BY ELLEN FUTTERMANEDITOR

Legendary Hollywood movie and music producer cum author, Jerry Weintraub, will open the 32nd annual St. Louis Jewish Book Festival at the Jewish Community Center’s Staenberg Family Complex on Sunday, Nov. 7th. The format will be a lively on-stage storytelling session with co-author Rich Cohen, who helped write Weintraub’s recent mem-oir, “When I Stop Talking, You’ll Know I’m Dead.”

This year’s festival runs Nov. 7 through 18th with a pre-festival event, featuring Rabbi Harold Kushner, on Thursday, Oct. 28th ; a community-wide Kristallnacht Commemoration on Thursday, Nov. 4th featuring Tom Segev and Eric Metaxas and a post-festival family event on Sunday, Nov. 21st featuring children’s author Kate Feiffer.

Among the more than 30 authors, comedians, journalist and world fig-ures scheduled to appear at this year’s festival are Ambassador Nancy Brinker; Miss Manners Judith Martin; Abraham Foxman; Joan Nathan; Brad Meltzer; Judith Viorst; Len Berman; Cathleen Schine and Martin Fletcher.

As a longtime producer, Weintraub’s films include classics such as “Nashville,” “Diner,” “Oh, God!” and (the original) “The Karate Kid,” as well as the more recent “Ocean’s Eleven,” “Ocean’s Twelve,” and “Ocean’s Thirteen” movies and the new “The Karate Kid.” Together,

Hollywoodproducer to headline Book Festival

Getting the facts on Cedars sale

See BOOK FESTIVAL, page 21

Index

Candlelighting

INSIDE

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Back to School ................. 14-16ChaiLights .............................22 Classifieds ...................... 20-21 Dining ...................................18Jewish Lite ............................18Simchas ................................19Opinions ............................. 8-9 Obituaries .............................23News and Schmooze ...............2 Lois Caplan ............................11

Shabbat starts Friday, Aug. 13, 7:41 p.m.

Shabbat ends’ Saturday, Aug. 14, 8:40 p.m.

Vol. 63 / No. 32online at www.stljewishlight.com

Inside

NEWS & SCHMOOZE

LOCAL NEWS

FEATURES

ONLINE

F.U.N.K.Editor Ellen Futterman talks with one of the founders of a new group for "Forty & Under, No Kids," who are planning an outing to the City Museum

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Capitol connectionEditor-in-Chief Emeritus Bob Cohn talks with David Winton about his work as a lobbyist and consultant for Jewish Federation.

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Flavors of summer

Margi Lenga Kahn has tips for making the most of the fruits (and veggies and herbs) of summer in cooking scrumptious meals.

Catching up with the MunyBob Cohn takes a look at the Muny's season so far, notes a local Jewish con-nection from 'Footloose' and delves into some of the Jewish ties the insti-tution has had over the years.

Will the 'Giving Pledge' affect Jewish causes?

Bedouin demolitions raising tensions in Israeli land dispute

Jerry Weintraub

BY DAVID BAUGHERSPECIAL TO THE JEWISH LIGHT

The recent change in owner-ship of the Cedars at the JCA, which took effect Aug. 1, has left a variety of questions for resi-dents and members of the Jewish community. In an effort to answer those questions and clear up any confusion, here is a quick primer on the present situ-ation of the facility.

What is the history of the Cedars?

In 1885, local Reform Jews organized the Home for Aged and Infirm Israelites. In 1907, the Jewish Orthodox Old Folks Home was established on Grand Avenue. The two homes merged into the Jewish Center for Aged in 1940. By the 1970s, the JCA (now the Cedars at the JCA) moved from the Grand Avenue location to West County.

How did the Cedars arrive in

its present situation?In 2003, the JCA constructed

a new 252-bed facility known as the Cedars at the JCA but debts incurred in the post-9/11 econo-my made the facility’s financial situation unsustainable forcing it to default on its obligations. Its note was auctioned by the Department of Housing and Urban Development and pur-chased by PAMI Autumn, LLC, an affiliate of Lehman Brothers Holdings, Inc., a large financial services firm that declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2008. Litigation resulted from PAMI’s attempts to foreclose on the Cedars property but eventually both sides negotiated an agree-ment, which led to a change in ownership effective at the beginning of this month.

Who owns the Cedars facility now?

The new owner of the proper-ty is a company called MO 13190 South Outer Road, LLC,

an affiliate of PAMI Autumn. JCA board president Ken Rubin said the property changing hands includes the structure and its associated 25-acre tract. The JCA organization retains ownership of eight acres of land where the original facility was previously located but no longer owns the new building or con-trols its operations.

Who will run the facility? Traditions Management of St.

Louis, a company founded early in the last decade, has been managing the Cedars for two years for the JCA board and will continue to do so. The Florida-based Traditions operates 12 facilities nationwide but Cedars is its sole entity in St. Louis. An advisory committee, likely to include some JCA board mem-bers, will work with manage-ment to ensure the Judaic char-

See CEDARS, page 6

Close to 300 day campers and counselors set out from the Jewish Community Center's Arts and Education Building last week to deliver food collected for the Harvey Kornblum Jewish Food Pantry. The group made their way down the Millstone Campus, where police stopped traffic so campers could cross Schuetz and Guelbreth roads to reach the JF&CS building where the food pantry is housed. This was the third annual 'Tiyul (March) for Hunger' held by the JCC. Children also delivered some fresh produce grown at the camp’s Kehillah Garden for the new JF&CS Share the Harvest program, which encourages the community to donate excess produce from their gar-dens. For more photos and a video clip, visit www.stljewishlight.com. Photo: Mike Sherwin

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View the full St. Louis Jewish Book Festival schedule online at www.stljewishlight.com

More online

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