FEBRUARY 2026 ~ NM JEWISH JOURNAL ~ SHEVAT 5786

In our February issue, we have a number of joyful, artistic, informative and possibly provocative articles from writers both new and familiar, and links to earlier stories you've been meaning to catch up on. Tu B'Shvat begins at sundown on Sunday, February 1, 2026, and ends at nightfall on Monday, February 2, 2026, falling on the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Shevat (15 Sh'vat 5786). Valentine's Day is on Saturday, February 14th.

Letter From the Editor:

Just before midnight February 1st, as this issue was being scheduled for publication, a call for an organized protest at noon on Wednesday at the Roundhouse by Jewish Voices for Peace Albuquerque was observed on their Instagram site.

Jewish Community Day at the Roundhouse is this coming Wednesday Feb. 4th. In "Coming Together" Ellen Marks reports on the unexpected pieces that have come together to make this happen.

I believe I speak for many of us when I say I am deeply concerned not only by the tragic events unfolding on our streets but also by the Abraham Lincoln Strike Force aircraft carrier arriving in the Arabian Sea within striking distance of Iran. My personal sense is that Trump will strike and send the Middle East into chaos, while simultaneously putting our country under the control of the tech bros, like Palantir – both moves sending our Christian Zionist friends into a sort of doomsday ecstasy. Others feel he is just blustering, realizing the immense consequences, which could include Iran choking off the Straits of Hormuz and holding the world hostage for oil. Considering that the fundamentalist aspects of the Abrahamic religions have been gunning for Armageddon at high noon, and Trump's base sees him as the divine instrument of biblical prophecy, and war serves to make the rich richer, well... so wot me worry? I hope to be proven wrong. I am encouraged by Glenn Aparicio Parry's new book Original Love and the excerpt published here, "Seeds of Love." And that Earth will rebalance and harmony will return.
Before our first issue launched in 2024, I dreamed that I was in a darkened Mikveh and a Greek goddess was pouring water over my head to purify my thoughts while an unseen chorus chanted, "Call it Mikveh, call the journal Mikveh." Lena S. Keslin just delivered a story this month, "Unearthing the Subterranean Mikveh of Ortigia, Sicily." I subsequently have learned that Ortigia was known mythologically as the site where the Greek nymph Arethusa was transformed into a spring by her patron goddess Artemis. And am reminded: Everything is connected.
– Diane Joy Schmidt

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Hidden in Plain Sight, Unearthing the Subterranean Mikveh of Ortigia, Sicily

Story and Photos by Lena S. Keslin “To have seen Italy without having seen Sicily is not to have seen Italy at all, for Sicily is the key to everything.” —Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, 1816 My friend, Judith Zorzy, had been telling me about the beauty and history of Ortigia

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A Heartfelt Farewell from Phyllis Wolf

Phyllis Wolf, Chief Programs Officer, Jewish Community Center of Greater Albuquerque Editor’s Note: When I got Phyllis’s note that she would be saying farewell at the end of April I spontaneously wrote this letter to her, one of many that she has received, and she has written a letter to

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Seeds of Love

An excerpt from the forthcoming book Original Love, by Glenn Aparicio Parry In his new book, Original Love, Glenn Aparicio Parry delves into the spiritual origins and deeper universal meaning of LOVE. Original love is love from the origin or Source, and as such transcends any limitations of time or

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Coming together: Jewish Community Day at the Roundhouse

By Ellen Marks Visit the Roundhouse during any New Mexico legislative session, and you’ll find the rotunda filled with information tables, musical performances, news conferences and sometimes food — all touting a particular cause or group. For example, during this year’s 30-day session, there are more than 80 such

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Spiraling Downward in Dante’s Inferno

by Ron Duncan Hart One morning some time ago, I awoke early to the news that a bomb had exploded at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem where our daughter was studying for a year. She was supposed to be at the University that day. Seven were killed, and eighty were

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Gordon Bronitsky, the NM Interfaith Dialogue and “This Is What I Want People to Know About My Faith” Speakers Series

By Rev. Patty Allread Upcoming Dates for Speaker Series: “This Is What I Want People to Know About My Faith.” In a world overburdened by misunderstanding, injustice, and violence caused by human rights abuse and religious intolerance, how do people in any society sort out rumors and false impressions from

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A Tale of Two Cities, Rehovot and Albuquerque

By Andrew Tafoya Leverett This past December I traveled to Rehovot, Israel, on behalf of the Albuquerque Sister Cities Foundation. While in Rehovot I enjoyed its cultural attractions, walked its streets and chatted with many of its residents. And I shared a meaningful dialogue and visit with members of the

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Navajo Places Named for Trees

by Frank Morgan Frank Morgan is an artist, author, translator, educator, farmer, veteran and retired Director of Diné Educational Philosophy at Diné College, Navajo Nation. His books of standardized Diné (Navajo) terminologies are in use by health professionals across the Navajo Nation, by state and federal governments, and at universities.

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The Independent newspaper in Gallup, New Mexico folds after 62 years

by Diane Joy Schmidt We mourn the loss of one of the truly great family-owned newspapers in New Mexico, The Independent, of Gallup, New Mexico. The front page headline reads: “The Truth Well Told: The Independent halts publication after 62 years.” The Santa Fe New Mexican ran the story as

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Avid Readers Recommend and Letters, FEBRUARY 2026

We have a new feature, Avid Readers Recommend and Letters. Paid subscribers 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.

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TOP 101 Most Read Articles in 2025!

Compiled by Diane Joy Schmidt, Publisher and Editor MOST READ ARTICLES IN 2025 *asterisk indicates published in 2024. To read an article, click on the title if active or copy the title to Search magnifying glass icon, upper left on top of page. Search also by author name for all

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Jewish Values: Tikkun Olam

By Rabbi Min Kantrowitz - Jewish Values #8: Tikkun Olam Each edition of NMJJ highlights one of the many Jewish values that guide our lives. Each of these values underlies our Jewish community, regardless of any individuals’ religious observances or practices. These values form the ethical structure of the community.

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No One Came to Taos to Be Jewish or The book you weren’t looking for but are glad you found

By Corinne Joy Brown No One Came to Taos to Be Jewish By Bruce Grossman Nighthawk Press 2022 Amazon.com Op Cit Bookstore Taos Softcover $14.95 For those of us who came of age in the sixties and seventies, you might remember that an entire population known as the

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Lost in a Labyrinth of Confusion: Where the North Ends — At Last

by Carl Montoya I approached Where the North Ends with much anticipation. The premise — a time-traveling narrative connecting the contemporary period to pre-Pueblo Revolt New Mexico — promised an ambitious blend of historical fiction and mysticism reminiscent of Carlos Castaneda’s work. Unfortunately, the execution left me frustrated and struggling to engage

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A Jewish Community is Thriving in the “Land of Fire and Ice” and celebrating Chanukah

Story and photos by Jim Winnerman Is there a Jewish presence in the remote country of Iceland? For most people, the answer will invariably be that they have no idea, and then are surprised to learn that the island nation is in fact home to a small but thriving Jewish

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EVENTS from our COMMUNITY SUPPORTER ADVERTISERS

FEB. 4 JEWISH COMMUNITY DAY Rotunda Program 1:30-3:30

HURST AWARD NOMINATIONS DUE BY FEBRUARY 6th - NMJHS

BOOKFEST! Author Rachel Cockerell in person 2 PM Feb. 8th JCC

The Melting Point: Family, Memory and the Search for the Promised Land by Rachel Cockerell ~ Ten Best Books, The Washington Post; Best Books of 2025, The New Yorker: "Magnificent… chilling and exhilarating, like wading into the river of time. Collectively, these voices are coaxed by Cockerell into becoming some of recent literature's most compelling narrators"

Melting Point: Family, Memory and the Search for the Promised Land

CONGREGATION B'NAI ISRAEL THE BIG EVENT SALSA NIGHT!

https://nmjhs.org/calendar/

Contact Sarah Winger sarah@jcfnm.org 505.348.4472 https://www.jcfnm.org/legacy

TEMPLE BETH SHALOM SANTA FE 
Come As You Are! https://www.sftbs.org/

JEWISH FEDERATION OF EL PASO & LAS CRUCES &

JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL 2026

Your Guide to Jewish Life in Albuquerque and BEYOND. Resources and Community Calendar. Where to Pray, Where to Eat, Where to Learn.

Welcome to Congregation Albert, your center for Jewish life in Albuquerque!

Welcome to Congregation B'nai Israel

Here you will find the many events, services and activities of our 100+ year old community.
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Pre-order: https://www.unmpress.com/where-the-north-ends/ VISIT Hugo Moreno here: https://www.hugos.site

Community Supporters of the NM Jewish Journal include:
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Jewish Community Center of Greater Albuquerque
The Institute for Tolerance Studies
Jewish Federation of El Paso and Las Cruces
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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 

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