Link-January 2011.indd - Jewish Federation of New Mexico

VOLUME 41, NUMBER 1 A Se rv i c e o f t h e Je w i s h Fe d e r at i o n o f Ne w Me x i c o 

TEVET/SHEVAT 5771 - JANUARY 2011 

B’nai Israel Celebrates 90 Years 

By Judith Pitkofsky 

And Lynn Provencio 

To commemorate 90 years 

of service to the community as a 

bedrock of Conservative Jewish 

values and practices, Congregation 

B’nai Israel will hold a festive 

weekend. It will begin with a wine 

and cheese reception at 7 p.m. on 

Friday, Jan. 21. The B’nai Israel 

Choir, directed by Carol Golden, 

will sing. Special guest, Cantor Judy 

Greenfeld of Nachshon Minyan in 

Encino, Calif., will lead the Friday 

evening and Saturday morning 

Musaf services. 

On Saturday evening, Jan. 22, the 

congregation will celebrate in the 

social hall in true cabaret style with 

continuous entertainment, a silent 

auction, and a gourmet kosher dinner 

prepared by Sisterhood. 

The year 1920 marked the beginnings 

of historic changes in our state 

and country. It also marked the 

beginning of what became Albuquerque 

and New Mexico’s largest 

Conservative congregation — Congregation 

B’nai Israel. 

A small group of Jews felt the 

Congregation Albert 

Chooses New Rabbi 

Link Staff Report 

Smiles abounded, and none 

was brighter than that of Congregation 

Albert’s president, 

Marcia Lubar. She presided at a 

Dec. 14 congregational meeting 

where members voted to approve 

the board’s recommendation to 

hire Harry L. Rosenfeld as its 

next rabbi. Rosenfeld is currently 

senior rabbi at Temple Beth Zion 

in Buffalo, N.Y. He will succeed 

interim Rabbi Howard Kosovske 

in July 2011. 

“Everything I’d heard from 

Rabbis Citrin and Black and 

people who had visited was that 

this was an incredibly warm, 

friendly and welcoming congregation,” 

said Rosenfeld during a 

November visit. “It understands 

that the rabbi and congregation 

are partners. I want to be part of 

that partnership. I like the ‘can do’ 

attitude.” 

Rosenfeld’s three decades 

of pulpit experience included 

positions at Memphis’ prominent 

Temple Israel and Anchorage’s 

Congregation Beth Shalom 

before becoming senior rabbi at 

Buffalo’s largest Reform congregation 

in 2000. At all three congregations, 

he energetically participated 

in activities both in the 

Jewish community and the larger 

Rabbi Harry L. Rosenfeld 

community. 

Lubar cited how Rosenfeld 

met the congregation’s desire for 

a rabbi with scholarship, teaching 

talent, spirituality and rapport 

with youth as well as members of 

long standing. No less important, 

she said Rosenfeld possessed a 

menschlichkeit that distinguished 

him from other applicants. 

Rosenfeld and his wife, 

Michele Hope, expect to return to 

Albuquerque before he assumes 

his duties in July. Hope will be 

retiring in June from a position 

with the Department of Homeland 

Security. She is an expert in historic 

preservation and served as 

a district archaeologist and as a 

tribal liaison with the Department 

of the Interior in Colorado. 


A Night to Honor 

Israel, the annual demonstration 

of solidarity 

for Israel and the 

Jewish people convened 

by Pastor John Hagee, 

founder of Christians 

United For Israel 

(CUFI), Son Broadcasting 

and the Jewish Federation 

of New Mexico 

will be held Tuesday, Jan. 11, 6:30 

p.m., at the Kiva Auditorium at the 

Albuquerque Convention Center. 

This year’s program will feature 

Dennis Prager as keynote guest 

speaker along with Pastor Hagee. 

One of America’s most respected 

radio talk show hosts, Prager has 

been broadcasting his nationally 

syndicated show since 1999. Widely 

sought after by television shows 

for his opinions, he’s appeared on 

Larry King Live, Hardball, Hannity 

& Colmes, CBS Evening News, The 

Today Show and many others. 

Prager is the co-author, with 

Rabbi Joseph Telushkin, of the 

seminal work on anti-Semitism, Why 

the Jews. The Nine Questions People 

Ask About Judaism, also co-authored 

with Telushkin, has been translated 

into nearly a dozen languages, and is 

the most widely used introduction to 

Judaism in the world. 

Proceeds from this event will 

benefit the Ben Yakir Youth Aliyah 

The first building 

at Coal and Cedar, 

built in 1941 

need for traditional Jewish services 

and social activities as well wanting 

to organize a Hebrew School for 

their children. The charter members 

of this group were D. M. Elias, 

Hyman Livingston, Ben Marcus, 

David Meyer and Aaron Katz, all 

of blessed memory. 

Initially, religious services were 

held in private homes, hired halls 

and even the back of stores. Only a 

fervent desire to transcend all obstacles 

and difficulties kept the spark of 

life that was “the shul” from being 

snuffed out. 

By 1934, the congregation rented 

space at 116 ½ W. Central and had 

regular services and activities. A 

year later, under the leadership of its 

president Arthur Ravel, the congregation 

experienced steady growth, 

and plans were made for the construction 

of a synagogue. 

The Ladies Auxiliary purchased 

a lot at Coal and Cedar in 1937, and 

ground was broken on Jan. 15, 1941. 

The cornerstone that was laid on Feb. 

9 of that year was reinstalled at the 

entryway of the current building. 

Rapid growth occurred in the 

1940s with the arrival of Holocaustsurvivor 

families and in the 1950s 

when Jewish scientists, engineers 

and Air Force personnel at Sandia 

Laboratories and Kirtland Air Force 

Base found a spiritual home within 

the synagogue and diversified the 

congregation’s mainly merchantbased 

membership. 

Although the building was 

expanded in the 1950s, the congregation 

realized they needed more 

room to grow. The current five acre 

site at Indian School and Washington 

was purchased in 1959. 

In 1967, a fund-raising drive 

began to build a new facility on this 

land. Construction was about to start 

when the shul, responsive to Israel’s 

plight in the Six Day War, contributed 

most of its substantial building 

fund for Israel’s defense. The fund 

drive resumed the following year, 

and ground breaking took place in 

December 1969. 

A final service was held in the old 

building in November 1970. Shortly 

Village in Israel, a 

religiously observant 

residential 

youth aliyah village 

located near Hadera, 

which provides safe 

havens for at-risk 

youth, ages 12 to 

17, who have been 

abused or neglected 

or are on the fringes 

of society. 

Other notables 

attending the Jan. 11 event will be 

Albuquerque Mayor Richard Berry 

and representatives of University of 

New Mexico CUFI student campus. 

There will be live music and entertainment 

as well as the speakers. 

The purpose of CUFI is to provide 

a national association through which 

every pro-Israel church, parachurch 

organization, ministry or individual 

in America can speak and act with 

one voice in support of Israel in 

matters related to Biblical issues. 

Since its inception, the pro-Israel 

organization has grown to become 

the largest in the United States and 

one of the leading Christian grassroots 

movements in the world. Each 

year CUFI holds hundreds of events 

in cities around the country. And each 

July, thousands of pro-Israel Christians 

gather in Washington, D.C. to 

participate in the CUFI Washington 

Summit to meet with their Congressional 

representatives in support of 

the Jewish State. 

thereafter, the traditional Torah procession 

was made from the old building 

to the new, distinctive, golden 

“tent” reminiscent of Biblical lodgings. 

The new sanctuary recalled the 

traditional Friday evening prayer, 

Ma Tovu: “How goodly are your 

dwellings, O Jacob, your sanctuaries, 

O Israel.” 

The facilities have grown in the 

past 40 years to accommodate more 

congregants, an excellent religious 

and pre-school, city-wide events such 

as the Jewish-Catholic Dialogue, and 

Jewish concerts and speakers. 

Long time member Jennie Negin 

remembers an event that sums up 

See 90. . . Page 8 

A Night to Honor Israel to Feature 

Dennis Prager as Keynote Speaker 

Dennis Prager 

The late Founder of 

Son Broadcasting, Belarmino 

“Blackie” Gonzales 

was instrumental in 

bringing the Night to 

Honor Israel event to 

Albuquerque, expressing 

in 2006 his hope that, 

“A Night to Honor Israel 

will bring the Jewish 

and Christian communities 

from throughout 

New Mexico together to 

declare boldly with one voice, ‘Israel 

you are not alone; Israel we love you 

and stand to support you.’” 

A Night to Honor Israel events 

are deliberately held in public forums 

like the Kiva auditorium to ensure 

that members of the Jewish community 

feel particularly welcomed. 

Gonzales’s daughter, Annette 

Garcia, is keeping her father’s vision 

alive as president of Son Broadcasting 

and New Mexico State Director 

for CUFI. 

“My father loved Torah,” she said. 

In the difficult times Israel is facing 

“we are here to stand with her,” said 

Garcia, who noted that New Mexico 

has nearly a dozen directors or representatives 

for CUFI who, along 

with the Jewish Federation of New 

Mexico, sponsor the Night to Honor 

Israel. 

According to JFNM Executive 

Director Sam Sokolove, “the 

John Hagee 

See HONOR. . . Page 9

2 The New Mexico Jewish Link A Se rv i c e o f t h e Je w i s h Fe d e r at i o n o f Ne w Me x i c o January 2011

January 2011 A Se rv i c e o f t h e Je w i s h Fe d e r at i o n o f Ne w Me x i c o The New Mexico Jewish Link 3 

‘Zionism After Holocaust’ Topic of NMJHS Event 


The New Mexico Jewish Historical 

Society will host Dr. Avinoam 

Patt speaking on “Jewish Youth and 

Zionism in Europe in the Aftermath 

of the Holocaust.” The event will take 

place on Sunday, Jan. 2, 2:30 p.m., at 

Congregation Beit Tikva in Santa 

Fe. 

Patt, professor of Modern Jewish 

History at the University of Hartford, 

will talk about events in Europe 

between the end of World War II in 

1945 and the founding of the state of 

Israel in 1948. 

Zionist farms were established 

and kibbutzim were set up as young 

survivors developed the communal 

model that was also used in Israel. 

The Zionist enthusiasm of this 

group, particularly the large number 

of young adults among them, was critical 

to the diplomatic decisions that 

led to the creation of the state of Israel 

so soon after the war. 

Patt argues that Zionism was successful 

in the aftermath of the Holocaust 

because it provided young displaced 

persons with a secure environment 

for vocational training, education, 

rehabilitation and a sense of 

family. 

Many kibbutzim were organized 

Rio Rancho Brunch Programs Planned 


To engage the interests of the 

Jewish community west of Albuquerque, 

the Jewish Federation of 

New Mexico invites Jews in Rio 

Rancho, Corrales and throughout 

Sandoval County to two upcoming 

“brunch and learn” events. 

On Sunday, Jan. 16, from 11 a.m. 

to 1 p.m. at the Inn at Rio Rancho, 

Dr. Sara Koplik, director of Hillel at 

the University of New Mexico, will 

present “Vulnerable Jewish Communities 

Around The World: Survival 

Strategies.” 

Koplik obtained her doctorate 

in Middle Eastern history 

from the School of Oriental and 

within displaced person camps in 

Germany and Poland, or even on 

estates of former Nazi leaders. By 

1947 there were 300 kibbutzim in the 

American zone of occupied Germany 

with over 15,000 members. 

The Zionist farms became youth 

movement centers, and later they 

became migration centers also as 

thousands of kibbutzim made aliyah, 

leaving for Israel. The Haganah also 

recruited in the DP (displaced persons) 

camps and on the farms, which were 

major feeder communities helping 

build the new state of Israel. 

For more information, call 505- 

348-4471 or 505-920-7771. 

African Studies at the University of 

London. Her dissertation examined 

the demise of the Jewish community 

in Afghanistan, and her current 

research examines the health benefits 

of preserving cultural identity 

among indigenous communities. 

On Sunday, Feb. 6, from 11 a.m. 

to 1 p.m. at the Inn at Rio Rancho, 

Schelly Talalay Dardashti will 

present, “It’s in Our Genes: Revealing 

History via Technology.” Dardashti 

focuses on Jewish genealogy 

as a journalist, blogger, international 

speaker and instructor. 

She has authored, since 2006, the 

top-ranked independent “Tracing 

the Tribe: The Jewish Genealogy 

Blog,” and her credits include genealogy 

and Jewish journals, magazines 

and newspapers in the U.S. 

and elsewhere; she was the Jerusalem 

Post genealogy columnist 

(“It’s All Relative,” 1999-2005), and 

received the National Genealogical 

Society (U.S.) 2010 “Award for 

Excellence: Genealogical Methods 

and Sources.” She is also the genealogy 

advisor (USA) of MyHeritage. 

com, a major sponsor of the 2011 

“A Taste of Honey” program at the 

Albuquerque JCC. 

There is no cost to attend these 

brunch events, which are generously 

underwritten by Jon Bell CPA: 

www.jonbellcpa.com. RSVPs are 

required to Sherry Roy at 505-821- 

3214. 

Concentration Camp Art Featured at UNM Exhibit 


Friedl Dicker-Brandeis was 

a Bauhaus-educated artist who 

taught art to children in the Terezin 

(Theresienstadt) concentration camp 

between 1942 and 1944. The UNM 

Art Museum will host an exhibition 

titled “Through a Narrow Window: 

Friedl Dicker-Brandeis and Her 

Terezin Students.” The opening 

reception will be held on Jan. 28, 

5 – 7 p.m., and the exhibit will run 

through March 13. 

For 21 months, Dicker-Brandeis 

taught art to children and adolescents 

in the Nazi’s model concentration 

camp of Terezin, about 50 miles 

north of Prague. 

She offered her young charges 

opportunities to contemplate subjects 

and objects and ways to communicate 

their experiences in images. She 

grounded her teaching in visual art 

fundamentals and an aesthetic of 

personally expressive form, offering 

structure and freedom through artmaking. 

Painting in her art classes 

gave hundreds of children momentary 

escape from concentration camp 

realities. 

Before she and 30 of her students 

were transported to Auschwitz in 

October 1944, where they were killed 

upon arrival, Dicker-Brandeis packed 

hundreds of student works into suitcases 

and hid them. Her act left us 

with opportunities to understand the 

power of art and teaching in the lives 

of children in a war torn world. 

Works exhibited in “Through 

a Narrow Window” offer viewers 

insight into the teaching approach 

of an artist/teacher whose education 

and practices influenced her to 

become an art teacher in adverse circumstances. 

Works made by students are 

seen alongside the teacher’s works 

from her student years, her mature 

years, and her nearly two years in 

the camp. Exhibiting students and 

teacher works together highlights the 

student teacher relationship integral 

to educational 

endeavors and 

to the legacy of 

Dicker-Brandeis. 

Regular 

museum hours 

are Tuesday 

through Friday, 

10 a.m. – 4 p.m., 

and Saturday 

and Sunday, 1 

p.m. – 4 p.m. 

UNM’s College 

of Education is 

sponsoring the exhibition and UNM 

Press has published a book to accompany 

the exhibition. 

To schedule a museum visit for 

your class, contact Sara Otto-Diniz, 

Ph.D., Curator of Academic Initiatives, 

at sodiniz@unm.edu. 

For more information on the 

exhibit or related programming, 

contact Linney Wix, Ph.D., Associate 

Professor, College of Education, 

at 505-277-5533 or lwix@unm.edu. 

Solomon Schechter Day School Hosts Famed 

Cookbook Author for Fundraising Event 


Two-time James Beard awardwinning 

cookbook author and featured 

New York Times food columnist 

Joan Nathan is coming to Albuquerque, 

on Feb. 5, for a very special 

fundraising event to benefit Solomon 

Schechter Day School. 

The fundraiser, taking place at a 

private home, will include dinner and 

drinks with Nathan as well as a short 

discussion of her research and a demonstration 

of her most famous recipe. 

Additionally, she will sign copies of 

her newest book, Quiches, Kugels 

and Coucous: My Search for Jewish 

Cooking in France. 

Perhaps best-known for her PBS 

television series, “Jewish Cooking in 

America with Joan Nathan,” Nathan is 

the award-winning author of 10 cookbooks. 

She is a regular contributor to 

The New York Times Food Arts Magazine 

and Tablet Magazine, among 

other publications. 

Her book, Jewish Cooking in 

America (1995), won both the James 

Beard Award and the IACP/Julia Child 

Cookbook of the Year Award. The 

New American Cooking (2005) won 

the James Beard and IACP Awards 

as best American cookbook published 

that year. 

“We are very excited about this 

unique opportunity to bring Joan 

Friedl 

Dicker-Brandeis 

Nathan to Albuquerque,” said Solomon 

Schechter Head of School Kathryn 

Weil. “I’ve heard Joan referred to as 

the Julia Child of Jewish cooking and 

I’m looking forward to the inspiration 

and spirit she’ll bring to us through her 

talk and cookbooks. Please join us to 

welcome Joan Nathan to our community 

and to raise much needed funds 

for Solomon Schechter.” 

In a journey that was a labor of 

love, Nathan traveled throughout 

France to discover the fascinating 

evolution of Jewish-French gastronomy 

and to unearth the secrets of this 

hidden cuisine. 

In her book, Quiches, Kugels 

See SCHECHTER. . . Page 8 

Stop OVERPAYING Your Taxes! 

• Unlimited year-round consulting 

services included on all tax matters 

• Ongoing tax-planning 

• Prompt replies to phone calls and emails 

• Reasonable fixed-fee pricing 

• Free E-filing 

Exceptional tax preparation and planning for 

individuals and small, locally owned businesses. 

Jon Bell, CPA 

The Tax Maven 

Contact Jon today to receive a FREE no-obligation consultation 

505-385-3535 • www.jonbellcpa.com • jonbellcpa@gmail.com 

Addictions According 

to the Torah and Kabbalah 

An Interactive Workshop with Rabbi Eitan Eckstein 

The founder and director of 

Retorno Israel, the International 

Jewish Center for Prevention and 

Treatment of Addictions, will share 

his first-hand knowledge of addictions 

of all types (from substances to 

computer games to food), how they 

can be prevented, treated, and reasons 

addictions develop in the first place. 

Date: Time: Location: 

2/11/11 12:00 - 1:30pm UNM Hillel, 1701 Sigma Chi NE, Abq. 

2/13/11 2:00 - 3:00pm A Taste of Honey, JCC 

5520 Wyoming Blvd. NE, Abq. 

2/16/11 6:15 - 7:15pm CongregationAlbert 

3800 Louisiana Blvd., Abq. 

For more information, please log on to www.retorno.org 

or email: eitan@retorno.org. For a private consultation locally, you can 

reach Rabbi Eckstein via his host, David Langer, at 505-259-8043

4 The New Mexico Jewish Link A Se rv i c e o f t h e Je w i s h Fe d e r at i o n o f Ne w Me x i c o January 2011 

Opinion 

Who Is the Jew Here? 

Loneliness of the Long-Distance Jew: Part Nine 

By Sharon Niederman 

The New Mexico Jewish Link 

Can someone tell me when it 

became okay to ask out loud, as a 

matter of conversation at a Santa Fe 

party: “Who’s the Jew here?” I can 

imagine a line like that coming out 

of the mouths of Jon Stewart or Jerry 

Seinfeld. However, the only punch 

line at this gathering was silence, followed 

by a babble of questions. 

I lived in Santa Fe during the early 

1990s. So last century. Feels ancient 

even as I write of it. At the time, I 

was a struggling wage slave at a local 

newspaper run by a Rockefeller who 

applied a similar management style 

toward her employees that her grandfather 

had applied to the striking coal 

miners at Ludlow, minus the Pinkertons. 

So overwhelmed with hundreds of 

press releases from arts organizations 

that came across my desk weekly was 

I that I did not have time to actually 

go to exhibits or the theater. I barely 

Publisher: Jewish Federation of New Mexico (JFNM), 821-3214 

Editor: Susan Abonyi, 348-4460, fax 821-3351 

Email: susan@jewishnewmexico.org 

Writers: Boaz Fletcher, Min Kantrowitz, Ellen Marks, Jennie, Negin, Sharon Niederman, 

Judith Pitkofsky, Lynn Provencio, Naomi Sandweiss, Diane J. Schmidt, 

Kathryn Weil, Hershel Weiss 

Production: Christine Carter, Envision Graphics 

Wire service: Jewish Telegraphic Agency 

Advertising manager: Anne Grollman, 348-4472, fax 821-3351 

E-mail: anne@jewishnewmexico.org 

Advertising deadline: The 15th of the month preceding publication. 

had time to write about it all. 

I vowed that one day I would 

return and do it right. 

That day has come with the gift 

of a posh house-sit from friends who 

travel virtually all the time. My job 

is to pick up the mail and make sure 

mice are not devouring their trove 

of thousands of books stored in the 

garage. 

One friend said to me, wisely, long 

ago, while I was expounding on my 

love-hate relationship with the City 

Different, “You need old money to live 

well in Santa Fe.” And my traveling 

friends do have that. While under their 

roof, I enjoy the illusion of a belated 

trust-funder lifestyle. 

During the intervening years, I 

have cracked the code of Santa Fe: 

It’s a great place so long as you need 

nothing from it. I now spend leisurely 

mornings at Real Food Nation following 

Ernest Hemingway’s precept that, 

“A journalist should never appear to 

be working.” And I would add to that, 

“Never be seen hustling for a gig.” 

Playfully absorbed with my 

MacBook, I order another latte and 

house made vegan cinnamon doughnut, 

and sooner or later, I am chatting 

with a New York Times reporter or 

indie movie producer. 

At the Tesuque Volunteer Fire 

Department cookout/potluck, I 

exchange friendly greetings with a 

lovely actress who is no relation to 

Tim McGraw. 

It has become obvious that, in 

Santa Fe, a minute spent hanging out 

with apparently no useful purpose 

while engaging in entertaining conversation 

is every bit as useful as a 

moment spent actually working. 

It is marketing of the highest order, 

as I am sure real estate, advertising 

and other professionals here have discovered. 

I have read enough novels 

to know that this sort of behavior has 

many historic precedents. And so long 

as I meet my deadlines, I can continue 

my little ruse. 

See HERE. . . Page 11 

“The Link is a community newspaper, published as a 

service by the Jewish Federation of New Mexico, that 

focuses on Jewish life in New Mexico. It is committed to 

seeing Jewish life thrive.” 

— Since 1971 

Address: The New Mexico Jewish Link, 

5520 Wyoming Blvd. NE, Albuquerque, NM 87109 

Submission Policy: Letters to the editor, articles, calendar entries or other information 

to be considered for publication must be typed with return address and phone 

number and signed by the author. E-mail submissions are preferred. The editor reserves 

the right to edit or deny publication to submissions. Materials sent to The 

Link will not be saved or returned unless accompanied by self-addressed, stamped 

envelope. All letters, readers forums and opinion pieces solely reflect the opinions of 

the authors and not the opinions of The New Mexico Jewish Link, nor of its publisher, 

the Jewish Federation of New Mexico. These serve as a forum for the New Mexico 

Jewish community and The Link strongly urges submissions. Send submissions via 

e-mail to susan@jewishnewmexico.org or via post to The New Mexico Jewish Link, 

5520 Wyoming Blvd. NE, Albuquerque, NM 87109. 

Submissions to editor deadline: The 15th of the month preceding publication. 

Link advisory committee: Peter Weinreb - chairperson, Merilee Dannemann- 

Kamerman, Chuck Paine, Sam Sokolove, Arthur Alpert 

The New Mexico Jewish Link is published monthly with a bi-monthly 

June/July issue for $36 per year 

Postmaster: Send address changes to JFNM, 

5520 Wyoming Blvd. NE, Albuquerque, NM 87109. 

On Israel, Can U.S. 

Jews Disagree Nicely? 

By Sue Fishkoff 

SAN FRANCISCO (JTA) — 

Laura Sutta says she doesn’t feel safe 

talking about Israel. 

Sutta returned to the United States 

in 2003 after 23 years living in Israel 

and found that while she was away, 

the vitriol over Israel had reached a 

fever pitch in her Jewish community 

in the San Francisco Bay area. 

“I’ve lost two friendships over 

it,” she said. “One was a friend from 

high school. When I talked to him 

about Israel, I could feel him judging 

me.” 

Sutta says she’s dumbfounded 

by the “fury of the volleys being 

exchanged.” 

Cecilie Surasky also doesn’t feel 

safe. The deputy director of Jewish 

Voice for Peace, an Oakland-based 

organization that says it supports 

security and self-determination for 

Israelis and Palestinians but whose 

detractors claim it is anti-Israel, 

Surasky says she has filed four police 

reports in the past four months. 

In one highly publicized incident 

in November, members of Surasky’s 

organization were pepper-sprayed at 

a meeting in Berkeley by a woman 

associated with StandWithUs, a pro- 

Israel activist group that often clashes 

with Jewish Voice for Peace. Other 

incidents Surasky reported to police 

included graffiti on the organization’s 

headquarters. 

“We fear for our safety,” Surasky 

said. “The issue of Israel is really 

tearing this community apart.” 

To deal with the growing rancor, 

the San Francisco Jewish Community 

Relations Council has launched 

a “year of civil discourse” to encourage 

local Jews to agree to disagree on 

Israel without name-calling or violence. 

The question now is whether dialogue 

will help heal the rifts or make 

things worse. The effort, which was 

launched last month with an invitation-only, 

all-day conference in San 

Francisco, is being watched closely 

throughout the United States by 

communities considering similar 

efforts. 

The kickoff event at Congregation 

Beth Israel Judea and the Brandeis 

Hillel Day School drew more 

than 200 people. Each invitee was 

asked to bring two friends who disagree 

on Israel. 

“This is not about changing 

people’s views but about listening 

respectfully and hearing divergent 

views, with the health of our community 

at stake,” said Rabbi Doug 

Kahn, director of the San Francisco 

JCRC. 

“Dialogue has gotten a bad rap, 

that it’s about glossing over issues,” 

said Rachel Eryn Kalish, lead facilitator 

for the San Francisco initiative. 

“That’s not what this is about. 

You can be an advocate and still be 

civil.” 

It’s an uphill battle in San Francisco, 

a city where the Israeli Consulate 

is routinely picketed, where 

the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions 

(BDS) campaign against Israel 

is very active, and where activists 

on both sides call each other Nazis, 

pigs and worse. One comment posted 

online under a Jewish Voice for Peace 

video suggested that the organization’s 

supporters should have been 

taken away on trains to concentration 

camps. 

Dr. Mike Harris, spokesman for 

the local branch of StandWithUs, 

attended the Dec. 12 gathering. He 

says it’s too soon to tell how useful 

the civil discourse effort will prove. 

On one hand, he said it is “absolutely 

necessary” for people to “get 

beyond the tension, so Israel can 

be talked about.” But he considers 

Jewish Voice for Peace outside the 

bounds of the Jewish communal conversation, 

saying the group “does not 

accept the ground rules” of Israel as 

the Jewish state. 

“There is a conflict between the 

imperative for civil discourse and the 

imperative to name and shame those 

who are anti-Israel,” Harris said. 

Cities across the country report 

similar troubles, and they are turning 

to JCRCs and other community relations 

specialists for help in dealing 

with their internal conflicts. 

“San Francisco is not the only 

place where discourse has devolved 

into something unpleasant,” said 

Ethan Felson, who heads the civility 

campaign for the Washington-based 

Jewish Council for Public Affairs. 

More than 350 national Jewish 

leaders have signed onto the JCPA’s 

civility pledge; some have reached 

out to the JCPA for programming 

ideas. 

“Quite a few communities are 

interested in doing something,” Felson 

said. “The breakdown of respect for 

different views, the demonization of 

fellow Jews — it feels that engaging 

on issues that matter has become a 

blood sport.” 

In Atlanta, an Op-Ed in the local 

Jewish paper by an Israeli who noted 

that pursuit of peace is a Jewish 

value was followed by a letter to the 

editor accusing the author of supporting 

suicide bombers. In Boston, 

tempers flared when the local Workmen’s 

Circle rented space to Jewish 

Voice for Peace and Adalah, a pro- 

Palestinian group that supports the 

Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions 

movement. 

Alan Ronkin, deputy director 

of Boston’s JCRC, says extremists 

on both sides shut down dialogue at 

times. Ronkin says he is worried not 

about how to bring those people into 

the fold, but how to reassure moderates 

who “hear the loudest voices 

and turn away from the Jewish community 

because they’d rather not be 

involved in a rancorous, divisive conversation.” 

The launch of San Francisco’s 

civil discourse project actually grew 

out of a 5-year-old initiative called 

Project Reconnections in which the 

JCRC trained groups of 20 to 25 

people in three congregations to act 

as conversation facilitators. 

“We emerged with a cadre of 

people who can lead tough conversations, 

who can be the voice of mod- 

See DISAGREE. . . Page 10 

OMISSION 

In the December 2010 Link article “Community Chaplaincy Program 

Expands in Santa Fe,” it was not stated that the program is run by Jewish 

Family Service of New Mexico.


Israel’s Forest Fire Causes Blame Game 

By Boaz Fletcher 


By Ellen Marks 

Congregation Nahalat Shalom is 

grateful and excited to announce it has 

been awarded a grant from the Jewish 

Federation of New Mexico that will 

help provide signed language interpretation 

at several of this year’s 

events. 

Nahalat has a long history of 

signing and accessibility that continues 

under our current rabbi, Deborah 

Brin. Our new effort will kick off 

on Jan. 20, when we provide interpretation 

for part of our annual Tu 

B’Shevat celebration. 

Simply complete this form, enclose your payment for $36/year, payable to “The Link” and mail to: 

New Mexico Jewish Link, 5520 Wyoming Blvd NE, Albuquerque, NM 87109 or Fax to 505.821.3351 

___ Enclosed is my Subscription Payment of $36.00 for Home Delivery of The Link 

Check # ________ 

If you like to hike, then Israel is 

the place for you. I’ll admit that the 

Israel Trail, starting at the country’s 

northwest tip, Rosh Hanikra, and 

meandering down to Eilat, can’t really 

compete with say, the grand vistas of 

the Rio Grande or the foliage of the 

Appalachian Trail, but with a good 

30 days’ walk you pretty much get 

to see all of the different ecological 

niches, climate zones, and geological 

formations packed tightly into one 

small Mediterranean country. 

I’m the kind of hiker that looks at 

a trail marked “expert” and then does 

it backwards. It shouldn’t come as a 

surprise then that I’ve hiked almost 

everywhere in Israel: the Golan, 

Galil, the rivers of the north (in the 

rivers actually), the Jordan Valley, 

Dead Sea, Judean Desert, Timna and 

the Eilat region, the Jerusalem Hills, 

the Sharon Plains, Rimon Crater, and 

the sand dunes in the South. 

For one reason or another, the 

only area I have never hiked is the 

Carmel Forest, Israel’s largest oldgrowth 

forest. And chances are that 

I will now have to wait for a long, 

long time. 

Loss. In one word you can sum 

up the worst forest fire in Israel’s 

history. The loss of habitat. The loss 

of people’s homes and their lives’ 

work. The loss of life. In truth the 

scope of the loss of life was for many 

too large to grasp. 

Most of the Prison Service guards 

who were on their way to help move 

inmates from a prison that was in 

the path of the fire and who perished 

as their bus was engulfed by flames 

were in their late 20s or early 30s 

with young families. 

One such death is saddening; 36 

such deaths is a national tragedy (the 

other 7 deaths — as of this writing 

— were of emergency personnel, 

including the Haifa Police station 

chief). 

The irony that the fire occurred 

on Chanukah is not lost upon us. As 

one astute observer noted we light 

36 candles during the duration of the 

holiday (not including the Shamash), 

which is the same number as those 

who died on the bus. 

Hear Oh Israel... and Understand 

PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEW MEXICO JEWISH LINK 

WE STILL NEED YOUR SUPPORT 

You can ensure the future and continued success of The New Mexico Jewish Link by being a 

subscriber and receiving the publication at home 

Credit Card # ________________________________ Circle: VISA M/C AMEX 

Signature:___________________________________ Expires:_________________ 

___ Enclosed is my Additional Contribution of $ ________ to support The Link. 

(and help cover operating costs and mailing costs for those facing financial hardship). 

Fingers were being pointed even 

as the fire was still raging. Never 

missing an opportunity to create 

a spectacle, the Media covered the 

fire non-stop, doing its best to blame 

everyone that it could: the Army (for 

not having the proper airborne firefighting 

capabilities); the Interior 

Minister, under whose Ministry’s 

auspices falls the Fire Department 

(except in times of large disasters — 

such as forest fires — when it is transferred 

to the Home Front Command); 

the Fire Service for responding too 

slowly to the fire; the Prime Minster 

because he’s the Prime Minister; and 

God for not making it rain. 

The Army countered that firefighting 

is not one of its missions 

based on the decisions of prior governments, 

whose members now sit 

in the Opposition and are blaming 

the current government for lack of 

preparation. 

The Interior Minister blamed the 

Media for blaming him since he is 

“Haredi and Sepharadi” and in any 

event he wrote a lot of letters asking 

that the Fire Services be moved to 

a different Ministry, Internal Security. 

The Fire Service didn’t blame 

anybody, but did mention that they 

have 30-year-old trucks that don’t 

quite make it up the hills (they turn 

off their sirens out of embarrassment 

as they are being passed by families 

in minivans) and that less than half 

the firefighting positions are filled, 

which is, in any event, only one-sixth 

of the normal ratio anywhere else in 

the modern world. 

The Prime Minister decided to 

let the polls defend him, with a large 

majority giving him a good or very 

good approval rating for his handling 

of the crisis, perhaps because 

he managed to rent a fire-fighting 

747 for a couple of days, and it looked 

really neat on television. 

God was unavailable for 

comment, but some rabbis ventured, 

ostensibly on His behalf, that the fire 

was due to the homosexuals. No, I 

don’t get it either. 

A friend made a remark in 

passing about how the fire is a semirepeat 

of the Chanukah miracle but 

in reverse: a fire that should have 

been out in a day burned for four. 

___ Enclosed is $36 to support for a gift subscription. (Great for children away from home, those who 

have moved away, family/friends looking to relocate to New Mexico, etc.) Indicate name(s), address(es), 

and email(s) of “gift recipients” on back of this form 

Your Name: _______________________Telephone:________________ Email:___________________ 

Mailing Address:______________________________________________________________________ 

Thank you to our current subscribers who are helping us maintain the only State-wide Jewish publication, 

which unites New Mexico’s Jewish community with news, commentary and education. 

But this is how things sometimes 

seem to work around here, everything 

can be ignored until we need 

to enter crisis mode, putting out fires 

(excuse the pun), and then expending 

energy placing blame, instead of 

fixing what’s broke. 

The rehabilitation of the Carmel 

forest will take years, and probably 

decades. I remember driving to Jerusalem 

on the day of the great forest 

fire in the Jerusalem Hills many 

years ago. The hills were charred and 

trees were still burning. It was estimated 

then that it would take at least 

10 years for regrowth to start. 

The forest is just now beginning 

to fill in. The Jewish National Fund 

(JNF) is pushing to replant — after 

all, they make money by raising 

money for just such causes — while 

others recommend doing nothing, at 

least for a couple of years, and to let 

Nature take its course. My Carmel 

hikes will have to wait. 

Thoughts have turned toward 

what the next crisis will be — but 

it’s clear that if we continue to play 

with matches, something will get 

burned. 

The va’ad (our congregation’s 

board) will be working with a group 

of licensed and certified interpreters 

interested in providing this service 

and mentoring newer student interpreters 

through the Interpreter Training 

Program at UNM. 

In addition, our cheder classes 

will receive sign lessons, and the congregation 

as a whole will be exposed 

to some prayers in American Sign 

Language (ASL). 

The Shema, a central point 

in any service, can be translated 

from English to ASL, from “Hear, 

oh Israel” to “understand” or “pay 

attention” or even “know” in very 

much the same way that we internally 

interpret the message of this prayer 

without a focus on hearing through 

our ears. 

One could easily say that interpretation, 

and reinterpretation of traditional 

text is a pivotal part of our 

understanding and a mainstay of 

Jewish tradition. 

Deafness among people below 

the age of “senior status” occurs in 

low incidence throughout the general 

population. Being Jewish furthers 

this minority experience. For this 

reason, Nahalat Shalom is choosing 

to interpret not only religious services, 

but some speakers and community 

events as well. Throughout 

the process, we will keep our eyes 

open to the desires of the community 

we seek to serve. 

Both Deaf folks and Jewish folks 

see themselves as members of a cultural 

minority beyond the definition 

of religion or disability. 

In the same way some Jews 

define themselves as “not religious, 

but culturally Jewish,” there are Deaf 

people who choose the term “Deaf” 

over “deaf” letting the big “D” define 

them as members of a culture rather 

than a disabled minority. 

Pride is common to both groups 

as well. Some Deaf Jews understand 

themselves as twice blessed. It is 

with this spirit of blessing that we 

will launch our Jan. 20 interpreted 

Tu B’Shevat event and invite you 

to join us. Watch The Link or visit the 

Nahalat Shalom website, www.nahalatshalom.org 

for future events.


The 

LINK 

UNIQUE GIFT FOR ALL OCCASIONS 

Surprise Family and friends with the gift of MONEY coming out of a cake! 

Order THE MONEY CAKE KIT @ 

www.themoneycake.com or 400.5042 

SIGNATURE WEDDINGS & EVENTS OF NM 

505-220-9809 

Your Full Service Wedding & Event Planner 

Tailoring services to your needs & budget 

www.signatureeventsnm.com 

SAVORY FARE BAKERY AND CÁFE 

884-8514 

7400 Montgomery NE; 

Catering: 872-2820 

Bar & Bat Mitzvahs, weddings, holiday celebrations and other 

special occasions. We will make your simcha special. 

PATISSERIE C Creative Cakes & Cookies 

Custom Gourmet Cakes for All Occasions 

Open By Appointment 

Online Ordering www.PatisserieC.com 

505.247.3131 

HOMEWOOD SUITES BY HILTON ABQ UPTOWN 

Anne Shoemaker, Director of Sales 

7101 Arvada Ave NE, Albq 87110 

505-881-7300 ext 5003 

Great Rates for Bar/Bat Mitzvahs! 

Bar Mitzvahs 

Weddings 

Anniversaries 

Graduations 

Remembrances 

Corporate Events 

Custom Designed Celebrations 

Gourmet Lunches & Dinners 

Hors D’ oeuvres 

Award Winning Chef 

Banquet Facilities & Tea Room 

Special Touch 

CATERING, LLC 

Catering with a “Special Touch” 

WWW.SPTCATERING.COM 

294-2396 

5200 Eubank Blvd. NE, Ste. B-7 

Family Owned & Operated Since 1983 

If you would like to advertise 

your business or service here, 

please call 

Anne Grollman 

at (505) 348-4472 

or email her at anne@jewishnewmexico.org

January 2011 A Se rv i c e o f t h e Je w i S h fe d e r At i o n o f ne w Me x i c o The New Mexico Jewish Link 7 

LO C A L BR I E F S 

B’nai Israel Men’s Club to Host 

Chevre Kaddisha Training 

The Congregation B’nai Israel 

Men’s Cub has decided to make the 

Chevre Kaddisha of Greater Albuquerque 

one of its community service 

projects. 

They are encouraging men and 

women in the community to come 

learn about this important part of 

Jewish life — the respect for the body 

of the deceased. 

The leaders of the Chevre Kaddisha, 

Rabbi Min Kantrowitz and 

Chaplain Linda Friedman, will be 

conducting a training session on 

Sunday, Jan. 16 at, 9 a.m., at Congregation 

B’nai Israel. Some of the 

members of the Chevre Kaddisha will 

be there to talk about what performing 

this mitzvah means to them. 

Breakfast will be provided. For 

more information and to RSVP, 

contact the president of the Men’s 

Club, Richard Hammer, at foxboat@ 

aol.com or 505-363-4788. 

Isotopes Mascot Featured 

Guest at Albert Breakfast 

NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR THE 2011-2012 SCHOOL YEAR 

505.232.2325 

www.ssdsabq.org 

SOLOMON SCHECHTER 

DAY SCHOOL OF ALBUQUERQUE 

OPEN 

HOUSE 

February 27th 

from 

3:00 – 4:30 

A beneficiary of the Jewish Federation of New Mexico. 

Accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges & Schools 

His fielding is suspect, and he 

can’t hit the curveball. Despite 

those failings, Orbit may be the most 

popular member of the Albuquerque 

Isotopes Baseball Club. 

The beloved, big, orange creature 

will be the featured guest at Congregation 

Albert’s Brotherhood Breakfast 

at 10 a.m. on Sunday, Jan. 16. 

The New Mexico Center for 

Crypto-Judaic Studies and Culture, 

a new non-profit organization, will 

have a kick off fundraising celebration 

on Sunday, Jan. 30, from 3 – 

5 p.m., at the Marshall Performing 

Arts Conservatory, 2637 Texas SE, 

Albuquerque. 

The New Mexico Center for 

Crypto-Judaic Studies and Culture’s 

director, Daniel Diaz-Huerta, will 

be offering basic Salsa, Mambo and 

Merengue dance lessons, for a suggested 

donation of $5. 

Diaz-Huerta, a long time Mambo 

aficionado and scholar of the history 

of Spain and New Mexico says of 

this event: “Our new organization 

wishes to celebrate the rich culture 

of New Mexico’s Sephardic as well 

as Ashkenazi Jews, and foster mutual 

friendships with Crypto-Jewish families 

in other religious organizations 

that celebrate their Jewish heritage. 

Orbit will respond to audience questions 

and pose for pictures with children 

of all ages. 

Cost for the breakfast is $10 

for Brotherhood and Sisterhood 

members and $12 for others. A 

special children’s pancake option 

is $4. Please phone in reservations 

to 505-883-1818. 

Center for Crypto-Jews Launched 

The Goldman Fund Israel Scholarship 

is now taking applications for 

summer 2010 Israel programs. The 

Goldman Fund provides funding 

support for Albuquerque Jewish teens 

enrolled in or graduated from Confirmation 

programs. While priority 

is given to members of Congregation 

B’nai Israel, other students in 

Albuquerque have received funding 

support as well. 

The Goldman Fund was established 

by the children of Si and Becky 

Goldman as a memorial to their 

parents. Si and Becky were devoted 

members of Congregation B’nai Israel 

who had a special love of Israel. The 

What better way than dance! Everything 

we do at the Center is aimed 

to promote the spirit of Convivencia 

that existed in medieval Spain: religious 

tolerance, respect and appreciation 

for each other’s differences. In 

New Mexico, the Crypto-Jews are in 

a unique position to lead the way in 

recreating Convivencia.” 

All proceeds from the fundraising 

event will go toward producing 

“Festival Djudeo-Espanyol 2011: 

Celebrating the Sephardic/Crypto- 

Jewish Heritage in New Mexico.” 

The center, whose mission is to 

unite native New Mexican Jews of 

Iberian heritage, regardless of religious 

affiliation or status, is planning 

Albuquerque’s second annual “Festival 

Djudeo-Espanyol,” scheduled for 

April 8 and 9, 2011. 

For additional information, 

contact Hershel Weiss at 505-342- 

1096 or hershel1000@yahoo.com. 

Goldman Fund Scholarships 

Available to Teens 

Goldman Fund has assisted more than 

a dozen Albuquerque Jewish teens 

attend summer and school programs 

in Israel. 

“The Goldman Fund has been a 

wonderful program for the Jewish 

teens of Albuquerque,” stated Rabbi 

Arthur Flicker. “The Fund has allowed 

students who would not have otherwise 

had the financial resources, the 

opportunity to experience the wonder 

and glory of Israel. All of the teens 

have returned with a new love of both 

Israel and their Judaism.” 

For an application to the Goldman 

Fund, contact Rabbi Flicker at B’nai 

Israel at 505-266-1055.


ADL Regional Director Receives FBI Award 

COMING SOON TO A LIQUOR STORE NEAR YOU 


The Albuquerque FBI’s Special 

Agent in Charge, Carol K.O. Lee, presented 

the 2010 Director’s Community 

Leadership Award to Susan Seligman, 

New Mexico Regional Director 

of the Anti-Defamation League, on 

Dec. 10. 

Each of the FBI’s 56 field offices 

annually selects an individual or organization 

to receive the award, which 

recognizes efforts in combating 

crime, terrorism, drugs and violence 

in America. 

“The FBI Director’s Community 

Leadership Award is a wonderful 

honor,” Seligman said. “It has been a 

pleasure working with the Albuquerque 

FBI on numerous projects over 

more than 20 years. I have the utmost 

respect for the men and women who 

devote their careers to this agency.” 

SAC Lee presented a certificate 

to Seligman at the Albuquerque FBI 

Field Office. Seligman will go to 

Washington, D.C., in March to participate 

in a ceremony where FBI Director 

Robert S. Mueller III will present 

her and other recipients with crystal 

awards. 

Seligman, a 2007 graduate of the 

Albuquerque Division’s FBI Citizens’ 

Academy, has spent 21 years working 

on behalf of New Mexicans to ensure 

freedom from prejudice and discrimination. 

Throughout her career, she 

has worked with educators, legislators, 

law enforcement and the media 

to combat anti-Semitism and all forms 

of hatred. 

Under her leadership, the ADL 

was instrumental in enacting antiterrorist 

and hate crime bills in New 

Mexico, removing a former Nazi scientist’s 

name from the International 

Space Hall of Fame, and furthering 

relationships with leaders of other 

community groups. 

Seligman is also a published 

author and free-lance travel writer. 

“We are very proud to present 

Albuquerque FBI Special Agent in 

Charge Carol K.O. Lee (left) presents 

the 2010 FBI Director’s Community 

Leadership Award to Susan Seligman, 

New Mexico regional director 

of the Anti-Defamation League, at 

the FBI division office in Albuquerque, 

N.M., on Friday, Dec. 10. 

Photo Courtesy of FBI 

our Director’s Community Leadership 

Award to Susan Seligman,” SAC 

Lee said. “For more than two decades, 

Susan has been a true friend of the FBI 

and law enforcement in New Mexico. I 

can’t think of a more deserving person 

for this important award.” 

Chanukah Oil Campaign a Great Success 

By Rabbi Min Kantrowitz 

There are no coincidences, just 

anonymous miracles. 

This year, the Jewish Family 

Service Food Pantry staff casually 

mentioned at a meeting that one of 

the most needed items to distribute 

to people needing food was cooking 

oil. This comment was made just 

shortly before Chanukah, that holiday, 

which is celebrated with oil — for 

frying latkes and sufganiot (jelly 

donuts), and for lighting our menorahs, 

increasing light each night at this 

dark time of year. 

If the timing of that comment were 

not miraculous enough, the community 

response to the request to donate 

cooking oil to the JFS food pantry 

has been stupendous. Congregations 

Albert, B’nai Israel and Nahalat 

Shalom all started collecting oil, each 

in their own way. 

The Tuesday Night Meditation 

Group collected oil. Solomon Schechter 

Day School collected oil. Children, 

teens and adults all were involved with 

collecting and donating cooking oil 

for distribution to needy families who 

depend on the JFS Food Pantry to supplement 

their food. 

You, the Albuquerque Jewish 

Community, collected 80 gallons 

(about 595 pounds) of oil for this 

Chanukah Oil Campaign. That oil 

will light up the lives of many families 

this winter. Mazel Tov … and 

thank you! 

Let Us Adopt Your Orphaned Alarm System 

Alarm Monitoring from $19.45 mo. 

Why Pay More? 

We 

Service 

Most 

Brands 

• Installation 

Scheduled to 

Meet Your Needs 

• Batteries & Parts 

• 24 Hour UL Listed 

Monitoring 

• Security Television 

– Covert 

• Access Controls 

– Fire 

• Central Vacuum 

Systems 

• Intercom Systems 

Free On-Site Estimates or Visit Our Showroom 

881-0001 

MADELINE DUNN 

Associate Broker 

Cell: 505.980.2505 

Direct: 505.857.2345 

Free Monitoring 

Hook-Ups & 

Switch Overs! 

www.thealarmstore.com 

2712 Carlisle Blvd. NE 

(Across from Walmart) 

License # 27136 

Bonded & Insured 

Locally owned since 1987 

Showroom Hours: Mon-Fri 9-6 and Sat 10-3 

90 from page 1 

what B’nai Israel means to her: 

“Twenty years ago when my daughter 

Rachel was making arrangements 

for her wedding, we looked 

at many venues — country clubs, 

hotels, fancy restaurants. Rachel 

and her fiancé, Steve, had decided 

to have the ceremony in our sanctuary 

but were thinking of a reception 

somewhere else. When she and Steve 

came to the shul to make arrangements 

with the rabbi, they walked 

down to the Social Hall and Rachel 

said, ‘This is the only place I can see 

Grandpa Buddy!’ So both wedding 

and reception were at the shul — and 

it was lovely.” 

Marilyn Reinman’s parents were 

among the early members of B’nai 

Israel: “I was born in Albuquerque 

and have been linked to Congregation 

B’nai Israel since that day in June. 

This synagogue was the center of 

our lives when I was a child and has 

continued to be so in my own home 

today. I have watched B’nai Israel 

grow from a tiny shul to a larger 

congregation. We still stand strong 

in the Conservative movement, but 

all can find a comfortable place and 

SCHECHTER from page 3 

and Coucous: My Search for Jewish 

Cooking in France, Nathan gives us 

the fruits of her quest, chronicling 

her culinary expedition through the 

cities, towns and back roads of France 

to share the treasure trove of delectable 

kosher recipes and the often moving 

stories behind them, interlaced with 

the tumultuous 2,000 year history of 

the Jewish presence in France. 

Nathan takes readers into kitchens 

in Paris, Alsace and the Loire 

Valley; she visits the bustling Belleville 

market in Little Tunis in Paris; 

she breaks bread around the observation 

of the Sabbath and the celebration 

of special holidays. All across France 

she finds that Jewish cooking is more 

alive than ever. 

Q: Why the name Quiches, 

Kugels and Couscous? 

A: Since most people think there 

aren’t so many Jews in France, I used 

the title as a metaphor. France happens 

to be the country with the third largest 

Jewish community in the world -- 

about 600,000 -- a presence that has 

gone back at least 2,000 years, so they 

are in fact, very French. 

Thus, quiche representing Jewish 

cooking as assimilated into mainstream 

French Cuisine. Kugel, a 

symbol of the true origins of Ashkenazic 

cooking -- Alsace and Southern 

Germany, where dishes like knoedel, 

chopped liver and of course, kugel 

were developed. And couscous, as 

North African Jews comprise almost 

half the population of Jews in France 

today and love to eat couscous on the 

Sabbath. 

Q: You describe Jewish cooking 

in France as a “hidden cuisine.” 

Why? 

A: With terrorism threats on the 

Eiffel Tower it is not a surprise. Jews 

have always lived a little under the 

radar in France. Names are not dead 

give-aways. Who knew that Sonja 

Rykiel, Anouk Aimee, Camille Pissarro, 

Nostradamus, Michel Montaigne 

and even President Nicholas 

Sarkozy were of Jewish ancestry? 

Even though there is a long 

history of Jews being very much part 

of French culture in the arts, theater, 

and of course as merchants in the food 

industry, there is also a long history 

of being a persecuted minority, not 

the least during World War II where 

about 83,000 Jews were taken away 

with the majority “disappearing” in 

home in what we have to offer. We 

are an active and vibrant congregation 

with many things going on to 

participate in and enjoy. We have a 

colorful history and we celebrate our 

90th anniversary with great pride 

and confidence in our future.” 

Congregation B’nai Israel would 

be honored to have other members 

of the community join the celebration. 

The cost is $90 per person. The 

reservations deadline is Jan. 10. For 

more information, contact Harvey 

Buchalter at hcbuchalter@gmail. 

com or call 505-266-0155. 

the camps. 

It is still essentially a Catholic 

country and so everyone not Catholic is 

a minority. Jews might look like everyone 

else in France but they eat and pray 

differently. Consequently, they are just 

a bit quieter about their faith than Jews 

in the United States where everyone is 

comfortable with being different and 

more overt about this difference. 

Solomon Schechter Day School of 

Albuquerque is a Jewish Day School 

that offers an excellent academic education 

along with Jewish Studies, 

Hebrew language and the arts to Jewish 

children in kindergarten through fifth 

grades. The school is fully accredited 

by the North Central Association of 

Colleges and Schools and is a beneficiary 

agency of the Jewish Federation 

of New Mexico. 

This fundraising event will take 

place at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 

5, at a private home. Tickets are $130 

and will include dinner and drinks 

with Nathan, a short discussion and 

demo and will include a cookbook 

for all participants. Limited space is 

available so call Solomon Schechter 

Day School at 505-232-2325 to reserve 

space now.


Program Brings Love of Jewish to N.M. Children 


Rosalie Eisen wants to get your 

children — or grandchildren — 

“reading Jewish.” 

As the community development 

director for the Harold Grinspoon 

Foundation’s PJ Library program, Eisen 

travels around the nation helping families 

with children from age six months 

to eight years receive monthly mailings 

of Jewish books and music addressing 

a wide array of themes such as holidays, 

folktales and Jewish family life. 

Since its inception, the PJ Library 

program has been seen as a remarkably 

successful vehicle for engaging Jewish 

families in Jewish life, especially interfaith 

families. 

“This is a ‘power tool’ for opening 

the doors to Jewish community,” says 

Eisen. “PJ Library increases engagement, 

both within the home and the 

Jewish community and empowers 

Jewish identity.” 

Eisen visited New Mexico on Dec. 

15 to meet with Jewish Federation of 

New Mexico board members, clergy 

and community leaders to discuss 

broadening the program’s reach in New 

Mexico. She brought with her examples 

of PJ Library selections, all colorful, 

vividly illustrated paperbacks with 

titles like The Friday Nights of Nana, 

Chanukah Lights Everywhere and 

Beautiful Yetta the Yiddish Chicken. 

Each book comes with guides to 

help families use the selection in their 

Rosalie Eisen, community development director of the PJ Library program 

with Betty Harvie, N.M. chair of the PJ Library program at a recent 

meeting in Albuquerque. 

homes. PJ Library books and music are 

chosen by early-childhood and children’s 

literature experts. The PJ Library 

is free to families in PJ communities, 

which includes New Mexico. 

As a program of the Jewish Federation 

of New Mexico and Congregation 

B’nai Israel, 80 children in 

New Mexico are currently receiving 

monthly PJ Library mailings. Eisen 

hopes to expand that number to 480 by 

2012. Currently, more than 130 communities 

are enrolled in the PJ Library 

network. 

According to Eisen, the program 

has been especially useful in identifying 

“hidden Jews:” for example, 

Athens, Ga., had long believed that 

they only had 25 Jewish children in 

their community. Once PJ was introduced, 

however, more than 80 children 

were identified. 

Betty Harvie, New Mexico chair 

of the PJ Library program, said the 

program has “kids running to their 

mailbox.” 

“It’s a nightly connection (for children) 

to their Judaism without travel,” 

said Harvie, who has observed that in 

more remote communities, PJ Library 

mailings can be a critical connection 

for children to Jewish life. 

To learn more about the PJ Library 

program, visit www.pjlibrary.org. 

‘A Taste of Honey’ Returns to Nourish Mind and Body 


7 Locations to Serve 

You and Your Loved Ones 

4310 Sara Rd. 

Rio Rancho, NM 87124 

892-9920 

3113 Carlisle Blvd. NE 

Albuquerque, NM 87110 

884-1188 

2400 Southern Blvd. 

Rio Rancho, NM 87124 

891-9192 

717 Stover Ave. SW 


243-5222 

7601 Wyoming Blvd. NE 


821-0010 

9420 Fourth St. NW 


898-3160 

1100 Coal Ave. SE 


842-8800 

Locations also available in Socorro, Gallup and Farmington 

Dedicated room for Traditional Jewish ritual 

available at our Wyoming location 

“A Taste of Honey” will again 

brighten February with sweet nourishment 

for mind and body. This annual 

gathering unites all of the New Mexico 

community to explore Judaism and 

the Jewish experience with a stimulating 

opening speaker and 20 varied 

mini-courses. This year’s event will 

be held on Sunday, Feb. 13 from 1 - 

4:30 p.m. at the Jewish Community 

Center of Greater Albuquerque. 

The mind loves tales of international 

intrigue and mysterious women. 

Long before the cinema cast Bogart 

with Bacall, Connery with Andress or 

Depp with Jolie, a beneficent Jewish 

woman played a high-stakes contest 

with 16th Century European monarchs. 

Author Sandra K. Toro presents 

Doña Gracia Nasi, Heroine of the 

Inquisition. The threat of imprisonment 

and a withering death constantly 

nipped at her heels. A duplicitous 

sister was a constant risk. Would 

deficit-plagued heads of state renege 

on the promises Doña Gracia’s business 

wealth extracted from them? This 

mini-session will recount her saga. 

The mind delights in new knowledge. 

We think we know about Purim. 

They tried to kill us, we won, let’s eat 

Hamentaschen and drink ‘til we can’t 

tell the difference between Mordechai 

and Haman. But is that all? 

Rabbi Howard Kosovske presents 

“On Purim: to Drink or Not to Drink 

HONOR from page 1 

friendships created at the local 

level between Jews and Christians 

through the CUFI movement have 

enriched Jewish life in New Mexico 

and across the nation.” 

Sokolove also expressed gratitude 

that the annual support raised 

at the Albuquerque Night to Honor 

to Israel celebration has helped 

transform the lives of the young residents 

of the Ben Yakir Youth Aliyah 

Michele Diel 

… That Is the Real Question!” Kosovske 

goes beyond graggers and the 

Megillah of Esther to look at rabbinic 

passages in which our Sages raised the 

issue long ago. 

The body will delight with dance 

instructor Michele Diel’s popular 

“Klezmer Dance Celebration.” Community 

dance is much more than the 

hora, and forget about the chicken 

dance. Klezmer dance music enlivens 

many Jewish events, and if you 

can count to three, you can do it. 

Wear soft-soled shoes and leave your 

reluctance at the door. This hour of 

fun welcomes beginner, intermediate 

and advanced dancers. 

“A Taste of Honey” includes an 

opening session keynote address (see 

December’s Link), two groups of minisessions 

and a post-event reception for 

artist Leo Neufeld, whose new exhibit 

“Capturing Neshama/Soul of Life” 

will be hanging in the JCC gallery. 

Village. 

“Thanks to these gatherings,” 

said Sokolove, “a lot of very vulnerable 

kids are provided with the services 

and education that allows them 

to become productive members of 

Israeli society.” 

“The event is the community 

coming together and New Mexico 

is blessed to have both Christian 

and Jewish communities working 

Sandra K. Toro 

The program brochure and registration 

may be downloaded from the 

JCC Web site: www.jccabq.org. The 

cost of the full program plus reception 

is $25 if registered by Feb. 1 and $30 

after that date. Indulgence Café will 

offer food for purchase at the event, 

and a prepaid, dairy, boxed lunch may 

be ordered via the registration form. 

“A Taste of Honey” thanks its 

major funder, MyHeritage.com, the 

popular family genealogical network 

available on the Web. 

For further information, please 

contact Phyllis Wolf, JCC program 

director, at 505-348-4500 or phyllisw@jccabq.org. 

The JCC is a beneficiary 

agency of the Jewish Federation 

of New Mexico. 

together,” affirmed Garcia. 

Tickets to attend A Night to 

Honor Israel are available at the 

Jewish Federation, Bibles Plus, 

Chronicles, AM 730 KDAZ, in Los 

Lunas at the Branch and in Santa Fe 

at Cornerstone Books. Event sponsors 

are invited to a 5 p.m. reception 

at the Kiva’s Ruidoso Room. 

For more information, call 505- 

345-1991.

10 The New Mexico Jewish Link A Se rv i c e o f t h e Je w i S h fe d e r At i o n o f ne w Me x i c o January 2011 

Artist Interprets Prayers in His Music 


Rising-star musician Todd 

Herzog will be Artist in Residence 

at Congregation Albert for Shabbat 

Services at 6 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 21. 

The cantorial soloist of Temple Solel 

in greater Phoenix won Best Jewish 

Album of 2009 for his CD, Bridging 

the Gap. That CD and his three 

others express Biblical passages in a 

modern context colored by Herzog’s 

own spiritual vision. 

“Todd will sing some of his wonderful 

interpretations of our regular 

prayers,” Cantor Barbara Finn said, 

“and he’ll deliver a special ‘sermon 

in song.’ The purpose of our Artist in 

Residence program is to experience a 

variety of music, and the recent focus 

has been on contemporary Jewish 

music.” 

Herzog sees his mission as 

making the liturgy more accessible 

through music. “It’s my entry point 

to look at what the liturgy means and 

make it relevant, to deepen the experience 

and express it in a different 

way,” he said. 

He is excited about this engagement. 

He has attended and enjoyed 

services here, but this is his first 

opportunity to participate and share 

his music with the congregation. In 

addition, it will afford a visit with 

his mother, Toby Friedman, and her 

husband Dan. 

Herzog earned combined degrees 

in Jazz Voice from the New England 

Conservatory of Music in Boston and 

in Philosophy from Tufts University 

in Medford, Mass. At Tufts, Herzog 

preformed with the famed Beelzebubs 

a capella singing group. 

Herzog visits congregations 

across the country doing performance 

concerts, leading services 

and teaching, and he has been featured 

at Jewish group gatherings. His 

music and voice provide background 

mood and plot movement in numerous 

popular television shows. 

Todd Herzog 

A dinner will follow the service 

at 7:15 p.m., during which Finn anticipates 

Herzog will lead more songs. 

Cost of the dinner for Congregation 

Albert members is $10 for adults, $5 

for those age 12 and under, age 4 and 

under free and for non-members $12 

and $6 respectively. Dinner reservations 

and payment should be made at 

the Congregation Albert office or by 

phone to 505-883-1818. 

Following the dinner, Herzog will 

lead the youth group in a jam session 

of “Jewish Music for the You-Tube 

Generation” to round out his Artist 

in Residence engagement. 

Solomon Schechter Receives Grants 

By Kathryn Weil 

SSDS Head of School 

The Wells Fargo Teacher’s 

Partner Program partnered this year 

with the Golden Apple Foundation 

of New Mexico to provide grants to 

New Mexico teachers to help create 

opportunities for New Mexico students. 

Leanne Szymanski, kindergarten 

teacher at SSDS, applied for a schoolwide 

grant to purchase play equipment 

for the students to use on the 

playground. The grant titled “Active 

Bodies, Active Minds,” was developed 

to expand the school’s permanent 

outdoor equipment and outdoor 

activity equipment. 

The Wells Fargo Teacher’s 

Partner Program, established in 

2009, helps New Mexico teachers, 

grades K – 12, by funding projects 

through grants up to $1,000. This 

year the program added school-wide 

grants up to $3,000 for programs that 

impact more than one classroom in 

a school. 

More than 210 school-wide and 

individual classroom grant requests 

were received between September 

through October 2010. A committee 

comprised of Golden Apple Foundation 

Fellows, Wells Fargo team 

members and community leaders 

reviewed the grant requests and made 

recommendations for 33 grants. Of 

those 33 grants, four were awarded 

to private schools, one of which was 

Solomon Schechter Day School. 

The grant awarded from Wells 

Fargo to SSDS was for $2,991. The 

equipment purchased includes tetherball 

sets, softball/tee ball equipment, 

soccer goals, scooters, Frisbees 

and outdoor science materials. 

Szymanski, who has taught kindergarten 

at Schechter for five years, 

describes the goal of the grant as providing 

activities and equipment to 

physically engage students. This 

will increase active engagement for 

learning. Educational research has 

demonstrated that actively engaging 

students in physical activity during 

outdoor recess time leads to increased 

academic success. She also wants to 

provide opportunities for collaborative 

play across grade levels, which 

will increase social skill success. 

For the third consecutive year, 

Solomon Schechter Day School of 

Albuquerque was awarded a $20,000 

grant by the Slomo and Cindy Silvian 

Foundation, Inc. The foundation is 

named for Slomo and Cindy Silvian, 

of blessed memory, from Long 

Beach, N.Y., who were well known 

and respected for their friendship, 

business leadership, civic mindedness 

and philanthropy. 

The foundation awards grants to 

organizations that fulfill one or more 

of the following purposes — Education, 

Children’s Welfare, Medical 

Care, Medical Research and Jewish 

Philanthropic Endeavors. 

Schechter is please to be among 

the grant recipients of this generous 

foundation. 

“This grant award can be used 

for general operating costs and 

makes a significant contribution to 

the school’s fundraising goal for the 

2010 – 2011 school year,” noted Head 

of School, Kathryn Weil. “I want to 

thank the Slomo and Cindy Silvian 

Foundation, Inc. for recognizing the 

value of supporting our small Jewish 

day school.” 

The Solomon Schechter Day 

School would like to thank Toby 

Brown for helping to write the 

grant. 

R Riverside______ 

“Affordable Dignity” 

Funeral Home 

Meeting the Needs of the Jewish Community 

Traditional Service $2695.00 

(includes Tahara Room, shroud, orthodox casket, stationary, candle, Sunday services) 

Charles M. Finegan Funeral Director/owner 225 San Mateo Blvd. NE 

James J. Edwards, CFSP, Senior Director Albuquerque, NM 87108 764-9663 

DISAGREE from page 4 

eration and create safe spaces within 

their institutions,” said the JCRC’s 

associate director, Abby Porth. 

The project was taken to Atlanta 

last month, and about a dozen cities 

have contacted the JCRC for information 

about bringing it to their communities, 

according to Porth. 

The effort already has yielded 

fruit. At Temple Beth Israel in Aptos, 

Calif., 90 minutes south of San Francisco, 

Rabbi Richard Litvak said that 

by November 2009 things were so 

bad that members on both sides of the 

Israel divide threatened to quit if the 

temple’s Israel policies weren’t clarified 

to reflect their viewpoint. 

Kalish, the lead facilitator for the 

San Francisco initiative, held several 

dialogue evenings along with another 

facilitator, and community members 

took the effort seriously. By this fall, 

leaders of the opposing sides managed 

to talk it out and come up with a policy 

setting boundaries for speakers invited 

to the congregation, Litvak said. 

“A train wreck was averted,” 

Litvak said. “There definitely seems 

to be more understanding between the 

members. We found a way to affirm 

each person’s right to their point of 

view, yet not be drawn into inviting 

speakers or co-sponsoring events with 

groups who deny Israel’s existence as 

a democratic, Jewish state.” 

In the Bay area, rabbis are taking 

the lead. Virtually every local rabbi 

has signed onto a civility pledge published 

in j, the local Jewish weekly, and 

many have joined a Rabbis’ Circle to 

foster dialogue on an ongoing basis. 

Ironically, several rabbis said they 

no longer do Israel programming in 

their congregations, fearing it will 

lead to excessive divisiveness. 

“If the polarization reaches a 

point where the subject of Israel is 

too difficult to discuss,” said the 

San Francisco JCRC’s Kahn, “we 

all lose.” 

If you would like to advertise in The Link 

call Anne Grollman, Advertising Manager 

at (505) 348-4472 or email anne@jewishnewmexico.org


Jewish Genealogist: The Clue Master 

By Diane J. Schmidt 


“Before you know it you are bitten 

by a large-fanged bug - the genealogy 

bug,” Schelly Talalay Dardashti 

said over the phone. How could one 

develop a compulsion to sift through 

dusty archives? It may serve you on 

several fronts, she hinted. 

Still, I never expected what happened 

to happen. I was a skeptic, and, 

grudgingly following her verbal treasure 

map of clues, “pass the soccer 

field, go left after the fake adobes,” 

paid a visit to Schelly Talalay Dardashti, 

Jewish genealogist, most recently 

of Tel Aviv, her books still somewhere 

on a boat, her main computer destroyed 

in transit, with netbook and husband 

in tow Dardashti has landed again, fast 

settling into Albuquerque. 

Dishes begin to appear on the 

table, a cheesecake, poppy-seed 

muffins, tangerines, grapes. “If we 

were in Iran, there would be cucumbers,” 

she adds cheerfully, “they’re 

eaten like fruit.” 

And then the deluge of information. 

Originally from New York, Dardashti 

was the genealogy columnist for 

the Jerusalem Post for six years until 

2005, and, since 2006, has authored 

the top-ranked Jewish genealogy blog, 

TracingTheTribe.com, visited by some 

10-12,000 readers each month. 

She is the U.S. genealogy advisor 

for Myheritage.com - and writes its 

general genealogy blog, genblog. 

myheritage.com - a website founded 

by Israeli Gilad Japhet, which boasts 

of being “the world’s most popular 

family website, in a safe and secure 

environment, for constructing family 

trees and uniting families worldwide.” 

The free site, which operates in 37 

languages, has 

17 million family 

trees. 

Dardashti 

will present on 

Jewish genealogy 

in Albuquerque 

at “A Taste 

of Honey” in 

February, sandwiched 

between 

RootsTech in 

Schelly Talalay 

Dardashti 

Salt Lake City where she will speak 

on genetic DNA, and “Who Do You 

Think You Are? Live,” in London, 

on creating virtual communities. She 

will also speak on genetic genealogy 

in Rio Rancho on Feb. 6. 

Jewish genealogy seems like more 

of an athletic sport than an intellectual 

exercise. Dardashti notes, “I am here 

See CLUE. . . Page 14 

Conference Attendees Learn and 

Celebrate in Las Vegas, New Mexico 

By Naomi Sandweiss 

The New Mexico Jewish Historical 

Society’s (NMJHS) twenty-third 

fall conference, “Adventures Along the 

Santa Fe Trail: The Jews of Las Vegas 

and Northeast New Mexico,” wove 

together past and present, transporting 

participants from the days of the Santa 

Fe Trail to modern-day Jewish life 

in northeastern New Mexico. More 

than 129 people attended the event, 

some traveling from as far away as 

Texas, California, New Hampshire 

and Washington, D.C. 

Two pre-conference activities 

kicked off the weekend of learning 

and celebration. On Friday evening, 

a Shabbat service was held at the 

Newman Catholic Student Center on 

the campus of New Mexico Highlands 

University. 

The Newman Center encompasses 

the old Congregation Montefiore, the 

first New Mexico synagogue, established 

in 1884. Past NMJHS President 

Dr. Noel Pugach led the service. 

On Saturday morning, local historian 

Marcus Gottschalk led a walking 

tour of the Las Vegas Plaza, which 

was followed by a visit to Montezuma 

Castle (formerly the Montezuma 

Hotel). 

Official conference proceedings 

included three Saturday and two 

Sunday plenary sessions. The first 

session, moderated by Alvin Korte, 

featured two presentations that set the 

stage for an understanding of Jewish 

presence in the area. 

Dr. Susan Calafate Boyle, of the 

National Park Service in Santa Fe, 

presented her research on “Hispanic 

Contributions to the Santa Fe Trail 

Trade, 1821-1880.” She described the 

Trail’s opening, the goods that moved 

along it, and how they were moved 

(largely by mule). 

In many ways, the Hispanic mercantile 

elite resembled their German- 

Jewish counterparts. Laura Gonzales, 

a student at New Mexico Highlands 

University, provided a historical 

overview of the founding of Las 

Vegas — the first town New Mexico 

settlers encountered on the Santa Fe 

Trail — and significant events in its 

history. 

The second conference session 

introduced the Jewish pioneers of Las 

Vegas and Northeast New Mexico. 

Sharon Niederman delivered a slide 

lecture on the “Synagogues on the 

Santa Fe Trail.” 

Melanie LaBorwit offered an 

illustrated history of the Jewish community 

of Las Vegas and was followed 

by Pugach on “The Jewish Commercial 

Presence in Mora County, New 

Mexico.” He traced the arrival of Jews 

in the area, who sold provisions for 

Ft. Union and frequently engaged in 

“chain migration,” bringing out young 

male family members from Europe to 

serve as apprentices. 

The day’s final session featured 

three panelists on the topic of crypto- 

Jewry in the area. Gerald Gonzales, 

J.D., and artist Sonya Loya each 

shared personal experiences of uncovering 

their Jewish roots. The Honorable 

Christina Armijo, a native of Las 

Vegas, described her close friendship 

with Las Vegas Jewish resident Max 

Nordhaus. 

On Sunday morning, participants 

heard from speakers with connections 

to Jewish Las Vegas, both past and 

present. The first session, convened by 

Pugach, featured a panel discussion on 

the legacy of Las Vegas’ and Northeast 

New Mexico’s rich Jewish past. 

Betty Mae Hartman, a granddaughter 

of Louis Ilfeld, recalled 

his stories about early days in New 

Mexico. Her grandparents honeymooned 

at the Montezuma Hotel, 

eventually settling in Albuquerque, 

where he was a leading citizen. 

Florence Ilfeld Beier shared information 

about her grandfather, Ludwig 

Ilfeld, Charles Ilfeld’s nephew, who 

ran a hardware store in Las Vegas. 

He also served as lay rabbi of Congregation 

Montefiore, as Las Vegas’ 

fire chief, as head of the New Mexico 

National Guard, and as an early movie 

actor. 

Nancy Paxton reflected on the 

times of her grandparents, Max and 

Bertha (Staab) Nordhaus. 

The conference’s last session 

focused on Jewish Las Vegas today. 

Melanie LaBorwit, herself a former 

resident of Las Vegas, led a panel 

discussion among Diana Presser, 

Katrina Immerman and Nancy Terr, 

who recalled their lives as Jews in Las 

Vegas. 

On Saturday evening, guests were 

treated to a 25th anniversary birthday 

cake and a concert of 19th century 

liturgical music from Congregation 

Montefiore, performed by Santa Fe 

soloist Aaron Wolf. NMJHS’ founder, 

A. David Scholder, spoke about its 

establishment and early years, indicating 

his greatest pride was the Society’s 

continuity 

Award winning Jewish Cookbook 

Author Joan Nathan comes to 

Albuquerque to present..... 

“Quiches, Kugels 

and Couscous: 

My Search for Jewish 

Cooking in France.” 

Rare and exciting event 

to benefit Solomon 

Schechter Day School 

February 5, 2011 

6:30 pm 

Private home - Tickets $130 

Evening Includes private dinner and drinks with the 

author - all recipes from the book - as well as a discussion 

of her research, a demo of her most famous recipe 

and an autographed copy of the cookbook. 

Limited space available! 

call 505.232.2325 for reservations. 

Solomon Schechter Day School is a beneficiary agency 

of the Jewish Federation of New Mexico 

New Mexico Jewish 

Historical Society 

Celebrating 25 years 

1985 - 2010 

Join us for the ride 

www.nmjhs.org 

HERE from page 4 

Santa Fe is full of people with big 

houses who enjoy nothing more than 

bringing people together by throwing 

civilized parties, with much good 

wine, and now I find myself invited 

“behind adobe walls.” 

At a recent such gathering, I found 

myself conversing in a group with a 

local businesswoman, of Middle 

Eastern origin, educated in France. 

She was calmly discussing the “fact” 

that anti-Semitism no longer existed 

in France, and how popular the 

Ahmadinejad-led Holocaust deniers 

had become. 

She pronounced these ideas, 

among others, as though she was 

sharing where to find the best tapas 

in town. She spoke for some length, 

oblivious to the jaw-dropping silence 

going on around her. Finally, she 

looked up and asked, “Who is the 

Jew here?” 

“I am,” I said, looking her in the 

eye. The evening was destroyed for 

me; my sense of comfort and wellbeing 

was shattered. While I have 

heard my people unconsciously 

slurred in rural villages long ago, I 

did not expect such talk at a proper 

Santa Fe wine-and-cheese. Nothing 

close to this ever happened during my 

previous Santa Fe incarnation. 

Politeness prevented me from 

asking, in return, “And who is the 

Muslim?” Others tried to smooth over 

the moment, by changing the subject 

and pacifying her, but the mood had 

soured, and how quickly it might have 

turned surly. 

I look around at such throwaway 

social incidents as this and conclude 

that things are not “getting better” for 

the Jews. Unfortunately, it seems, you 

don’t even have to scratch the surface 

to find the ugliness of hatred, virtually 

everywhere, now acceptable. I wondered 

if she would be invited back, 

or if I would. 

Sharon Niederman’s new book, 

“New Mexico’s Tasty Traditions: Recollections, 

Recipes and Photos,” has 

just been published by New Mexico 

Magazine.


Congregation Members Experience Israel Together 

By Jennie Negin 

This past fall, 15 members of 

Congregation B’nai Israel, including 

Rabbi Arthur Flicker and his wife, 

Linda, traveled to Israel — joining 

tour director Carol Tennenbaum of 

Columbus, Ohio and 14 others from 

the Midwest. 

As described by traveler Judy 

Sherman: “The trip was incredible, 

but exhausting. We were bombarded 

with information, sometimes 

too much to absorb. We went through 

tunnels, up steps, down hills, and 

saw buildings and roads and whole 

civilizations built one on top of the 

other. 

“Our Israeli tour guide, David, 

led us through Jerusalem from the 

oldest parts to the newer areas, start- 

The Jewish Educational Initiative 

(JEI) is a new project led by the 

Rabbinical and Cantorial Association 

of Albuquerque and the Jewish 

Federation of New Mexico. Its goal 

is to create increased cooperation 

between Jewish organizations so that 

adult educational programs can reach 

a larger audience. 

Congregation Nahalat Shalom 

Wednesday, Jan 5, 12: 6 p.m., 

Topics Class led by Daniel Diaz- 

Huerta. Topic: Tu B’Shevat. 

Thursday, Jan. 6, 13, 20, 27: 

6:30 p.m., Explore the Talmud! 

Never had an opportunity to study 

Talmud? Now’s your chance. Come 

and learn with Rabbi Brin and Rachel 

Schmitt. The only required language 

is English; no knowledge of Hebrew 

or Aramaic is necessary. Classes are 

free. Donations gladly accepted. 

CONGREGATIONS 

Chabad of New Mexico 

Traditional, Rabbi Chaim Schmukler 

4000 San Pedro NE, 87109 

880-1181, www.chabadnm.org. 

Chavurat Hamidbar 

Traditional/Egalitarian, 505-345-0296 

Congregation Albert 

Reform, Rabbi Howard A. Kosovske 

Cantor Barbara Finn 

3800 Louisiana NE, 87110 

883-1818, www.congregationalbert.org 

Congregation B’nai Israel 

Conservative, Rabbi Arthur Flicker 

4401 Indian School NE, 87110 

266-0155, e-mail: bnai@cybermesa.com 

www.bnaiisrael-nm.org 

Congregation Nahalat Shalom 

Jewish Renewal/Independent 

Rabbi Deborah Brin 

Cantorial Soloist Beth Cohen 

3606 Rio Grande Blvd. NW, 87107 

343-8227, www.nahalatshalom.org. 

Sephardic New Mexico 

In cooperation with the Institute for Jewish 

Ideas and Ideals, NYC, a cultural 

organization supporting 

diversity in the Jewish community. 

Advising Rabbi, M.D. Angel 

Hazzan, David Ritch de Herrera 

P.O. Box 37518, Albuquerque, NM 87176 

505-884-4556; e-mail: info@SephardicNM.org 

www.SephardicNM.org 

Rio Rancho Jewish Center 

Conservative 

2009 Grande Blvd., Rio Rancho, NM - 892-8511 

Temple Beth-El of Carlsbad 

1st and 3rd Fridays, 

Reform Services, 7 p.m. 

1002 North Pate Street 

Carlsbad, NM 88220 

575-885-3699; 575-887-1229 

Thursday, Jan. 6: “Lift Up the 

Spark of the Divine.” Chanting 

with Rabbi Shefa Gold. Suggested 

$10 donation for Rabbi Gold. 

Friday, Jan. 7, 14, 21, 28: 11:45 

a.m., Beyond the Torah Study 

Group. We are delving into the entire 

Bible, book by book. Join us as we 

discern the literal, ethical and spiritual 

meaning of the great writings 

of our ancestors. We are a self-led 

group and rely on assorted commentary 

as well as our own sensibilities. 

No ongoing commitment is required. 

Join us every week or as the spirit 

moves you. 

Wednesday, Jan. 19 through 

March 2: 6 p.m., Topics Class 

taught by Daniel Diaz-Huerta. 

Topic: History of Jews in Sepharad 

(Spain and Portugal) from 700 C.E. 

to Expulsion. 


March 2: 7 p.m., Beginning Hebrew 

Reading and Prayer Vocabulary 

taught by Rabbi Deborah Brin. 


March 2: 8 p.m., Beginning Ladino 

and Spanish Prayer Vocabulary 

taught by Daniel Diaz-Huerta. 

C-Deep: Center for Devotional 

Energy and Ecstatic Practice 

Rabbi Shefa Gold 

P.O. Box 430, Jemez Springs, NM 87025 

505-829-4069, 

shefa@windstream.net 

www.rabbishefagold.com 

Temple Beth-El 

Rabbi Paul Citrin 

3980 Sonoma Springs Ave. 

Las Cruces, NM 88011 

575-524-3380 575-521-8111 (fax) 

e-mail: admin@tbelc.org, www.tbelc.org 

Jewish Community of Las Vegas 

c/o Marshall Poole 

P.O. Box 970, Las Vegas, NM 87701 

505-425-5549 

mpoole@usa.net, www.lvjewish.org 

Los Alamos Jewish Center 

Unaffiliated, Egalitarian 

Rabbi Jack Shlachter 

2400 Canyon Rd., 

Los Alamos, NM 87544, 505-662-2140 

B’nai Israel of Roswell 

712 N. Washington 

P.O. Box 1153, Roswell, NM 88203 

575-625-9883, 575-622-5814 

Chabad Jewish Center Of Santa Fe 

Traditional 

Rabbi Berel Levertov 

242 W. San Mateo, 

Santa Fe, NM 87505 - 505-983-2000, 

www.chabadsantafe.com 

Chavurah Kol HaLev 

Renewal, Andy Gold - maggid 

205 E. Barcelona Rd., upper sanctuary 

Santa Fe, NM 87505, 

505-982-5768, Santa Fe - 247-3797, Alb. 

Congregation Beit Tikva 

Traditional Reform 

Rabbi Martin Levy 

P.O. Box 24094, Santa Fe 87502 

2230 Old Pecos Trail, 

Santa Fe, 87505 

505-820-2991, www.beittikva.info 

Sephardic New Mexico 

First and Third Sundays: 6 

p.m., “The Judeo-Spanish and Portuguese 

Tradition,” led by Hazzan 

de Herrera and Jared de Jong, esq. An 

open forum to learn about Judaism in 

the Hispanic world and in our community. 

There will be food, songs, 

and discussion. 

Second Sunday: 6 p.m., 

“Mussar: Jewish Ethics at Home 

at Work and for Life,” led by Alain 

Jackson, Esq. discussing the great 

works of Jewish ethics - the Pirke 

Avot, Rambam’s Shemoneh Peraqim 

and contemporary scholars such as 

the rabbis Soloveitchik, Moshe Feinstein, 

and Mordechai Kaplan. 

Fourth Sunday: 6 p.m., “Conversations 

- Jewish Unity in the 

Modern World,” led by Hazzan de 

Herrera with guest instructor Rabbi 

Mordechai Scher of Kol BeRamah 

Torah Learning Co-op. An open 

forum where Jews of all backgrounds 

and observance discuss various topics 

like diversity in Judaism, Jewish education, 

family and gender issues, 

faith, science and the pursuit of truth, 

K’lal Yisrael, conversion, return and 

belonging. 

HaMakom 

The Place for Passionate and Progressive Judaism 

Rabbi Malka Drucker 

Hazzan Cindy Freedman 

Services and classes at St. Bede’s Episcopal Church 

1601 St. Francis Dr., Santa Fe, NM 

505-992-1905, www.hamakomtheplace.org 

Temple Beth Shalom 

Reform, Rabbi Marvin Schwab 

205 E. Barcelona Rd. 

Santa Fe, 87505 

505-982-1376, 505-983-7446 - fax 

e-mail:info@sftbs.org; www.sftbs.org 

Kol BeRamah Torah 

Learning Co-op of Santa Fe 

551 W. Cordova Rd., Suite F 

505-603-7972 

www.kolberamah.org, 

email@kolberamah.org 

B’nai Shalom Havurah 

P.O. Box 161, Taos, NM 87571 

505-737-2878 

Chabad of Taos 

Rabbi Eli Kaminetzky 

208 #C Paseo del Canon, Taos, NM 87571 

575-751-1323, www.jewishtaos.com 

Taos Jewish Center 

1335 Gusdorf Road, Suite R, 

Taos, NM 87571, 505-758-8615, 

e-mail: tjc@newmex.com, 

www.taosjewishcenter.org 

Congregation Har Shalom 

Serving the Four Corners 

2537 CR 203 

P.O. Box 9199, Durango, CO 81302 

970-375-0613, www.harshalomdurango.org. 

Temple Aaron 

505-445-9026/505-449-9492 

Serves NE New Mexico & SE Colorado, 

Corner of Third & Maple, 

Trinidad, CO 

Fifteen members of Congregation B’nai Israel in Albuquerque joined 14 

others from Ohio on a tour to Israel in October 2010. 

ing with the history of the City of 

David to the 1st Temple period to 

the 2nd Temple to the Crusaders to 

the Byzantine era to the Ottomans to 

modern Israel. 

“Now that we’re back and I’ve 

had a chance to think about the trip, 

I realize that that’s exactly the way 

Judaism grew — layer upon layer 

building on a previous foundation. 

And sometimes you have to excavate 

and remove rubble to see and understand 

what’s underneath.” 

Rabbi Flicker reflects: “New 

Mexico, with its towering mountains 

and history is a very spiritual place. 

But for Jewish spirituality, there is 

no place like Israel. Only in Israel, 

can you walk through the rabbinical 

tunnel and find yourself within 

feet of the place where the Holy 

of Holies stood. Only in Israel can 

you walk on the steps to the Temple 

mount, upon which thousands had 

brought their sacrifices and prayers. 

Only in Israel can you stand on Mt. 

Herzl, the Beit Chayim of the founders 

and heroes of the modern State 

of Israel. Only in Israel can you walk 

through the market on a Friday afternoon, 

share with thousands preparing 

for Shabbat, see and smell all of the 

Shabbat delicacies and hear everyone 

wishing each other Shabbat Shalom. 

And only in Israel, can you offer your 

Shabbat prayers within feet of the 

Temple Mount and then spend an 

entire Shabbat in prayer, study, relaxation 

and peace. 

“And Israel is also the only 

place in the world where all Jews 

are welcome. Even today, long after 

the Holocaust, long after the exodus 

of millions of Jews from the Soviet 

Union, long after the wars in Bosnia, 

there continue to be Jewish refugees, 

Jews fleeing from discrimination and 

persecution. 

“One of the highlights of the trip 

was to visit an absorption center for 

Ethiopian Jews. Here they are not 

only learning Hebrew, but also being 

educated and integrated into all professions 

of Israeli society. It was a 

moving reminder of the pride Israel 

engenders in us all.” 

For some the trip was personal. 

Moreen Siegel fulfilled her life long 

dream of praying at the Western Wall 

and visiting Yad Vashem, recalling 

how her husband’s family narrowly 

escaped the hands of Romanian 

border guards. Siegel also had 

the joy of sharing Shabbat day with 

her niece and nephews who live in 

Jerusalem. 

Willie Peters was delighted experiencing 

her son and daughter-in-law 

renewing their vows at Masada. 

Jennie Negin stayed an extra 

three days to visit her college roommate 

in Ra’anana — they hadn’t seen 

each other in 50 years. 

Both Siegel and Peters felt 

the need to remember that Israel 

embody’s our deepest hopes and 

dreams. It’s absorption centers move 

new arrivals 500 years into the 21st 

century. The fact that Arab Israelis 

can vote and hold public office, how 

this tiny country makes wise use of 

natural resources: solar and wind 

energy, sharing precious water and 

agricultural technology with neighbor 

Jordan because Israel knows 

creating a stable economy next door 

makes for less hostile neighbors. 

For David August: “The high 

point of my trip to Israel was going 

through the rabbinical tunnel at the 

Western Wall. There we saw just 

how far down the wall goes and at 

the point where the Holy of Holies is 

closest to the Western Wall. 

“At that point, I placed my hand 

on the wall and I felt a power or 

presence unlike anything I have 

felt before. It was a wonderful 

event seeing where there had been 

market places as well near this 

wondrous wall, along with seeing 

the first stones that were set on Mt. 

Moriah.” 

Martin Sherman says: “I have 

been asked if my trip to Israel brought 

me closer to Judaism. Perhaps not. 

The most striking structures, the holy 

temple grounds’ outer wall (which 

extends for a quarter of a mile) and 

Masada were constructed largely for 

Herod, not exactly a saintly figure. 

“However, it has certainly 

brought me closer to Israeli Jews. It 

was deeply emotional to visit an elementary 

school in Kiryat Shimona, a 

mile from the Lebanon border, with 

its own bomb shelter to protect its 

children and teachers should rockets 

fly again. 

“To see the ‘absorption center’ 

where Israel is teaching immigrants 

from Ethiopia how to live in a society 

a thousand years more modern then 

their previous village life, while still 

retaining their pride in their previous 

lives, and intrusting the leadership 

of the center to a Druze woman, 

is a wonder. 

“I visited Israel in 1967 a few 

months after the six day war and 

again in 1969. The physical developments 

since then, modern highways, 

large new housing developments, the 

much higher standard-of-living, are 

remarkable. But what I will remember 

most is the people.”


Professional 

D I R E C T O R Y 

ACUPUNCTURE 

Diane Polasky, MA, DOM, Dipl. Ac., DAAPM 

Center for Holistic Health, 505-298-7371 

Acute & Chronic Disorders & Injuries 

9412 Indian School Rd. NE, Albuquerque 87112 

BODYVOLVE For Your Evolving Body Mind & Spirit 

Shellie Rosen, DOM, L.Ac 505.999.9468 

10900 Menaul Blvd NE Ste F, Albuquerque 

Specializing in Addiction Recovery, 

Nutrition, Herbology & Wellness 

ALLERGY, CLINICAL 

IMMUNOLOGY & ASTHMA 

Bruce H. Feldman, M.D., 265-6782 

Board Certified in Allergy, Internal Med. 

Karen K. Nester, PA-C 

Amber L. West, PA-C 

Allergy, Immunology & Asthma Care 

8010 Mountain Rd. NE, ALBQ, NM 87110 

ARCHITECTS 

Lee Gamelsky Architects P.C. 

Lee Gamelsky AIA, LEED AP 

Architecture • Planning • Interiors 

Residential • Retail • Medical • Office 

Sustainable • Inspiring Design 

842.8865 lee@lganm.com www.lganm.com 

ART & FRAMING 

Weems Galleries and Framing 

Always the Best Art – Always the Best 

Prices! Representing 200+ Artisans 

Montgomery & Louisiana 293-6133 

Plaza Don Luis – Old Town 764-0302 

ATTORNEYS 

Jeffrey Diamond Law Firm 

Personal Injury, Social Security Disability 

Albuquerque Office: 881-6500 

Carlsbad, Roswell, Odessa, TX Offices: 

1-800-722—0927 

Jon A. Feder 

Atkinson & Kelsey, P.A., 505-883-3070 

Divorce and Family Law —The first and most 

experienced family law firm in New Mexico 

Jan B. Gilman-Tepper 505-246-0500 

Cert. Specialist: Divorce/Family Law 

Little & Gilman-Tepper, PA 

Trained collaborative divorce lawyer 

Richard P. Jacobs, 881-4388 

Personal Injury, Automobile Accidents and 

Wrongful Death, 4004 Carlisle Blvd. NE 

Suite Q, Albuquerque, NM 87107 

Mark S. Jaffe, 242-9311 

The Jaffe Law Firm 

320 Gold SW, Suite 1300 

Personal Injury, 

Civil Litigation, Consumer Rights 

Lynn Yael McKeever, Esq. 

Resolving and Preventing Problems 

Wills, Trusts, Estates, & LLCs 

www.lynnmckeever.com 

505-991-1948 

Deborah A. Peacock, P.E. 998-1501 

Peacock Myers, P.C. 

Intellectual Property Law Services 

Technology Commercialization 

201 Third Street NW, #1340, Albuquerque 

BOOKKEEPING 

Le Rose Enterprises 271-2760 

Full charge bookkeeping including payroll, 

Business or personal, Bonded 

BRANDING 

Ariel Peeri : branding : advertising 

Advertising Graphic Design Services 

Brand Identity design development 

www.arielpeeri.com 850-529-0870 

BRIS 

Gwenn Robinson M.D. - Mohelet 

Certified by the Berit Mila 

Board of Reform Judaism 

821-2985 

CERTIFIED PUBLIC 

ACCOUNTANTS 

Jon Bell CPA MACCT “The Tax Maven” 

Tax preparation • Business consulting 

Incorporations • Reasonable, fixed fees 

Call for complimentary consultation 

jonbellcpa@gmail.com • 505-385-3535 

COOKING CLASSES 

Vegetarian Cuisine for Everyone 

Mondays, 1/24-2/14, 5:30-7:30 PM 

with Sharon Jonas, Chef, Nutrition 

Counselor & Yoga Instructor. 925-4551 

COUNSELORS/ THERAPY 

Gail Feldman Ph.D., LLC 

Clinical Psychologist and Life Coach 

2700 Vista Grande NW #86 

Albuquerque, New Mexico 87120 

833-5846, www.gailfeldman.com 

Pamela Marshall, LBSW, MA, LPCC 

Empowering Solutions to Conflict 

Santa Fe and Albuquerque (Fridays) locations 

www.confluencemediationandcounseling 

505-989-3333 

DENTISTS 

Marvin L. Blaugrund, D.D.S. 

General Dentistry 

1101 Medical Arts Ave. N.E. 

843-6655 

Robert Lash, D.D.S., P.C. 

Practice Limited to Endodontics 

(Root Canal Therapy) 

10409 Montgomery Pkwy NE, Suite 100 

Albuquerque, 87111, 291-8630 

Rachelle Shaw, D.D.S., P.C. 

Pediatric Dentistry 

Infants, Children & Teenagers 

4620 #C Jefferson Lane NE 


888-3520 

DERMATOLOGY 

Janice F. Moranz, M.D. 

Dermatology/Nutritional Supplements/Skin Care 

6409-A Candelaria Rd. NE, Albuq. 87110 

505-880-1920 

ELDERCARE SERVICES 

Decades, LLC 505-345-5529, 866-913-5742 

Medical Advocacy and Financial Management 

ASSESSMENTS/PLANNING/OVERSIGHT 

www.decadesgroup.com 

MIND/BODY WELLNESS 

COACHING & TRAINING 

Mindy Caplan 505-453-7200 

Lifestyle & Weight Management 

ACSM Certified, over 25 years experience 

OPTICAL 

Muller Optical,Inc - Full Service Eyewear 

9000 Menaul NE(Menaul at Moon) 296-8187 

Specializing in Complex Prescriptions 

Custom Glasses for Difficult Vision Problems 

PHYSICIANS 

Edward J. Atler M.D., 724-4300 

New Mexico Orthopaedics 

Sports Injuries, Arthritis, Arthroscopy, 

Joint Replacement, Fractures 

201 Cedar SE, Ste. 6600, Albuquerque 87106 

David Bernstein M.D., 724-4300 

Hand and Upper Extremity Surgery 

New Mexico Orthopaedic Associates 

201 Cedar St. SE, Albuquerque, 87102 

PLUMBING AND 

HEATING CONTRACTORS 

Steward’s Plumbing, Inc., 293-3360 

“When Extra Care is Needed” 

All types of plumbing, heating, and sewer work 

www.stewardsplumbing.com/web 

PROSTHETIC AND 

ORTHOPAEDIC APPLIANCES 

Samuel Weisberg Prosthetics 

Ultralite, State-of-Art Prosthetics, 

Biomechanical Orthotics, Sports 

Related Braces, Custom Fabrication 

1018 Coal Ave. SE, ABQ, NM 87106 

248-0303 FAX 248-1611 

REAL ESTATE 

Pam Ashley, 505-345-2000 

Full service realty since 1973 

Ashley and Associates Ltd. 

217 Claremont NE – www.pamashley.com 

Madeline Dunn, 505-980-2505 

Coldwell Banker Legacy, Realtors 

Real Estate Made Real Easy 

www.AlbuquerqueHomesOnline.com 

SENIOR HEALTH CARE SERVICES 

Hospice de la Luz, 505-217-2490 

Lynnette Wallner RN, Owner/Clinical Director 

Nurse owned, high quality end of life care. 

www.hospicedelaluz.com 

SOFTWARE 

Stone Design, www.stone.com 

Stone works suite for the Mac 

Design, publish to web & print, bill 

Free upgrades “For Life!” 345-4800 

SPAS 

Betty’s Bath & Day Spa, 505-341-3456 

ABQ’s only soak, relaxation & wellness spa 

Offering massage, facials & restorative 

treatments & products. Instant on-line 

gift certificates available, www.bettysbath.com 

TAX PROFESSIONALS 

Smarter Tax Solutions 

Federally Licensed Experienced, Educated 

and a Yiddishe Kup 

Meryl Kahn EA, MBA 

www.smartertaxes.com 922-4973 

TEST PREPARATION 

Omniac Education - 796-8279 

Taking the ACT or SAT? 

We help students succeed! 

www.omniaceducation.com 

TUTORING 

Anita Shenkman, MS/Learning Specialist 

Tutoring/Study Strategies/Consulting 

Training/Coaching/Organizational Skills 

Pre-School - Adult, 265-1659 

VACUUM & SEWING 

Abbey Lane, 9800-6 Montgomery Blvd., 323-4465 

Quality Miele & American-made Riccar vacuums. 

Elite Baby Lock sewing machine dealer. 

Repairs and supplies for all brands. 

SPECIAL OFFER 

TO PROFESSIONALS 

For only $220/year you can be listed in 

The Link’s Professional Directory and on our Web site . . . 

PLUS get a display ad FREE!* 

* Ad size: 4”x2.25”. The value of this ad ($75) may be applied towards the purchase of a larger ad. 

Standard ad cost: $220 

Additional lines ($20/line) 

$________________ 

PROFESSIONAL DIRECTORY APPLICATION 

Subtotal 

Tax (7.0%) 

Total 

$________________ 

$________________ 

$________________ 

Name ________________________________________________________________________ 

Address ______________________________________________________________________ 

________________________________________________________Phone________________ 

Payment Type: Check # _____________ Credit Card: MC _____ VISA _____ AMEX _____ 

Credit Card # _______________________________________________Expires: ____________ 

Signature (name on credit card) ___________________________________________________ 

First four lines (36 characters/spaces per line) included in your $220 yearly fee plus 7.0% NM sales tax. Each additional line $20. 

Advertising Commitment one year/11 issues. Advance payment required annually. Please write out listings on a separate piece of 

paper. Send to Anne Grollman, NM Jewish Link, 5520 Wyoming Blvd. NE, Albuquerque, 87109.


CLUE from page 11 

today, I exist because of a long line of 

people who knew when it was time to 

go, and who, perhaps not knowing the 

reason why, packed their things and 

went on a journey.” 

Dardashti, a diminutive dynamo 

who on the tip of her tongue holds the 

names of people - oh, you had family 

in Florence, Italy? Here is the name 

of the archivist there. Manchester, 

England? Call that one, she has every 

street in her head - said it took her two 

years to find the town of her greatgrandmother. 

“She only spoke Yiddish, but I 

remembered she always said ‘we came 

from Molya,’ and that it had something 

to do with the Dnieper River.” Finally, 

it turned out that Mogilev in Belarus 

was the place. Later, she would find 

documents from 1353 from Lerida, 

Spain, signed by a kosher wine merchant, 

Mosse Talalay, which confirmed 

that the family was originally 

Sephardic. 

The last documents she found 

there were in 1396 when tax collectors 

were looking for the family, “but 

gee! they left. In 1391 they had major 

riots, forced conversions, many were 

murdered, and a lot of people said, 

‘okay, let’s go.’” Over the Pyrenees, 

they took a right turn into Eastern 

Europe. 

When Dardashti started her search 

more than 20 years ago, she said, “I 

was still under the impression that 

common Jewish genealogy myths 

were true, that nothing was left, that 

everything was destroyed, that everyone 

had their names changed at Ellis 

Island. 

“All of this is just nonsense - this 

is not true at all. Yes, some shtetls 

were destroyed, some archives were 

burned to the ground, but small towns 

did keep records and sent copies to 

administrative centers. For example, 

Belarus and Lithuanian archives may 

help researchers find information back 

to the 17th century or earlier.” 

And no family had its name 

changed at Ellis Island by a clerk. 

“If the name was changed, they did 

it themselves after they entered the 

Anti-Defamation League (ADL) 

P.O. Box 21639, ABQ, NM 87154 

Susan Seligman, 823-2712 

fax: 823-0887 

The DVora Project 

Shedding light on domestic violence 

For help, call Diane at 362-3361, 

or 1-800-773-3645 (The S.A.F.E. 

House 24 hour hotline and shelter). 

Co-sponsored by JFNM and JFS. 

Hadassah of Greater Albuquerque 

Contact Doris Taylor, 867-5043 

www.albuquerque.hadassah.org 

Hillel at UNM 

Aaron David Bram Hillel House 

1701 Sigma Chi NE, ABQ, NM 87106, 

Dr. Sara Koplik, executive director 

242-1127 

Holocaust & Intolerance Museum of New Mexico 

616 Central Ave. SW 

Lyn Berner, 247-0606 

Jewish Arts and Culture Group 

of Santa Fe 

c/o Lee Berk 

3101 Old Pecos Trail 

Santa Fe, NM 87505 

505-988-1326 

Lee217@comcast.net 

Jewish Community Center 

5520 Wyoming Blvd. NE, 332-0565 

Executive Director: Jay Jacobs 

Jewish Community Relations Council c/o JFNM 

5520 Wyoming Blvd. NE 821-3214 

Jewish Education Alliance 

Contact Kathryn Weil, 232-2325 

Jewish Community Endowment 

Foundation of NM (JCEF) 


contact: Erika Rimson 505-821-3214 

Website: www.jewishnewmexico.org 

city,” she explained. 

The short course: “The best place 

to start is Jewishgen.org. Then, go to 

the Jewish Records Index for Poland if 

you are searching for a family known 

to have lived in that region, which has 

a great phonetic index with more than 

3 million unique records, you can enter 

the name any way you want and it will 

come up with suggestions, free, on 

the internet, at JRI-Poland.org.” SephardicGen.com 

offers major resources 

for those of Sephardic descent. 

I remembered my great-grandparent’s 

village, which my mother had 

written down phonetically as Rezoinz, 

was 30 miles SW of Warsaw. So at 

Dardashti’s urging, at Jewishgen.org’s 

town database we entered the phonetic 

spelling. 

One jumped out at me - Raciaz - 

52 miles NW of Warsaw. Somehow 

I knew that odd spelling must be it. 

We then entered it in the JRI-Poland. 

org site, and in Yiddish the town was, 

indeed, called Rechonsk. In the list of 

residential surnames I saw my greatgrandfather’s, 

and that a researcher 

wanted to connect with anyone with 

his, and my, great-grandmother’s 

surname. 

When I saw this page from a town 

for which I cared not much, a whisper 

echoed, “we didn’t know who was 

left,” and my throat choked up. 

Within hours the researcher 

emailed me a photo-journal of his 

visit to the town of today, and I saw 

what before had only been childhood 

imaginings of a dark forest, a snowcovered 

road, a wagon, evoked when 

pouring over a map of Poland held up 

to a dim yellow lamp by my mother in 

her bedroom, who, anxiously running 

her finger over and over the thin blue 

river and brown dots of towns west of 

Warsaw, had said finally, ‘it must not 

be on the map anymore.’ I am now a 

believer, and bug-bitten. 

Diane Schmidt writes the Albuquerque 

Judaism Examiner column 

online at examiner.com/judaism-inalbuquerque/diane-schmidt 

where 

you can make and read others’ comments 

on her articles. 

JEWISH ORGANIZATIONS 

Jewish Family Service (JFS) 

5520 Wyoming Blvd. NE, 291-1818 

• Chevre Kaddisha 

Jewish Burial Society 

• Jewish Community Chaplaincy Program 

Rabbi Min Kantrowitz 

Pastoral counseling and support; hospital, nursing 

home, hospice visits and grief group. 

• David Specter Shalom House 


building manager, 823-1433 

Social Services, Carrie Hamilton, 

823-1434 

Jewish Federation of New Mexico (JFNM) 


821-3214 

Executive Director: Sam Sokolove 

Jewish War Veterans (JWV) 

ABQ Steve Schiff Post 375:Cmdr., 

Vern Lieberman, 294-7379; 

Rio Rancho Post Cmdr., 

Edward Cohen, 891-1742 

New Mexico Jewish Historical Society 


348-4471 

ORT Organization for 

Rehabilitation and Training 

Betty Harvie, 344-1644 

Solomon Schechter Day School 

5520-A Wyoming Blvd. NE, 

Head of School: Kathryn Weil 

232-2325 

Zionist Organization of America 

ZOA NM 

P.O. Box 3963 


contact: Lynn Provencio 

505-340-6675 

email: info@zoanm.org 

Website: http://zoanm.org 

Community Calendar 

Candlelighting 

Schedule 

January 7 . . . . . . . . . . 4:53 p.m. 

January 14 . . . . . . . . . 4:59 p.m. 



February 4 . . . . . . . . . 5:20 p.m. 

JANUARY 

2 SUNDAY 

■ The New Mexico Jewish Historical 

Society will host Dr. Avinoam 

Patt speaking on “Jewish Youth in 

Europe in the Aftermath of the Holocaust.” 

See page 3 

11 TUESDAY 

■ A Night to Honor Israel will host 

Dennis Prager as keynote speaker at 

the Kiva Auditorium. See page 1. 

16 SUNDAY 

■ The Jewish Federation of 

New Mexico will host their first Rio 

Rancho Brunch Program. Dr. Sara 

Koplik will speak on “Vulnerable 

Jewish Communities Around The 

World: Survival Strategies.” See 

page 3. 

■ The Congregation B’nai Israel 

Men’s Club will host the Chevre Kaddisha 

of Greater Albuquerque’s training 

session. See page 7. 

■ Congregation Albert Brotherhood 

Breakfast will host the Isotopes 

Mascot. See page 7. 

20 THURSDAY 

■ Congregation Albert Sisterhood 

monthly luncheon will host author 

Lois Ruby speaking on skinheads 

and some of her books. The event begins 

at 11:30 a.m. The cost is $12 including 

lunch or you can bring your 

own lunch. RSVP to Arlene Paglia at 

505-299-8839. 

21 FRIDAY 

■ Congregation Albert will host musician 

Todd Herzog as their Artist in 

Residence. See page 10. 

■ Congregation B’nai Israel will host 

a festive weekend celebrating their 

90th Birthday. See page 1. 

26 WEDNESDAY 

■ Chaim Time, a special 60+ JCC/ 

JFS joint program offered through 

funding from JFNM will host 

klezmer music, Yiddishkeit and bagels 

and lox. The event is free and 

transportation is available. For more 

information, contact Phyllis Wolf at 

505-348-4500. 

27 THURSDAY 

■ Congregation Albert Open 

Mind program will feature Sarah 

Egelman speaking on “Jewish Poetry 

in Spain.” The event begins at 

12 p.m. A light lunch will be served 

for $4 or you can bring your own 

lunch. For more information or to 

RSVP, call Janice at 505-821-9302 

or Pearl at 505-344-8508. 

28 FRIDAY 

■ The UNM Art Museum will 

host an exhibition titled “Through 

a Narrow Window: Friedl Dicker-Brandeis 

and Her Terezin Students.” 

See page 3. 

30 SUNDAY 

■ The New Mexico Center for 

Crypto-Judaic Studies and Culture 

will hold its first fundraising event. 

See page 7. 

30 SUNDAY 

■ The JCC’s Music4Kidz program 

will host The Watermelon 

Jug Band, a family-friendly concert 

event open to all. They play a 

blend of elements found in America’s 

musical roots: folk, country, 

blues, ragtime, bluegrass, gospel, 

western swing, rockabilly, etc. The 

doors open at 2:30 p.m. and the concert 

begins at 3 p.m. Cookies and 

lemonade will be served. The cost 

is $7.50/adult members, $10/adult 

non-members, $2.50/all children 

ages 3 – 11, free for children under 

2. For more information, call Amy 

at 505-348-4518. 

FEBRUARY 

5 SATURDAY 

■ Solomon Schechter Day School 

will host cookbook author Joan Nathan 

for a fundraising event. See 

page 3. 

6 SUNDAY 

■ The Jewish Federation of New 

Mexico will host a Rio Rancho 

Brunch program featuring Jewish 

genealogist Schelly Talalay Dardashti 

speaking on “It’s in Our Genes: 

Revealing History via Technology.” 

See page 3. 

The Link Wishes 

the Community a 

Very Happy 2011 

ONGOING 

■ Sundays: JCC Book Club for everyone 

who enjoys reading and discussing 

books. Led by Book Club 

members on a rotating basis, 5:30 

p.m. in the Brody Lounge. For further 

information, call Phyllis Wolf 

at 348-4450. 

■ Sundays: The Jewish War Veterans 

hold their monthly breakfast on 

the fourth Sunday of each month. 

For monthly locations and times, call 

Saul at 505-299-6043. 

■ Tuesdays: Mah Jongg Club in the 

JCC Brody Lounge from 7 - 9 p.m. 

Free for everyone. 

■ Wednesdays: JCC Wonderful 

Wednesdays, an all day program for 

seniors meets the first three Wednesdays 

of each month at 10 a.m. at the 

JCC. “Schmooze and nosh” hour, followed 

by “Forever Fit,” a low level 

impact exercise class. Spend the afternoon 

playing games of Canasta, 

Mah Jongg and Bridge. Cost for 

event: $8. The fourth Wednesday is 

“No Host Wednesday” where you 

can bring your lunch, buy from the 

café, watch TV, use the library, play 

games, etc. For more information, 

call Phyllis Wolf at 348-4500. 

■ Wednesdays: Grief and Loss Support 

Group led by Chaplain Linda 

Friedman at the Meadowlark Senior 

Center in Rio Rancho from 10:30 – 

11:30 a.m., and from 12 – 1 p.m. It 

is open to all people who are experiencing 

any kind of loss. Membership 

in the Senior Center is required, 

but membership is free. 

■ Thursdays: SANTA FE — The 

Tikkun Community of Santa Fe, 

Jews and Jewish allies, meet at 7 p.m. 

at Temple Beth Shalom, 205 E. Barcelona 

Rd. to work towards finding 

peace in the Middle East. 

■ Fridays: Grief and Loss Support 

Group led by Rabbi Min Kantrowitz 

at the JCC from 12 – 1 p.m. It is 

open to all people who are experiencing 

any kind of loss. 

■ Gay and Lesbian Jewish Chavurah 

(Circle of Friends) meets monthly 

for Shabbat potluck dinners. For 

more information, call Linda at 352- 

2623. 

■ The DVora Healing Project sponsors 

free meetings for victims and 

survivors of domestic violence. Rabbi 

Min Kantrowitz facilitator. For 

more information, call Diane at 362- 

3361 or the Jewish Federation of New 

Mexico at 821-3214.


FOCUS ON FEDERATION

16 The New Mexico Jewish Link A Se rv i c e o f t h e Je w i s h Fe d e r at i o n o f Ne w Me x i c o January 2011

Link-January 2011.indd - Jewish Federation of New Mexico

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?