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.
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.
By Austin Curtis Visuals by Tori De Anda 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
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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
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
Sephardic Culture
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,
Antisemitism
By Judith Fein Photos by Paul Ross When someone asks me why I became a travel journalist, I say it’s because I love learning. Every day I try to learn something new, and traveling is the best way to learn many new things at the same time. What I
Traveling while Jewish
By Jackie Wald We are all part of the worldwide Diaspora. Some places have little pockets of Jews, others large concentrations—think New York, Los Angeles, London… If you’re like me, it feels as though we are always looking at those around us, thinking hmmm, I wonder if s/
Book Review
By Dianne R. Layden, PhD Janet Bond Brill spent 37 years with her mother-in-law Edna before losing her — and she refused to let Edna’s story disappear with her. The result is Little Edna’s War, a Warsaw Ghetto memoir written in Edna’s own voice as a
League of Women Voters
\by Karen Wentworth When I worked as a journalist many years ago for KOAT I covered the activities of many non-profit organizations. One of the most boring was the League of Women Voters. Year after year, they did the same things – put out Voter Guides with candidate questions and
Awards
New Mexico Jewish Journal, in its second year, just took home 9 awards by 8 contributors – including 4 first-place wins – from the regional Society of Professional Journalists Top of the Rockies contest. Among 2,000 entries from 100 newsrooms across Colorado, Utah, Wyoming and New Mexico, NMJJ competed in
Awards
NM Jewish Journal Sweeps 2026 77th Annual NM Press Women Communications Contest. Wins FIRST PRIZE Publication with Ten First Place Awards and Forty Awards Total
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Welcome to Congregation Albert, Your Center for Jewish Life in Albuquerque! https://www.congregationalbert.org/ecc EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTER Welcome to Congregation Albert’s Early Childhood Center, established in 1982. Our 5 Star FOCUS school strives to make your child’s first school experience a happy and secure one. We
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