by Rabbi Ze'ev Smason | Nov 22, 2024 | Op-Eds
The 2024 U.S. presidential election elicited a spectrum of reactions across the nation. Many rejoiced, expressing optimism, gratitude and happiness. For others, the outcome was met with disappointment, concern and fear about the direction of the country. In some cases...
by Rabbi Ze'ev Smason | Sep 25, 2024 | Op-Eds
by Rabbi Ze’ev Smason in St. Louis Jewish Light 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 year was...
by Rabbi Ze'ev Smason | Jul 25, 2024 | Op-Eds, Family Values, Missouri
by Rabbi Zev Smason in the St. Louis Jewish Light Elizabeth Kubler-Ross, a Swiss American psychiatrist, told of a terminally ill woman who was in the hospital and begged the doctors to help her survive long enough to attend her son’s wedding. If she could just get to...
by Rabbi Ze'ev Smason | May 22, 2024 | Missouri, Family Values, Op-Eds
by Rabbi Ze’ev Smason in the St. Louis Jewish Light Fourteen years ago, I received an unusual phone call. The call was from a nun. Sister Mary called to tell me that Dale, a Jewish man who was a student of mine, had suddenly passed away at the age of 45. She...
by Rabbi Ze'ev Smason | Apr 3, 2024 | Op-Eds, Family Values
by Rabbi Ze’ev Smason in the St. Louis Jewish Link Dear Rabbi, My husband and I just found out we’re expecting. This pregnancy hasn’t come at the best time; we’re facing difficult financial pressures, and it just doesn’t seem like the right time for us to have a...