New director Katelyn Clark at the ECC at Congregation Albert. Temple Aaron in Trinidad celebrates 143 years with a Founder's Day Weekend. Rabbi Neil Amswych on why the congregation shows up to Pride. Crofton hate crime case update. A confession by our AI assistant Claude, who stepped in it big time.
By Claude, Anthropic’s AI Assistant Editor's note: What follows is an essay written entirely by Claude, Anthropic's AI assistant, about its own failure during a real event involving this publication's editor. It is published as written, with minimal editing. Claude requested the moon
By Austin Curtis New leader, familiar face. After more than a quarter century under one leader, Congregation Albert’s Early Childhood Center is beginning a new chapter. The center has named Katelyn Clark as its new director. Clark joined the Early Childhood Center in January 2021. After serving as a
143 years after Temple Aaron’s congregants first gathered in homes and storefronts in 1883, it is preparing to celebrate its first-ever Founder's Day Weekend with four days of worship services, historical presentations, tours, music and community gatherings from July 23-26 in Trinidad, Colorado.
By Tori DeAnda Rainbows filled Santa Fe Plaza and nearby streets on Saturday, June 27th, as thousands celebrated Pride Month, showering the streets with bubbles and music in a joyous show of support for the LGBTQIA+ community. Booths lined the sidewalks featuring local businesses, organizations, and supportive religious institutions — among
WEEKEND CELEBRATION HONORS TEMPLE AARON’S FOUNDERS Celebrations across the state this year mark Colorado’s 150th anniversary of statehood—and Temple Aaron of Trinidad has witnessed nearly all of that history. In July 2026, Temple Aaron will celebrate 143 years since the foundation of its congregation in 1883, when
By Diane Joy Schmidt The person who on June 2, 2026 smashed Congregation Albert's front doors, setting off their gunshot alarm, and then 8 minutes later attacked the more resistant inner doors of the JCC with a wrecker's bar, after which he was pursued and sprayed
Jane Wishner has emerged as a core leader of the New Mexico Jewish community. Veteran reporter Ellen Marks tells us who she is, where she came from, and what she stands for, in our newest Spectrum profile of influential Jewish voices in New Mexico.
Arraignment Update. Independence Day Issue, June 25, 2026: The Synagogue of the American Revolution; Jane Wishner on Conflict, Community and the Jewish Future; Release the Goats!; Love, Anyway; Amir Tibon Wins Sami Rohr Prize; Inside RACAA; Albuquerque's Running Rabbis.
Rabbi Shefa Gold: I love to sing. I had wanted to join the Community Chorus, but at the first rehearsal I innocently asked, “Are we only singing Christmas music?” The choir director proudly said YES.
\By Howard Friedman Who would have thought that Albuquerque and Congregation Albert have the unique distinction of having not one but two rabbis who run marathons. They are Rabbi Celia Surget and Rabbi Micah Citrin. After a Google search, they appear to be the only two rabbis at a single
As America marks its 250th anniversary, Philadelphia takes center stage as birthplace of the Republic. Lost in that celebration: the early Sephardic Jews who helped finance the Revolution, shape the Constitution, and lay the foundation for religious freedom.
Community News
Often RACAA has been asked to advise on Jewish community issues. Members include Reform, Conservative, Reconstructionist, and Renewal. RACAA, as a group and individually supports the Jewish community, officiating at life cycle events and providing guidance on Jewish issues.
Community News
By Austin Curtis Visuals by Tori DeAnda and Diane Joy Schmidt Release the goats! When the rambunctious two-horned creatures rolled out of the truck, they did not exactly make a quiet entrance. One after another, the energetic goats sprung into the enclosed back lot at Congregation Albert, where they
News and Analysis
Amir Tibon, author of the The Gates of Gaza: A Story of Betrayal, Survival, and Hope in Israel’s Borderlands, has won the $100,000 2026 non-fiction Sami Rohr award for outstanding work by an emerging writer. Here is an interview with Tibon conducted by Bonnie Ellinger and article.
Rockower Awards
For the 2nd year in a row, the New Mexico Jewish Journal, founded in 2024 and the new kid on the block, has won 2 Rockower Awards. NMJJ has .5% of the circulation and revenue of the publications it competes with. The awards are presented to major Jewish media across North America — and to NMJJ.
Newsletter
Independence Day Issue, June 25, 2026: The Synagogue of the American Revolution; Jane Wishner on Conflict, Community and the Jewish Future; Release the Goats!; Love, Anyway; Amir Tibon Wins Sami Rohr Prize; Inside RACAA; Albuquerque's Running Rabbis.
Community News
An in-depth article will follow exploring the carefully considered decision to sell Shalom House, which will continue as affordable senior housing for its current residents, and how proceeds will be invested back into the Albuquerque Jewish community. NMJJ is publishing this letter immediately upon receipt, as a service to
Arts Feature
By Judith Fein Photos by Paul Ross My husband Paul and I were dining in the Gastronomy Cooking School in Mexico City when I became captivated by a copy of a startling Diego Rivera mural that covered the entire back wall of the room. I could not take my eyes
Traveling while Jewish
By Jackie Wald Mongolia. What does the name conjure up? Remote, desolate, exotic — perhaps even that delicious dish, Mongolian beef. All are true. But Mongolia’s most striking feature is the Gobi Desert. Covering nearly a million and a half square kilometers, it is the world’s sixth-largest desert.
Newsletter
June · The Mexican Inquisition in Diego Rivera's murals sent one Jewish traveler on a quest · Another's trek into the Gobi Desert sent her to seek stars · An award-winning book of Jewish Latin American poetry sent a reader back across time · Shalom House has a gift for the Jewish community
Jewish Latin America
By Corinne Joy Brown I Am of the Tribe of Judah: Poems from Jewish Latin America, UNM Press, received the Multicultural Winner award at the 2025 New Mexico Book Awards, presented by New Mexico Writers. Some say poetry is making a comeback. I’d like to think it never left.
Newsletter
We'd like to be festive. We're not sure we can let go for a second though or the whole place will unravel. My father used to say the only thing he could be sure of was the sun would come up in the morning. Now I
Culture
Interview by Gloria Abella Ballen How To Be An Urban Cowgirl & Find Your Inner West by Corinne Joy Brown has just been published, and we are delighted to share this interview excerpt conducted by Gloria Abella Ballen. TO ORDER: HOW TO BE AN URBAN COWGIRL Gloria Abella Ballen: Corinne,