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  • HIGH HOLIDAYS CEMETERY GATHERING TO REMEMBER ~ SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 7th ~ Rivera Memorial Gardens Santa Fe Jewish Cemetery 1:30- 2:30 PM ~ Please Join Us ~
  • ABQJew, and all New Mexico JEWISH RESOURCES and CALENDAR ~ LINKS to High Holiday information
  • NM JEWISH HISTORICAL SOCIETY ~ Frances Levine "Moving Beyond Stereotypes: Jewish Women & Men on the Santa Fe Trail" Sept. 8, 7 pm Zoom ~ New SPEAKERS BUREAU! ~ FALL CONFERENCE Nov. 2, 40th Anniversary ~ Rabbi Jack Shlachter "18 Jewish Artists" Jan. 20
  • CONGREGATION ALBERT ~  SCHOOL OF JEWISH STUDIES Register Now! ~ Jewish life in Albuquerque
  • TEMPLE BETH SHALOM is a Community Supporter  ~ RELIGIOUS SCHOOL REGISTRATION is NOW OPEN! ~ TBS is hiring: B'nai Mitzvah Coordinator.
  • CONGREGATION B'NAI ISRAEL ~ SISTERHOOD Opening Dinner Sept. 4th ~ Blanket Project Oct. 5th ~ Sukkot BBQ  Coming! OCT 12 ~  ACADEMY of JEWISH LEARNING  Register Now! ~ See Complete Calendar ~
  • The JCC of ABQ ~ Private Museum Tour Berlin Art SEPT 7th ~ BOOK FEST  SEPT 21, 2 PM 'THE LOST MASTERPIECE' with Best-Selling AUTHOR B.A. SHAPIRO
  • THE FALL SERIES ANNOUNCED! Avinoam Patt "Yiddish Humor" Sept. 21 ~ SANTA FE DISTINGUISHED LECTURE SERIES ~ INSTITUTE FOR TOLERANCE STUDIES 20th Anniversary ~ GAON WEB FILMS ~ JEWISH LEARNING CHANNEL
  • SHABBAT WITH FRIENDS  ~  Dimensions of Jewish Culture  Exploring the Jewish Experience w Rabbis Dov Gartenberg & Jack Shlachter, sign up now for  FALL ~ Don't Miss:  Fall Shabbat RETREAT in Truchas, NM Oct. 24-26
  • WHERE THE NORTH ENDS, A Novel by Hugo Moreno ~ Accused of being a Crypto-Jew in 17th century New Mexico ~ forthcoming from UNM Press
  • THE JEWISH COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF NEW MEXICO ~ Read: JCF NM on track to create $6.8 million in endowed gifts ~  Meet: Sarah Winger, new Executive Director, Jewish Community Foundation of New Mexico
  • The JEWISH FEDERATION of EL PASO and LAS CRUCES is a Community Supporter!
HIGH HOLIDAYS CEMETERY GATHERING TO REMEMBER ~ SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 7th ~ Rivera Memorial Gardens Santa Fe Jewish Cemetery 1:30- 2:30 PM ~ Please Join Us ~
ABQJew, and all New Mexico JEWISH RESOURCES and CALENDAR ~ LINKS to High Holiday information
NM JEWISH HISTORICAL SOCIETY ~ Frances Levine "Moving Beyond Stereotypes: Jewish Women & Men on the Santa Fe Trail" Sept. 8, 7 pm Zoom ~ New SPEAKERS BUREAU! ~ FALL CONFERENCE Nov. 2, 40th Anniversary ~ Rabbi Jack Shlachter "18 Jewish Artists" Jan. 20
CONGREGATION ALBERT ~  SCHOOL OF JEWISH STUDIES Register Now! ~ Jewish life in Albuquerque
TEMPLE BETH SHALOM is a Community Supporter  ~ RELIGIOUS SCHOOL REGISTRATION is NOW OPEN! ~ TBS is hiring: B'nai Mitzvah Coordinator.
CONGREGATION B'NAI ISRAEL ~ SISTERHOOD Opening Dinner Sept. 4th ~ Blanket Project Oct. 5th ~ Sukkot BBQ  Coming! OCT 12 ~  ACADEMY of JEWISH LEARNING  Register Now! ~ See Complete Calendar ~
The JCC of ABQ ~ Private Museum Tour Berlin Art SEPT 7th ~ BOOK FEST  SEPT 21, 2 PM 'THE LOST MASTERPIECE' with Best-Selling AUTHOR B.A. SHAPIRO
THE FALL SERIES ANNOUNCED! Avinoam Patt "Yiddish Humor" Sept. 21 ~ SANTA FE DISTINGUISHED LECTURE SERIES ~ INSTITUTE FOR TOLERANCE STUDIES 20th Anniversary ~ GAON WEB FILMS ~ JEWISH LEARNING CHANNEL
SHABBAT WITH FRIENDS  ~  Dimensions of Jewish Culture  Exploring the Jewish Experience w Rabbis Dov Gartenberg & Jack Shlachter, sign up now for  FALL ~ Don't Miss:  Fall Shabbat RETREAT in Truchas, NM Oct. 24-26
WHERE THE NORTH ENDS, A Novel by Hugo Moreno ~ Accused of being a Crypto-Jew in 17th century New Mexico ~ forthcoming from UNM Press
THE JEWISH COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF NEW MEXICO ~ Read: JCF NM on track to create $6.8 million in endowed gifts ~  Meet: Sarah Winger, new Executive Director, Jewish Community Foundation of New Mexico
The JEWISH FEDERATION of EL PASO and LAS CRUCES is a Community Supporter!
Avid Readers Recommend

Avid Readers Recommend, and Letters, Fall 2025

New Mexico Jewish Journal

New Mexico Jewish Journal

21 Aug 2025 — 3 min read
Avid Readers Recommend, and Letters, Fall 2025
Peace Artwork © Gloria Abella Ballen. The Hebrew letters, from right to left, Shin, Lamed, Vav and Mem, spell the word Shalom, the Hebrew word for Peace. "What we all need and want: Peace, an agreement to end hostilities, and to have security for the collective well-being," wrote Abella Ballen.

We have a new feature, Avid Readers Recommend. Paid subscribers only may submit, by email, letters of 250 words or less to comment on articles we have published, and links to other published articles from known credible, trustworthy, publications that they very much want other NMJJ readers to see. (If the link is behind a paywall, include a cogent excerpt.) At our discretion, we may publish those letters and suggested links here. See all Avid Readers Recommend columns here. You can see all past issues of NMJJ since we launched March, 2024: at the new last tab at the top (click 3 dots or bars if on smaller screen s for dropdown menu): Past Issues.

Letters received:

Regarding NMJJ‘s publication of the NM Rabbis letter opposing Trump detentions and defunding universities: I’m proud of these rabbis. But I’m especially proud to call you a client. –  Z.P., Lawyers for Reporters, Cyrus R. Vance Center for International Justice


As a frequent writer for New Mexico Jewish Journal,  I am always interested in seeing the articles published by other contributors.  If the pieces are engaging, evocative, entertaining or highly informative, it makes me proud to be in such fine company. After I read the story about Borges’ Jewish Roots by Ilan Stavans and A Censored Essay for Tisha B’av by Diane Schmidt, I smiled, nodded, and was pleased to be in such a high-quality environment.    
— Judith Fein, Santa Fe


I just read Ron Duncan Hart’s story “Ken Elsas Mayers and his American Jewish Story” in your August issue. It was so interesting. I always read what he writes - I think he is the best writer you have!
— An Avid Reader, Colorado


I read your article A Censored Essay for Tisha B’av in the New Mexico Jewish Journal. Oh, how prescient.  Unbelievable that it was censored! 
Antisemitism is rising a lot, and it is being ever more fueled by the deteriorating situation in Gaza. I am afraid this will continue to grow worse and seriously jeopardize Jews worldwide. Perhaps the New Mexico Jewish Journal could serve as a platform to encourage collective action aimed at alleviating the suffering in Gaza—both out of compassion and in the interest of our community’s well-being.
– J.S., M.D., Denver

A recent kudo: Judges' comment on New Mexico Jewish Journal "This is great! I really like the concept and what you are doing for your community. It is truly remarkable. I love all the content and images. I can tell a lot of love went into building this site." – National Federation of Press Women national contest. See more NFPW awards here.

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Editor's Note: We also refer you to our standing list of More than 50 Reliable, Varied Sources of News, Analysis and Opinion About Israel and the US. Of those 50 sources, The Times of Israel, a free website, is our first choice for up-to-date news and commentary about Israel.

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Community Supporters of the NM Jewish Journal include:
Jewish Community Foundation of New Mexico
Congregation Albert
Jewish Community Center of Greater Albuquerque
The Institute for Tolerance Studies
Jewish Federation of El Paso and Las Cruces
Temple Beth Shalom
Congregation B'nai Israel
Shabbat with Friends: Recapturing Together the Joy of Shabbat
New Mexico Jewish Historical Society
Where the North Ends, A Novel by Hugo Moreno 


Policy Statement Acceptance of advertisements does not constitute an endorsement of the advertisers’ products, services or opinions. Likewise, while an advertiser or community supporter's ad may indicate their support for the publication's mission, that does not constitute their endorsement of the publication's content.

Copyright © 2025 New Mexico Jewish Journal LLC. All rights reserved.

Read more

A Dazzling Fashion Show for the Most Famous Jewish Mother in the World

A Dazzling Fashion Show for the Most Famous Jewish Mother in the World

By Judith Fein Photos by Paul Ross As an international travel journalist, I have met with prime ministers and presidents. As a Hollywood writer, I had alone time with stars, and heads of studios. Never did I feel a frisson of fear. But I was un petit peu panicky about

22 Aug 2025
The Inside Story of the Return of Blue Lake to Taos Pueblo

The Inside Story of the Return of Blue Lake to Taos Pueblo

By Bobbie Greene Kilberg Blue Lake is a sacred site for the Taos Pueblo, central to their religion, and in 1906 Blue Lake and its surrounding 48,000 acres of watershed land were taken away from the Pueblo by the Federal Government and incorporated into the neighboring national forest. The

22 Aug 2025
Rabbi Dr. Jack Shlachter: Thirty Years as a Rabbi

Rabbi Dr. Jack Shlachter: Thirty Years as a Rabbi

Interview with Gloria Abella Ballen and Ron Duncan Hart Rabbi Dr. Jack Shlachter is the rabbi of the Los Alamos Jewish Center and HaMakom in Santa Fe. He is a physicist and the past Head of the Theoretical Division of Los Alamos National Laboratory. This interview, edited for clarity, is

22 Aug 2025
100 Objects from YIVO Reviewed by Ilan Stavans

100 Objects from YIVO Reviewed by Ilan Stavans

by Ilan Stavans In the mid-1980s, as a 25-year-old newly minted Yiddish-speaking immigrant from Mexico to New York, I had two institutions I was eager to be involved with: Forverts, the left-leaning Yiddish daily edited by Abraham Cahan, where Isaac Bashevis Singer, the author of Satan in Goray, The Slave,

22 Aug 2025
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