Happy Chanukah New Mexico Jewish Journal ~ Children's Art from B'nai Israel ~ Welcome new RABBI MICAH CITRIN see video! ~ BBYO Experience by a Teen ~ Community Chanukah Celebration SUN. DEC. 14 12:30-3 p.m. JCC ~ SUBSCRIBE NOW 3X MATCH $36 becomes $108!

Judith writes to us: At the Academy of Jewish Learning (AJL) at Congregation B'nai Israel, we retold the story of Chanukah to our Sunday School Gan Class (ages 4-6) and to our Torah (grades 3rd-7th) and asked them to create images of the Chanukah story. For our older students, we selected a few drawings to represent our school. Thank you to our wonderful students and to  Morah Nikki I. and Maggidah Batya P. for facilitating this project. For more information about the AJL at Congregation B'nai Israel, please contact the school director, Judith Segall, at cbi.abq.school@gmail.com. 

And thank you to Jessica Corley for engaging our synagogues in sharing all this wonderful artwork. More to come!

Here are six pieces from the Sunday School Torah (grades 3rd through 7th class)

COMMUNITY CHANUKAH CELEBRATION

Got Tickets? Come say Hi! to the New Mexico Jewish Journal at our booth at the Community Chanukah Celebration at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Albuquerque Sunday 12:30 to 3 p.m. December 14th, 5520 Wyoming Boulevard NE, Albuquerque, NM 87109.

Rabbi Micah Citrin Joins the Clergy at Congregation Albert
by Norma Libman

Congregation Albert is preparing for the Installation of Rabbi Micah Citrin at a special Shabbat service on December 19^th at 6:00 p.m. The Zamir choir will participate, and there will be a celebratory Oneg.

This is a happy homecoming for Rabbi Micah as he lived in Albuquerque and was part of the Congregation Albert community growing up. His father is Rabbi Paul Citrin, who was the Rabbi there from 1978 to 1996. Rabbi Micah comes to Congregation Albert from ten years at Temple Beth David in Westwood, Massachusetts.

Rabbi Micah joins Senior Rabbi Celia Surget as part of the clergy team at Albert. “I feel privileged to be serving at Congregation Albert with an outstanding  professional staff, dedicated lay leadership, and all the wonderful people in this community,” he says. “I’m just happy to be back.”

Stay tuned for more about Rabbi Micah coming in the New Mexico Jewish Journal in Spring.

Here is a one-minute video of Rabbi Micah singing at the October 7th, 2025 Community Remembrance event that was organized by the JCRC-NM and held at B'nai Israel, Albuquerque, with the lyrics as provided in the program. Click on the image to watch:

Follow along with the written lyrics to Porchim L'Shuvan, with translation and transliteration, as provided in the program that evening:

The BBYO (B'nai B'rith Youth Organization) traces its roots back to the 1920's and provides Jewish activities for young people in grades eight through high school. Eighth grader Max Berger has recorded his first impressions of his introduction to this organization, and we invite you to read his essay and see this experience through his eyes. – Special thanks to Aviva Maxon, Co-facilitator of New Mexico’s BBYO chapter, for bringing Max's essay to us.

From Friendship to Leadership: The BBYO Experience 
By Max Berger 

When I first stepped into a BBYO event, I felt uneasy. Maybe even scared. I did not  know most of the people, or  what to expect. In BBYO my perspective on my Judaism has changed, even in the few months I have been involved. I am an 8th grader in Albuquerque, New Mexico. I joined BBYO in August. I quickly  became a BBYO member, joined the board, and went to my first regional convention. BBYO, is an international Jewish teen movement that has chapters globally for 8-12 graders. In New Mexico, there is one active chapter in Albuquerque. BBYO is split into two sections, the boys and the girls. AZA (Aleph Zadik Aleph) is for the boys, and  BBG (B’nai Brith Girls) is for the girls. Our Albuquerque chapter, which we lovingly call Alby, is a combined chapter of David Klein Shalom B’ahava AZA #1298 and Las Hermanitas de Judith Adina Simon BBG #1458. Alby is pretty small, so that’s why we have a combined chapter. Alby is part of RMR, or Rocky Mountain Region. RMR consists of chapters in Colorado, New Mexico, and Wyoming. 

My first event was chapter elections, where we elected a board  to plan events, host fundraisers, and lead the chapter. I agreed to run off the floor, when no one was running for my position, Rakazito. The board is made up of a N’siah/Godol (President), S’gan/S’ganit( Vice President of Programming), Yehudi/Yehudiah (Vice President of Judaism), Moreh, Morah (Membership, Recruitment, Retention), Mazkir/Mazirah (Secretary), Gizbor/Gizborit (Treasurer), and Rakazit/Rakazito (Photographer, Outreach). All these positions are essential to making each BBYO chapter what it is and what it may become. In my position I have learned  how to communicate, recruit, and how to really reach and celebrate everyone in the chapter. After elections, I officially joined  BBYO and became a board member. 

Right away, we started planning events, and at that time we had about 12 official members, with those of  us on the board being the most active. We needed to plan amazing events to get more members, and we did just that. Over the past few months, we have gained 8 new members, through events such as bowling, game night with ice cream, pizza making, a balloon fiesta event, and pumpkin carving. We are even planning to have a Holocaust survivor speak at a Shabbat dinner in the future! These BBYO events that we have created have led me to meet so many new people, make so many new friends, and just really explore my Judaism in a new way. BBYO members, adult advisors, and friends, are always so welcoming, nice, and always want to help you in any way you need. These past few months planning and attending events in Albuquerque were really fun, which led me to want to expand my horizons in BBYO. 

Then I learned about Fall Con. Fall Convention is a BBYO convention that is held in each region in mid-November. RMR’s Fall Con was held in Denver. This was a three-day convention in a hotel in Denver where almost every chapter in RMR is represented by members. We did Jewish activities such as services, Havdalah, and Israeli dancing, met new people, and really just had an amazing time. It was a terrific Jewish way to have a great time, and it was a couple of days away from your parents. And believe me, Fall Con lived up to its hype. I had the time of my life there. We had Jewish services, had Maccabiah (Color War), and had so much spirit. I met many new people and made new friends, and now I can do even more in BBYO, like being on the Regional Board, going to summer programs, and being a more active member in my chapter. Being at this Fall Con just really taught me about Jewish life. I had fun, met Jewish teens, and really celebrated my Judaism. 

Joining BBYO and going to this convention taught me so much, from leadership, to outreach, to how to really connect with my Jewish identity. BBYO has changed me in the past few months, and I can’t wait to find out what else it has in store for me.

TRIPLE MATCH in DECEMBER - $36 becomes $108 NEW MEXICO JEWISH JOURNAL - HELP US RAISE $6,000 to unlock our $12,000 MATCH!

HELP US MEET OUR MATCH!

We need to raise $6,000 during December to unlock our $12,000 match. NOW IS THE TIME to SUBSCRIBE, CONTRIBUTE , and DONATE. A $36 ($3/month) subscription becomes $108! A $324 contribution becomes $972!! A $500 donation through our fiscal sponsor, $1,500!!! You can also make DAF donations with the Jewish Community Foundation, contact Sarah Winger at 505-348-4472, and tax-deductible donations through your financial institutions. ALL details on our DONATE PAGE. Questions? Contact Diane editor@nmjewishjournal.com.

Where is this $12,000 Match Fund coming from? and what the heck is/are the Match Pool Mensches?

We have a $6,000 grant from the NM Local News Fund Match Campaign, and then we raised $6,000 from 12 members of the community, the Match Pool Mensches, plus (Your Name here) for a baker's dozen. Now we need YOU, all our readers, to step up – especially our free subscribers. ALL details on our DONATE PAGE.

And, what is a Mensch? This is a Yiddish word that means, well, many things. A mensch is known for being a good-hearted, kind, big-spirited and generous person who goes above and beyond the ordinary in making this world a better place.

ALL details on our DONATE PAGE

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Where the North Ends, A Novel by Hugo Moreno 

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