Norma Libman - New Mexico Jewish Journal

Chanukah Newsletter

8th Night! New Mexico Jewish Journal Dec. 21, 2025 ~ 3X Match Only Ten Days to go, and we still need $2,200 to unlock $18,000 by Dec. 31st! ~ Read: Jews in Iceland. Latkes and Blintzes. Children's Art 4 Synagogues. The 8th Night: A story. Avid Readers.

We still have $2,200 to go, to raise $6,000 by December 31st and unlock our $12,000 match for a total $18,000. NOW IS THE TIME to SUBSCRIBE, CONTRIBUTE , and DONATE. A $36 ($3/month) subscription becomes $108! Are you already a subscriber but unpaid or want

Community News

Rabbi Micah Citrin is Joining the Clergy at Congregation Albert

by Norma Libman Congregation Albert is preparing for the Installation of Rabbi Micah Citrin at a special Shabbat service on December 19th at 6:00 p.m. The Zamir choir will participate, and there will be a celebratory Oneg. This is a happy homecoming for Rabbi Micah as he lived

Chanukah Newsletter

Happy Chanukah New Mexico Jewish Journal ~ Children's Art from B'nai Israel ~ Welcome new RABBI MICAH CITRIN see video! ~ BBYO Experience by a Teen ~ Community Chanukah Celebration ~ SUBSCRIBE NOW 3X MATCH $36 becomes $108!

Judith writes to us: At the Academy of Jewish Learning (AJL) at Congregation B'nai Israel, we retold the story of Chanukah to our Sunday School Gan Class (ages 4-6) and to our Torah (grades 3rd-7th) and asked them to create images of the Chanukah story. For our older

Jewish History New Mexico

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

Community News

Rabbi Celia Surget Finds a Home at Congregation Albert

by Norma Libman It seems an unusual path, but when you look at it closely it all makes sense. Born and raised in Geneva, Switzerland, to a Jewish American mother and a Catholic French father, how did Celia Surget find her way to the rabbinate and Congregation Albert in Albuquerque,

Analysis

Crypto-Jews Face a Rise in Antisemitism

by Norma Libman Imagine you’d been told for most of your life that your family has a Jewish history but it isn’t safe to tell people about it. In recent years, even though you’re a practicing Catholic, or a Protestant, you’ve been curious about Judaism and

Profile

Rabbi Hazzan Jonathan Angress: The Cantor is Now also the Rabbi

By Norma Libman You could say that Rabbi Hazzan Jonathan Angress became a cantor and a rabbi, and now lives in Albuquerque and serves Congregation B’nai Israel, because he fell in love with Fiddler on the Roof. But it’s a little more complicated than that. For starters, he

Traveling while Jewish

Looking for your ancestors? Let Judith Fein Show You How To Get the Real Story

By Norma Libman If you’ve ever wondered what life was like for your grandparents and great-grandparents, how they lived in the “old country,” as my grandmother used to call it, you really must read The Spoon From Minkowitz by Judith Fein. Yes, you can trace your genealogical history on

Arts Feature

“The Power of Hebrew” Reaches England: Santa Fe artist’s work finds a home at Cambridge University

By Norma Libman It all started a year ago when, on a trip to England, Santa Fe artist Gloria Abella Ballen visited the Wren Library at the University of Cambridge. The library is named for the renowned eighteenth-century British architect and physicist Christopher Wren, and is one of the most

Norma Libman

Marco Polo Didn't Have a Guidebook: Judith Fein Goes Deep in Exploring New Mexico

by Norma Libman Judith Fein has been traveling since she was a child. Guided and encouraged by her parents, she learned to travel differently than most people do. She learned to look for what is unusual, for the other. And that approach has shaped her life and her career as