Blog

Nicki Kruger

When Nicki Kruger, 45, and her husband moved to St. Louis from Iowa, she didn’t know a soul. With three young children, Gabi, 10, Benjamin, 6, and Shauni, 4, Nicki knew it would be important to find a community that her family could join. And she wanted that community...

Guest Post: Ben Kirschner

I know I speak for the group when I say this opportunity has been one of the most intense emotional experiences of my life. After a long day at Yad Vashem, I wasn't expecting to get a whole lot out of our trip to the Western Wall- and honestly, I didn't even...

B’tai Avon! [guest post by Sonia Emmons]

Our first day in the Negev began in the city of Arad at 4:30 a.m. After a quick breakfast of Israeli instant coffee and cakes, forty-nine bleary-eyed travelers rounded some dangerous curves to reach the base of Masada, the ancient Roman fortress ruins built atop a...

Day 4

Yad Vashem and Har Herzl is never easy.  Every time I go there, it's something different that gets me choked up.  When I led the STL community trip in May, it was the personal stories that our Israeli soldiers shared about their friends an family that had lost their...

Guest Post: Emilie Docter

Waking up this morning at Kibbutz Manera we were greeted with a gorgeous view of mountains and houses. We had a delicious breakfast - I love the tahini, fresh veggies and most importantly, I have finally mastered instant...

Guest Post: Alyssa Banford

Though it is early in the trip, Israel Outdoors is living up to the "outdoors" adventure and so much more. Let me first say that the Israeli landscape is much different than I had pictured in my mind. Quite candidly, I was expecting lots of sand and maybe...

Jewish Loan Association

Need a Loan? Turn to the Jewish Community for Help Through JF&CS, Federation’s Jewish Loan Association gives zero-interest loans to Jews in our community and to employees of Jewish agencies on the Millstone Campus. Bob L (not his real name) needed a loan quickly. ...

First Day in Israel

There is no feeling like stepping out of Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv and seeing the bus that has your group number on a sign in the front window.  To me, that is when it starts to hit me that I am actually in Eretz Yisrael, the holy land.  I literally...

Welcome!

Hi all! Thanks for visiting our blog.  My name is Joel Frankel and I’m the Israel Engagement Professional at Jewish Federation of St. Louis. From December 16-26 I’m leading the Winter 2012 STL Community Taglit-Birthright Israel Trip. This trip gives a group of 40...