Early August NM Jewish Journal August 4, 2026 ~ Av - Elul 5786 (once more, with corrections :)

Corrected: Lili Elbe is the name of the Santa Fe Opera. Also included, talk at Congregation Albert this Sunday, see in Events below.

Articles are now posted on the NM Jewish Journal website at www.nmjewishjournal.com as they come in.

This newsletter, delivered to subscribers, serves as a periodic roundup of the past couple weeks of stories that have been published on the open website.

We will have a special second newsletter this weekend, that will include exclusive interviews, by our dear writer Judith Fein, with the creators of the latest, ground-breaking, Santa Fe Opera production of Lili Elbe. There will also be an important update on the court case involving the recent hate crime in Albuquerque.

Up until recently, this publisher was so fixated in thinking in terms of print issues that she thought she should only publish the stories en masse when the newsletter went out. Granted, page views jump when subscribers receive the latest newsletter, which tells us how important it is to have subscribers. Page views also jump again mid-week when people see the flyer, included in eblasts from organizations, announcing the latest "issue."

Right now we have 840 subscribers - and 2,500 thousand unique monthly visitors. We are currently in a race to reach 910 subscribers by September 23rd. Our subscribers are dedicated readers — we average an astonishing 70% open rate, when the industry average for a niche newsletter is 30 to 40%.

We have never chased numbers. Our growth is purely organic. But now we must make a push to add 70 subscribers. Please share this newsletter with at least one friend, and ask them to sign up. It‘s free. They just have to type their email in. And to do right away, so they will get our upcoming weekend special edition.

30% of our subscribers have chosen to be paid subscribers. That’s also a remarkable number. (4% is considered ’good‘). But we only exist with your support, we are not institutionally supported, and we need to pay our writers and grow our staff. Every week more and more newspapers are vanishing.

We did just receive a large gift from the Shalom House board, plus an endowed fund, as you will read in our lead story here - something we and the other recipients indeed never dreamed of. And for us to be included, as the newest kid on the block, and for that vote of confidence, to be recognizing the importance of Jewish journalism is – well, it is stunning. It does matter. Your voices here matter. Our voice together matter. We are headed for, we are already in, the rapids in this country. Let’s go forward, together.

They Never Dreamed of This: The Shalom House Sale Becomes a Gift to the Whole Albuquerque Jewish Community

By Ellen Marks For the Hillel house at UNM, it means better security and a prayer answered in the form of a new social hall so students have space to eat dinner together, instead of in two different rooms. For the New Mexico Jewish Historical Society, it’s a “game-

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THE SANTA FE JEWISH CEMETERY: A CEMETERY OF AND FOR THE WHOLE COMMUNITY

By Doris Francis, JCCNNM Cemetery Committee chair 2026 marks the 30th anniversary of the Jewish Cemetery in Santa Fe. Under the leadership of the Jewish Community Council of Northern New Mexico (JCCNNM), our community will be commemorating this significant occasion at our annual Day or Remembrance. Below is a brief

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Prayer First. Lox Immediately After

By Misha Sauceda Mondays and Thursday mornings are my favorite days of the week. Let’s face it: after morning minyan in the chapel at Congregation B’nai Israel, there is breakfast. And of course, breakfast always includes lox. Like any good Jewish girl, I know this is the breakfast

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Repairing the World, One Note at a Time

As students prepare to become B’nai Mitzvah, they’re encouraged to choose a project that carries meaning, purpose and value. This year, one project struck a different chord.

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We’ve gone viral...

We’ve just started working to make short videos to put on Facebook, and later on YouTube and TikTok, about community events and we have put our new student reporters to work on these. Sharing positive images about the Jewish community we feel will naturally generate positive energy and perceptions.

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Ruth Bader Ginsburg in New Mexico

Dianne R. Layden, Ph.D. Dianne Layden’s next RBG presentation is on October 27, 2026 at Oasis Lifelong Learning, 3301 Menaul Blvd. NE, Albuquerque, 12:30 PM, $15, https://albuquerque.oasisnet.org/ 505-884-4529 U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg had a presence in New Mexico

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‘We Should Worry’: Church-State Separation and Texas’s Ten Commandments Law Sparks Concern

By Martin Finston Shabbat Sparks is a series at Congregation B’nai Israel that sparks up Sabbath services three times a year with contemporary and relevant cultural programming. All are welcome to attend for lite bites, the service and presentation, and dessert. Supported by the Lew & Abby Harris Fund. Upcoming:

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Gregg Hull doesn’t trust New Mexico elections

For Rio Rancho’s municipal election in 2024, voter turnout was 7.08%. That is, at least in part, due to its former mayor, Gregg Hull, who is now the Republican nominee for governor of New Mexico.

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Marc Yellin’s Gift: ABQJew.com

The ABQJew.com website remains online with updated SOURCES AND RESOURCES links to local, state and national Jewish sites: PRAY, ORGANIZE, EAT, and LEARN with its 3 million page views in 15 years. Archived now is the BLOG, and retired, the CALENDAR.

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COMMUNITY EVENTS please click on the flyers for more information, and so they’ll know you’re interested! (Each 'click' is counted.)

THE PARTY at Temple Beth Shalom THIS SATURDAY August 8, 4-7 PM

NEXT TALK SUNDAY AUGUST 9th

Our Religious School, the Academy of Jewish Learning at Congregation B'nai Israel, is now open and accepting registration and enrollment for the 2026-2027 school year. Please reach out to our Religious School director Judith Segall for more information or with any questions. CALL 505-266-0155 or email School Director at cbi.abq.school@gmail.com Visit: https://bnaiisrael-nm.org/learn/religious-school

AND, The Academy of Jewish Learning (AJL) at CBl is seeking part-time teachers for the 2026-27 school year for our students in grades pre-K through 6th grade. For more information on the school, the curriculum, and teacher responsibilities, please contact Judith Segall, School Director, at cbi.abq.school@gmail.com 505-266-0155

WATCH NOW ON THE JEWISH LEARNING CHANNEL: https://youtu.be/ZhhoUre1hfI?si=I3pXCQJaGpvh9l1_

SHABBAT WITH FRIENDS brings **SHABBAT DELIGHT**

Check out Minyan Midbar's website: https://rabbidov-site.vercel.app/programs/minyan-midbar/ and see the next gathering

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

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