The Jewish Federation recognized key members of the Jewish community for their work during “An Evening of Impact!” event on Thursday, May 9. Donors and volunteers were acknowledged for supporting Federation’s work. Dafna Revah and MaryAnne Smyly Sabin received the David N. and Roselin Grosberg Young Leadership Award. Andrew Goldfeder received the Fred A Goldstein Professional Excellence Award. The Wallis Companies received the RubinBrown Corporate Leadership Award. Gallery • 15 Photos Karen Sher and MaryAnne Smyly Sabin The post JFed recognizes visionary leaders for dedication and achiev ..read more

Amid the Biden administration’s decision to withhold arms from Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday reaffirmed Jerusalem’s resolve to defeat Hamas, even if it has to fight without U.S. backing. Sharing a clip of his May 5 speech at the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial Museum in Jerusalem, the premier sought to reiterate that “no amount of pressure, no decision by any international forum will stop Israel from defending itself.” “Eighty years ago, in the Holocaust, the Jewish people were totally defenseless against those who sought our destruction,” Netanyahu says in the speech, wh ..read more

Lev Isaakovich Soyfer, 05/23/1932 – 04/19/2024 Lev Isaakovich Soyfer passed away on April 19, 2024. Dear Father to Igor (Anna) Soyfer. Beloved grandfather of Isabella, Samuel and Jacob Soyfer. Lev was born in Ukraine, to Isaak and Bella Soyfer.  When Nazi Germany attacked the Soviet Union in 1941, Lev and his mother evacuated by train to the city of Tashkent, Uzbekistan. The train journey took several weeks, the train was bombed, and Lev almost got separated from his mother at the age of 8.  Lev’s father, Isaak, was enlisted into the Soviet army and went to the front lines as a war ..read more

Dr. Ram Levy, a revered chemist, father and grandfather, known for his intellectual curiosity, amiable demeanor, and profound love for Israel, passed away peacefully on April 6, 2024, at the age of 91. Born in 1932 in Bulgaria, Ram, his parents, and sister, Etti, survived the Holocaust and immigrated to Israel in 1948, at the birth of the new nation. There he served in the IDF and later graduated from the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology. During his tenure in the IDF reserves, he contributed his engineering skills to develop innovative defense mechanisms for Israel’s borders. Ram’s pr ..read more

The St. Louis Cardinals, mired in a three-game losing streak, needed something special to create a winning spark Tuesday night. So, they called up local civic leader and lifetime educator Carolyn Losos to take the mound. The hope was Losos, who has been known to hit 96 mph on the radar gun, could get the team back on the right track. The Cardinals wasted her valiant effort. While Losos, a member of Congregation Temple Israel, did not bring the Cardinals a win (they lost 7-5), the co-founder of Parents as Teachers (PAT) did provide fans a reason to cheer as she threw out the ceremonial first pi ..read more

This story was originally published in the Forward. Click here to get the Forward’s free email newsletters delivered to your inbox. “There’s a strong correlation between Judaism and Knicks basketball,” Josh Safdie, co-director of Uncut Gems once said. “And it has to do with suffering and trying to understand your life.” As the Israeli-Hamas war continues to rage and antisemitism has reached a fever pitch, the state of the global union can seem overwhelming and genuinely depressing. Particularly in New York City, where life at Columbia University, along with dozens of other colleges nationwide ..read more

A Columbia student wraps tefillin, while in the background, a pro-Palestinian encampment enters its third day. (Jackie Hajdenberg) (New York Jewish Week) — More than 400 Jewish students at Columbia University have signed an open letter defending their support for Israel and decrying harassment they’ve faced surrounding the school’s pro-Palestinian encampment. The letter also addresses two groups that, signatories say, have purported to speak for them: their anti-Zionist Jewish peers, and pro-Israel alumni who have come to the school to protest. “We are here, writing to you as Jewish students a ..read more

Two resolutions supporting Israel advanced in the Missouri legislature this week. House Continuing Resolution 30 passed in the House of Representatives on May 6 by a vote of 108 to 8. Another 22 house members voted “present.” The resolution, known as HCR 30, expresses support for Israel and recognizes its special relationship with the United States. HCR 30 states in part “Be it resolved that that the General Assembly supports Israel’s right to exist and recognizes Jerusalem as the eternal capital of Israel.” The resolution, sponsored by Rep. Dean Plocher, R-St. Louis County, was discussed by t ..read more

The St. Louis Cardinals, mired in a three-game losing streak, needed something to create a winning spark Tuesday night, and they got it. They called up local civic leader and lifetime educator Carolyn Losos to take the mound. The hope was Losos, who has been known to hit 96 mph on the radar gun, could get the team back on the right track. The Cardinals wasted her valiant effort. While Losos, a member of Congregation Temple Israel, did not bring the Cardinals a win (they lost 7-5), the co-founder of Parents as Teachers (PAT) did provide fans a reason to cheer as she threw out the ceremonial fir ..read more

Lloyd Austin, the secretary of defense, meets with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv. Dec. 18, 2023. Photo by Chad McNeeley/U.S. Department of Defense. A decision by U.S. President Joe Biden is holding up a delivery of thousands of heavy bombs to the Israel Defense Forces was taken in the context of Jerusalem’s plans to carry out a large-scale ground offensive in Rafah, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told Senators on Wednesday. “We’ve been very clear that Israel shouldn’t launch a major attack into Rafah without accounting for and protecting the civilians that are in that battlespa ..read more