What We Do

Shabbat with Friends Gatherings: The Signature Program of SWF

Shabbat with Friends (SWF) gatherings embody the Jewish tradition of making the Sabbath a delight, in Hebrew, ‘Oneg Shabbat’. Held in homes and special venues in Santa Fe and ABQ, Shabbat with Friends gatherings are only held on the Jewish Sabbath (from Friday evening to Saturday nightfall).

The aims of SWF gatherings are to  

bring diverse people together in joy and fellowship.  
cultivate a love of the Sabbath.  
deepen Jewish identity. 
inspire more Jews to host Shabbat meals in their homes and to welcome guests.   
build a loving sense of community.  
share the Sabbath with our friends from other faiths and cultures.

Many SWF gatherings feature our Oneg Shabbos Ensemble. These talented musicians and vocalists share beautiful music that inspires participatory group singing of our precious legacy of Sabbath songs and wordless melodies (nigunim).  Other conversation centered Shabbat gatherings engage people in thought-provoking conversations on things that matter. All our gatherings include traditional Sabbath rituals and blessings.     

SWF is led by Rabbi Dov Gartenberg who is our “Convener” and works to bring people together. SWF gatherings are free, open to the community, child-friendly, and include all ages and backgrounds. Every SWF gathering is welcoming, satiating, joyful, and spiritually fulfilling. 

Shabbat with Friends Hosting Program

Request to Host >

The goal of Shabbat with Friends is to recapture together the joy of Shabbat. The Shabbat host is the key to a joyful and spiritually uplifting Shabbat experience. SWF devotes considerable time and effort recruiting, training, and supporting hosts.

What are we looking for in a Shabbat host?

A person(s) who enjoys bringing people together around a Sabbath meal.
A person(s) who enjoys meeting new people and connecting them to one another.
A person(s) who enjoys sharing their space and making people feel comfortable in it.
A person(s) who is animated by the mitzvot of honoring the Shabbat and of the welcoming of guests (Hachnasat Orchim).
Any person(s) who would like to learn the above and become a practitioner of Jewish hospitality.

All the practical concerns about hosting: timing, invitations, setup, the presentation, the rituals, the food, the content of the gathering, the sendoff, and the cleanup are fully supported by Shabbat with Friends. We directly help our hosts in every way to make their Shabbat with Friends Gathering a beautiful and memorable experience.

Interested in hosting? Setup a meeting with the SWF Hosting Team to begin planning your gathering.

Exploring the Jewish Experience: A Course on the History, Ideas, Culture, and Religion of the Jewish People. Created by Shabbat with Friends NM for New Mexico

Curious about Judaism? Exploring Your Jewish Roots? Perplexed by Antisemitism? Questions about Zionism? In a relationship with a Jewish partner? Raising Jewish Children?

The Exploring the Jewish Experience Course (EJE) is a year-long course on Judaism and the story of the Jewish People. Master teachers, Rabbis Dov Gartenberg, Jack Shlachter, Dr. Michael Nutkiewicz, and Joy Rosenberg present Jewish practice and festivals, turning points in Jewish history, the varieties of Jewish thought, and the unique mix of culture, practice, and religious views that animate contemporary Jewish life. Open to all backgrounds.

EJE Enrollment >

Current Information for EJE Winter/Spring 2025 Trimester
The trimester runs from early February to mid-June 2025, with 27 hours of instruction. The course can be taken online or in person.

Here are the in-person locations:

Tuesday evenings 7:15-8:45 PM in ABQ starting February 4. Location to be announced.
Wednesday evenings, 7:00-8:30 PM in-person in Santa Fe starting February 5. Sessions will meet at the UU Church at 107 W. Barcelona Rd, Santa Fe, NM 87505

$18 Tuition for the Winter/Spring trimester of 18 sessions. $50 for the full course of 44 sessions.

For questions, write to Rabbi Dov Gartenberg at dov@shabbatwithfriends.org or visit https://shabbatwithfriends.org.

Link to Schedule and Topics for the EJE Winter/Spring 2025 Trimester

The EJE Course is an initiative by Shabbat with Friends NM. It is co-sponsored by HaMakom, Santa Fe, and Los Alamos Jewish Center. EJE is an affiliate of the National Miller Introduction to Judaism Program. Supported by a grant from the National Center to Encourage Judaism.

Schedule a Duscussion >

Conversion to Judaism Program

All forms of Judaism support a path to conversion to Judaism. While Jewish movements Judaism do not engage in formal missionizing or active proselytizing of gentiles, any serious person can initiate a process of conversion to Judaism by meeting with an accredited rabbi. Persons who seek to convert to Judaism are accepted through a process of preparation and study supervised by a rabbi. There is great diversity within Judaism on the requirements for conversion ranging from very stringent to very lenient.

Shabbat with Friends offers a program for conversion that welcomes persons interested in Judaism and provides a year of engaging and illuminating study and exposure to authentic Jewish experiences. Together this process helps a sincere convert to build a foundation for a meaningful and engaged Jewish life. Rabbi Dov Gartenberg has mentored over 500 converts over his career and has guided their entry into Jewish community. He has vast experience in mentoring converts and helping them to navigate the unique journey of casting their lot with the Jewish people.

The SWF conversion program usually takes a year and comprises:

Study in the Exploring the Jewish Experience Course for a full year cycle.
Learning rudimentary Hebrew to participate in Jewish religious and cultural activities.
Exposure to a wide variety of authentic Jewish communal experiences over the duration of a year.
Regular participation in the twice monthly Sunday morning Learners’ Minyan offered by Shabbat with Friends which begins in January 2024.

Contact and set up a meeting with Rabbi Gartenberg, SWF Convener, to share your journey and to discuss the program.

Shir Hesed-Song of Kindness
An Initiative of Shabbat with Friends NM
Summer 2024.

The Shir Hesed-Song of Kindness Initiative is a Shabbat with Friends NM program to provide organized and intentional acts of kindness through singing for people in need in our Jewish community of New Mexico.

Because Shabbat participatory singing is a core value of Shabbat with Friends, we want to bring this especially joyful Jewish tradition to individuals and families that face illness, isolation, and disability.

During the month before Passover in 2024, we initiated a program called “Passover Caroling”, bringing melodies of the festival to shut-ins, residents in senior living centers, and isolated individuals. Those of us who made the visits were deeply moved by the responses of joy and gratitude we witnessed. We realized that it would be wonderful to continue bringing gifts of Jewish songs to people in the community throughout the year.

In that spirit, the Shir Hesed-Song of Kindness Initiative was founded. We welcome volunteers who would like to sing this beautiful folk music. We are also looking for musicians who can volunteer 2-3 hours a month to accompany us on our monthly visits to people in the community.

This is an opportunity to learn Shabbat melodies and to share them with joy with others in need. You do not have to be a trained singer or someone with a background of Sabbath table singing. Many of the songs we sing will also be featured at SWF musical gatherings throughout the year.

Shir Hesed meets once a month to rehearse songs. In addition, we make 2-4 visits a month in either the Albuquerque or Santa Fe Jewish communities, usually over a two-to-three-hour time window to serenade special people in the community.

If you are interested in participating in Shir Hesed as a volunteer singer or musician, please fill out the online form at the 'Sign Up' link. Or contact our coordinators, Lea Koshkin at leakoshkin@gmail.com or Rabbi Dov Gartenberg at dov@shabbatwithfriends.org.