NM Jewish Journal ~ Late August-Early September 2026 - Elul 5786

Don't forget: the Remembrance event at the Santa Fe Cemetery is this Sunday, August 30th at 1:30. Also read Doris Francis' reflections on how this Jewish cemetery came into being, Of and for the Whole Community.

With six new stories in this issue, Rabbi Brin shares ways to remember our loved ones during this season in Grave Visits, Stones and Stories. Corinne Joy Brown introduces the award-winning Brazilian novel Antipathies, the latest in the Jewish Latin American Series edited by Ilan Stavans, from UNM Press. Judith Fein introduces us to Ukrainian genealogist and guide Alex Denisenko, while he is under the brutal shelling by Russia of his city, in Do You Want to Know Where You Really Come From?

Watch Gunner, the 2-year-old star of the Tamaya Horse Rehab, who arrived there unable to be touched, barrel racing with brio, as filmed by student reporter Tori De Anda. Merilee Dannemann questions the choices ahead on New Mexico's November ballot. Norma Libman introduces us to newly minted Rabbi Josie Boskoff, who joins Nahalat Shalom as its new rabbi after being ordained at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in Philadelphia in May following a path from Stage to Bimah.

Keep scrolling to see synagogues' High Holy Days flyers around the state: the usual suspects, and our newest Community Supporter, HaMakom Santa Fe, plus the Las Vegas Jewish Community (no charge), Beth-El Las Cruces, and, for all locations, view the link "Where to Pray" in Marc Yellin's Gift: Abq Jew, by Dianne Layden and Diane Joy Schmidt.

I'd never been to an opera, but Judith Fein's other story this month on the three Jewish creators of Lili Elbe got me to its closing night at the Santa Fe Opera on August 27th. Amid the rousing standing ovation, the three men, composer, conductor, and librettist, came out and joined the cast, raising their arms together, and the distinguished audience gave this opera and its subject, Lili Elbe, their imprimatur. At this very moment the lunar eclipse was reaching its blood-red apex above, and it was as if the unleashed powers of the heavens had intensified the vibrations in the air, saying "yes, it is so," changing the world. ~ DJS, Editor.

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Grave Visits, Stones, and Stories: Ways to Honor Our Loved Ones This High Holy Day Season

By Rabbi Deborah J. Brin Many of us visit the graves of family members, friends or teachers during the High Holy Day season. We do this to remember and honor those who came before us, to contemplate our own mortality and prepare for the season of change and t’shuvah/

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Portrait of the Artist as a Young Schlemiel

By Corinne Joy Brown Antitherapies, by Jacques Fux (University of New Mexico Press), winner of Brazil’s prestigious São Paulo Prize, is one of those books you might have never discovered on your own. But once begun, you find yourself hooked, grateful you didn’t miss it. Composed of twenty-

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Do You Want To Know Where You Really Come From?

By Judith Fein with Alex Denisenko When I grew up, I was mesmerized by my “foreign” grandmother. She had gray hair, sometimes wore nylon stockings that she rolled up at the top, had an accent, read a newspaper in Yiddish, and, like many other immigrants, never wanted to talk about

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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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An easy year for New Mexico voters

By Merilee Dannemann New Mexico voters in many districts will find that voting this November is a little simpler than they expected. Legislators are making one decision easy for about half of New Mexico voters. In our House of Representatives, there are currently 42 Democrats and 26 Republicans. Slightly more

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Tamaya Horse Rehab Gives Neglected Horses a Second Chance

By Tori De Anda When Gunner arrived at Tamaya Horse Rehab at age 2, pulled from an overbreeding situation where his owner had too many horses to care for, he had never been touched by a person. Thursday afternoon, he was running barrels in front of a crowd. 0:00

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Rabbi Josie Boskoff’s path from the stage to the bimah: carrying faith, feminism, and hope for peace

By Norma Libman Rabbi Josie Boskoff, the new rabbi at Nahalat Shalom in Albuquerque, did not attend Hebrew School as a child. Her parents didn’t want her to. Despite the fact that her great-great-grandfather had been a cantor in England, they were not interested in religion and

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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 — and has topped search views for Jewish NM for 15 years. Archived now is the BLOG, and retired, the CALENDAR.

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Three Jews + An Opera About A Trans Woman

By Judith Fein Photos by Paul Ross I was sitting at a recent event sponsored by the Wagner Society of Santa Fe. It was about the Santa Fe Opera’s American premiere of Lili Elbe, the true story of one of the first trans women ever to undergo gender-affirming

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

Surprise and delight seem to have been the common reactions among Jewish non-profit leaders upon hearing they would share the proceeds from the sale of the David Specter Shalom House.

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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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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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Ruth Bader Ginsburg in New Mexico

By 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

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KEEP SCROLLING to Community Events and HHD flyers.

Also visit all our past issues, and search for articles by author, title or subject

Community and High Holy Day events. Click on the flyers and links for more information.

SANTA FE CEMETERY ANNUAL REMEMBRANCE, AUGUST 30 at 1:30

HaMakom - Passionate Judaism in Santa Fe High Holiday Services with Hazzan Cindy Freeman and Rabbi Deborah Brin

LAS VEGAS JEWISH COMMUNITY High Holiday Services - All are Welcome, no charge

TEMPLE BETH-EL in LAS CRUCES High Holy Days Services

Congregation Albert High Holy Days Services led by Senior Rabbi Celia Surget and Rabbi Micah Citrin

Congregation B'nai Israel High Holy Days Services led by Rabbi Hazzan Jonathan Angress

Temple Beth Shalom High Holy Days Services led by Rabbi Neil Amswych

Congregation Albert Early Childhood Center. And read "Play First, Learn Forever: Katelyn Clark Named New Director of Congregation Albert's Early Childhood Center" by Austin Curtis.

REGISTER: Academy of Jewish Learning, Congregation 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 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

The Cookbook is Here!:

WATCH NOW ON THE JEWISH LEARNING CHANNEL: https://youtu.be/ZhhoUre1hfI?si=I3pXCQJaGpvh9l1_ along with all the previous speakers!

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
HaMakom - Passionate Judaism in Santa Fe

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