Lag Ba'omer is Today

Lag Ba’omer is a minor holiday that occurs on the 33rd day of the Omer, the 49-day period between Passover and Shavuot. A break from the semi-mourning of the Omer, key aspects of Lag Ba’omer include holding Jewish weddings (it’s the one day during the Omer when Jewish law permits them), lighting bonfires and getting haircuts (since they are usually not done during the semi-mourning of the first 32 days of counting the Omer). School children picnic and play outdoors with bows and arrows, and in Israel plant trees. It is customary to light bonfires, to symbolize the light Simeon bar Yohai (who many believe wrote the Zohar) brought into the world. And every year numerous couples wed at this happy time.

Congregation Nahalat Shalom is hosting a Photo Exhibit/Photo Show, that is opening this Saturday and Sunday in our gallery at 3606 Rio Grande Blvd (see attached). The show features photographer Irene Fertik, a documentary photographer who is showing 21 photos that document Ethiopian Jews in Israel. It is sponsored by the board (va’ad) of Congregation Nahalat Shalom, of which I serve as co-president this year. See the flyer here.

Ariel will be in the office next week on Monday 5/23 from 10am-3pm. Office hours will change from week to week. Call 505-343-8227 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, May 21, 10:00 am MST, ZOOM (Usually 3rd Saturday)

Have fun during Shabbat morning services with Noah Bloom and Rabbi Deborah Brin. Learn new Jew-stuff and enjoy being in the Zoom room with our beloved community.Shabbat Morning Siddur.

Friday, May 27, 6:00 pm MT, ZOOM (4th Friday)

Queer Shabbat is a monthly ritual space for reflection, connection, grounding in the sacred cycles of Jewish time, and a vegetarian pot-luck for anyone 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. You're invited to bring: candles, bread, a beverage for blessing, and also songs, poetry, movement, creative activities, and meditations from your heart. If you want to attend, or have questions and to receive the Zoom link, please reach out to Amelia Mae via her website & click Queer Shabbat: www.ameliaparadise.com/justice/jewish-bridge-project/

Friday, May 27, 7:30 pm MT, ZOOM (4th Friday)

A contemplative way to greet Shabbat through sacred Hebrew chanting and meditation. Celebrate the end of your week, nourish your soul and welcome Shabbat. Join us as we move into holy space/time in a meditative mode: chanting sacred phrases and melodies and then melting into silence. No prior knowledge or special talent is necessary, only the willingness and intention to go inside yourself, to listen deeply and to be in community with others who are engaged in this practice. Co-led by Judy Brown and Sofie Shefia Stephanie Cohen. CLICK HERE for the chant sheet.

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

Saturday, June 4, 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)  

Friday, June 10, 2022, 6:30-8:30pm MT, at Nahalat Shalom   (Usually 1st Friday)

Celebrate Shabes JOY with Cantor Beth Cohen, Alavados band, The Community Klezmer Band and Rikud Dancers. Reservations are required for IN-PERSON fully vaccinated masked attendees only and space is limited to 40 people - please click on RSVP link to reserve. There will be no potluck or any food -shared or provided. Schedule for the evening: 6:15 PM - gates and Zoom room opens. 6:30PM - danced and participatory service to the music of Alavados band with Cantor Beth. 7:20 PM - Kiddush and Ha-Motzee led by Cantor Beth. 7:25-8:30PM - Recreational Jewish dancing led by members of Rikud to the music of The Nahalat Shalom Community Klezmer Band and jamming musician friends.

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

Saturday, June 11, 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, June 17, 6:00-7:15 pm MT, ZOOM (3rd Friday)

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!

Come check out Irene Fertik's work at the Nahalat Shalom Gallery. Opening reception is from 1-3pm, 2pm conversation with the artist on May 21st and 22nd. Her work will be up in the gallery from May 21-May 31 and between July 3 and August 31st.

Sunday, May 22, 3:00-5:00 pm MT, In Person

The N.S. Community Klezmer Band & Rikud dancers hold regular weekly rehearsals on Sundays from 3-5PM. We welcome up to 40 fully vaccinated /boosted & distanced people in Nahalat Shalom’s sanctuary. Instrumentalists must be proficient in the basics of their instrument- dancers of all levels are welcome. First-timer musicians and dancers please contact Cantor Beth Cohen at [email protected] before attending in-person.

See ya soon!

Monday, May 23, 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, May 26, 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, June 3-5th, 2:00 - 3:30 pm MT, Zoom (2nd Sunday )

And email [email protected] if you need more information.

Sunday, June 12, 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.  

Sunday June 12 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.

Next Meeting: Thursday, May 26, 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.

APS homeless students need us! James, picked up a large load of foods and supplies on April 14th, 2022. He was very grateful for the large load.  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, breakfast and energy bars, juice boxes, personal hygiene items especially shampoo and conditioner.  He will be collecting another load this week. There have been overwhelming numbers of homeless students this year and they need our help. Please keep donating to feed these children. Many thanks to all who contribute to this project!

Hope Village is nearing completion! There are now 34 folks living in Hope Village! Dylan picked up a huge load of donations on February 8, 2022 just in time for the folks moving in to Hope Village!. Hope Village and the re-homing  project need move in essentials such as pots, pans, cups, plates, shower curtains/liners, bath mats, towels, sheets and blankets.  Please keep donations coming as the need is great. No children’s items, please.

Many thanks to all the donors to these projects. These donations help our community.

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

Understanding Homelessness    

If you were dealt this hand – a single parent, low-paying job and a hospitalization - what would you do? ABQ FaithWorks invites you to experience this role for a couple of hours and open your eyes to see homelessness differently!  Thursday, June 30, 1:00-3:00 PM at Congregation Albert. Email[email protected] to sign up. There are only 100 spaces. More information here.

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.

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.