Living Jews Part 2: Randy and Jeff Vines

Part 2 in our ongoing coverage of young Yids doing something fresh in St. Louis

The Vines twins know a thing about or two about St. Louis, in fact, you could say they are obsessed with the city.

Most people see St. Louis as a generic Midwestern city. Jeff and Randy Vines feel just the opposite.

We like St. Louis because of its authenticity and its no-frills attitude. It is gritty, yet charming. It is old, yet still maintains a progressive edge. A high-quality urban lifestyle is very possible to achieve in St. Louis, and its under-the-radar image only adds to its mystique. We are the type of people who are usually rooting for the underdog.

Judging from the fact that they have been written up in the New York Times as well as a number of local St. Louis newspapers, these guys must be doing something right.

So...what exactly is it that Randy and Jeff do?

The duo are founders of STL-Style, a clothing company that puts St. Louis urban themes and inside jokes on display.

Below are a few personal favorites:





It was just after work when I caught the pair in their studio deep in Soulard (from which they are currently in the process of moving).


It is apparent the the two have a deep love and respect for the City of St. Louis by the maps and references to all of the little neighborhoods that adorn the walls of their studio.

I'm interested how they came to have a level of knowledge and passion for the city that borders on obsession.

Jeff explains that he and Randy have a long history of becoming fascinated with something. . . and subsequently learning as much as they can about it.

"In a city as old and storied as this, it would be impossible to know everything," says Randy.

"It started when we were little kids with VW Beetles," he explained, and then it moved to other cars, then helicopters and airplanes, to the extent that they could look up and identify pretty much anything flying overhead or passing you by in the street instantaneously.

The fascination with St. Louis came when our father took us to his old neighborhood on St. Louis's North Side, which at one time was a thriving, harmonious neighborhood with a sizeable Jewish community. He would point out where all the shops and restaurants were, and how he and his cousins played in the streets and took streetcars all over the city.

They fell in love with the heritage the second their eyes were opened to it, and learned all they could about the history of the city.

As we got older, we found that the entire city was built to have these amazing, self-sufficient neighborhoods, full of vibrancy and density and diversity. These are the qualities that make up an interesting urban place, and it was all here in St. Louis. The more we explored the city, the more we discovered that though it isn't the same place it was in the 1940s and '50s, there are still certain neighborhoods that embody these characteristics, and we are really lucky to have so many vestiges of this history left.

"The old Jewish neighborhood was called the Tel Aviv of the West, there were 30 synagogues in Mid-town."

"Every corner is like a museum," I'm told. And the boys really believe that this history is worth preserving and celebrating.

"Our rich history is our greatest competitive edge. Old cities can always build new to keep up with emerging trends, but younger cities can never replicate the authentic urban fabric that abounds all over STL."

Preservation and celebration of St. Louis are themes that come through loud and clear in their designs. Combining images of St. Louis architecture and themes with more contemporary urban style, Jeff and Randy have created some really interesting visuals that say loud and clear, "I'm from the 'Lou and I'm proud."

And pride is a big part of the equation, according to the Vines bros. When posing the question, how can St. Louis attract and keep creative and intelligent young people, a big part of the answer is creating a vibrant urban community that people want to be a part of and see as a destination.

We of course are not naive enough to think that there is any way that St. Louis-- or any city for that matter-- will ever return to its former glory. It's just a completely different world now. What we would like to see is St. Louis become the kind of city we know it can be. There is a lot of work to be done. What we seek to accomplish with our clothing line is rather simple-- we just want to bolster hometown pride. We want to take the elements that we think make the city cool and print them on wearables so other St. Louisans near and far can extoll the coolness of the city in a hip and affectionate way. We think the city is worth much more than just the cliche t-shirts you find at Union Station or the airport. We are doing our part to show St. Louis off in a different light.

The fuel for such a community already exists in the heritage, the infrastructure, and the people who want to see St. Louis return to its former vitality.

Randy and Jeff Vines are definitely two living Jews providing a spark.

So buy a shirt, or a thong, and wear your pride on your sleave, or your chest.

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Festival of Nations Recap

Food! Music! Dancing! Scotch! More Food!

Sounds like a stereotypical Jewish (or for that matter, almost any ethnic) get-together. In fact, it was the Festival of Nations, a weekend-long outdoor festival housed in Tower Grove Park.

Saturday started out with some Irie tuned from the Dubtronix, local Reggae outfit covering everything from Bob Marley and Black Uhuru, to more contemporary Dancehall.

Next Zuz and I took a walk up to the merchandise booths, which contained goodies from around the world.



After sampling the worldly wares, we were drawn to the sound of percussion (read: I was drawn and made dash for). It turned out to be a belly dancing demonstration, and was worth a few minutes in the brutal sun.


We filled up on food from around the world and hobbled home, much appreciative of multiculturalism.

On Sunday, I recovered early enough to catch the Kung Fu demonstration, but not early enough for the Israeli folk songs.

I did, however, get a sample a flight of whiskey. Never underestimate the power of a whiskey tasting to get you through your day.


I would like to commend the organizers of this event, for putting getting together so many different people and bringing them together in such a positive way. I will definitely be there next time around.
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What Happenned to the Real Bagels

A long awaited dispatch from a man who has been published far and wide:
Bagels are in my blood, and I mean that as literally as scientifically possible.

My father and his brother opened the first bagel deli in Seattle back in 1978, 5 years before I was born. They brought with them the Detroit recipe and made them properly (boiling the formed dough before baking). Bagels were tokhik in our family, and still very much are. But my snobbery for real bagels (if they’re not boiled, their rolls or muffins, even if they are shaped like donuts) has made life difficult because bagels are increasingly rare. Most sellers of purported “bagels” simply parade rolls (savory flavors) and muffins (sweet flavors). My father, were he dead, would be rolling in his grave. But roll he does, in life (thankfully), like I do, over people’s, and Jews’ in particular, acceptance of these impostors as legitimate products.



This issue speaks to a more broad issue: the growing indifference of Jews in American to being Jewish. American Jews have the luxury of being Jewish without fear for their livelihoods, but many do not take advantage of this privilege.



The bagel is an American Jewish invention. So too is Reform Judaism (credit can be shared with Europe, though the movement is stronger in state-side). And like the bagel, (and lox – what’s with this Nova rubbish?) the Reform movement is having its problems keeping itself significant. In January of this year, the chair of the board of trustees of the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ), Peter Weidhorn, warned the most pressing challenge for congregations is “attracting and retaining members,” specifically pointing out troubles of retaining family memberships after their children’s bar or bat mitzvah.



However, being religious is only an electable part of what it means to be Jewish. There is much more to Jewish identity than religion. There’s the heritage of the Jewish people: our shared history of cyclical struggle and victory in our pursuit of life. There’s the long list of traditions. There’s Jewish values, like tikkun olam, which drives the Jewish civic mind. There’s Israel, and the politics surrounding it. And for many American Jews, these pieces of Jewish identity are becoming foreign concepts.



Take the Israel connection as an example. Many of us have been on Birthright, and most of us have enjoyed our trip. And potentially (hopefully), you developed a stronger connection to our ancestral homeland. But how do you feel now, a year or more after your trip? The Jewish community has done a fantastic job bringing Diaspora Jews to Israel, but there are few organized post-Birthright programs, and they are not popular among Birthright alumni. We’ve all been told that what Israel needs most from American Jews is aliyah, yet America legs behind immigrants from the former Soviet bloc, Ethiopia, and France.



Most events in St. Louis for Jews in their 20s and 30s are well attended; I see this when I go. But as the events get less socially-focused and more issue-focused, attendance decreases. YPD and SLIC’s Yom Haatzmaut had a great turnout, but Java Talk, which aims to foster a better understanding of Israel through dialogue on Sunday afternoons, receives only a fraction of the 60th celebration crowd. Events like Jewish art shows are frequented almost exclusively by the over 50 crowd. I doubt most St Louis Jews in their 20s and 30s could explain the significance of “Shalom Salaam” or even tell the difference between a real bagel and an impostor.

I’m disturbed by the practical and philosophical implications of the loss of the bagel because there is so much good in our heritage and so much potential in our future that hangs in the balance. Not everyone has to volunteer for a political campaign and go to temple every week, but it is important that they vote, that they learn about Judaism, and that they explore their own connection, because guarantee with all have one.
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Living Jews: Maya Escobar

Maya Escobar is a living Jew.

Currently pursuing a Masters of Fine Arts at Washington University, Maya was generously loaned to St. Louis by the rest of world Jewry.

From West Rogers Park, Chicago, where the young artists was raised, a Reconstructionist in an Orthodox neighborhood.

From Guatemala, where her father evaded political unrest and violence.

From Berlin, where she found new Jewish identity springing from the ashes. An identity that refused to be wholly tied to a catastrophic event of death and destruction, and prefers to be seen through life and creation.

Maya considers herself an educator before an artist, and her art is proof of that. Her latest project, entitled 'Berlin's Eruv'is about "the changing face of Jewish identity as delineated through social spaces" and contains interviews with members of the Berlin community. Just listening to the audio she provides online opens one up to a world far from the comforts of American Jewry.

Which is the point, says Maya. In America, she explains, you don't really have to acknowledge being Jewish, whereas in Europe, it is a fight for identity, a struggle.

Maya went on to explain that she is really looking to elucidate what it means to 'be a stranger in a strange land', and that the answer for these Jews is far different than our might be.

In challenging what it means to be a Jew, and including narratives that haven't traditionally been part of the (Ashkenazi) mainstream identity, Maya expands the notion of Jewish identity and creates a space for discussion and education.

Part of this comes from her own experience, and having the identifier, 'Jew of Color' placed on her. By being effectively 'raced', and made exotic, there is a lot of potential for her work to be put in a box, but after you spend some time with the art itself, you find the ideas are too big to be contained.

Truly, then, this is the work of a living Jew.

Maya's Hiddur Napkin (a hand embroidered challah cover), can be viewed at the Bruno David Gallery called Over View _08, (Jul 11- Aug 23) *
In late September, a survey of her work will be on display at Washington University in St. Louis. "This solo show is thematically centered around art education functioning as a catalyst in promoting cross-curricular and intercollegiate discourse. As a facet of this exhibition, she will be leading a series of lectures and workshops for undergraduate students in the following departments: Jewish Studies, Women and Gender Studies, Cultural Anthropology, and Latin American Studies."

Additionally, Maya will be working with Rabbi Susan Talve of Central Reform Congregation this fall to create a multi-media, interactive Jewish Time Line at the Synagogue.

Check out Maya's Blog and stay tuned for future updates about Maya and her work.

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