Newsletter ~ Nov. 8, 2026 ~ Cheshvan-Kislev 5787

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In this issue: The Legacy of Elisa Simon, by Ellen Marks. The Jews of Old Santa Fe: NM History Museum Walking Tour, Dec. 2 lecture with Scott Nadler, by Jennifer Levin; The Last of the Ellis Island Jews, by Rabbi Min Kantrowitz. Little Shop, Big Purpose, behind the scenes at CA's Judaica Shop, by Austin Curtis. Update on Crofton case, Nov. 5: arguments will be heard in January on two new defense motions.

Check out all the Community Events below: Sunday, Nov. 8 at 11 a.m. MT, the Santa Fe Distinguished Lecture Series presents "Jonathan Crane on Jewish Ethics and Warfare," interviewed by Halley Faust. It’s time to shop: the grand opening at 9:30 a.m. of Chanukah Market opens at Congregation Albert. Santa Fe Jewish Film Festival, Nov. 15, The Long Journey Home: The Untold Story of the Jews of Iraq. Sisterhood Joint Luncheon Nov. 18. Something new: Jew Stew Night on Nov. 14 with MHWOW, for Jews in their 20s and 30s. JCC's next Bookfest, Nov. 15.

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The Legacy of Elisa Simon

By Ellen Marks It must have seemed like she was everywhere. Elisa Simon was a dynamo who touched nearly every major Jewish organization in Albuquerque, helping to start some of them and lending inexhaustible support to others. “She helped make the Jewish community what it was,” says Harold Albert, longtime

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The Jews of Old Santa Fe: New Mexico History Museum’s Jewish Roots Walking Tour

By Jennifer Levin Some of the first Jews in what is now the United States called Santa Fe home. Crypto-Jews were a subset of Sephardic Conversos, forced to convert to Catholicism during the century preceding the Edict of Expulsion. The Spanish Inquisition, established in 1478, had already been persecuting

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The Last of the Ellis Island Jews

By Min Kantrowitz The Last of the Ellis Island Jews: A Brooklyn Memoir (SUNY Press) is an intimate family memoir of a lost world. Spanning the years 1923 to the early 1990s, Joel Dinerstein’s recollections of his family as they transitioned from the shtetl through adjusting to life as

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Little Shop, Big Purpose: Congregation Albert prepares for its annual Chanukah marketplace

By Austin Curtis For Diana Paul, the Congregation Albert Sisterhood Judaica shop has always been about more than the menorahs, candles, and toys sitting on its shelves. It's about giving families a place to find the items that help keep Jewish traditions alive. Paul has volunteered with Congregation Albert'

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Crofton case updates

Updated Nov. 5: Rex Crofton remains in federal custody. Judge Matthew L. Garcia will hear arguments in January on two defense motions.

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The ADL in New Mexico: Valued Locally, Debated Nationally

ADL continues to work at maintaining close ties to New Mexico. Nationwide, ADL has come under fire during the past few years — caught in a broader struggle over defining when anti-Israel views bleed into antisemitism.

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Ten Commandments Laws Questioned Under First Amendment: Latest Developments

The State of Texas passed Senate Bill 10, a law calling for every public school in Texas to post an abridged version of the Ten Commandments taken from the King James Bible on each of its classroom walls. Challengers to Texas law S.B. 10 have now appealed that decision to the Supreme Court.

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Santa Fe Jewish Film Festival

VISIT the Santa Fe Jewish Film Festival https://www.santafejff.org/ to buy tickets, sign up for the email, and learn about the season's films SUNDAY NOV. 15 3:30 PM at the CCA Santa Fe BUY TICKETS Santa Fe Jewish Film Festival The Long Journey Home "... powerful ..." Jerusalem

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New! Make a tax-deductible gift to NMJJ through the Jewish Community Foundation of New Mexico.

To give online, select New Mexico Jewish Journal in the drop-down menu here.

NOVEMBER 8th 11 am · Live Zoom Webinar: "Jewish Ethics and Warfare" Jonathan Crane, Emory University, interview with Halley Faust.

REGISTER: Jewish Ethics and WarfareSIGN UP FOR NEW LECTURES CLICK HERE Watch the video now on the Jewish Learning Channel: VIEW NOW ON THE JEWISH LEARNING CHANNEL Sign up for Distinguished Lectures at https://www.distinguishedlectures.com/ View on the Jewish Learning Channel https://www.youtube.com/@ToleranceStudies Where scholarship

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The DLS program now on YouTube at the Jewish Learning Channel is a very informative conversation about the election process and the complexities in the formation of government in Israel: Watch the recording now of THE FUTURE OF ISRAEL ELECTIONS with Times of Israel and Shalom Hartman Institute, Moderator Bonnie Ellinger.

SEE MORE AT PAST ISSUES

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Find your people - your stories, voices and perspectives. Sign up to receive the newsletter free twice monthly. (don't worry, we'll guilt you into becoming a paying subscriber later) Nationally Awarded, independent, keeping New Mexico's wildly diverse Jewish communities connected:

NEW! Make a tax-deductible gift to NMJJ through the Jewish Community Foundation of New Mexico. Select New Mexico Jewish Journal in the "Please choose" drop-down menu here:

NOV. 8 11 am Zoom Santa Fe Distinguished Lecture Series: Jonathan Crane "Bioethics and Jewish Thought" interview with Halley Faust

Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: Jonathan Crane on Jewish Ethics and Warfare. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the webinar.

Prof. Jonathan Crane of Emory University will talk about Jewish ethics and warfare with Dr. Halley Faust.

Zoom

View this and all past lectures on THE JEWISH LEARNING CHANNEL.

MEET OUR FOUR NEWEST COMMUNITY SUPPORTERS!!! : Congregation Albert SISTERHOOD, Santa Fe Jewish Film Festival, HaMakom, Chavurat Hamidbar.

Congregation Albert Judaica Shop - Chanukah Market begins November 8th! READ:

Little Shop, Big Purpose: Congregation Albert prepares for its annual Chanukah marketplace

By Austin Curtis For Diana Paul, the Congregation Albert Sisterhood Judaica shop has always been about more than the menorahs, candles, and toys sitting on its shelves. It's about giving families a place to find the items that help keep Jewish traditions alive. Paul has volunteered with Congregation Albert'

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Be Knotty... NOV. 14

VISIT the Santa Fe Jewish Film Festival to buy tickets, sign up, and learn about the season's films, shown at the Center for Contemporary Arts (CCA) in Santa Fe.

Next film: Nov. 15 3:30 PM at CCA The Long Journey Home:

Learn about Chavurat HaMidbar Fellowship of the Desert Our newest Community Supporter

HaMakom Passionate Judaism in Santa Fe New Community Supporter

REGISTER: Academy of Jewish Learning, B'nai Israel

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 CBI 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, contact Judith Segall, Director, cbi.abq.school@gmail.com 505-266-0155

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

Where To Pray in New Mexico, a comprehensive list at Abq Jew:

The Jewish Community Center of Greater Albuquerque https://www.jccabq.org

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
HaMakom - Passionate Judaism in Santa Fe
Chavurat Hamidbar Fellowship of the Desert
Santa Fe Jewish Film Festival

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