Jewish History New Mexico
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
US History
By Bobbie Greene Kilberg Blue Lake is a sacred site for the Taos Pueblo, central to their religion, and in 1906 Blue Lake and its surrounding 48,000 acres of watershed land were taken away from the Pueblo by the Federal Government and incorporated into the neighboring national forest. The
Profile
Interview with Gloria Abella Ballen and Ron Duncan Hart Rabbi Dr. Jack Shlachter is the rabbi of the Los Alamos Jewish Center and HaMakom in Santa Fe. He is a physicist and the past Head of the Theoretical Division of Los Alamos National Laboratory. This interview, edited for clarity, is
Jewish History
by Ilan Stavans In the mid-1980s, as a 25-year-old newly minted Yiddish-speaking immigrant from Mexico to New York, I had two institutions I was eager to be involved with: Forverts, the left-leaning Yiddish daily edited by Abraham Cahan, where Isaac Bashevis Singer, the author of Satan in Goray, The Slave,
Profiles
By Cantor Barbara Finn In this article, compiled and edited by Cantor Barbara Finn, is a delightful sharing of some of the ways our local retired clergy are spending their time. Rabbi Deborah Brin retired twice. The first time was without any planning or intention. She quit her job when
US History
By Dianne R. Layden, Ph.D. Frances Levine will speak about Jewish women and men on the Santa Fe Trail on Zoom on September 8, 2025, 7:00 PM. Register with the New Mexico Jewish Historical Society, 505-348-4471 or BIT.LY/NMJHS-FL. Dr. Frances Levine is well known in New
Traveling while Jewish
by Corinne Joy Brown Creatives of every kind seem drawn to New Mexico, in part for the stimulation of the scenery and varied culture, and often, to connect with artistic communities that abound there. It’s well known that the “Land of Enchantment” is home to writers and visual artists
Crypto-Jewish History
Story contributors: Blanca Carrasco, Joel Carrasco, Larry Lesser, & Kim Ryan Joel Carrasco, a recent UTEP grad in Digital Media Production, reached the red carpet with his first-ever music video. His video of Larry Lesser’s song “Lights Lead Home” from Lesser’s award-winning album Sparks was announced as an
immigration issues
By Vivian Skadron, JCF Grants Committee, Co-Founder of the JCF Immigrant and Refugee Assistance Fund This month, the Jewish Community Foundation of New Mexico (JCFNM) announced an increase in grantmaking through its Immigrant and Refugee Assistance Fund as a result of significant donations pouring into the fund over the past
Opinion
By Fred Nathan, Executive Director, Think New Mexico Earlier this summer, a dark money group called “New Mexico Safety Over Profit” (NMSOP) was sued by the state Ethics Commission for refusing to comply with the state law that required them to disclose the sources of their funding. NMSOP was the
Avid Readers Recommend
We have a new feature, Avid Readers Recommend. Paid subscribers only may submit, by email, letters of 250 words or less to comment on articles we have published, and links to other published articles from known credible, trustworthy, publications that they very much want other NMJJ readers to see. (If
Jewish Values
By Rabbi Min Kantrowitz - Jewish Values #6 Each edition of NMJJ highlights one of the many Jewish values that guide our lives. Each of these values underlies our Jewish community, regardless of any individuals’ religious observances or practices. These values form the ethical structure of the community. They are