August 9, 2022

We, the undersigned member organizations of the New Mexico Jewish Community, are

concerned and appalled by reports that four separate murders of Muslim men in

Albuquerque – one in 2021 and three in the past two weeks – could be related,

according to multiple media reports and law enforcement officials. It is abhorrent that

anyone would be attacked simply because of who they are, and we are outraged that

these victims may have been targeted because of their faith. The entire Jewish

community expresses its deep support of and solidarity with the Muslim community of

New Mexico. We thank members of law enforcement for investigating and taking the

matter seriously, and we strongly encourage prosecutors to pursue hate crime charges

if the evidence shows that the murders were committed because of the victims’ Muslim

identity.

According to the FBI, religion-based hate crimes reached a historically high level in

2020, the most recent year for which statistics are available, with Jews and Muslims

being the top two targets of religion-based hate crimes across the country. Only by

working together can we address hate against any one group.

Bias-motivated incidents can be reported to ADL online at www.adl.org/report.

Sincerely,

Anti-Defamation League Mountain States Region (ADL)

Albuquerque Chapter of Hadassah

Center for Devotional Energy & Ecstatic Practice (C-DEEP)

Chavurat Hamidbar (Albuquerque)

Congregation Albert (Albuquerque)

Congregation Beit Tikva (Santa Fe)

Congregation Nahalat Shalom (Albuquerque)

HaMakom, The Place for Passionate and Progressive Judaism (Santa Fe)

The Jewish Community Center of Greater Albuquerque

Jewish Community Council of Northern New Mexico

Jewish Community Foundation of New Mexico (JCFNM)

Jewish Federation of New Mexico (JFNM)

Las Vegas Jewish Community, Inc. (Las Vegas, NM)

New Mexico Holocaust Museum and Gellert Center for Education

Rabbinic and Cantorial Association of Albuquerque

Taos Jewish Center

Temple Beth Shalom (Santa Fe)

Stay cool in and on the river, as a part of the Journey to Elul Green River Canoe Trip in Southern Utah with Rabbis Eli Herb and Shefa Gold, August 22-29. Imagine our chants echoing through the magnificent Canyonlands as we paddle our way down the Green River to the confluence with the Colorado. Imagine living a blessed weeklong break from the news, sheltered by the wilderness. While the full moon of Av wanes, we will welcome Elul, as we wash away this last year and purify our hearts with rituals, simple living, and good company. There are just a few spots left. For more information and to register, contact Rabbi Eli at [email protected].

See the High Holidays schedule here. More HH info here.

Ariel will be in the office this Friday 8/12 from 10-1pm. Office hours will change from week to week during the summer. We are looking for volunteers to hold office hours to keep our space open consistently throughout the week. Reach out if you are interested! Call 505-343-8227 (leave a message and I will get back to you!) or email [email protected] if you would like to make an appointment outside of those hours. Become a member anytime and fill out our membership form online!

Saturday, August 13, 10 am - 12 noon MST, Zoom (2nd Saturday)

Our Renewal Shabbat is open to all. We embrace prayer with an open heart and imbed the Torah's themes in our services to bring them forward to our daily life and spiritual practice. Prayers for Healing are always included as well as the Mourners Kaddish to remember those who came before us. See Renewal Siddur.

Meeting ID: Meeting ID: 896 7420 2247 Passcode: 912758 (same every week)

Friday, August 19 6:00-7:15 pm MT, In Person and on ZOOM (3rd Friday)

Join Rabbi Min for regularly scheduled Kabbalat Shabbat in person and onv Zoom. Gather in community to find connection, to rest from the frantic pace of worry, to sing and welcome Shabbat in our new way of being together. Let's celebrate social & spiritual closeness!!! Vegetarian potluck picnic to follow.

Saturday, August 20, 10:00 am MST, In Person and on ZOOM (3rd Saturday)

Have fun during Shabbat morning services with Noah Bloom and Rabbi Deborah Brin. Learn new Jew-stuff and enjoy FINALLY being in the sanctuary or in the Zoom room with our beloved community. Bring nosh to share. Challah and grape juice will be provided. Shabbat Morning Siddur.

Friday, August 26, 6:00 pm MT, at Nahalat Shalom (in the courtyard) and on ZOOM (4th Friday)

Queer Shabbat is a monthly ritual space for reflection, connection, grounding in the sacred cycles of Jewish time, and to eat together the food we each bring for ourselves. Queer Shabbat is for or anyone on Tiwa or Tewa Land / in New Mexico who identifies as Queer (and Transgender, Gay, Lesbian, Intersex, Non Binary, Gender Non Conforming, Enby, Dyke, etc ... ) and considers themselves part of the broad Jewish community. This summer we will be gathering for a hybrid OUTDOOR IN-PERSON and ZOOM shabbat. Whether you are attending virtually or in person, you're invited to bring: songs, poetry, movement, creative activities, and meditations from your heart. For those who chose to attend in person, please bring: a mask, your vegetarian dinner (we not be sharing food) and everything you need to eat it (plates, glasses, utensils, etc … we will not be doing dishes communally for public health reasons.) We will set up physically distanced seating and ask everyone to be masked when you are not actively eating. This is the zoom link to attend virtually: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89014494068?pwd=Wk5qQWd4SEhSaHNjdFhDOUpLWFR4dz09. If you have questions, please reach out to Meagan Morse at [email protected].

Friday, August 26, 7:30 pm MT, ZOOM (4th Friday)

And there’s another opportunity to cool, on the river and even in the river, as a part of the Journey to Elul Green River Canoe Trip in Southern Utah with Rabbis Eli Herb and Shefa Gold, August 22-29. Imagine our chants echoing through the magnificent Canyonlands as we paddle our way down the Green River to the confluence with the Colorado. Imagine living a blessed weeklong break from the news, sheltered by the wilderness. While the full moon of Av wanes, we will welcome Elul, as we wash away this last year and purify our hearts with rituals, simple living, and good company. There are just a few spots left. For more information and to register, contact Rabbi Eli at [email protected].  Judy can also share information after our Chanting Shabbat this week, as this will be her fourth time on this chanting pilgrimage.

CLICK HERE for the chant sheet.

ZOOM Meeting ID: 819 8456 7580 Passcode: SHABBAT (same each month)

For more information, contact Cantor Beth Cohen: [email protected].You can find more information on our website.  Link to PDF of NEW Der Freylekher Shabes Prayer Booklet:

Saturday, September 3, 10:00 am, MST, ZOOM (1st Saturday )

The service will be contemplative as we take time to enter the liturgy through chant, then pause in the silence long enough to allow for an unfolding of possibilities and to develop the skillful practice that allows for Shabbat consciousness to flourish. See this month's chant sheet here as well as the kaddish.

Meeting ID: 801 481 3128 Passcode: Sinai (same each month)  

Join us every week or as the spirit moves you. Self-led group delves into the entire Bible, book by book, discussing literal, ethical and spiritual meaning of the great writings of our ancestors. All are welcome to join at any point. We hope you will join us!

Rehearsal for current band members only. New dancers are always welcome. [email protected] Beth Cohen for more info.

Sunday August 14, 5:30pm MT Zoom

Nahalat Shalom Va'ad Meeting All Nahalat Shalom members are invited to attend our monthly Va;ad (Board of Directors) meeting. Please email [email protected] for zoom invitation.

Sunday, August 14, 2:00 - 3:30 pm MT, Zoom (2nd Sunday )

Please join on the second Sunday of each month for an ongoing, peer-led group to meet and share what we are learning and to reflect on and discuss issues of systemic racism, white privilege, allyship, and the intersection with our own traumas. Our intention is to create a space to ask questions, learn, and hold each other up in support of personal growth and anti-racist actions. All Nahalat Shalom members are welcome. Contact [email protected] for the meeting ID.  

Monday, August 15, 4:00pm MT Zoom

If you are not a previous student, contact me via email with your phone number and I will call you and talk about your Hebrew level (I'm assuming all people are pretty much beginners). Rabbi Min [email protected]

Thursday, August 18, 6 pm MT, 7 pm CT, 8 pm ET

Friends, please come on time (which means a few minutes early). Please find all of the practices we will do together here. Feel free to prepare in advance by learning and exploring these sacred medicines.

Sunday August 21, 10Am-12pm MT Zoom

Music and Dancing, Crafts, Jewish games and a Tikkun Olam Project at our open house and 1st day of our Religious School. More info here.

Next Meeting: Thursday, August 25, 2021, 6:30 pm 

The committee serves as liaison between Nahalat Shalom and various other faith, social, political, and service organizations in the community. These include groups such as ABQ Interfaith, the Black Lives Movement, Jewish Voice for Peace and ongoing service projects for families and youth in need through St. Martin's HopeWorks and APS respectively. The committee meets on the 4th Thursday of the month. All are welcome! Contact Becky Gordon at  [email protected] for the zoom link if you are interested in attending, 

From Lori Rudolph: There is a new advocacy project for Palestinian youth who live in three different communities in the West Bank. This is a collaborative project with the Camden Abu Dis Friendship Association in the UK and the UK/Palestine Social Work and Human Rights Society. This is the first step towards realizing our vision of creating a mental health/advocacy center in Hebron. Riad Arar, former director of Defense for Children International-Palestine’s Protection and Social Mobilization Program is the founder of the UK/Palestine Social Work and Human Rights Society. More info here.

 Hi, all. We are receiving asylum seekers from the border in ABQ once again, now that some border policies have expired, and we're helping families on their way to their sponsors by assisting them at the ABQ Sunport. If you speak Spanish, French, or Portuguese (and perhaps soon we'll need Ukrainian and Russian) and you want to help out a couple of hours per week or per month at the airport, please let me know. Otherwise, you can also provide support with donations of items on the attached list or monetarily by donating to St. Therese Catholic Church at 300 Mildred, NW, ABQ, 87107. Please write "asylum-seekers" on the memo line. Feel free to contact Cris Elder [email protected] with questions.

Donations Needed New

The Red Nation is working on getting books (poetry, books for youth, and other writing/Political Education specifically by Native, Palestinian, and Black/African organizers/authors) to incarcerated folks in the Navajo Nation. ABQ Showing Up for Racial Justice and Nahalat Shalom are working to help gather books for TRN. The books should be in newer condition (i.e. without writing in them, since that might limit the facilities acceptance of the books); magazines cannot be accepted. You can drop books off between Monday, August 1 and Tuesday, August 16th at Nahalat Shalom, where there will be a box in the covered portal of the courtyard by the entrance to the space used by Mutual Aid for drop off at any time.

More than 2500 Homeless APS students last year. We want to make sure those students who return have some food when they aren’t at school.  James, picked up another large load of foods and supplies on July 29, 2022.  Needed ongoing donations include protein items, pop top chef boy r dee, tuna snack boxes, easy open small containers of fruit, ramen noodles, mac n cheese, individual peanut butter —but not Jif--, breakfast and energy bars, juice boxes, personal hygiene items especially shampoo and conditioner.  These foods and supplies make a difference to a hungry child and especially to an unaccompanied teenager. These supplies and food help keep a kid going to school. Thank you all so much for donating to this project. 

The Program Manager for Hope Village has reported that the residents would appreciate some art supplies!  While the re-homing projects still need small lamps, brooms, mops, cups and bowls, bedding, sheets, blankets, towels and other household goods, please also include some art supplies. No children’s items, please. 

Please contact [email protected] or Kathryn at [email protected] / 505 256 7669 to arrange drop off and with questions.

ABQFaithWorks 

Upcoming Learning Opportunity!

The unhoused/homelessness program has an exciting learning opportunity for you! The attached flyer has all of the details. Stacy Burleson, Executive Director of Women in Leadership will present a training on overdose prevention, recognition and response, including information about Narcan. You will leave this training with Narcan for your facility and an understanding of how to use it. RSVP and get registered today!!

Asylum Seekers: We are supporting close to 100 asylum seekers now resident in our beautiful Albuquerque who have journeyed from devastating situations in countries all over the world. Join others from your and other congregations around town in this transformative work. https://www.abqfaithworks.org/volunteer and contact Elijah at [email protected]. 

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED: One of our members, Alan Wagman, has been working with Vecina, an Austin, TX non-profit (https://vecina.org/), on their Family Reunification Project. The FRP facilitates the release of unaccompanied children from immigration detention, teaming attorneys (licensed in any state), administrative support, and translators to represent the children's relatives in the U.S. seeking to qualify as sponsors to whom the children may be released.

There are 3 volunteer functions for the Family Reunification Project: Interpereter, Administrative Support and Pro Bono Attorney. Please go to the website if interested.

Mishpocha means extended family in Yiddish. We support Nahalat Shalom members in times of need and times of joy (new baby). Services are for those who live alone, don't have other support or whose caregivers are exhausted. We follow current COVID guidelines. Your message to us will be confidential. To volunteer to help, or if you have a need or know someone who has a need, please reach out to [email protected] or [email protected].

Visit our website at www.nahalatshalom.org/end-of-life for complete information about end of life preparation, support, and cemetery.

We are sending out our prayers, healing energy and thoughts to two year old, Nolan Ben Roni.

Erica Lea-Simka (See Erica's Caring Bridge page to follow her story.)

Please email your requests for Healing Prayers to [email protected]

See VIDEO of Debbie Friedman z"l singing her beautiful healing prayer.

The unhoused/homelessness program has an exciting learning opportunity for you! The attached flyer has all of the details. Stacy Burleson, Executive Director of Women in Leadership will present a training on overdose prevention, recognition and response, including information about Narcan. You will leave this training with Narcan for your facility and an understanding of how to use it. RSVP and get registered today!! More info here.

From Rio Grande, 2 small blocks South of I40 (or 1 block north of Bellamah, afterHotel ABQ) \call Varda at 505-553-6693 (cell) or email [email protected]

There are many ways to become involved. If you are interested in receiving their calendar in a monthly email newsletter or wish to add an event, reach them at Contact NM CLIMATE ACTION

[email protected].

ALEPH: Alliance for Jewish Renewal is a trans-denominational approach to revitalizing Judaism.We combine the socially progressive values of egalitarianism, the joy of Hasidism, the informed do-it-yourself spirit of the havurah movement and the accumulated wisdom of centuries of tradition. We offer many programs of spiritual support during the pandemic. Visit our WEBSITE. Nahalat Shalom is a member of ALEPH: Alliance for Jewish Renewal

Bend the Arc is the only national Jewish organization focused exclusively on progressive social change in the United States.

Jewish Voice for Peace is a national, grassroots organization inspired by Jewish tradition to work for a just and lasting peace according to principles of human rights, equality, and international law for all the people of Israel and Palestine.

Learn more at WEBSITE. Become a MEMBER. Email [email protected] to join a local chapter.

New Mexico Jewish Link You can view the latest Spring 2021 Issue as a PDF HERE. To request a printed copy, contact o[email protected].

Financial Assistance for COVID-19 STILL Available

The Jewish Federation of New Mexico has launched the Jewish Community Assistance Fund (JCAF) to provide emergency and recovery support (up to $1,800) to individuals and families within the Jewish community impacted by COVID-19.

For more information, contact Rob Lennick, Executive Director ,Jewish Federation of New Mexico, 505-348-4458 or [email protected].

Relationships Are the Keys to Community.

Every community has unique needs and personalities. Here's a story of how one congregation is responding to the unhoused at their door. ABQ FaithWorks can assist clergy and members discern and develop the appropriate response for their specific situations. Email Amy Malick, [email protected], and make a positive difference in your community. Read about the Friends Meeting at https://www.abqfaithworks.org/blog.

The Jewish Care Program is dedicated to the well-being of our most vulnerable community members, moving them from isolation to connection. If you or someone you know is in need of JCP’s services, please visit our website or contact us.

Our Locations:

Albuquerque On the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Jewish Community Campus

5520 Wyoming Blvd. NE, Albuquerque, NM 87109

Santa Fe: 50 Washington Ave, Suite 201 Santa Fe, NM 87501.

Ongoing Every Thursday, 2:30 pm MT, Zoom

Join Stacey McMullen, social Services Manager for the Jewish Care Program, for week gatherings to discuss how you are attending to your well-being and what you are learning from life during these uncertain times.Email [email protected] for Zoom link .

Blessing for Putting on a Mask  

Rabbi Shefa Gold 

Rabbi Gold's website is at wonderful resource for chants and teachings in good times and bad. You can find and listen to a chant for any situation, even now.

Romemu (roh·meh·moo) is a vibrant, innovative synagogue in New York City led by Rabbi David Ingber. They offer many online experience in the Renewal Tradition.