Sharing Some Exciting Changes in My Rabbinic Work in New Mexico

Dear Friends of Shabbat with Friends,

I’m writing to share several important updates about Shabbat with Friends and my broader rabbinic work. This is a moment of creativity and renewal for me—and for our community—as I draw on decades of experience in new ways.

A New Structure for My Work

Beginning this April, after the festival of Pesah, I will be branching my work into two dedicated platforms:

• Shabbat with Friends will focus exclusively on facilitating Shabbat gatherings and cultivating a rich Shabbat table culture for New Mexico. 

• My broader rabbinic activities—the new Minyan Midbar (see below)-Desert Minyan, teaching, community organizing, mentoring, pastoral care, and writing—will move to my new digital home: www.rabbidovnm.com.

  
  

This shift allows each area of my work to flourish with greater clarity and focus.

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Rededication & Focus: The Future of Shabbat with Friends NM

Shabbat with Friends is entering a new chapter, returning to our core mission: recapturing the joy (Oneg) of Shabbat through vibrant, shared Shabbat table experiences.

We are concentrating our efforts on three gathering formats that help us deepen the Mitzvot of Shabbat and of hachnasat orchim—welcoming guests.  We seek to restore the organic traditions of sharing the Shabbat table in our homes and community:

Musical/Singing Shabbat Gatherings 

Hosted meals with group singing and live music as our Oneg Shabbos (Sabbath Joy) Ensemble shares the vast Jewish spiritual table singing traditions: Nigunim, Zemirot, and Shirim. 

Taste of Shabbat Gatherings 

Shabbat feasts featuring narration of the meaning of rituals, songs, and concepts informing the Sabbath table traditions. 

Shabbat Circles 

Recurring meetups organized by interest or life stage to build lasting fellowship. An example: SWF’s thriving young family Shabbat Circle. 

To find out more about these programs and to sign up for upcoming events, click HERE and HERE. 

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Launching Minyan Midbar-Desert Minyan:

A New Jewish Prayer Community 

I am partnering with Rabbi Jack Shlachter, Andrew Grossman, and a growing team to launch Minyan Midbar – Desert Minyan, a new soulful, participatory, traditional, egalitarian Shabbat morning community for New Mexico.

Our inaugural gathering will take place on Shabbat morning, April 25, 2026 in Santa Fe. We plan to meet monthly on the 4^th Saturday morning of the month. 

I am very excited about this new Jewish prayer community and hope you will join us. While we prepare a dedicated website, you can learn more about Minyan Midbar HERE. 

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Staying Connected

To ensure that Shabbat with Friends can concentrate on its core mission of Shabbat meal gatherings, my broader rabbinic work—including Minyan Midbar, the EJE course and adult learning, conversion mentoring, pastoral care, and my writing—will now be housed at this website: www.rabbidovnm.com. 

Starting after Passover, messages related to my broader rabbinic work, including the Minyan Midbar, will be posted on www.rabbidovnm.com. You can sign up for my rabbinic activity email list HERE. Or you can sign up at www.rabbidovnm.com to get updates. 

Shabbat with Friends events will continue to be listed on the SWF website. To receive Shabbat with Friends communications, make sure that you are subscribed to the SWF main email list. If you are not already on the SWF Email list, you may sign up HERE. 

New Office in Santa Fe

I have now moved into a new physical office space that serves as the base for all my rabbinic work. You are welcome to visit, send correspondence, and contributions to the address below. Also, I’ll be glad to meet you at one of the great places nearby for coffee or nosh: The Bread Shop, Iconik Lena, Kakawa Chocolate Shop, and Chocolate Maven.  

Rabbi Dov Gartenberg

CoLab

1807 Second Street, Unit 40‑04; 

Santa Fe, NM 87505 

General Email: shalom@rabbidovnm.com SWF Email: dov@shabbatwithfriends.org: Mobile: 505‑500‑9040

At the Passover Seder, we open the door to Elijah, a symbol of hope. May these initiatives open meaningful doorways for you as well. May they enrich your life, the lives of your loved ones, and the lives of the ‘panim hadashot*’—the new faces—you meet along the way.

Hag Pesah Same’ach — A Joyous Pesah Festival,

Rabbi Dov Gartenberg

*Panim Hadashot-Hebrew for New Faces is the original name of Shabbat with Friends.