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New Mexico Jewish Journal
Newsletter
October - November ~ NEW MEXICO JEWISH JOURNAL 2025 / 5786
The New Mexico Jewish Journal is independent, we depend on your support, please donate, subscribe. Read all our Past Issues here, also, use the magnifying glass 🔍 Search icon above to find topics and authors. We have eleven new stories in, plus the October briefs NEWSLETTER with the latest community event
Hostages
ALL 20 HOSTAGES RELEASED - See NEWS around the World
All 20 hostages have arrived in Israel as of October 13th, 2025. VIEW how this is being reported around the world. View front page and homepage news around the world on the morning of Oct. 13. (Selected screenshots by Diane Joy Schmidt for NMJewishJournal.com - shared under fair use
immigration issues
LOCAL NON-PROFITS EMPOWER IMMIGRANT FAMILIES TO FIGHT FEAR WITH PREPARATION
By Emily Alvarez Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Department of Homeland Security have made their mission clear: Detain and deport a record number of immigrants in the United States, regardless of criminal history or ties to the country. The heightened number of detentions and deportations has had catastrophic consequences
Jewish Films
Personal essay written on Oct. 13th from Marisa Fox, the Filmmaker of "My Underground Mother" SFIFF Official Selection
"Freedom fighter, double agent, femme fatale — Tamar said she was all three. Decades after her death, a page she wrote in a diary from a Nazi-run women’s camp reveals a hidden identity, leading her journalist daughter on a global reckoning with the secrets she took to her grave.
Jewish Films
"Extinguished Lives" world-premier short documentary; interview with filmmaker Roberta Grossman, SFIFF OFFICIAL SELECTION
"When a young bride and her husband escape the Nazi onslaught for the safety of her childhood home—a remote Jewish village in Lithuania—they discover that the most chilling threat may come not from the invaders, but from those they once called neighbors." "Extinguished Lives"
Jewish History New Mexico
How The David Specter Shalom House and the Ronald Gardenswartz Jewish Community Center of Greater Albuquerque Came to Be
By Howard Friedman David (Dave) Specter was a local Albuquerque businessman and co-owner of Zeon signs. His elderly mother was in poor health and he wanted to find a facility that catered to senior Jews who needed a place to live where they could be cared for. Since there was
Jewish History
A Hidden Jewish Voice from the Spanish Inquisition: Torture in Cartagena
By Ron Duncan Hart Warning: This article is for a mature audience and contains the vivid original Inquisition description of the torture of a Portuguese Jew. Tens of thousands of voices of hidden Jews are recorded in the archives of the Spanish Inquisition. In their trial records we can see
Jewish History New Mexico
Hear smart people talk about interesting ideas: New voices in NM Jewish Historical Society Speakers Bureau
by Norma Libman I’ve spent the better part of the past year talking to smart people about interesting ideas. What could be more fun? Visit Speakers Bureau at www.nmjhs.org under Programs tab Actually, I was on assignment from the Board of NMJHS to refresh and revamp our
Jewish Holidays
La Torah ~ Simchat Torah 5786
This image, which is titled in Ladino "La Torah," emphasizes the lifting of the Torah standing on the letter chet, the gateway to infinity and life, explains Gloria Abella Ballen, artist. Created for the New World Haggadah with Ilan Stavans (Gaon Books), she said, "Above the scrolls
Israel after October 7th
NATURE HEALS: Eco-Therapy for Recovery and Resilience
By Dan Pava Since October 7, 2023, tens of thousands of Israelis have experienced life-altering trauma. Families were forced from their homes, children witnessed unimaginable violence, and entire communities were uprooted. The resulting fear, grief, and emotional turmoil have left over 3 million Israelis suffering from psychological distress due to
Vote
Do You Know What Your School Board Candidates Think About Anything? Maybe it’s Time to Find Out
by Karen Wentworth, League of Women Voters of Central New Mexico Early voting begins October 18 at expanded voting sites. Absentee voting is already in progress, but there is still so much voters haven’t had a chance to think about. Do you know how you’ll vote on the