Our mission: The St. Louis Jewish Light—a nonprofit, independent news source—informs, inspires, educates, and connects the St. Louis Jewish community.

Connecting the community

The St. Louis Jewish Light is the award-winning newspaper of the Jewish community of St. Louis, serving its readers with both a weekly print edition and an online edition, updated daily, at stljewishlight.com. 

The Light, a 501c3 nonprofit organization, strives to live up to its motto: “Connecting the Community,” by offering news, information and commentary about the St. Louis Jewish community, as well as Jewish news from around the nation, in Israel and elsewhere around the globe.

Through news stories, a weekly calendar and paid advertising, the Light provides an easy venue for St. Louis’ Jewish institutions — schools, agencies, synagogues, and organizations large and small — to reach a wide audience of readers in the Jewish community. 

In the weekly newspaper and in its quarterly Oy! Magazine, the Jewish Light also highlights arts and culture of particular interest to Jews in St. Louis, as well as profiles of interesting personalities in the local Jewish community.

Through letters to the editor and guest commentaries on its  Opinion pages each week, the Light welcomes a variety of diverse viewpoints from the community and provides space for its members to have their voices heard. The Light also partners with the St. Louis Rabbinical and Cantorial Association to provide a weekly d’var Torah written by local rabbis.  

Our history

In February, 2017, the Jewish Light celebrated the 70th anniversary of the first issue of the St. Louis Light, the predecessor publication of the St. Louis Jewish Light, which first appeared on Feb. 20, 1947. 

The St. Louis Light was published directly by the Jewish Federation of St. Louis. It wasn’t until 1963 that the Jewish Light became its own, independent publication, with an independent board of trustees (currently headed by Board of Trustees President Laura K. Silver). 

The first edition of the St. Louis Jewish Light in its present form was published April 3, 1963. So, in 2013, the paper celebrated its 50th anniversary as an independent news source — something we hope will continue for many years to come.