Today, the St. Louis Jewish Light has made an exciting announcement about its future. The paper, which has served our Jewish community for 70 years, will now be available for free to anyone and any business.

At the same time, the paper will be expanding its pick-up sites throughout the St. Louis metropolitan region, in recognition that the Jewish community has expanded far beyond the central corridor. As well, it will begin the process of greatly expanding its online presence, so its coverage of the Jewish community can be accessed from anywhere at any time.

Jewish Federation of St. Louis is proud to have assisted in this bold transformation with strategic and financial support. Working as a community development organization, we were able to raise additional funds to make a three-year, $1 million commitment to the Light to significantly improve its reach.

About a third of the financial commitment comes from the Staenberg Family Foundation, a supporting foundation of Federation, with another significant portion from an anonymous supporter. The remainder of the funding was made possible through your investments in our Annual Campaign.

While $1 million is a significant investment, the Light’s success will require increased additional financial support from each of you who also believe in its mission. We urge you to join us by increasing your own direct philanthropic support of the Light.

To learn more about Federation’s investment in the Light, please read this column by Federation Board Chair Gerry Greiman and President & CEO Andrew Rehfeld.