since the reopening in 1982.

Leon and Mary Strauss (above) in 1982. Led by Mary Strauss, Fox Associates undertook a massive overhaul of the Fox in 1981, bringing new life to the ornate theater.

ANTOINETTE ROSE CARLIE (nee Gorczyca), September 9, 2022

Proud of her humble beginnings, Antoinette lived a rich life.  Everyone was a friend and she was a mother to many.   She was our source of encouragement and assurance.   When she smiled, all was right with the world.    Together with Carl, her husband of 71 years, she provided a happy life for her ever-growing family and friends.    Antoinette made a difference in this world and will be remembered as our North Star.

In her younger years, Antoinette was an active volunteer in many organizations, most notably in the Trouping Theatre Group of the National Council of Jewish Women and lovingly served as co-guardian of the special-needs son of her deceased twin brother Anthony.

Beloved wife of Carl J. Carlie; dear mother of Mark Carlie (Marie), Kevin Carlie (Tommie), Chris Bomze (Jon), Caryn Newmark (Barry) and former mother-in-law of Debby Carlie; dear sister, sister-in-law, grandmother, great-grandmother, aunt, cousin and friend.

A funeral service was held September 16 at United Hebrew Congregation.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the  American Heart Association or the  Arthritis Foundation. Please visit bergermemorialchapel.com for Live Stream information. Berger Memorial Service

JEROME D. FRIEDMAN, September 10, 2022

Beloved son of the late Henry and the late Sara Friedman; dear brother of Susan Siegel (Don), the late George Friedman and the late Bruce Friedman; dear uncle of Julie Firment (Johnny), Sunni Ecker (Matt) and the late Vicky Friedman; dear cousin and friend.

A graveside service was held Thursday, September 15 at Chevra Kadisha Cemetery, 1601 North and South Road. Memorial contributions preferred to the  National Kidney Foundation, 1001 Craig Rd #480, St. Louis, MO 63146. Please visit  bergermemorialchapel. com for more information. Berger Memorial Service

NATALIE GINSBURG, age 32, passed away on September 9, 2022 following a long battle with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. She is already missed by her parents, Martha and Barry Ginsburg, her sisters, Andrea Strosberg (Josh) and Hilary Ginsburg. Natalie was the granddaughter of the late Elene and the late Joel Ginsburg and Adele Barnett and the late Donald Barnett. She is also survived by her nieces and nephews, Maayan, Yonah, Tehila, and Daniel Strosberg.

Natalie loved her family and friends and fought hard for more days and years, never giving up. She valued each day of her short life and would often tell us she was not ready to go because “she had more things to do.”

Her fighting spirit, warmth, love of reading, and concern for others will be missed every day.

A graveside service took place on Sunday, September 11 at 2 PM at United Hebrew Cemetery, 7855 Canton in University City.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in Natalie’s memory may be made to The Oley Foundation, Albany Medical Center, MC-28, 99 Delaware Avenue, Delmar, NY 12054 (oley.org) or the Dream Street Foundation, 324 South

Beverly Drive, Ste. 500, Beverly Hills, CA 90212 (dreamstreetfoundation.org).

JANICE KAWIN GITT, June 28, 1930-September 15, 2022

Beloved wife of the late Stanley A. Gitt; daughter of the late Jason and the late Sylvia Kawin; dear mother and mother-in law of Laura (Bob) Modrowski, Patty (Larry) Malashock and Ricky Gitt; dear grandmother of Jason (Stevie) Malashock and Michael (Jill) Malashock; great-grandmother of Teddy, Stanley and Molly Malashock. A great wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and friend.

A graveside service was held Sunday, September 18, 2022 at Chevra Kadisha Cemetery, 1601 North & South Road. Memorial remembrances may be made to The Scholarship Foundation of St. Louis, 6825 Clayton Ave, Suite 100, St. Louis. MO 63139 or the  Harvey Kornblum Jewish Food Pantry, 10601 Baur Blvd, St. Louis, MO 63132.

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

EUNICE WEBER GOLDSHINE, September 15, 2022

Beloved wife of the late Harold Weber and late Sanford Goldshine; longtime companion of the late Benjamin Reck; dear mother and mother-inlaw of Linda (Jerry) Nissenbaum, Wendy (Gary Tobin ) Morrow and Cheryl Weber; dear Nana of Jaime (Adam Earnhardt) Nissenbaum, Joshua (Lindsey) Nissenbaum, Julie (Chris) Caputo, Justin (Evelyn) Morrow and Jason Weber; dear

Nana Euny of Kenstin and Sylvia Ivy Earnhardt and Lily and Charlotte Caputo; dear sister of the late Jules (late Evelyn) Heisler; dear sister-in-law of Adrienne Weber, the late Bill (late Ruth) Weber, late Kenny Weber, late Gloria and Elliot Morris; Oldest and dear friend of Natalie Zukerman; dear aunt, cousin and friend to many.

Eunice “Euny” always had a great sense of humor and a love for adventure, even traveling around Europe at 90 with her best friend, Natalie.  She always was the life of the party and had a busier social schedule in her 90s than most do in their 20s. She was a master Mahjong player, spending countless hours playing with friends over the course of her life.

Euny also cared deeply about her health and fitness, teaching water aerobics into her 90s. She attributed her stellar physical wellbeing to her steadfast vitamin routine, and certainly wouldn’t forget to ask her friends and family, “Did you take your vitamins today?” Euny also would often end her conversations telling her loved ones to “look both ways” before crossing the street.

Euny, Mom, Nana will be dearly missed. She will lie in eternity next to her first love, Harold, in the city they raised their beautiful daughters, and in a place that will forever be home.

A graveside service was held Monday, September 19, 2022 at United Hebrew Cemetery, Canton Ave 63130.  The service was livestreamed at  www.bergermemorialchapel. com. Memorial contributions preferred to the Alzheimer’s Association Berger Memorial Service

American Flag symbol denotes a United States military veteran.

JUDITH ALBERT KAPLAN passed away suddenly and unexpectedly on September 5, 2022.

Judy was born in Cincinnati, Ohio on May 16, 1944. After marrying Philip Kaplan in 1966, the couple moved to New York City where Judy worked in advertising while Phil completed his Masters in Tax Law at New York University. In 1967, they moved to St. Louis and shortly thereafter started a family with the birth of their twin sons.

Judy was preceded in death by her parents, Julius and Edith Albert. She is survived by her loving husband of 56 years, Phil, sons Howard (Kerrigan) and Michael (Jodi), and grandchildren Jason, Jordan, Matthew, Callie, and Connor.

Judy graduated from the University of Missouri School of Journalism. She had a successful early career in advertising and later in travel writing for the St. Louis Post Dispatch, St. Louis Jewish Light, Ladue News, and Cincinnati Israelite. She was a passionate board member of Jewish Family Services for 18 years and more recently served as a board member of the St. Louis Jewish Light. In addition to her work and volunteer activities, Judy was a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, and friend, connecting with all of them continuously. Judy will be terribly missed by all those who adored her.

A funeral service was held Friday, Sept. 9, at Congregation Shaare Emeth. Interment Beth Hamedrosh Hagodol Cemetery. Memorial contributions preferred to the St. Louis Jewish Light, Jewish Family Services or the charity of your choice. Please visit bergermemorialchapel. com for Live Stream information. Berger Memorial Service

DR. ROBERT (BOB) A. LEVY passed away on Friday, September 16, 2022, at the age of 67.

Bob enjoyed his career as a dentist, maintaining both a general dentistry practice and a specialized sleep apnea practice during the latter portion of his career. He retired two years ago.

Bob was a beloved husband, father, grandfather, son, and brother. He was an avid photographer, with a unique ability to find beauty throughout the world, often waking up early and exploring nature to capture a perfect scene. He loved music, from The Eagles, to Chicago, to classical piano, even working to learn new pieces late in his life. He enjoyed playing tennis and remained active throughout his life. Bob was a constant learner, always wanting to learn the latest technologies, tinker with a new gadget, or solve a vexing problem. He had a wonderful sense of humor, often finding the perfect way to put everyone around him at ease.

Most of all though, Bob loved his family and friends. Bob and his wife Marjie began their relationship in high school and built a wonderful life together. “From the time they were 15, they were together,” his mother Constance Levy said. “It was always Bob-and-Marjie, like one word. They were never apart.” The couple married in 1978 and they were married for 43 years. Bob and Marjie had a daughter, Julie, a son, Danny, and four grandchildren, Madelyn, Sienna, Davina, and Emilia.

Bob was a devoted parent and grandparent, treasuring every moment with his family. He looked forward each week to Sunday dinners with the family. Bob spent his first year of retirement (with Marjie) as a virtual school teacher for his granddaughters and spent the past two summers as a “counselor” at “Grandma and Grandpa Camp” where they’d tend to their vegetable garden, play tennis, card games, Foosball, and more. Bob was always taking care of his family – watching his grandkids, teaching his son and son-in-law how to grill and how to fix things, and planning vacations for the family to take together. Bob was a wonderful brother and son and had a very close relationship with his parents, sister and three brothers. Bob used every day he had to show his family how much he loved them.

While he passed away far too soon, he lived a very happy and fulfilled life.

Bob is survived by his wife Marjie Orenstein Levy, two children, Julie Perlberg (Matt) and Danny Levy (Sari), four grandchildren, Madelyn and Sienna Perlberg, and Davina and Emilia Levy, mother, Constance Levy (the late Monroe Levy),

and four siblings, Carol Charles (Bernie), Ken Levy (Cyndee), Don Levy (Hedva), and Ed Levy (Joelyn). We will all miss him terribly.

A funeral service was set for Wednesday, September 21 at 10 AM at United Hebrew Congregation, 13788 Conway Road. Interment followed at New Mt. Sinai Cemetery, 8430 Gravois.

For those interested in making a memorial contribution, please consider a donation to The American Heart Association, United Hebrew Congregation, or a charity of your choice.

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

RANDALL M. ROSENTHAL, M.D., passed away, Monday, September 12, 2022.

Beloved husband of Claire Rosenthal (nee Rosen). Loving father of Sean (Jamie) Rosenthal and Kim Rosenthal D.O. (Justin Kee). Proud and adoring Poppie of Brynn, Jack, Sam and Hannah. Dear brother of Steve (Judy) Rosenthal and Richard (Aleta) Rosenthal M.D. Dearest uncle, cousin and friend of many.

Services: Celebration of Life at the FAMILY CENTER at SCHRADER Funeral Home and Crematory, 14960 Manchester Road at Holloway, Ballwin, Saturday, October 15, 2022 from 12:30 p.m. until 3:00 p.m. followed by a sharing of memories. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in Randy’s memory to the  American Cancer Society. Friends may sign the family’s on-line guestbook at Schrader.com

LEATRICE (LEE) WEBER SALKY, 1931 – 2022

Leatrice (Lee) Weber Salky passed away on September 9, after a heroic struggle with Alzheimer’s disease. She was born in St. Louis on March 29, 1931 and attended Soldan High School. She met Bernard (Burney) Salky at Washington University, and the two married in 1951. Lee and Burney moved to Fort Benning, GA shortly after their marriage – where Burney served in the U.S. Army – and welcomed their daughter Paula. They returned to St. Louis, where son Kenneth (Kenny) was born.

Lee was preceded in death by her adoring sister Annette W. Hyatt. She is survived by her loving husband of 71 years, Burney, daughter Paula, son Kenny (Molly), and granddaughters Sarah Salky and Ellie (Jared) Weinstein.

Lee will be remembered for her fierce sense of humor, her distinct and timeless style, and, most of all, for her deep and unconditional love of family. She was a matriarch in the truest sense, guiding and supporting her family and bringing them together in love and affection, including in her final days. Being a grandmother was one of her greatest joys – a role she relished and will forever be remembered for. With an open heart and open arms, she was notorious for never saying “no” to her granddaughters.

An advocate for all children, Lee devoted much of her life to expanding opportunities for children in the St. Louis area – first as a social worker, and later as a beloved tutor and reading coach at Mason Ridge Elementary and Head Start. At a time when women-owned businesses were rare, she owned and operated custom stationary store Paper World, in partnership with her friend Shirley Grossberg.

Together, Burney and Lee shared a vibrant and active life filled with travels around the world, great friends, and a loving family. She lived her life to the fullest, quick with her unforgettable laugh, sharp wit, and endless love. She shined bright and was never dimmed by her disease.

A graveside service was held Monday, September 12 at Beth Hamedrosh Hagodol Cemetery, 9125 Ladue Road. Memorial contributions preferred to the  Alzheimer’s Association, 9370 Olive Blvd, 63132.

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

BRUCE M. SCHNEIDER, September 9, 2022

Beloved husband of Pamela Roodman Schneider; Loving Father of Joshua Schneider, Erika Schneider, Allison Schneider and Lindsay Schneider; Dear son of Charlotte Schneider and the Late Irvin Schneider; Dear brother of Lauren Class Schneider and Scott Schneider; Dear brother-in-law of Larry Moss, Becky (Dan) Rosenthal, Dr. Steve (Robin) Roodman, Jackie (John) Flotken, Felicia Schneider, and Samantha (Russ) Miller; Dear uncle, cousin and friend to

many.

Bruce lived life fully, loved with all his heart and touched many lives. Although taken from us too soon, his memory will always be a blessing. A funeral service was held at Central Reform Congregation on Tuesday, September 13, 2022. The service was livestreamed at  www. bergermemorialchapel.com Private burial followed at Beth Hamedrosh Hagodol Cemetery. Memorial contributions preferred to  Pedal the Cause, Lift for Life Academy, and the Red Cross Berger Memorial Service

PHILLIP SCHREIBER  passed away on September 14, 2022 at age 84. Beloved husband of Susan (Goldfarb); hero to son Marc (Erin); and adored grandfather of Abby and Lily.

Born in Queens, N.Y., and raised in Springfield, Mass., Phil was a member of the University of Vermont tennis team and served in the Air Force. A job with United Aircraft brought him to St. Louis where he met his wife. They enjoyed 52 years of a loving marriage. He rose to president at Sachs Properties, helping to lead the development of Chesterfield Village and was recognized as one of the premier developers in the area. He was a champion of St. Louis, involved in numerous civic boards and causes, appointed to the Missouri 2000 Commission, and served on the Parkway School Board.

He had the respect and friendship of many, including those on the St. Louis tennis scene. He was a fan of the St. Louis Symphony, enjoyed Sunday night dinners at Gian-Tony’s on the Hill, and loved cheering on the Northwestern Wildcats. Above all, his twin granddaughters brought him the greatest joy.

A memorial service was held Sunday, September 18 at Congregation Shaare Emeth. In lieu of flowers, donations appreciated to the  American Parkinson Disease Association – St. Louis Chapter, the  Missouri Botanical Garden , or  The Musial Awards Visit  bergermemorialchapel.com for more information.

ARTHUR M. SELTZER, September 2, 2022

Beloved husband of Loretta Walter Seltzer; dear brother and brother in law of Stephen (Beverly) Seltzer and Beth (late Lynn) Abbott; dear cousin, uncle and friend to many.

Arthur was active and supported many nonprofit Jewish and non-Jewish charity and business organizations.

He also was a big St. Louis sports fan.

A funeral service was held Tuesday, Sept. 6, at Berger Memorial Chapel. Interment followed at Chesed Shel Emeth Cemetery In University City. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions preferred to Congregation B’nai Amoona or a charity of your choice. Visit www.bergermemorialchapel.com for more information. Berger Memorial Service

RANDY A. WALDMAN, 72, Beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother, great grandfather, cousin and friend to many passed away peacefully on Wednesday, September 7, 2022.  He is preceded in death by his father Shel Waldman; mother, Phyllis Meyer; son Rick Waldman; brother, Frank and sister, Judy and aunt Edith Wolff.

He is survived by his wife, Jill Waldman (nee Koviak); daughters, Dawn Green and Melanie (Michael) Monohan; grandchildren Brandon (Crystal) Kniest, Daniele Kniest, Nicole Waldman, Zachary Waldman and Jacob Waldman; great grandchildren, Violet, Iris and Scarlett and sister, Shelly (David) Waldman-Barr.

Randy grew up in University City and attended U City High School. He spent time in the National Guard and devoted his life to the restaurant business working with his father Shel at the Coal Hole and Daniele Hotel as well as owning some restaurants of his own. Many remember him from them as well as Jericho’s Disco in Westport where he met his wife, Jill.

Retirement was not meant for him so he worked for Macy’s West County in the suit department for over four years, a job he loved. He will be missed by many whose lives he touched.

Services: A celebration of life was held at the SCHRADER Funeral Home and Crematory, 14960 Manchester Road at Holloway, Ballwin, Friday, September 16, 2022. An inurnment followed in B’nai Amoona Cemetery.

If desired, donations in memory of Randy may be made to  Stray Rescue of St. Louis. Friends may offer condolences or share memories in the family’s on-line guestbook at Schrader.com

Wishing St. Louis a sweet, happy, and healthy new year!

On celebrate tremendous gift’ of teshuvah

BY MIMI DAVID

Rosh Hashanah can seem confusing. On one hand, we know it is the Day of Judgment, a day on which the future of every human being and really of the entire world is discerned.

On the other hand, it is a day of celebration. We wear our nicest clothes, we have festive meals with many special foods, and we spend time with family and friends.

That can seem confusing. Is Rosh Hashanah a serious day or not? Is it a day to spend in contem plation of our past choices and our future, or is it a day of celebration and festivity?

Our sages explain that we often have the wrong approach to the seriousness of Rosh Hashanah and to the concept of judgment. While it is true that Rosh Hashanah is a day of judgment, there is another thing we must factor into that equation, and that is the concept of teshuva.

Teshuvah means repentance, but more literally means return. It is an incredible blessing and gift given to us by G-d.

It is the gift to be able to correct our mistakes,

to become a better person by not making the same poor choices we made in the past. The Torah tells us that when a person does complete teshuvah and really moves away from a mistake that she made in the past, that mistake actually gets erased from the book of her life. It is as if she never messed up.

This concept, this reality that was built into the world, is a tremendous gift. It means that every person can always repair herself. No mistake is forever; we each have the power within us to start fresh and wipe away the things we are not so proud of. This is a gift.

Imagine a world without teshuvah. How horri bly permanent all our actions would be! Also, this gift of teshuvah is granted to us every single year.

In fact, the Hebrew word for “year” is shana, and shana comes from the root shinui, meaning change. Every New Year brings with it the bless ing of teshuvah, the possibility of change, grant ing us the potential for renewal and greater close ness with the Almighty again.

As much as Rosh Hashanah may seem serious, full of scary grown-up stuff like judgment, in

truth it is a day of celebration. It is a chag, a joy ous holiday, one on which no mourning is allowed, we wear new clothes and we eat deli cious food. Rosh Hashanah is a holiday that cele brates the gift of teshuvah, acknowledging through festivities how grateful we are for the ability to change.

This in turn affects the way judgment on Rosh Hashanah really plays out. Yes we are judged, but we are judged by a G-d of mercy, who loves every step of teshuvah that we take. We are not judged by a strict, evil ruler who has no patience for human frailties; quite the opposite is true.

We are being evaluated by a G-d who gave us the blessing of teshuvah, of the ability to wipe away our mistakes. This is a G-d who under stands perfectly well our humanness, as He was the one who designed us.

Therefore, we celebrate on Rosh Hashanah, confident and secure in the knowledge that a good, merciful G-d will surely pardon us for our errors and grant us a good year.

May 5783 be filled with blessing and goodness for all.

Mimi David is director of women’s education at Aish St. Louis and has been a longtime teacher at Esther Mill er Bais Yaakov of St. Louis. She is a certified Mikvah Mentor and a professional dating coach.

BY YOSEF LINDELL

JTA

When a local Orthodox synagogue asked me to lead Yom Kippur prayers six years ago, one aspect of the request stood out: Was I comfortable using the “High Holyday Prayer Book” translated and edited by Philip Birnbaum?

The archaic spelling of “Holyday” is a tipoff to the book’s longevity. First pub lished in 1951 by the Hebrew Publishing Company, this Hebrew-English prayer book, or machzor, has been used by mul tiple generations of worshippers in Orthodox and, to a lesser extent, Conservative synagogues. It is the prayer book I used as a child; my earliest High Holidays memories include counting the

number of pages in the Birnbaum machzor until services would end.

In the ensuing years, a bounty of new translations has appeared, with modern typefaces, helpful commentary, user-friendly language and supplemental readings meant to “open doors” into prayer for the uninitiated or easily distracted.

Yet come Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, I will lead the services from a Birnbaum covered in brown paper and penciled notations of what to say and what to skip. Remarkably, 70 years after its publication, the Birnbaum Machzor is still here, outlasting its publisher, author and even its own copyright. On the occa sion of its anniversary, we ought to con sider its remarkable longevity and what its future might hold.

Philip (or Paltiel in Hebrew) Birnbaum immigrated to the United States from Poland in 1923 at the age of 19. While teaching Hebrew school in Birmingham, Alabama, he obtained an undergraduate education at the Southern Baptistaffiliated Howard College (now Samford University). After moving to the East Coast, he received his doctorate in Jewish history from Dropsie College in Philadelphia in 1942.

Throughout his career, Birnbaum forged connections with rabbis and aca demics affiliated with both the Conservative Jewish Theological Seminary of America and the Orthodox Yeshiva University. In 1944, the Hebrew

The Birnbaum machzor, first published in 1951, remained a staple of Orthodox synagogues despite a bounty of competitors.

Chefs offer sweet, inspired dishes for Jewish New Year

BY RACHEL RINGLER THE NOSHER VIA JTA

We asked five noted chefs and food writers what they will serve at home to mark the Jewish New Year, and (spoiler alert) they all plan to weave sym bols of sweetness — hallmarks of the holiday — into their menus. Long live apples and honey!

But the apples may be in the form of a confit, and the honey might be replaced by silan (date syrup). And in place of brisket and Manischewitz, consider grilled vegetables and an aperitif.

This article originally appeared on The Nosher (online at thenosher.com).

Michael Solomonov

Solomonov — chef, restaurateur and cookbook author, known for extolling and preparing Israeli food — will return to his roots this year with his Mom’s Honey Cake with Apple Confit. It’s a classic honey cake, moistened with brewed cof fee and lots of honey, topped with an ele gant apple confit, sweetened with honey, cloves and vanilla. The confit has savory applications, too. It’s great, he said, served with chopped liver.

Honey Cake with Apple Confit

INGREDIENTS:

For the cake:

2 ½ cups all–purpose flour

2 heaping tsp baking soda

1 cup sugar

½ tsp salt pinch ground cinnamon

3 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 ¼ cups brewed coffee

2/3 cup honey

6 Tbsp canola oil

For the apple confit:

3 apples, peeled and sliced thinly crosswise

1 cup sugar

1 Tbsp honey

2 cinnamon sticks

1 vanilla bean, split

3 cloves

DIRECTIONS

Israel-based food writer Adeena Sussmann, author of “Sababa,” will serve a sticky, sheet pan chicken made with honey followed by her grand mother’s honey cake. To kick off the holiday meal, her “Pomegroni” — like a Negroni, but with fresh pomegranate juice substituted for Campari. Pomegranates are in season in Israel in September, and are often incorporated into the holiday meal.

Pomegroni

INGREDIENTS:

6 ounces (¾ cup) pomegranate juice

2 ounces (¼ cup) sweet white vermouth or Lillet 2 ounces (¼ cup) dry gin

Generous splash Angostura bitters

Blood orange or other orange wheels

DIRECTIONS:

In an ice-filled cocktail shaker, vigorously shake the pomegranate juice, vermouth, gin and bitters. Pour into two ice-filled rocks glasses, add more bitters to taste, and garnish with orange wheels. The recipe can be multiplied (minus the ice) and stored in a pitcher for up to one week and can be freshened with more bitters as needed.

Yields: 2 cocktails

For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 F. with a rack in the middle. Line two 5-by-9-inch loaf pans with oiled parchment paper. Combine the flour and baking soda in a bowl and whisk well.

In a bowl of a stand mixer, combine the sugar, salt, cinnamon, eggs, coffee, honey and oil. Mix on low speed until blended. Add the flour mixture and continue mixing just until combined. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared loaf pans. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Decrease the oven temperature to 275 F.

For the apples: Toss the apple slices with the sugar, honey, cinnamon, vanilla bean, and cloves. Arrange in a single layer in a large ovenproof skillet or a baking pan. Add enough water to just cover the apples. Press a sheet of parchment onto the surface of the water.

Cover the skillet tightly with foil,

bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, and transfer to the oven. Bake until the apples are just tender, about 1 hour. Cool to room temperature, transfer to a lidded container, and refrigerate until cold. Serve with the honey cake.

Yields: 1 loaf

Adeena Sussman

Honey Cake with Apple Confit PHOTO: MICHAEL PERSICO

PHOTO: DAN PEREZ Margi Lenga Kahn’s challot (pictured here)

Itamar Srulovich

London-based Itamar Srulovich — pod cast host, cookbook author and co-found er of the Honey & Co. mini-empire — holds an “orphans’ Rosh Hashanah” each year with his wife and partner, Sarit Packer, for friends who don’t have a New Year celebration of their own. “One thing we never miss out on is apples and honey,” said Srulovich. The couple samples at least a dozen types of honey and several varieties of apples.

Srulovich offers a recipe for grilled pumpkin, apples and chestnuts that he discovered during his travels in Turkey, cooked on an outdoor grill (or charred in the oven).

Grilled Pumpkins, Apples and Chestnuts

Reproduced from “Chasing Smoke: Cooking Over Fire Around the Levant” by Sarit Packer & Itamar Srulovich, (2021, Pavilion)

INGREDIENTS:

1 small pumpkin or 2 small onion squash

2 Golden Delicious or Pink Lady apples

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 tsp sea salt

½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

12 chestnuts

1 head of red radicchio or red endive

For the dressing: juice of 1 orange

2 Tbsp cider vinegar

2-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated

2 Tbsp dried barberries (or you can use dried currants)

1 Tbsp honey

2 Tbsp olive oil

DIRECTIONS

Mix all the dressing ingredients together and set aside until you are ready to serve. If you can, make it at least one hour in advance of serving, for the best flavor.

Cut the pumpkin into thick slices or wedges (no need to peel), remove the seeds and place on a baking tray. Slice the apples into 2-3 cm/1-inch thick rounds (cut through the core) and add to the tray. Drizzle with the olive oil and season with the sea salt and pepper. Remove from the tray and place the pumpkin and apple slices on a hot grill to char for about 3-4 minutes on each side, then return them to the oily tray.

Slit the chestnuts carefully with a sharp knife so they don’t explode and place in a mesh tray or colander over the fire to roast. Shake the tray/colander every 30 seconds or so, till the skins crisp and start to open –about 12-14 minutes.

Break the radicchio into separate leaves, place on a large platter and top with the slices of grilled pumpkin and apple. Peel the chestnuts and break them up, scattering the pieces all over the salad, then dress generously and serve.

To cook without a BBQ: Roast the oiled, seasoned pumpkin in a hot oven at 220°C (430°F) for about 20 minutes, then transfer to a griddle pan over a medium-high heat to char for 3-4 minutes each side. Griddle the oiled and seasoned apples on both sides for the same length of time. Roast the chestnuts in the oven for about 10 minutes until the skins start to open, but don’t forget to score them first.

Serves: 4 as a starter or 6 as a side

stljewishlight.org/high-holidays

Pati Jinich’s Mexican-Style Gefilte Fish and Dorie Greenspan’s Szarlotka (Polish apple cake)

ABOVE: Itamar Srulovich’s Grilled Pumpkins, Apples and Chestnuts. PHOTO: PATRICIA NIVEN

“This

For Jews with disorders, new traditions a safer experience

BY ELLA ROCKART JTA

Shonna Levin is an Orthodox Jew, but she didn’t spend last Yom Kippur in a syn agogue.

The Brooklyn activist had planned to set up camp in Prospect Park, where she was going to host an all-day gathering for Jews with eating disorders for whom the holi day centered around fasting can be espe cially difficult.

Levin, who herself has struggled with disordered eating in the past, was forced to cancel, however, due to an injury.

Her event was to follow rules typical of recovery-focused spaces: no weight, calo ries or numbers talk. She also intended to bring along something that’s not typically part of Yom Kippur observances: the materials required for a seudah, or festive meal.

“I’d love to do it in future years,” she told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. “Too many people feel so isolated in this experi ence.”

Levin’s idea reflected an increasing number of efforts to craft new rituals and offer new modes of observance for Jews with eating disorders. Recognizing that the holiday’s traditional demand of a 25-hour fast could cause people with eat ing disorders to undertake dangerous behaviors, advocates across the Jewish world are developing alternatives and working to normalize Yom Kippur obser vances that do not preclude eating.

The Blue Dove Foundation, an organiza tion that seeks to change how Jewish com munities handle mental health issues, has created a framework for reflecting on repentance that does not depend on fast

ing. Rather than asking for confessions of wrongdoing, which can be part of the pathology of eating disorders, the frame work asks users to consider what they are already doing and want to do more of.

Many college Hillels are making food available in private spaces, so that students with eating disorders or other needs can eat while remaining set apart during the holiday from the rest of the student body.

Meanwhile, the National Council on Jewish Women is encouraging Jews to turn a ritual around smelling fragrant scents on Yom Kippur into an opportunity to set new intentions for the coming year — a move that the group’s promotional materials emphasize is ideal for people who are and are not fasting.

“And in terms of eating disorders, since

that comes up every year, again: HEALTH COMES FIRST, ALWAYS,” the group’s rabbi in residence, Danya Ruttenberg, wrote last year on Twitter before promot ing the scent ritual. “Take care of yourself, and if that means not fasting, do not fast.”

Efforts to support Jews with eating dis orders have only grown more resonant since the COVID-19 pandemic, which heightened the isolation and loneliness that those who struggle with the disorders are already prone to experiencing. A study from the first 12 months of lockdowns and social distancing showed that a children’s hospital in Michigan admitted more than twice as many adolescents with eating dis orders as it does in an average year.

The findings are no surprise to Temimah Zucker, an Orthodox therapist

and social worker in New York who treats many Jews and has seen a rise in both new and relapsed patients.

“People did not know what to do with their time, and there was so much empha sis around ‘this is the time to change your body’ and not at all focused on whether you’re taking care of yourself and your mental health,” Zucker said.

Yom Kippur serves up its own array of unhealthy messages, she said.

“There’s the theme of repenting where individuals who already experience high cognitive distortions around themselves and wrongness,” Zucker said. “Plus the pressure to connect to the day and wheth er that means fasting or not fasting.”

Jewish tradition is clear that people whose health would be jeopardized by fasting need not abstain from eating. That includes those who are ill, are pregnant or nursing and, many religious leaders have said, people with eating disorders.

Still, many of those in recovery struggle when they attend services, where they are surrounded by hungry people and trigger ing associations between fasting and disci pline or morality. Others, driven by their disorder, ignore spiritual and medical advice.

“Expect the patient to come up with all sorts of ways to try to get out of eating,” said Levin.

“I knew a young man who told his psy chiatrist that his rabbi is insisting he not eat for religious reasons, then told the rabbi the psychiatrist OK’d him fasting,” she added — but neither case was true.

Hannah Davidson, a 23-year-old Brooklyn college student, said her family’s

ILLUSTRATIVE PHOTO: ERI MIURA/GETTY IMAGES

Machzor: Why this High Holidays prayer book is still going strong

Publishing Company — a fixture on the Lower East Side of Manhattan that printed everything from prayer books to greeting cards to Yiddish translations of Jules Verne — published his abridged version of “Mishneh Torah,” Maimonides’ seminal code of Jewish law. Given the success of the volume, the company’s president asked Birnbaum to translate the siddur, or daily prayer book.

Birnbaum’s edition of the siddur, first published in 1949, outsold every other English translation and turned Birnbaum into a household name among Orthodox synagogue-goers. His 1951 machzor had a similar trajectory, rapidly becoming a High Holidays mainstay. In the 1960s, Birnbaum’s publisher reported that he saw the machzor on the shelf in faraway Hong Kong and Tokyo.

A few years ago, when my grandfather gave me a small 1903 machzor that had been in the family, I began to understand the appeal of the Birnbaum machzor. The 1903 prayer book, with the unwieldy name “Form of Prayers for the Day of Atonement,” is hardly usable. It includes a hodgepodge of Hebrew and Yiddish instructions and inconsistently sized texts that sometimes lack vowels. Its head-scratching English rendition of the “Song of Glory” (Shir HaKavod or Anim Zemirot) begins, “Sweet hymns I will sing, and songs will I indite, for unto thee my soul panteth.”

To make matters worse, it sent me flip ping frantically back and forth searching for the next prayer to say.

Birnbaum’s introduction to his transla tion speaks directly to my experience with the 1903 machzor and its ilk.

“The worshipper is not called upon to search from page to page and to commute from reference to reference,” he wrote about his own work. Birnbaum lamented the “gross carelessness” of earlier machzo rim that included pages “broken up by sev eral type sizes which have a confusing effect on the eyes of the reader” and trans lations that were “a vast jungle of words from which a clear idea only rarely emerg es.”

Not all of Birnbaum’s predecessors were guilty of these faults. The 1904 British machzor translated by Arthur Davis and Herbert Adler, which also was used in the United States, was well-organized and exquisitely translated. Yet it came in three hefty volumes and still suffered from a generous dose of what Birnbaum derided as “Bible English.” To a lesser extent, these archaisms also plagued the one-volume machzor published by Morris Silverman in 1939 and which for decades was the official machzor of the Conservative movement.

The Birnbaum machzor took hold because it outshone its competition, but its staying power can be explained by simple economics. Once a synagogue purchased copies for its congregants, switching to a different book was an expensive proposi tion. Further, the machzor is used only a few times a year, so it wears out at a frac tion of the rate of a Shabbat prayer book or synagogue Bible.

Also, unlike much of its competition, the one-volume Birnbaum machzor includes the services for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. While the ArtScroll daily siddur, published in 1984 by Mesorah Publications, quickly replaced the Birnbaum siddur in a vast number of Orthodox congregations, the ArtScroll machzor, with separate volumes for Rosh Hashanah (1985) and Yom Kippur (1986), did not meet with quite the same success. I suspect that a number of congregations could not justify the expense of purchas ing so many new books when their Birnbaums were holding up just fine.

Indeed, when Birnbaum died in 1988, heralded in The New York Times as “the most obscure bestselling author,” his machzor was still going strong. The

Hebrew Publishing Company continued to reprint it into the mid-1990s. The publisher ceased to exist sometime around the turn of the 21st century and the machzor’s copyright was not renewed. It is now in the public domain and can be perused online. What other book enjoys such wide spread popularity 25 years after going out of print?

Yet without much chance of being reprinted, the machzor’s reign may at last be drawing to a close. Birnbaum’s frequent use of “thee” and “thou” sounds archaic and off-putting. Rabbi David Wolkenfeld of Anshe Sholom B’nai Israel in Chicago put it well when he wrote in 2016 that the Birnbaum prayer books “were state of the art when they were first published and have been sanctified by the prayers of three generations of worshippers,” but the translation “now appears stilted.” And unlike more recent translations, “there is virtually no commentary that might help the novice or veteran worshipper find deeper meaning in the unfamiliar holiday prayers.”

Extensive commentary and contempo rary readings for the “novice or veteran worshiper” are a signature of newer trans lations like “Mahzor Lev Shalem” (2010),

which has replaced Birnbaum, Silverman and the 1972 Jules Harlow machzor in Conservative synagogues within the past few years. The Orthodox Koren Publishers at last released a one-volume machzor in

gogue where I will again lead the services this year.

“For nearly two thousand years,” Birnbaum wrote in the machzor’s intro duction, “the Hebrew prayers have helped to keep the Jews alive, saving them from losing their language and identity.”

Indeed, on the Days of Judgment, when we contemplate a turbulent past and an uncertain future, the prayer book is a sta ble text to which we can attach our hopes, dreams and aspirations. But the prayers are also complex and confusing, even to the initiated. For 70 years — indeed, for a lifetime — the Birnbaum machzor has been a sure-footed guide.

2018, with commentary by the late Rabbi Jonathan Sacks. I suspect many Orthodox holdouts will abandon the Birnbaum for the Koren sooner or later. Some have already begun.

But although congregants may of course opt to bring a different machzor, there’s been no official change yet at the syna

And that’s perhaps another reason why it has lasted as long as it has. When every thing around us is changing so rapidly, we often find solace in those things that stay the same. Just as there are certain tunes we associate with the Days of Awe, there are also certain books. For many, the Birnbaum machzor has long been among them.

So this year, I will take comfort in the venerable book whose tearstained pages have weathered tragedy, war and illness as I pray for the people of this fractured world to be inscribed in the Book of Life.

Indeed, on the Days of Judgment, when we contemplate a turbulent past and an uncertain future, the prayer book is a stable text to which we can attach our hopes, dreams and aspira tions. But the prayers are also complex and confusing, even to the initiated.

“ G H T L O S S

Health: New traditions aim to make Yom Kippur a safer experience for Jews with eating disorders

rabbi had advised them that she should not fast because of her eating disorder. Davidson said that she, like many others with eating disorders, had embraced fasting because it dovetailed with her disorder.

“That’s why we don’t fast — because we shouldn’t look forward to it,” Davidson said. “That defeats the pur pose.”

Esti Jacobs is the coordinator and co-founder of Ayelet Hashacher, a non profit organization in the Orthodox community to help people access informed eating disorder treatment. She said that even with a rabbi’s instructions to eat on Yom Kippur, those with eating disorders can still struggle to prioritize recovery.

“It’s like how in COVID people found it very hard to not go to synagogue. You’re raised to do anything to be in synagogue, to miss a flight or leave the house with a high fever,” she said. “So

even though God wants us to stay home because of COVID’s risk to life, it just doesn’t feel right.”

Jacobs added, “It’s hard to realize that what God wants from you is different from what God wants from others, that you’re keeping Yom Kippur by doing what appears to be wrong.”

Many Jews with eating disorders do structure their lives to insulate them selves from the challenges presented by Yom Kippur. Davidson, for example, said she rarely travels home from col lege for the holiday.

But avoiding the holidays shouldn’t be the only option.

Yocheved Gourarie was a 24-year-old Orthodox woman who documented her struggles with anorexia and depression on Instagram until her death by suicide. Now her father has his own account honoring her memory and documenting her experiences, especially around spe cial events such as holidays.

“She didn’t fast for nine years, and she didn’t attend services completely,”

Avremi Gourarie told JTA. “We made very certain that any time religion could have been a factor [in harming her recovery], it was taken out of the equa tion.”

Levin’s group had aimed to offer a middle ground: a space for those who do attend services and need a place to eat throughout the day. Her goal was to allow people with eating disorders to have a meaningful Yom Kippur, without having to choose between isolation and risk of relapse, in an unstructured, sup portive space.

That kind of setting — and other ini tiatives like Levin’s — is exactly what observant Jews with eating disorders need more of, Zucker said.

“It’s so beautiful that there are so many opportunities for more support like that,” she said. “I think that part of it, too, is greater community awareness so that there’s less judgment, so that it’s normalized to what is best for you in the effort of upholding Jewish law.”

What to eat before fasting on Yom Kippur?

BY SHANNON SARNA JTA

Fasting on Yom Kippur is not easy, nor is it for everyone — some people cannot fast because they are pregnant, breastfeeding or have a medical condition. Some simply do not function well while abstaining from water and food for a 25-hour period.

But for those who do choose to fast as a meaningful way to engage in Yom Kippur, there are actually foods to eat beforehand that can set you up for a more successful, less onerous fast.

Most people stick to a menu that is clas sic and delicious but not too crazy or spicy: chicken soup, chicken, rice or pasta, a veg etable, some challah and water.

1. Avoid foods that are hard to digest

Now this might be different for every one, but in general stay away from heavy meat dishes, fried foods, or lots of dairy. Because you know, Jewish stomachs.

2. Eat foods that have fiber and water

Foods with lots of fiber will keep you fuller longer, and foods with water, like fruits and vegetables, will keep you hydrated. Chickpeas or lentils are a great vegetarian protein source to eat, especially a dish like mujaderra. A hearty chicken soup with noodles or rice and lots of veg gies is another safe bet.

3. Avoid salt

Salty foods like olives, pickles, chips, canned soup, or dishes made with those bouillon cubes will bloat you and make you even more thirsty. So stick to something a little more bland for that pre-fast meal.

4. Avoid sugar

Too much dessert before fasting may cause your blood sugar to spike up and then come crashing down, which can be unpleasant at its least and cause a head ache or moodiness at its worst. Too much sugar will also make you thirsty, like salt, and will have you craving more sweets during your fast.

5. Drink water

This is pretty obvious, but make sure to drink plenty of water, not only at the meal right before the fast begins, but during the days preceding as well.

6. Avoid eating too much

Eat a moderate sized meal that leaves you satisfied, but not unbuttoning your pants. You will feel uncomfortable and it will be more difficult to digest a mon strous-sized meal.

Try German star cookies for the Yom Kippur break-fast

BY RONNIE FEIN THE NOSHER VIA JTA

When people deny themselves food for an extended period of time they’re usually ravenously hungry and find themselves thinking about consuming huge amounts of food. But it’s not a good idea to pack it in too quickly. It’s too hard on your digestive system.

So when Yom Kippur comes to a close, I make it easier for my family and friends and follow the ages-old wisdom of transitioning from the fast to the main meal by offering my guests a light nibble as they come into my home after synagogue. I serve sliced apples and honey, hummus and pita wedges and, for those who prefer something sweet, zimtsterne cookies.

The word zimtsterne translates as “cinnamon stars.” These star-shaped cut-out cookies are actually a German Christmas specialty. But for observant Jews, they are also traditional for Yom Kippur, when they are known as “erste sternen,” or “first stars” because they are a remind er that before you can break the fast, you must be able to see the first evening stars that appear in the sky after sundown.

There are endless variations on this cookie. I make one version with flour and honey, more like a traditional gin gerbread cookie. But the more popular recipes are basi cally warmly spiced nut-meringues, with meringue frost ing. They are compellingly crispy at first bite, then everso-slightly chewy; the cinnamon-clove fragrance is spell binding. And here’s the bonus — they are gluten-free.

You can make these cookies as much as a week ahead. Keep them tightly sealed so they’ll stay crispy. If you hav en’t ever tasted zimtsterne, consider adding them to your holiday menu. They also make a delightful gift to bring if you’re invited to a Break-the-Fast.

This article originally appeared on The Nosher (online at thenosher.com).

Zimtsterne: German Star Cookies

INGREDIENTS:

2-½ cups finely ground almonds, approximately (or almond meal, see below)

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp ground cloves

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp grated fresh lemon peel

2 large egg whites

1 tsp lemon juice

1-½ cups confectioners’ sugar granulated sugar

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Place the almonds, cinnamon, cloves, salt and lemon peel in a bowl, whisk to blend the ingredients and set aside.

Beat the egg whites in an electric mixer starting at low, then increasing the speed to medium-high, for 1-2 minutes or until bubbly. Pour in the lemon juice and beat at medium-high for another 2 minutes or until soft peaks form. Gradually add the confectioners’ sugar and beat at high speed for 4-5 minutes or until stiff and glossy.

Remove about 1/3 of this mixture to a bowl and set aside. Add the almond mixture to the remaining (2/3) mixture and stir to blend the ingredients thoroughly. Wrap the dough and refrigerate for at least one hour.

Remove the dough. If it is still soft and sticky, work in some additional ground almonds. Sprinkle a pastry board with some granulated sugar. Place the dough on the board and top the dough with some parchment paper or waxed paper. Roll or press the almond dough to a 1/4-inch thickness.

Cut the dough with star-shape cookie cutters. Place the cookies on the parchment-lined cookie sheet. Spread the remaining 1/3 egg white mixture on top of the dough. (You can use a small spoon or a pastry brush.) Bake for about 12-15 minutes.

NOTE: if you use pre-packaged almond “meal,” start with two cups; add more as needed to create dough that isn’t overly sticky.

Makes about 15 large cookies.

Medical Excellence, Compassionate Care

Cinnamon, cloves add a note of spice to these cookies, which also happen to be gluten-free

Harvey Kornblum Foundation

Corbyn is the granddaughter of Dulcie Atcherson Kirk of Highlands Ranch, Colo. Hoben is the grandson of Rex Rehfeld and Ellen O’Brien of Baltimore and Beverly Rehfeld of Silver Spring, Md.

The couple met while attending Webster University. “We have been dating for five years and on our fifth anniversary I knew it was time,” Hoben said. “I brought her to Central Park and asked the love of my life to marry me.”

TRIBUTES

IN MEMORY OF

“So sorry for your loss of dear Judy. Sending caring thoughts.”

- Marilyn & Gary Ratkin -

“So very sorry for your loss. May Judy’s memory be for a blessing.”

- Susan Bosse -

“Our hearts & prayers are with you... your Judy was a Wonder Woman!!! We had so many fun times playing golf and seeing you at the St. Louis Club.”

- Troy & Dana Pohlman -

“We remember Judy with great respect for her work for the Jewish Family Services and the Jewish Light. A close friend of ours for many years.”

- Robert & Jane Feibel -

“Dear Phil, Our thoughts and prayers are with you at this time. We adored Judy and will miss her greatly.” Love,

- Suzan & Lee Laycob -

“Dear Michael and Jodi, We send our deepest sympathies to you and your wonderful family. May your mom’s memory be a blessing. We are so heartbroken for your loss.” Love,

- Amy & Jim Kalishman -

BIRTH ANNOUNCEMENT:

Helena is the granddaughter of Robert and Amy Snyder of Cahokia, Ill., and Wanda Hagenbrok and the late Charles Hagenbrok Jr. of Alton, Ill.

She has one sister, Isabella, who is 6 years old.

Samantha Marie Axelrod, daughter of David Axelrod and Denene Gross, and Samuel Ben Goodman, son of Adam and Debbie Goodman and Shelli and Michael Netherton, all of St. Louis, have announced their wedding that was held on July 17, 2022 in Pensacola, Fla.

Samantha is the granddaughter of Carol Axelrod (late Jack) and the late Gloria and Hank Rolwes. Samuel is the grandson of Jane Goodman (late Jerry) and Sue (late Tim) Bayer.

They are both graduates of UMSL and have been together for five years. Samuel is a Probation and Parole Officer for the State of Missouri, and Samantha is a fourth-grade teacher at Becky David Elementary in the Francis Howell School District.

Their wedding reception will be held at Andre’s in Sunset Hills this November.

“Dear Kaplan Family, I am so sorry for your loss and you are in my thoughts and prayers.”

- Jackie Abels -

“Phil, Our heartfelt sympathy to you and your family on the loss of your beloved Judy.”

- Dale & Gene Corn -

“ Our deepest sympathies on Judy’s passing. She was a wonderful, special person and we will hold you in our hearts and prayers.”

- Bethe & Gary Growe -

“In honor and memory of Judy.” Sincerely,

- Joan & Sherman Silber -

“In memory and appreciation for all Judy has done for the St. Louis Jewish community.”

- The Board and Staff of the St. Louis Jewish Light -

- Anne & Jack Bader -

- Susan Newman -

- William O’Neill -

- Gary Omell -

- Anonymous -

SUSAN FADEM

“Our deepest sympathy on Susan’s passing.”

- Bethe & Gary Growe -

SHOW YOUR LOVE WITH A TRIBUTE TODAY!

IN HONOR OF www.stljewishlight.org/tribute/

IN MEMORY OF www.stljewishlight.org/memorial-tribute/

JUDY KAPLAN

Corbyn Sprayberry, daughter of Dana and Tammy Sprayberry of New Braunfels, Texas, and Hoben Rehfeld, son of Andrew Rehfeld and Miggie Greenberg of New York, have announced their engagement.

Robert and Alyssa Snyder would like to announce the birth of their daughter, Helena Louise Snyder, on Aug. 30, 2022 at Missouri Baptist, weighing 8 pounds, 8 ounces.

SPRAYBERRY-REHFELD

CHAI LIGHTS

SATURDAY | SEPT. 24

Kol Rinah’s EnChanting Shabbat morning service

Kol Rinah’s EnChanting Shabbat morning service includes a lay-led Torah reading. Kol Rinah invites members to stand up and read. Contact our office at 314-727-1747, if you would like to read an aliyah. Services can also be streamed online at tinyurl.com/ KR-Streaming.

`

SUNDAY | SEPT. 25

Chabad of Chesterfield Rosh Hashanah Dinner

Chabad of Chesterfield will offer its 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.

THURSDAY | SEPT. 29

Sabbath in Somalia: The Global South and the future of Judaism

See related news brief on page 7A.

Presidential legacies: Forgotten and remembered

Most American presidents are destined to be forgotten within 50 to 100 years after leaving office. That’s the conclusion of Pro fessor Henry L. “Roddy” Roediger, an inter nationally recognized scholar of human memory function at Washington Universi ty, who has been testing the ability of undergraduate students to remember the names of presidents for almost 50 years. Join Roediger for an in-person presentation at the Mirowitz Center at 2 p.m. that you won’t forget. This program is part of the Mirowitz Center’s continuing “Presidential Legacies” series. To register for this free Mirowitz Center program, visit http://bit.ly/ Mirowitz-registration or call 314-7339813.  Please plan to wear a mask, sanitize your hands and maintain social distance.

SUNDAY | OCT. 2

Rabbi Feigenbaum to speak at NHBZ

Turn your Yom Kippur into a spiritual experience. Don’t miss “I Said I’m Sorry . . . Can I Eat Now?” presented by Rabbi Avi Feigenbaum at NHBZ, 650 N. Price Rd., at 7:30 p.m. Fei genbaum is the exec utive director of Esther Miller Bais Yaakov High School. This event is free of charge and NHBZ membership is not necessary to attend. No reservations are required.

MONDAY | OCT. 3

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

Join Bais Abe for third part of a 3-part series about preparation for the High Holi days through the lens of Mussar, co-facilitat ed by Cyndee Levy and Rabbi Garth Silber

stein. Participants are asked to do their best to commit to all three sessions, which will take place at 7:30 p.m. at the shul, 6910 Del mar Blvd. Register on the website (walk-ins are welcome as well) at https://www.baisa be.com/event/HighHolidayMussar, or call 314-721-3030 or office@baisabe.com.

THURSDAY | OCT. 6

Mirowitz Center: ‘Cholesterol— What You Need to Know’

High cholesterol puts you at risk for heart disease, type 2 diabetes and stroke. There’s no one-sizefits-all approach for managing high choles terol. At 2 p.m., join lipids expert Dr. Anne Goldberg, professor of medicine at Washing ton University School of Medicine, to ask your questions about risk factors, preven tion, and treatments. To register for this free, online Mirowitz Center program, visit http://bit.ly/Mirowitz-registration or call 314-733-9813.

TUESDAY | OCT. 11

Current Conditions in the Economy and Capital Markets

At 10 a.m., Mike Ferman, a former part ner at RubinBrownAdvisors and the found er and managing director of its financial planning and investment advisory practice, will discuss the current conditions in the economy and capital markets, including the New York Stock Exchange and Wall Street. This program is provided in conjunction with FEL (Friends Enjoying Life), an organi zation supported by the Mirowitz Center. To register for this free, online Mirowitz Center program, visit http://bit.ly/Mirow itz-registration or call 314-733-9813.

WEDNESDAY | OCT. 12

Shaare Emeth hosts ‘An Evening with Dr. Edie Eger’

Come hear Dr. Edie Eger, who will join via livestream to discuss her memoir, “The Choice.” The event starts with a nosh at 5:15 p.m. and the program at 6 p.m. in the Stiffman Sanctuary at Congregation Shaare Emeth, 11645 Ladue Rd. Eger’s book traces her life journey from the terror and pain of the Holocaust to her career as a post-traumatic stress disorder specialist, from unimaginable loss to forgiveness and strength. If you registered for the previous ly scheduled date, you do not need to regis

SEPT

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.

or call 314-576-5230.

FRIDAY | OCT. 14

Shabbat dinner under the stars at Traditional

Join Traditional Congregation in its new sukkah for a Shabbat dinner catered by Kohn’s. Services begin at 5:50 p.m. and will be followed by dinner. $36/adult, $18/12 & under. Registration is required by Oct. 7 at: https://wix.123formbuilder.com/form6247505/form. For more info, go to www. traditional-congregation.org/events or call 314-576-5230. Traditional Congregation is grateful to the Staenberg Family Founda tion for providing funding to help us pur chase its new sukkah.

SUNDAY | OCT. 16

Klezmer music concert at Kol Rinah

ter again. If you already registered and are not able to attend on Oct. 12, email Stacy Jespersen (sjespersen@sestl.org) to cancel. This Scholar-in-Residence Program is made possible through the Fred and Elsie Deutsch Endowment Fund.

Sukkah fun at Traditional Congregation

Play (games) in the Sukkah from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Traditional Congregation, 12437 Ladue Rd. Bring board games, mah jongg, tiles, etc.--and your friends. We’ll provide the noshes. No charge, walk-ins are welcome. For more information, go to https://www.traditional-congregation.org/ events or call 314-576-5230.

The ABCs of Judaism at NHBZ Judaism has its own “ABCs” teachings to guide your life. Join the engaging and inspiring Rabbi Ze’ev Smason at NHBZ at noon for “The ABCs of Juda ism” to discuss how to begin again in the Jew ish New Year.To regis ter for this free Mirowitz Center pro gram, visit http://bit. ly/Mirowitz-registration or call 314-7339813.

THURSDAY | OCT. 13

The Beatles launch the British Invasion

Who could have ever foreseen that four shaggy-haired young men from Liverpool, better known as The Beatles, would launch the British Invasion and change the music industry and world forever? At 2 p.m, join returning presenter and university instruc tor Neil Davis, as we continue our explora tion of The Beatles’ journey to stardom. Learn how The Beatles adapted musical ideas and used primitive recording technol ogy to create their early hits. Experience The Beatles’ insane schedule as they charmed the press and fans in every corner of the globe.

To register for this free, in-person Mirow itz Center program, visit http://bit.ly/Mirow itz-registration or call 314-733-9813.

Music & marshmallows in the Sukkah

Join Belle Anne and Andy Curry at 2 p.m. for a fun musical program and warm up in the sukkah with hot cocoa, marshmallows and sweet treats at Traditional Congrega tion, 12437 Ladue Rd. Free; walk-ins are welcome. For more information, go to www.traditional-congregation.org/events

See related news brief on page 9A.

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

ONGOING

Saturday Morning Bible Study at Temple Israel is back!

Beginning this fall, Rabbi Emeritus Mark L. Shook continues his Saturday Morning Bible Study Class on the topic of “A Jewish Under standing of the New Testament.” The class will commence with an in-depth study of the Gospel According to Mark. Classes are Sat urdays, Oct. 1 to April 2023 at 9:30 a.m. in person and on Zoom. Registration is required at: www.ti-stl.org/BibleStudy

Rabbi David “Soul Building Series” at NHBZ

Build your spiritu al muscles with Aish HaTorah Rabbi Yosef David at NHBZ with his “Soul Building” Series at 10:15 a.m. every Saturday in September. Learn how to have a meaningful and inspirational High Holiday season. NHBZ membership is not necessary to attend and no RSVP’s are required. For more information, call 314991-2100, ext. 2.

Tech Tutor – Hardware helper

On Mondays in May, sign up for a half-hour session with Larry Edison, who offers oneon-one assistance in learning how to use one’s technology devices. Sessions are in-person at the Mirowitz Center (plan to wear a mask and maintain social distance).

Tech Tutor is supported through a grant from the Women’s Auxiliary Foundation for Jewish Aged. Free. Register at http://bit.ly/Regis ter_MirowitzCenter, 314-733-9813, or email skemppainen@mirowitzcenter.org

Rabbi leads weekly meditation

Join Rabbi Andrea Goldstein at 11:30 a.m. on Tuesdays and 5 p.m. on Thursdays for mindfulness meditation sits. It incorporates lessons from the weekly Torah portion, as well as stories, rituals and symbols of the season. No meditation experience necessary. Ques tions? Contact Stacy Jespersen at sjespers en@sestl.org.

Rabbi Avi Feigenbaum

Dr. Anne Goldberg

Rabbi Ze’ev Smason

Rabbi Yosef David

Dr. Edie Eger will speak during a Congregation Shaare Emeth event Oct. 12.

PHOTOS FROM RECENT JEWISH COMMUNITY EVENTS

Carol and Mark Shook

Jonathan and Jennifer Deutsch

Jonathan and Patty Bloom & David and Beth Deutsch

Julie and Rob Aronson

Cameron, Taylor, Leslie and Harvey Wolf

Nancy and Rob Litz

Rabbi Michael Alper and Rabbi Amy Feder