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Three remarkable women reflect on decades of leadership in St. Louis Jewish institutions BY BILL MOTCHAN & ELLEN FUTTERMAN
What will you miss most about working at your jobs? Rosalie Stein: It’s really the relationships with my coworkers. Someone’s always there to talk and to brainstorm with. So that part I’ll miss. And I’ll miss the congregants. Lynn Wittels: I’ll miss the people. I’ll also miss the bubbles that rise up from the early childhood playground. I love that on beautiful days.
PHOTOS: BILL MOTCHAN
As we close out 2023, three women will close out their careers at St. Louis Jewish institutions. Nikki Goldstein, a member of Traditional Congregation, will be leaving the Gladys and Henry Crown Center for Senior Living after 23 years as executive director. Rosalie Stein, a member of Kol Rinah, will retire as executive director of Congregation Shaare Emeth after holding the position for 15 years. And early next year, Lynn Wittels, a member of Congregation B’nai Amoona, will leave her post as CEO and president of the Jewish Community Center, a position she has held for 17 years. In early December, the Jewish Light sat down with Goldstein, Stein and Wittels for a freewheeling roundtable discussion on subjects ranging from what they loved about their jobs to their favorite TV shows.
Rosalie Stein
LYNN Wittels
Nikki Goldstein
Nikki Goldstein: I’ll miss the people. I’m going to have to make friends (laughs). My colleagues — it’s fun to be with them. And really, the board and residents that I know and love.
What do you do to decompress and de-stress after a long workday? NG: I eat. RS: I watch Hallmark movies. Everyone’s happy.
What inspires you all? LW: When I look across the Jewish community, it makes me so proud that we are part of a network of agencies that take See Q&A on page 9
Orthodox rabbinic couple help WashU Hillel ramp up program BY MEGAN RUBENSTEIN SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH LIGHT
Kyra and Rabbi Shlomo Ashkanazy are the newest additions to Washington University’s thriving Jewish life on campus.w In conjunction with WashU Hillel, they will lead the OU-JLIC (Orthodox Union Jewish Learning Initiative on Campus) program, geared toward observant students at the university. Originally from New York and Chicago, the couple met in Israel after they both made aliyah, Shlomo at age 18, and Kyra after attending Stern College for Women at Yeshiva University. When they got married three years ago, they both knew they were passionate about giving back to the Jewish community and, ultimately, they found their way into the OU-JLIC Fellowship. “We were always interested in doing some kind of community work,” Kyra said. “Shlomo also wanted more of an opportunity to use his rabbinical background as there are more opportunities in America,
2023-12-20 page 01.indd 1
so we looked into shlichut (Israeli emissaries) as hopefully a way to do that and make a difference.” After completing the fellowship, Kyra and Shlomo were in the OU-JLIC system as a couple looking to join a campus. OU-JLIC places Orthodox rabbinic couples on almost 30 secular college campuses throughout the United States, Canada and Israel, and WashU had been looking to bring the program to campus for some time. “As the Orthodox undergraduate student population at Washington University has continued to grow, parents sought to bring OU-JLIC to WashU to further support their students and supplement current offerings on campus”, said Jackie Ulin Levey, executive director and CEO of WashU Hillel. “The parents raised the funds, along with a substantial commitment from Michael Staenberg, to cover the couple. In addition, WashU Hillel’s ongoing fundraising and a multiyear grant from Hillel International will support the program’s expenses.” See COUPLE on page 4
Rabbi Shlomo and Kyra Ashkanazy
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December 20, 2023
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INSIDE THIS WEEK’S STL JEWISH LIGHT The Newspaper of the Jewish Community of Greater St. Louis — Founded 1963
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INDEX ChaiLights Event Calendar .....................22
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OFFICERS Michael Staenberg, President Bethe Growe, Immediate Past President Kara Newmark, Vice President Ryan Rich, Vice President Justin Krachmalnick, Treasurer Todd Taylor, Secretary
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EXECUTIVE Ellen Futterman, Editor-in-Chief Stacy Wolff Smart, Chief of Revenue Growth and Community Engagement Jordan Palmer, Chief Digital Content Officer EDITORIAL Robert A. Cohn, Editor-in-Chief Emeritus Mike Sherwin, Managing Editor SALES Angie Rosenberg, Senior Account Executive Kelly Morris, Account Executive Elaine Wernick, Account Executive
Shabbat begins Friday, Dec. 22: 4:26 p.m. Shabbat ends Saturday, Dec. 23: 5:28 p.m.
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Torah reading: Vayigash
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Bill Motchan, Amy Fenster Brown, Patricia Corrigan, Barry Gilbert, Margi Lenga Kahn, Nancy Kranzberg, Elise Krug, Cate Marquis, Eric Mink, Judith Newmark, Martin Rochester, Megan Rubenstein
Shabbat begins Friday, Dec. 29: 4:30 p.m. Shabbat ends Saturday, Dec. 30: 5:33 p.m. Torah reading: Vayechi
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This photo, of women from the Shaare Zedek Sisterhood offering homemade cakes at “U.City Fair In The Square” in the Delmar Loop in 1978, was shared in the Morning Light, the Jewish Light’s daily (Monday through Friday) email newsletter, with a question: Can you help us ID the women pictured? Readers did indeed share the names and their thanks for the trip down memory lane. According to readers, from left are Tillie Schenberg, Annie Baum, and Mollie Bleiweiss, Jeanette Seltzer and Lillian Musen. Don’t miss the next photo from the Light’s archives — sign up for the Morning Light and other email newsletters by visiting: stljewishlight.org/ JOIN US IN SOLIDARITY newsletters. FOR THIS SPECIAL EVENT
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From D.C. rally to bagels to a love story, here are three ‘Light’ journalists’ favorite 2023 stories Sometimes when journalists finish reporting and writing a story, they’re glad to be done with it. Other times, the story, and the people involved, stay with us for days, weeks, months, even longer. Journalists are human beings with authentic emotions — despite some politicians alleging otherwise — and some stories affect us more deeply than others for all sorts of reasons. As we get ready to close the book on 2023, I asked Light colleagues Jordan Palmer and Bill Motchan to revisit five stories they wrote this year that made a big impact on them, and I would do the same. What follows are our “Fave Five” lists, with the hope that you might take a second look — or a first if you missed them when they originally ran.
Editor-in-Chief Ellen Futterman’s favorite stories she worked on in 2023 include a profile of Jewish Federation Community Security Director Scott Biondo (left), a posthumously published book by Adina Talve-Goodman (above) and a love story about Julia Katzman and Andy Cohen (right).
Ellen Futterman’s five faves • Scott Biondo — read it online at https://bit.ly/Light-Biondo Scott Biondo, community security director of Jewish Federation of St. Louis, is ubiquitous. Since taking the job in 2020, I can’t remember a major local Jewish community event – as well as plenty of smaller ones – where Scott wasn’t there doing what he and his team do to ensure everyone’s safety. After three months of trailing Scott and more than a dozen interviews with people familiar with him, I felt empowered to tell his story, which is of an incredibly empathetic and caring husband, father, grandfather and friend, and
consummate law enforcement professional, who though not Jewish, feels both a duty and affinity to take good care of his adopted community. • Adina Talve-Goodman — https:// bit.ly/Light-Adina As I explained when I wrote this story, I never met Adina, but I felt as if I did. The daughter of Rabbis Susan Talve and James Stone
NEWS & SCHMOOZE News and Schmooze is a column by Jewish Light Editor-in-Chief Ellen Futterman. Email Ellen at: efutterman@stljewishlight.org.
Goodman of Central Reform Congregation, Adina was born with a congenital heart condition, underwent a transplant at age 19 and died in 2018 at the age of 31, months after being diagnosed with a rare form of lymphoma. Thankfully, we can remember and celebrate Adina’s vast talents as a writer and storyteller in her book of essays, “Your Hearts, Your Scars,” which was published posthumously and came out in January. It is a beautiful read about a beautiful young woman who left us all too early but gave us a poignant and insightful gift to help remember her. • 59th annual Couturier sale — https:// bit.ly/Light-Couturier I wasn’t kidding when I said I landed the
• Two tales of love As a sucker for a good love story, I hit paydirt this year with two that really touched me and coincidentally, are on either end of the romance radar. The first focused on the upcoming nuptials of Julia See SCHMOOZE on page 8
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December 20, 2023
Author Rachel Beanland will discuss her book, ‘The House Is on Fire,’ on Jan. 16 at Jewish Federation of St. Louis.
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The J, JCRC plan event for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the St. Louis Jewish Community Center and the Jewish Community Relations Council invite the public to a thought-provoking literary event on Tuesday, Jan. 16. “The House Is on Fire” author event promises an evening of enlightenment and reflection. Written by Rachel Beanland, the book tells the poignant story of the 1811 Richmond Theatre Fire, as it unveils the harrowing events of that fateful night and the subsequent hunt for truth amid a backdrop of racial tension and deception. The event takes place at the Jewish Federation of St. Louis, 12 Millstone Campus Drive (doors open at 6:30 p.m., program starts at 7). This Martin Luther King Jr. Day program is offered in collaboration with the Newmark Institute for Human Relations. Attendance to this event requires registration (select “buy ticket,” but there is no charge). To reserve a seat, visit www.showpass.com/rachelbeanland-the-house-is-on-fire.
Menorah shines in downtown St. Louis
Above, Michael Staenberg and Rabbi Yosef Landa get a lift to the top of a 29-foot menorah in downtown St. Louis on the first night of Hanukkah. View more photos from Hanukkah events in this week’s Spotlight photos page. PHOTO: BILL MOTCHAN St. Louis kicked off Hanukkah on Dec. 7 with the lighting of what is believed to be the third tallest Hanukkah menorah in the United States. The 29-foot menorah is just 5-feet shorter than the world’s largest menorah, which stands 36-feet tall and is located in Manhattan, N.Y. The installation, funded by local philanthropist Michael Staenberg, bears the name “The Staenberg Menorah” and illuminated downtown St. Louis during the eight days of Hanukkah. “I think the message of this menorah
is that despite everything going on in our world, the Jewish people stand tall, proud and confident,” said Rabbi Yosef Landa, regional director of Chabad of Greater St. Louis, the organization behind the effort. “Now, more than ever, we need to be sharing the light of Hanukkah with our entire St. Louis region, and light never fails to overcome darkness.” — Jordan Palmer, Chief Digital Content Officer
Couple: Work to connect, engage with Jewish students on campus CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Since the couple arrived in October, they have reached more than 100 observant Jewish students. They began their efforts before they even stepped foot on campus, connecting with students through WhatsApp and Zoom calls. For Washington University students spending the summer in Israel, the Ashkanazys even welcomed them into their home. So, when they arrived, students were excited at the opportunity to get involved. “Every week, we have 75 to 100 students for seudat shlishit (third meal of Shabbat), which is generally more social,” Shlomo said. “I give a more educational class on
Saturdays. We also have learning opportunities.” Programming is aimed toward observant students or students who went to day school, as they provide more in-depth classes and educational outreach. However, anyone looking to strengthen their sense of Jewish community is welcome. “Whether it is weeknight programming or Shabbat, we really want to be a place of connection and to help foster community and to cater to the needs of the students,” Kyra said. It is also important to note that the couple arrived just days after the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks in Israel. So, they immediately served as a safe place for students,
welcoming them into their home before it was even furnished. “Rav Shlomo and Kyra have been a tremendous asset and source of support for our students as we navigate the effects on campus from the Oct. 7 attacks,” said Rabbi Jordan Gerson, WashU Hillel’s Silk Foundation campus rabbi and chief experience officer. “They bring so much warmth and knowledge. Students have already naturally gravitated to them and have been enjoying getting to know them and their baby girl.” Students are already loving the Ashkanazys presence on campus. Sonya Kest, a junior and president of the Jewish Student Association, has noticed their quick and positive impact.
“So far, the Ashkanazys have made such a positive impact on our campus,” Kest said. “They’re very supportive of the students and are always looking to build strong relationships. I’m excited to see how our community continues to grow and flourish with their help and support.” The Ashkanazys are excited to continue their work on campus and connect with even more Jewish students. “We come in with no agenda,” Shlomo said. “We try to find what the students need and what they want more of, and that’s what we try to do. The more students we reach, the more programs we get to run, so hopefully we can build from there.”
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Thank you
Craig Neuman for 16 years of service to the J and our community!
We will miss you! - The J’s Board of Directors and Staff
If a person says I have worked hard but have not found success, don’t believe him. If a person says I have not worked hard, and I have found success, don’t believe him. If he says I gave it my all and I have found success, believe him! - Talmud Megillah 6b
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December 20, 2023
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ADL reports surge in antisemitic incidents BY JORDAN PALMER CHIEF DIGITAL CONTENT OFFICER
Following the Hamas massacre in Israel on Oct. 7, there has been a concerning surge in antisemitic incidents in the United States. Preliminary data released last week by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) indicates that these incidents have hit the highest number for any two months since they began tracking in 1979. Between Oct. 7 and Dec. 7, the ADL recorded a total of 2,031 antisemitic incidents, up from 465 incidents during the same period in 2022, representing a 337% increase year-over-year. This includes 40 incidents of physical assault, 337 incidents of vandalism, 749 incidents of verbal or written harassment and 905 rallies, including antisemitic rhetoric, expressions of support for terrorism against the state of Israel. On average, over the last 61 days, Jews in America experienced nearly 34 antisemitic incidents per day. “This terrifying pattern of antisemitic attacks has been relentless since the IsraelHamas war began on Oct. 7, with no signs of diminishing,” said Jonathan Greenblatt, ADL CEO, in a statement. “The lid to the sewers is off, and Jewish communities all across the country are being inundated with hate. Public officials and college leaders must turn down the temperature and take clear action to show this behavior is unacceptable to prevent more violence.”
Incidents in St. Louis In St. Louis, the ADL is seeing increased numbers of incidents of harassment and vandalism, mainly in schools. “People who are being called names. People who are having their kids see other students give Hitler salutes in school. We’re seeing vandalism like swastikas on
walls in a growing number and we’re seeing anti-Israel sentiment crossover into antisemitism,” said ADL Heartland Regional Director Jordan Kadosh. Our area has seen multiple rallies, marches and public protests, both by pro and anti-Israel groups, but what the local Jewish community is not seeing are increasing numbers of physical assaults. Kadosh credits local public officials and law enforcement for this fact. “I think that we’ve had a really good public safety response to everyone’s First Amendment rights to demonstrate, regardless of which side has been rallying. Our public officials have been proactive in keeping everyone separated,” said Kadosh. On college campuses, a third of Jewish college students say they have personally experienced antisemitism since Oct. 7. Locally, incidents have been considered minor in scope, but are still problematic in that they create a hostile living environment for Jewish students. “Posters of hostages torn down every day. Posters accusing Israel of genocide going up every day even though they’re in violation of posting policies on the campus and they’re immediately removed, it doesn’t matter, they still go up every morning,” said Kadosh. “This atmosphere makes students scared of being overtly and proudly Jewish on campus and living a Jewish life.”
Vandalism at Mizzou A recent incident on the University of Missouri Columbia campus resulted in the arrest of a female student. Campus police were called on Nov. 29 when the student angrily confronted Jewish students from the MU Chabad House who had set up an empty Shabbat table to raise awareness about Israeli hostages. The display was
erected on Speaker’s Circle, a very public part of the main campus. Witnesses told police the female student flipped the table, breaking dishes and destroying the display. Police soon arrived and arrested the student on charges of second-degree property damage. “This and other incidents are small but significant,” said Kadosh. “These less violent incidents are occurring more and more and the sheer volume of them is what is creating an environment where it’s becoming OK to act on your antisemitic beliefs and holding Jews, who have nothing to do with Israel, accountable for Israeli government actions you disagree with.”
What’s next? With no signs that the war in Israel will end anytime soon, the ADL says it will continue to monitor antisemitism reports nationally and locally. Meanwhile, Kadosh
says he and other Jewish leaders will continue to communicate regularly with local and law enforcement officials, reviewing incidents that come in and making sure all are aware of the ongoing changes in the current climate. “We’re communicating to our lawmakers that these heightened tensions are going to require extra resources to continue to keep the community safe. We will be supporting a bill to make a supplemental nonprofit security grant fund for the state of Missouri in addition to a task force to make recommendations on domestic terrorism and other security issues for nonprofits. For more information about tracking acts of antisemitism both nationally and locally, the ADL has created an interactive “heat map” plotting where incidents occurred since Oct. 7 can be found. View the map online at https://www.adl.org/ stand-israel-antisemitism-and-anti-israel-activism.
ONLINE
St. Louis synagogues among hundreds nationwide to receive email threats At least seven synagogues in the St. Louis region received threatening emails Sunday morning warning of explosives planted in their facilities, though none proved to be credible, according to Scott Biondo, community security director at Jewish Federation of St. Louis. Read the story on the Light’s website, stljewishlight.org.
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Schmooze: Three ‘Light’ journalists name favorite stories from ’23 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3 Katzman and Andy Cohen, who attended preschool together at Temple Israel and were later reintroduced in their late 20s. Read it at https://bit.ly/Light-Couple1 The second was about Dorothy and Billy Firestone, who married after a 4-month courtship and celebrated their 73rd anniversary in November. Read it at https://bit. ly/Light-Couple2
Jordan Palmer’s five faves • Betty Baumgartner — https://bit.ly/ Light-Baumgartner In June, I received an email from a mentor, former CBS White House correspondent Peter Maer. Peter had heard of a remarkable story about a family friend. He alerted me that Betty Baumgartner, who is not Jewish, had confronted an act of antisemitism head on. Her actions led Peter to nominate her as an Unsung Hero, which she was awarded. It was an honor to tell this story. • Angie Mestman Offstein’s “Held” podcast — https://bit.ly/Light-Held This story “held” a personal interest for me as Angie was a best friend in high school and as close as we were, I was among those who did not realize the secret she was living. When I learned of the story, I was heartbroken for not being there for her back in the mid-1980s. This story recon-
Jordan Palmer’s favorite stories of 2023 include his Unsung Heroes profile story of non-Jewish teacher Betty Baumgartner and the story of a 1926 Jewish soccer match between teams from Vienna (pictured above right) and St. Louis. BAUMGARTNER PHOTO: BILL MOTCHAN; 1926 PHOTO COURTESY ST. LOUIS KAPLAN FELDMAN HOLOCAUST MUSEUM, JEWISH COMMUNITY ARCHIVES
nected us again. I think the story relayed her emotional rollercoaster over 40 years. • 1926 Jewish Soccer Match — https:// bit.ly/Light-Soccer This was a story where I went down the preverbal “rabbit hole.” It began with a small mention under a photograph in the STL Soccer exhibit of a soccer match. It soon became a story of the divides among the Jewish community back then, but turned into a story of local Jewish pride, and history that was long forgotten.
• Ultimate Bagel Guide and Bagel Week — https://bit.ly/STL-bagels This guide and the accompanying stories were among the most fun I had this year. The bagel history of St. Louis is vast and remains mostly untold. I felt this also showed our city’s affections for this Jewish food, and we plan (as in the Jewish Light) to expand on this annually. • 300 St. Louisans in D.C. — https://bit. ly/Light-DC I lived this story. I was at the rally to
cover it, but I was also very present. I felt the energy of the crowd and the emotional output the rally provided them. I felt this story captured for the reader, the literal feeling of what it was like and felt to be there. I was honored to be there and to have the chance to write this story.
Bill Motchan’s five faves • Galit’s Story — https://bit.ly/Light-Galit In late September, Galit Lev-Harir and her family traveled to Israel for a family gathering to celebrate the High Holidays. What they encountered was the horror of the Hamas attack on Oct. 7. After safely returning to St. Louis, Lev-Harir spoke with me about what she witnessed in the immediate aftermath of the attack. She was candid and open, which made the account particularly compelling to capture. • Gates of Peace — https://bit.ly/LightLouisiana After learning of a Jewish cemetery in the small Missouri town of Louisiana, I spent nearly two months researching the history of the Jewish community that thrived there in the late 1800s. It included a trip to the town—about 95 miles north of St. Louis—and interviews with descendants of the original Jewish residents of Louisiana who are buried at Gates of Peace Cemetery.
Bill Motchan’s picks include a story on the Jewish history of Louisiana, Mo. and a story on St. Louisans’ recollections of Sportsman’s Park (pictured at right is Steve Alper, interviewed for the story). PHOTOS: BILL MOTCHAN
• Central Hardware — https://bit.ly/ Light-Central Like many St. Louisans, I remembered going to Central Hardware with my dad. It was the original big box hardware store and offered exception customer service. It was founded and run for many years by the Cohen family. I met with Jim Cohen (president of the company until 1992) whose eyes lit up when he opened a box of branded memorabilia with the orange logo and “Everything From Scoop To Nuts” motto. Sadly, Jim passed away in June after a long bout with cancer. • Sportsman’s Park — https://bit.ly/ Light-Sportsmans This was a fun story to work on, even with the Cardinals ending the season in last place (ouch!). It was a compilation of memories of Jewish St. Louisans in the early 1960s, the final years of major league baseball at Sportsman’s Park in North St. Louis. Nearly everyone mentioned the 25-cent hot dog you could get on the street across from the stadium entrance.
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• Holocaust Museum’s one-year anniversary — https://bit.ly/Light-Museum The alarming rise in incidents of antisemitism in recent months illustrates the importance of the message delivered by the St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum. That’s why the story about the one-year anniversary of the museum was a particular favorite from the past year. I also greatly enjoyed chatting with and photographing the charming Gloria Feldman.
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Q&A: Talking with Lynn Wittels, Nikki Goldstein and Rosalie Stein CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
entertain and not be thinking by the time guests come, “When are they going to leave?” RS: Anytime our family gets together, no matter where they are, that’s what I’m looking forward to. I am the matriarch of the family so that’s important to me. And scrapbooking. I scrapbooked all my nephews and my son’s wedding from the time they get engaged to the time they get married.
care of the community and one another and both inside and outside the Jewish community. It’s pretty inspiring to be a part of that. RS: The work that is done in a congregation inspires me, from the clergy level to preschool, all across the board. What are the biggest changes you’ve seen in the Jewish community from when you started to the present? RS: I can tell you post-COVID, people are looking for community. And we’ve had a great deal of people reaching out. We’ve kind of modeled some of our programs differently to get people in the doors and to feel welcomed and nourished. Also, since the war has begun, a lot of people are just struggling with community. NG: Generations. People who are 62 and over are not the same as people who used to be — the different generations of older adults and what that means. When you were growing up, did you have a dream job? LW: My father was a retailer, and I just assumed I would go into business, which I did. My grandfather wanted me to be either a nurse or a teacher. And I said, “Well, grandpa, why not a doctor?” And he laughed. He said, “Well, you’re a woman.” What’s something no one knows about you? RS: I was the posture queen in sixth grade, and I did win a Bible contest from the Board of Jewish Education. I think it’s buried somewhere in the archives of the Jewish Light! NG: My husband went to school with Lynn and Rosalie. Favorite movie? NG: “Casablanca.” RS: “Mr. Mom.” LW: “Field of Dreams.” What’s the best piece of advice anyone gave you? RS: Be nice to everybody. You just don’t know when you’ll run into that person again. LW: My mom used to say, “You get more flies with honey.” My dad used to tell me, “You’re only as strong as
Favorite TV show? NG: “Julia” on Max. RS: “The Righteous Gemstones” on Max.
In a 2007 file photo, Jewish Community Center CEO Lynn Wittels sits with I.E. Millstone at a groundbreaking event for what would become the J’s Staenberg Family Complex. your weakest link.” And from a business perspective, that’s probably the most serious great advice I’ve ever gotten. Because it’s true. Cats or dogs? NG, LW and RS: Dogs. Favorite travel destination? LW: My family meets every year at the end of the year in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., at a place called Frenchman’s Creek. It’s the best week of the year. I live 51 weeks so I can go there for one week. Because we’re all together. NG: I love digging up Jewish history in places where there are no Jews anymore, unfortunately. What are you looking forward to doing with your extra time? LW: I’m looking forward to working out again. COVID was the end of that. I want to slow down a little bit and have time to share some of what I’ve learned over the last 18 years with others and improve my golf game. NG: I’d like to just savor whatever I get to do more and not always feel like I have that next thing to do. And if I take a walk and I want to take an extra 10 minutes, I can. I can read a little longer. I love to make family dinners or
Favorite Jewish tradition? LW: Lighting the Shabbat candles, because I talk to my mother when I do it, who passed away 21 years ago, so it kind of reminds me of her … and making latkes. NG: Going to shul. I like going to services on Saturday morning. RS: A lot of things that we do. On Rosh Hashanah, our tradition is to do a honey bar. On Hanukkah, when the kids were growing up, we’d go through 20 pounds of potatoes. Are there any specific significant initiatives at your organizations that stand out in your careers? NG: I am proud that our residents know we’re always there for them. And we can’t always say yes, but even if we can’t say yes, they know they’re heard and don’t feel belittled no matter what they’re coming to talk to us about or ask. That they should go away feeling good and heard. RS: I think redefining and keeping our doors open and being in the community, and I think that is the greatest thing that I think I’ve left. Some people say, “I don’t want to support a temple. It’s not important.” Well, I kind of feel like it’s pretty much the heartbeat of the community, your congregations, because as soon as somebody needs something, they pick up the phone and call a rabbi. LW: The In Program at the J, which is part of our Adult Day Center, works with young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. I think that’s one program that I’ll always be proud of. And I think the people who work in the program are going right to heaven. I mean, they are angels. What they do and how they do it and the sensitivity with which they do their work is incredible. Ashley, Kristen, Lexi are pretty remarkable. People who work at all of our places do it for the people we serve.
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CA L L FO R A R O O M BY R O O M C O N S U LTAT I O N .
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NEWSMAKERS
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BROUGHT TO YOU THIS MONTH BY:
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.
The Jewish Community Center of St. Louis has named Terri Grossman as its new chief program officer. She will oversee several of the J’s largest program departments including Early Childhood Education, Day Camp, Camp Sabra, and youth and adult sports. Most recently Grossman was the major gift officer for Camp Sabra. She is a member of Central Reform Congregation. Immunobiologist Robert Schreiber, Ph.D., an internationally recognized scientist in cancer immunology at Washington University School of Medicine, has been named the 2024 Senior Scientist Winner of the Innovators in Science Award in Cancer Immunology. The award is given by the New York Academy of Sciences. Schreiber, the Andrew M. and Jane M. Bursky Distinguished Professor and a professor of molecular microbiology and of pathology and immunology, will receive the award in April at the 2024 Innovators in Science Award Ceremony in Boston. He is a member of CRC. At its recent annual meeting, United Hebrew Congregation honored Suzy Weber with the Irene Fox United Hebrew Ruach Award. This award is presented to members who embody the spirit of UH. Weber is a music and Hebrew teacher at the Saul Spielberg Early Childhood Center at United Hebrew. Jim Susman was elected president of United Hebrew’s board of trustees for a two-year term. He is president at the Susman Group, an association management company.
TOP ROW, FROM LEFT: Terri Grossman, Robert Schreiber and Robert Litz. SECOND ROW: Colie Bushong, Debra Klevens and Jeffrey Cohen. ABOVE RIGHT: Suzy Weber and Jim Susman PHOTO: DON SIEGEL Robert Litz was selected to the Missouri & Kansas Super Lawyers list for Alternative Dispute Resolution in 2023. Litz is a mediator, arbitrator and president of U.S. Arbitration & Mediation and is the immediate past president of Congregation Temple Israel. Colie Bushong is the new digital engagement manager at Temple Israel. Her responsibilities include running the temple’s social media and strategy platforms creating an online community.
Clayton High School publications advisor Debra Klevens is one of six journalism educators who were recognized as recipients of Pioneer Awards, the National Scholastic Press Association’s highest honor for journalism educators. NSPA Pioneers are individuals who make substantial contributions to high school journalism programs and scholastic journalism education outside their primary employment. Klevens attends United Hebrew Congregation.
Jeffrey Cohen, who has served as managing shareholder and president of the Capes, Sokol, Goodman & Sarachan PC law firm for nine years, will move to the position of chairperson on Jan. 1. This move will allow him to continue to grow the firm to meet their clients’ needs. Clayton High School senior violist Delia Zacks was recognized at the University of Missouri St. Louis Young Continued on opposite page
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Grace Minnick received the 2023 Ida Stack Award from Congregation Shaare Emeth. The award recognizes a sixth-grade student who has demonstrated dedication and enthusiasm for Jewish learning.
Delia Zacks Artists Competition. Delia won honorable mention in the junior division for her performance of Der Schwanendreher by Hindemith. Of the 10 finalists, there were two winners and two honorable mentions. Delia is the daughter of Leslie and Jeff Zacks.
in-person or online. They will also offer support services specifically to help those in the LGBTQ+ community, assisting them navigate their mental well-being through understanding and empowerment. Grace Minnick is the 2023 recipient of the Ida Stack Award at Congregation Shaare Emeth’s religious school. The award, which was established in 1997, is given annually to a sixth-grade student who has demonstrated dedication and enthusiasm for Jewish learning. These attributes epitomize the essence of Stack, who inspired generations of students in her 50-plus year teaching career. Grace, whose parents are Adam and Gloria Minnick, is a sixth-grader at Selvidge Middle School.
Joe Schlichter recently opened Ellie Mental Health St. Louis. It is a mental health agency that is transforming the culture of mental healthcare by providing creative solutions and using innovative thinking to reduce barriers in accessing mental health services. The St. Louis location will provide support for a wide range of disorders and common issues for all ages either Joe Schlichter
Correction: The Dec. 6 Newsmakers column spelled the first name of Kooresh Shoghi incorrectly. The corrected item appears at right.
A faculty member of the Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology (MIR) at Washington University School of Medicine, Kooresh Shoghi, Ph.D. was selected to join the Academy for Radiology & Biomedical Imaging Research’s Council of Distinguished Investigators. This honor recognizes individuals from academic and industry institutions for their outstanding contributions to medical imaging. Shoghi is a professor of radiology and a principal investigator in the Precision Kooresh Shoghi Radiotheranostics Translation Center. He also serves as co-director of the Preclinical Imaging Facility, which performs qualitative and quantitative PET and computed tomography (CT) in a broad range of research areas. Shoghi attends B’nai Amoona.
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December 20, 2023
OPINIONS
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ABOUT THE OPINIONS SECTION Viewpoints expressed in letters, commentaries, cartoons and other opinion pieces reflect those of the writer or artist, and not those of the Light. We welcome submissions of letters and commentaries to: news@stljewishlight.org
D’VAR TORAH — VAYIGASH
Vayigash: Joseph’s reunification with brothers is a big, cinematic moment BY MAHARAT RORI PICKER NEISS
Were I to be the director of the film version of our biblical stories, a moment in this week’s Torah portion would certainly be one that I would design as a climax. We open with a speech by Judah, the longest oration in the Book of Genesis, as he pleads before an Egyptian leader to save the life of his brother Benjamin and, indirectly, for the life of his father. The Egyptian, moved by the words, cries out for all of his many attendants to leave him and then issues forth a sob so loud that the Torah relates “that the Egyptians could hear, and so the news reached Pharaoh’s palace.” The Egyptian potentate then turned to the Israelite men before him and said the famous words: Ani Yosef. Ha’od avi chai — “I am Joseph. Is my father still alive?” We, as the audience, imagine the emotion. Joseph is wailing, in anguish, heartbroken at being apart from his family, overwhelmed at the opportunity of being reunited, and suffering as he wonders if he will ever see his father again. At the same time, these words evoke a feeling of puzzlement. Throughout Judah’s speech, he has referenced his father. So why would this be Joseph’s first question after his big revelation? Moreover, it is clear that Joseph is the second in command to all of Egypt. He is one of the most powerful men in the world.
Maharat Rori Picker Neiss is executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Council and a member of the St. Louis Rabbinical and Cantorial Association, which coordinates the d’var Torah for the Jewish Light. He could have easily tracked down information on his family. He could have easily sent word to his father that he was alive years prior to this moment. Why did Joseph never reach out to his family? Why did he not go home? If Joseph is so emotional at the thought of being reunited with his family, why did he not do so sooner? To understand this, it is necessary to look back at how Joseph first arrived in Egypt. The story of Joseph’s descent into Egypt begins when Jacob sends Joseph to get his brothers. Joseph has already told his brothers about his two dreams, and his brothers are not happy. The brothers accuse Joseph of thinking that he will reign over all of them, including their own parents. There is jealousy among the brothers. Frankly, they do not like Joseph. And Jacob does not help the situation at all and gifts Joseph a special tunic.
Jacob, who, of all people, should know the impact of sibling rivalry after he ran away from home for fear that his own brother would kill him, sows the seeds of rivalry among his sons, showing Joseph a clear favoritism. And then one morning, Jacob sends Joseph out. The Torah describes Joseph putting on the tunic before he leaves, a garment that feels unnecessary in the middle of the day. Joseph goes to find his brothers. The brothers can see Joseph from afar, easily recognizable with his colored garment, and they begin to plot against their youngest sibling. Rabbi Jonathan Sacks of blessed memory offers a fascinating read of this story. He suggests that if we look at it from Joseph’s perspective, all Joseph knows of the situation is that his father has sent him out to his brothers and that when he arrives, his brothers have devised a scheme to get rid of him. They throw him into a pit. He overhears their discussion to kill him. And ultimately, they sell him into slavery. For all Joseph knows, according to Rabbi Sacks, Jacob is part of this plan. Perhaps Joseph suspects that Jacob, too, is upset that Joseph’s dreams seem to imply that even his parents — the sun and the moon — will bow down to him. Perhaps Joseph recognizes a pattern in his family: fathers sending away sons, as Abraham sends away Ishmael; brothers fighting against
Our Holocaust ancestors watch how we cope with new wave of hate BY STACEY NEWMAN
For years, she has stared at me every time I walk down my hallway. Gustel, barely 14 years old, stands out among her nine sisters, which include my late husband’s Oma Sophie, in the one remaining family photo from Germany taken in 1910. Self-assured with long lustrous hair and a cocky posture signifying an eagerness to take on the world, Gustel’s gaze is hard to ignore. The first time I saw this huge portrait over a cousin’s fireplace, I was completely mesmerized by her. Then I learned her story. Thirty years later, Gustel, along with the majority of her sisters, their spouses and children, disappeared in Germany. Taken, arrested, sent to camps, split from their families — they simply vanished. Visiting Yad Vashem in Jerusalem in 1992, we were shaken to find many of their names in Auschwitz death camp records. Oma Sophie was able to escape to St. Louis with her children (including my future father-in-law), but we still don’t really know how. Our family, as does every other Holocaust surviving family, continues to carry those scars and always will. Our missing loved ones live on through us while we try to comprehend being marked, living in danger and ultimately “disappeared.” Then Oct. 7 happened, the worst torture
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and massacre of Jews since the Holocaust. We woke to ghastly news from Israel, not fully grasping the horror. Hostages, very young and very old, were tortured and kidnapped by Hamas extremists at a music festival and nearby kibbutzim. Weeks later, we began learning of the atrocious sexual violence and evil mutilation of hundreds of Israeli women and girls before they were shot or beheaded. International human rights groups, including United Nations Women, along with the women’s movement at large, have been dismissive or have yet to respond. Before our very eyes today, we see antisemitism exploding worldwide, hate crimes against Jews skyrocketing and disturbing anti-Jew signs and chants in our own backyard. Friends on the left seem to have turned their heads and have waned in their support and solidarity. We’re exhausted trying to explain how Israel was supposed to be our one safe place and how many of us are deeply intertwined with Israeli family and friends. Now I understand what Gustel and her sisters lived through. Oma Sophie later wrote in her family memoir: “Hitler’s propaganda came across the radio waves all day, with slogans as ‘Don’t Help the Jews’ along with ‘We Must Get Rid the Jews’ while Nazis marched by singing of their dream to exterminate all
Jews. An armed guard was posted outside the Shue Haus Neumann (the family shoemaking business) to frighten people who patronized a Jewish business. Twice the store windows were stoned and broken, most alarming since the family lived upstairs. My daughter Meta was taunted at school and other children were not allowed to sit next to her because she was Jewish. She had to quit that school and travel to another town to complete her education.” In this age of “Never Again,” we recognize those fears. Again. Today, Jewish college kids are being screamed at while walking on campus and report significant antisemitic hostility even at Washington University (online at https:// bit.ly/ Brandeis-repor t). University presidents testify in Congress, get tangled up in First Amendment theory, while their Jewish students seek safety. We get freedom of speech, but it’s unnerving to witness signs with “Please keep the World Clean” at pro-Palestinian marches in Clayton. Their “river to the sea” chant, popularized by Middle East terrorists, refers to eradicating the state of Israel and its people. “Globalize the Intifada” is a call for widespread violence to both Israelis and Jews worldwide. How can this not be bone-chilling? I’m not alone in fear. The national ADL reports a 388% intensifying increase in antisemitism incidents and threats in America since
brothers, as his father and uncle do. Joseph believes that his father wanted him dead and thus he never reached out to reconnect. So why is Joseph prepared to reveal himself now? In Judah’s speech to Joseph he says many things but none more important than describing his father mourning for the son that he lost and the anguish that would ultimately kill him if he lost Benjamin as well. It is at this moment that Joseph realizes that all that had happened to him was not part of some elaborate plot from his father, but only the actions of his jealous brothers. When Joseph says, “I am Joseph. Is my father still alive?” we hear in his voice a criticism of his brothers: “I am Joseph,” he says, “I am the one you sent away. Is my father still alive? Was he able to survive that sorrow that you caused him?” But we also hear in his voice an emotional revelation for himself. His assumptions about his father had been wrong. “Is my father still alive?” My father, not our father. My father who loved me. My father who yearned for me. That man, who I thought had died years ago and wanted nothing to do with me. Is that man truly still alive today? Years of pain, despair, mourning, perhaps even hatred, and resentment, assumptions, prejudice and false accusations all disappearing in just those five poignant words.
Stacey Newman, a retired Missouri state representative, is the executive director of ProgressWomen, a statewide social justice group focused on justice and equality issues. Oct. 7. This past weekend, hundreds of U.S. synagogues received bomb threats, including my own congregation in St. Louis, a trend many fear will continue. The normalization of anti-Israeli hate, a cover for mainstreaming anti-Jew hate, coming from both the far right and hard left, is petrifying. I don’t have any answers. Most of our community have strived for years to understand and fight against oppression of other groups, believing it was our tikkun olam responsibility. Now we only have energy to focus on the return of the remaining 135 hostages and permanently eradicate the Hamas terrorists responsible for the brutal atrocities so they cannot strike again. We desperately need allies, especially those of us with “disappeared family,” feeling that our own vanishing could be just around the corner. Gustel continues to look at me every day in the hallway. I sense her reminding me, “You are doing now what you would have done then.” I tell her I feel so inconsequential, but she just gives me that searing defiant look. I know, I know.
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JEWISH LIGHT
December 20, 2023
A rabbi’s challenge to open-letter writers: What is your solution? BY RABBI JEFFREY ABRAHAM
To the 75-plus signatories of the open letter to Jewish organizations in St. Louis and the surrounding area (Dec. 6 Jewish Light): After reading your letter a few times to better understand where you are coming from, I would like to respond. I was not the rabbi who raised you, but first and foremost, I want you to know that I believe strongly in nuanced conversations about Israel and the Israeli/Palestinian conflict beginning in teenage years. It is not appropriate to have such conversations before middle school and high school. With that said, it is imperative that we teach different viewpoints to our teenagers. I invite you to watch my session recorded on “The History of Israel on One Foot.” I have offered this one-hour session four times, twice in person and twice virtually to our community. In it, I mention the word Nakba and speak about perspectives on both sides (view the video online at https:// vimeo.com/889959073). That being said, I want to challenge all 75-plus of you to come and sit down to have a real conversation with me about your viewpoints. Sitting behind a computer screen and/or signing on to a letter is not a way to truly engage in dialogue. In Judaism we believe in Machlochet L’Shem Shamayim, disagreements for heaven’s
sake. You have opened up a door to have respectful debate on a topic with which we seem to disagree. So, let’s talk! If you do take me up on the offer to come and meet with me, I challenge you to come prepared to answer one question: What is your solution right now? In raping innocent women, brutally mutilating innocent civilians, men, women and children, and then recording it on their phones for all to see, Hamas has shown its true colors. You are begging everyone to ask for a cease-fire. However, you seem to not grasp that a cease-fire right now would mean that Hamas wins, meaning they continue to murder innocent Israelis and Palestinians. Where it appears we failed you in your Jewish education is in teaching you that Hamas uses Palestinian civilians as human shields. Those who oppose them are literally thrown off of roofs to their death and face other brutality as well. We also seemed to have failed in teaching you other aspects about Jewish values and Jewish history. What you are asking for in a cease-fire right now, and with the logic you are using, would have been the equivalent of saying that since more German civilians died during the fighting in the last couple of years of World War II, that the Allies, particularly the British, were in the wrong. Can you imagine asking the Nazis for a cease-fire during the
Let’s take a close look at open letter’s assertions BY GALIT LEV-HARIR
On Dec. 6, the Jewish Light published a letter signed by 75+ Jews who expressed concern with the organizations that raised them and quoted “facts” regarding the war between Israel and Hamas. Below is a response to some of the points in the letter. Claim: Civilians killed in Gaza. The Associated Press says 15,200 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza; 70% were women and children. These numbers come directly from the Palestinian Ministry of Health (PHM), controlled by Hamas, which has a history of inflating the number of casualties and which denies that any of the people killed were combatants. For example, the PHM said that over 1,000 people were killed in the Al Ahli hospital explosion and the Jabaliya refugee camp bombing; however, the actual number was less than 100. Additionally, the Israel Defense Forces report that at least 5,000 of those killed in Gaza were Hamas terrorists, and that the ratio of combatants Galit Lev-Harir is to civilians is “tremendously Co-President of St. Louis positive” given the challenges of Friends of Israel. fighting in a densely populated area. (CNN, https://tinyurl.com/5n7j54a5) It is tragic whenever civilians die. Unfortunately, that is the nature of war. An estimated 432,000 civilians were killed by the U.S. in Iraq, Afghanistan and other countries after 9/11. Why weren’t there any public protests at that time? (Watson Institute, Brown University, https://tinyurl. com/43k5sps2) Claim: Around 80% of Gazans have fled their homes. Before Israel began bombings in Gaza City, they advised civilians to evacuate to Southern Gaza, to miniSee COMMENTARY on page 14
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Holocaust? Asking for a cease-fire to an entity that has, as its avowed goal to destroy not only the state of Israel, but all Jews, including you, is folly! With regards to the other aspect of World War II, in April 1945, things did not look good for the Allies vis a vis the Japanese. In World War II, 111,606 Americans died and an additional 253,142 were wounded. What the Japanese did at Pearl Harbor is pale by comparison to what Hamas did Oct. 7. The gist of the question President Harry Truman was faced with was “us or them.” My zayde (grandfather) was in the Marines and watched the atomic bomb go off from a nearby ship. No one at the time knew the precise power of the bomb, but I am confident that 78 years later, Truman would still say he made the “right decision” to save untold thousands of Americans at that moment in time in 1945. Innocent lives were lost because of World War II, but Japan was able to ultimately rebuild itself into a far better nation today. The same can be true for the Palestinians if we get Hamas and terrorism out of Gaza and the region. I found it ironic that your letter was published during the beginning of the holiday of Hanukkah (even if it was first written to a select group of clergy a few weeks earlier). The Hanukkah story is one about the Syrian-Greeks who wanted to destroy our
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Rabbi Jeffrey Abraham is senior rabbi at Congregation B’nai Amoona.
Jewish people and no longer allow us to practice our Judaism in any way, shape or form. The Maccabees rose up against the Greeks, allowing us to remain Jewish today. Should we have asked the Greeks for a cease-fire during the battles at Modiin? Certainly none of us would be here today if we would have done so. Similarly, should Esther have asked Haman for a cease-fire so that he could still kill all of us? Should we have asked Pharaoh in Egypt for a cease-fire so we could be enslaved again? Again, I invite you to come and sit with me. Let’s have a dialogue so that we can discuss the nuances of the Israeli/ Palestinian conflict, but please come prepared with solutions to how this can be solved, not just complaints that somehow your Jewish upbringing failed you. God commanded Moses in Exodus 17:812 to destroy Amalek, who had attacked the Israelites in a similar fashion to Hamas. In my opinion, the only solution is to wipe out Hamas, which will give the Palestinian people a true chance for their own de-militarized state one day side by side with Israel. Am Yisrael Chai!
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Submit letters to news@stljewishlight.org
‘Open letter’ draws responses from readers To the signatories of the open letter to Jewish organizations: you address your concerns to the wrong party. The war in Gaza could end today if Hamas released the hostages and surrendered. You present a one-sided history of the Arab-Israeli conflict, ignoring that Nakba refers to the failure of five Arab armies to destroy the Jewish state and ignoring the expulsion of Jews from Arab countries. Attacks of Arabs against Jews have occurred for centuries, with the reason for them shifting from antisemitism to anti-Zionism. A two-state solution has been rejected by the Arabs since the Peel Commission in 1937 with the Arab side refusing anything less than their maximalist demands. Your modern analysis is also based on faulty data. You accept without qualification the biased U.N. Human Rights Council, and the Hamas-derived civilian casualty figures, which inflate the number of civilians. Israel cannot exist in freedom and safety next to the bloodthirsty monsters of Hamas. This group must be destroyed for the good of the Palestinians as well as for the good of the Israelis. Tzedek, Tzedek, tirdof. May we see justice for the entire region. Laura Goldmeier Creve Coeur I must question your decision to publish the open letter of Dec. 6 without first exercising your journalistic discretion to delete the signatories’ self-identification of orga-
nizations they claim to represent for the reason that it inevitably creates a misleading impression that these organizations may somehow share the views expressed in the letter. (This is in sharp contrast to the open letter to Congresswoman Cori Bush of Nov. 1 that was signed by the actual leadership of many of the same St. Louis Jewish organizations expressing a totally different set of views on the subject.) Alan Weinberger Saratoga Springs, N.Y. A reply…a reflection, “The illiterate of the future will not be the person who cannot read. It will be the person who does not know how to learn.” - Alvin Toffler I read with interest and great attention the letter to the editor “Open letter to Jewish organizations in St. Louis and the surrounding area.” In the list of signatories, I recognized the names of women and men that shared classrooms or attended camps with my children a few decades ago. While I may not have known them well, I was surprised by some of the comments expressed and the overall tone of their letter. Throughout history, the term “People of the Book” (in Hebrew: Am HaSefer) has been used to refer to the Jewish people, though other nations and religions have also self-identified as such. While the Book in question is the Torah, I believe the true heritage of this epithet is a legacy of learning and education. For me, learning is a continuous endeavor throughout one’s life. I was saddened to read that the authors felt misled by their Jewish education, which they felt lacking and narrow-minded. The role of a
school is not to present each detail of history, or even all the nuances of a complex geopolitical conflict. Rather, it is to teach us how to approach the world with curiosity, critical thought, and a hunger to continue learning in pursuit of a fuller understanding of the world. I felt fortunate to receive such an education from my esteemed teachers and professors. In reading your letter, it is clear that you too have received such an education, and you have formed your own perspectives and opinions, informed by your own research and learning. In doing so, you have reflected on your education as falling short of the expectations you now hold for the role of a school—expectations that are too lofty to be realistic. An education in which we learn to learn is not only enough; it is one for which we should be grateful. However, I encourage you to approach your education with the wisdom and balance it deserves to avoid the narrow-mindedness you decry. When you mention the Nakba, contrast it to the hundreds of thousands of Jews who faced expulsion from Muslim countries. When you sing “Im tirtzu ain zo agadah,” remember that Herzl’s Zionism emerged as a defense of a vulnerable people, scattered throughout Europe in the late 1800s. Time, and modern sensibilities, have reinterpreted his words absent their relevant context. Over 75 years, we have read a multitude of Israeli and ArabPalestinian narratives. Neither side is politically monolithic, and propaganda, falsehood and deception can be found on both sides. As you read and learn, be cautious to not See LETTERS on page 14
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Letters: Readers respond to open letter and recent Rochester column CONTINUED FROM PAGE 13 oversimplify the geopolitical complexities into unilateral impassioned talking points that misrepresent history or that mislead rather than inform. I hope that, as we pray for the safe return for the remaining hostages, and as antisemitism is once again on the rise, we can come together in defense of the Jewish values we hold dear. Israel is a bedrock for those values, and its continuous existence depends on our support and pride of our traditions—the very traditions you first celebrated in our Jewish institutions. During this tumultuous time, as Israel and Judaism find themselves once again under attack, I hope you continue to seek out knowledge in their defense, following your heart with honesty, fairness and a deep commitment. Remember, our learning is far from over… Dr. Mauricio Lisker-Melman, Professor of Medicine St. Louis In the open letter published Dec. 6, the authors and signatories included their personal affiliations with Jewish programs.
The vast majority seemed to be limited to programs for grade school and middle school. In many ways, this was an apt metaphor for the moral argument they were attempting to make. While I believe the letter includes multiple inaccuracies and misleading facts, I will focus on just one. The authors use btzelem Elohim, a core principle of Judaism, as justification for a cease fire. However, relying solely on broad principals to make decisions leads to a type of moral relativism that could only ever make sense in the classroom. By themselves they provide little value as a rational solution to a complex problem. The congressional hearing this past week regarding several Ivy League schools demonstrated the culmination of this toxic thought process. The real world is much more complicated. Often moral values are in conflict with one another. After Oct. 7, it is clear that Hamas poses an existential threat to Israel and therefore Israel not only has the right but a moral obligation to its citizens to defend itself. This obligation does not go away just because Hamas chooses to use civilians as shields. How exactly to balance these values is very complicated.
Precisely because of these types of issues, Jewish tradition has developed one of the most vast and expansive ethical frameworks in history to address the complexities of living a moral life in an imperfect world. In doing so, it does address some of these complexities such as the laws regarding a rodef or morality in battle. Israel has not only acted well within international law, they have held true to Jewish law and values. Unfortunately, the biggest take away from this essay is that we, as a Jewish community, need to do a better job at educating our youth so that their world view of Judaism matures beyond high school. Michael Schachter University City
Response to Marty Rochester column I found myself once again inspired by the writings of Marty Rochester. Regarding his latest piece, “Equity-driven dumbing down of K-12 education accelerate” (Dec. 6 issue), I found myself in strong agreement with his contention that it is not
fair to the accelerated students to slow down, on behalf of those students who are challenged. As Rochester said, the needs of all students need to be served. This can be done by not watering down the curriculum or grading standards, but by giving those students who are challenged extra help outside the classroom. It seems to me that there is a relationship between the accountability that Rochester demands in the educational system and accountability in other areas that he has written about, such as in the workforce and in dealing with crime. There is a problem in all three areas, and the common denominator is general lack of accountability. To those students and parents who think it is unfair to demand more effort on the part of students in general, I wonder if they realize how much effort the higher achieving students have to put forth to achieve what they have. Let’s not discourage their effort but, instead, demand the same effort on the part of all students. Harry Toder University City
Commentary: Taking a close look at open letter’s assertions CONTINUED FROM PAGE 13 mize civilian casualties. The IDF has protected Gazans who wish to evacuate; however, Hamas actively prevents them from evacuating, instead using them as human shields. Hamas has constructed elaborate military compounds underneath Gaza City, even inside schools and hospitals. The only way to destroy Hamas is to destroy the infrastructure of Gaza City, which unfortunately, necessitates the displacement of the local population. Hamas knew this when they attacked Israel on Oct. 7. Claim: “The violence by Israel onto the Palestinian people…is a continuation of 75 years of violence…” The situation of the Palestinians is indeed tragic, but the underlying question is, who is responsible for the suffering of the Palestinian people? In order to answer, it is imperative to recognize the
following three truths: 1. There was an equal exchange of Jewish and Arab refugee populations beginning in 1948 and throughout the 1950s. In 1948, approximately 800,000 Palestinian Arabs either left or were driven out of their homes in what was then the British Mandate of Palestine. Around the same time, approximately 800,000 Jews either migrated, fled, or were expelled from Muslim-majority countries where they had lived for generations, including Iraq, Yemen, Libya, Algeria, Egypt, Morocco, Syria, Lebanon, Tunisia, and Iran. (Wikipedia, https://tinyurl.com/ mrxkkur3). Jewish refugees who arrived in Israel were initially housed in refugee camps and were eventually resettled in permanent housing. However, the Arab refugees have not been resettled to this day. 2. The U.N. is responsible for resettling refugee populations; however, in the case of the Palestinians, they have
abdicated their responsibility and instead, created a situation designed to perpetuate the suffering of the Palestinian people and their descendants. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) deals with refugees all over the world and helps them resettle in new countries. The only refugees not under UNHCR are the Palestinians, who are under the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). For non-Palestinians, the term “refugee” only applies to the refugees themselves and not to their offspring. However, for Palestinians, the “refugee” status is passed down through generations, and includes the children, grandchildren and great grandchildren of the refugees. That is why there are many more Palestinian refugees today (over 4 million) than there were in 1948. Instead of helping solve the Palestinian refugee problem, the U.N. is making the situation
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much worse. (Wikipedia, https://tinyurl. com/ydsys2hs.) 3. Over the years, Israel has proposed numerous solutions designed to give the Palestinians a state of their own and to permanently end the conflict. The Palestinian leadership has rejected all of these proposals. (Vox, https://tinyurl. com/2p9uv3t8.) Although any one of these proposals would have ended the conflict, by far, the most comprehensive was the proposal by former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and former U.S. President Bill Clinton at the 2000 Camp David Summit, which envisioned a Palestinian state on 92% of the land in the West Bank and 100% of the land in Gaza. Unfortunately, it was rejected by Yasser Arafat, the former leader of the Palestinian Authority. Since then, Israel has continued to offer alternatives, which have also been rejected and have been followed by bloody intifadas (uprisings) leading to the murders of many Israeli civilians. The signatories of the letter desire a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, without calling for the return of Israeli hostages as a precondition. They ignore the fact that Hamas has a long history of breaking cease-fires, including the ceasefire that existed on Oct. 6. Hamas has stated publicly that they will use any cease-fire as an opportunity to regroup, and they intend to carry out additional attacks similar to those of Oct. 7. If Israel were to stop its campaign in Gaza and leave Hamas intact, there would be no way to prevent future massacres. The only way to ensure that such atrocities will never again take place is to permanently disable Hamas. To those who signed the letter: Over 1,200 of your brothers and sisters were raped, tortured, beheaded, burned, and brutally slaughtered on Oct. 7. Hundreds were attending a music concert — exactly the kind of concert that many of you enjoy. Some of you may have known one of the victims, Gili Adar, who was a camp counselor at Camp Ben Frankel. Many women who attended the concert were repeatedly raped until their bones were broken, and in many cases, their breasts and genitals were mutilated. I ask you, how do you think Israel should respond?
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NO SLOGANS, JUST MORAL CLARITY AT BRANDEIS UNIVERSITY How did theacceptable acceptable response to the heinous and brutal murder of almost 1,200 civilians of 33 How How did did the the acceptable response response to to the the heinous heinous and and brutal brutal murder murder of of almost almost 1,200 1,200 civilians civilians of of 33 33 nationalities nationalities and and the the nationalities and the kidnapping of an additional 240 babies, children, women, and men become anything kidnapping kidnapping of of an an additional additional 240 240 babies, babies, children, children, women, women, and and men men become become anything anything other other than than unequivocal unequivocal condemnation? condemnation? other than unequivocal condemnation? The Brandeis University Board of Trustees asserts that the virulent The The Brandeis Brandeis University University Board Board of of Trustees Trustees asserts asserts that that the the virulent virulent antisemitism antisemitism that that has has overtaken overtaken too too many many universities universities over over antisemitism that has overtaken too many universities over the past several weeks — and, in turn, led to the past several weeks and, in turn, led to Jewish students feeling unsafe will not be tolerated at our institution, the past several weeks - and, in turn, led to Jewish students feeling unsafe - will not be tolerated at our institution, Jewish students feeling unsafe — will not be tolerated at our institution. The Hamas Hamasinvasion invasion of Israel on October 7 represented a watershed. It wassingle the worst against The of on 77 represented a ItIt was atrocity against the The Hamas invasion of Israel Israel on October October represented a watershed. watershed. was the the worst worst single atrocitysingle againstatrocity the Jewish Jewish the Jewish people sinceAnd the while Holocaust. And had while antisemitism hadon been serious threat on some people since Holocaust antisemitism been a some campuses before people since the the Holocaust And while antisemitism had been a serious serious threat threat on somea American American campuses before that that American before day,examples it has exploded countless examples ofphysically Jewish fateful has since, with countless of students being bullied, and fateful day, day, it itcampuses has exploded exploded since,that withfateful countless examples of Jewish Jewish since, studentswith being bullied, intimidated, intimidated, and physically students being bullied, intimidated, and physically attacked while Israel is demonized and vilified. attacked attacked while while Israel Israel is is demonized demonized and and vilified. vilified.
Throughout, Brandeis President Ron Liebowitz has been an exceptional voice of moral courage and clarity. He
Throughout, Brandeis President has exceptional voice of and He and Throughout, Brandeis President Ron Ron Liebowitz Liebowitz has been been an exceptional voiceattacks of moral moral courage courage and clarity. clarity. He immediately immediately and immediately and unequivocally condemned thean horrific terrorist perpetrated by Hamas. He stressed unequivocally condemned the horrific terrorist attacks perpetrated by Hamas. He stressed the university's unequivocally condemned the to horrific terroristitsattacks perpetrated Hamas. He on stressed theand university's the university’s commitment deepening ties with Israel. Hebyhas insisted peaceful civil discussion commitment deepening its with He has on discussion and debate. He has commitment toHe deepening its ties tiesout with Israel. Hestudents has insisted insisted on peaceful peaceful and civil discussionHe and debate. He all has and debate.to has reached to Israel. Jewish to ensure theyand feelcivil supported. has assured reached to ensure they He all that attacks any students that attacksstudents againstto background or belief system are unacceptable notagainst be tolerated. reached out out to Jewish Jewish students toany ensure they feel feel supported. supported. He has has assured assured all students students and that will attacks against any background or system are will tolerated, He has the of He has reminded campus of the rightand to protest in support the guidelines ofto background or belief beliefthe system are unacceptable unacceptable and will not not be be tolerated, of HePalestinians has reminded remindedwithin the campus campus of the the right right tothe protest within the the of conduct free university’s codeof of Palestinians conduct and principles for freeof expression. And code he has no principles uncertainfor terms, protest in in support support of Palestinians within the guidelines guidelines of the university's university's code of stated, conductinand and principles for free that expression, And stated, uncertain that to of any incitement tohas violence or no glorification of terror willincitement not be countenanced at Brandeis. expression, And he he has stated, in in no uncertain terms, terms, that any any incitement to violence violence or or glorification glorification of terror terror will will not not be be countenanced at Brandeis,
countenanced at Brandeis, In 1948, Brandeis University was founded by the American Jewish community in response to the widespread use of restrictive quotas for Jews at top-tier universities. From its establishment, it has been a welcoming In 1948, University was founded by the Jewish community in to widespread use In 1948, Brandeis Brandeis University founded the American American as Jewish in response response to the the widespread use of of institution for students andwas faculty of allbybackgrounds, it hascommunity been a champion of the highest standards restrictive quotas for Jews at top-tier universities, From its establishment, it has been a welcoming institution for restrictive quotas for Jewsand at foundational top-tier universities, From values. its establishment, it hate has been a welcoming institutionnofor of academic excellence democratic Any form of or bigotry has absolutely students and faculty of all backgrounds, as it has been a champion of the highest standards of academic excellence students faculty of all backgrounds, as itwill. has been a champion of the highest standards of academic excellence and and place atand Brandeis. It never has. It never foundational democratic foundational democratic values, values, Any Any form form of of hate hate or or bigotry bigotry has has absolutely absolutely no no place place at at Brandeis, Brandeis, ItIt never never has, has, ItIt never never will. will.
An unambiguous message has been sent by Brandeis to the world of higher education and the nation: Today, antisemitism poseshas a clear and present dangertotothe Jews on many campuses, andand thethe answer is to An been An unambiguous unambiguous message message has been sent sent by by Brandeis Brandeis to the world world of of higher higher education education and the nation: nation: Today, Today, acknowledge andaconfront it head-on, not totodeny, minimize, and rationalize it under theis quaint higher-edand antisemitism poses clear and present danger Jews on many campuses, and the answer to acknowledge antisemitism poses a clear and present danger to Jews on many campuses, and the answer is to acknowledge and term ofit“institutional confront head-on, not toneutrality”. deny, minimize, and rationalize it under the quaint highered term of "institutional neutrality", confront it head-on, not to deny, minimize, and rationalize it under the quaint highered term of "institutional neutrality",
Universities are in the business of educating the next generation of leaders. This means creating an environment
Universities are the of the generation of This creating an that Universities are in in discussion, the business business debate, of educating educating the next nextthinking. generation of leaders. leaders. This means means creating an environment environment that that encourages and critical It does not, however, mean subsidizing the encourages discussion, debate, and critical thinking. It does not, however, mean subsidizing the propagation of hate propagationdiscussion, of hate speech promotion activity that leads unsafe conditions for anyone encourages debate, and andthe critical thinking.of Itterrorist does not, however, mean to subsidizing the propagation of hate
speech and on campus. speech and the the promotion promotion of of terrorist terrorist activity activity that that leads leads to to unsafe unsafe conditions conditions for for anyone anyone on on campus. campus.
At this moment in history, we remain fiercely proud that Brandeis University has held fast to its founding
At At this this moment moment in in history, history, we we remain remain fiercely fiercely proud proud that that Brandeis Brandeis University University has has held held fast fast to to its its founding founding mission mission of of mission of fighting discrimination in all its forms. We invite our peers in higher education to join us in this fighting discrimination in all its forms, We invite our peers in higher education to join us in this fight fighting discrimination in all its forms, We invite our peers in higher education to join us in this fight
fight.
Signed, Signed, Brandeis Brandeis University University Board Board of of Trustees Trustees Lisa Krane, Chair Lisa Krane, Chair Members: Members: Leslie Leslie Aronzon Aronzon Cynthia Berenson Cynthia Berenson Stephen Stephen Berger Berger Lewis Brooks Brooks Lewis Steven Steven Bunson Bunson Daniel Blumenthal Blumenthal Daniel Merle Merle Carrus Carrus Amy Cohen Amy Cohen Barbara Barbara Dortch-Okara Dortch-Okara Nancy Dreyer Nancy Dreyer Susan Susan Feigenbaum Feigenbaum
Madalyn Madalyn Friedberg Friedberg David Harris Harris David Marjorie Marjorie Hass Hass Daniel Jick Jick Daniel Ronald Ronald Kaiserman Kaiserman Ellen Kaplan Kaplan Ellen Stephen Stephen Kay Kay Martin Kupferberg Martin Kupferberg Sylvia Sylvia Neil Neil Monique Monique Nelson Nelson Gregory Gregory Petsko Petsko
Ronald Ronald Ratner Ratner Stephen Reiner Stephen Reiner Adam Rifkin Adam Rifkin Leonard Leonard Rosenberg Rosenberg Jay Ruderman Jay Ruderman Daniel Daniel Rueven Rueven Carol Saivetz Carol Saivetz Barbara Barbara Sander Sander Cynthia Cynthia Shapira Shapira Bram Bram Shapiro Shapiro Malcolm Malcolm Sherman Sherman
Todd Todd Soloway Soloway Mark Surchin Mark Surchin Curtis Curtis Tearte Tearte Barton Winokur Winokur Barton Lewin Wright Lewin Wright Bing-le Wu Wu Bing-le Lan Xue Lan Xue Xiru Xiru Zhang Zhang
Brandeis UNIVERSITY UNIVERSITY BROUGHT TO YOU BY SUSAN FEIGENBAUM AND JAY PEPOSE
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AMY FENSTER BROWN
Next year or next week, forecast calls for calm
LIFESTYLES
BY AMY FENSTER BROWN
Jeremy Segel-Moss (above) and his workshop (below), where he crafts fine ceramics for sale. PHOTOS: JEFFRY GREENBERG
Blues musician now hones his craft as ceramic artist BY JEFFRY GREENBERG SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH LIGHT
Cherokee Street Ceramics is a homebased business that offers a wide selection of handmade pottery stamped on the bottom with the initials of JSM. The initials belong to Jeremy SegelMoss, who after decades as a St. Louisbased blues musician, made the fulltime transition to pottery work over the last few years. Segel-Moss, 47, who grew up in University City and was part of the first bar mitzvah class at Central Reform Congregation, explained that after playing for more than 20 years as part of the Bottoms Up Blues Gang he began to burn out and felt like he was mostly playing for the money. “Now my income is in ceramics,” he said. “Over the last four years, I’ve yet to catch up. I have hundreds of pieces and hundreds of orders.” Although he does sell his pieces at the Tower Grove Farmer’s Market, SegelMoss said markets don’t account for the bulk of his sales. Several high-end St. Louis restaurants, including Akar, Sado and Indo, use his ceramic tableware and he also crafts full sets of dishes for private clients. He makes vases and succulent planters for Flowers and Weeds and cups with an “STL” insignia for STL Style; both businesses are located on Cherokee Street near his home and studio. In addition, his work is featured at Union Studio, with locations in Webster Groves and the Grove neighborhood, as well as Maven Bath and Candle Company in Maplewood. And in case you were wondering, he can craft special pieces for Jewish weddings, anniversaries and b’nai mitzvahs. Segel-Moss learned about ceramics as a kid from his mother, Andrea “Andie” Segel-Moss, a first-grade teacher who was an amateur potter and exposed him to ceramics classes at Craft Alliance. His education was furthered during college at Evergreen State College in
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Olympia, Wash. He created a ceramics curriculum complete with reading materials with the help of an instructor who had a small studio there. Segel-Moss credits Krueger Pottery Supply behind Brentwood Square as being essential to his current business. He said few cities have a supplier of their ilk, and ordering items online would be cost prohibitive with shipping fees.
“For the most part, I work ceramics in solitude. So, it’s the opposite of live music,” he said. “When I play with musicians, there’s collaboration, compromise and cooperation that doesn’t exist in a solitary artist’s life with no one else in the room all day every day. I have to create, find my own boundaries and push myself in different ways.” See ARTIST on page 21
Work by ceramic artist Jeremy Segel-Moss. PHOTOS COURTESY OF SEGEL-MOSS
It’s time to bid farewell to 2023. Many of us see a new year as a way of starting fresh, attacking a new goal and making positive changes. Really, we’re just moving from one day to the next but somehow seeing a new year on the calendar makes it feel different. That first week of January people start sentences with “and last year…” when they really could be saying “last week.” After the ball drops on New Year’s Eve, we will nurse our hangovers and get ready for a fresh start. We will make lofty resolutions that we will quickly break and beat ourselves up over our failure to stick to the unrealistic goals we’ve set. That sounds exhausting. Speaking of exhausting, we’re just about to wrap up a good six weeks of winter party season, which in truth should be called eating season. Between Thanksgiving, eight nights of latkes and sour cream, and all that festive, sugar-laden cheer, we’re all pretty full. The holiday season is so busy with parties and family gatherings, shopping for gifts and party-prep groceries with huge crowds of people doing the same thing. It’s too much! If you thought going to Simon Kohn’s on a Friday afternoon was busy, try Costco on Dec. 24. It’s enough to give anyone anxiety! Try changing your mindset to not get overwhelmed and see the snippets where you can find gratitude. This includes reminding yourself how fun it is to take your negative feelings and replace them with food. You can read about natural cures for anxiety, but I didn’t like any of those foods, so I used Wite-Out to cover them and instead wrote in “chocolate” and “pasta.” Not eaten together, of course. I mean, I’m not a monster. I’m also not qualified to give life advice in any way, so keep that in mind. For mental clarity, I’ve been repeating the phrase “time really flies when your life is falling apart.” Someone said burning sage helps clear negative energy, but I didn’t have any sage. So I lit a gluten free toaster waffle on fire and waved it around the house for a calming effect. Next time, I’ll just light a candle. I’m all for a clean slate and a goal to go after. You can probably agree, however, that those unrealistic resolutions are a trap. Setting yourself up for failure isn’t fun, even though so many of us are really good at it. You should have done this, you should have done that … and now you’re just should-ing all over yourself. What a mess. Everything will slow down starting Jan. 1. We’ll all be cold and want to stay home and do cozy things in which blankets and fireplaces are involved, like read books and binge shows and not go out as much and slow down the socializing and relax. Sometimes you need to just lie on the couch and do nothing … for a whole month. End 2023 and kick off 2024 by being nice to yourself. I’m going to try it, too, but probably not until 2025 when I can really give it some attention. I’m too busy trying to clear the burnt waffle smell out of my house, and I think it’s going to take a while. Columnist Amy Fenster Brown is married to Jeff and has two teenage sons, Davis and Leo. She volunteers for several Jewish not-forprofit groups. Fenster Brown is an Emmy Award-winning TV news writer and counts time with family and friends, talking and eating peanut butter among her hobbies.
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Appreciating the ‘powerful force’ of hip hop culture and art transcends age and race BY NANCY KRANZBERG SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH LIGHT
PHOTO: BRITTANY MOORE/PEXELS.COM
How can I, an almost 80-year-old white gal, have a nerve to write a column on hip hop? Well, here goes. I’ve been around for the whole of the art movement, and, yes, it is an art movement. There are no firm boundaries between jazz, rock and roll and hip hop. The beginnings and endings all blur together, as do basically all art movements. The first paragraph of the St. Louis Art Museum’s blockbuster exhibition, “The Culture: Hip Hop and Contemporary Art of the 21st Century,” says, “Hip Hop as a cultural phenomenon is both easily recognizable and hard to pin down. In the past 50 years, it has expanded from a movement born out of the experiences of Black and Latinx youth in the Bronx to become an undeniable global force, exerting influence on music, fashion, technology, the performing arts and, of course, contemporary visual arts. Hip hop’s ever-expanding reach and its wide-ranging relationship with its audience perpetuates its constant evolution.” Eric Reese, author of “The History of Hip Hop,” says, “Sprung from the spirit of hustle and grime, this culture quickly uncovered an amazing bunch of fresh African American forces of nature eager to express their street accounts and contribute to a spirited new style of soul, of Black America across the globe.” When I ask the average person to define hip hop, they often mention music and break dance, but Britannica says, “While there is some debate over the number of elements of Hip Hop, there are four main elements that are considered to be the Pillars — deejayin or “turntabling”; rapping (also known as “MCing” or rhyming); graffiti painting also known as “graf” or
“writing”; and break dancing, or “B-boying,” which encompasses hip hop dance, style and attitude, along with the sort of virile body language that philosopher, Cornel West described as “postural semantics.” Many also cite a fifth essential component — knowledge of self-consciousness. Other suggested elements include street fashion and language. All of these elements can be expounded on at length. In the forward of Grant Brydon’s, “Life Lessons from Hip Hop,” Brandon (Jinx) Jenkins says, “In its full form, Hip Hop is a school of thought, damn near a religion. I believe in Hip Hop as a powerful force for personal development. Since its inception, the expression of self has been at its core. For the young Black and Latinx people in the Bronx in the ’70s, Hip Hop was a way to use their voices, resisting control by the system that continues to oppress them. It will always belong to these communities. As it has continued to amplify voices, its power has inspired, educated and motivated people from every corner of the planet. Hip
Hop was viral before we ever used that word to describe pop culture phenomena.” The St. Louis Art Museum’s Hip Hop exhibition warmed my heart and soul in a way that words cannot describe. The opening of this inclusive show brought the community of St. Louis together in a way that I’ve never seen. And speaking of our community, we have and continue to do go forward in presenting more and more diverse programs. Bless our wonderful Susan Colangelo, founder of the St. Louis Story Stitchers, a group of young people who combat youth violence through art and performance. Colangelo says, “Youth bring new experiences and are supported by regionally and nationally recognized Black artists and scholars who work alongside young activists through collaborative learning experiences inviting dialogue and generating raw, authentic works of art. Story Stitchers use music, spoken word, photography, videography and dialogue to highlight stories related to trauma such as gun violence, life
transitions and mental health.” The organization has been awarded prizes and grants such as the Lewis Prize for Music and has recently received for the third year in a row another major monetary gift from the National Endowment for the Arts. And Paint Louis recently took place. Hundreds of artists from around the world took part in this music and graffiti festival along the three-mile stretch of flood wall along the river. This was the 26th year of this vibrant weekend, which included hip hop dancing, and MC and DJ battles. One of the biggest fans of our town, Nelly, hails from this great, art-filled city. Nelly has won multiple accolades, including three Grammys and nine Billboard Music Awards and has two clothing lines. He has been referred to by Peter Shapiro (concert promoter and much more) as one of the biggest stars of the new millennium. Nelly’s philanthropy is astounding. He sends kids to college, addresses health and education issues and much more, with major proceeds from his extremely successful career. Once again, I’ll end with a huge salute to St. Louis for always using the power of the arts to make changes for the better. Hip hop hooray to us. For more of Nancy Kranzberg’s commentary, listen to KWMU (90.7) St. Louis on the Air the first Friday of each month at approximately 12:50 p.m. She also hosts a weekly Arts Interview podcast for KDHX (88.1), available at artsinterview.kdhxtra.org.
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BIRTH: ELIANA GRACE KONRADT Samantha and Tanner Konradt of Troy, Mo., would like to announce the birth of their daughter, Eliana Grace Konradt, on Nov. 5, 2023 in St. Louis, weighing 6 pounds, 9 ounces. Eliana is the granddaughter of Stacy and Jon Jespersen of Weldon Spring, Mo. and the great-granddaughter of Gerry Weinman of Weldon Spring.
BAR MITZVAH: BECKETT LEONARD
BIRTH: ARIA BAYLA BENNETT Erica and Ethan Bennett would like to announce the birth of their daughter, Aria Bayla Bennett, on Nov. 4, 2023 in Philadelphia, weighing 8 pounds. Aria is the granddaughter of Amy and Jim Bennett of St. Louis, and Sarah and Bruce Barish of Park Ridge, N.J. She is the great-granddaughter of Stanford and Barbara (z”l) Grossman of St. Louis, Marian (z”l) and Gerald (z”l) Bennett, Maxine and Jerome (z”l) Abramowitz of Dallas, and Shari and Miles (z”l) Barish of Boynton Beach, Fla.
TRIBUTES IN MEMORY OF ELLEN LEVY In memory of sweet Ellen Levy — Lorene George
THE LOVED ONES GONE TOO SOON — Tina Day
Beckett Leonard, son Rachel and Jake Leonard, became a bar mitzvah in November 2023 at Congregation Temple Israel. Beckett is the grandson of Linda and Ben Seltzer, and Karen and Andy Leonard, all of Kirkwood. He has two siblings, Eliot Leonard, who is 10, and Judah Leonard, who is 5. A seventh-grade student at Nipher Middle School in Kirkwood, Beckett loves to read. He plays hockey, lacrosse and racquetball and is on his school’s robotics team. For his mitzvah project, he collected nearly 900 books for classroom libraries at Monroe Elementary School in St. Louis.
UNSUNG HEROES TRIBUTES
IN MEMORY OF KAY DIAMANT Dear Mike: In honor and memory of your mother, Kay. — Joan & Sherman Silber
MARSHA HELIGMAN In memory of Marsha Heligman. — Susan Berent
DR. BRUCE FRANK & ENID WEISBERG-FRANK AND BETH SALTZMAN Thank you for all you've done and continue to do, making our community stronger and better than ever. — Gail & Hershey Feldstein Editor’s note: An incomplete version of the tribute above was published in the Unsung Heroes magazine—it omitted the name of Beth Saltzman as one of the honorees.
MURRAY BRESLER Congratulations! — Susan & Alan Witte
MURRAY BRESLER AND DR. BRUCE FRANK & ENID WEISBERG-FRANK Congratulations —Rita Bresler
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BIRTH: MAIRIN TRUDIE ROSENFELD Dr. David and Elizabeth Rosenfeld of Chicago are excited to announce the birth of their daughter, Mairin Trudie, on Oct. 29, 2023, weighing 6 pounds 7 ounces. Proud big sister is Lena Nadine Rosenfeld. Mairin’s grandparents are Shelley and Richard Rosenfeld of Creve Coeur; Cindy and Dan Taylor of Chesterfield, and Daniel and Connie Burkhardt of Frontenac. Mairin’s beloved great-grandparents of blessed memory are Jeanette and Max Posin, Trudie and Jerry Rosenfeld, Nadine and Dr. Eugene Lake, and Alice and Alfred Burkhardt. Mairin is the sweet and adorable niece of Andrea Rosenfeld, Dr. Adam Rosenfeld, Katy and Scott Wolff, Bea and Reid Burkhardt, and Britt and Sam Sabbah; and the grand niece of the late Alan Rosenfeld and the late Terry Posin; and the great-grand niece of the late Gerald Rosenwasser. Madi, their lovable snorting French Bulldog, is Lena and Mairin’s “big sister.”
PHOTO COURTESY OF RACHEL CLOSSON PHOTOGRAPHY
BAR MITZVAH: JOHN MERTZ John Mertz, son of Allison Paskal and Christopher Mertz of Chesterfield, became a bar mitzvah in November, 2023 at Congregation Shaare Emeth. John is the grandson of Mary and the late John Mertz, and Robert and the late Jackie Paskal. A seventh-grade student at Parkway Central Middle School, John plays baseball, soccer and basketball. For his mitzvah project, he collected and donated sports equipment to St Louis Youth Sports Outreach.
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BRANDTS MARK 95TH BIRTHDAY AND 69TH ANNIVERARY Earlier in the fall, the extended Brandt family returned from a week in Isla Mujeres, Mexico where they celebrated Willy Brandt’s 95th birthday as well as he and his wife Sylvia’s 69th anniversary. The couple took 18 family members on the trip, including both of them (Sylvia and Willy Brandt); daughter, Jodie (Lennie) Neuman; daughter Jill (Bernard) Philippe;
and son Guy (Kathy) Brandt, as well as their five grandchildren, their spouses and two (a third, since they returned) great grandchildren. The family flew from St. Louis, Phoenix and Denver to come together in Cancun to celebrate both occasions. Everyone agreed a great time was had by all.
Thanks to the generous support of the Harvey Kornblum Foundation, members of the St. Louis Jewish community can submit simcha announcements for free. Submit an announcement for your family’s recent simcha (birth, bar/ bat mitzvah, engagement, wedding or major anniversary):
stljewishlight.org/simchas
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OBITUARIES
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Families may submit an obituary for a loved one through the funeral home they work with or by using a form on the Jewish Light’s website: stljewishlight.org/submit-obituary
OBITUARY NOTICES UPDATED DAILY AT STLJEWISHLIGHT.ORG/OBITUARIES
BARBARA “BABS” BOGARDUS, December 13, 2023 Beloved wife of the late Herbert Steven Brothman and the late William Bogardus; dear mother of Dan Brothman (Edith) and Donna Brothman; dear step-mother of Mary Westermayer (Fred) and Anne Moss (Charles); dear grandmother of Alex Brothman (Tara) and Joe Brothman (Jade); dear sister of the late Alvin Garfunkle and Beverly Lance; dear friend of Marge Fenster, Bill and Mary Scanlon, and Max Oppenheimer and the entire Brentmoor community. Memorial contributions preferred to the Humane Society of Missouri, 1201 Macklind Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63110. Please visit bergermemorialchapel.com for more information. Berger Memorial Service MYRA ESTHER LEVINE BOMZE passed away peacefully on December 8, 2023 at 89 years old. She was born on September 10, 1934 at Hunts Point Hospital in Bronx New York to Ruth Gallomp Levine and Milton Levine. She received a BA in Art/Education from Hunter College in New York and her New York State Teaching Certificate in 1956. Myra is preceded in death by her husband Joe Bomze and her brother Larry Levine. She is survived by her son Jon Bomze, daughter-in-law Chris Bomze (Carlie), daughter Shelley Bomze, daughter Kathy Bomze McCartney, son-in-law Steve McCartney, granddaughter Sara (Chris) Gawenda, great granddaughter Claire Gawenda, sister-in-law Susie Bomze, sister-in-law Ellie Bomze, sister-in-law Rebecca Levine, brother-in-law Hal Bomze, brother-inlaw Ira Bomze, and a host of nieces and nephews. Myra will be most remembered for her great beauty, sharp wit and intellect, creativity and
artistic ability, love of animals, particularly miniature schnauzers, and her exceptional sense of humor. Funeral services were held Thursday, December 14 at Berger Memorial Chapel, 9430 Olive Blvd. Interment followed services at Mt. Sinai Cemetery, 8430 Gravois Road, 63123. In lieu of flowers, donations are preferred to the Humane Society of Missouri and Meals on Wheels of America. Visit bergermemorialchapel.com for more information. Berger Memorial Service KAY ROCHELLE DIAMANT, December 8, 2023 Beloved wife of the late Irving Diamant; dear mother and mother-in-law of Mike Diamant, Shelly Grossman (the late Roger) and Raye Katz; dear grandmother of Shira Astuti (Carlo), Leo Diamant, Erin Grossman, Ricki Vasquez (Ben), Drew Grossman and Zak Katz; dear sister and sister-in-law of the late Ronald Lasky (late Connie); dear sister-inlaw of the late Ben Diamant (late Estelle) and Henry Diamant (Marlene); former mother-in-law of Judi Diamant and Michael Katz; dear aunt, great-aunt, cousin and friend. Mrs. Diamant was a co-owner and operator of Diamant’s Kosher Meat Market for over 50 years and a pillar of the St. Louis Jewish Community. A graveside service was held Sunday, December 10 at Chesed Shel Emeth CemeteryWhite Road. Memorial contributions preferred to Jewish Federation of St. Louis, PO Box 790436, St. Louis, MO 63179-9826. Memo line: “Israel Crisis Relief 2023”. Visit bergermemorialchapel.com for more information. Berger Memorial Service
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EVELYN “TAMI” KLAYMAN, December 9, 2023 Beloved wife of the late Martin Klayman; dear mother and mother-in-law of Phyllis Loiterstein (Howard), Sheila Randall and Steven Klayman; dear grandmother of Debra Farnell (Ray), Jason Loiterstein (Nicole), Rachel Randall, Rebecca Landis (Mike) and Kevin Randall; dear great-grandmother of Molly and Kate Farnell, Jack Loiterstein and Paige Landis; dear sister and sister-in-law of the late Lillian Musen (late Harry); dear aunt, great-aunt, cousin and friend. A funeral service was held Tuesday, December 12 at BERGER MEMORIAL CHAPEL, 9430 Olive Blvd. Interment Chesed Shel Emeth CemeteryWhite Road. Visit bergermemorialchapel.com for more information. Berger Memorial Service JOAN (JONI) KOVEN, age 82, passed away on December 15, 2023, in Chesterfield, MO. Formerly of Minneapolis, she was a proud member of Kolot, a Jewish women’s chorus in which she sang for six years. She also enjoyed socializing and exercising regularly at the Maryland Heights YMCA. The most important things in her life were her children and grandchildren. She brought so much joy to her family and friends. Her positive attitude carried her through until the end. She was a true lady. Predeceased by parents, Gertrude and Nathan Ravitz; husband of 43 years, Paul; and her forever fiancé, Floyd French. Survived by brother, Darrell (Sue) Ravitz; she is the loving mother of Stacy Graaff, Melissa Koven, and Heather (Thatcher) Bell; loving grandmother of Alexandria Graaff (William Sodd), Aidan Graaff (Emma), and Grace Bell. She is also survived by her special friend, Don Costales. The family gives special thanks to Sheila Burtchett, her full-time aid from Bright Star. They shared many laughs together, for which we are grateful. A funeral service was held Tuesday, December 19 at ADATH YESHURUN CEMETERY, 5605 France Ave. S., Edina and is also available on Zoom at: www.hodroffs.com/JoanKoven In lieu of flowers, please donate to the charity of your choice. Family will be sitting Shiva immediately following the funeral at the Homewood Suites – West End in St. Louis Park. Hodroff-Epstein 612-871-1234 www. hodroffepstein.com RICHARD W. LEVINSON, JANUARY 2, 1931 – DECEMBER 1, 2023 Richard “Dick” Levinson passed away peacefully at his Southern California home the night of December 1, just a month shy of his 93rd birthday, surrounded by his family. Beloved husband of 70 years to Horty Levinson; father of Ron Levinson, Steve Levinson, Nancy Kolons (Norm), and Jeff Levinson (Wayne Danner); grandfather of Brian Levinson (Samantha), Amanda Wang (Chris), Rob Levinson (Becky), Lu Levinson, Joe Levinson, Ben Levinson (Ashley), David Levinson (Monica Garcia), Brett Kolons (Abbi), and Blake Kolons; great-grandfather of Jacob, Sho, Ayelet, Korbin, Dimitri, Leisel, Maya, Lilah, Jack, and Evie; son of the late Joseph and the late Alma Levinson; brother of the late William Levinson (the late Ellen); uncle, cousin, and friend to many. Dick was born in St. Louis and attended Delmar Harvard Elementary, Ward Jr. High, and University City High School, where he played baseball, wrestled, and ran track. He loved photography, amateur “ham” radio, sports, and scouting, where he became an Eagle Scout.
Dick had a passion for musicals and sports. He shared this love with his family and friends, with season tickets to the Muny, baseball and football Cardinals, Blues, and their community theatre in California. His teen years were spent bagging groceries at Shenberg’s and ushering Cardinals and Browns baseball games at Sportsman’s Park, which provided him access to collect the autographs of almost every player in the majors. Dick graduated Washington University with a bachelor’s in psychology, and then married Horty. After honeymooning in Miami and Havana, he joined his father and older brother Bill selling men’s clothing at Levinson’s Men’s Shop, which his father had established in anticipation of the boys taking it over. Best friends who craved something more exciting than selling pants, Dick and Bill decided to become private eyes. They founded a detective agency called “Shane and Associates,” even though there was no “Shane” and there were no “associates.” This catchy name was chosen to project confidence and the perception that they were larger and more established than the two-man startup they actually were. They grew Shane into the largest security firm in the Midwest, offering security guards, investigators, mobile patrol, polygraph, and an alarm division. Shane was eventually acquired by Wells Fargo, but he and Bill stayed on until they bought Hervic, Inc., an international camera and photographic accessories business based in California. Hervic’s flagship product was selected as the official camera bag of the 1984 Summer Olympics, which required they relocate to California to focus on growing the business. Dick and Horty soon found community and lasting friendships by joining Temple Beth Ami, where Dick volunteered as newsletter editor and bookkeeper for many years. Later, they became one of the founding families of a small, loving congregation called Temple Beth Chaverim, which they generously supported. Dick had a knack for electronics and could fix almost anything. His basement workshop was packed with shelves of vacuum tubes, just in case a friend would call to report that his TV was on the fritz. No matter the time, he would never say no. Like a doctor making house calls, he grabbed his oversized tool bag and hopped into his huge Oldsmobile – often with his two young sons in tow – and zipped off to save the day. Helping his family and friends was one of Dick’s true joys in life. Dick loved Las Vegas and made frequent trips there, sometimes with Horty and the kids, other times with Bill. He’d approach each trip like he did everything else in his life, with a fast gait, huge smile, and a boatload of chutzpa. Show seats were always front row, which provided a ringside view of top Vegas performers. When friends came to visit in L.A., he’d provide them with the greatest tour imaginable, which often included crashing movie studio gates and introducing his guests to the stars on the sets of their favorite shows. “Just follow me and look like you belong,” he’d advise with a wide, confident smile as he swung open the heavy soundstage door that read “Closed Set. Authorized Personnel Only.” As much as he relished Vegas glamour and Hollywood glitz, Dick’s abundant love for his family transcended everything, and he considered the steady stream of canine pets as part of his family – so indicative of the great love of dogs that he and Horty shared. When the kids were young, Tuesday night dinners would be at Horty’s parents’, Thursday nights were at Joe and Alma’s, and on Saturdays both sides would get together at Dick and Horty’s. To Dick, family meant everything. Dick will be terribly missed for his kindness, generosity, sense of humor, and unconditional deep love for his friends and family. Graveside service Wednesday, December 20, 2023 at 11 a.m., Chevra Kadisha Cemetery, 1601 North and South Rd, 63130. Shiva details provided at funeral. In lieu of flowers, the family requests tributes be sent to the Alma and Joseph Levinson Nursing Scholarship Fund (Goldfarb School of Nursing at Barnes-Jewish College, https://www.foundationbarnesjewish.org/givenurses), or the charity of your choice. If making online donation, select ‘other’ and enter ‘Levinson Fund’. Berger Memorial Service
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LEWIS MITCHELL, December 13, 2023 Beloved husband of Sybil Mitchell; dear father and father-in-law of Michelle Dornier (Randall), Todd Edelman (Marisa), Alison Zimbalist (Rabbi Morris), Mark Mitchell and Andrew Mitchell; adored grandfather of Sarah and Rebecca Dykshorn, Asher and Jacob Edelman, Zachary and Evelyn Zimbalist; cherished brother and brother-in-law of the late Esther Thaller (Robert), Carl Mitchell (Barbara), Elaine Caroff (Michael) and the late Samuel Mitchell; dear uncle, cousin and friend. A graveside service was held Monday, December 18 at Chevra Kadisha Cemetery, 1601 North and South at Page. Visit bergermemorialchapel.com for more information. Berger Memorial Service HENRY LEWIN SCHWEICH, 91, passed away on Dec. 4, 2023 from Alzheimer’s Disease. He leaves behind his wife of 69 years, Esther Gordon Schweich; daughters Cindy (Harry) Handler, Kathy (Josh) Margolis and Debbie (Marco) Cortigiani; and seven grandchildren, Ted (Chris Trudell) Handler, Jay Handler and Lena Handler, Kate (Evan) Cory, Ryan Margolis, Matthew Cortigiani and Julia Cortigiani. Hank graduated from Harvard Law School, after which he was employed by Cerro Copper Products Co. in Sauget, IL. He rose to become CEO of the company and its subsidiaries, a position he held for nearly two decades. He also served as a director on the board of the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries. Hank was known for his irrepressible joie de vivre, love of family, and astute observations such as “There’s no such thing as bad candy!” Family and friends are invited to share memories of Hank on Sat., Jan. 6, 2024, at 1 p.m. in the theater at The Gatesworth, 1 McKnight Pl. near Delmar Blvd. and McKnight Rd. This will be followed by an informal reception. For more information, call The Gatesworth at 314-9930111. Contributions in his memory may be made to the Knight Alzheimer Disease Research Center at Washington University School of
Medicine, 4488 Forest Park Parkway, St. Louis, MO 63108. A Rindskopf-Roth Service BEATRICE SORKIN, December 4, 2023 Bea Sorkin passed away in Austin, Texas on December 4 at the age of 95. Beloved wife of the late Burton Sorkin; dear mother and mother-inlaw of Jerry Sorkin, Chuck (Pam) Sorkin and the late Murray Sorkin; dear grandmother of Melvin (Sarah) Sorkin, Nathan Sorkin, Lauren (Parker) Malone and Joseph Sorkin; great-grandmother of Elaine Sorkin; dear daughter of the late Nathan and late Esther Lieberman; dear sister of the late Walter (late Elaine) Lieberman and late Eddie (Bernice) Lieberman; dear aunt, cousin and friend to many. Bea’s parents Nathan Lieberman and Esther Tofle emigrated separately from Russia in the early 1900s and settled in St. Louis. She went to Emerson elementary school in the city of St. Louis. Her hobbies included bike riding, playing tennis in Forest Park, volleyball, and ping pong, a sport at which she gave her children a good game while they were growing up. She was also an avid reader as a child – her favorite books were the Nancy Drew series of detective stories. Bea loved hanging around with her older brothers, Walter and Eddie. They were all very close. She studied piano and continued playing for many years, playing Yiddish songs for her grandmother’s and m o t h e r ’s organizations and teas. Bea graduated from the 8th grade at 12 years of age and went to Soldan High School. She loved high school, was very sociable and kept in contact with many friends from her high school days. She capped her high school career by being crowned “Sweetheart of AZA”. Bea graduated from high school at age 16 and attended Washington University. She loved university life and worked many different jobs in the summers. She graduated Washington U. at age 20 with a degree in business administration and was one of the first women to graduate from the business school (there were only three in her class). She remained active in the alumni organization into her 80s. She met her husband-to-be, Burt Sorkin, at the Heman Park swimming pool in University City, while he was in town from his engineering job in Chicago to visit his parents in St. Louis.
December 20, 2023
OBITUARIES INDEX Bogardus, Barbara “Babs”
Koven, Joan (Joni)
Bomze, Myra Esther Levine
Mitchell, Lewis
Diamant, Kay Rochelle Klayman, Evelyn “Tami”
Levinson, Richard Schweich, Henry Lewin Sorkin, Beatrice Weintrop, Miriam
During the first few years of marriage, Bea was able to use her business school expertise serving as a statistician for the Jewish Employment service and Vocational Service, where she placed immigrants displaced by World War II into jobs. Bea felt she was thereby repaying the mitzvahs that let her own grandparents, parents, uncles and aunts settle in the U.S. and specifically St. Louis. In her third year of marriage, Bea and Burt had the first of their 3 sons. During the period her children were small, Bea operated a co-operative nursery school in the basement of their apartment building in the University City Loop. She also played mahjong with her friends and kept involved in neighborhood activities. Around the time her youngest started school full time, Bea became active at Brith Sholom Kneseth Israel synagogue, as an administrator and at the Religious School where she taught for 10 years and served as principal for the next 15 years. She loved assembling a staff and organizing ideas for programming, and thrived when finding everyone’s thoughts, getting people involved, and trying out new ideas to see how they worked. After retirement, she and Burt remained active in the synagogue and enjoyed traveling, playing music and going to concerts and other events around town. She and Burt especially loved being grandparents and were very active, never missing activities, special occasions and celebrations of their children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews and cousins. After Burt passed away in 2004, Bea stayed busy with volunteering, tutoring, and taking classes and learned to excel at Bridge. At age 91, Bea moved to Austin, Texas to be closer to family. She enjoyed activities at Atria and Maravilla senior independent living residences, where she joined an acting group and loved meeting new people. Bea was a light for all that knew her. She lived a life full of wonderful memories shared with friends and family. Her impact on the community
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was far-reaching yet deeply personal. She brought much joy to those around her and will be greatly missed and remembered by many. A graveside service was held Friday, December 8 at Chesed Shel Emeth Cemetery, 650 White Rd. 63017. Memorial contributions preferred to the American Heart Association, American Cancer Society, and the American Stroke Association. Visit www.bergermemorialchapel.com for more information. Berger Memorial Service MIRIAM WEINTROP (nee Suffian), December 14, 2023 Beloved wife and best friend of the late Harry Weintrop for 62 years. Dear mother of Jeff (Lori Shifter, and the late Lori March) Weintrop and Stacy (Howard) Neuman. Loving Nanny of Shannon (Joe) Rohlman, Adam (Erica) Weintrop, Alli Neuman and the late Mychel Neuman. Cherished great-grandmother of Lucy, Benjamin and Lily. Dear sister of Elaine (Murray) Stone. Beloved aunt of Denise (Dr. Phil) Apprill and Dana Stone. Best friend of 80 years to Shirlene Baris. Dear aunt, great aunt, cousin and devoted friend to many. Miriam was dedicated to her community and served on the Board of the Jewish Family and Children’s Service as well as serving as President of their Auxiliary. She also volunteered at the Juvenile Court helping children. A family who will cherish her memory as they celebrate her incredible life and all the wisdom and love that she passed down. She loved with all her heart and lived for the betterment of those around her. A funeral service was held Monday, December 18 at Central Reform Congregation, 5020 Waterman Blvd., followed by interment at Chesed Shel Emeth Cemetery, 650 White Road. Contributions in her memory may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association, 9370 Olive Blvd., St. Louis, MO, 63132 or to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, P.O. Box 22324, New York, NY 10087. The family would like to express their heartfelt gratitude for the incredible support of Miriam’s caregivers, Elena and Lidia; as well as to the staff at Pathways Hospice, including Chaplain Cathy, Nurse Sam, Nurse’s Aide Tyra and Tracy Feldman. A Rindskopf-Roth Service
Artist: Longtime local blues musician pivoted to ceramic arts CONTINUED FROM PAGE 16 Segel-Moss first learned about blues music through the guitar playing of his dad, Bob Moss, and their many concert trips. That led to his own blues radio show during college. “Once I heard blues, it touched me when I was a teenager and it stuck with me all the way through,” he said. About 10 years ago, he got involved with the St. Louis Blues Society, which he ran for about eight years. It put out six CDs
and held educational events. During its heyday, he also helped plan the Big Muddy Blues Festival, recalling how one year it featured 70 bands on six stages. Three years ago, Segel-Moss married his longtime partner, Leslie Sanazaro, who also was a performing musician. Today, she runs Group Piano St. Louis in Clifton Heights. “We’re evolving, but we’ll come back to (playing) music at some point,” he said. “Right now, we have this opportunity to do other things that we’re really
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enjoying.” One thing is extremely obvious: SegelMoss thoroughly enjoys talking about, and making comparisons between, his two major passions. “Selling ceramics is the same as selling music,” he said. “How the art is created and presented is different. But the artistic hustle to make a living playing music is the same. You create something to share and hopefully make others’ days better whether it’s a song or a cup. Then you find a way to make a living out of it.
“With music, it’s performing and selling CDs or T-shirts. The biggest difference with ceramics is the performance is never seen. I mix it up and bring it to market like the CD part of music as opposed to actually performing music at the markets. I used to perform music at the markets. Now I have a table there.” Visit Cherokee Street Ceramics online at cherokeestreetceramics.com.
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December 20, 2023
STL
CHAILIGHTS SUN. & MON. | DEC. 24-25
Jewish War Veterans meeting
Aish plans family days
Jewish War Veterans Post 644 will meet in the Kaplan-Feldman Holocaust Museum meeting room at 10 a.m. on the third Sunday each month. A Zoom option will be available for those unable to attend. For more information and the Zoom link contact Post 644 Commander Ellis Frohman at 636-519-7512.
TUESDAY | DEC. 19 The United States & China: A contest for power
From 10 to 11 a.m., Dr. Mark Stern, associate emeritus professor at Arizona State University, presents an analysis of the challenges and opportunities arising from the contest between the U.S. and China, as well as the far-reaching implications of this multifaceted rivalry. To register for this Mirowitz Center program, visit http://bit.ly/Mirowitz-registration, call 314-733-9813 or email skemppainen@mirowitzcenter.org.
Getting Started with YouTube
Explore YouTube, the popular video-sharing site, from 1 to 2:30 p.m. Limited to only 10 participants. You’ll be provided a Chromebook computer to follow along with trainer Larry Edison. Supported by a grant from the Women’s Auxiliary Foundation for Jewish Aged. To register for this Mirowitz Center program, visit http://bit.ly/Mirowitz-registration, call 314-733-9813 or email skemppainen@mirowitzcenter.org.
WEDNESDAY | DEC. 20 Breast and Ovarian Cancer Support Group
This monthly group provides support, connection and education to women in the community who have been diagnosed with breast or ovarian cancer and are anywhere along their treatment path – before, during, or post-treatment. Facilitated by Clinical Social Worker Kathy Bearman, this group meets from 5:30 – 7:15 p.m. on the third Wednesday at the J near Creve Coeur. Light kosher dinner will be served. Free, but pre-registration requested to Debbi Braunstein at 314-442-3266 or dbraunstein@ jccstl.org.
SUNDAY | DEC. 24 Chinese dinner and Bingo
Bais Abe will be hosting a Chinese dinner and Bingo night starting at 6:30 p.m. for dinner ($10/person) and 7:30 for Bingo ($1 per card). Bais Abraham is located at 6910 Delmar Blvd. To RSVP or for more information, visit www.baisabe.com/event/ Bingo2023. All ages are welcome.
From 10:15 a.m. to 3 p.m. join Aish and discover the power of your Jewish heritage. Rabbi Leiby Burnham and Rabbi Dovid Goldshteyn present classes such as: “Seven Wonders of Jewish History,” “Why the Jews?” and “Three Rules of Relationships.” Lunch and kid’s programs available. For more information or to RSVP, contact the Aish office at 314-862-2474 or cwolff@aishstl.com. Limited space. For a scholarship to attend, contact Rabbi Yosef David at 314862-2474 or ydavid@aishstl.com
TUESDAY | DEC. 26 Mind Matters at Mirowitz Center
From 10 to 11 a.m., Rachel Elmore and Sharon Elliott, facilitators with Provident Behavioral Health, will lead Mind Matters, a safe, welcoming space to share experiences, feelings and thoughts with other older adults experiencing the challenges of aging. The group meets monthly. This Mirowitz Center program – part of its new Mental Wellness Initiative – is supported by a grant from the Women’s Auxiliary Foundation for Jewish Aged. To register, visit http://bit.ly/Mirowitz-registration, call 314-733-9813 or email skemppainen@mirowitzcenter.org.
WEDNESDAY | DEC. 27 The rabbi is in
From 3 to 4 p.m. join Rabbi Neal Rose, chaplain for Jewish Family Services, for a monthly discussion on readings with a Jewish theme. This program is co-sponsored by Mirowitz Center and Jewish Family Services and takes place on the fourth Wednesday of every month. To register for this free, online program, visit http://bit.ly/Mirowitz-registration, call 314-733-9813 or email skemppainen@mirowitzcenter.org.
SATURDAY | DEC. 30 ‘Starting Points’ with NHBZ Rabbi Emeritus Ze’ev Smason
NHBZ Rabbi Emeritus Ze’ev Smason will be presenting a special “Starting Points” discussion at 10 a.m. Don’t miss it when he discusses “Begin Again: What Can Make 2024 Your Best Year Ever?” This special presentation is free and open to the community. No RSVP is required. For more information, call 314-991-2100, ext. 2.
THURSDAY | JAN. 4 Gmail tips & tricks
From 1:30 to 3 p.m., Mirowitz Center trainer Jim Salih will combine demos as well as hands-on practice for participants to learn how to do more than just send and
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SUNDAY | DEC. 17
JEWISH LIGHT
receive emails — how to use spell-check, format emails, searching your inbox, adding a signature and attaching files. The workshop is part of a partnership with Senior Planet from AARP to help older adults use technology. With support from the Women’s Auxiliary Foundation for Jewish Aged, participants will be provided a Chromebook computer to follow along. To register, visit http:// bit.ly/Mirowitz-registration, call 314-7339813 or email skemppainen@mirowitzcenter.org.
STARTING | JAN. 5 Circle Talk at Mirowitz Center
On Fridays Jan. 5 through Feb. 9, from 10 to 11 a.m., nurse practitioner and adjunct nursing professor Holly Mathis will lead Circle Talk, a six-week, facilitated discussion group series. Participants will be guided through curriculum-based discussions that build meaningful connections. The series is part of Mirowitz Center’s Mental Wellness Initiative and supported by a grant from the Women’s Auxiliary Foundation for Jewish Aged. To register, visit http://bit.ly/Mirowitz-registration, call 314-733-9813 or email skemppainen@mirowitzcenter.org.
MONDAY | JAN. 8
WEDNESDAY | JAN. 10 All about drones
From noon to 1 p.m. Mirowitz Center trainer Daniel Landsbaum will discuss the basics about drones: an aircraft without any human pilot, crew, or passengers on board, as well as ways drones are being utilized today. Part of the Mirowitz Center’s partnership Senior Planet from AARP to help older adults use technology. To register, visit http://bit.ly/Mirowitz-registration, call 314733-9813 or email skemppainen@mirowitzcenter.org.
THURSDAY | JAN. 11 Challah making workshop: Tu B’Shevat edition
From 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. the Mirowitz Center welcomes master baker Chana’la Rubenfeld, who will teach how to make whole wheat challah with herbs. You will get to take one home for yourself and one to share – all for $10. This program is co-sponsored by Chabad of Chesterfield. To register, visit http://bit.ly/Mirowitz-registration, call 314-733-9813 or email skemppainen@ mirowitzcenter.org.
Tissue paper magic
Jewish Women’s Circle host ladies night out
At 7 p.m., the Jewish Women’s Circle will host a ladies night out titled: Resin and Rose at Chabad of Chesterfield’s temporary location in Chesterfield Mall. Participants will have the opportunity to explore their inner artist and design their very own Resin Shabbat candlesticks while sipping on fine Rosé wine and enjoying delicious bites. Highlights will include learning about the inner dimension of Shabbat candles and the significance and connection they have specifically to Jewish women. Suggested donation: $45, early bird before Dec. 25 is $36. Limited space available. For more information and to rsvp: JewishChesterfield.com/JWC For questions email Chanalar@gmail.com or call 636-7784000.
TUESDAY | JAN. 9
From 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. at the Mirowitz Center, learn to fold and layer tissue paper in creative and artistic ways. Contemporary Art Museum staff will lead a hands-on class using a technique reminiscent of well-known artist Justin Favelas’s murals and sculptures. To register, visit http://bit.ly/Mirowitz-registration, call 314-733-9813 or email skemppainen@mirowitzcenter.org.
FRIDAY | JAN. 12 Potluck Shabbat for 20-, 30- and 40-somethings
The young adult chapter of Sparks Match! is hosting another potluck Shabbat (and Hanukkah) dinner at 6 p.m. Bring something vegetarian to share and celebrate Shabbat together and meet new people. RSVP to Daphne at daphnekoalabear@gmail.com.
TUESDAY | JAN. 16
The week in review
From 10 to 11 a.m. Harvey Gerstein and Marilyn Alton will moderate a discussion about the most pressing news stories of the week. This is a forum for thoughtful discussion, valuing knowledge, respect and the art of informed opinions. Provided with FEL (Friends Enjoying Life), the Mirowitz Center men’s organization. To register for this free, online Mirowitz Center event, visit http://bit. ly/Mirowitz-registration, call 314-733-9813 or email skemppainen@mirowitzcenter.org.
The J, JCRC plan author event to commemorate MLK Day See related news brief on page 4.
ONGOING ‘Sing for a Cease-fire’
Learn Jewish songs, teachings, prayers and melodies of peace, resistance and hope during “Sing for Cease-fire” on Zoom, presented by Hineni STL. Held every Thursday at 7 p.m. until there is a ceasefire. Visit https://us02web.zoom.us/j/8115063693.
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temple israel
HANUKKAH CELEBRATION People of all ages gathered for Congregation Temple Israel‘s intergenerational Hanukkah celebration on December 8. Led by Senior Rabbis Amy Feder and Michael Alper, the event included a candle-lighting blessing and attendees lit their menorahs brought from home. The celebration continued with Hanukkah games, various activities, a latke bar featuring all the fixings, sufganiyot and a hot chocolate bar.
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chabad of greater st. louis
HANUKKAH AT THE ARCH Read related story on page 4. Photos: Bill Motchan
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December 20, 2023
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Standing Up to Antisemitism
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