Chavurah Memories

Chavurat Hamidbar will be 50 years old in 2023. It was formed in 1973 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, by a group of families who re-invisioned Jewish communal worship and social life outside the framework of traditional synagogues and Jewish denominations. The Chavurah, as it is known, is one example of a larger Jewish and secular counterculture movement in the U.S. in the late 1960s and early 1970s. In commemoration of its 50th anniversary, the Chavurah is undertaking a project of recording, documenting , and archiving its history and memories, including oral interviews. On this page, we will feature stories .memories and photos from our past half-century. If you have stories, memories or photos to add, please send them to chavurahabq@gmail.com

One of my favorite Chavurah memories is of the Israeli dancing group, meeting at the gym at UNM. Ruthie Ma’ayan, Wille Peters, Elaine Lieberman, Michaela and Shlomo Karmi, Micha and Rivka Gisser, Leah and Pesach Sichel z”l (Anat’s parents), Sid Temlock, Etti Benvenisti z”l, Shlomit David, Amira Russell z”l, Diane and Roni Vitells, and others were regulars. Ruthie wanted to attend but would have had to awaken her three young children to take the babysitter home at 10:30 at night. So each Wednesday evening I would go to her house with my daughter Erica (probably late 1980's early 1990's) where Erica would get the kids ready for bed and Ruthie and I would drive down to UNM. Then we reversed and I would pick up Erica and head for home. I loved that dance group and was sorry to see it disband. And by the way, Ruthie’s son, Ariel Ma’ayan, let us know in no uncertain terms that he was going to marry Erica!!!!!

From: Acy DeBois

From Wille Peters: That certainly was a wonderful time of my life.  Don’t think I ever missed a session. I used to practice those dances in my backyard. 

From Sue Steketee: “I was the first woman in the Chavurah to wear a talit when being called up to the Torah. I made my talit following  the directions in The Jewish Catalog.* Ellen Spolsky gave me the piece of silk and Michaela helped me sew it. I didn't know how to make button holes. 😏” Here is a photo of the beautiful handmade talit, still in use 45 years later.

*The First Jewish Catalog: a do-it-yourself kit was published in 1973 —the year that Chavurat Hamidbar was founded — and written by three members of Havruat Shalom in Somerville, MA. As described in myjewishlearning.com, “The ideals and values that the Jewish counterculture and the havurah movement embodied soon moved from margin to mainstream. The text responsible for this remarkable transformation was The Jewish Catalog (1973), a happy mixture of Jewish law and lore, apt quotations, well-chosen photographs, whimsical cartoons, and general irreverence that billed itself as a Jewish ‘do-it-yourself kit,’ a guide to how to become ‘personally involved in aspects of Jewish ritual life, customs, cooking, crafts, and creation.’”

When it first formed in 1973, the Chavurah borrowed a Torah from Congregation Albert. In 1974, a Torah was donated by a congregation in Boston, and the Chavurah paid a sofer in Los Angeles to repair it. The same year, the Chavurah purchased de Sola Pool (orthodox) siddurim for Shabbat services. The choice of an orthodox siddur reflected the very traditional style of service at the time, which was almost entirely in Hebrew. In the winter of 1975-76, after a spirited discussion, the Chavurah decided to maintain its traditional religious services but to adopt an egalitarian approach to gender, counting women in a minyan and calling women to the Torah.

Source: Michaela and Shlomo Karni

Yom Kippur, Saturday, October 6, 1973 , was the first celebration of the Chavurah's High Holidays. These and other celebrations were held then, and for a long time thereafter, at the Alumni Chapel on the UNM campus. We had a slight difficulty keeping a minyan (quorum of ten) indoors; practically everyone was standing outside, with a transistor radio glued to their ear — the Yom Kippur War had started.

Source: Shlomo Karni

 CHAVURAT HAMIDBAR EARLY MEMORIES

From Mort and Elaine Lieberman

Chavurat Hamidbar was formed at a meeting at our home attended by six couples, namely, the Alstocks, Carrs, Karnis, Liebermans, Rosenzweigs and Spolskys, only two of whom, the Karnis and Liebermans, remain in Albuquerque.  The Rosenzweigs and Spolskys  made the presentation, which they had thoroughly considered, to the rest of us.  It was a positive meeting, focusing on what we could do and not on any restrictions.  It involved defining the group as an extended family, egalitarian, and included counting women in a minyan and letting young children run up and down aisles during services.  While these may seem obvious today, they represented changes from the norm at that time.  The only spoken reason for the establishment of the group was because the presenters sought greater ritual observance than they experienced at B’nai Israel Synagogue.  Five of the six couples had already become close friends through our involvement in the Albuquerque Gan Jewish Nursery School and Kindergarten and a large percentage of the early members had also become friends through that association. Amongst the early and longstanding members were the Bennahum, Chodorow, Gisser, Kisch, Pugach, Saland and White families, as well as individual members Mauri Katz and Sue Steketee. The group sought welcoming processes for those who were interested in joining, e.g., trial memberships.  Throughout our existence, we have had individuals who were cantorially-trained, rabbis, and Judaic scholars within our membership.

The earliest period of the Chavurah required significant commitment and members attended every Chavurah service and event to assure success or a minyan. The first publication about the Chavurah appeared in the Albuquerque Journal during our initial year and covered a religious service (with photo) at the home of the Carrs when they lived on the military base. (The article was lost at our 25th year celebration, as were the minutes of our founding meeting.)  Chavurat Hamidbar was early characterized, by an unidentified source, as the first family-oriented chavurah. No printed reference to this has been found. Bi-monthly meetings were well attended at that time because the Chavurah was an important part of members’ lives. A proposal to have a permanent, rather than rotating, secretary, was soundly defeated because members felt that, if we are an egalitarian group, we should share that role equally.  The treasurer was the only other defined officer and those two offices were the only ones with any Chavurah authority.

B’nai Israel provided us with prayer books, because they had just switched to new ones.  It also loaned us a Torah so that we could function religiously.  It is ironic that while conflict between B’nai Israel and our early members led to the formation of the Chavurah, it was support from B’nai Israel that perhaps led to our survival during those early and uncertain times.  During later times, B’nai Israel Rabbis Celnick and Flicker were especially welcoming and recognizing of the Chavurah. Much later, when the Chavurah Hebrew School ended because of a lack of children of that age, an arrangement was made with B’nai Israel, and perhaps also with Congregation Albert, to allow our remaining school-age children to attend their Hebrew School.

Many firsts occurred through our history.  Our first High Holiday services were held at the UNM Chapel, where we continued to hold services for many years, until vision and mobility problems of our aging members required change. We welcomed UNM students who were able to join us even for short periods between classes and made the conscious effort to include them in the services.  Gerson Carr and Mort Lieberman were the first to duchan in our services, with training provided by Dov Spolsky.  Laura Lieberman was the first woman to duchan at our services. Yaron Gisser was our first Bar Mitzvah, Abby Rosenzweig our first Bat Mitzvah.  Elaine Lieberman was our first president and long -time historian. Sheila Pugach was our first Good and Welfare person who attended the ill. Beverly White coined the motto “Chavurah is not a spectator sport.” The identity of our first treasurer is uncertain, but our early treasurers were Bernie Epstein, Joe Siegel, Alan Chodorow and Joel Bassan.  Sandy Siegel established our tax exempt status, which resulted in establishing bylaws and officers with official roles.  Mark Shapiro led the effort to establish a Chavurah cemetery.  It involved many morbid jokes and lengthy discussions while we wrestled with questions related to conflict between strict religious observances versus egalitarianism.  In the end the latter was favored and this has been our preference whenever such conflicts have occurred. Our first Entebbe rescue party was a small gathering at the home of Sid and Mina Solomon, where Sid included fireworks.  The following year, the Entebbe party became a regular Chavurah event, as a swim party and barbeque, held at the Gissers for many years and later hosted by others.  This was our only event at which meat (kosher) was served and was initially established as our only adults-only event.

Over time, various individuals have come up with assorted, self-serving characterizations of the Chavurah.  We have been identified as an academic group, an Israeli group, the “intellectsia” of the Jewish community, a congregation and even the “in” group.  While we have had elements of all of these, our only self-characterization has remained that of an extended family.

When the Experiment in Jewish Learning brought in Leonard Fein from Brandeis U. as a speaker, the Kischs hosted a Chavurah Shabbat service at their home which Fein attended.  He was so moved that this group of Jews, wandering in the desert, was making the effort to be observant, that he declared that he would get us a Torah.  We didn’t really expect it, but, indeed, he managed to get us our first Torah from a congregation in the Boston area.  We rejoiced and had a celebration welcoming it in the Manzano Mountains on May 26, 1974 where we all sang and danced with it. We still have a photo from the event of our daughter dancing with the Torah as others sang and clapped. The Spolskys arranged for the purchase of the second Torah, about a year later.  The scribe who repaired it stated that it was a German torah that was at least 125 years old at that time.

Phil Friedman fabricated the first ark for the Torah as a labor of love and a heartfelt gift.  His son, Neil, was subsequently hired to fabricate the second one.

Early service leaders were Shlomo Karni, Mike Rosenzweig and Dov Spolsky.  David Wolfe was our first person to function in a cantorial role.  Women did not initially read from the Torah, not because they were deliberately excluded, but probably from a combination of two factors, (1) few women were prepared to read from the Torah at that time, and (2) no one questioned the fact that only men were reading from the Torah and men likely accepted it as a responsibility. Perhaps, it could be called covert, rather than overt, discrimination. Michaela Karni, Bob White and Danice Picraux were very involved in the Jewish education of our children, with Danice leading the effort for many years until we no longer had enough young children to warrant continuing the school.

In time the Chavurah grew.  While the original intention was to form sub-Chavurot as our membership increased, it became evident that it was impractical to do so.

The longevity of the Chavurah can be attributed to the fact that the creativity, activity and commitment of its early members have been matched by those of succeeding generations of members.

 Source: Morton & Elaine Lieberman

The Founding of Chavurat Hamidbar

From Shlomo Karni

The founding families (The Alstocks, the Carrs, the Karnis, the Liebermans, the Rosenzweigs) discovered, through informal talks among ourselves in the early 1970s, that we had a lot in common as far as the needs of our Jewish life in Albuquerque: A small, egalitarian group to provide us with a sense of an 'extended family' where we and our children can practice, learn and enjoy the total Jewish experience. We rejected out of hand the notions of a vertical hierarchy with hired, external professional functionaries, with an edifice, and with a predetermined denomination (orthodox, conservative, reform, etc.). Ours was to be an eclectic group where everyone contributes to the diversified fabric of our activities and to our communal spirit -- the more, the better; hence our early motto, "The Chavurah is not a spectator sport."

Another unifying factor helped in this need: We, the adults, were all 'transplants' to Albuquerque and New Mexico from the East and West Coasts, the Midwest, and from as far as Israel. (Some of our children by then were already 'natives'.)

At the time, the national chavurot (pl. of chavurah) movement was in its full bloom. We learned certain things from their experiences (e.g., through The Jewish Catalog). Ultimately, like every chavurah, we have shaped, continuously and dynamically, our own unique character. In the early 1980s, the national Hadassah Magazine published a two-page article about Chavurat Hamidbar.

From the word go, were extremely fortunate to have been self-sufficient, and we continue to be so: Members with various skills have contributed tirelessly throughout the years by doing and by training others. I strongly believe that this is the major reason for our viability. One of the many manifestations of these egalitarian efforts was the inclusion of women in the count of a minyan (forum of 10) as well as for leading services.

(Some twenty years later, we discovered a new law of nature , similar to gravity, or the speed of light: The number of our members -- families and singles -- has stabilized around the number 80. This, too, has been a significant factor for our successful existence as an extended family. P.S.: A rigorous mathematical proof of this phenomenon will earn its author the Nobel Prize.)

Source: Shlomo Karni

Early years of the chavurah

From Jeremy Epstein

Bernard and Florence Epstein were among the earliest members (although not founders), along with their children, four of whom were still at home (Debbie, Jeremy, Jonathan, and Rebecca/Rivka). We had recently returned from a year in Israel (1971-72), and with that an interest in a more Jewishly-involved life that we didn't feel at B'nai Israel.

I remember that I was supposed to read Haftarah at the first Yom Kippur service (Oct 6 1973), but came down with a cold so didn't go - although that was probably an excuse since I wasn't prepared.

An early discussion was who could participate in the "business" of the Havurah. Since I was 13, I had particular interest in the question, which was answered that anyone who was bar/bat mitzvah could participate - which meant that I had the same voting rights as the adults! After that, I attended every business meeting I could (usually twice a year) until I graduated high school and moved away.

In the early days (and maybe still today!) the role of secretary rotated every six months - that person was responsible for sending out (by paper mail, of course) the announcements of upcoming services. With the decision that paying dues was not a qualification, my sister Debbe (who was about 20) served a term as secretary.

I remember in those early years preparing for duchaning on Yom Kippur in the side storage room of the UNM chapel. We didn't have a basin to wash the hands of the cohanim, so we (the leviim) used the portable baptismal font for that purpose! As a young person, it was a real honor to participate in this ritual.

The portable aron (ark) was both a blessing and a curse. It was lovely, and added a touch of formality to meetings in living rooms around the city. But it was so big that very few of us could move it in our cars, so it was mostly relegated to use on high holidays.

There was a rotating cast of teachers in the religious school in the early years (as well as in the gan). My sister Debbie taught there for a year, and I was an aide for a year while I was in high school. Most of the teachers were students at UNM.

Havurat Hamidbar was a formative experience for me - Judaism wasn't a spectator sport, but something open to all of us. When I moved to a Philadelphia suburb for a semester during college for an internship (1978), I was shocked to learn that they were not egalitarian, very formal, and decided that I (at the ripe old age of 18) was going to change that. Needless to say, I failed - it probably took them another 20-30 years to catch up! As I moved around through my career, I constantly sought another experience like Havurat Hamidbar, but never found anything to match the warmth and involvement I felt growing up.

When I look back, there were three things that affected my Jewish identity: the year we spent in Israel, the two summers I spent at Camp Ramah in California, and Havurat Hamidbar. While I was only involved for the first 5 years of the 50, I have many fond memories of my times with the group.

Until 120!

Source: Jeremy Epstein

Life Cycle Events

In all matters of Jewish rituals, prayers, and group practices, we have leaned towards an eclectic-conservative style, finding our own way as we progressed. As mentioned, we have been lucky, from our earliest days on, to be self-sufficient in all areas -- from birth to grave, quite literally. Frank Hesse, MD, was our first  mohel (ritual circumciser), later  joined in the ranks by Joel Saland, MD. Our first brit milah (or bris), was for Michael Pugach at the family home, and his father Noel passed out briefly from all the excitement.

Baby naming ceremonies for girls were held also at the  family's home. Shlomo Karni  typed the proper certificate on his Hermes Hebrew typewriter (this was in the years B.C., Before Computers), then had it framed in advance of the ceremony.

Bar/Bat Mitzvah services and celebrations were held in various venues: The UNM Alumni Chapel or another hall, including hotels, plus the homes of the celebrants. Shlomo Karni trained the early candidates (14) , later joined by Ruthie Maayan and Malcolm Siegel.

Weddings: Before the first wedding of one of our second generation (!) young members, Mark Shapiro, a municipal court judge and a member, verified that the state of New Mexico does, in fact, recognize officially such ceremonies performed by us as an organized religious group. These ceremonies were also conducted in a variety of venues, first by Shlomo Karni (9), then by Ruthie Maayan and others. Our unique  chuppah (wedding canopy) has embroidered on it , in a variety of bright colors, the names of the happy couples with the dates of their happy event.

Funerals and burials: Soon after we formed the Chavurah, we bought a section in the Fairview Cemetery( south side)   on Yale SE. Micha and Rivkah Gisser have been instrumental in this aspect ever since, including selling individual plots to our members. The plaque at the entrance of our section was created by the renown artist, our very own Evelyn Rosenberg.

Pre-burial services included tohorah (ritual cleansing of the body) and sh'mirah (around- the-clock vigil near the body at the funeral home, prior to burial). Both of these tasks were faithfully done by Simchah Ben-David and her helpers, an ad hoc chevrah kadisha (sacred society). Graveside services, as well as the minyan during the shiv'ah days of mourning, were conducted at the request of the grieving family by either Noel Pugach, Shlomo Karni, or Malcolm Siegel.

Source: Shlomo Karni

Service leaders, Torah readers, teaching and training

At the beginning, our service leaders were Shlomo Karni and Michael Rosenzweig. Soon thereafter, as they joined the Chavurah, came Noel Pugach, Bob White, Dov Spolsky, and David Wolfe (a physicist who used to sing from professional cantorial score sheets!). Still later, we welcomed the membership and participation of Ruthie Maayan, Malcolm Siegel, Mauri Katz, David Sherry, Lee Sloan, Gavriela DeBoer, Gail Greenberg, Bart Wohl, and Wille Peters.       

Our early Torah readers were Shlomo Karni and Noel Pugach. Gradually, and  with the few who were trained in the Chavurah, we added Ruthie Maayan, Malcolm and Leora Siegel, Mauri Katz, David Sherry, Gail Greenberg, Bart Wohl, Joel Widman, Tom Klitsner, Nancy Olson, June Penkar, as well as the occasional post Bar/Bat Mitzvah graduate. Of particular pleasure, we remember the adult Bar/Bat Mitzvah class (of 11!) who trained with Shlomo Karni and held a mass ceremony in 2010.

Source: Shlomo Karni

 Yearly services and Customs

Shabbat: During our first 35+ years, we had regular Shabbat services on Friday nights and/or Saturday mornings. They were held in members' homes. The host was responsible for securing in advance the prayer books and the Torahs, lighting the candles (Fridays), challahs, and wine for kidddush. Attending members would bring  potluck dishes (no meat, out of respect for those who observed kosher) for a festive meal after services. Seating was 'mixed', on couches, chairs, the floor. Singing was a big part of our Shabbat services.

Speaking of tunes: We adapted, then adopted as our informal hymn, the song "Hayamim Cholefim" ("The days pass by") from its original "...but the melody remains  forever" to "...but the Chavurah remains forever." We sang the Hebrew and the homegrown, adapted English versions. Singing during services was always alive and joyful, with variations of familiar tunes; we had at least five versions for Lechah Dodi, or 'homegrown', such as Sim Shalom and Hayom (for the High Holidays).

 As mentioned earlier, prayer leaders were men or women, as were the Torah readers. Aliyot were single or by family; rarely,  an aliyah would be abbreviated to its first three verses if the weekly Parashah (portion of the Torah) was excessively long. Typically, during the Torah reading on Shabbat morning, we often held an informal discussion of the related topics. Later on, we formed a regular Bible study group which met on Sundays afternoon.

The High Holidays: For these, as well as other large gatherings (Bar/t mitzvah, wedding), we rent a hall. For many years it was the Alumni Chapel on the campus of the University of New Mexico. On Rosh Hashanah, we hold services on the first evening and on the first and second days. Blowing of the shofar has been entrusted to several members, among them George Cosden (z"l), Stuart Lipkowitz, Arielle Siegel, and Rachel Langer.  On the second day, we frequently hold Tashlich services (symbolic casting of sins into a body of running water) at Tingley Beach , the Rio Grande, or at the duck pond at UNM.

At various points during these services, brief talks on relevant topics are given by various members. The fast of Yom Kippur is concluded with a scrumptious 'break-the-fast' catered meal, concluding the period of inspired and inspiring introspection and true togetherness.

Sukkot: Several members build their sukkah at home, and we would hold services there. The Spolsky family donated their modular sukkah to the Chavurah when they went to live in Israel. For several years, we would erect it in the backyard of Bob and Beverly White, under the very able supervision of Sue Steketee. The gathering of Sechach ( leafy branches for the roof of the sukkah) was done at the Sandias, with great joy and with the help of members. On the last day of Simchat Torah, the annual ending of the reading in the Torah and the resumption thereof,  we would hold services at a member's home, complete with dancing and singing -- most recently over the past years at the home of Judith Brillman and Bart Wohl.

Chanukkah: We celebrate it usually on the last evening (8 candles -- the brighter, the merrier), catered with latkes, sufganiot (jelly filled donuts), falafel, pita and salads. Members sit around tables, with their menorahs lit, eating and singing. The evening ends with the annual Chavurah election of officers, with a boisterous approval for the great job they have been doing.

Tu Bi'Shevat: (the fifteenth day of the month of Shevat, the Jewish Arbor Day, 'Rosh Hashanah for the trees' according to the Talmud). We celebrate it with a meal replete with fruits like dates and figs, and reading from a special Hagaddah, compiled for the occasion by Michaela Karni. Held in recent years in the large studio of Evelyn Rosenberg., with programs designed by Michaela Karni and Rachel Cooper.

Purim: A big, happy celebration, especially when our children of the Hebrew school, dressed up in fancy costumes, performed a funny Purim spiel (show). Noisy chanting of the Megillah (Book of Esther), followed by a light dinner, complete with Hamman taschen. We have continued it even after our Hebrew school went on a (permanent?) hiatus, with many adults still dressed up in costumes, and delightful Purim spiels.

Pesach (Passover): We have  yet to fulfill the dream of a few members, from way back, to hold a general Chavurah Seder. Instead, over the years,  several members have been inviting others to their homes, with the Good and Welfare committee making sure that single members who wanted it had such an invitation. Another great idea, floated by the intrepid Roz Gibel,  also waits to be materialized -- a Chavurah trip to Israel for Passover.

Shavuot (one of the three major festivals, the other two being Pesach and Sukkot). Traditionally, it has both a religious aspect (the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai), and an agricultural one (the harvest festival). In our early years, we would hold services at one of many picnic areas in the Sandias, with our children wearing wreaths of flowers on their heads for the occasion.

Lag Ba'Omer (the 33rd day of counting the Omer, starting with the first day of Pesach) commemorates the valiant rebellion of the Jews against the Roman empire, circa 132 CE. We celebrated it for a few years in the traditional way by lighting a bonfire (in the then barren backyard of the Whites) and our Hebrew school children playing with bows and arrows.

Tish'ah b'Av (the ninth day of the month of Av), the traditional day of mourning the destruction of both Temples in Jerusalem. On the eve of it, we would gather in a member's home, sit on the floor or on low benches, and,  after a brief Ma'ariv and to the light of only a few candles, chant the Book of Lamentations (Eichah).

Source: Shlomo Karni

 Shavuot in the Mountains ~ 1975

These black and white photos were shot  and printed by a photographer friend of one ( but which one?) of our members on Shavuot in what we think was 1975.  These are a selection from many in the possession of the Karnis.  If anyone else has photos from that day, it would be great to see them on this site.   We have identified some of the people in the photographs but would be happy if any of you can identify the rest. Many thanks to Joel Saland for editing and digitalizing these 5”by7” prints for our archives.

On this day, we celebrated the recent acquisition  of our second sefer torah – the big one-  al fresco in the Manzano Mountains at Oak Flats.   It seemed appropriate to do so, outside and in the mountains, as Shavuot  is the holiday that honors the day Moses brought down the tablets from Mount Sinai to the children of Israel.

Everyone present took a turn dancing with the Torah and the  children of the Chavurah Hebrew School put on a skit that re-enacted  the giving of the Torah.   Please note the flowers we wore in our hair and the joy on our faces.   And if we look a bit like hippies-- the beards, the cowboy hats – we were unabashedly in full flight from the  formality of the normal synagogue experience.

Looking at these photos brings back the sweetest of memories.

 Source: Shlomo and Michaela Karni

Photo Source: Shlomo and Michaela Karni

Parking was an issue for all the years that the Chavurah held High Holiday services at the UNM Memorial Chapel. Here is a souvenir from that time: