Blog

I cannot believe how quickly this year is going by already. Before you know it, summer will be here. And what does Summer mean for our preschoolers? Camp Shook! Camp will be in session for nine weeks this year and our staff is so excited! Dates are Monday, June 7 through Friday, August 6. You can sign up for camp by the week so you can enroll your child for any combination that works with your summer schedule. We will be following our...Read more...

By Debbie Schultz

On September 28, 2019, we had just wrapped up the final High Holy Day sound check and I was still in the Temple office when my sister called. I heard her say “Drew has a brain tumor” and my knees buckled and I felt like the wind was knocked out of me. It just couldn’t be true, he was only 6 years old. For a brief moment, time stood still, and then everything changed.

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Primary Elections are not just a warm up for the main event in November. They offer an important opportunity for voters to decide who will be on the ballot representing their political party of choice in November. In addition to choosing who will contend for important statewide offices like Governor and...Read more...

Each year at the seder table, we sing Dayeinu, a rousing song that lists all of the things that God did for the Israelites beginning with the exodus from Egypt. Dayeinu means, “it would have been enough,” and the purpose of the poem is to express gratitude for everything God did. But if we look at each verse closely, we realize that actually, none of those actions alone would have been enough. It wouldn’t have been enough...Read more...

Why dedicate a mezuzah?

The Torah commands us to inscribe holy words on our doorposts (mezuzot), namely that we should love God, believe in God's oneness, and pass those teachings on to our children. The mitzvah of mezuzah occurs when we affix these words on the doorposts of our homes, schools, and sacred...Read more...

Today, to the joy of some and the chagrin of others, many businesses in St. Louis are opening as city and county officials lift many of the measures put in place to halt the spread of the virus. I can’t help but notice the synchronicity of the fact that at the same time on our Jewish calendar, we begin reading the book of Numbers, because of course, reopening is all about the numbers.

It’s about the number of...Read more...

Coffee Talk with Rabbi Amy and Rabbi Michael: Thursday mornings at 11:00 am on Facebook live: www.facebook.com/TempleIsraelStLouis

Saturday Morning Bible Study with Rabbi Shook: Saturday mornings at 9:45 am; email Rabbi Shook at mshook@ti-stl.org to participate

Shabbat Basics videos, DECC and TIRS Teacher content, and much more: www.YouTube.com/TISTL

Daily Counting the Omer...Read more...

We are still in the midst of Passover, and since I know many of you are wondering, I’ll answer your question straight off - you can start eating bread again during dinner on Wednesday, which would be a complete 7 days after the Seder. I also recognize that some of you may not keep the food rules of Passover at all, while others may be keeping 8 days if you grew up in more observant homes; either are also acceptable in Reform...Read more...

We (your rabbis) met in Jerusalem in the summer of 2001.  It was a wonderful time to be young, to be embarking on new careers, to be in love.  It was also a frightening time to live in Israel, right in the middle of the Palestinian uprising known as the second Intifada, what Israelis simply referred to as the Matzav, the situation.  Almost 20 years later, one can look back and see the reasons for the uprising, perhaps...Read more...

A Message from the St. Louis Jewish Book Festival

In difficult times throughout history, the Arts have always been there to provide insight, entertainment, maybe distraction, and certainly inspiration to the community. While the isolation of COVID-19 is new to us all, our people are not unfamiliar with being forced to study, learn and grow within the walls of our homes. Luckily, today’s requirement for social distancing comes at a...Read more...