Bill Motchan

Missouri

Contributor at St. Louis Jewish Light

Staff Writer and Photographer at Freelance

Writer, photographer, golfer. Staff to house panther Hobbes.

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Articles

UH participates in Alzheimer’s disease national study

2 weeks ago | clevelandjewishnews.com | Bill Motchan

A promising treatment for people in the early stage of Alzheimer’s disease is the focus of a national study that will include participants in Cleveland and Columbus. The BenfoTeam clinical research trial will determine the viability of benfotiamine, a new drug that could slow the pro-gress of cognitive decline. Nearly 50 sites in the U.S. are participating in the study. They include University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center and The Ohio State University.
Law degree opens doors beyond the courtroom

2 weeks ago | clevelandjewishnews.com | Bill Motchan

The general image of a lawyer is colored by TV and movies. Think of a confident person, dressed in professional attire, taking depositions and representing a defendant or plaintiff before a judge or jury. However, many lawyers find professional and personal satisfaction in a role where they don’t interact with clients at all. There are many jobs that have no connection to the courts or clients, but where a law degree still is greatly beneficial.
While mostly temporary, tinnitus can bother aging adults

2 weeks ago | columbusjewishnews.com | Bill Motchan

Imagine a constant hissing, buzzing or ringing sound you can’t seem to shake. That is the most common indication of tinnitus, the annoying and frustrating perception of a sound that can only be heard by the person suffering from it. Sabrina Raineri, an audiologist at Hear USA, which has several locations in Ohio, said these noises represent “phantom sounds.” For aging adults, tinnitus is quite common.
(Bio)Spanning the generations this Father’s Day

2 weeks ago | jns.org | Bill Motchan

(June 11, 2025 / JNS)Shel Chesky and his daughter, Lindsey Hermes, will celebrate Father’s Day this year discussing their favorite topic: road sealants. The Jewish father and daughter form the senior management team of BioSpan, a Missouri-based environmentally friendly company that specializes in pavement preservation. Chesky is the company’s founder, president and CEO.
Cycling Without Age seeks volunteers for riding season

3 weeks ago | columbusjewishnews.com | Bill Motchan

If you happen to spot a three-wheeled bicycle taxi tooling around Bexley, it might be Cycling Without Age Columbus. The five-year-old nonprofit organization offers a fresh air bike ride to the elderly and people with disabilities who reside in Wexner Heritage Village and Bickford of Bexley. The passengers sit in a specially designed compartment with a seat in the front of the European triobike.
Local bat mitzvah project becomes ‘bear’ mitzvah

3 weeks ago | columbusjewishnews.com | Bill Motchan

Most 13-year-olds preparing for their b’nai mitzvah mark the occasion by completing a community service initiative. Emily Cammeyer had her bat mitzvah in 2012, but her mitzvah project lives on. In fact, it recently turned 13. The program is known as Love & Hugs and is part of the admission process at Wexner Heritage Village’s Zusman Hospice. A new hospice patient receives a stuffed bear to be there as a comfort tool. Eventually, the bear is reunited with the family of the patient.
From St. Louis with soy: Jewish family mixes faith and science to fix our roads

3 weeks ago | stljewishlight.org | Bill Motchan

Shel Chesky and his daughter Lindsey Hermes will celebrate Father’s Day on June 15th discussing their favorite topic: road sealants. Hermes, a member of Congregation Shaare Emeth, is the chief operating officer of BioSpan, an environmentally friendly company that specializes in pavement preservation. Shel is the company’s founder. At age 81, he is also looking ahead to retirement and passing the torch to Hermes. The succession plan“Have you ever seen oil and water mixed into an emulsion?
Future Senior Olympians? Meet the teens behind the clipboards

1 month ago | stljewishlight.org | Bill Motchan

Two St. Louis Senior Olympics volunteers love sports and plan to enter the competition, but not for another 30-plus years. Owen Whalen, 18, and Jake Goldfarb, 17, could be seen at multiple 2025 St. Louis Senior Olympics venues, clipboards in hand. Both are students at John Burroughs School. They chose to perform their senior service project helping manage various events. “I like seeing all the people competing,” said Whalen, who attends Temple Emanuel.
Powerlifting nana now owns 250 medals—and still benches more than you - St. Louis Jewish Light

1 month ago | stljewishlight.org | Bill Motchan

Powerlifting grandmother Jaime “Jai-Jai” Goldstein now has amassed more than 250 medals and trophies, including five golds and one silver in the 2025 St. Louis Senior Olympics. Goldstein, who was profiled in the Jewish Light in 2023, has been competing in the annual event for 12 years. “I’ve always medaled,” said Goldstein, 64. “I have all my medals hanging in my basement. They’re all over the place.”Goldstein said her favorite part of the senior olympics is the camaraderie with fellow competitors.
St. Louis Scouts place 8,000 flags at Jewish veteran graves in Memorial Day tribute

1 month ago | stljewishlight.org | Bill Motchan

For more than 40 years, St. Louis area scouts have placed flags at Jewish veterans’ graves on Memorial Day weekend. “We have 400 scouts participating at every Jewish cemetery today,” said Steve Sobelman, who coordinated the event at Chesed Shel Emeth Cemetery in University City where nearly 1,800 flags were placed. The project, known as St. Louis Memorial Day Scout Good Turn, placed more than 8,000 flags on Sunday, May 25. All photos by Bill Motchan.