SWF Programs
Below are links to all Shabbat with Friends’ programs. This list is kept up to date. We list separately special one-time programs from ongoing, recurring programs. Look for links to learn more about specific programs. Look for registration links or go to the Calendar/RSVP tab to sign up for a specific event or course. Feel free to share a program idea with our Convener, Rabbi Dov Gartenberg at this email (link to email).
Our Programs
One-Time Programs
Ongoing Programs
One Time Programs
Ongoing Programs
About Shabbat with Friends Gatherings
The first SWF gathering in Santa Fe in January 2023.
Shabbat with Friends’ (SWF) signature program is a welcoming Sabbath (in Hebrew-Shabbat) gathering hosted in homes and venues in the ABQ and Santa Fe areas. These gatherings may feature any one of the following activities associated with a Shabbat meal:
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Rich conversation on timely topics.
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Joyful group singing of Jewish folk and Sabbath melodies.
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Engaging Torah study presented by a gifted teacher.
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Gatherings geared for families and children.
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Relaxed social gatherings ideal for meeting new faces over a delicious meal.
Our volunteer hosts choose from these options for their meal. Rabbi Dov Gartenberg, the Convener of Shabbat with Friends, enriches these gatherings with song, learning, and enlivened conversation. Our gatherings always take place on Shabbat at one of the traditional mealtimes: Friday evening near the beginning of Shabbat, Saturday lunch, or late Saturday afternoon before nightfall as Shabbat ends.
SWF gatherings are usually organized as kosher/vegetarian potlucks or may feature a catered meal for an affordable fee. They are open to Jews of all backgrounds, welcoming people of other faiths and cultures to join in joy with us. Gatherings can center on children or specific age cohorts. Most of our gatherings are intergenerational. All gatherings require pre-registration through our website at www.shabbatwithfriends.org.
Come experience the welcoming, joyful, and spiritually fulfilling qualities of a Shabbat with Friends gathering. Check out the schedule of upcoming gatherings at Calendar/RSVP | SWFNM.
Experience an Ancient Form of Hospitality
Taste of Shabbat: A Rabbi Narrated Sabbath Seder
A Program of Shabbat with Friends NM
The joyful celebration and sharing of Sabbath (Shabbat in Hebrew) meals has been a beloved practice of Jewish homes for over 2000 years. Shabbat with Friends (SWF) shares these ancient traditions that foster a unique experience of “table fellowship”.
A Sabbath Seder consists of the order of rituals that mark the opening meal of the Jewish Sabbath. Rabbi Dov Gartenberg shares insightful commentary on the table rituals and leads a discussion on how to create spiritually meaningful meals that foster friendship and connection.
We welcome people from all backgrounds and anyone who is curious about this ancient practice of hospitality, spirituality, and conviviality.
The Taste of Shabbat gatherings occur every other month in either Albuquerque or Santa Fe on Friday evenings or at the end of Shabbat on Saturday evenings. SWF provides the food for a nominal per-person fee with an additional discount for children and seniors.
Upcoming Taste of Shabbat gatherings are listed below. Location Details to be announced. You can register by clicking on the date listed. For questions, contact Rabbi Dov at dov@shabbatwithfriends.org.
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Friday evening, September 12th in ABQ. Registration deadline Thursday, September 11th 9am
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Friday evening, November 7h in Santa Fe. Registration deadline Thursday, November 6th, 9am
The meal will be provided by a local kosher caterer.
Come experience the welcoming, joyful, and spiritually fulfilling qualities of a Shabbat with Friends gathering. Check out the schedule of upcoming gatherings at Calendar/RSVP | SWFNM.
INTRODUCING THE SWF NIGUN CIRCLE
“A Nigun transcends words, allowing us to express beyond what we can say with regular language. Words make distinctions. With words, we define the world and express specific ideas and thoughts. In that sense, language is limiting. Pure melody, on the other hand, is able to express the soul — it’s expansive, it’s unifying.”
Joey Weisenberg, Hadar Rising Song Institute
SWF is delighted to announce that we have received a grant from the Hadar Institute’s Community Groups Initiative to begin a Nigun Circle. A Nigun Circle is a group that gathers to sing nigunim-Jewish spiritual wordless melodies. Nigunim (plural of nigun) originates with the popular, spiritual singing of wordless melodies that gained prominence with the rise of Hasidic Judaism in the 18th century. The SWF Nigun Circle joins other groups around the country, tapping the rich resources of Hadar’s Rising Song Institute to create a unique musical and spiritual community.
The first meeting of the SWF Nigun Circle will be at Rabbi Dov’s Sukkah in Santa Fe on the first night of Sukkot on Monday, October 6th from 6-8:00pm. We’ll have a festival potluck dinner in the Sukkah followed by singing our first nigun and setting up a schedule of gatherings. To participate, register below. We will send you more detailed information, or you can contact Rabbi Dov at 505 500-9040 or Deborah Boldt at 505 238-9965.
Exploring the Jewish Experience Course:
An Introduction
The Exploring the Jewish Experience (EJE) Course, offered through Shabbat with Friends NM, is a thoughtful and in-depth exploration of Jewish life, traditions, beliefs, culture, and history. Rather than a basic introduction, it offers a meaningful journey into one of the world's oldest continuous religions and cultures.
The course is taught by master teachers Rabbi Dov Gartenberg of Shabbat with Friends and Rabbi Jack Shlachter of HaMakom Santa Fe and the Los Alamos Jewish Center, the EJE The course runs year-round. It is divided into 3 trimesters.
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Fall: Jewish Thought, History, Anti-Semitism, and Literature.
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Winter/Spring: Jewish religious practice, lifecycle, and the cycle of the festival year.
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Summer: Dimensions of Jewish culture, including humor, food, language, music, etc.
Students may sign up for one trimester at a time or commit to the entire year. Tuition is kept low due to generous support from the National Center to Encourage Judaism and generous donors. Current rates are $36 per trimester and $100 for the full year.
The EJE Course is taught in a hybrid format that combines remote learners with people who attend in person. The sessions are highly interactive, encourage questions and vigorous discussion.
Other Features of the EJE Course
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Open to all ages and backgrounds—Jewish, non-Jewish, intercultural couples, and anyone curious about Judaism.
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Embraces a pluralistic approach, honoring diverse Jewish expression from secular to traditional.
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Our agenda: To provide Jews a deeper understanding of their heritage and for people of other faiths and cultures a profound sense of the Jewish experience and world view. We also hope to diminish misunderstandings about Jews and Judaism. Those interested in conversion may use the course to fulfill study prerequisites for becoming a Jew-by-Choice.
The New Mexico EJE Course is affiliated with the Miller Introduction to Judaism Program at the American Jewish University in Los Angeles. The EJE Course is a joint program of Shabbat with Friends NM, HaMakom, Santa Fe, and the Los Alamos Jewish Center. The EJE Course is the recipient of 3 grants from the National Center to Encourage Judaism.
A Blessing on Your Head:
Online Shabbat Childrens’ Blessings for Far-Flung Families
Starting Friday, October 17 through Friday, November 14, 2025
The song “A Blessing on Your Head” from the musical, Fiddler on the Roof, refers to the traditional blessings of the children on Sabbath eve. SWF is piloting a program for parents and extended families to bless their children or grandchildren Shabbat online prior to the Sabbath. This is a wonderful opportunity for families to nurture a love of the Sabbath and of family using modern technology to reduce distances. Please note that the times of A BLESSING ON YOUR HEAD will vary according to the candle lighting time on Friday evenings in Santa Fe, NM. Please note in the schedule below.
This is a pilot program which will occur on these dates and times.
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Friday late afternoon, 10/17/2025 5:30 to 5:45 pm mdt.
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Friday late afternoon, 10/31/2025 5:15-5:30 pm mdt
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Friday late afternoon, 11/7/2025 4:00-4:15 pm mst.
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Friday late afternoon, 11/14/2025, 4:00-4:15 pm mst.
Rabbi Dov Gartenberg, Convener of Shabbat with Friends, leads the session online. He provides a brief Torah teaching, instructions on how to do the blessings, and sets up breakout rooms for families to bless their children. Following the family blessings, we end the session with a brief introduction to connect the participating families.
The program is free but does require preregistration. Registrants will receive the Zoom links prior to the online sessions. For questions, contact Rabbi Dov Gartenberg at dov@shabbatwithfriends.org.
