New Mexico Jewish Journal: The 2026 Awards Are Already Rolling In

Oh the Suspense! We have preliminary results from two professional journalist contests for our stories published in our second year: the regional Society of Professional Journalists and the New Mexico Press Women awards – 17 first-place and recognized entries so far, with more to come. And we will also be hearing

15 PASSOVER SEDERS TO ATTEND IN NEW MEXICO & Trinidad, CO!

15 Passover Seder events are listed in our Passover Seder Guide to NM, w RSVP deadlines. First Night Seders are April 1st. Second Night, April 2nd. Also, an early Community seder March 28 and a Pesach BBQ April 5th. Sign up to read and receive our newsletter and future Holiday Resource Guides!

What is it like in Iran — really?

“You’ll never get out alive. You’re Jewish. You’re female. They’ll behead you, and they’ll post it on youtube.” "There’s NO American Embassy. You’ll rot in a rat-infested jail for the rest of your life” Those were some of the cheery reactions my friends had when I said I was going to Iran.

The Spiritual Path of a Maestro: Reb Zalman Schachter-Shalomi

by Ron Duncan Hart Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi was a unique influential rabbi of the late twentieth century, and his foundational book, Fragments of a Future Scroll: Hasidism for the Aquarian Age, published in 1975, has just been republished after fifty years.[i] Reb Zalman was born in Poland in 1924

Pass the rest of the health care worker compacts this year

Senate Bill 1 passed to bring NM into the interstate licensure compact for doctors. Unfortunately, 8 other compacts failed to pass for psychologists, counselors, EMTs, PAs, speech therapists & audiologists, physical & occupational therapists, & dentists. They should be passed in a special session.

Rabbi Micah Citrin Joins Senior Rabbi Celia Surget at Congregation Albert

By Norma Libman He was born in Boston and has lived in the San Francisco Bay Area, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in Eugene, Oregon, in Los Angeles, and in Israel. But before all that, he lived in Albuquerque. He grew up in Albuquerque, in the arms of Congregation Albert – in those

Finding Walter Benjamin in the Neue Galerie

... about Walter Benjamin and the perfect place, the Neue Galerie, where I found his book, The Story Teller: Tales out of Loneliness.  

Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer

...to think of its aftermath, the sharp contrast between this celebration of life painted by Klimt and the Nazi wave of hatred that would destroy the Jewish life

We all came to the Capitol, for one reason or another, for Jewish Community Day

Story and Photos by Diane Joy Schmidt Day of Celebration and Reflection February 4, 2026 was declared New Mexico Jewish Community Day at the Roundhouse in Santa Fe, while the legislature was in session. Some twenty Jewish community organizations set up tables throughout the day in the West Hall — though

The Search is the Goal: A Review of El Iluminado and a Conversation with Ilan Stavans

by Corinne Joy Brown What happens when a professor of Spanish literature and language becomes a character in his own graphic novel, functioning as both author and subject?  Nothing less than the creation of a story that holds more suspense and depth than the best “who-dunnit” ever written, one where

Flourish and Struggle: The Elusive Jewish Communities of Barcelona

By Jonah Wald During December of 2025 and going into the January of 2026 I went with my family to Barcelona, Spain. We learned a lot about the rich history of this area and I became very interested. These are some things I learned on my trip. The Spanish Inquisition

The quiet influence of legislative committee chairs

By Merilee Dannemann  Some years ago, New Mexico’s Senate Judiciary Committee had the nickname Fernando’s Hideaway. The nickname came from a song called “Hernando’s Hideaway,” published in 1954, from a Broadway musical comedy called “The Pajama Game.” The song, with an enticing tango rhythm, is still a