October - November ~ NEW MEXICO JEWISH JOURNAL 2025 / 5786

We have ten new stories, plus 20 community event announcements. CLICK on VIEW IN BROWSER above for the best reading experience! The New Mexico Jewish Journal is independent, we depend on your support, please donate, subscribe. Read all our Past Issues here, also, use the magnifying glass 🔍 Search icon above to find topics and authors.

• All 20 live hostages arrived in Israel on October 13th after 738 days in captivity. This historic event was announced in news around the world from London, Paris, Frankfurt, Munich, Moscow, Qatar, India, Israel and the USA here. Trump addressed the Knesset to standing ovations and then flew on to Egypt to meet Mideast and European leaders to plan for 'the day after.'
• Emily Alvarez shares her insider's view of how local New Mexico organizations are empowering immigrant families to fight fear with preparations here.
• Two Jewish films are Official Selections of the Santa Fe International Film Festival screening this week only. Marisa Fox, the filmmaker of "My Underground Mother," wrote a special personal essay today, October 13th, for New Mexico Jewish Journal, finishing just a few minutes after our midnight deadline, to reflect on how her film intersects with the hostage survivors.
• Interview: Rebecca Grossman, the director of the creative documentary/short "Extinguished Lives," about a Lithuaian shtetl, spoke with NMJJ about what happens when neighbor is turned against neighbor. Grossman, an Academy-award shortlisted filmmaker, is co-founder and Executive Director of Jewish Story Partners.
• The remarkable and very surprising story of how Shalom House and the JCC came to be, written by Howard Friedman with interviews with Harold Albert and others here.
• Norma Libman talks to smart people who talk about smart ideas and finds out who's on the Speakers Bureau of the NM Jewish Historical Society here.
• Ron Duncan Hart reveals an unforgettable history: the detailed testimony of a prominent citizen as he is tortured on the rack by the Inquisition in Colombia while refusing to confess to being a hidden Jew here.
• Sh'mini Atzeret and Simchat Torah are celebrated beginning October 14th. Gloria Abella Ballen's La Torah, and a brief explanation of the holidays, here.
• Dan Pava writes a timely story about how the Society for the Preservation of Nature in Israel is helping young Israeli teens heal from the trauma of the last two years through eco-therapy: guided group experiences in nature, here.
• Exercise your right to vote while you still can; Early voting starts Oct. 18th. These elections have taken on a lot more weight now – the stakes are high. Here are two stories to help you cast a meaningful vote:
• Be informed about who's who in your local elections and what they think, from Karen Wentworth and the League of Women Voters guide here.
• Learn from Merilee Dannemann exactly what precinct you're in and what more you need to know to be a knowledgeable voter here.

SEE visual links to these eleven stories, then see UPCOMING Events this week.

ALL 20 HOSTAGES RELEASED - See NEWS around the World

All 20 hostages have arrived in Israel as of October 13th, 2025. VIEW how this is being reported around the world. View front page and homepage news around the world on the morning of Oct. 13. (Selected screenshots by Diane Joy Schmidt for NMJewishJournal.com - shared under fair use

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Personal essay written on Oct. 13th from Marisa Fox, the Filmmaker of “My Underground Mother”

“Freedom fighter, double agent, femme fatale — Tamar said she was all three. Decades after her death, a page she wrote in a diary from a Nazi-run women’s camp reveals a hidden identity, leading her journalist daughter on a global reckoning with the secrets she took to her grave.” “My

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How The David Specter Shalom House and the Ronald Gardenswartz Jewish Community Center of Greater Albuquerque Came to Be

By Howard Friedman David (Dave) Specter was a local Albuquerque businessman and co-owner of Zeon signs. His elderly mother was in poor health and he wanted to find a facility that catered to senior Jews who needed a place to live where they could be cared for. Since there was

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LOCAL NON-PROFITS EMPOWER IMMIGRANT FAMILIES TO FIGHT FEAR WITH PREPARATION

By Emily Alvarez Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Department of Homeland Security have made their mission clear: Detain and deport a record number of immigrants in the United States, regardless of criminal history or ties to the country. The heightened number of detentions and deportations has had catastrophic consequences

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“Extinguished Lives” world- premier short documentary; interview with filmmaker Roberta Grossman

“When a young bride and her husband escape the Nazi onslaught for the safety of her childhood home—a remote Jewish village in Lithuania—they discover that the most chilling threat may come not from the invaders, but from those they once called neighbors.” “Extinguished Lives” is the world premiere

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A Hidden Jewish Voice from the Spanish Inquisition: Torture in Cartagena

By Ron Duncan Hart Warning: This article is for a mature audience and contains the vivid original Inquisition description of the torture of a Portuguese Jew. Tens of thousands of voices of hidden Jews are recorded in the archives of the Spanish Inquisition. In their trial records we can see

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Hear smart people talk about interesting ideas: New voices in NM Jewish Historical Society Speakers Bureau

by Norma Libman I’ve spent the better part of the past year talking to smart people about interesting ideas. What could be more fun? Visit Speakers Bureau at www.nmjhs.org under Programs tab Actually, I was on assignment from the Board of NMJHS to refresh and revamp our

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La Torah ~ Simchat Torah 5786

This image, which is titled in Ladino “La Torah,” emphasizes the lifting of the Torah standing on the letter chet, the gateway to infinity and life, explains Gloria Abella Ballen, artist. Created for the New World Haggadah with Ilan Stavans (Gaon Books), she said, “Above the scrolls it says La

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Do You Know What Your School Board Candidates Think About Anything? Maybe it’s Time to Find Out

by Karen Wentworth, League of Women Voters of Central New Mexico Early voting begins October 18. Absentee voting is already in progress, but there is still so much voters haven’t had a chance to think about. Do you know how you’ll vote on the 11 bond issues the

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Here is a bit of help preparing for the upcoming local elections

by Merilee Dannemann New Mexicans, it’s time to focus attention on your own local community. Statewide local elections are coming in a few weeks: November 4, the first Tuesday in November. Local elections are usually more important than most of us realize, especially now as conflicting national priorities may

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NATURE HEALS: Eco-Therapy for Recovery and Resilience

By Dan Pava Since October 7, 2023, tens of thousands of Israelis have experienced life-altering trauma. Families were forced from their homes, children witnessed unimaginable violence, and entire communities were uprooted. The resulting fear, grief, and emotional turmoil have left over 3 million Israelis suffering from psychological distress due to

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Hear live music from the October 7th Remembrance Albuquerque. See more photos on the Life Cycles tab here.

View Twenty COMMUNITY SUPPORTER EVENTS.
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B'NAI ISRAEL SIMCHAT TORAH CELEBRATION TUES. OCT. 14TH 6:30

Simchat Torah Hybrid Services, Music by Jordan Wax, Dancing instructed by Sarah Horowitz, and Snacks! (Office Closes at 1PM) - Congregation B’nai Israel

6:30pm – Services – Sanctuary with Celebration to Follow! Please join us for a joyful celebration of Simchat Torah! We’ll have singing, Israeli dancing (led by a professional Yiddish dance…

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COMMUNITY REMEMBRANCE in Santa Fe Oct. 16th 6 p.m. RSVP

COMMUNITY REMEMBRANCE on October 16 6 PM SANTA FE for Oct. 7th Memorial

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 16 at 6 PM RSVP REQUIRED JCRC-NM invites Community Remembrance of October 7th THURSDAY, OCTOBER 16 at 6 PM click here to rsvp SIGN UP AND SUBSCRIBETIP JARRETURN TO HOME HERE FOR MORE STORIES Community Supporters of the NM Jewish Journal include: Jewish Community Foundation of New Mexico

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PACO DIAZ in CONCERT JCC OCT. 16th 7 p.m. World-Renowned Spanish Musician

CLICK HERE FOR TICKETSLISTEN TO PACO DIAZ PLAY “BENDIGAMOS” We hope that you can join Hillel House and the JCC for a concert with a world-renowned Spanish musician. Paco Diez is celebrated internationally as one of the major advocates of Spanish Romancero and Sephardic music. This is a wonderful opportunity

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Learn more and explore the readings here:

“Etty” LIVE PLAY OCT. 18th, 11 a.m. Hamakom, Santa Fe & OCT. 19th, 2:30 p.m. Congregation Albert, Albuquerque.

Etty Diaries, Adapted and Performed by Susan Stein To register for the Hamakom performances please write to RSVP@ettyproject.org To register for the Congregation Albert performance RSVP here: https://www.congregationalbert.org/theettyproject “If I should not survive, how I die will show me who I really am.” Etty’

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“Yiddish Theater” Oct. 19 DEBRA CAPLAN ~ INSTITUTE FOR TOLERANCE STUDIES ~ GAON WEB FILMS ~ JEWISH LEARNING CHANNEL

CLICK TO REGISTER: HTTPS://WWW.DISTINGUISHEDLECTURES.COM/ The Institute for Tolerance Studies includes the Santa Fe Distinguished Lecture Series, The Jewish Learning Channel with videos of all past lectures, and the extensive Digital Library of books and history of and about Judaism and other religions. Read Ron Duncan Hart’s multi-award-winning

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JEWISH COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF NEW MEXICO ~ ACT NOW for 2025: Unique Charitable Giving Opportunities ~ JCF Grants to Immigrant and Refugee Organizations ~ NM on track to create $6.8 million in endowed gifts ~ Meet: Sarah Winger, new Executive Director

READ JCF increases grants to Immigrant and Refugee Organizations in the FALL Issue here: Jewish Community Foundation Increases Grants to Immigrant and Refugee Organizations after an Influx of DonationsBy Vivian Skadron, JCF Grants Committee, Co-Founder of the JCF Immigrant and Refugee Assistance Fund This month, the Jewish Community Foundation of

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OCT 16 7 pm PACO DIEZ CONCERT ~ OCT 22 11 am BOOK FEST! LUNCHEON Cookbook Author BEEJHY BARHANY “Timeless Recipes from Ethiopia, Israel, Harlem & Beyond” ~ Oct 19 1-4 BUTTERFLY PROJECT ~ Learn MAH JONGG Oct 21

RETURN TO HOME HERE FOR MORE STORIESSIGN UP AND SUBSCRIBETip Jar To see more articles return to HOME 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

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NM JEWISH HISTORICAL SOCIETY ~ FALL CONFERENCE Nov. 2, 40th Anniversary ~ New SPEAKERS BUREAU! ~ Rabbi Jack Shlachter “18 Jewish Artists” Jan. 20

READ ”“Hear smart people talk about interesting ideas: New voices in NM Jewish Historical Society Speakers Bureau” by Norma Libman October, 2025 View online now: Naomi Sandweiss Willie, “Jewish Military History 1846 to 1946″Watch the recording now on YouTube https://youtu.be/EU-AhltrFUE?si=8qy6oNkSknwslLRN NEW MEXICO JEWISH HISTORICAL

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TEMPLE BETH SHALOM Special Events: Beejhy Barhany Oct. 22. Joel Chasnoff Oct. 30th. Ron Duncan Hart Nov 1st 5 pm. plus Rabbi Lerner, Mussar; Jewish Genealogy Adult Education classes.

TEMPLE BETH SHALOM ~ RELIGIOUS SCHOOL ~

TEMPLE BETH SHALOM SANTA FE Come As You Are! https://www.sftbs.org/ Be sure to read the two-time award-winning story: “Rabbi Neil Amswych, Facing Challenges for Santa Fe’s Jewish Community” by Brian Serle. “What an important story,” the judge commented, Personality Profiles, NM Press Women; and, Religion News, Society

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AND NOT TO BE MISSED:

CONGREGATION ALBERT ~ ABQ MAYOR DEBATE OCT. 12 Brunch and Debate ~ SCHOOL OF JEWISH STUDIES Register Now! ~ Jewish life in Albuquerque

Welcome to Congregation Albert, your center for Jewish life in Albuquerque! To see more articles return to HOME 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

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SHABBAT WITH FRIENDS ~ Dimensions of Jewish Culture Exploring the Jewish Experience w Rabbis Dov Gartenberg & Jack Shlachter, sign up now for FALL ~ Don’t Miss: Fall Shabbat RETREAT in Truchas, NM Oct. 24-26

DON’T MISS OUR FALL RETREAT! DETAILS: https://www.shabbatwithfriends.org/event-details/swf-fall-shabbat-retreat-in-truchas-nm-oct-24-26-2025 Shabbat with Friends: Recapturing Together the Joy of Shabbat. Learn about our Shabbat Gatherings in Santa Fe and Albuquerque at https://shabbatwithfriends.org. The mission of Shabbat with Friends is to recapture together the joy of Shabbat (Oneg

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WHERE THE NORTH ENDS, A Novel by Hugo Moreno ~ Accused of being a heretic in 17th century New Mexico ~ forthcoming from UNM Press

Return to HOME 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

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Jewish Federation of El Paso & Las Cruces

The Jewish Federation of El Paso & Las Cruces serves the Jewish community by engaging, connecting, supporting and celbrating Jewish life, values, and culture in El Paso and Las Cruces, Israel, and beyond.

Jewish Federation of El Paso & Las CrucesCommunity Security Recommendations Following the Military Action in Iran

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
Where the North Ends, A Novel by Hugo Moreno 

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