December 7 New Mexico Jewish Journal ~ READ: Chanukah Is Coming ~ The BBYO Experience, as Told by this Teen ~ What's Happening Now to the Status of Women in Israel!? ~ Triple Match: We must Raise $6,000 to Unlock $12,000 NOW!!!

View in Browser on Email for best viewing experience. Chanukah is coming up on December 14th already! We are very happy to share some lovely artwork by 4 year olds made this week in preparation for Chanukah, thanks to Dale Sides Cooperman, Director of Early Childhood Education at Congregation Albert

A Long Journey Home

By Sabra Minkus After a 2000-plus year journey from Israel, a group called B'nei Menashe are in the process of returning to a land they believe is their ancestral home – Israel.  They are believed to be the descendants of Manasseh, son of Joseph. They were exiled from northern

Our Kafkaesque Immigration System 2.0

By Emily Alvarez Mark M. (name and identifying details withheld for safety) fled his home country in South America in late 2018 after receiving threats that made remaining there impossible. He entered the United States legally on a B-2 visitor visa and, within months, filed an affirmative asylum application, a

Etty and the Etty Project: Susan Stein in New Mexico

by Dianne R. Layden, Ph.D. The short play Etty about the life of Dutch woman Esther “Etty” Hillesum (1914-1943) during the German occupation was performed by Susan Stein in schools and houses of worship in New Mexico in October 2025.* I saw the performance in Albuquerque at Congregation Albert

"Write On NM!" with Letter-to- Editor List by State.

Michael Baron, Ph.D. with Letter-to-Editor List by State No one can forget the image of Capitol Police Officer Daniel Hodges having his head crushed on January 6, 2021, one of 140 officers injured that day, subsequent to which over 1,500 who stormed the Capitol were convicted of serious

The History of the Ten US Hanukkah stamps

By Jim Winnerman It is likely you are aware the United States Postal Service periodically issues a commemorative Hanukkah stamp. Perhaps you have noticed them on the envelope of a Hanukkah card you have received or used them on your own cards and letters around the holiday. The tradition of

"Chevra Kadisha: The Last Responders," Conference gathering at Camp Ramah, Ojai

By Gail Rubin, CT Between the general tendency to avoid discussing death, and the rule against revealing one’s participation in a specific tahara, many communities don’t know about the Chevra Kadisha and Jewish rituals they perform around end-of-life.   It’s been six years since Kavod v’Nichum last

Affordable Care Act benefits must be preserved

by Merilee Dannemann “Pre-existing condition.” Remember that term? Fifteen years ago, you heard it all the time on the news. It was the issue that scared the daylights out of millions of Americans who couldn’t get health insurance, or whose insurance was impossibly expensive. A pre-existing condition might have

Chavurah Members Help Ease Food Insecurity in New Mexico

by Denise Suttle This article first appeared in the weekly newsletter of Chavurat Hamidbar, Albuquerque. Wednesday mornings at 10:00 AM you’ll find a dedicated group of Chavurah members and community teammates clad in sweats, ball caps, sneakers and aprons—ready to serve fellow New Mexicans.  The Roadrunner Food

Why Release Another Jewish Album Now? A personal essay by songwriter Larry Lesser

Like many Jews, I’m still reeling from the last two years and the continuing rise of antisemitism. A 2025 ADL/World Union of Jewish Students poll found more than three-quarters of Jewish college students now conceal their religious identity. On the other hand, many of us have found that

WINTER ISSUE 2025 ~ NEW MEXICO JEWISH JOURNAL ~ KISLEV 5786

KEEP SCROLLING TO READ ABOUT OUR NINE NEW EXCITING STORIES! From Sabra Minkus, Emily Alvarez, Gail Rubin, Dianne Layden, Jim Winnerman, Denise Suttle, Merilee Dannemann, Michael Baron, Larry Lesser, and upcoming Community Events. Through the month of December we are having a Triple Match campaign. All details here on our

WINTER ISSUE 2025 ~ NEW MEXICO JEWISH JOURNAL ~ KISLEV 5786

KEEP SCROLLING TO READ OUR NINE NEW EXCITING STORIES! From Sabra Minkus, Emily Alvarez, Gail Rubin, Dianne Layden, Jim Winnerman, Denise Suttle, Merilee Dannemann, Michael Baron, Larry Lesser, plus upcoming Community Events. Through the month of December we are having a Triple Match campaign. All details here on our Donate

TRIPLE MATCH

TRIPLE MATCH IN DECEMBER!! 3X TIMES THE IMPACT NOW with YOUR SUBSCRIPTIONS CONTRIBUTIONS and DONATIONS. Help us UNLOCK our MATCH All details below:

TRIPLE YOUR CONTRIBUTION! Throughout December every $1 will be matched by $2 = $3. A base subscription of $36 (annually or monthly/ $3) becomes $108. A direct $360 contribution becomes $1080. A charitable tax-deductible donation made through the New Mexico Foundation, our fiscal sponsor, of $500 becomes $1500 (see options below)

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TRIPLE MATCH IN DECEMBER. TRIPLE Your IMPACT.

TRIPLE YOUR CONTRIBUTION! We have a 2:1 match from December 1st thru Dec. 31st. Every $1 will be matched by $2 = $3. For example a new base subscription of $36 ($3/month or annual) becomes $108. A direct $108 contribution becomes $324. A charitable tax-deductible donation of $500 becomes

Newsletter

Halloween Briefs from New Mexico Jewish Journal Oct. 31, 2025

First off, Saturday Nov. 1st, 5:15 "CULTURAL ROOTS OF CHRISTIAN NATIONALISM and its Implications for American Jewry" lecture by Ron Duncan Hart, to be followed by Havdalah with Rabbi Neil Amswych. Temple Beth Shalom, Santa Fe. REGISTRATION REQUIRED: RSVP https://sftbs.shulcloud.com/form/havdalah.html/. By

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COMMUNITY CHANUKAH CELEBRATION SUNDAY DEC. 14 12:30 pm - 3:00 pm JCC ABQ

REGISTER: COMMUNITY CHANUKAH CELEBRATION DEC. 14 REGISTER: COMMUNITY CHANUKAH CELEBRATION DEC. 14 REGISTER: BAGELS & JAZZ - SWEETJAZZ DEC. 7th

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SPARKS OF DEDICATION & MEN'S CLUB LATKE PARTY DEC. 19th CONGREGATION B'NAI ISRAEL

https://bnaiisrael-nm.org/event/shabbat-of-dedication CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS: SPARKS of DEDICATION & MEN'S CLUB LATKES PARTY

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DECEMBER 19th ~ RABBI MICAH INSTALLATION ~ Congregation Albert

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JANUARY 18 BROTHERHOOD BRUNCH ~ PUBLIC SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT DR. GABRIELLE DURAN BLAKELY

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.