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Oct. 7 changed the world in ways we never saw coming
The office has been cleaned out, campaign photos and signs stripped from the walls, and goodbye hugs given to college interns and staff. Just a few weeks ago, St. Louis Democratic primary voters chose...
View ArticleIs a resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict inevitable?
When thinking of the possibility of an Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement, something that invites skepticism among many Jews and others, I am reminded of an old saying: “On the eve of most...
View ArticleD’var Torah: We have a role in seeking our own justice and truth
“Justice, justice shall you pursue” is the double injunction found in Deuteronomy 16:20 and is the centerpiece of this section of the Torah we call Shoftim (Judges). The entire parasha is Deuteronomy...
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My dear friends’ wedding is on Yom Kippur. How do I reconcile my obligations?
This story was originally published in the Forward. Click here to get the Forward’s free email newsletters delivered to your inbox. A Bintel Brief, Yiddish for a bundle of letters, has been solving...
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I don’t belong to a synagogue. Can I be buried in a Jewish cemetery?
This story was originally published in the Forward. Click here to get the Forward’s free email newsletters delivered to your inbox. A Bintel Brief, Yiddish for a bundle of letters, has been solving...
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She’s married to the king of futzing. Now that he’s retired, should he do...
This story was originally published in the Forward. Click here to get the Forward’s free email newsletters delivered to your inbox. A Bintel Brief, Yiddish for a bundle of letters, has been solving...
View ArticleThis Torah story reveals the hidden key to true happiness
Ki Teitzei means when you leave. When we leave our expectations over the messes great and little, some we have made, some made for us. When we cease to compare the what-it-is to the what-we-wanted or...
View ArticleD’var Torah: Blessings and curses
A businessman boarded a plane to find, sitting next to him, an elegant woman wearing the largest, most stunning diamond ring he had ever seen. He asked her about it. “This is the Bexfield diamond,” she...
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As Rosh Hashanah approaches, the St. Louis Jewish community faces deep...
This year, our post-Oct. 6th reality seems omnipresent as we approach the Yamim Nora’im, the High Holy Days. The impact of the horrific actions taken by Hamas on Oct. 7, and the resulting loss of life...
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Are young American Jews and Israel drifting apart?
Marc Kornblatt prepared uneasily earlier this year for his daughter, Louisa, to arrive for 10 days with the family. Her homecomings once brought the comfort of movie nights and card games, but this...
View ArticleFocus on empty synagogues, not imagined antisemitic codes
I simply could not believe the Light dedicated an entire article to the proposition that the sale of some pillows at the price of $14.88 is antisemitic coding. (“Mike Lindell says he did not intend...
View ArticleMoses’ last call: A lesson in listening and remaining optimistic
Living Jewishly is intense (in the best sense of the word). The Aseret Yemei Teshuvah, the Ten Days of Repentance, are upon us. The penultimate parsha, Ha’azinu could not be more poignant. Almost the...
View ArticleHow art, music, and food are shrinking boundaries in St. Louis
The past few cultural events that I have attended as well as the art, music and even food that I have enjoyed lately point out that the world is shrinking and coming together in mostly positive ways....
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Why I used to dread Yom Kippur—and how it became my most meaningful day of...
Growing up, I dreaded Yom Kippur. Not merely the frightening and guilt-evoking liturgy of sin and repentance, not only having to go 24 hours without food, but also for the mood and the obligations of...
View ArticleLetter to the editor: Transparency in politics
Like you, I receive many calls from candidates on November’s ballot. As a resident of Missouri Senate District 15 (Chesterfield, Town and Country, Ballwin), I was particularly interested in Joe...
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Discover the hidden wisdom of the harvest: A season of blessings and joy awaits!
Autumn fills my soul with beauty. I take delight in the crisp air, and the artist’s array of beautiful leaves. The audible crunch of leaves under my boots is an old familiar sound. I welcome dusk at an...
View ArticleResponse to recent Rabbi Smason commentary
In a recent op-ed (Jewish Light, Sept. 25), Rabbi Ze’ev Smason correctly notes that younger American Jews are drifting from the support of Israel. There are many reasons. The first that comes to my...
View ArticlePereles responds to letter
As a candidate for the Missouri State Senate, I am eager to respond to the comments made by those questioning my support for Israel. While State Senators don’t have much sway on our nation’s foreign...
View ArticleWhy the legacies of these trailblazing rabbis are tied to this week’s Torah...
Every year, as we study this week’s Torah portion, Bereshit, I find myself thinking of two remarkable rabbis. The first rabbi I associate with Parashat Bereshit is Rabbi Sally J. Priesand. In 1972,...
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Would a real mensch wear a ‘mensch’ T-shirt?
This is an adaptation of our editor-in-chief’s weekly newsletter. Sign up to get it delivered to your inbox on Friday afternoons. At a Jewish conference in Chicago last month, I picked up a T-shirt...
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