What We Do

Musical Shabbat with Friends Gatherings:
The Signature Program of SWF, NM

The Musical Shabbat Table offers a new/old way of experiencing the joy of the Jewish Sabbath through participating in ancient folk singing traditions of the Jewish people. SWF specializes in reviving these ancient and vibrant traditions for Jews living in New Mexico.

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SWF’s Oneg Shabbos Ensemble is part of every Musical Shabbat gathering. Our talented musicians share all sorts of Jewish folk music. The musicians make it easy and fun to sing and learn melodies that come from all corners of that tradition. We share nigunim (wordless melodies), psalms from the Hebrew Scriptures, Medieval Shabbat table songs, Israeli favorites, and summer camp songs in the round. Some songs are very familiar from services or camp. Others are new and vibrant composed in recent years. Every song we share is meant to touch the heart and soul. SWF Musical Shabbat gatherings are an opportunity to experience the highs of community singing. When we all sing together, we can connect one to the other in unique and profound ways. That is why we call our organization, Shabbat with Friends.

Shabbat with Friends puts on 24 Musical Shabbat Gatherings in 2025. Each month a Musical Shabbat Gathering occurs in the ABQ and the Santa Fe area. Consult the SWF calendar to get the dates and locations. Our gatherings are free, open to the community, and child friendly. Every Musical Shabbat Gatherings features our signature Shabbat potlucks and all sorts of ways to participate.

Below are the upcoming Musical Shabbat Gatherings:

Shabbat with Friends Hosting Program

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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.

Courses and Learning Opportunities

The Exploring the Jewish Experience Course (EJE)

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. Current Information for EJE Winter/Spring 2025 Trimester The EJE course meets online year-round and is divided into 3 trimesters of 44 ninety-minute sessions. Interested participants may register for the Winter/Spring 2025 trimester which meets on Wednesday evenings from 6:45 to 8:15 for 18 ninety-minute sessions starting January 29, 2025, until June 4, 2025. Occasional in-person supplementary programs such as a Passover Seder are free to participants in the Albuquerque and Santa Fe areas. Learn more below. Tuition: $36 online enrollment for Winter/Spring Course. You may register for a concurrent in-person option that meets at UU Santa Fe for only $18. Full-year online tuition for 44 sessions: $100 All sessions are recorded for later viewing. For questions, write to lead teacher, 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.

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The Greatest Jewish Texts That Every Thoughtful Person Should Know.

One distinctive feature of Jewish tradition and culture is a love of text study. The Jews have lots of sacred texts, Torah, Bible, Mishneh, Midrash, Talmud, Kabbalah, Halachah. Rabbi Dov will share the richest, mind-blowing texts across various Jewish text genres to engage participants in their implications for our times and our lives. This course is great for EJE graduates and for anyone interested in engaging the deeper structures and meanings of Judaism beyond an introductory presentation of Judaism. The course will also introduce participants to some of the great text teachers living and beyond the grave across the Jewish world such as A. J. Heschel, Lord Jonathan Sacks, Rabbi Art Green. New Course: The Greatest Jewish Texts That Every Thoughtful Person Should Know. Instructor: Rabbi Dov Gartenberg. Tuesdays evening: 6:45 to 8:00pm. 10 Sessions. January 28th through April 8th 2025. Online with an In-Person Option in Albuquerque. Registration before January 24th: $36. Registration after January 24th: $54.

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SWF Jewish Spirituality Lab: A Collaboration between Ikar, Los Angeles and Shabbat with Friends NM. In-Person with an Online Option.

This pilot program combines 45 minutes of remote participation in an inspired Shabbat morning service at Ikar Los Angeles with in-person exploration of Shabbat prayer and spirituality with Rabbi Dov Gartenberg. This unique combination of remote and in-person exploration enables us to experience and emulate a spiritually powerful community while building a locally beautiful gathering for Jewish prayer practices, song, and spiritual teachings. Pilot Program that meets every other Saturday morning: 9:45 to 11:45am, Dates: 4 pilot sessions with potential for additional sessions after March 2025. 2/15, 3/1, 3/15, 3/29 Tentative Location: Rabbi Gartenberg’s Clubhouse in SW Santa Fe. Suggested Pre-Registration Donation for the 4 session series: $25 in-person. $45 online.

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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.

What We Do

Musical Shabbat with Friends Gatherings: The Signature Program of SWF, NM

Musical Shabbat with Friends Gatherings:
The Signature Program of SWF, NM