2022 Unsung Heroes magazine

STAFF

executive

Betsy Schmidt, Chief Executive Officer

Ellen Futterman, Editor-in-Chief

Jordan Palmer, Chief Digital Content Officer

editorial

Robert A. Cohn, Editor-in-Chief Emeritus

Mike Sherwin, Managing Editor

business & engagement

Stacy Wolff Smart, Director of Business

Development and Communications

Angela Jolly, Administrative Assistant

sales

Angie Rosenberg, Senior Account Executive

Kelly Morris, Account Executive

Elaine Wernick, Account Executive

production

Erin Eason, Creative Lead

contributing writers

Bill Motchan, Eric Berger, Patricia Corrigan

UNSUNG HEROES CO-CHAIRS:

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

officers

Bethe Growe, President

Laurie Chod, Vice President

Beth Manlin, Vice President

Ben Weiss, Vice President

Justin Krachmalnick, Treasurer

Debra Klevens, Secretary

Laura K. Silver, Immed. Past President

Joan Silber

trustees

Dan Bindler, Jerry Ehrlich, Richard

Flom, Mark Gershenson, Caroline

Goldenberg,  Mia Kweskin, Debbie

Lefton, Lauren Murov, Kara Newmark, Ryan Rich, Steve Rosenzweig, Bruce Sandweiss, Adam Schneider, Alan Spector, Todd Taylor, Dan Winograd

faith berger | galia movitz | sheri sherman | jane roodman weiss

PRESENTING SPONSOR

SUPERHERO

ROLE

IN-KIND SPONSORS

SHERI & DON SHERMAN

DR. ALAN & VILMA LEVI

DR. JON ROOT & DEBBIE ZIMMERMAN

BETHE & GARY GROWE

KARA & BOB NEWMARK

JANE ROODMAN WEISS & JOHN WEISS BRUCE & CARYN SANDWEISS

SHINING STAR

MODEL

Sam Deutsch’s good works come with ‘on the job’ philanthropy lessons

Sam Deutsch

Family: Parents are Lisa and Jim; Deutsch is the youngest of four, all of whom went to Camp Sabra.

Age: 17

Municipality: Creve Coeur

Fun fact: Deutsch loves to cook at home and runs his own food review account on Instagram. Check him out at @supereatssam

For those who are lucky enough to go away to summer camp, the experience can be transformational. It becomes a part of your identity, of who you are. When this happens, you become a lifer. Camp is woven into your DNA.

Like many in St. Louis, Sam Deutsch is a Camp Sabra lifer. Deutsch spent

For him, going to camp is a family affair. His mother, Lisa, was a Sabra camper, counselor and now is the camp’s assistant director of community care. All of Deutsch’s siblings are Sabra alums. His father, Jim, spent many a summer at the Lake of the Ozarks where became a water-skiing aficionado.

BY JORDAN PALMER | CHIEF DIGITAL CONTENT OFFICER

his first summer at Sabra at age 8 and has never missed a summer in the Ozarks, including during COVID.

“I love camp. It’s given me some of the greatest friends in the world and some of the greatest experiences, such as Masada,” said Deutsch, who has since become a counselor at Sabra as well.

“We all love water skiing. At camp, my family is dedicated to the ski dock,” said Deutsch, 17, who is a senior at Ladue Horton Watkins High School. “That is where you’ll find us.”

At age 13, just as he was preparing for his bar mitzvah at Congregation B’nai Amoona, Deutsch decided that in addition to his mitzvah project helping the local charity I-Skate, which provides

PHOTO: JORDAN PALMER

people with disabilities a chance to learn to ice skate, he wanted to give the Camp Sabra ski dock a much-needed makeover.

“I decided I would donate a portion of the money that I received at my bar mitzvah to revamp the dock and its equipment,” said Deutsch. “We needed new skis, new wakeboards, new ropes. Everything was old and worn out.”

Deutsch took $750 from bar mitzvah gift money and began looking at what he could afford. He soon realized he would need more in order to really make changes at the ski dock. So he reached out to family friend Lynn Wittels, president and CEO of the Jewish Community Center, for help.

“Sam is a truly special kind of young man. He is thoughtful and really wants to make a difference in his community,” said Wittels.

Wittels connected Deutsch with local Jewish developer and philanthropist Michael Staenberg.

“I knew Michael supported Camp Sabra, so I sent him an email explaining what I was doing, and asked him if he could help me with a matching donation,” said Deutsch. “But he said no.”

Staenberg’s “no” wasn’t without reason, and he requested a meeting with Deutsch.

“We met at the old Starbucks in Clayton and he told me the reason he said no was that he wanted me to learn the work that goes into philanthropy,” said Deutsch.

“I was immediately struck by Sam at our first meeting,” said Staenberg. “He is bright, articulate and a real go-getter. But, as I got to know him better and learn more about what makes Sam tick, I realized that he is a very special young man.”

Staenberg told Deutsch that he needed to earn $360 of the $750 he needed. If Sam did that, he’d match the $360, plus the original $750.

“But there was a catch. He said I had to work for the money. He didn’t want me to just call family and friends and ask for it. I really needed to do the work outside of my family circle,” said Deutsch.

He got to work. He got on the phone, he met with some people and sent emails.

“I made cold calls. There were no easy calls,” remembered Deutsch. “Within a few days, I had the money. I emailed Michael and told him ‘I got there’ and he

was excited and said we could do more things like this in the future.”

After Deutsch’s bar mitzvah, he and Staenberg would meet every few months so that Staenberg could continue teaching Deutsch about the work of philanthropy.

“About a year later, he said, ‘let’s do something’ and he meant it. He asked me to find out what Camp Sabra’s needs were for between $5,000 and $7,000,” said Deutsch.

Deutsch connected with Camp Sabra’s assistant director Ben Panet, and they decided that the camp’s old tents needed to be replaced.

“They were old and missing items and had holes in them. When it rains on river trips, and it rains a lot, trips got cut short because of the tents,’ said Deutsch. “After

much research, we found the tents we wanted for about $500 each and could sleep more than a dozen campers. We needed 10, so $5,000 was the goal.”

“Sam reached out to me because he knows I am passionate about the impact camping can have on children,” Staenberg said. “I was surprised at first — it really takes a bit of chutzpah for a teen to call the largest donor within the St. Louis Jewish community — and asked if I would match any funds he raised. I agreed and Sam raised the necessary funds.”

Deutsch and Staenberg met, got organized, and got to work. Staenberg taught Deutsch the art of writing to potential donors, and how to make the process as simple as possible

“With Lynn Wittels’ help, we set up a

Sam Deutsch has raised funds for improvement projects at The J’s Camp Sabra, where he has been a camper or counselor since he was 8 years old.

fundraising page on the J website to make donating easy,” said Deutsch. “Within a week, we hit our mark. I then used Michael’s lessons and followed up by reaching out to thank each donor so we could maintain those relationships.”

“Sabra campers now have new tents,” said Staenberg. “It is this type of behavior that served as the foundation for Sam being awarded Camp Sabra’s Tomahawk Award. Staff select a single camper each session for this very prestigious award. The selection criteria include a demonstration of a camper’s ability to mentor younger campers and show leadership among their peers. This camper is considered a ‘mensch’ in all areas of activity. Sam was one the youngest camper ever to win this award.”

Deutsch seems to have a knack for identifying a need and coming up with a solution. He continues to utilize the invaluable lessons he learned from Staenberg through his work with Camp Sabra, BBYO, and at Ladue High.

In BBYO, Deutsch was voted the St. Louis Council Gadol (the highest male leader) this school year. According to Panet, the regional director, Deutsch played a “giant role” in supporting all of

the BBYO chapters in St. Louis by developing great programming, bringing in more Jewish teens to events, and helping the St. Louis Council fundraise throughout the year.

In addition to keeping up with his classes, Deutsch is very busy after school leading several efforts to help others. Last year, he became the first male director of the Ladue Dance Marathon. The annual event raises money for the Children’s Miracle Network.

As president of the Ladue chapter of Best Buddies International, he works to end social isolation in schools for children with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). The organization does this by hosting all-inclusive events and theme parties and pairing an IDD student with students they wouldn’t meet without the club.

Deutsch is also on the board for Ladue Night Lights, a new event at the high school that puts on a unified football game for kids with physical and intellectual disabilities and their families.

“I have found Sam to have an emotional maturity that distinguishes him from most of his peers,” said Staenberg, who continues to talk to Desutsch on a regular basis. “He has a good soul and is always concerned for the well-being of others. Sam will be successful in whatever he chooses to do, both after high school and in his life as an adult.”

— Terri Grossman SEE MORE TRIBUTES ON PAGES 44-45

Sam, you are a mensch and a light to our community.

You live the value of Achrayut (social responsibility) to its fullest. It has truly been an honor and a blessing to have you in my life at Camp Sabra!

Say Hello to New Friends!

PHOTO: BILL MOTCHAN

Retired educator has become indispensable volunteer to many organizations

JULIE FRANKEL

After four decades as a teacher and guidance counselor, Julie Frankel retired in 2014. Like many people, she was unsure what she would do next.

“I felt like I had lost my identity,” said Frankel, who spent 20 years as a guidance counselor in the Ferguson-Florissant School District. Frankel, colleagues and students “were a family, and it was just so much of who I was.”

Then she received a phone call asking her to serve as co-chair of the St. Louis Jewish Book Festival.

The St. Louis Jewish Community Center, which organizes the festival, “saved me,” Frankel said.

The J leaders certainly are grateful for Frankel’s efforts, too. She not only spent three years as co-chair of the festival and then helped organize its 40th anniversary, she also has volunteered with the St. Louis Jewish Film Festival — another J event — and with other Jewish organizations.

Family: Husband, Leonard; son, Aaron, and daughter-in-law, Camelia; granddaughter, Elena.

Age: 79

Municipality: Olivette

Fun fact: “My mother’s family goes back to 1817 in Israel, and I am the only American born of the fifth generation of her family,” Frankel says.

In short, when Frankel applies her skills to an event, “you just know it’s going to be successful,” said Lynn Wittels, president and CEO of the J.

Frankel saw what giving back meant at a young age. She was born in Portsmouth, Va., to Israeli parents whose families remained in the Jewish state.

“Israel was their lives,” she said.

And the families there were struggling financially. Frankel’s mom would regularly send them packages filled with clothes and canned goods. When Frankel got a new dress, she could never alter it because eventually, it would end up in Israel.

Elementary School, where they were reading “Number the Stars,” a children’s book about the efforts of the Danish resistance to smuggle Jews out of the country during World War II.

“I said to myself, they don’t know why they are reading this,” Frankel said. “Why are these families trying to save these people?”

She felt the students needed to learn more about the Holocaust to understand the significance of the resistance mem-

BY ERIC BERGER | SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH LIGHT

“I had to make sure that the next person taller than me could wear it,” Frankel said.

In Portsmouth, the Conservative synagogue played a central role in the family’s life.

“Every dance, every activity, everything, was always based around the synagogue,” Frankel said.

She met her husband, Lenny, while he served in the Navy in Norfolk, Va. The couple married and then moved to St. Louis, where Lenny’s family lived.

Frankel taught elementary school for a decade in the Ritenour School District and then took a 10-year break after having her son, Aaron. She then spent eight years at Epstein Hebrew Academy as a fourth-grade teacher before joining the Ferguson-Florissant School District.

She was the only Jewish educator in her building and walked into a sixthgrade classroom at Commons Lane

bers’ bravery, so she developed curriculum for them. The unit culminated with a visit to what is now the St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum.

Before the field trip, Frankel would borrow DVDs and other resources from the museum to educate her students, said Andrew Goldfeder, who spent almost a decade as manager of programs and logistics at the museum.

“What initially struck me about Julie was how much time and preparation she put into teaching her students about the Holocaust,” said Goldfeder, who is now executive director of Temple Emanuel.

Students would often say afterward that one of the best parts of sixth grade was the visit to the museum, Frankel said.

“When you got feedback such as that, it made you feel like it was worthwhile,” she added.

After retiring, Frankel continued to teach about the Holocaust in the

Julie Frankel

Ferguson-Florissant district. She also started to volunteer as a docent at the museum.

“She could work with younger students … in a very age-appropriate, developmental manner that was right for the students,” Goldfeder said. As far as knowledge, “she’s able to hold an audience and just always so pleasant to work with.”

Frankel’s involvement with the J started with Wittels, who was her neighbor in Olivette and a fellow Congregation B’nai Amoona member.

“I just threw it out there: You know, we’re always looking for talented people to help with the J,” Wittels recalled telling Frankel.

As co-chair of the book festival, Frankel played a central role in choosing the authors, planning the talks, finding sponsors and promoting the events. Frankel credits her success to friends and family members who donated to the festival.

That’s a “very important part of all the charity work or community work that I do. You rely on your friends,” she said.

SEE MORE TRIBUTES ON PAGES 44-45

Tuesdays; helps prepare food for Shabbat on Fridays; and serves on the board of the congregation’s sisterhood.

She said she fills those various roles because it’s important that “the synagogue continues to function and continues to be a central part of people’s lives like it was for me growing up.”

As a volunteer with the film festival, Frankel screens all the films organizers are considering each year. That’s often about 60 movies. She and her fellow screener narrow it down to about 25, which they then give to a committee that picks about 13.

“It’s just another thing I can do to give back to the center because I really have strong feelings for all the good things that they do for the community, all the services they provide for the youth, for the elderly,” said Frankel, who also volunteers at B’nai Amoona.

She answers the synagogue phone on

She also packages food for the Meals on Wheels program at Crown Center, which delivers meals to seniors in surrounding neighborhoods.

Despite juggling so many responsibilities, Frankel is successful because “she’s bright, and I think she has a really good read on the community, and she’s a hard worker,” Wittels said.

As to the cause that gave her new purpose after she retired, Frankel continues to volunteer with the book festival, even though she no longer chairs the event.

“She doesn’t do it for the recognition,” Wittels said. “She really loves it because she loves the program, and it’s kind of her gift to the community.”

Julie, We are so proud of your commitment to such a beautiful cause. What a wonderful tribute to you and know that you inspire us, your friends and your family.

— Bev & Juddy Johl

Julie (Juju), You have always been our Hero! Love, Aaron, Camelia, Elena, Peanutbutter & Lenny

Spreading cheer to hospitalized kids is Tamar Adler’s bag

BY BILL MOTCHAN | SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH LIGHT

Avi Adler was hospitalized after an accident in June 2020. Adler, 18, recovered, thanks in part to a child life specialist, a key member of his health care team.

Adler’s older sister, Tamar, was intrigued by the work that goes into helping children overcome from a traumatic injury. That led to her becoming a child life volunteer. Her idea was to help children like her brother recover from health scares.

“I started making craft bags as a way to help out,” she said. “And then it just kept growing. I started donating craft bags during the pandemic. And I thought I would do that until I was able to volunteer in person. And then it just kept growing. I started by donating craft bags to St. Louis Children’s Hospital. And now I’ve expanded to Mercy Hospital, SSM Health, St. Louis Children’s Hospital Specialty Center, Cardinal Glennon Hospital and Ranken Jordan Pediatric Bridge Hospital.”

This year, Adler has distributed about 3,000 craft bags after starting out last year with 2,000. She collects items for the bags and has developed a small assembly line in her home to put them together. The theme of the bags often is tied to a holiday, she said.

PHOTO: BILL MOTCHAN

“Usually, I do three different types of crafts, and a lot of coloring,” she said. “I only do crafts that are safe for kids in the hospital. So no sharp pencils, markers or paints. Crayons are very popular, and sticker crafts for the older kids.”

Since beginning the project, Adler has incorporated another element to help brighten the day of a hospital-bound child: a card bearing the likeness of Adler’s dog, a 2-year-old Havanese named Charlie.

“I got Charlie as a gift, and then the name Cheery Charlie just clicked because Charlie gives me so much cheer,” she said. “In each bag there’s a little picture of him. And so every kid can have a picture of Charlie.”

Adler’s Cheery Charlie gift bags have become so popular with the hospitals that she turned her volunteer project into an official 501c3 nonprofit organization. She’s received sufficient donations to pay for the contents of the gift bags. She volunteers her time and has even developed an expertise at sourcing materials inexpensively. She also gets volunteer assis-

Tamar Adler

Family: Mother, Aviva Raskas; father, Moshe Adler; sister Bella, twin brothers Avi and JJ

Age: 22

Municipality: University City

Fun fact: Tamar can run a mile in under six minutes.

tance from other family members, including her mother, Aviva Raskas, who said this isn’t her daughter’s first venture into volunteering.

“When she was in high school, she started baking for the Salvation Army as a personal volunteer project,” Raskas said. “She baked 2,000 cupcakes and 4,000 cookies every six weeks or so, and we had this massive load of baked goods that we took to the Salvation Army. They

have a shelter, and they can accept food from private homes. We took huge loads of holiday-themed deliveries for Thanksgiving, Valentine’s Day, Christmas and Independence Day.”

Adler does take on a few smaller scale projects, too, Raskas said, for family birthdays or holiday celebrations.

“They are always unique and always

Tamar Adler, founder of the nonprofit Cheery Charlie, gets ready to drop off bags of craft supplies for patients at Children’s Hospital.

thought the Cheery Charlie project was going to be temporary during the pandemic, when you couldn’t go into the hospital. But it was so well received that the hospitals kept asking for bags.”

Adler’s gift bags are a welcome diversion for children in the hospital, said Margo Newman, St. Louis Children’s Hospital corporate and foundation relations officer.

“When children are admitted to the hospital, they are going through trauma,” Newman said. “They are scared, and things are a little bit out of their control. The hospital does whatever it can to help ease the child. Tamar has been able to help with her Cheery Charlie craft kits and gift bags she drops off at the hospital. She is really helping support the mission of our Child Life Department, which is responsible for helping children continue with their childhood while they’re at the hospital.

“What the gift bags do for these kids is, it really interrupts that stress and trauma that’s happening, and it not only reminds them that somebody’s thinking about them, but it gives them normalcy at a time when things are not so normal. So

doing that through her gift.”

Adler is a graduate of Yeshivat Kadimah High School. When she’s not creating craft bags, she’s either designing and building intricate dollhouses or playing piano. Her favorite music genre is Broadway music and show tunes.

But her primary focus is on the wellbeing of children, especially when they’re in the hospital. Adler is so committed to the field that she plans to make it her profession. She is in a child life master’s degree program at Missouri State University, with graduation scheduled for May 2027. It should be a perfect fit for her personality and caring nature, Newman said.

“She really will be phenomenal,” Newman said. “I was thinking about her maturity when she started this, at an age when most teens are thinking about themselves and are focused on things like ‘What am I wearing?’ and ‘Who am I going out with this weekend?’ Tamar is choosing to think about others, and that really speaks volumes to her character and that she’s a good soul, and she really just wants to help bring happiness to others.”

Congratulations to Tamar, our family hero, you are a bright and shining creative spirit who has brought joy to thousands of children. We are so proud of you! — Love, Bubbie &

Ben Horwitz (left) and Nathan Goldstein. PHOTO: BILL MOTCHAN

NATHAN GOLDSTEIN & BEN HORWITZ

Olivette teens take goal of ‘tikkun olam’ into their own hands

If there were a buddy movie made about tikkun olam, Nathan Goldstein and Ben Horwitz would have starring roles.

The two 17-year-olds, who are seniors at Ladue Horton Watkins High School, led a successful effort to plant 1,000 trees in the St. Louis region last spring. The two plan to plant another 1,000 trees next spring, confident that the second time will be easier, based on all they learned. Their hope is that this tree planting initiative will continue long after they graduate from high school.

But before we get into the particulars behind their volunteer work, let’s dig in (sorry, couldn’t help it) to find out how it all came about.

“Ben and I went on this BBYO trip (in July 2021) when we were 16,” explained Goldstein, who, like Horwitz, belongs to Kol Rinah with his family. “We met this kid on the trip named Evan Nied, who saw a need in his community in Virginia Beach after a hurricane (Florence) struck near his house. So many trees had been destroyed. He took the initiative and started this tree planting foundation, which kind of blossomed.”

Not only do they offer shade from summer heat and block cold winter winds, trees also attract birds and wildlife, purify the air, prevent soil erosion and help beautify communities.

Not long after the Israel trip, Goldstein and Horwitz got to talking about Nied’s tree planting project, thinking they would do something similar in St. Louis. They formed the St. Louis chapter of Planting Shade, one of 12 chapters nationwide and in Israel.

“It seemed to perfectly coincide with Jewish values of tikkun olam, repairing the world. That was something that was important to me, especially after all my years at Mirowitz,” Horwitz said, referring to Saul Mirowitz Jewish Community School. “I felt we should take this on. Maybe it was time to help repair the damage of past generations.”

BY ELLEN FUTTERMAN | EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Despite their good intentions, the two admit they had no idea what they were getting into.

In 2018, at the age of 15, Nied founded Planting Shade, a nonprofit whose mission is to “increase the planting and growth of trees and tree canopy throughout the world.” The organization partners with schools, camps, hospitals, parks and property owners to plant trees, and it informs communities about what they can do to protect against climate change.

More than 250 Planting Shade volunteers have planted nearly 12,000 trees in Israel, Costa Rica and across the United States, and the organization’s educational events have reached roughly 2,500 people.

Why trees?

Horwitz and Goldstein explained that tree canopy (or leaves) helps maintain sustainable balance over the environment and is essential to our ecosystem. As trees grow, they help stop climate change by removing carbon dioxide from the air, storing carbon in the trees and soil and releasing oxygen into the atmosphere.

“We thought, ‘Oh, yeah, we’ll plant some trees,’ ” Goldstein said, laughing. “We didn’t think it would become this massive project.”

They contacted Nied, who helped them brainstorm about where to get the trees, where to plant them and how to raise money for the project.

“As we did this, we realized the magnitude of what we were doing — 1,000 trees are a lot,” Horwitz said. “We quickly realized we needed volunteers, we needed shovels, mulch and other random planting materials, we needed community support and we needed to fundraise.”

They started by designing and selling T-shirts, the proceeds of which would go to purchase 1,000 river birch seedlings, which are native to Missouri. The seedlings are about 12 to 18 inches high but can grow to be 40 to 70 feet tall.

“Evan said he always got (his) trees from the Department of Forestry in Virginia. Unfortunately, we were too late to order through Missouri forestry for spring planting,” said Goldstein, explaining that

Nathan Goldstein

Family: Parents are William and Suzanne; he has a twin brother and younger sister

Age: 17

Municipality: Olivette

Fun fact: Goldstein plays the trumpet.

Ben Horwitz

Family: Parents are Rabbi Brad and Mindy; Horwitz has two older brothers

Age: 17

Municipality: Olivette

Fun fact: Horwitz likes to bake “extravagant” food such as key lime pie, babka and churros.

orders are taken only at certain times of the year. “Evan was confident we could get the trees from Virginia.”

Although Goldstein and Horwitz raised $150 through T-shirt sales, they were still a few hundred dollars shy of what they needed to buy the seedlings. Nied helped them out by contributing funds from his Planting Shade chapter, which allowed Goldstein and Horwitz to purchase the seedlings in Virginia and have them shipped to St. Louis.

“Now we understand when we need to order in Missouri, and we’re on it,” Goldstein said. “We learned so much and made some mistakes, but I think it will be a lot easier next year because we’re much more knowledgeable.”

One of the people Goldstein and Horwitz reached out to was Kelley Krejnik, who teaches world history and AP microeconomics at Ladue. She’s also the sponsor of Student Action for Greener Earth (SAGE) and runs the greenhouse on campus.

“I am a strong believer in trying to help students uncover their strengths and problemsolve their own areas of challenge,” Krejnik said. “My goal was not to tell them what to do but guide them in the thinking process.”

Krejnik encouraged them to connect with the Missouri Botanical Garden, the city of Ladue and the Ladue School District for suggestions

on where to plant. Eventually, after lots of emailing and phone calls, Goldstein and Horwitz secured planting locations at St. Luke’s Hospital, the Jewish Community Center, Ladue Middle School and Fifth Grade Center, Camp Sabra in Lake of the Ozarks and a restorative justice center in north St. Louis County.

They contacted the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District (MSD) to find homes in the area where sewer line construction was causing deforestation and called the homeowners to see whether they could plant some of the trees to reforest. They also partnered with local nonprofits to obtain shovels, mulch, fertilizer and other supplies for planting. And they recruited friends and members of their school’s National Honor Society and Science National Honor Society to volunteer and help them with the actual planting.

“Once the trees arrived, we had two to three weeks to get them into the ground,” said Horwitz, who plans to study biomedical engineering in college. “We were working on a very tight schedule.”

Goldstein, who is looking at colleges with an environmental science program, said, “We worked from 6 in the morning to dark on the weekends and pretty much passed out when we got home.”

Krejnik connected the two with Earth Day 365, which runs the annual St. Louis Earth Day celebration in Forest Park. There, they had a booth and were able to give away 250 seedlings in biodegradable bags for folks to plant on their own, with detailed instructions.

Their largest planting was at Camp Sabra, where they planted 110 trees. Camp director Kimberly Holtzman Sloan marvels at the legacy they created.

“The campers who are here now, when they get older and have kids and send them to Sabra, those trees will still be here,” she said. “As the trees get older and blossom and grow taller, they will provide shade, comfort and air quality, not just for us, but for generations to come.”

Sustainability is important to Horwitz and Goldstein, who say this is not a one and done project. The tzedek committee at Congregation Shaare Emeth is raising money to donate to Planting Shade for its spring efforts. And Horwitz and Goldstein hope to expand SAGE to Ladue’s elementary schools, to teach grade schoolers the value of sustainability and spark their interest in working to protect the environment.

“Our goal is to make a lasting impact,” Horwitz said. “We are trying to show that high schoolers can make significant changes. Teenagers are the real rebels. We should be the ones to lead the charge and enlighten people that environmental activism is critical to preserving our planet. We have to take action.”

— Debbie Greenberg

Olivia Adams shines a light for women in dark times

BY BILL

It’s easy to pick Olivia Adams out of a crowd. She’s perpetually smiling. Adams is an upbeat, optimistic person who shares her positivity with everyone she meets. That includes many women and their families who have fallen on hard times. Adams is there for them with a kind word, an encouraging “You can do this!” message and, most important, financial assistance.

Adams is the economic stability and workforce development manager for the Women’s Economic Stability Partnership of the YWCA Metro St. Louis. She helps women and families achieve financial independence with lowinterest microloans. The loans of up to $500 are pro vided by the Healing Hearts Bank, established in 2011 by the National Council of Jewish Women St. Louis.

Women who apply for Healing Hearts Bank microloans often face hardships and life situations that worsen their financial dilemmas. Some are victims and survivors of domestic violence, sex ual assault and sex trafficking.

Adams understands that some clients may be hesitant to ask for help. Her attitude and smile make her instantly approachable.

“Sometimes they’re a little nervous about coming to me for assistance,” she said. “But this is a safe place for women so they can be honest. We do the paperwork and the application together. I put women in the best economic foundation possible. And through these micro-

Olivia Adams

AGE: 46

FAMILY: Olivia is the middle child of seven siblings. She has one daughter, Olive’a.

HOME: St. Louis

FUN FACTS: Olivia is a DJ — DJ Smiles. She also owns a food trailer and is known for her fried chicken.

MOTCHAN SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH LIGHT

PHOTO: BILL MOTCHAN

loans, it keeps them away from the predatory lenders that destroy their credit. The partnership with the NCJW is valuable to the community, and it’s valuable to the women we serve at the YWCA.”

Adams has an empathetic approach with clients. She also knows firsthand that some people face additional challenges because of their living situation.

“I come from poverty,” Adams said. “I come from really tough neighborhoods. I use that tool to inspire women who probably are coming from where I came from. But I worked hard and I went to school and I educated myself and I had to teach myself how to save money. I try to teach budgeting and saving to clients.

“I build a rapport with my clients, and I feel like family to them. I want them to be comfortable with me. A lot of these women have money saved, they just don’t enough savings. They just need the support and the assistance of this loan to help them get over the hump to fix their emergency situation. So it’s a blessing to a lot of these women. You’d be surprised at how many hug me. But I’m not giving them the money. I’m just giving them the opportunity.”

Adams grew up in north St. Louis. She played varsity basketball in high school at Cleveland NJROTC Academy, which was not her first choice.

“I did not want to go to a military high school,” she said. “I wanted to go to Vashon. That’s where all the basketball players were. My mother was really strict with me and my education, and she made me

go to a military high school. She knew what was best for me. Education was the way. And she taught us how to take care of ourselves and that there are no handouts in the world.”

That upbringing has been extremely useful for Adams when she counsels women who face financial hardship.

“I want my clients to know they can do anything,” she said “When you save money, you can actually buy the things you want and pay the bills. You have to take care of yourself. And when you have children, they don’t have a choice. It is your responsibility to take care of them.”

Adams has a special passion that works in perfect harmony with her experience and knowledge, said Samantha

Wyatt, YWCA engagement manager.

“Olivia goes above and beyond working with individuals in that if they have a stumbling block or hit a barrier, she is not going to stop there,” Wyatt said. “They may come for economic support for a car loan, but Olivia will recognize that they may need help with something else. Olivia is going to make sure that they have a connection to all services and to really provide that holistic support for this person.

“She’s well connected in the community, too. Anytime she and I have gone out, everybody knows her. They shout, ‘Olivia!’ because of her reputation, of the quality of the work that she does. Her compassion and warmth are genuine.”

Adams earned a degree in urban education from Harris Stowe State University. Her career began teaching kids basketball for the St. Louis Department of Recreation. She went on to Mers Goodwill, teaching job skills, then to the St. Louis Agency on Training and Employment. In May 2020, she joined the YWCA team. Since assuming her position, Adams has helped nearly 250 women take an important step toward financial independence. She takes a personal interest in each of them because she truly wants them to succeed and lift themselves up.

“Olivia meets one-on-one with each potential borrower to fill out the application and ensures the borrower understands the terms and expectations,” said Marilyn Ratkin, who nominated Adams as an Unsung Hero. “Olivia views these sessions as an important teaching oppor-

Congrats to Olivia Adams! The community is a richer place with you in it!

— Nina Needleman

PHOTO: BILL MOTCHAN

tunity for her clients.”

To qualify for a microloan, a client must have a minimum three-month relationship with the YWCA. They’re also eligible for other programs at that point, including legal advocacy, crisis support and emergency housing for those fleeing from violence.

More than $100,000 in microloans have been provided to Healing Hearts Bank clients since the program’s inception. Since taking on the economic stability program role, Adams has provided the critical link between the YWCA and clients, some of whom are in desperate situ-

ations. A $500 loan can make a huge difference in the lives of low-income families, she said.

“One of my clients was in a really horrible situation,” Adams said. “We were able to get her housing, and she needed the $500 for her security deposit. The transition from domestic violence was hard enough for her, but was also trying to go to work, and being battered was difficult. So I was able to make sure she wouldn’t lose her job.”

The client was raising three children, living on the streets and needed a safe space for her family. She had $1,500

saved, but the first month’s rent and security deposit added up to $2,000. She had three days to get the funds or the rental unit would be released. That’s when Adams stepped in and got the microloan approved in two days.

“If I tell the National Council of Jewish Women that it’s urgent, they make sure it’s a priority,” Adams said, adding that her client’s story has a happy ending.

“She’s amazing,” Adams said. “Her job is in Creve Coeur. She comes to visit me, just to chitchat and say she’s doing great, and to have someone to celebrate with her.”

Olivia Adams helps administer s microloans from the National Council of Jewish Women St. Louis through her work with the YWCA Metro St. Louis.

PHOTO: BILL MOTCHAN

MATOVU FOUNDERS BROUGHT VISION OF JEWISH GATHERING SPACE TO LIFE

BY BILL MOTCHAN | SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH LIGHT

The founding members of MaTovu joke about how their conversion of a historic building into a Jewish gathering space meant one less potential location for a CrossFit gym. They have done much more than that in transforming the former south side Hebrew Congregation, which operated at 4200 Blaine Ave. from 1929 to 1944.

Since its founding in October 2018, MaTovu has provided a vibrant and inclusive community center with programming and events based on Jewish values. Its location in the heart of south St. Louis has also provided an important anchor for city residents such as Mia Salamone, who moved here from Chicago in 2016.

“It’s a really great place to meet people and connect with the Jewish community,”

Russel Neiss Tasha Kaminsky

Caroline Kessler Katie Garland Nava Kantor

Salamone said. “It’s important to me to connect in a physical space, and it’s in my neighborhood. I can walk there, I can bike there, and I feel like it’s really rooted and connected to my life.”

MaTovu was created by a volunteer board, almost all of whom live in the city. They figured other Jewish city residents wanted a gathering space, too. They were right. The organization’s email list is 500 names and growing, alongside over 1,700 social media followers.

Finding a building with Jewish roots was serendipitous, founding board member Tasha Kaminsky said.

“According to a Jewish Federation study, there are about 5,000 Jewish people living in the city, out of total population of 300,000, which is a significant per-

centage,” Kaminsky said (the 2014 demographic study found there were approximately 60,000 Jews in the St. Louis metro area as a whole). “There weren’t many Jewish resources [in the city] that were accessible. Our friend Paul Sorenson was walking down Blaine and saw an abandoned building that was about to be rehabbed.”

When Sorenson and his wife, MaTovu co-founder Katie Garland, first saw the building, it still needed a lot of work. It had been used in recent years as a church, but still bore Stars of David in stained glass and brickwork. After negotiating with the building’s owners for a lease and rehab plans, the MaTovu board began meeting twice a week to create a mission, vision, values and programming.

Having the right physical space was key, Sorenson said.

“This historic synagogue in the city had this really exciting and unique opportunity to remain a Jewish space in a way that it hadn’t been for years,” Sorenson said. “It could really be a center for Jewish life in the city in a way that the St. Louis region has not seen in decades.”

Besides a committed volunteer board, MaTovu has received support from other organizations, including Jewish Federation of St. Louis and the Staenberg Family Foundation. MaTovu was also awarded a national Lippman Kanfer Prize for Applied Jewish Learning in 2019. It is now a member of the Jewish Community Relations Council. In the early stages, it was supported by Kol

Barbara Levin Paul Sorenson

Abby Bennett

Shira Berkowitz

Andrew Warshauer

Rinah and Ashreinu, the minyan community developed by Jewish millennial city dwellers.

MaTovu has attracted city and county members of the Jewish community to its thought-provoking series of programs, such as “Living in a Post-Roe World.”

“We get to think about current politics through a Jewish lens, process it together and hear from experts,” Salamone said. “It was wellreceived and offered a nice balance of information and learning opportunities for action.”

The strength of the MaTovu programs has been an important resource, founding board member Russel Neiss said.

“The key for me is the kinds of programs MaTovu is running,” Neiss said. “The outlook that they have is so unique and so valuable to the St. Louis community in the

In 2018, MaTovu opened at 4200 Blaine Ave. in south St. Louis. The building was orig inally a synagogue, Hebrew Congregation, which was open 1929 to 1944. In later years, a church occupied the space.

sense that they’re willing to really delve deeply into topics and to push the buttons on issues that no one else is even thinking about or talking about.”

The MaTovu community has flourished, even with the challenges of COVID a year after opening. Sorenson said shifting some programs online for two years didn’t hinder their growth.

“We came back to in-person events over the course of the past year, which kept the momentum of having more than 4,000 people attend our programs since opening,” he said. “Our last count was 140 events. It’s not just folks who are coming from the Jewish community, but also our friends and families and neighbors and others who are coming into the space and using it for a variety of community-driven purposes.

“There’s been a lot of positive reactions and a lot of excitement that MaTovu is here and is trying to do something a little different than what folks have seen in other Jewish spaces in the region,” he said. “What we’re trying to build is something that’s different from most spaces in the region, Jewish or not. And this real sense of collective community building in a way that in my experience, is the only real way community is built.”

The MaTovu community center contains 2,600 square feet of space, with a large gathering area, a conference room and a small office library. Having a physical space to gather is an important factor in the organization’s success and takes a cue from the prayer MaTovu, in which the Torah seer Balaam is awestruck by the Israelites’ houses of worship.

“There’s an emphasis on place and space,” Neiss said. “The prayer itself means that a building has a power of space and bringing people together. We take that to heart a lot at MaTovu.”

It’s not just the space that builds a community, Neiss said, but also providing a gathering place for a diverse group, including age diversity.

“We see young families in the city at MaTovu,” he said. “We see older retired folks who are moving back into the downtown area and into the city because they don’t want the big house anymore. So the nature of the community is changing.”

Equally important is diversity of faith. MaTovu welcomes anyone to its space. It doesn’t ask, “What denomination are you?” Those questions don’t matter, Sorenson said.

“I think what matters most is that

A gathering at MaTovu during Sukkot.

PHOTO: BILL MOTCHAN

someone is actively participating in community with us,” he said. “And it’s that active participation that helps bind us together.”

Founding board member Shira Berkowitz said MaTovu celebrates Judaism.

“We integrate Jewish values into our programming, so we actually provide programs that are attentive to the multiple identities of everyone,” she said. “We don’t ask people to compartmentalize themselves when they come into the space. We’ve created a space where you can bring the fullness of your identity forward to participate in all of our programming.”

Kaminsky, also a founder of Ashreinu, said creating MaTovu has been rewarding for her on many levels.

“Having been able to share time, talent and resources with the Jewish community and seeing the outcome has been so vibrant and so incredible,” she said. “It’s been a feeling of renewed faith and excitement about the possibilities of the future of Judaism.

“All of the work and research that we did to create MaTovu, ultimately was recognized and paid off. It’s overwhelmingly reassuring to me about the future of Judaism and about what Judaism will look like in St. Louis.”

Meet volunteer Michele Siler, ‘the human being we all strive to be’

Michele Friedman Siler describes herself as “unsung” by nature, a person who “hides from cameras, ditches photo opps and doesn’t look for publicity.” The idea of being honored by the Jewish Light as an uppercase Unsung Hero just doesn’t sound right to her.

“I’m stunned, and I’m unworthy,” said Siler, 59. “Besides, I’m not grown up enough to be an Unsung Hero, and there are so many, many other people who to me are monumental — and I haven’t done anything like they have.”

So says a woman who works full time and then some and yet makes time for

numerous volunteer projects that she feels passionate about, a list that includes LGBTQIA rights, voting rights, racial equity and diversity, immigrant rights, suicide prevention and fighting food insecurity.

The choices Siler has made and the commitments she has embraced have led others to sing Siler’s praises loud and clear.

mittees. “She is caring, bright, funny, creative, thoughtful and completely unassuming. She is always ready to help, just a wonderful human.”

Bram especially admires Siler’s creativity. “Michele is always thinking, and she

BY PATRICIA CORRIGAN | SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH LIGHT

thinks outside the box,” she said.

“Michele is the human being we all strive to be,” said Debbie Bram, director of Jewish life and learning at Congregation Shaare Emeth, where Siler is on the board of trustees and sits on several com-

For tashlich, Siler came up with the idea to give out journals with quotes on the front from Edith Eger’s book “The Choice: Embrace the Possible,” which members of Congregation Shaare Emeth had selected to read as a community.

PHOTO: BILL MOTCHAN

“Then in November, for our Gathering for Gratitude event, Michele came up with new ways for the board of trustees to be part of the program,” Bram said.

Stanford Shanker, a friend of Siler’s from the synagogue, agreed.

“She’s unbelievable,” he said. “I’m chair of our Immigration Advocacy and Action Committee, and there has never been anything we’ve done that needed volunteers that Michele was not first in line.”

In his letter nominating Siler as an Unsung Hero, he elaborated.

“Another way to spell ‘volunteer’ is

‘Michele Siler,’ ” Shanker wrote.

He reported that in addition to working on his committee, Siler is on Shaare Emeth’s Mental Health Initiative Committee and is co-chair of the Keshet Committee, which welcomes members of the LGBTQ community and works on education and advocacy issues.

“Michele also has been the liaison to the Jewish community for the Pride festivities each year in St. Louis,” Shanker said.

There’s more.

“Michele does biweekly checkup phone calls for our more vulnerable

Michele Siler

Family: Married to Patrick Siler; two children, Miranda, 28, and Michael, 21 Age: 59

Municipality: Unincorporated St. Louis County

Fun fact: Siler and her family were go-go dancers on Chic-a-Go-Go, a public access children’s dance show that airs on Chicago Access Network Television.

Congratulates this Year’s Unsung Heroes!

Michele Siler and her husband, Patrick Siler, hold a sign for Congregation Shaare Emeth at the 2022 PrideFest Parade on June 18 in downtown St. Louis.

PHOTO: BILL MOTCHAN

seniors, and she is part of the team that notarizes voters’ absentee ballots at our Get Out the Vote campaign,” said Shanker, who was a Jewish Light Unsung Hero in 2017. “Also, she makes her positions known with both our state as well as national elected officials with phone calls, emails and Zoom calls to promote social justice, human rights and Jewish values. Plus, Michele was instrumental in important programming for our members during the pandemic.”

When told what Shanker said about her in his nomination, Siler gave as good as she got.

“Stan is a mover, a shaker, someone I have huge admiration for because he works so hard to make the world better,” she said. “He and his wife, Andy, both are amazing,”

Siler, who lives in unincorporated west St. Louis County, is “an itinerant costume designer,” working for numerous local theater companies, and an adjunct faculty member at Webster University’s Sargent Conservatory of Theatre Arts. She is married to Patrick Siler, who works for Bayer, the life sciences company, and “moonlights as a stage manager,” Siler said. They have two grown children: Miranda,

28, and Michael, 21.

Siler’s attraction to theater arts began early.

“I’ve always been a visual artist, since I was a kid,” she said. “I started doing theater in middle school and first painted scenery when I got to Parkway North High School.”

Siler attended Webster University as a scene design major, with a background in figure drawing. After working a few years, she earned an master’s in fine arts from the University of Missouri-Kansas City and turned her affinity for costume

TO ALL THE 2022 UNSUNG HEROES!

Root

-

design into a career.

SEE MORE TRIBUTES ON PAGES 44-45

Her penchant for helping was honed by her father, Merle Friedman, she said.

“He managed my grandfather’s shoe store in Wellston, and he was a huge volunteer on lots of civic service projects,” she said. “My father loved Wellston, he loved people and he loved being useful.”

In 1998, the Silers moved from their home in Chicago back to St. Louis so they could help her father take care of her mother, Anneda, who had a neuromuscular disease.

“Later, when my dad was in a wheel-

- Zimmerman

Family

Unsung Hero is an understatement! This honor is beyond welldeserved. I feel fortunate to be considered your friend for so many years.

— MJ Probst

chair, he loved to take part on Mitzvah Day, thrilled to be sitting at a table putting labels on packages,” she said.

Siler also takes part every year in the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention “Out of the Darkness” walk, in memory of her brother, Lee Friedman.

“That has become part of my inner work of teshuvah during High Holy Days,” Siler said.

When she is not volunteering, Siler likes to read — she visits the library a few times each week — and she enjoys the art museum and the zoo.

“I walk a lot, and I always feel best in a library, which I visit a few times a week,” she siad, laughing. “And any night I can sit at home on the couch and watch TV is always good.”

Siler estimated that she spends about 10 hours a week on volunteer work.

“At Shaare Emeth, I’ve been attending Wednesday Torah Study for about 20 years, and one thing that always brings me back to volunteer work is that we are commanded to do it — it’s integral to my faith to help the widow and the orphan, take care of the stranger,” she said. “That’s real for me, and volunteering is a highlight of my life.”

PHOTO: BILL MOTCHAN

DR. CRAIG REISS

Thriving yeshiva in Chesterfield is just what the doctor ordered

It wasn’t long ago that the St. Louis Jewish educational community faced a crossroads. The lack of a beis midrash — a post-high school yeshiva to provide advanced Torah study —meant some families were moving out of the area and others chose not to move here. Now, Chesterfield has emerged as a major hub of Jewish learning with Missouri Torah Institute (MTI).

One of the architects of the nationally known institute is a noted physician: Dr. Craig Reiss, 63, a cardiologist at St. Luke’s Hospital, is a founding MTI board

Winter,” Reiss said. “I realized the importance of having a very solid Jewish education for kids. It was really Rabbi Winter’s dream. They needed lay leadership involved to be ambassadors to the Jewish community.”

TICK was the original home of MTI but, after eight years, it needed space to grow. The answer was an eight-acre campus at 1809 Clarkson Road in Chesterfield, the former home of the St. Joseph School for the Deaf. It was ideal and included a 120,000-square-foot building. The property was already appropriately zoned, Reiss said.

BY BILL MOTCHAN | SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH LIGHT

member and its chairman.

Reiss’ motivation to help create a yeshiva began with the dream of his friend and mentor, the late Rabbi Aaron Winter, longtime leader of Tpheris Israel Chevra Kadisha (TICK).

“I was always religious, but I became more Orthodox when I was around 40, and I became very close with Rabbi

“It is really one of the most gorgeous campuses of this type in the country,” he said. “The Jewish community has been very, very supportive. The Fox family and the Staenberg family have been incredibly supportive. Charlie Deutsch really was instrumental in us getting the property.”

MTI began with just seven students. Now it has about 120, representing nearly every state in the United States

Dr. Craig Reiss

Family: Wife, Jackie, and four children, Samuel, Joshua, Chanah and Rachel Lea

Age: 63

Municipality: Chesterfield

Fun fact: For relaxation, Reiss loves to go fishing.

and three foreign countries. As a lay leader, Reiss helped open doors to provide important financial support. He downplayed his role in the school’s success and said the credit should go to the staff and faculty.

“The key is to have the right leadership from the rabbinic side,” Reiss said. “Rabbi Winter identified the perfect people to lead, Rabbi Schmuel Wasser and Rabbi Dovid Fromowitz, and later we added Rabbi Avrohom Goldman. By having those three tremendous, brilliant leaders from the lay leadership point of

view, it’s not a lot of work. We need to support them. We need to make sure that the right contacts happen for them to financially be successful. But it’s a labor of love in just making sure they have what they need in order to operate.”

Wasser, MTI’s Rosh Yeshiva dean, said Reiss demonstrates a special leadership capability and “leads by example in a responsible but trendsetting way. He provides a quiet leadership that shows that we need to move forward, and we’re not going to remain stagnant.”

“We’re going to be a growing organization, and that’s motivated by a desire to impact community,” Wasser continued. “The greater St. Louis community will benefit from having yeshiva, and we work hard to make that happen, even when it’s not always easy. It’s just a matter of being supportive and having the vision to see what growth can look like.”

Reiss received his medical degree from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. He completed his residency, fellowship and chief residency at Harvard Medical School’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital. As a cardiologist, he demonstrates the same level of modesty as in his role with the yeshiva, said Rabbi Moshe Winter (son

of Rabbi Aaron Winter) of TICK.

“I’ve seen (Reiss) save people’s lives, and when people give him the credit, he just says, ‘It wasn’t me, it was G-d,’” Winter said. “He pointed up to the heavens, and he said, ‘I was in the right place at the right time.’ And that really defines him.

“He’s a man of G-d. And it’s amazing how he’s been able to weave that into his practice and into his volunteering work within the community. And as a lay

leader, he’s a person that will always stick to his principles and accomplish tremendous things in all of our projects here in our shul.”

Volunteerism has been a common theme for Reiss. He serves on the Tpheris Israel board and is a past president of the St. Louis Division of the American Heart Association.

Reiss is especially proud of the impact MTI has made, in part because of its high

Missouri Torah Institute in Chesterfield.

PHOTO: BILL MOTCHAN

SEE MORE TRIBUTES ON PAGES 44-45

Since 1905, the Rosenbloom Monument Family and Staff have been serving the Jewish Community ...the tradition continues.

standard for education quality.

“We have brilliant rabbis that teach on the Judaic side,” Reiss said. “Rabbi Shimshon Gewirtz, our general studies principal, has made certain that the secular college preparatory courses are top of the line. We’ve had students that have gone on to rabbinic training and have actually come back and taught for us. We’ve also had kids that are now in medical school, including my oldest son. We’ve had kids that have had a great education, and they can do whatever they want.”

Reiss said MTI graduates do well in academia and the professional world in part because they learn Talmudic logic at a deep level.

“The development of character traits, the midos, have been absolutely tremendous,” he said. “Kids that come through are mensches. In addition, it fine tunes the oral Torah, which is learning Talmudic logic. It’s very complex logic, and through that development, critical thinking comes through.”

Reiss is a bona fide mensch himself. He gives his time and effort for the greater good and doesn’t seek accolades for his involvement. That applies to MTI, his impact as a cardiologist and his role in achieving kosher status for an iconic St. Louis confection: Ted Drewes frozen custard.

“It was really Dr. Joel Cooper that had the idea and did all the leg work,” Reiss said. “I happened to be, shall we say, close with Ted. And with Rabbi Winter and Dr. Cooper’s involvement in making sure that it could happen, it was just my job to discuss it with Ted. And he was very happy to do it and considers it a tremendous service. I like to joke that for me, it’s job security.”

We are proud of our continued mutual support of each other.The partnership of the Jewish Community, its cemeteries, and Rosenbloom Monument stands strong.

Mazel Tov and thank you for all of your time and devotion to the Jewish community.

— NJ & Bob Sterneck

Adult founders, co-chairs help journalists bring ‘New Light’

help teen Light’ to readers

BY ELLEN FUTTERMAN | EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Mia Kweskin doesn’t actually work in journalism per se, but as senior communications strategist at Edward Jones, strong writing and interviewing skills are vital to her job. She credits working on the Jewish Light’s Ohr Chadash teen page during her four years at Parkway Central High School with helping her to develop those skills and hone them.

“Being part of Ohr Chadash gave me the opportunity to write for a professional newspaper and have professional clips at a young age,” said Kweskin, 27, who belongs to Congregation Shaare Emeth. “That really helped in terms of applying to colleges and, later, in getting internships. Also, the process of raising my hand for the opportunity to become an editor for Ohr Chadash taught me how to advocate for myself, which is important in any career. It was an amazing launch pad.”

Since its inception 14 years ago, the Jewish Light’s Ohr Chadash teen page has been a volunteer conceived and led effort. It began when Light board member Jenny Wolkowitz suggested a section in the paper for teen-focused news after seeing something similar in her hometown paper, the San Antonio Jewish Journal — except that those teen stories were written by adults.

Wolkowitz wanted to take the concept further by recruiting high school students to write and edit stories, take photographs, and design and lay out their own pages. But before recruiting local teens, Wolkowitz thought it best to recruit a partner. She turned to Mimi Pultman, who had just joined the Light board and was also a good friend.

“Like Jenny, I thought giving these teens

OHR CHADASH TEEN PAGE

CO-CHAIRS PAST AND PRESENT: From left, Jenny Wolkowitz, Mimi Pultman, Lauren Sagel, Peggy Kaplan and Caroline Goldenberg. Above left, Goldenberg meets with teen page staff members recently. PHOTO BILL MOTCHAN

Ohr Chadash Co-Chairs

Co-Chairs Past and Present: Jenny Wolkowitz, Mimi Pultman, Lauren Sagel, Peggy Kaplan and Caroline Goldenberg.

Founding: Ohr Chadash Teen Page debuted in the 2008-2009 school year

What is Ohr Chadash?: The Ohr Chadash Teen Page features a group of teens who produce a monthly twopage section in the Jewish Light with stories by and for Jewish teens,

real-world journalism experience, with real-world deadlines, having them work at a professional publication, would be an incredible opportunity,” said Pultman, 58, who belongs to Young Israel and U City Shul.

And so, at the start of the 2008 academic year, the Light launched a monthly section touting teen news for teen Jews. The teens named it Ohr Chadash (“New Light”) because it was highlighting a new generation of journalists in the Light

Its first year attracted enough attention to garner an Innovation Award for

Newspaper Association.

Wolkowitz and Pultman, neither of whom had journalism experience, enlisted the help of Jewish Light staff to provide some training and oversight for the teens. But the volunteer co-chairs did — and continue to do — the bulk of the work, recruiting and vetting staff, appointing teen page editors, organizing monthly meetings, and being available to help the teens plan and execute their stories and their pages each month.

When Wolkowitz, 54, who belongs to United Hebrew, became president of the Light board, Peggy Kaplan stepped in to

The first Ohr Chadash Teen Page staff, in the 2008-2009 school year. JEWISH LIGHT FILE PHOTO

left after five years, Lauren Sagel came on. Before Kaplan moved to California, where she lives for part of the year, she recruited Caroline Goldenberg, who is the current teen page chair. None of the co-chairs are journalists or have much journalism experience.

Mike Sherwin, managing editor of the Light, and I have worked with all five of these women and know first-hand the time, energy and dedication they give to this effort.

It’s rarely easy, either, especially when it comes to recruiting teens and ensuring

staff numbers 15 to 18; other years, it’s more like seven or eight. Some years, the teen editors are natural leaders with solid writing skills; other years, less so.

And yet, with the guidance and mentoring of these co-chairs, Ohr Chadash continues to appear as part of the Light monthly, usually from September through May.

“It’s unbelievable how many hours the teen page co-chairs put in overseeing teen staff members, responding to calls and emails, coming to monthly meetings and helping to oversee them, brainstorm

and met, that stories are edited in a timely manner,” Sherwin said. “They go above and beyond arranging for year-end recognition for the teens, hosting pizza parties for them and so much more.”

None of the co-chairs have actually had a child taking part in the teen page. In interviews with the co-chairs, each cited her enjoyment working with the teens as the main reason she got involved.

“I loved their enthusiasm, intelligence and creativity,” said Sagel, 51, who belongs to Central Reform Congregation. “I mean, they were just so much fun to be

Ohr Chadash Teen Page founders and original co-chairs Mimi Pultman (left) and Jenny Wolkowitz flank Abby Abrams of the teen page during a farewell to graduating seniors on the Ohr Chadash staff at the Jewish Light’s 2011 annual meeting.

FILE PHOTO: MIKE SHERWIN

corners of St. Louis. It was a great way for Jewish kids from around the area to come together for a common interest.”

Kaplan, 62 and a member of Temple Emanuel, said she especially liked the brainstorming story sessions she and the teens would have at monthly meetings.

“They wanted to tell stories,” Kaplan said. “They wanted to find stories about Jewish teenagers and tell them. You’d watch the light in their eyes when they really connected to a story.”

Goldenberg, 39, who has four children ranging in age from 18 months to 10 years, recalls texting with her teen page editors from her hospital bed, getting ready to deliver her third child.

“My husband is like, ‘What are you doing?’ ” Goldenberg said, laughing. “I’m

From left, graduating teen page staffer Kyla Gersten is honored by Ohr Chadash Co-Chairs Lauren Sagel and Peggy Kaplan during the Light’s 2015 annual meeting.

FILE PHOTO: KRISTI FOSTER

In a 2018 file photo, then-co-editor Adam Rush and writer Olivia Riutcel work on an Ohr Chadash section in the Jewish Light office.

FILE PHOTO: MIKE SHERWIN

the perfect Father and Son team of experienced agents, that deliver consistent results…year

like, ‘They’re in a meeting and have some questions.’ At some point, I remember actually getting on the phone with one of them to say, ‘I can’t talk anymore. I’m going to have my baby very shortly.’ ”

Nevertheless, a week or two after delivering her daughter, now 3, she was back answering emails with teen editors and writers, helping them with questions on their stories and bringing her newborn into the Light office to attend teen page meetings.

“One thing I really like about the teen page is that they get the chance to participate Jewishly in something that doesn’t focus on Judaism in any kind of denominational way,” said Goldenberg, who is also on the Light board. “Personally, it’s also a fun way to engage with the Jewish community because the Jewish Light is a great connector.”

Jordan Eisen, who is a freshman at Northwestern University, worked with Goldenberg last year as teen page editor. He said that among the many qualities he appreciated about her was her understanding of how busy most students are these days.

“She took my needs as a high school senior into account and recognized how much I had going on between homework and studying, college applications, extracurriculars and so forth,” Eisen said. “She really helped us with prioritizing and planning so that none of us felt overwhelmed with (teen page) stories. If I needed her help, she always stepped up, but she also left a lot of the decision-making to the teen editors.”

It is a testament to Wolkowitz’s idea and the groundwork she and Pultman laid that the teen page continues to endure today. Tweaks have been made along the way — eighth-graders can join now whereas, in the early days, it was only high school students — and technology has open doors to more digital and audio storytelling in addition to print.

Nevertheless, Ohr Chadash is alive and well.

“When you get something off the ground, you’re never sure it’s going to have staying power,” Wolkowitz said. “I would give total credit to Jewish Light board leaders and staff who value it and to the teens who continue to make it happen, even with all they have going on. They are the true heroes.”

JULIE FRANKEL

“Your commitment to the JBF is inspiring! Congratulations on this honor!”

— MJ Probst

DR. CRAIG REISS

“In honor of 2022 Unsung Hero Dr. Craig Reiss.”

— Gayle Chazen

SAM DEUTSCH

“In honor of 2022 Unsung Hero Sam Deutsch.”

— Judy & Larry Deutsch

JULIE FRANKEL

“We are so proud of the honor you have been given. You are so deserving.” Love,

— Henry & Marlene Diamant

TAMAR ADLER, MIMI PULTMAN AND CAROLINE GOLDENBERG

“Congratulations to Tamar Adler, Mimi Pultman and Caroline Goldenberg. You are truly unsung heroes in our community.”

— Alan & Jackie Gerson

JULIE FRANKEL

“Congrats on a wonderful honor!! MUCH DESERVED!!” Love,

— Deb Gilula

JULIE FRANKEL

“Thanks for all the work you do for the Jewish community.”

— Barry & Martha Ginsburg

NATHAN GOLDSTEIN & BEN HORWITZ

“Congratulations on this wonderful honor highlighting your meaningful work and achievements!”

— Debbie Greenberg

TAMAR ADLER

“Mazel Tov to our great niece, Tamar Adler! We are so proud of you.” Love, — Bob & Judy Hellman

SAM DEUTSCH

“ Sam, You are a mensch and a light to our community. You live the value of Achrayut (social responsibility) to its fullest. It has truly been an honor and a blessing to have you in my life at Camp Sabra!”

— Terri Grossman

JULIE FRANKEL, MICHELE SILER, AND MATOVU FOUNDERS

“Congratulations on this well deserved honor!”

— Susan Matlof

JULIE FRANKEL

“Julie, we are so proud of your commitment to such a beautiful cause. What a wonderful tribute to you and know that you inspire us, your friends and your family.”

— Bev & Juddy Johl

JULIE FRANKEL

“Congratulations on a well deserved honor.”

— Linda Kraus

MICHELE SILER

— Marcia & Carl Moskowitz

FOUNDING MEMBERS OF MATOVU

— Marcia & Carl Moskowitz

SAM DEUTSCH

“To our ‘President’ and Chief Food Critic #SuperEatsSam, continue to light up a room and make a difference! Your energy and spirit are contagious. Love you to infinity and beyond!”

— Mom, Dad, Ryan, Max, Molly & Oscar

DR. CRAIG REISS

“Mazel Tov on becoming this year’s Unsung Hero! Your passion for Jewish continuity is admirable.”

— Galia Movitz

OLIVIA ADAMS

“Congrats to Olivia Adams! The community is a richer place with you in it!”

— Nina Needleman

SAM DEUTSCH, JULIE FRANKEL, NATHAN GOLDSTEIN AND BEN HORWITZ

“Mazel Tov on helping to make our community a better place to live!!”

— Merle & Marty Oberman

JULIE FRANKEL

“In honor of 2022 Unsung Hero Julie Frankel.”

— Marilen Pitler

MICHELE SILER

“Unsung Hero is an understatement! This honor is beyond well-deserved. I feel fortunate to be considered your friend for so many years.”

— MJ Probst

JULIE FRANKEL

“In honor of Julie Frankel.”

— Marilyn & Gary Ratkin

MICHELE SILER

“In honor of Michele Siler.”

— Marilyn & Gary Ratkin

OLIVIA ADAMS

“In honor of Olivia Adams.”

— Marilyn & Gary Ratkin

NATHAN GOLDSTEIN & BEN HORWITZ

“Keep on planting! Congrats to both of you!”

— Steven Rosenblum

ALL 2022 UNSUNG HEROES

“Congratulations to all of this years Unsung Heroes!”

— Myra Rosenthal

SAM DEUTSCH

— Susie, Jonathan, Rebecca, Jessica & Andrew Sachs

NATHAN GOLDSTEIN & BEN HORWITZ

— Susie, Jonathan, Rebecca, Jessica & Andrew Sachs

JULIE FRANKEL

“Kol HaKovod to my fellow Virginian, an honor well deserved.”

— Jackson Salasky

JULIE FRANKEL

“Congratulations on being selected as an Unsung Hero for 2022! You have truly been an unsung hero by volunteering and helping so many worthwhile causes.”

— Ilene & Barry Schnurman

DR. CRAIG REISS AND JULIE FRANKEL

“Congratulations on becoming an Unsung Hero.” Love,

— Sandy & Gloria Spitzer

DR. CRAIG REISS

“Mazel Tov and thank you for all of your time and devotion to the Jewish community.”

— NJ & Bob Sterneck

JULIE FRANKEL

“Congratulations from the Berzon Family!”

— Scott Berzon

MICHELE SILER

“Congratulations from the Berzon Family!”

— Scott Berzon

TAMAR ADLER

“Congratulations to Tamar, our family hero, you are a bright and shining creative spirit who has brought joy to thousands of children. We are so proud of you!” Love,

— Bubbie & Zaidy (Adinah & Heschel Raskas), Mom & Dad (Moshe & Aviva), Bella, JJ, Avi, & Charlie

SAM DEUTSCH, NATHAN GOLDSTEIN AND BEN HORWITZ

“Mazel Tov and welcome to the Unsung Hero club!”

— Suzanne Epstein-Lang & Naomi Lang

BEN HORWITZ

“We are so proud of you, Ben!”

— Grandpa & Karen

FOUNDING MEMBERS OF MATOVU

“A well-deserved honor! Congratulations and thank you all for creating this important addition to our community. Just as Sarah and Abraham could not have welcomed guests without first setting up their tent, your social justice programs, education, and celebration of our tradition could not serve our community were it not for your hard work ‘setting up the tent’ in South City. One of my favorite places!”

— Dr. David Kantor

OHR CHADASH CO-CHAIRS

“Thank you for all of your efforts the past 14 years with the teen page. This lay-led effort that has created wonderful opportunities for teens to learn about journalism, cover the community from their perspective and offer ‘New Light’ from the next generation on our pages. You are truly Unsung Heroes in our book. Thank you.”

— Ellen Futterman & Mike Sherwin

ALL 2022 UNSUNG HEROES

“Congratulations to all the 2022 Unsung Heroes”

— Madeleine Elkins and Harvey Wallace

TAMAR ADLER

“Mazal Tov Tamar! Kol Hakavod! We are so proud of all your hard work.

— David and Roz Hirschhorn and family”

SAM DEUTSCH

“We are so proud of you. We know that great things are in store for your future.”

— The Cohen and Sapperstein Families

DR. CRAIG REISS

“Honoring Dr. Craig Reiss, a person who personified true Torah based values of wisdom, compassion and giving! You and Jackie are role models to us all in Tpheris Israel and to the whole St. Louis community!”

— Chanie Winter

ALL 2022 UNSUNG HEROES

“Thanks for the work you do in the St. Louis Jewish community.”

— Reva Mae Davis

SAM DEUTSCH

“Congratulations to our grandson, Sam, who never leaves a stone unturned. You will always be a ‘hero’ to us!”

— Love, Grandma Roberta & Grandpa Jim

ALL 2022 UNSUNG HEROES

“Congratulations to all of the Unsung Heroes! So impressed by the work you do!”

— Sherri and Rick Goldman

OHR CHADASH CO-CHAIRS

“Congratulations to the OHR Chadash advisors. From the family of the first teen editor-in-chief.”

— Carol, Joanne and Joel Iskiwitch

JULIE FRANKEL, MICHELE SILER, DR. CRAIG REISS

“Congratulations for a well deserved honor.”

— Andy & Stan Shanker

FOUNDERS OF MATOVU

“Thank you for the great work you are doing in the community.”

— Julie & Jeffrey Lazaroff

ALL 2022 UNSUNG HEROES

“Mazel Tov to the 2022 Heroes! Your contributions and dedication to tikkun olam enriches our community. Thank you for all that you do.”

— Jane Roodman Weiss

SHERI SHERMAN, GALIA MOVITZ, FAITH BERGER

“It has been an honor and a joy to work with each of you as co-chairs of Unsung Heroes. Love you all!”

— Jane Roodman Weiss

DR. CRAIG REISS & JULIE FRANKEL

“Mazel Tov on a well-deserved honor.”

— Gloria Feldman

TAMAR ADLER

“Mazal Tov Tamar! Kol Hakavod! We are so proud of all your hard work.”

— David and Roz Hirschhorn and family

DR. CRAIG REISS

“With admiration and appreciation for all you do!”

— Joan & Sherman Silber

2021

Arlen Chaleff

Dr. Laura Goldmeier

Nancy Keyser

Carolyn Satz

Ginny Weiss

Tech Tutors and Get Tech

Volunteers

Dr. Jeffry Golden

2020

Allen and Ronnie Brockman

Mark Dana

Aleeza Granote

Sheryl Kalman

Steve Rosenblum

Alan Spector

Back to School! Store

Volunteers (a program of the National Council of Jewish Women-St. Louis)

2019

Reva Davis

Barbara Finch

Karen Flotte

Jeff & David Lazaroff (Brothers Lazaroff)

Alice Ludmer

Jennifer Rothman

Mancuso

Dr. Gary Ratkin

Dr. Terry Weiss

Julie Williams

The B’nai Amoona

Delmar Gardens West

“Welcome the Shabbat”

Volunteers

(Beverly Chervitz, Laurie Cohen, Mark Dana, Joel Dennis, Jay Englander, Harvey Greenstein, Ron Heller, Richard Hitt, Andrew Oberman, Sherry Phillips, Randi Schenberg, Joel Spigel and Phyllis Traub)

2018

Jan Abrams

Steve Gorin

Susie Spitzer Kinsella

Susan Kottler

David Lander

Arik Levy

Sophie Malik

Hannah Maurer

Ben Senturia

Dotty Tepper

Maxine Mirowitz

Robert Stein

2017

Susan Winter Balk

Jeffrey Cohen

Dr. Sharon Dunski

Vermont

Cindy Lander Wallach

Suzanne Epstein-Lang

Jerri Livingston

Stan Shanker

Jay B. Umansky

Lois and Dave Zuckerman

2016

Philip Deitch

Harvey Ferdman

Ann Frank

Susan Kalishman

Goldberg

Elad Gross

Pam and Stu Katz

Betsy Mehlman

Joy Millner

Shirley Mosinger

Carl Sherman

Bonnie Solomon

2015

Amy Fenster Brown

Debbie Caplin

Sherri Goldman

Harvey Kornblum Jewish Food Pantry Volunteers

Wayne Kaufman

Dorothy Meyerson

Mark Rodgers

Donald Roth

Tali Stadler

Harvey Wallace

2014

Marvin Beckerman

Crown Center Home

Delivery Volunteers

(Marilyn and Saul Dien, Geri Frank, Larry Harris, Lois Lefton, Shawn Rimerman, Lauren Sagel, Allan and Lisa Silverberg, Gloria Spitzer and Lana Yunker)

Toddy Goldman, z”l

Judy and Bob Hellman

Sandy Jaffe, z”l

Sam Klein

Kathy Lebedun, z”l

Buddy Lebman

Neil Marglous

Myra Rosenthal

2013

Jan Baron

Derek Cohn

Herb Eissman, z”l

Josh Goldman

Zubaida Ibrahim

Rachel Miller

Rick Rovak

STL Food Rescue (Nate Noss, Sam Pepose and Will Hopkins)

Sandy Silverstein, z’’l

Rita Swiener

2012

COAST (Chabad Ohr

Atid Sunday Torah)

Marshall Cohen

Marion Lipsitz, z’’l

Samantha Lurie

Larry Opinsky

Steven Rosenblum

Nancy Schmidt

Pat Simons

Joy Sterneck

2011

Dr. Rebecca Aft

Charles Baron, z’’l

Maris Berg

Phyllis Cantor

Fran Cohen, z’’l Jack Cohen, z’’l Merle Hartstein, z”l Jewish Prison Outreach (Margie Kessler, Marsha Koski, Lou Albert, Steve Sorkin, Rabbi James Stone

Goodman and Rabbi Neal Rose)

Fritzi Lainoff, z”l

David Oughton

2010

Ahavas Chesed Society

Lolle Boettcher

Leslie Caplan

Phillip Fox, z”l

Sarijane M. Freiman

Margaret Gillerman

Girls of Block Yeshiva

Dan Glazier

Elsie Levy, z”l

Carl Moskowitz

Dr. Harry Offenbach, z”l

Judy Pearlstone

Marilyn Ratkin

Ken Rubin